“Chapter Twenty-Eight”

"Chapter Twenty-Eight"

"Tang Jiu never imagined that paying to smear Shen Wang would backfire, turning him into the target of public outrage."

"Netizens always have the sharpest tongues. It was satisfying when they were criticizing Shen Wang, but not so much when the tables turned on him. He could do nothing but watch, at most anonymously firing back."

"If he were to confront them personally, that would be sheer folly."

"Tang Jiu took a deep breath and stopped reading the scathing comments."

"'Tang Jiu!' Tang's father stormed over, slapping him across the face, 'What have you done!'"

"Tang's father rarely used his phone, but the issue had escalated so much that his subordinates discreetly informed him, leading him to discover the uncontrollable online storm."

"By the time he became aware, it had already caused a commotion throughout the city!"

"'You’ve really brought 'fame' to our family, haven’t you?' Tang's father was so angry he was breathing heavily, terrified to even think about how partners and rivals in business might be mocking him."

"The slap from Tang's father was more humiliating than painful."

"Tang Jiu, wiping the blood from his lip with the back of his hand, apologized, head bowed: 'I'm sorry, Dad. I had no idea Liu Zhengyi would cause such a big problem.'"

"'Enough!' Tang's father interrupted his confession, his gaze stern, 'I'm not here to listen to your excuses. You have three days to suppress this matter.'"

"After a long silence, Tang Jiu nodded grimly: 'I’ll find a solution as soon as possible.'"

"Having vented his anger, Tang's father looked at Tang Jiu, his son in whom he had placed great hopes. Sighing deeply, he softened his tone, trying to be as calm as possible, 'Suppress the news, and tell your girlfriends to keep quiet too. The Tang family has lost enough face already.'"

"After giving several more instructions, Tang's father finally left."

"Left alone, Tang Jiu touched his still-numb cheek, his expression darkening, 'The shame of today, I will return a hundredfold in the future.'"

"Though he had vowed to quickly quell the online controversy, with Shen Wang's case being tied to Liu Zhengyi, and Liu now being used as a negative example prominently featured in official media, calming the storm was easier said than done."

"Even with all of the Tang family’s resources, it was impossible to contend with the state, let alone for Tang Jiu alone."

"In his troubled state of mind, Tang Jiu simply went outside, aimlessly wandering around the community garden."

"To the former him, Shen Wang was just a small pebble on the roadside, easily kicked away, never considered a threat; he hadn't expected that this 'pebble' would be more troublesome than imagined."

"Like a grain of sand in a shoe, seemingly insignificant, yet its presence is remarkably felt."

"'Have you heard about the Tang family scandal?'"

"'You mean the one about Tang Jiu and Shen Wang, right? I've heard it... Surprising, isn’t it? The Tang family appears harmonious in public, but behind closed doors, it’s a different story.'"

"Tang Jiu's face darkened instantly upon overhearing others discussing it."

"Even though the Tang family had become the talk of the internet, who would dare discuss such things in front of a member of the Tang family? Tang Jiu's first reaction was to teach those gossiping rich kids a lesson."

"'Did the Tang family really give Shen Wang fifteen million? That's no small sum.'"

"'It’s not much for the Tang family, the wealthiest in City C. They can afford it, but why did they give in so easily?'"

"'Fifteen million isn’t much, but fixed assets and liquid assets are different matters. Fifteen million in liquid funds could save a small or medium-sized company from bankruptcy.'"

"'I heard Shen Wang is the Tang family’s illegitimate child, that's why they paid up so readily...'"

"'Illegitimate children, they’re the worst. Looks like Shen Wang is no saint either. Just dogs biting dogs, let's just enjoy the drama.'"

"In this affluent neighborhood, the residents despised illegitimate children. A group of wealthy kids gathered, their conversation shifting from gossip to angrily criticizing illegitimate children."

"Tang Jiu, who was about to teach them a lesson, stopped in his tracks, lost in thought."

"As online discussions intensified, not only were the identities of the Tang family and Tang Jiu exposed, but also the relationship between Shen Wang and the Tang family gradually came to light."

"[Shen Wang is actually the Tang family’s illegitimate child? Turns out it’s a family matter, this is not an interesting gossip piece.]"

"[No wonder they were so generous, giving fifteen million just like that. It's all within the family, money just moving from one hand to the other, keeping wealth within the family.]"

"[Is this the legendary family feud of the rich and famous? I’m completely lost, can someone please explain this drama?]"

"[It's simple when you put all the information together. Shen Wang is the illegitimate child of the Tang family. Unable to inherit the family fortune, the Tang family gave him fifteen million, either out of guilt or to send him away.]"

"[After getting the money, Shen Wang tried to enter the entertainment industry using his looks, even bought a trending topic. But Mrs. Tang and Tang Jiu couldn’t stand it and had him smeared...]"

"[In short, it's just a story of fighting against an illegitimate child.]"

"[So that's how it is. Then it's understandable why Shen Wang was smeared... After all, he is an illegitimate child.]"

"Watching the netizens gradually lean towards Tang Jiu's side, Shen Wang’s loyal followers couldn't sit still and started reporting to Shen Wang one after another."

"Meanwhile, Shen Wang was busy signing a contract to buy a house."

"Although Liu Zhengyi was in jail, Shen Wang had genuinely exorcised the ghost for him, saving his life."

"Having completed the commission, the three million Liu Zhengyi promised couldn’t be delayed."

"Faced with Shen Wang’s mysterious abilities, Liu Zhengyi didn’t dare delay payment, quickly arranging for his family to transfer the money to Shen Wang's account, while he stayed in jail for investigation."

"During this time, Liu Zhengyi’s health worsened day by day, always feeling uncomfortable but with no diagnosis, tossing and turning in agony, unable to sleep."

"Unbeknownst to him, his health would continue to deteriorate. He couldn’t die but would be tormented... The latter half of his life, plagued by illness, was Jiang Lin’s punishment for him."

"Suddenly wealthy, Shen Wang got carried away and shifted his house-hunting from small apartments to detached villas."

"After casually viewing a few, Shen Wang initially intended to rent a villa, but upon hearing the selling price of this particular one, he decided to buy it on the spot."

"A standalone villa that originally sold for several million was now only 800,000!"

"Such a stroke of luck, finding such a bargain, was not an everyday occurrence. What else could Shen Wang do but catch this giant pie falling from the sky?"

"He could only accept this gift from nature."

"After signing the contract, Shen Wang looked around, satisfied with his new home."

"It was a small two-story standalone villa, somewhat aged from the outside due to its simple decoration and inconvenient location, as explained by the owner, hence the low price."

"In reality, convenience of location in a villa area is hardly an issue. With a car, no place is inaccessible as long as there are roads."

"The interior wasn’t the ostentatious style that tycoons might prefer but leaned towards a simple and elegant style, very comfortable to look at, with all furniture included."

"What pleased Shen Wang the most was the villa's own small garden, suitable not just for planting flowers and grass, but also for growing vegetables."

"And the price was so affordable!"

"Seeing Shen Wang's face light up with the thrill of a good deal, the villa owner hesitated before speaking up: 'Mr. Shen, it’s best if you don’t use the bathroom at midnight.'"

"Shen Wang gave him a look."

"The villa owner himself realized how odd his words sounded and cleared his throat: 'I mean, getting up at night is not good for your health.'"

"Looking at the innocent and naive Shen Wang, unaware of what the future might hold, the villa owner felt a twinge of conscience."

"Shen Wang patted the owner's shoulder earnestly, 'I know you’re attached to this house. Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of it!'"

"The villa owner had a conflicted expression: 'That's not what I meant!'"

"But some things are unbelievable when spoken aloud, so he could only awkwardly respond with a forced smile, 'Well, that's good then.'"

"After completing the property transfer, the villa owner drove Shen Wang back. Passing a hospital, he slowed the car and pointed out, 'Mr. Shen, this is a hospital, and if you keep going straight, you'll reach the villa. It’s very close.'"

"Shen Wang was still reveling in the joy of buying a villa, absentmindedly nodding, holding the property deed and looking at it from different angles to take photos."

"Only when getting out of the car, did Shen Wang suddenly reach out to pat the villa owner's shoulder, sincerely expressing his gratitude, 'Thank you.'"

"Watching Shen Wang’s retreating figure entering the villa, the villa owner suppressed his conscience, took a deep breath, and muttered to himself: 'That thing doesn’t harm people, it just scares them. If you’re brave enough, you’ll be fine!'"

"He planned to keep an eye on Shen Wang's situation in the future, ready to help within his capabilities... Feeling guilty, he turned the car around."

"Every time he had visited this villa, leaving always felt burdensome, like wearing a soaking wet down jacket. But this time, he felt light and comfortable."

"He didn’t think much of it, assuming his relief and lightness came from getting rid of a major hassle, and drove off cheerfully."

"The first thing Shen Wang did upon returning to the villa was to post on his social circle."

"He took nine photos of the property deed, arranging them in a grid to post."

"Comments quickly came in."

"[Shen, did your hand shake? Why tap the same photo nine times?]"

"Shen Wang clicked his tongue in annoyance and replied with a curt 'Scram.'"

"At that moment, Li Pingping called frantically. As soon as Shen Wang answered, he was bombarded with questions: 'Bro, what's going on with you? The internet is buzzing, where did you disappear to, what's with the property deed, where did you get the money to buy a house...'"

"Shen Wang walked around the villa with his phone, discovering that not only was it fully furnished, but it even had a study and a gaming room."

"The gaming room had five neatly arranged computers, their keyboards and screens covered in dust. Shen Wang casually pulled out a gaming chair, sat down, and booted up a computer."

"'Are you even listening to me!' Li Pingping, who had been talking to himself for a while, exploded, shouting loudly."

"'Yeah, I'm listening,' Shen Wang replied nonchalantly, 'It’s just the stuff online, right? I’ll handle it.'"

"Li Pingping sounded skeptical: 'Really?'"

"'Why would I lie to you?' Shen Wang logged into his social media account and said, 'I bought a villa, do you want to come and see it?'"

"There was silence on the other end of the phone for a few seconds. Sensing something, Shen Wang moved the phone away from his ear and placed it on the table without switching to speakerphone."

"Soon, Li Pingping’s scream came through the phone: 'A villa!!!'"

"'Why are you screaming like a banshee,' Shen Wang complained, thankful he had been prepared, or else his eardrums would have been in danger."

"While dealing with Li Pingping, Shen Wang checked the online sentiment and laughed: 'Tang Jiu miscalculated this time.'"

"Li Pingping, who had been inquiring about the situation, paused, then remembered the reason for his call: 'There are a lot of people online criticizing you, saying you’re an illegitimate child trying to grab the family fortune, shameless and such...'"

"Although Shen Wang indeed had no shame, it was unfair to smear him with falsehoods."

"Li Pingping was indignant."

"'Let them curse,' Shen Wang said carelessly, 'The more intense, the better.'"

"Li Pingping: '???'"

"Shen Wang sighed and began explaining to his naive brother: 'The Tang couple cares about their reputation. They must have ordered Tang Jiu to handle this situation properly.'"

"'But Tang Jiu's solution was to label me as an illegitimate child, making outsiders think we're equally guilty. That way, he could extricate himself from public scrutiny.'"

"'However, what the couple intended was to dissociate the Tang family from the scandal, not just Tang Jiu alone... Whether it’s cursing Tang Jiu or the illegitimate child, it still reflects badly on the Tang family, tarnishing their reputation.'"

"'Don’t worry, it won’t be long before the Tang family steps in.'"

"After hearing all this, Li Pingping was a bit confused and said blankly, 'Shen, you weren’t involved in palace intrigue in a past life, were you?'"

"Shen Wang laughed and scolded, 'Watch how you talk to your brother.'"

"With Shen Wang’s explanation, Li Pingping finally relaxed, no longer overly worried. Instead, he eagerly stirred the pot online, furiously denouncing the Tang family."

"Just as Shen Wang predicted, it wasn’t long before he received a phone call."

"On the other end was the cold voice of Tang’s mother, 'Do you think you can re-enter the Tang family with such despicable tactics?'"

"'Wishful thinking!'"

"Shen Wang chuckled, 'Ever heard the old saying, one man’s honey is another man’s garbage? Your rotting, stinking trash heap is only a treasure to flies. Don’t insult my character and taste.'"

"'You're calling me a fly!' Tang’s mother, initially calling to warn Shen Wang, ended up being scolded herself and trembled with anger, 'You ungrateful wretch!'"

"There was a pause on Shen Wang’s end. When he spoke again, his voice was notably softer, 'No matter what, I'm still your biological child.'"

"'Shut up!' Tang’s mother, infuriated, her head buzzing, exclaimed, 'If I knew I'd give birth to something like you, I would have strangled you at birth!'"

"Shen Wang was silent for a long time, seemingly hurt by Tang’s mother's words."

"Tang’s mother felt triumphant, for the first time gaining the upper hand in her confrontations with Shen Wang since his appearance had disrupted her life."

"Her words became even more venomous, 'Jiu is our child, and you are nothing compared to him. Even if he were an ordinary person, you couldn’t hold a candle to him!'"

"'...Do you know that Tang Jiu has many girlfriends, and even cheats with several at the same time?' After a long silence, Shen Wang asked quietly."

"It sounds somewhat pitiable."

"'So what? He's handsome and comes from a notable family. Gold-diggers naturally flock to him. It's their honor to be with Jiu,' Tang’s mother said without a second thought."

"'Does Mr. Tang know about this?' Shen Wang asked."

"'Are you planning to tattle?' Tang’s mother scoffed, 'Jiu is our child, and you are nothing but a discarded offspring of the Tang family.'"

"After berating Shen Wang and venting her anger, Tang’s mother remembered her main purpose, commanding from a position of authority, 'The mess on the internet is disgraceful. Go apologize and resolve this issue.'"

"'Why should I apologize when I haven't done anything wrong?'"

"Tang’s mother sneered, 'You took 1.5 million and promised to keep silent about being the true heir of the Tang family. If you get greedy and let this situation escalate, we have plenty of ways to deal with you.'"

"Shen Wang sighed lightly, 'I am your biological child. Tang Jiu is just a mistakenly adopted fake young master. Why can’t you… even take a look at me?'"

"'You think you're worthy?' Tang’s mother laughed scornfully."

"For the Tang family, the gap between ordinary people and cultivators was insurmountable. Even a biological son, if unable to cultivate, lost the right to bear the Tang name."

"Shen Wang ended the call."

"Tang’s mother didn’t take it to heart. Her call was also a warning to Shen Wang, reminding him not to act recklessly just because he had left the Tang family; they had ways to deal with him."

"Soon enough, Shen Wang indeed posted a status update, starting with an apology."

"Tang’s mother was delighted: 'He really apologized!'"

"Such a hopeless street thug indeed needs to be disciplined to obey."

"With a sigh of satisfaction, Tang’s mother scrolled down to read the rest of Shen Wang's status."

"[Your daddy is here: I'm very sorry."

"After holding back for so long, I’ve finally decided to reveal the truth about myself, Tang Jiu, and the Tang family.]"

"In this post, Shen Wang deviated from his usual bold and brash style, appearing instead like a pitiful, forlorn little cabbage."

"Instead of explicitly stating his relationship with the Tang family, he shared a recording and several photos."

"The photos were of donation certificates. He had donated millions to various welfare homes in different cities and also contributed millions to improve school facilities and meal quality in some rural counties."

"Each of these donation certificates bore the names of the Tang couple."

"If the photos were shocking, the recording was outrageously infuriating."

"Tang’s mother's coldness and malice were chilling, especially given her status, sending shivers down one’s spine."

"[This twist in the tale is unbelievable, who would have thought the truth would be like this?]"

"[So Shen Wang is the Tang family's biological child, and Tang Jiu is just a mistakenly adopted imposter, but the Tang couple only wants Tang Jiu and not their own child?]"

"[That explains the 1.5 million – it was to get rid of their own child...]"

"[Looking back at Shen Wang's messages now, it’s all so lamentable.]"

"[Right, before it didn’t make sense, but now seeing he's from an orphanage, grew up to be a street thug, and finally returned home only to be despised by his biological parents... While the fake young master was pampered... If I were him, I'd definitely feel aggrieved too.]"

"[Not just aggrieved, I’d be psychologically disturbed.]"

"[Didn’t the Tang family often engage in charity? How can they be so cruel to their own child?]"

"[Disgusting, not all parents deserve to be parents. The Tang couple is inhuman.]"

"Shen Wang’s case has seen countless twists and turns, with reversals upon reversals, culminating in this shocking revelation. The entire internet was stunned."

"At this moment, under the ironclad recording of Tang’s mother, all mysteries were unveiled, revealing a truth more cruel than anyone could have imagined."

"[Damn, the Tang family is disgusting.]"

"[I'm not buying anything from the Tang family again, never thought they could be such people.]"

"[The fake young master is scum, his mom is vile, and his dad is no better, a family of rotten people.]"

"[Are all rich people so ruthless? They could have raised both children, but chose to drive one out of the house...]"

"In contrast, countless people sympathized with Shen Wang, offering him words of comfort."

"#SympathyForShenWang quickly soared to the top of the trending topics."

"After several rounds of discussions, almost everyone recognized Shen Wang. Whether they felt good or bad about him, they instinctively clicked to see more."

"Upon entering the topic, many left indignant comments filled with righteous anger."

"The Tang family, always concerned about their reputation, had truly become infamous this time."

"Tang’s mother, who had been planning a leisurely outing with her high-society friends for shopping and spa treatments, had secretly warned Shen Wang, away from her husband at the office and Tang Jiu at home."

"She never expected Shen Wang to have recorded their conversation!"

"No wonder his tone and style were different today! Tang’s mother realized this too late, and by then, it was already irrevocable."

"A fellow high-society lady glanced at Tang’s mother with a strange expression, pulling another lady close and gesturing towards her phone."

"Then, the way everyone else looked at Tang’s mother changed."

"How could this be..."

"I can't believe she’s such a person… My goodness… That’s so pitiful…"

"Even with her voice deliberately lowered, Tang's mother still caught snippets of conversations carried by the wind to her ears. She felt they were discussing her, clutching her handbag tightly to maintain her composure and dignity."

"Excuse me, I have something urgent at home and must leave now. You all enjoy yourselves," Tang's mother said dryly, as usual.

"But this time, the other high-society ladies didn't bid her farewell with smiles. Instead, they watched her leave with a mix of suspicion, disbelief, wariness, and schadenfreude in their eyes..."

"Among these elite women, there was always competition: jewelry, handbags, children, anything. Their relationships weren't as harmonious as they appeared."

"Tang's mother had only walked a few steps when the voices behind her suddenly grew louder."

"To be so cruel to her own son, what a heartless mother."

"If she can be so heartless to her child, imagine how she'd treat us... We'd better keep our distance from her."

"That's terrifying..."

"Tang's mother, fleeing in a panic, barely stepped out of the mall when she heard a child's voice: 'Old witch! It's the old witch!'"

"Even a child dares to insult her! Tang's mother turned sharply, only to see a child talking to a cartoon witch on a poster at the mall's entrance."

"Feeling like a taut string suddenly loosened, Tang's mother breathed a sigh of relief, yet also felt pathetic: She had become so paranoid."

"Not daring to linger, she hurried home."

"The Tang residence."

"Tang Jiu had been closely monitoring the situation online and quickly sensed something amiss this time. After hearing the recording, his mind buzzed: 'It's over.'"

"The falsehoods they desperately tried to bury were now exposed, revealing an unsightly truth."

"This time, Tang Jiu didn't smash his phone. His face pale, he looked ahead in a daze, feeling as if the servants were whispering about him."

"When he turned around, he found no one there."

"After staring blankly for a few minutes, he immediately started looking for ways to suppress the uproar online, but it was too late. The story had taken several turns already, igniting the netizens' curiosity."

"Now, not just on one social media platform, but on almost all of them, this news topped the charts."

"Questions were even raised on Zhihu."

"'How do you view the Shen Wang incident?'"

"'If you were Shen Wang, how would you handle the real and fake young master situation to come out unscathed and maximize benefits?'"

"The answers under these questions kept increasing."

"[Laxative advice: If I were Shen Wang, I'd take the 1.5 million and cut ties with the Tang family...]"

"Tang Jiu's eyes reddened as he neurotically scrolled through the comments, his frustration building, unable to spit it out or swallow it."

"The doorbell rang, pulling Tang Jiu back from his thoughts."

"Unsure who was at the door, Tang Jiu managed a stiff smile. As soon as he opened the door, a slap met his face."

"Dazed and distracted, Tang Jiu didn't even see it coming and took the slap squarely!"

"Outside stood a stunning young woman, shaking her numb hand, coldly saying, 'Idiot, that slap was for what you owed me.'"

"I came here specifically to tell you, you idiot, that you've been dumped by me! You think your Tang family is something special? You cheat with multiple women, and your mother calls me a gold digger... Your whole family are stupid jerks!"

After saying this, she turned and walked away.

Behind her stood several young women of different styles, all distinct in dress and demeanor but uniformly striking in appearance.

Another slap resounded sharply.

A short-haired woman spat vehemently: "Jerk!"

"You don't even deserve to have a girlfriend!"

Another crisp slap followed.

A bespectacled, gentle-looking girl, eyes red, said nothing but gave Tang Jiu a hateful stare.

Tang Jiu, with his decent family background and not-too-bad looks, coupled with sweet talk, never had to work hard to find a girlfriend. He was picky too, disliking vulgar gold diggers, preferring girls who were serious about relationships.

He had been caught cheating before, but never as dramatically as this.

Not only his official girlfriends showed up, but also two women he was flirtatiously ambiguous with.

Caught off guard, Tang Jiu took several slaps before he could react, and by then, each girl had spat at him and left together.

"What a loser, damn."

As they turned away, the group of girls noticed a man, becoming even angrier.

"Damn, there’s even a guy involved!"

"He must be sick, I need to get a health check!"

"I also want to..."

Yu Cailiang, who accidentally wandered into this chaotic scene: "..."

With a complex expression, he walked up to Tang Jiu and called out, "Brother Jiu."

The current state of Tang Jiu was a far cry from his usual calm and confident demeanor. His cheeks bore clear red marks, and his eyes showed a mix of confusion and madness, exuding an aura of defeat and impotent rage.

"What are you doing here?" Tang Jiu asked irritably upon seeing Yu Cailiang.

Yu Cailiang had always been Tang Jiu's lackey since childhood, not very smart but obedient, coming from a decent family. Although Tang Jiu despised him for being an ordinary person, he still interacted with him in a lukewarm manner.

Now, having his lackey witness his disgrace, Tang Jiu felt a mix of shock and anger.

"Shen Wang is not an illegitimate child; he is the real son of the Tang family," Yu Cailiang slowly said.

Knowing he wasn't very bright, Yu had chosen to follow Tang Jiu and obey him.

Before, Tang Jiu had told him that Shen Wang was a ruthless illegitimate child, so he always targeted Shen Wang and even confronted him at C City University.

Shen Wang had a message for Tang Jiu.

"What's fake will never be real, the fake will always remain fake."

At that time, he didn't understand why Tang Jiu looked so upset when he relayed this message.

Looking back now, he understood its meaning.

Hearing Yu Cailiang's words, Tang Jiu glared at him piercingly: "What do you mean? Are you here to mock me too?"

Faced with Tang Jiu's scrutinizing and questioning gaze, Yu Cailiang even had the illusion that he might be killed!

A chill ran up his spine, and without daring to ponder further, Yu Cailiang swallowed his sentiments and advice, and left.

After walking some distance, he looked back at the Tang family house, his gaze lost and bewildered.

The person he had admired for so long, how could he turn out to be such a scoundrel, manipulating emotions and usurping others' places? Perhaps the term 'unscrupulous' was more fitting for himself.

Shaking his head, Yu Cailiang also left, and this time, he didn't look back.

Unaware of the turmoil, Tang's father was at the company, raging over a document: "Why hasn't this contract been signed? Who is responsible for this project?"

A subordinate stood up, trembling, and said softly, "Mr. Tang, I tried my best, but..."

Tang's father, with a stern face, interjected: "But what? Don’t make excuses for failure; failure is failure..."

“It's just that the CEO of that company is the father of Tang Junior’s girlfriend. After seeing the news, they immediately rejected our company,” the subordinate retorted, annoyed at being unjustly scolded.

His gaze towards Tang's father carried discontent: failing to control his own son, impacting business deals, yet having the audacity to scold me.

Tang's father was at a loss for words.

At that moment, another employee timidly raised a hand, braving Tang's father's wrath: "Mr. Tang, the company whose contract expired and wasn’t renewed has decided to not continue the agreement.”

One after another, several calls came in, many reporting lost contracts.

Tang's father, shocked and angered: “What’s going on? Is a competitor targeting us?”

In just those few minutes, the total value of the contracts the Tang family lost amounted to several tens of millions!

The subordinates remained silent in the deathly quiet room when suddenly someone burst through the meeting room door, panting: “Mr. Tang, our stock price has been continuously falling!”

“The internet is filled with criticism against you, too overwhelming for PR to handle. Should we issue a statement or send a legal notice?”

What internet? Tang's father had an ominous premonition. He took out his phone and glanced at it.

In an instant, it felt as if all the blood in his body was rushing to his head. Tang's father gasped for air, a harsh sound emanating from his throat, then suddenly his vision went dark, and he collapsed backward!

“Mr. Tang!”

"Mr. Tang!"

Shen Wang was also reading the online comments, but unlike the Tang family members nearly driven to rage, he was smiling broadly, unable to contain his amusement.

Beside him, Li Pingping, Wang Kai, and Xu Cheng sat in front of the computer, overwhelmed with joy.

"Shen Ge, these are top-tier computers! Did the previous homeowner really leave them for you?"

"This feel, this speed, it's incredible, way better than internet cafes. Shen Ge, we should come here to surf the net from now on!"

Li Pingping didn’t immediately start gaming like the others. Instead, he logged onto a social media site and joined in the online bashing of the Tang family, furiously typing away as a keyboard warrior. He then asked, "Bro, did you anticipate this day coming, that’s why you donated the money?"

Li Pingping didn't object when he first learned that Shen Wang planned to donate the 1.5 million. Though puzzled, he felt it wasn't his place to intervene since it wasn't his money.

He merely lacked the right to object.

Watching people online relentlessly criticizing Shen Wang over the 1.5 million, he didn’t understand why Shen Wang didn't clarify that he hadn't spent a cent of it, having donated it all.

Now, with the truth about the real and fake young masters revealed, the Tang family was being universally condemned, while Shen Wang, having donated the 1.5 million, was virtually on a moral high ground.

Unstoppable!

Anyone trying to argue that the Tang family at least gave him 1.5 million would be countered with: "He donated all of that money."

"Guess?" Shen Wang replied mysteriously, with a meaningful look.

"Shen Ge is awesome!"

"As expected of Shen Ge! He saw it coming! The Tang family was digging their own grave trying to deal with you!"

The three followers immediately started cheering, like fervent devotees.

Shen Wang's mouth twitched as he tossed his phone aside.

Li Pingping mused to himself, "Of all people to offend, they had to mess with our Shen Ge..."

"Tit for tat, narrow-mindedness, a vengeful nature, a 'gentleman's revenge' from dawn to dusk... that's all a true representation of Shen Wang."

If the Tang family had peacefully parted ways with Shen Wang, he wouldn't have done anything. But they chose to provoke him... Li Pingping thought about it and concluded that a tenfold retaliation was actually letting them off easy.

Li Pingping even suspected that Shen Wang might have other ways to settle the matter.

But he chose not to. Instead, he escalated the situation dramatically, only to turn the cyberbullying initiated by the Tang family back against them.

Li Pingping: "..."

Damn, the more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed.

At this point, Li Pingping swore for the umpteenth time never to provoke Shen Ge!

Just can't afford to provoke him.

"Shen Ge, the air conditioning is set a bit too low. Where's the remote? I'll turn it up," Wang Kai, oblivious to Li Pingping's internal monologue, called out casually.

Shen Wang glanced up and said, "The air conditioner here is voice-controlled."

"So high-tech!" exclaimed Wang Kai, eager to try. "Air conditioner, increase the temperature!"

"Hello, air conditioner, increase the temperature."

"Could you please increase the temperature?"

After shouting aimlessly for a while, the temperature didn’t change at all, in fact, it got even colder. The other two were laughing so hard they were falling over, and Wang Kai, rubbing his arms and looking confused at Shen Wang, asked, "Shen Ge, you're not playing a prank on me, are you?"

"You're calling it out the wrong way," Shen Wang said seriously.

Wang Kai: "Huh?"

Shen Wang continued, "Just say, 'Raise the temperature, or I'll annihilate you, scatter your soul and spirit.'"

While speaking, Shen Wang looked steadily in a certain direction, with a half-smile on his face.

"I knew you were playing me. There's no such voice control..." Before Wang Kai could finish his sentence, he stopped for a few seconds, then exclaimed, "Wait, there really is such a voice-controlled air conditioner? And it works so instantly? What brand is it? I want one too!"

Shen Wang didn’t respond. Li Pingping and Xu Cheng were already huddled together, shivering in fear.

Damn, how can Wang Kai be so oblivious to this chillingly familiar sensation!

In another corner, a little ghost was also hugging itself and shivering against the wall.

"Help, this guy is terrifying! So scary, it even frightens ghosts! Waaah QAQ"