Chapter 34's game directly killed the match, haha.
A few days later, the Su family and the Zhao family finally began to make their move.
It was Li Yin who called first.
It was a sunny afternoon when Ling Shu pushed Sheng Yun Shen out of the car to bask in the sun in the vegetable garden outside Xiao Ming Lou.
I had just settled my cheap husband in when Li Yin called.
Ling Shu raised her eyebrows and answered the phone: "President Li."
Li Yin's voice on the phone was filled with worry: "Ling Shu, I received news that the Zhao family has recently mobilized a lot of online resources, and it seems that they are brewing something and planning to take action against the Sheng family."
Ling Shu's eyes curved into a smile: "Thank you for the reminder, President Li. Don't worry, the Sheng family was prepared."
Li Yin paused for a moment: "Do you need my help? The Li family also has some resources."
“No need.” Ling Shu shook her head. “This matter can be resolved without an online army.”
While the Su family was busy, the Sheng family was not idle either.
The Sheng family now holds a strong hand, just waiting for the Su family to make their move first, so they can overwhelm them.
"That's good."
Li Yin paused for two seconds, then said, "I haven't had a chance to thank you in person for the Chongming Cemetery matter."
Mentioning this, Ling Shu's face lit up with a smile: "Have you found her?"
When Li Yin attended the Sheng family banquet last time and reached a cooperation agreement with the Sheng family, Ling Shu told Li Yin about the Chongming Cemetery.
That place is where Li Yin's birth mother, whom he has been searching for, is buried.
"Um."
Li Yin's voice was gentle. "I've settled her in the village where she was born and raised, buried under the osmanthus tree where she used to play as a child. I think she'll like it very much."
"That's good."
Ling Shu nodded happily.
"Ling Shu, how can I thank you?"
Through the receiver, Li Yin's voice was somewhat muffled, carrying a peculiar emotion, "What do you want?"
Ling Shu smiled and casually replied, "I want world peace."
"..."
Li Yin paused for two seconds, seemingly in thought, "This is a wish that requires long-term planning."
Ling Shu: "..."
It sounds like Li Yin really believes it.
They've all started thinking about how to make this wish come true.
She explained, "Mr. Li, it will take you another two months to understand what I mean."
Ling Shu considered telling Li Yin about the impending apocalypse so that he could prepare in advance.
But she discovered that some mechanism seemed to be restricting her, making it impossible for her to tell outsiders anything about the apocalypse, not even a subtle hint.
Left with no other choice, Ling Shu had to give up.
On the other end of the phone, Li Yin remained silent for a few seconds.
"Okay, Ling Shu, I'll wait two months."
After hanging up the phone, Ling Shu continued humming a song as she bent down to pull weeds.
A short while later, Butler Wang strode over from a distance, his expression grave, a cell phone in his hand.
"Miss Ling, the Su family has made a move."
He handed his phone to Ling Shu, showing her the live stream he was watching.
During the live stream, Su's parents looked haggard, with red eyes, constantly wiping away tears as they cried out to the camera.
"Ever since Su Ruomeng married into the wealthy family, her attitude towards us has become increasingly worse, and she rarely comes home... We dare not complain because of the power of the Sheng family. But I really can't believe that she doesn't even care about the life and death of her own younger brother!"
"Su Yao is a sensible and good boy. He is so young, only twenty-two years old. He should have had a promising future. Now he can only wait to die in agony, and he has to face his own sister who refuses to help him. Fate is too cruel to him."
"Su Ruomeng, your parents are begging you, please save your own brother. Donating bone marrow won't affect your health at all, why are you so heartless towards your family!"
I don't know if the Zhao family gave them special training, but Su's father and mother really acted with a lot of grief and despair. Large tears fell down their faces, and they cried through tissue after tissue. It was a truly tragic scene.
The number of viewers in the live stream is increasing, having already exceeded 100,000, and the number is still rising rapidly.
The comment section is refreshing at breakneck speed; it's almost like a blur.
Wow, I'm witnessing this live!
[The Sheng family? Which Sheng family? Could it be the famous Sheng family from Beijing?!]
[It's the Sheng family! A quick online search will tell you that Su Ruomeng is the eldest daughter-in-law of the Sheng family, and their wedding was quite a grand affair.]
Good heavens, does marrying into a wealthy family make you so great? You can just sit idly by and watch your family members get sick?!
Looking at the constantly refreshing comments, Mr. Su raised his hand to wipe away his tears, his old face wrinkled like a bitter gourd, and communicated with the netizens in the live broadcast room: "Thank you all for your support. My daughter did indeed marry into the Sheng family in Beijing. But our Su family has never relied on the Sheng family. My son has been working hard to find a job. He has submitted countless resumes in the past six months, but unfortunately, he has not found a job he likes before his health has collapsed."
Netizens were even more shocked.
[The younger brother of a daughter-in-law from a wealthy family actually needs to find a job himself?]
I've also been looking for a job for seven months now, and it's incredibly difficult. I totally sympathize.
Does Su Ruomeng think she's so great just because she married into a wealthy family? She doesn't even care about her own family. How shameless!
Of course, as the crowds continued to pour in, some rational netizens also voiced their doubts.
Everyone, please calm down and don't just believe one side of the story.
The Sheng family has always had a good reputation; I don't think they would do such a thing. There must be another reason behind it.
[Wait, this is clearly Su Ruomeng's younger brother's problem, why doesn't he show up himself, leaving his parents in tears?]
Such comments were few in number and were quickly buried in the comment section.
Moreover, if any question is raised, the account will be quickly removed from the live stream and blacklisted by the administrator, making it impossible to access the live stream again.
The Zhao family behind this is very skilled at this kind of high-intensity public opinion control.
Along with the increasing number of viewers of the live stream, there were also various trending topics and reposts from marketing accounts.
The hashtags #ShengFamilyRefusesToHelpInCriticalPatient#, #WealthyDaughter-in-LawRefusesToDonateBoneMarrowToSaveBrother#, and #DoesHavingMoneyMakeYouSoGreat# dominated the trending topics.
Marketing accounts were also indignant, criticizing the Sheng family for acting arbitrarily and being cold-blooded and ruthless because they were rich.
Even the stock price of Shengshi Group was affected, and continued to fall after the market opened.
Ling Shu was amazed.
The post-apocalyptic people had never seen anything like this before.
As she looked around, she asked Butler Wang, "How are things going, elder brother and sister-in-law?"
Butler Wang nodded calmly: "The information has been prepared long ago, send it out immediately."
As soon as he finished speaking, the comments section of the live stream exploded again.
[Everyone, go check it out! The Sheng family has responded!]
Wow, what a plot twist! It's more exciting than a short drama.
[As expected, one shouldn't just listen to one side of the story; the Su family has truly opened my eyes.]
Seeing the comments in the live stream change in an instant, Mr. and Mrs. Su's expressions changed slightly, revealing a hint of unease.
A staff member appeared and handed the phone to Mr. and Mrs. Su. Their expressions darkened further as they took the phone.
This video was posted by the official account of Shengshi Group, with a very sensational title: "Even melodramatic short dramas wouldn't dare to portray it like this!"
Clicking on it leads to a short drama.
First, an elegant yet haggard woman sat by the window, lost in thought, muttering to herself, "I'm pregnant. This is the child my husband and I have been longing for, but I want to give it up..."
The scene shifts to a luxuriously decorated living room, where a young man is engrossed in a game on his phone, his eyes practically glued to the screen. His parents, on either side of him, shower him with affection and concern.
This "short drama" uses a fast-paced filming style to simply tell the story of what happened in the Su family.
Su Ruomeng pretended to have a blood disease and went home to ask her family for help and support. However, her family avoided her like the plague, treating her like a monster.
All the original lines are also included in a high-energy performance.
"Go to the hospital if you're sick. What are you doing at home? We're not doctors!"
"You're sick, are you going to drag your brother down with you? What kind of sister are you! Ah Yao has been afraid of needles since he was little, and he's terrified of going to the hospital, you know that!"
"Sister, brother-in-law, if you need my help, then show some sincerity in asking for it."
In just five minutes, the shamelessness of the Su family was fully exposed.
In fact, the short drama still held back some details, only telling the part about how the Su family needed shares in order to get the bone marrow transplant, without telling the later part about how Su's father hinted to his sister Su Ruoyan to seduce her brother-in-law Sheng Yunqi, and how he threatened to sever ties with Su Ruomeng after the conspiracy was exposed.
The short drama ends with a poll: [If you were Su Ruomeng, facing such a family, what would you choose? A. Donate bone marrow B. Screw them!]
Netizens are going crazy over it.
[BBB! I've hit my keyboard so hard, I have to choose B!]
[The son is sick, and they'd sell everything they own and even go live on social media to save him. But the daughter is sick? What's she doing at home? Parents aren't doctors! This Su family couple has a blatant double standard.]
To put it bluntly, it's about favoring sons over daughters. It seems they only consider their sons human.
Fortunately, Su Ruomeng was smart enough to see through her family's true feelings on the first try. If it were me, I wouldn't donate either!
Meanwhile, netizens who felt deceived flooded into the live stream of Su's parents, angrily spamming the comments section and demanding an explanation from them.
After watching the short drama, Su's parents exchanged an unnatural glance.
They looked embarrassed, but not particularly surprised.
It seems that they and the Zhao family behind them had anticipated the Sheng family's counterattack, so they were not surprised.
Ling Shu carefully observed their expressions, raising her eyebrows slightly with interest.
Interesting. How will the Su and Zhao families respond next?
In the live stream, Su's father's lips trembled, and he lowered his head dejectedly, looking as if he was extremely remorseful.
He raised his hand and slapped himself across the face: "It's all my fault, I'm not human, I'm sexist!"
The slap was quite forceful, and his face quickly swelled up.
The angry comments paused for a moment.
After saying that, she raised her hand, as if to hit her own face.
Su's father grabbed her hand in time, pulled her into his arms, and said righteously, "Wife, if you feel sad, hit me, don't hit yourself. Leave everything to me."
Netizens silently typed out a series of ellipses.
What kind of scene is this? Something seems a bit off.
Is it too late to regret it now?
Just as Su's parents were hugging each other and crying, repeatedly apologizing, a heavy voice suddenly came from off-camera.
"Dad, Mom, let's go. This live stream... we're not going to do it!"
Accompanied by this sound, a pale and haggard man appeared in the live stream camera.
His hair was disheveled, his face was pale, and his lips were bloodless.
He had only walked a few steps when he was already covered in sweat and panting heavily, as if he was about to faint on the spot.
Netizens had to look at it several times before they dared to recognize it.
[Su Yao, is this Su Yao?]
[Oh my god, this is terrifying! He looked tall and strong in the photo, how could he have become so sick in just a few days?]
Such a contrast is shocking.
Su Yao looked haggard, his pale hands gripping his father and mother: "Dad, Mom, what you're doing is moral blackmail, I don't support you."
His bloodshot eyes flashed with deep disapproval. "You all know that my sister is pregnant. This is the child she has been longing for. Why should I force her to give up the child because of my illness?"
Faced with her son's questioning, Su's mother's lips trembled, and she cried even more bitterly: "Ayao, you can have another child, but if your bone marrow transplant is delayed, there will really be no hope!"
Su Yao frowned and loudly rejected his mother's words: "Mom, an unborn child is also a living little life. That's my future nephew or niece, and also your grandson or granddaughter. They're both my flesh and blood. Why do you expect my sister to give up her child for me?"
His statement left netizens completely bewildered.
What's going on? Did this guy have a stroke after being sick?
Finally, someone speaking like a human being! They're all precious, even unborn children are equally important!
[Um, is he faking it?]
I also think it's an act.
Netizens were skeptical, but Su's parents in front of the camera were truly dumbfounded.
Su's father opened and closed his mouth several times before finally saying, "Ayao, you're right, but... but your parents can't bear to see you like this!"
Su Yao slumped his shoulders and gave a bitter smile: "It's okay, Mom and Dad. We'll try our best to find a bone marrow match. I believe there's always a chance."
Father Su frowned deeply: "But your condition is very serious, I'm afraid you won't be able to wait much longer!"
Su Yao shook his head slightly: "It's alright, then it's... my fate."
As he said this, half of his face was hidden in shadow, the light outlining his thin features, making him look as if a gust of wind could blow him away.
His lips turned down in a bitter, yet seemingly indifferent, curve.
After saying this, he glanced at the camera, didn't linger, and turned to leave with Su's parents.
"Mom and Dad, let's go, this live stream is off."
The three of them pulled each other out of the screen.
The live stream abruptly ended, leaving only a black screen. Hundreds of thousands of bewildered netizens were still engaged in heated discussions in the comments section.
[The parents are inhuman, but the son is still salvageable.]
[Hey, are you all goldfish with only a seven-second memory? What did Su Yao say before? He said he'd use 10% of Shengshi Group's shares to exchange for a bone marrow transplant!]
People don't change easily, but they can easily fake it. I suspect this is all scripted, a plot twist deliberately created by someone.
Am I the only one who saw scheming in Su Yao's eyes?
Initially, many netizens raised questions.
But later, for some reason, the direction of the comments gradually changed.
What did he do wrong? He just wanted to live.
[I work in the medical field, and after making inquiries, I haven't found any other matches for Su Yao.]
What happens if there's no match? Will I die?
Yes. His illness is very dangerous; he only has a few months left.
To be honest, if I were Su Ruomeng, I probably couldn't bear to watch my own brother die.
[I live in the same neighborhood as Su Yao. I heard his parents are selling their house to pay for his medical treatment. Going on this livestream was probably out of necessity; it's really tragic.]
I'm Su Yao's classmate. He's a sarcastic, blunt guy who loves to make low-EQ jokes, but he's actually very kind. He even helped me with my homework.
Under the subtle guidance of online trolls, netizens who were unaware of the truth actually developed a little sympathy for Su Yao.
Ling Shu watched all of this with a cold eye.
As expected of the Zhao family, their second move was quite ruthless.
Su Yao's performance was so good; he must have trained very hard these past few days. No wonder he lost weight so quickly.
In her mind, she heard Sheng Yunshen's cold comment after listening to the whole thing: "They want to use public opinion to forever nail your sister-in-law and the Sheng family to the pillar of shame."
“Yes,” Ling Shu agreed. “No matter what, my sister-in-law and Su Yao are siblings. If Su Yao really dies, the public won’t remember what he did; they’ll only remember that he had a sister who refused to help him.”
Don't be fooled by Su Yao's current statement that he doesn't want Su Ruomeng to donate bone marrow. He will definitely continue to release information about himself, letting everyone witness him becoming more and more haggard, and step by step walking towards death in despair.
Netizens are sympathetic, and if Su Yao plays the victim and sheds some tears in front of the camera, it will be easy to deceive people.
If Su Yao really dies, Su Ruomeng's reputation will be completely ruined.
Netizens will likely say things like "Respect the dead" and "He's dead, what's the point of saying anything else?"
Sheng Yun Shen sneered: "This move isn't very lethal, but it's disgusting."
The Sheng family, in particular, is disgusting.
"It doesn't matter."
Ling Shu smiled and said, "Next, it's the Sheng family's turn to make their move."
The card played by the Sheng family was an announcement.
A pharmaceutical company called Qianshan Biotechnology, invested in by the Sheng family, has successfully developed a drug that can slow the deterioration of blood diseases and extend the window period for bone marrow transplantation. They have formally invited Su Yao to try it, guaranteeing that it can extend his survival by at least one and a half years.
The announcement shocked netizens.
【Qianshan Biotech? I've never heard of this company before. Is it a domestic company?】
After the announcement, I immediately checked the information. Qianshan Biotechnology is a little-known company that has never made any big moves. I didn't expect them to be so quiet until now!
[Take a close look at the keywords. This is a company invested in by the Sheng family. How amazing is the Sheng family? They dare to invest in such a small company, and they actually succeeded.]
Have you all forgotten that the Sheng family member who got into a car accident was previously a renowned investment genius with terrifyingly high returns on investment?
Yes, Sheng Yunshen was a legend in the investment world, an idol for so many. It's just a pity that now… alas, heaven is jealous of talent.
[Wait, back to the main point. With this medicine, doesn't Su Yao no longer have to wait to die? Can he start looking for a matching bone marrow donor?]
[Yes! Maybe he can wait until Su Ruomeng gives birth before donating bone marrow?]
[So that's why the Sheng family wasn't responding! They were waiting for this! I have to say, the Sheng family truly lives up to their reputation as a top-tier wealthy family—amazing!]
[That completely killed the game, haha]
[The Su family shouldn't just keep crying, go get your medicine quickly!]
Zhao Liheng, the youngest son of the Zhao family, suddenly stood up and slammed his phone to the ground with a loud bang.
Ignoring his phone shattered into pieces, he turned and glared fiercely at the Su family members at the door: "The Sheng family had this kind of medicine, why didn't you say so sooner?!"
Su's father stood at the front, his neck hunched like a quail, and cautiously explained, "I...we don't know either..."
Su's mother and Su Yao hid behind him, not daring to breathe.
Zhao Liheng's eyes turned sinister, and a ferocious smile twisted his lips: "So what do you plan to do now? The Sheng family has already invited you to participate in the drug trials. It's clear that Su Yao won't die. Are you still going to cause trouble?"
"this……"
Su's father was in a dilemma.
Now that things have come to this, he has begun to regret it.
He initially chose to cooperate with the Zhao family because he thought Su Ruomeng and the Sheng family were really determined to leave him to die, but he never expected that the Sheng family would have such a medicine.
He wanted to say, "How about we stop making a scene?" but facing Zhao Liheng's murderous gaze, he didn't dare to say it aloud. He could only tentatively ask, "So, should we make a scene... or not?"
Zhao Liheng sneered: "Of course we'll keep making trouble. Do you think you can be appeased with just any medicine? Do you think Su Ruomeng will be willing to donate bone marrow to you after she gives birth? If there's no match, your son will still die!"
Mr. Su wiped the sweat from his forehead and smiled awkwardly: "Alright, let's keep making a scene. But... how should we make a scene? Please enlighten us, Mr. Zhao."
Zhao Liheng remained silent for a few seconds, without answering immediately.
He hadn't figured out how to continue making trouble.
Damn the Sheng family, damn Qianshan Biotechnology, why did they have to develop this miracle drug at this crucial moment?!
-
The Sheng family was initially unaware of the news regarding Qianshan Biotechnology's special drug.
It was Sheng Yun Shen who prompted Ling Shu in his mind.
"Host, you can ask your elder brother to contact Qianshan Biotechnology in Haicheng. As far as I know, they have been developing a drug that can slow down the deterioration of blood diseases and prolong the window period for bone marrow transplantation, and they have already achieved preliminary results."
"If Su Yao is willing to take the medication, he can survive longer until a suitable match is found."
Ling Shu immediately shared this news with Sheng Yunqi.
Sheng Yunqi was a little confused: "Qianshan Biotech... I've never heard of this company before?"
He picked up his phone and called his subordinates, asking them to find out the relevant information about Qianshan Biotechnology as soon as possible.
There are no publicly reported claims about any so-called "miracle drugs" that can slow the progression of blood diseases.
From any perspective, this company doesn't seem very reliable.
Sheng Yunqi trusted Ling Shu completely and asked his subordinates to conduct a thorough investigation.
Soon, another message came from the subordinates.
Upon seeing the message, Sheng Yunqi's brows relaxed, and he quickly made a decision: "I will personally go to Haicheng to communicate with the person in charge of Qianshan Biotechnology in person!"
Seeing his sudden change in attitude, Su Ruomeng asked curiously, "What's wrong? Have they confirmed that they've developed a cure?"
"no."
Sheng Yunqi explained, "My secretary told me that Yun Shen had invested in this company several times before his accident."
"Companies that Yun Shen has invested in?"
Su Ruomeng breathed a sigh of relief, "With his sharp eye, this company must have real talent!"
If Sheng Yunshen is the best investor in Beijing, then no one would dare to claim the top spot.
Sheng Yunshen is very good at discovering small companies with great potential, and has created several legendary cases of investment returns exceeding 1000%.
Mr. Sheng's carefully selected products are guaranteed to be reliable!
"I'm leaving right now!"
Having finally come up with a solution, Sheng Yunqi couldn't sit still any longer and immediately set off for Haicheng.
He successfully connected with the person in charge of Qianshan Biotechnology.
Upon learning that he was Sheng Yunshen's older brother, the person in charge immediately changed from being distant and polite to being warm and welcoming, and nodded on the spot to agree to provide the extremely valuable drug trial opportunity free of charge.
The person in charge said that Sheng Yunshen had helped them several times in the past few years. Without this help, Qianshan Biotechnology would probably have gone bankrupt before it could even succeed in its research and development.
For Sheng Yunshen, this was just a small part of his many investments.
But for Qianshan Biotech, his investment was a timely rain, a life-saving medicine.
Qianshan Biotechnology will cooperate unconditionally as long as the Sheng family needs it.
This led to the Sheng family's second move in response.
In the pavilion outside Xiaoming Building, Ling Shu leaned lazily against a pillar, watching the live stream on her phone.
After the Sheng family announced the news of the special medicine, the Su family's live broadcast room was immediately shut down, and only the message "Live broadcast room closed" remained on the screen.
After waiting for a while, the live stream still did not reopen.
It seems that live streaming will not be happening again for some time.
It will probably be a while before the Su and Zhao families make their third move.
Ling Shu put down her phone and thoughtfully asked Sheng Yun Shen in her mind.
"Damn system, what kind of system are you? Why are you unaware of the original plot but know quite a bit about the Sheng family?"
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