Chapter 89: On What Grounds

In the days following the release of the video, playfully dubbed “The Suspenseful Saga of the Entertainment Circle: Who is Your Mom,” the official account of @Ping’anNingcheng (Safe Ningcheng Police) issued an official report almost every other day. These included the specific details of Zhuo Suli swapping the infants over twenty years ago, how Xu Lingjia replaced Zhong Yue’s thermos with one filled with fruit juice, and so on.

The melon-eating masses counted the number of reports and lamented that the workers behind the official Weibo account must have been writing reports so much these past few days that their pens were sparking! One week’s workload was equivalent to half a year’s, and the level of attention was particularly high. They had to check for typos several times before publishing. As expected, it’s always the working-class Joes who get hurt.

After the detailed report on the Jin Wenli incident was released, a video of Jin Wenli’s parents silently crying in front of the camera while holding her portrait made many people fall silent.

“—They say entertainment is to the death. Seeing two white-haired old people crying in front of the camera until they almost fainted, seeing the portrait of the eternally twenty-four-year-old Jin Wenli, I suddenly wonder, what exactly is this ‘gossip’ we are consuming? Is it Jin Wenli’s painful and short life? Is it a wound that her parents can never heal in their lifetime?”

“—I was a fan of the couple Cheng Ningyu. I even thought maybe Xu Lingjia was slandering and smearing them. I repent now. With each report released, my heart is truly breaking! Why can such rotten people stand glamorously in front of the camera and receive applause and the love of fans with a clear conscience?”

“—My hatred for Cheng Ningyu and their family is now +111111. May they all rot in jail!!!”

“—A thorough investigation is a must! Find all the perpetrators! Not a single one can be let off!”

The door to the interrogation room was pushed open. Xu Lingjia, sitting on a chair, looked up and saw that the person who came in was Cheng Ningyu. The corners of his mouth curled up.

Cheng Ningyu had completely lost her usual pampered look. Her hair was tied back with a rubber band, her face was swollen, and her eye bags were very obvious. She sat down on the chair next to Xu Lingjia, long gone was the arrogant air she had when she first entered the police station, shouting, “Do you know who I am? I want to wait for my lawyer! Before my lawyer comes, I won’t say anything.”

People in uniform were whispering something at the door. Xu Lingjia toyed with a loose thread on his cuff and asked casually, “I heard they’re investigating your taxes. I wonder how much the total amount of back taxes and fines will be. You see, those few properties and the villa at home, it seems you can’t keep them. You might as well have sold them earlier to pay me back.”

Cheng Ningyu had been tired of arguing these past two days, but hearing this, her voice immediately rose. “Don’t even think about it! You’re not my son, and you still want me to help you pay your debts?”

“It’s not for you to say whether I am or not. Legally, our relationship is mother and son.” Xu Lingjia stared at Cheng Ningyu, feeling a sense of vengeful pleasure. You despise me, don’t you? You think I’m a burden to you? Too bad, you can’t get rid of me.

He pretended to think for a moment, then suddenly showed a look of realization. “Oh, I know. You haven’t asked about your biological son once until now. It turns out it’s not because you’re worried he’s already dead or something else you can’t accept has happened, but because you’re afraid he’ll ask you to pay his debts and ask you for money?”

Cheng Ningyu did not deny it.

She still remembered the shabby tiled house she had stayed in when she gave birth. It was considered the best house there. The whole village was dilapidated and run-down. To get there, you had to take a car through winding mountain roads—what kind of person could be raised in such a place?

Plus, the father was a drunkard and a gambler, and the mother was not only bad, but also crazy and looked stupid. What did it matter if a child raised in such a family was hers?

He would either be a small-time gambler, or someone who didn’t even graduate from middle school, or someone who had never seen the world, timid and unpresentable. She wouldn’t want him even if he were given to her. He had better not come near her.

After being asked a few questions each and signing their names and putting their thumbprints on a few papers, Xu Lingjia followed behind Cheng Ningyu as they walked out together.

As they passed the entrance, Xu Lingjia quickened his pace and deliberately whispered behind Cheng Ningyu, “Oh right, I think I forgot to tell you. You’ve already met your biological son. You even spoke to him very politely.”

Cheng Ningyu whipped her head around. She came into contact with many people every day, but there were only a few who she would speak to politely, with Xu Lingjia present, and who were around the same age as Xu Lingjia.

She was not slow-witted. On the contrary, Cheng Ningyu was a very smart person. Connecting this with Xu Lingjia’s attitude and actions, she quickly reacted. Her whole being was revitalized, shocked and pleasantly surprised. “You mean Shen—”

The smile on Xu Lingjia’s lips slowly faded.

Jealousy surged through his heart like a tidal wave.

Was she that happy?

As expected, ever since he had overheard them talking at home, Cheng Ningyu and Ye Mei had already betrayed him. In their hearts, they despised him for being inferior to Shen Xici in every way, and even wished Shen Xici was their son!

Xu Lingjia put on a confused expression. “What are you talking about?” He then said sarcastically, “No matter who you think your biological son is, do you think, with the way you look now, that he would even look at you? Dream on.”

In mid-April, the venue for the Qingwu Awards was rotated to Shencheng. In front of the International Convention and Exhibition Center, the red carpet area had been marked out early, and a transparent, curved white glass roof had been erected above it. The Xinglan Avenue had also been notified in advance of the traffic control period.

Among the various hot searches related to the Qingwu Awards, #PublicTrialofXuFamilyRelatedCases# was particularly special.

At the courthouse entrance, countless reporters with long-lens cameras had been waiting for a long time. When they saw someone coming out, they immediately swarmed over.

“Cheng Ningyu, Jiang Xuexiao and Bai Fenglai both gave interviews a few days ago, revealing more about the past and more details. All of your and Xu Yuanjin’s songs have been taken down, and you’ve been identified as disgraced artists. How do you feel?”

“Xu Yuanjin, you and Cheng Ningyu were found to have evaded nearly two hundred million in taxes. Will you be able to pay the full amount within the time limit?”

Cheng Ningyu kept her head down as much as possible, her expression tense, afraid that those cameras would capture her face. She remembered the last time she met with her lawyer, the lawyer told her that all the assets under her and Xu Yuanjin’s names would be used to pay back taxes, fines, and late fees.

However, she had already sold many assets to repay Xu Lingjia’s debt, and there wasn’t much left. If she sold the rest, all her years of hard work would be for nothing, and she would truly have nothing. But she had never lived a life without money since her debut. When she got out of prison, with no money and no place to live, what would she do?

She desperately begged her lawyer to go find Shen Xici for them, saying that Shen Xici was their biological son. Shen Xici had earned so much money from one movie; he definitely had money. He could help them pay the back taxes and fines! That way, they could keep their remaining house and money!

The lawyer, who had worked with her for a long time, patiently waited for her to finish before asking, “How can you prove that Shen Xici is your son? If there’s no evidence, then it just means it’s a figment of your imagination.”

Cheng Ningyu was stunned.

That’s right, how could she prove it? She had no way to find evidence now. Xu Lingjia and Zhuo Suli definitely knew the truth, but that unlucky mother and son pair wouldn’t say a word!

Cheng Ningyu suddenly had an idea. “I can do a DNA test! One test and we’ll know. He’s definitely my biological son!”

The lawyer replied, “Even if there is a real blood relationship between you, adult children have no legal obligation to pay their parents’ debts.”

Cheng Ningyu grew anxious. “He must pay! How can he not pay? It’s only natural for a son to pay his parents’ debts! If he doesn’t pay, I’ll blow this up immediately. Yes… I’ll let everyone know he’s my biological son, a white-eyed wolf who doesn’t care about his biological parents! I’ll ruin his reputation!”

“Shut up!” Xu Yuanjin, who had been silent all this time, suddenly roared. “Isn’t it obvious? It’s been so long. If this could have been exposed, it would have been exposed long ago! There wouldn’t be complete silence! What else are you trying to do?”

The lawyer had already been given instructions. “Ms. Cheng, I will pretend I didn’t hear what you just said. I advise you not to say such things again in the future. It won’t do you any good. If you get into trouble, I won’t be able to help you.”

Cheng Ningyu’s mouth opened, and she finally reacted.

Shen Xici was not someone she could afford to provoke.

Or rather, there was someone protecting Shen Xici whom she couldn’t afford to offend, who would not allow any unfavorable news about Shen Xici to appear.

Her heart skipped a beat. She suddenly realized, no wonder, no wonder Xu Lingjia had kept his mouth shut about Shen Xici being the one who was swapped. So that was the root of it! That jinx hadn’t revealed a single thing to her. He was intentionally trying to get her killed!

Looking at Xu Lingjia walking ahead, Cheng Ningyu’s eyes were filled with venom. If it weren’t for the good deeds of that mother and son, her and Xu Yuanjin’s son would be Shen Xici! Shen Xici was so good-looking, had great acting skills, and could make money. As Shen Xici’s biological parents, they would have benefited so much from him from childhood to adulthood!

But all of this was ruined by that mother and son!

The intense hatred made Cheng Ningyu want to rush up and beat them both. Seeing Xu Lingjia surrounded by a crowd of reporters ahead, she muttered the word “jinx” and laughed neurotically.

Serves him right! He deserves it!

“Xu Lingjia, how do you feel about being sentenced to eleven years in prison for inciting others to commit suicide, which was unsuccessful? Do you regret it? Will the outstanding debt from the gambling agreement be repaid after you are released from prison?”

“You personally exposed Cheng Ningyu and Xu Yuanjin, leading to your adoptive parents and godmother being punished for multiple crimes and sentenced to over ten years each. What were you thinking when you decided to expose them?”

“Xu Lingjia, the director you worked with, Wu Ya, is about to go to trial for transferring a large amount of the crew’s funds and infringing on others’ copyrights. His sentence will be very long. JiaRui Media has already publicly apologized and written a letter of apology to Director Lu Jiming. What are your thoughts?”

“Xu Lingjia, your biological mother, in order to give you a better environment to grow up in, was sentenced to six years for swapping infants, paying a huge price. Will you acknowledge her after you are released from prison?”

Xu Lingjia’s hands were cuffed. He kept his head down, struggling to move forward through the crowded throng.

He suddenly remembered that wherever he appeared, it used to be like this. Crowds of fans would scream, looking at him with excitement, handing him paper and pens for autographs, handwritten letters, and all kinds of gifts.

Just then, a sharp female voice suddenly shouted, “Xu Lingjia! I liked you for so long for nothing! You have failed the love of all your fans!”

With a “splat,” an egg hit him. The egg white and yolk stuck to his clothes, and a fishy smell spread.

Xu Lingjia looked in the direction of the voice. In the vast crowd, it was impossible to tell who had done it.

This seemed to be the beginning. Countless eggs and rotten mud were thrown at them, impossible to avoid, interspersed with curses like “Pay for Jin Wenli’s life!” and “Don’t you have nightmares at night after doing so many bad things?”

The surrounding reporters, while dodging, quickly pressed their shutters, capturing this scene.

Another reporter pressed him, asking if he would acknowledge Zhuo Suli after his release. Xu Lingjia almost wanted to laugh. Acknowledge her? This stupid woman kept saying it was for his own good, that she wanted to take him away. She didn’t understand at all. Her death was the best thing for him!

As he walked down the courthouse steps, suddenly, from someone’s phone, came the phrase, “I’m now at the red carpet of the Qingwu Awards…”

Some reporters nearby, after taking pictures, were chatting. One of them complained, “I’m so unlucky. The boss sent me to follow this crappy news. The Qingwu Awards red carpet is already starting over there! There’s news that Wen Yage is 99% going to advance from a two-time Golden Award winner to a three-time Golden Award winner. Many media outlets have already written their press releases, just waiting to publish them. Sister Wen is so talented!”

Xu Lingjia’s footsteps paused when he heard the familiar name.

How was that possible? He had looked down on Wen Yage on set back then precisely because he remembered very clearly that in his past life, after winning two major awards, Wen Yage had started to go downhill and never won a third!

Where had things gone wrong?

Another voice said, “The most talented one should be Shen Xici, right? ‘Fleeting Life’ broke forty billion at the box office. His first leading role in a movie, wow, so strong! I also really liked his emperor in ‘Capital City Massacre’. I won’t make it to the awards ceremony, but maybe I can try to meet him at the airport. I’ll go take more pictures at the airport then!”

“Indeed. Only twenty-two years old, the youngest Qingwu Best Actor. Who would have thought?”

Xu Lingjia whipped his head around, the chains on his cuffs rattling. He said to those reporters, “What youngest Qingwu Best Actor? Say that again! I dare you to say that again!”

The young reporter was scared by Xu Lingjia’s terrifying expression and took a step back, stammering, “Shen Xici, I heard, I heard that this time, he’s a hot candidate for Best Actor… It’s not like I made it up, everyone is saying it!”

The youngest Qingwu Best Actor?

On what grounds was it Shen Xici?!

Why was it that in his past life, even after he died, Shen Xici still won the Best Actor award at the Flanders Film Festival?

Why was it that in this life, he could win the Qingwu Best Actor award several years earlier?

Why was Shen Xici living a better and smoother life than in the previous life?

On what grounds?!

Xu Lingjia was a mess, his eyes menacing. He thought with hatred that if Zhuo Suli hadn’t come back from the dead, Cheng Ningyu and Xu Yuanjin would never have known he wasn’t their biological son, and he could have used those secrets to make them continue to help him pay off his debts!