Chapter 47 A Permanent Fixture on Hot Searches

Chapter 47: Always on Hot Search

Lu Jingtang took another leisurely vacation, and Minister Zhou was probably completely used to it by now.

But Fu Nanyu, the money-making machine, still had to go to work. Walking out of his room without hearing Lu Jingtang's voice as usual felt a bit strange.

A white shadow quickly dashed to the second floor. The super chubby dog, David, was the best at reading the room in the entire household. He fully understood Fu Nanyu's dominant position in the family—afraid of no one except Fu Nanyu.

He had originally intended to go upstairs to find Lu Jingtang, but when the door was halfway open, he noticed Fu Nanyu was also there. Instantly embarrassed, he lowered his head and tried to act casual, glancing around nervously with his round eyes filled with guilt.

Fu Nanyu turned his face away without glancing through the door crack, pulled the door handle, and closed Lu Jingtang's bedroom door tightly.

He gave David's innocent big butt a few childish kicks, looked down at him coldly, and said, "Get downstairs, and don't wake her."

David could only slink away and follow him downstairs—he knew better than to risk his regular meals.

Not having to work was awesome. Lu Jingtang slept until noon, only crawling out of bed to find food when she couldn’t stand the hunger anymore.

Combining two meals into one didn’t affect her appetite at all. She ate voraciously, making the servants swallow hard in envy just watching her.

David came over looking wronged, nudging her calf with his head. Lu Jingtang rubbed his fluffy head and secretly slipped him a braised chicken leg, which made him cheerful again.

After filling her stomach, Lu Jingtang took David for a walk in the garden to walk off the meal.

She spent the day relaxed, unaware that the video of her hitting someone had already spread across the internet. Strangely, the video was heavily edited, showing only the part where Lu Jingtang cursed and hit the person, with none of the preceding context.

This happened during a critical period when the government was promoting visa-free travel for foreigners to China. The person Lu Jingtang hit was a food blogger with over a million followers on foreign social media, fueling the controversy even more.

In no time, the internet was flooded with countless insults directed at Lu Jingtang. Her name dominated the hot searches on Weibo, and some people directly complained on the Fu Corporation’s official website, where the comments were filled with personal attacks and vicious insults against her.

Some even tagged the Beijing police, claiming that Lu Jingtang had damaged the country’s image and demanding that she be banned from any future public appearances.

Even a well-known domestic university professor reposted the Weibo post, sarcastically discussing the importance of bloodline and directly pointing out that an adopted daughter like Lu Jingtang was inherently ill-behaved and inferior, with no comparison to the true Fu family members.

A certain dance artist liked the post and then quickly unliked it, playing the fool. When fans asked about it, she pretended in her comments to be afraid of retaliation from the powerful.

Even Jiang Cheng’s Weibo was inevitably invaded by the mob of online critics.

"Teacher Jiang, character before talent. As a relative of such a person, shouldn’t you say something?"

"Is Lu Jingtang dead? Come out and speak. Always hiding behind others like a turtle—disgusting."

"@BeijingPolice, shouldn’t this kind of person be arrested?"

"Hope the public learns a lesson, and the victim receives justice. For the sake of the country’s image, this kind of person shouldn’t be allowed to show their face in public."

"An adopted daughter is just an adopted daughter. No matter what, she doesn’t carry the Fu surname. No wonder her character is so low."

"This bitch is just not fit for the spotlight. Knowing Fu Nanyu has a fiancée, she still clings to him. Does she have a thing for being the other woman?"

"Agree with the above. Disgusting…"

On the top floor of the Fu Corporation, Fu Nanyu looked at the tens of thousands of hateful comments about Lu Jingtang online, his face dark and terrifying, exuding a chilling aura.

The public relations team trembled, not daring to make a sound. As soon as Fu Nanyu finished reading, Grandpa Fu called.

Without asking for details, he snapped, "Have your father consider sending her back to Rongcheng for now."

Hearing this, Fu Nanyu let out a cold laugh inwardly but remained expressionless. "Fine, send her back. When will she return?"

Grandpa Fu was surprised by his easy agreement and said after a pause. "Let’s not discuss that for now. She’s no longer suitable to stay in the capital."

Fu Nanyu sneered, mercilessly exposing Grandpa Fu’s intentions. "Is it that she can’t stay in the capital, or that someone doesn’t want her to stay?"

"Fu Nanyu!" Grandpa Fu roared over the phone. "Look at the trouble she’s caused. Do you really think you can protect her at a time like this?"

"I suggest you first understand the truth before giving your opinion," Fu Nanyu replied calmly and coldly.

"Since when is hitting someone for no reason justified!?"

Fu Nanyu had no time to waste arguing and hung up directly. He then instructed Qin Xianzhao to call the villa and ensure that no one from Grandpa Fu’s side was allowed in today, and that Lu Jingtang was not to leave.

When Fu Nanyu finally had a moment, the head of the public relations department cautiously spoke up. "Mr. Fu, should the Fu Corporation issue a clarification statement?"

"No need. The clarification doesn’t need to come from us. Let the legal department handle the rest. Send lawyer’s letters to those with over 500 reposts and severe insults, and hold the original video blogger accountable for spreading rumors," Fu Nanyu ordered.

The public relations team was surprised that Fu Nanyu chose to issue lawyer’s letters instead of clarifying. Their expressions seemed to scream, "Blinded by love."

Lu Jingtang didn’t check her phone all day. It was only when Jiang Cheng called to ask what was happening that she realized she was trending again.

She occupied the top three spots on Weibo’s hot search list. Her homepage was flooded with self-righteous netizens tagging the Beijing police. Her vision swam and she stammered as she explained the situation to Jiang Cheng.

Relieved to hear it wasn’t her fault, Jiang Cheng comforted her and said he’d visit her that evening before hanging up.

After the call, Lu Jingtang paced around the living room, unsure what to do. She wanted to talk to someone, but Fu Xiaqing and his wife were still visiting friends and hadn’t returned, making her uneasy.

Would her older brothers find her annoying?

She knew she was impulsive and reckless. Once or twice might be fine, but if it happened too often, even if she was in the right, people would grow tired of it.

No one likes a troublemaker.

She tried calling Fu Nanyu several times, but no one answered. Growing restless, she thought of going to the Fu Corporation but was stopped by bodyguards. Fu Nanyu had ordered that she not leave today.

Fu Nanyu was thinking of her safety. With the truth unclear and countless people hurling insults and spreading rumors online, if she were spotted outside, some might resort to extreme actions.

Unable to focus on TV, she curled up on the sofa with David, dozing off until the phone rang an hour later.

It was Fu Nanyu!

She answered the call, wanting to say something but feeling her eyes well up. In the end, she only whispered, "Big brother, I’m sorry. I’ve caused trouble for the family again."

Fu Nanyu had been in a meeting and missed her calls. Noticing the faint hint of tears in her voice, he paused and said gently, "Lu Jingtang, it’s not your fault. There’s no need to apologize."

Lu Jingtang had a tendency to cry easily. Even when she didn’t want to, tears would fall uncontrollably. Not wanting Fu Nanyu to notice, she took a deep breath and said, trying to sound casual, "Okay, I know it’s not my fault."

Fu Nanyu: "Have someone prepare some snacks for you, then rest. When you wake up, I promise everything will be resolved."

Lu Jingtang cheered, "I want Napoleon cake and osmanthus pastries!"

Probably only food could revive Lu Jingtang’s spirits. Fu Nanyu shook his head helplessly, his eyes softening unconsciously. "Go ahead. After eating, just change your name to ‘Pig’."

Seeing the news, Fu Xiaqing and his wife cut their gathering short and returned home early to comfort Lu Jingtang warmly.

Fu Xiaqing and his wife treated Lu Jingtang like their own child, providing her with all the emotional support and material comforts parents should give.

Unfortunately, the original Lu Jingtang never learned gratitude and always felt the Fu family treated her differently. She secretly resented Fu Xiaqing for not letting her take the Fu surname, thinking they were afraid she’d compete for the family fortune.

In reality, Fu Xiaqing had a reason for not letting her change her surname. Lu Jingtang’s biological father was an orphan, and her parents had left behind only her as their legacy.

Fu Xiaqing didn’t want his dear friend’s last trace in this world to disappear.

When Lu Jingtang first arrived at the Fu family, she often cried for her parents. But after a serious illness at age four, she seemed like a different person—no longer asking for her parents but becoming much more spoiled. No one knew why.