Lu Minghai's slap came too suddenly; not only Lu Sibai, but even Feng Zhihui and Lu Siyuan were startled.
The nanny was so frightened that she almost dropped Feng Zhihui's bag. She nervously grabbed the lady's bag and slipped away silently.
Weren't the gentleman and lady supposed to be attending the Feng family's engagement banquet? I don't know what happened, but the gentleman got so angry that he actually hit the young master.
She had worked for the Lu family for so many years, but she had never seen the two young masters of the Lu family beaten before. This was the first time!
"Dad, Dad?" Lu Sibai cupped his face, his expression full of shock.
He got hit? He actually got hit? His dad actually hit him?
Lu Sibai was stunned, feeling a mix of sadness, grievance, and a slight sense of guilt.
Could it be... could it be that Lu Minghai already knows his identity? Knows that he is not a child of the Lu family?
"What are you doing?" Feng Zhihui hugged her youngest son with heartache and patted his back to comfort him.
Lu Siyuan also stood in front of his mother and younger brother, looking at him disapprovingly.
"Don't call me dad!"
Lu Minghai was so angry that his head was throbbing. He had always thought that although his youngest son was not as outstanding as his eldest son, he was at least lucky, had a well-behaved and obedient personality, and did not cause trouble. He had grown up with the young master of the Qin family since childhood and had even won him over.
He was aware that the relationship between the two children had changed, but Lu Minghai was happy to see it happen.
But at first, he never imagined that his son would have anything to do with Qin Shen.
His wife had a good relationship with Madam Qin, which was a valuable connection. He deliberately arranged for his youngest son, who was close in age to Qin Shen, to grow up together with the young master of the Qin family. In the future, when Qin Shen inherited the Qin family, there would be a bond that had lasted since childhood.
The sudden transformation of a close friend into a lover was not arranged by Lu Minghai. He was usually so busy with work that he had no time to care about the feelings of a teenager.
By the time he found out, the two had essentially confirmed their relationship.
And what did that brat say? He actually implied to people that he was the one who forced him to be with Qin Shen, as if Lu Minghai was someone who sold his son!
This wasn't what angered him the most. He really couldn't understand why he went to say those things to that kid Chu Tianze and try to seduce him.
The Chu family is not even as good as his Lu family. If Chu Tianze and Qin Shen switched identities, he could praise Lu Sibai for being ambitious.
In reality? Who ever cheats and ends up with worse conditions? People want to jump ship and improve their careers, but what kind of mess did they end up with?!
Not only did he cheat on his girlfriend, but he also failed to hide his true intentions, allowing someone to record the conversation.
Lu Minghai felt utterly helpless, unable to understand how he could have given birth to such a stupid child.
Feng Zhihui held Lu Sibai's face in her hands and looked at him for a while. Although Lu Minghai had been pampered and had never done any physical labor, he was still a young adult male in his prime. He slapped Lu Sibai in anger, making half of his face swell up.
Feng Zhihui cried with heartache: "Can't you talk things out? Why did you hit the child? Look at Sibai's face..."
Lu Siyuan silently took the first-aid kit and applied medicine to Lu Sibai. When his fingers touched Lu Sibai's red, swollen, and burning skin, the heartache in his eyes was no less than that in Feng Zhihui.
Lu Minghai rubbed his temples, waved for his wife to move aside, and said to Lu Sibai, "Now that there are no outsiders, tell me yourself, why did you go and seduce Chu Tianze?"
Could it really be some kind of bullshit true love? Does he really like Chu Tianze? But he didn't speak to Chu Tianze that day.
"Minghai, how could you say such a thing about Sibai?" Before Lu Sibai could answer, Feng Zhihui spoke up in dissatisfaction: "How could Sibai do such a thing?"
Lu Siyuan chimed in, "Yes, Dad, things aren't even clear yet, how can it be considered flirting?"
How could he, as a father, say such things about his own son?
Lu Minghai glanced at his eldest son in surprise. He knew his wife was naive and innocent; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to win her over so easily.
But what about the eldest son? His words were so obvious, who couldn't understand?
Lu Minghai's heart tightened. In the past, his eldest son was not like other young people who were promiscuous and dissolute. He was always either at school or at the company, and Lu Minghai thought that was because he was ambitious.
Now it seems better to let him go out and make a living for two years. He can't even tell from such obvious seduction. If he meets someone with ulterior motives in the future, he'll be completely fooled.
His eldest son was groomed to be his successor, and his work ability seemed to be fine. Lu Minghai didn't say it, but he was satisfied.
I never expected him to be so naive, even ignorant, when it comes to relationships.
The issue of succession is not something to be taken lightly. Lu Minghai thought to himself that he couldn't let his eldest son continue to be so foolish; he had to teach him a lesson.
But that's not urgent. The first thing to deal with is the trouble caused by the youngest son.
Lu Minghai stared intently at Lu Sibai, who had his head bowed, and said sternly, "Tell me, what exactly happened? Regardless of whether it was seduction or not, why did you do such a thing and say such a thing? If someone really framed you, then tell me who did it."
Lu Sibai clenched his fists tightly on his knees, his nails digging deep into his palms. He felt cold all over, but his head and face were burning hot, especially his left cheek, which had just been slapped, and was throbbing with a persistent, stinging pain.
He didn't know what to say or how to say it.
fact?
The truth is that he did intentionally seduce Chu Tianze. That damned Ruan Bei, I don't know what he did, but even without that person saying it, Lu Sibai could sense his misfortune.
He and Ruan Bei were destined not to coexist. If Ruan Bei was doing well, he would be unlucky. If Ruan Bei was full of good fortune, he would be suppressed and unable to raise his head.
vice versa.
But he was different from that incompetent guy Ruan Bei; he was able to borrow other people's luck and seek their protection.
Therefore, he must have many, many people around him who support and love him. His abundant fortune can suppress Ruan Bei, so that when the two of them officially clash, he can suppress Ruan Bei in one fell swoop, and then the balance of power will shift, making it impossible for Ruan Bei to recover.
Yes, Qin Shen is excellent, and his luck is strong enough, but their relationship is not close enough to be inseparable. Lu Sibai can only borrow a little bit, which is not enough for him to deal with Ruan Bei.
That's why Chu Tianze came into being. He didn't intend to do anything; he just wanted to keep him hanging on. As long as he liked him and was willing to protect him, that was enough.
If he succeeds this time, he can continue searching for the next person destined for success. Although he doesn't know what kind of person it will be, that person will eventually tell him.
Moreover, he knew that those with good fortune were always outstanding people, and he was happy to see those so-called chosen ones being completely fooled by him.
Let them rejoice for him, be angry for him, be happy for him, and be sad for him.
That Chu Tianze, wasn't he also praised by everyone? Yet he was just as foolish as Chu Tianze, easily fooled by Chu Tianze.
Chu Tianze himself said that he was willing to protect him, right? So why couldn't he just be honest and do nothing? Why did he kiss him and kick him when he was down?
If he hadn't suddenly kissed him and been caught by Ah Shen, he wouldn't have blamed everything on him.
It's all because he couldn't control himself and was dominated by his filthy desires. How dare you blame him?!
And what about Lu Minghai? Was he wrong? Wasn't it what he wanted for him to be with Qin Shen?
This hypocritical and disgusting man actually laid a hand on him. He used to genuinely regard him as his father.
Lu Sibai's heart was filled with deep malice. He resented and hated these people. It was all their fault. They had wronged him!
"Speak!" Lu Minghai didn't see the resentment Lu Sibai was hiding behind his lowered head. He shouted, "I asked you to explain, did you hear me?"
Lu Sibai flinched, raised her head, her face covered in tears, and cried, "Dad, I know I was wrong, Dad, please don't be angry, don't hurt yourself..."
He cried and begged Lu Minghai for forgiveness, refusing to talk about the topics Lu Minghai kept asking.
Feng Zhihui always doted on her youngest son. Her eldest son was precocious from a young age, but her youngest son was considerate and sensible. Seeing him crying so sadly with injuries on his face, Feng Zhihui also started to cry.
"He's young, so what if he made a mistake? He's already apologized, why can't you forgive him? Why are you pushing him like this? You've already beaten him up like this, what more do you want?"
Lu Minghai felt dizzy. Was he the one forcing Lu Sibai now?
There's another mastermind hiding behind the scenes, whose identity and purpose are unknown. And with things having escalated to this point with the Qin family, how can he handle the next steps without finding out the inside story?
"Shut up!" Lu Minghai said to Feng Zhihui with a rare coldness: "It's all your fault for spoiling him like this, crying and whining like a woman!"
Feng Zhihui was stunned by his scolding and hadn't even reacted when Lu Minghai stood up, grabbed Lu Sibai by the collar, and made him stand properly: "Speak, tell me everything about how you got involved with Chu Tianze. If you hide anything again..."
He paused for a moment, then said, "I'm not going to get involved in this. Your mother and brother are not allowed to interfere either. You have to explain to the Qin family yourself."
Lu Sibai gritted her teeth in hatred. If it were only Qin Shen, she could slowly find a way to coax him back, or at most add Aunt Luo. But Qin Zhengping was not so easy to talk to.
Although Aunt Luo had reservations about him being with Qin Shen, she didn't say anything harsh because Qin Shen insisted, and because she had a good relationship with his mother and had watched him grow up.
Qin Zhengping, however, consistently disapproved of their proposals and even wanted to arrange a marriage between Qin Shen and a wealthy young lady in the capital.
Left with no other choice, Lu Sibai could only humiliatingly recount his affair with Chu Tianze under Lu Minghai's persistent questioning.
He couldn't lie and pin all the blame on Chu Tianze. Lu Minghai's suspicious look told him that he didn't believe him and would investigate.
He didn't feel anything when he was doing those things, but being forced to talk about them was incredibly humiliating.
Especially with Feng Zhihui and Lu Siyuan listening nearby, their expressions gradually changed from sympathy and pity to disbelief.
Lu Siyuan hesitated several times before speaking, especially after hearing that the recording was taken near his school, which he hadn't been to during that period.
Si Bai clearly knew his schedule, yet he used him as an excuse to get close to his friends, which shocked and disappointed Lu Siyuan.
How could his innocent and well-behaved younger brother do such a thing?
Was his concern for him genuine?
After finally finishing speaking, Lu Sibai was almost soaked in sweat. He returned to his bedroom in a daze, not even knowing how he got up there.
After sitting in the chair for a while, Lu Sibai suddenly woke up, locked the door from the inside, and took out his phone.
He tapped on the profile picture of the contact hidden at the very bottom of his address book and started sending messages like crazy.
[My conversation with Chu Tianze was recorded. What should I do? Please help me!]
[Useless.]
[Who do you take after? You're so useless, you can't even handle such a small thing, and you even let someone record you.]
Lu Sibai gritted his teeth, wanting to curse loudly, but he didn't dare.
He stared intently at his phone, desperately trying to hold back for a while before his hands trembled as he continued sending the message:
[I'm sorry, it's my fault.]
When there was no reply for a long time, Lu Sibai began to feel anxious again.
What should he do if she really abandons him?
Please, help me. I will be good. Don't give up on me.
[First, reassure Qin Shen. Remember, you must marry into the Qin family and become a true member of the Qin family.]
Lu Sibai hesitated and tentatively asked:
[Could you give me something, something that can deceive people? I know you have...]
[Of course I have it, but I can't give it to you now, and you can't use it, especially not on Qin Shen.]
[Why? ]
Lu Sibai was puzzled, but it didn't matter if it wasn't used on Qin Shen. It would be better if it could be used on Qin Zhengping, who was the biggest obstacle.
Lu Sibai thought this way, and he said it.
The reply came quickly: [Don't even think about trying anything with the Qin family; it will get you into big trouble.]
Lu Sibai didn't understand, but he knew that what this person said was true, and she wouldn't lie to him.
[That Ruan Bei...]
[Could we try to find a solution on his end first?]
Since he's suffered a setback, he should make Ruan Bei suffer too.
The thought that everything he had suffered stemmed from him filled Lu Sibai with intense hatred, and he even held Ruan Bei responsible for the slap Lu Minghai had given him, since Lu Minghai was his biological father.
[No, we can't touch him now.]
[Why? ]
Lu Sibai was very frustrated. Nothing worked. Ruan Bei was just a poor kid from a poor family. Why couldn't he be moved?
If he weren't afraid to confront Ruan Bei right now, he could have taken care of Ruan Bei himself.
The other party didn't send any messages for a long time this time. Several times it showed "editing" at the top, but no message came.
Lu Sibai was puzzled. He knew what kind of ability that person had. How could someone like her hesitate and be unable to make up her mind?
What opportunity did Ruan Bei have? Or did he gain some extraordinary connections?
Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask. Do what you're supposed to do. Remember, if you fail again this time, you're on your own.
Lu Sibai was unwilling to accept this. He hadn't received any help, and after asking a few more questions, he was blocked.
He smashed his phone in anger, unable to vent his rage. He cursed those who had caused him this, but that was all he could do. He almost died of anger.
Ruan Bei sneezed, and Zeng Peng immediately said, "One sneeze means you're cursing, two sneezes mean someone is cursing you."
Ruan Bei rolled her eyes, took the tissue Kun Kun handed her, and thought Zeng Peng was so boring.
But there were even more bored people than Zeng Peng. Bai Miaomiao asked with curiosity, "What about the three sounds?"
Zeng Peng chuckled: "You have a cold."
Ruan Bei was speechless: "What if the person has rhinitis?"
Zeng Peng: "...I can't stop sneezing because of my rhinitis!"
Ruan Bei: "..." I shouldn't have responded; I'm even more bored.
Bored, Ruan Bei scrolled through the news online. He had to admit that handing the recording over to Bo Sen was the right decision.
The fact that the matter escalated to such a great extent is at least half due to Bosen's choice of an opportune moment to play the recording.
Although several parties tried to suppress the heated discussion, how could such a thing be suppressed? It is easier to prevent people from speaking than to prevent a river from overflowing, especially in the era of the Internet.
They quickly removed the trending topic, but a new one soon emerged. The three people in the audio, whose names were recorded, were thoroughly exposed, and the three companies involved also became famous, with their official websites almost crashing due to the overwhelming traffic.
The most interesting thing is that because some influential figures who directly reposted the content by name were warned at the beginning, netizens who discussed the matter later simply referred to each other by code names.
For example, Lu Sibai is the most famous textbook example of a "green tea" woman. There are also those who directly call him a cheating man, but there are too many cheating men, and they are not as representative or interesting as the "green tea" textbook, so their spread is not as widespread.
Even passersby who hadn't paid attention to the matter before stumbled upon the nickname, found it interesting, and went to learn more about the story, thus generating a wave of buzz for them.
The other two parties involved, Qin Shen and Chu Tianze, also couldn't escape the consequences.
Qin Shen was cuckolded in front of millions of viewers, and because of his status as the young master of the Qin family, he was jokingly called the "Green Hat Prince," which is similar to the "Frog Prince" in that both are green.
However, one is green on the surface, while the other is green from the inside out.
Compared to the other two, Chu Tianze's titles are less impressive, numerous and varied, and therefore lack consistency.
Some call him the scapegoat, others call him the mistress, and still others call him the man who was "the textbook example of a green tea b*tch."
Some people called him "the second boat," but this was refuted. Netizens found various pieces of evidence to prove that Chu Tianze might not be the second man Lu Sibai flirted with.
But they didn't know exactly which one, so they affectionately called him "the nth ship".
Although Ruan Bei and others had been paying attention, they were still incredulous at how things had turned out, and they had to admire the netizens' talent.
Those companies must be devastated. It would be better to just show their names directly. Being labeled with these strange titles and creating a fixed impression on the outside world is not a good thing.
From now on, whenever people mention his name, the first thing they'll think of is this shameful title; it's as if he's been nailed to the pillar of shame.
Several public relations and publicity departments joined forces, but it was to no avail.
Public opinion can't be suppressed by mere pressure. When faced with this situation, the entertainment industry usually creates a bigger news story to divert netizens' attention and works with online trolls to reduce the buzz.
None of these companies are involved in the entertainment industry, and their public relations departments would suppress any negative news immediately.
That makes sense. If something goes wrong in their real estate business, they'll definitely suppress the news; they wouldn't create a big story to cover it up.
They went in the wrong direction from the start, and the more they suppressed it, the more it rebounded, and the more they suppressed it, the more popular it became. In the end, everyone was watching the drama, and the nicknames of the three parties involved became trending memes.
Of course, the efforts of several rival companies were also partly fueled by their rivals.
For example, Bosen frequently had his company's publicity department help his rival company generate buzz.
Guilty conscience? Impossible. If he did nothing, Lu Minghai would be even more suspicious of him.
With the scandal raging and the company's official website being attacked, it's impossible for the company to remain unaffected.
The Chu family is alright. After all, judging from the audio alone, Chu Tianze is a bit foolish, and it seems like he was being used.
So although the stock price fluctuated slightly, it quickly stabilized and there was no major problem.
Because Qin Zhengping's small companies were not very well-known, the Qin family was directly implicated.
The Qin family is wealthy and powerful, but the "cuckolded prince" is rather pitiful.
So even though many people asked about it, it didn't really have a big impact.
However, to everyone's surprise, the Qin family's official Weibo account issued a statement, using very official language, but the content was jaw-dropping.
It not only solemnly declares that Qin Zhengping is not the current head of the Qin family or the person in charge of the Qin clan, but also that the actions of his family cannot represent the Qin clan.
They even exposed Qin Zhengping's true colors, stating that he and the Qin family head were half-siblings, and that his mother was the former caregiver of the Qin matriarch.
Oh.
Half-siblings.
care.
Netizens quickly pieced together the story, which means that the "cuckolded prince's" father was actually an illegitimate child, and his mother slept with her employer when Madam Qin was ill.
That "green hat prince" can no longer be called a prince; he's more like a fake prince.
The statement issued by Qin at least diverted some attention from the audio incident, but the parties involved were not happy at all.
Qin Zhengping smashed all the furnishings in his house and locked Lu Minghai and Feng Zhihui, who had come to visit, out of the door.
Lu Minghai was humiliated and had nowhere to vent his anger when he returned to the company to hear the news of the stock price plummeting.
With the audio incident causing such a huge uproar, if we were to say who among the three is the least innocent, it would definitely be Lu Sibai. She cheated on her boyfriend and seduced her brother's friend. Netizens are all discussing what kind of bitch she is, and even the term "green tea" is a bit hard to accept regarding her complex character.
I don't understand, I can't figure it out.
Netizens are wondering, if a son is raised like this, how can the parents be any good? And how can this company be any good?
They're in the real estate business; who knows, maybe their houses were built with substandard materials.
Other products might be fine if they cut corners, but houses are for people to live in. What if they collapse?
Rumors are easily spread and misinterpreted. What started as a questioning of the Lu family's character eventually spread to the point that even elderly people who don't use the internet know that there's a real estate company called Haiming Group and that their houses have problems.
They even fabricated a story about a building collapse, and they made it sound quite convincing.
Therefore, those who do not currently need to buy a house should remember Haiming Group and not buy their houses in the future.
Those who were planning to buy a house immediately excluded the properties developed by Haiming Group from their purchase options. Some who had already signed purchase contracts but had not yet taken possession of their houses even blocked their sales offices, demanding refunds and cancellations.
Those who had already bought houses were filled with fear and even sought help from official supervisory departments.
The plummeting stock price left Lu Minghai in a state of utter chaos. Shareholders were demanding a general meeting, and all sorts of troubles were arising one after another. Even the company's main entrance was blocked by people wanting to cancel their purchases.
Lu Minghai's eyes were bloodshot, and his head was throbbing with pain. Then he received a notification from his secretary that the official quality inspection department was going to conduct a random inspection and that they were required to cooperate.
The engineering manager followed closely behind, his face dripping with sweat, and asked Lu Minghai tremblingly what to do.
Others in the company might not know, but he knew perfectly well that their project would definitely fail the random inspection. Which house builder would be so obedient as to follow the regulations?
They aren't the kind of unscrupulous businessmen, but for housing and such, unless there's an earthquake, there's no need for such high standards. Over the years, there haven't been any problems with Haiming Group's houses.
But Jincheng isn't in an earthquake zone, so why spend that extra money?
But no matter how many reasons they had, they couldn't tell the officials or the people blocking the gate.
"Chairman, what should we do? They're already here..."
Lu Minghai's vision went black, and he fell straight down.
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