Jennie Yang is rich and powerful, even the mayor has to show her some respect. Meng Jin’s refusal to release her quickly drew attention from higher-ups. A call was made to the chief’s office, demanding Jennie Yang’s immediate release, or the media would get involved, and that would bring trouble to the entire bureau.
Meng Jin’s stubbornness kicked in; he insisted that Liu Tianshi’s case was linked to Lin Kun’s murder 20 years ago. To clarify the connection, he needed to untangle the relationships between people, suspecting that Jennie Yang’s two children, Liu Er and Guo Tiandi, might have switched places.
Liu Er’s car had plunged off a cliff, completely wrecked, and the body was burned beyond recognition. The possibility of swapping the bodies was very real.
However, speculation without evidence wasn’t convincing enough. Jennie Yang was eventually released.
Dejected, Meng Jin returned home. He was physically tired, but his heart was even more exhausted. All he wanted was to sleep for three days straight. On the way home, he was already drifting off. Yet, every time he closed his eyes, Jennie Yang’s elegant yet fake smile would float in front of him.
So, he decided not to sleep.
When he opened the door and entered his home, he was stunned. The place looked both familiar and strange, almost as if he’d walked into the wrong house. After carefully looking around for a while, he realized it wasn’t the furniture but the layout that had changed. The furniture was the same, but their positions had shifted, making the place feel both familiar and unfamiliar.
The biggest change, however, wasn’t the furniture—it was the addition of another person. Tang Xiaoguo had moved in and was now calling Mrs. Luo her “sister.” Absolutely ridiculous.
Zhao Yunzhi and Long De were heading out for a late-night snack, and since Meng Jin couldn’t sleep, he decided to join them. Tang Xiaoguo, who loved excitement, insisted on tagging along.
The four of them chose a quiet bar and sat in a corner, drinking and chatting. Meng Jin planned to drink a lot, hoping to get drunk enough to finally sleep.
They had agreed not to talk about the case, but somehow the conversation drifted back to it.
Tang Xiaoguo quietly ate her ice cream, not saying a word. She didn’t want to attract Meng Jin’s attention. What if his stubbornness flared up and he decided to kick her out?
When she heard that Jennie Yang had an illegitimate child, Tang Xiaoguo’s eyes lit up. She was itching to act. This was explosive news that could rock the entire internet. If she could be the first to report it, it would be the highlight of her career.
Meng Jin only glanced at her and immediately saw through her thoughts. He nipped her desire in the bud. The reason he discussed the case in front of her was because he trusted her and believed she had turned over a new leaf. If she did something to disappoint him, it would prove they weren’t a good match after all.
Long De believed that if Guo Tiandi and Liu Er had indeed switched places, Jennie Yang would have destroyed all evidence by now, given that half a year had passed. The only lead left was Guo Yingying.
The three of them decided to visit Guo Yingying early the next morning.
Unexpectedly, that very night, Jennie Yang released a public statement that shocked the internet. In the statement, she admitted to having an illegitimate child, whose father had died more than 20 years ago. She later married Liu Tianshi. At the end of the statement, she expressed her guilt toward both Liu Tianshi and her illegitimate child, her words sincere and full of emotion.
Speculation ran wild, with many guessing that Jennie Yang’s sudden confession was a move to legitimize her illegitimate child and have him inherit the Fang Zheng Group. After all, with Liu Tianshi gone and Jennie Yang unable to have more children, her illegitimate child was her only bloodline.
As for the identity of the child’s father, wild rumors spread like wildfire, quickly turning it into one of the top ten unsolved internet mysteries.
Jennie Yang’s actions left Meng Jin surprised. He had to admit, she was a formidable figure in the business world—decisive and ruthless, even toward herself.
The scandal erupted, and Jennie Yang was met with a tornado of public criticism. A large number of her die-hard fans turned against her, and Fang Zheng Group’s stock prices plummeted, causing heavy losses and putting the company in a precarious position.
Of course, some passersby became fans. They admired Jennie Yang’s courage in exposing her own scandal and believed that her past charity work for children, particularly through the Little Angel Children’s Charity Foundation, still outweighed her flaws.
Tang Xiaoguo, upon seeing the news, couldn’t help but exclaim what a missed opportunity it was. If she had broken the story, she would have instantly become a top-tier journalist.
Meanwhile, Guo Tiandi, who was still locked up in the detention center, had no idea what was happening online. Meng Jin instructed everyone to keep the news from Guo Tiandi for the time being. If Guo Tiandi learned that Jennie Yang had acknowledged his identity, he would undoubtedly bind himself to her, which would greatly hinder the investigation.
The next morning, Meng Jin and the others hurried to the sanatorium. Before meeting Guo Yingying, they discussed whether or not to tell her about Guo Tiandi’s true identity and decided to keep it a secret for now.
Of course, there was no guarantee someone else hadn’t already told her.
Guo Yingying was very happy to “see” the three of them. After some pleasantries, she eagerly asked about Guo Tiandi, seemingly unaware of the drama that had unfolded in Long City or Jennie Yang’s self-revealed scandal.
Her sign language teacher specifically reminded Meng Jin and the others not to mention the online news to her, as Guo Yingying couldn’t handle any more emotional blows. She had been deeply disappointed in Guo Tiandi and was nearly despairing of life itself, holding on by the thinnest thread of willpower to repair her shattered body and mind.
Guo Yingying was like a little spider struggling in the wind and rain, trying to mend her tattered web. If even one more drop of rain fell on her, it might completely break her web, leaving it beyond repair.
However, real life is harsh and unforgiving, and it torments every unfortunate soul equally.
The police cannot abandon a case out of pity.
Better a short pain than a long one. Meng Jin didn’t beat around the bush and directly asked Guo Yingying if she had noticed any changes in Guo Tiandi’s behavior.
The abrupt question left Guo Yingying surprised. Sharp and perceptive, she immediately sensed something unusual, but she didn’t quite understand what it was yet.
Feeling down, Guo Yingying couldn’t bring herself to admit that her brother no longer loved her like before. She couldn’t pass the hurdle in her heart. It was as if she still had room to maneuver as long as she kept it buried inside. But once she said it out loud, there would be no turning back.
She shook her head.
Seeing her reluctance to face the truth, Meng Jin decided to speak for her. “Guo Tiandi used to treat you well, but now he wants to abandon you, leave you behind. Is that right?”
His words ripped open the wound, and Guo Yingying’s emotions finally broke. She sobbed, “It’s not my brother’s fault. I can only blame myself for not living up to expectations. He has his own life. I don’t want to be a burden to him forever.”
Guo Yingying then recounted how she and Guo Tiandi met, became siblings, and the ups and downs they experienced together.
Meng Jin carefully guided her to focus on the relationship between Guo Tiandi, Jennie Yang, and Liu Er.
Back when Guo Tiandi and Guo Yingying first arrived in B City, the two siblings had no relatives and were unfamiliar with the city. Their meager savings were only enough to rent a basement apartment.
Guo Tiandi had no special skills and could only do manual labor. He was young, strong, and hardworking, so he quickly found a job at a construction site. Guo Yingying attended a school for migrant workers’ children.
Guo Yingying was diligent and excelled in her studies. Her school’s resources were limited, but a kind teacher saw her potential and suggested she transfer to a city school. However, without a household registration in B City, it was nearly impossible.
By chance, Guo Tiandi heard that Fang Zheng Group had three schools for employee children, offering education comparable to top public schools, and anyone employed by the company could apply, without the need for city registration.
For the sake of Guo Yingying, Guo Tiandi learned a skill and, after several rounds of selection, finally landed a job at Fang Zheng Group’s toy factory as an assembly line worker.
It was only after joining that he realized getting Guo Yingying into the Fang Zheng schools wasn’t as easy as it seemed. While all employees could apply, the competition was fierce, and only a few were admitted. The actual bar was quite high.
Only senior executives or employees who had made significant contributions to the company stood a chance. Ordinary workers didn’t.
Guo Tiandi was determined to find an opportunity to make a name for himself, and eventually, he did.
While assembling a toy car, he discovered that a screw was the wrong size. He reported this to his supervisor, who dismissed
him, thinking he was an uneducated worker meddling in things he didn’t understand.
Though discouraged, Guo Tiandi didn’t give up. Hearing that Jennie Yang was coming to inspect the factory, he decided to report it directly to her. But before that, the factory was producing the faulty toy cars around the clock, and the more they produced, the more the loss would grow.
Driven by desperation, Guo Tiandi tampered with the power supply, forcing the production line to shut down. The factory leadership was frantic, and after an investigation, they quickly identified Guo Tiandi as the culprit.
He was fired and kicked out of the factory in disgrace.
Two days later, Jennie Yang arrived at the factory for inspection. Guo Tiandi, waiting outside the gates, boldly stopped her car and explained what had happened. After verification, Jennie Yang confirmed that his judgment was correct—the screw was indeed the wrong size. If Guo Tiandi hadn’t interfered with the power supply, the loss would have been much greater.
Thanks to this incident, Guo Tiandi became famous. Jennie Yang admired him greatly and offered him a position as her personal driver. Over the next few months, Jennie Yang praised him often, describing him as loyal and reliable. He never leaked her whereabouts to anyone, and he was both sharp and cautious, always driving with great care.
When Liu Er returned from studying abroad, Jennie Yang assigned Guo Tiandi to drive for him. Little did he know, Liu Er would become his doom, dragging him deeper into the abyss with each step.
The first time Guo Yingying met Liu Er, she thought highly of him. In her mind, rich second-generation heirs were always arrogant and rude, but Liu Er was humble, polite, and thoughtful.
Later, she noticed that Liu Er seemed to be pursuing her. At the time, she was under eighteen and wasn’t interested in dating. Guo Tiandi warned her that Liu Er was a playboy and not a good match, given the vast difference between their families.
Guo Yingying deliberately avoided Liu Er, but this only fueled his desire to conquer her. Although he didn’t engage in typical crazy pursuits, Guo Yingying could feel his intense gaze and obsessive determination.
Fortunately, Guo Tiandi had always protected her well—until an unexpected car accident occurred.
