"Nonsense! How could you possibly misremember something like this?"
Ling Yunlong's blood pressure suddenly spiked, and he almost vomited blood on the spot.
Before this, he had never imagined that the well-behaved and quiet Ling Tian would actually lie.
It was precisely because he trusted her too much that he reprimanded Ling Mo in front of so many people without distinguishing right from wrong, and even took out a whip that had been gathering dust for many years.
"Dad, will my face never get better? It really hurts..."
Ling Tian sensed the oppressive atmosphere surrounding Ling Yunlong, her shoulders trembled uncontrollably, and she wiped away tears as she spoke.
Ling Yunlong snorted coldly and slammed the leather whip heavily onto the tray that Wu Ma was holding.
Her face hurts? Doesn't his face hurt too?!
It's really unlucky to unleash a barrage of criticism on a younger relative in front of the whole family, only to find out you've scolded the wrong person.
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became.
The original plan was to have Ling Tian apologize to Ling Mo, but seeing Ling Tian crying uncontrollably, the plan had to be abandoned.
Seeing that Ling Yunlong was furious, Su Yu dared not say anything more. She quickly turned to the side and whispered to Sister Zhang, "Take the second young lady downstairs to wash her face. After she finishes washing, apply the medicine for her again."
"Yes, madam."
Sister Zhang responded repeatedly and helped Ling Tian walk towards the stairwell.
"etc."
Ling Mo sternly stopped Ling Tian, who was about to flee, picked up the thick leather whip from the tray with one hand, and slowly walked up to Ling Yunlong, his voice cold and piercing:
"Dad, can you tell me what your principles are for using family discipline?"
"I haven't even questioned you about who you were fooling around with, and you're already interfering with my life?"
Knowing he was in the wrong, Ling Yunlong muttered something under his breath, his tone no longer as aggressive as before.
"Hanging out?" Ling Mo curled his lips into a cold, shallow smile. "In your eyes, being cornered in an alley by a group of thugs, almost losing an arm, and nearly being raped—that counts as hanging out?"
"What do you mean?" Ling Yunlong's eyes darkened slightly, vaguely sensing that there was more to this matter than met the eye.
"This afternoon after school, Ling Tian's classmate Ji Yan paid a group of thugs to ambush me in an alley, saying he was there to stand up for Ling Tian. Those thugs looked really tough, with tattooed arms and rude behavior. I guess I was just incredibly lucky to escape from their encirclement," Ling Mo replied calmly.
"Is this really true?"
Ling Yunlong looked at Ling Mo, who was dressed perfectly, with suspicion, and did not believe what she said.
If Ling Mo had really been cornered in the alley by thugs, how could he be standing safely in front of him right now?
"I've already sent you the video link on WeChat. Believe it or not, it's up to you." Ling Mo guessed Ling Yunlong's thoughts and added casually.
Seeing that Ling Mo's words were well-founded, Ling Yunlong quickly put on a hypocritical mask and said insincerely, "It's good that you're home safely. Don't worry, I will investigate this matter thoroughly. Anyone who dares to touch my daughter will be made to pay dearly."
"..."
In the past, Ling Mo would have been deeply moved by his words.
After seeing through the true colors of this family, she felt that Ling Yunlong's concern was full of hypocrisy, which disgusted her.
Seeing that Ling Mo remained silent, Ling Yunlong decided to let the matter drop and spoke in a gentle tone:
"Go upstairs and take a hot shower, and you'll be fine after a good night's sleep."
Ling Mo completely ignored Ling Yunlong's overtures and pressed him for an answer with a serious expression:
"Dad, now tell me, did you invoke the principles of family discipline?"
"The sixteenth rule of the Ling family ancestral precepts is: no internal strife, no persecution of brothers and sisters. Anyone who violates the ancestral precepts shall be punished according to family law." Ling Yunlong could not persuade Ling Mo otherwise, so he narrowed his eyes and recited a short passage from memory.
"You silly child, it's just a misunderstanding, why are you taking it so seriously?" Seeing Ling Mo bring up the topic again, Su Yu swayed her slender waist and moved closer to her, feigning concern as she asked, "By the way, after you were cornered in the alley by those thugs, you didn't suffer any losses, did you?"
Ling Mo had no time for pleasantries with Su Yu. His sharp gaze fixed on Ling Tian's still-shaken face, and he spoke slowly and deliberately:
"Answer me, have you ever told Ji Yan any nonsense like I often bully you?"
"I didn't," Ling Tian denied outright.
"If you hadn't said anything, why would he have risked going to jail to stand up for you?"
"Sister, why are you always targeting me?" Ling Tian pouted, her voice barely audible.
"I should be the one asking that question."
After speaking, Ling Mo raised an eyebrow and stared intently at Ling Yunlong, whose eyes had darkened. "Ling Tian first lied and falsely accused me of assaulting her, and then instigated others to hire someone to kill me, almost causing me to suffer a terrible fate. This has already violated the Ling family's ancestral precepts. Dad, what do you think should be done about this?"
Su Yu's expression changed drastically, and she quickly tried to smooth things over, "How did playing around between sisters bring up ancestral precepts? Besides, Xiao Tian knew nothing about that boy hiring someone to hurt someone. Xiao Tian is kind-hearted; how could she just stand by and watch her sister be bullied?"
Ling Yunlong was thoroughly annoyed by Ling Mo's relentless nitpicking over the smallest mistakes and his unwavering protection of Ling Tian.
“Yu’er is right. It’s perfectly normal for sisters to play around; there’s no need to make a big deal out of it.”
"Dad, aren't you being incredibly hypocritical? Ling Tian got into trouble, and you just dismissed it as 'playing around with her sister.' I haven't done anything wrong, yet you're quick to resort to family discipline. What kind of logic is that?"
Ling Mo had anticipated Ling Yunlong's reaction. Just as Ling Yunlong was about to explode, Ling Mo calmly pulled out his phone from his breast pocket and waved it in front of Ling Yunlong. "Dad, the whole country is watching. You know what to do, right?"
"What's this?"
Ling Yunlong stared at his own oily face on his phone screen, his eyelids twitching wildly, and a sudden sense of foreboding arose in his heart.
Ling Mo smiled and explained slowly:
"The viewers in the live stream witnessed the harrowing experience of being surrounded by thugs after school. When I got home, I started another live stream to let everyone know I was safe, but you gave me a severe scolding, and I completely forgot about the live stream."
"you!"
Ling Yunlong was trembling with rage, wishing he could hang Ling Mo up and beat him senseless. However, with so many people watching the live stream, he had no choice but to suppress his anger and swallow his pride.
He glanced at the number of viewers in the upper left corner of the screen, which had just surpassed 100,000, but his gaze finally settled on the constantly scrolling bullet comments in the lower left corner of the screen.
[Yo ho~ The scumbag dad finally showed his face!]
[Double standard! Why don't you mention family rules anymore?]
Is the middle-aged woman behind that scumbag father the award-winning actress Su Yu?
[It's her! Rumor has it that Su Yu rose to power through adultery, using many shady methods to secure her position as the matriarch of the wealthy family.]
[The trending topics didn't lie! Su Yu is truly a master of manipulation; she'll do anything despicable to bully her stepdaughter.]
[The streamer is so pitiful! She's being bullied by her scheming younger sister, her actress stepmother, and her cheapskate father.]
[That innocent-looking girl is despicable! She actually instigated a male classmate to hire people to bully the streamer.]
[Don't be afraid, host! The entire nation's netizens are your support.]
...
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