Chapter 384: Spreading Rumors and Slander, Third Master Is Upgraded to a Grandfather?
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
The autumn sun was cold, and the wind was bleak. Jing Hanchuan was sitting by his pond in his backyard and looking at the dog paddling in the pond. His mouth twitched.
He had only said to Fu Chen, “Bring Fu Xinhan over to play another day.”
The next day, he actually brought the dog over. It was a dog’s nature to swim. Fu Xinhan had been raised by Duan Linbai in the past, and he had given him to Fu Chen on his birthday.
Once, this fellow had directly thrown Fu Xinhan into his pond in order to prove that dogs were naturally good at swimming.
As a result, this dog liked to jump into his pond the moment he arrived at his house.
The autumn sun counterattacked, and it was scorching during the day. The dog was afraid of heat, so he plunged into the pond and refused to come out.
With Old Master Fu’s birthday banquet approaching, the Fu family was naturally busy. Fu Sinian didn’t have much time to take care of the cat, so he simply threw the cat here.
Are these two treating my house like a pet shelter?
1
Or do they think that my house is a zoo and takes care of all kinds of little animals?
“Sixth Master, the sun has set. It’s time for the weather to cool down,” a Jing family member reminded.
Jing Hanchuan sighed. Because this stupid dog had scared all the fish away, he hadn’t caught half a fish all day. He put away his fis.h.i.+ng pole and prepared to return to his house.
Seeing Jing Hanchuan about to leave, Fu Xinhan hurriedly jumped out of the water and even shook his body, splas.h.i.+ng water all over the ground and half of Jing Hanchuan’s pants.
He gritted his teeth and resisted the urge to kill him.
After returning to his house, Jing Hanchuan saw that Yu Zhaocai was jumping around in the living room.
He had specially gotten someone to tie a cat teaser to it within its sight, and the cat kept fiddling with the cat teaser. As it moved, the cat teaser also moved, so it couldn’t catch it.
This stupid thing actually played by itself for the whole day?
1
Jing Hanchuan looked at the cat as if it was mentally challenged.
“Sixth Master, what would you like to eat tonight?”
“Steak.” Jing Hanchuan was a very meticulous person, so he was very particular about every meal. “Help me get a bottle of red wine from the wine cellar.”
“Okay.” The Jing family member immediately started moving.
When Fu Xinhan heard the word steak, his eyes lit up, and he followed Jing Hanchuan to the kitchen.
He took out the marinated steak from the fridge and some side dishes before narrowing his eyes at Fu Xinhan.
Woof! Woof! Upon smelling the smell of meat, Fu Xinhan jumped up and shook his head and tail excitedly, getting water stains all over the floor.
Jing Hanchuan picked up a knife at the side. Fu Xinhan only felt a piercing cold light slide past. He held the knife handle and suddenly exerted force, causing the tip of the knife to stab into the wooden chopping board.
Bang! Fu Xinhan’s dog body trembled in fright.
“Go eat your dog food.”
Fu Xinhan ran out. F*ck, Third Master, where are you? Someone here wants to kill your dog.
2
The cat didn’t dare to provoke Jing Hanchuan anymore. Because of the debt of ‘eating his son’, when Fu Sinian brought it over the next day, Jing Hanchuan took out a cat muzzle and covered its mouth for the whole day. It was inhumane.
After Jing Hanchuan finished cooking, he sat at the dining table and ate alone. The sound system was playing Mahler’s ‘Piano Quartet in A Minor’, which was elegant and n.o.ble to the core.
When he finished eating, he turned on the TV. There were still ten minutes until the news broadcast.
While he was making a cup of hot tea, a rather discordant piece of news appeared on TV.
“… According to the exclusive news we know, a certain new female host is involved in a relations.h.i.+p dispute with the famous movie star Xia Yunong.”
Jing Hanchuan raised his eyebrows and walked back unhurriedly to the living room with the tea.
“There are photographs of them dating a few times and even of them entering the same condominium. According to sources, this gentleman also introduced this condo to her for rent. The two of them have come and gone here several times.
“They were even photographed spending the night together. When she came out of her condo the next day, there was an obvious bite mark on her neck…”
…
Meow~ The kitten saw a familiar figure on TV and even pounced at it.
In the news, other than Xia Yunong’s name being pointed out, the rest were all very suggestive. The photos all had mosaics, but it wasn’t difficult to guess who it was.
In particular, some of Xia Yunong’s old time fans commented:
“Xia Yunong attended an event some time ago and was asked about her relations.h.i.+p, but her eyes suddenly turned red. From this, we can tell that she has indeed been in an emotionally-invested relations.h.i.+p for a long time.”
“I called her manager and studio. After the call connected, the other party said that they didn’t know anything and hung up. I called back, but no one answered…”
Jing Hanchuan changed the channel to CCTV to watch the news broadcast.
“Sixth Master, do you need to help with this?”
“How should we deal with it?” Jing Hanchuan sipped his tea leisurely. There was obviously someone behind this matter. This little celebrity wouldn’t dare to expose the Ning family’s news unless…
The person behind this was even more powerful, and they promised even better conditions.
Moreover, the news was targeting Yu Manxi everywhere. It was obvious that they were targeting her. He didn’t need to investigate to know who it was.
“Just…” The man made a throat-slitting gesture.
“Our family is a proper and civilized family now, and we don’t do anything illegal.” Jing Hanchuan frowned. “Don’t yell about killing people all the time. It will scare others.
“Everything has to be resolved through civilized means.”
“That’s true. Otherwise, in the future, only you won’t be able to get a wife…”
Before the man could finish speaking, Jing Hanchuan glared at him. He immediately left.
Fu Xinhan was lying in his kennel and licking his paws quietly, not daring to disturb him at all.
The dog’s sixth sense was very accurate. This person was not to be trifled with.
***
When the Yu Manxi incident broke out, Fu Sinian’s parents had just returned to Beijing. Old Madam Fu had gotten someone to prepare a table of food. Actually, his mother had arrived a few days ago, but it wasn’t easy for his father to take leave.
When this news was broadcasted, Fu Chen was watching Old Master Fu and his eldest brother play chess. When he saw the headline, he smelled something unusual.
He directly took the remote control and changed the channel. He looked at Fu Sinian silently.
“Sinian, it’s almost time to eat. Why are you going upstairs?” Old Madam Fu was surprised and didn’t notice the difference between the uncle and nephew at all.
“I have something to deal with.”
Before the matter spread, Fu Sinian wanted to nip it in the bud.
He was in the computer networking industry to begin with, and he called Duan Linbai. With the two sides working together, this piece of news was completely blocked before it could spread online.
Occasionally, the video on TV would appear, but it would be deleted a few minutes later, not able to spread at all.
Even searching in search engines didn’t yield any results, and it only spread among Xia Yunong’s fans for a while. The news was quickly wiped out and covered by even more news.
It was as if nothing had ever happened.
This made Xia Yunong, who was behind the scenes, dumbfounded.
She had been in the industry for many years, so she naturally knew many marketing accounts. She had even paid many internet water armies1 to push this news onto the trending topics.
Unexpectedly, all the accounts were blocked the moment they moved. The reason was [Suspected Violation of Rules].
As for those marketing accounts, they didn’t do anything even after receiving the money, making her furious. She called the big VIP accounts she was familiar with, but the other party didn’t answer.
“What exactly is going on?” Xia Yunong felt a chill run down her spine.
She had been in the entertainment circle for a long time and had also witnessed the speed at which the trending topics were removed. She had never seen it be so fast that they were buried in silence in minutes.
She threw the stone into the sea, but there wasn’t a splash at all.
“I told you long ago that Ning Fan would protect her. How could this kind of news be easily exposed? You can’t use the internet,” a woman sitting in the dark said in a mocking tone.
“Then, what should I do now? I have evidence in my hands, but I can’t do anything to her?”
After Xia Yunong left the Jade Hall of Spring in embarra.s.sment, this woman had found her and provided her with a picture of Ning Fan and Yu Manxi going out of the condominium building. In the photo, Yu Manxi was wearing a scarf and covering the bite mark on her neck.
Ning Fan had kept saying that he had something to do overseas and couldn’t come back. He didn’t even attend her birthday party, but he went back to the capital overnight for this woman.
The next day, they came out of the condominium together. Didn’t this explain the problem?
“This s.l.u.t even said self-righteously that there was nothing between them. What nonsense.” Xia Yunong exploded with anger the moment she saw the photo.
“She’s a host. She doesn’t only rely on her mouth to eat.” The woman in the dark smiled.
“I can’t even use the internet now. What should I do?”
“Of course it’s to question her face to face in a crowded place. Since she’s shameless, why do you have to give her face? You are the victim…”
“She kept telling me that she has a boyfriend. I sent someone to follow her for so long, but I didn’t see her interact with other men.” Xia Yunong was increasingly convinced that Yu Manxi had lied to her.
She had sent someone to follow Yu Manxi’s whereabouts, but it was impossible for this person to follow her home. Fu Sinian and Yu Manxi lived opposite each other, so it was easy for them to meet. She had been busy studying for her exam recently and rarely went out, so naturally, Xia Yunong couldn’t find anything.
“She said she has a boyfriend?” The woman suddenly became alert.
“It’s most likely a lie. Other than interacting with her colleagues and the old leaders in the TV station, she doesn’t see anyone else at all. How can she be in a relations.h.i.+p? They haven’t seen each other for half a month. Is it possible that the boyfriend she found is from overseas?”
“Is that so…” The woman in the dark hesitated.
She wanted to use Xia Yunong’s hands to ruin Yu Manxi because she didn’t want to be discovered and dirty her own hands. She had given the evidence and didn’t meddle in anything else.
“It must be. She’s full of lies.” Xia Yunong didn’t believe that she had any nonsense boyfriend at all. She was certain that she had s.n.a.t.c.hed her man.
“In that case, just do as I say.” The woman felt uneasy.
She kept feeling that things weren’t that simple.
She knew better than Xia Yunong that Ning Fan and Yu Manxi were innocent. She just wanted to use Xia Yunong to chase her out of the country. But Yu Manxi had taken the initiative to mention that she had a boyfriend?
She wasn’t someone who spoke without thinking, nor would she deliberately lie to fool Xia Yunong.
When did she get a boyfriend? Is there really such a person?
Was it Ning Fan’s people who operated on the internet just now? Or was it someone else?
She couldn’t expose her ident.i.ty directly. In her social circle, only Duan Linbai had such power. But this person was unrestrained and never meddled in other people’s affairs. How could he possibly do it for her?
Their relations.h.i.+p wasn’t that deep.
After she thought about it for a long time, only Ning Fan…
Xia Yunong was a little hesitant. “If I expose her in public, will this… affect me? Ning Fan…”
“It’s already impossible between you and him. As long as you listen to me, and as long as our family is around, I can guarantee that you can still lead a smooth-sailing life in the circle.” The woman chuckled.
“You can even use this matter to hype things up and make everyone pity you. It’ll be beneficial to you without harm.
“You’re a smart person, so you should know what decision to make now.”
Xia Yunong gritted her teeth. She still remembered how Yu Manxi had slapped her.
“You were slapped by her and even had your boyfriend robbed. Are you just going to endure it?” The woman deliberately provoked her. “No wonder she dared to steal your boyfriend. You’re too easy to bully.”
This matter was Xia Yu’s sore spot. After being stimulated a few times, she couldn’t take it anymore. “I know what to do. I just want to ask a question.”
“Yes?”
“Why are you helping me deal with Yu Manxi? Are you… related?”
The woman stood up. Her superior aura and proud poise went straight toward her, carrying the inherent arrogance of a young lady from a prestigious family. Xia Yunong’s heart tightened, and she instinctively shrank back.
“Sometimes, people can be muddled and live longer. Knowing too much won’t do you any good.”
It was a blatant threat.
“I look forward to your performance.” She smiled and turned to leave.
Xia Yunong looked at her back with a dazed expression.
Without Ning Fan’s support, her resources in the circle were exhausted. The only chance she had was to cooperate with her. Anyway, with a common enemy and such strong backing, this deal was not a loss.
Yu Manxi, how many people have you offended? So many people want to press you to death…
***
At this moment, in the old Fu residence…
When Fu Sinian came downstairs, the Fu family members were already at the table. The Fu family had been very busy recently, and on weekends, Master Pudu would take Huai Sheng and his sister to stay in the mountain, so they weren’t here.
“It’s almost time to eat. Are you still busy? Come and sit.” His mother, Dai Yunqing, called him to sit beside her.
Fu Sinian sat down beside her and exchanged glances with Fu Chen silently.
The matter was already settled.
Yu Manxi was considered half a celebrity now. Although his family didn’t know who his girlfriend was, if they saw the news, they would definitely have a bad impression of her, and trouble would inevitably arise when she met his parents.
“Are you two plotting something in secret?” Old Master Fu acutely sensed the abnormality between the two of them.
“No.” Fu Chen smiled.
Actually, he had already received the news. After Duan Linbai finished handling the matter, he started shouting in the group chat.
Little White Dragon in the Waves: [F*ck, there’s actually someone who dares to harm my niece-in-law. They even dared to broadcast such fake news. They’re simply intolerable. Watch me get rid of evil for the people.]
My niece-in-law… This fellow was really shameless. Then…
[Haha, it’s done. The internet is so clean and refres.h.i.+ng now.]
[Am I very impressive? Hurry up and praise me.]
A certain someone thought he was impressive and started showing off in the group chat.
“Third Brother, have you met Sinian’s girlfriend?” Dai Yunqing asked with a smile. “You two have always been close.”
Fu Sinian had always kept the girl’s ident.i.ty a secret. As his parents, they were definitely anxious.
“You’ll meet in a few days. Eldest Sister-in-Law, don’t be anxious.” Fu Chen chuckled.
“You’re helping him hide it from me too?”
When Fu Chen was born, Fu Sinian already knew how to run. At the time, Old Madam Fu was already old, so Dai Yunqing had always helped take care of him. The eldest sister-in-law was like a mother. This saying was completely true.
“She’s definitely the type you like,” Fu Chen said firmly.
Dai Yunqing smiled faintly. “It’s fine as long as the young lady can lead a good life and their relations.h.i.+p is good. His father and I are out of the city all year round, so he lacks someone to take care of him. It doesn’t matter if I like her or not.”
Fu Sinian was already in his thirties.
His parents didn’t have high requirements for his partner. It was fine as long as it was a woman who could live with him.
“I just want to know in advance so that I can prepare.” It was their first time meeting each other, so as elders, they couldn’t come empty-handed. They definitely had to express something.
“I don’t think she cares about this.” Fu Chen was speaking up for Fu Sinian, but he refused to reveal anything.
Dai Yunqing trusted Fu Chen’s judgment. Since he had seen her before, he naturally wouldn’t be wrong.
“Why don’t you go with us that day? You two know each other anyway. Sinian and his father both have mouths that can only breathe and eat. I’m afraid the atmosphere will be awkward,” Dai Yunqing suggested with a smile.
Mouths that can only breathe and eat?
Beside her, the father and son had dark expressions.
“Dad…” Fu Sinian coughed twice. She’s your wife. Don’t you care? Aren’t you going to defend yourself?
“Did your mom say something wrong?”
Fu Sinian lowered his head and ate without saying another word. Third Uncle was right. You don’t have any status at home at all.
“Third Son, Sinian is about to bring his girlfriend to meet his parents. What about you? The agreed upon date is almost here,” Old Madam Fu reminded.
“I know.” Fu Chen pursed his lips. He had always been thinking about how to tell his family about this.
“I think Sinian is very fast. Eldest Daughter-in-Law, if you’re satisfied after seeing the girl, you should consider having them get married. This great-granddaughter of mine finally has hope.” Old Madam Fu felt deeply comforted.
“Congratulations. The great-granddaughter you’ve been waiting for might be here soon.” Fu Chen smiled lightly.
“You’re also someone who’s going to be a grandfather. You have to be more mature.”
The always calm Third Master Fu choked on his soup for the first time. Grandfather?
“Sinian’s child is your eldest brother’s grandson. He should call you Third Grandpa,” Old Master Fu explained.
Fu Chen put down his chopsticks. He couldn’t eat this meal anymore.
Not far away, s.h.i.+ Fang was laughing so hard that he was almost out of breath. Grandfather? Third Master isn’t even thirty yet.