Chapter 95

Chapter 95

After Jingsheng Group issued a statement, the marketing accounts and trolls stirring up trouble for Su Xingyao and Su Nian retreated, and netizens finally started to calm down.

Subsequently, a trending topic named #Apology# inexplicably surged.

Everyone clicked on it and found that almost 99% of the content consisted of screenshots of Weibo posts or forum threads apologizing to Mr. Su Xingyao and Ms. Su Nian.

Netizens compared these IDs and found that most of them were accounts previously listed by Jingsheng's official Weibo.

The apology posts seemed endless, and netizens, who had never seen such a massive wave of apologies, were somewhat shocked.

"After years of following gossip, this is the first time I've seen such a large-scale apology."

"How many people did Jingsheng mobilize to collect evidence?"

"I thought Jingsheng's statement was just a deterrent, like a celebrity's lawyer letter. Turns out they were serious... With so many people, how much money and time did they spend?"

"Anyway, Jingsheng is rich. They can afford to sue one by one."

"Am I the only one who thinks Jingsheng did a great job? A bunch of people, without knowing the truth, jumped on the bandwagon and accused him and his sister of murder. Their hearts are truly wicked! If my sister, who I depended on since childhood, passed away and was slandered, I wouldn't let it go easily either. I'd make sure everyone apologized to her!"

"Regardless of whether Jingsheng pursues it, logically, anyone who slanders the deceased should apologize if they have any conscience left..."

"I don't know about others, but seeing these people kneel and apologize warms my heart."

Most netizens, realizing they had been misled, felt guilty.

As a result, Su Xingyao's Weibo post clarifying the situation for Su Nian received over 1 million comments.

Apart from fans expressing their sympathy, the majority were apologies from netizens who had blindly followed the trend.

However, even at this point, there were still a few stubborn individuals trying to shift the focus.

"But isn't it a bit too much for such a big company to take such a small matter so seriously? I saw the list—thousands of people. Are they really going to chase each one for an apology? Can't they show a little mercy?"

"Laughable. Thousands of marketing accounts and trolls spread rumors, and you didn't show any mercy when you blindly accused Su Xingyao and his sister. Now that the knife is cutting you, you're asking for mercy?"

"How can you blame Jingsheng for not showing mercy? If Jingsheng hadn't clarified the rumors for Su Xingyao in time, would you be speaking up for him now? When the rumors were flying, where were you rationalists telling everyone to be merciful? Besides, shouldn't people apologize when they're wrong? Jingsheng isn't targeting ordinary netizens—they're only asking those who spread significant rumors and marketing accounts to apologize. Is that really such a big deal?"

"Friendly reminder: those who remain stubborn will eventually be taught a lesson by Jingsheng's legal team. Anyway, I feel quite satisfied seeing these people apologize when I search the apology square."

After confronting the haters, some rational netizens and Su Xingyao's fans felt both heartbroken and slightly relieved seeing the collective apologies.

However, they thought the matter was coming to an end.

But a belated article made them realize just how despicable those rumor-mongers were.

The article was posted by a netizen on a casual forum.

The author claimed to be Su Xingyao's former neighbor and shared some memories about Su Xingyao and Su Nian.

Xiao Hu Tiao Tiao: When I first followed this gossip, I thought Su Xingyao looked familiar but didn't think much of it.

Today, after seeing the names of the Public Security Bureau and the Women's Federation in Jingsheng Group's screenshots, I confirmed with my grandmother that Su Xingyao and his sister were indeed my neighbors when I was a child.

To be precise, I wasn't exactly a neighbor—we just lived in the same area for a while.

Su Xingyao's family was quite special in my grandmother's neighborhood—they had a bad reputation and didn't interact much with others.

Of course, I'm not saying Su Xingyao and his sister are bad; it's their adoptive parents who had terrible character. They were lazy, drank heavily, and gambled, and were infamous in our town for being dirt poor.

Despite their family situation, they still couldn't let go of the idea of continuing the family line.

They had a child late in life, claiming it was a dragon son, but the child turned out to be mentally disabled.

Upon learning their son was mentally disabled, they found and took in an abandoned baby girl. This baby girl was Su Xingyao's sister, Su Nian.

I think most people would assume they took in the baby girl to take care of their disabled son later in life... but unfortunately, that wasn't the case. They were worried their disabled son wouldn't be able to find a wife, so they raised the baby girl as a child bride.

Pretty messed up, huh? Everyone thought so too. But they insisted their child was mentally disabled and that adopting a child was legally reasonable. Everyone knew what was really going on, but no one could stop them.

Later, their disabled son died at the age of three, and everyone thought the baby girl would finally get some relief.

But unexpectedly, a few years later, they took in another child.

This child was Yue Shuang, also known as Su Xingyao.

Su Xingyao was about three or four years old when they adopted him. The couple said they adopted him from an orphanage, but many adults in our area said they likely bought him from a human trafficker. (Regarding this point, I hope no one accuses me of spreading rumors; this is just what I heard, so take it for what it’s worth.)

However, since Su Xingyao and Su Nian weren't their biological children, the couple treated the siblings very poorly.

After Su Xingyao was adopted, he kept trying to go back home, which made the couple very angry. They would keep him locked up like an animal every day.

There was a photo online of a dog chain, right? My grandmother said they actually kept Su Xingyao chained up like that for about a year.

Only after Su Xingyao gave up trying to go home did they finally let him out and send him to school.

Speaking of school, the couple actually thought the siblings were too much of a hassle and expense, so they never let them study.

It was only after the school, government, and women's federation made numerous home visits, and the school offered to cover all expenses and provide financial aid, that the couple, eager for the extra money, agreed to send them.

Su Nian had it tougher. She was older than Su Xingyao, so she was immediately sent to work and earn money right after graduating from middle school.

She was just a teenager, still a minor.

During the day, she washed dishes and served plates, and at night, she had to run a street stall late into the night.

Su Xingyao felt bad for his sister and would accompany her at the stall at night.

Both of them were still minors, and while their peers couldn't even take care of themselves, they had to keep hustling to survive.

As for the photos of Su Xingyao with bruises on his face that were exposed by marketing accounts, those were real. In fact, real life was even worse. The injuries captured in those photos were just the tip of the iceberg of the physical abuse they suffered.

In my memory, the siblings were almost always injured.

Every time I saw them, they were thin, weak, and covered in injuries, like a strong breeze could knock them down.

Later, their adoptive mother died, and their adoptive father stopped doing any work. He wouldn't even feed the siblings and made them earn money to support him.

Many locals felt sorry for the siblings and secretly helped them, giving them some bread or pancakes.

But when their adoptive father found out, he would lose his temper.

Not only would he cause a scene at the neighbors' houses, but he would also lock them outside in the doghouse, make them kneel and beat them, and starve them for a day and night or even longer.

Once, Su Xingyao was beaten unconscious, and it was my grandmother who found him and called 120.

My grandmother said she often heard the sounds of the siblings being beaten at night. It was absolutely heartbreaking. I can't even describe or imagine it.

Since I only stayed with my grandmother for a short time, my memories are pretty hazy.

However, my grandmother said that the siblings were well-behaved and polite, and the neighbors actually liked them quite a bit, but no one dared to show them kindness.

So the siblings had to lean on each other and get through it together, which was incredibly hard.

Moreover, the hardships they went through can’t be summed up in a few words.

As for that ridiculous rumor about the murderer, I have no clue how it even started.

In any case, anyone locally who knew a little about their family thought their adoptive father got what he deserved.

Honestly, his death was a relief for the two siblings.

So I hope those spreading rumors, if you have any decency left, stop slandering Su Xingyao and Su Nian. They’ve been through enough already.

To prove he wasn’t a troll or fabricating stories, this netizen even posted a photo at the end.

It was a picture of Su Xingyao and Su Nian together.

In the photo, Su Xingyao looked exactly like the images shared earlier by the marketing accounts, and sitting next to him was Su Nian, who had only been seen in profile before.

The two beautiful kids, with their bruised faces, looked a little shy, likely because they weren’t used to taking photos.

But under the summer shade, they were beaming, a rare moment of happiness.

After reading this, Su Xingyao’s fans were devastated and in tears.

Learning about the tragic past Su Xingyao endured, they were heartbroken.

“Oh my God, Su Xingyao’s life has been so tragic.”

“Ahhhh I’m so angry!! How can those two be so awful?!”

“I’m furious!! Why did someone as kind as Su Xingyao have to suffer such a painful childhood?”

“I can’t even imagine how Su Su stayed so strong through it all. It’s just too tragic.”

“I wish I could go back and hug him. It breaks my heart.”

“Was Su Xingyao trafficked again?! Human traffickers should all die!!”

“He and his sister leaned on each other and got through everything together. It’s such a shame that his sister passed away so young. Why didn’t such good people get a happy ending?”

“Su Xingyao didn’t do anything wrong, did he? Why did fate treat him and his sister so unfairly…”

“Even after his sister’s death, people are still spreading rumors about her. You heartless jerks, karma’s coming for you!!”

“Damn it, if anyone dares to badmouth Su Xingyao again, I’ll fight them to the death!”

“@Rumor-spreaders, you soulless scum, don’t even bother apologizing. Just go to jail.”

“Jail +1”

Fans and netizens, now knowing the full truth, were completely outraged.

They couldn’t fathom how someone could be so malicious, or harbor so much hatred for Su Xingyao, to fabricate such a shameless rumor.

After reading the firsthand account, netizens started to think and slowly realized something was off.

"I really feel for Su Xingyao, but I think there's something strange about this. Even a neighbor who only stayed briefly knew about Su Xingyao and his sister’s situation. The person who leaked this must have kept those old photos of Su Xingyao, so they probably knew the real story, right?"

"And don't you think it's odd? The timing of the gossip accounts’ posts was oddly precise, and they all released it around three or four in the morning."

"Actually, those photos always felt a bit off to me, but I can't quite put my finger on why."

"I also feel like something's not quite right, like they were staged or something."

"I get it, it feels like whoever leaked this has a personal grudge against Su Xingyao."

"Exactly, it is personal. Didn’t you see the gossip accounts admit someone paid them to post it?"

"?"

Netizens were dying to know.

While they were still wondering who could hate Su Xingyao enough to go this far to smear him, the police had already arrived at the Shen family's old residence and took Auntie Liu (Liu Xiaohua) away.