Chapter 49 Status

Chapter 49: A Recognized Position

Perhaps to safeguard its corporate image, the Huo family company swiftly issued a statement condemning the allegations, asserting that justice would be served for every citizen under the law. The majority of the public still rallied behind Huo Xuan—the victim. Yet even a starving camel remains larger than a horse. Once the Qi family deployed legions of online commentators across the internet to steer the narrative, a growing number of people began to believe they wouldn’t stir up trouble without justification.

Just as all marketing accounts fell silent, Huamao Technology seized the opportunity to launch a new product advertisement—successfully clawing its way to second place on the trending search list amid the whirlwind of gossip.

Huamao Technology: Experience the all-new technological upgrade. The N19 is about to make a stunning debut. Featuring a massive 9610mAh battery capacity, 3.2 million-watt wired fast charging, front and rear cameras boasting 150-megapixel resolution—delivering the pinnacle of tech-driven living. [Smiley Face]

False Eyelashes: Hahahaha—key takeaways: “upgrade” and “pinnacle.”

He Just Arrived: Why add a smiley face at the end? [Tears of Joy]

No Reason: This ad radiates pure “finally standing tall” energy. [Tears of Joy]

Oh Oh Oh Oh: Got it—we know your specs improved. No need to hammer it home. [Smiley Face]

Jasmine: Let me place an order and test the real-world performance. [Doge]

Wuwuwu: President Lin truly listens to feedback. He promised performance improvements—and delivered, even upgrading the specs. No wonder Sister Mi fell for him. [Doge]

Here It Comes: After lying low for over half a year, they’re finally daring to subtly attract traffic. [Tears of Joy]

Trace: Now that he’s officially earned the title, he’s standing tall. [Tears of Joy]

Grapes: I suspect the CEO posted this ad himself. [Doge]

Tutu: You can tell the CEO’s pursuing her relentlessly—even agreed to marry into her family. [Tears of Joy]

Greenery: Order placed. Let’s see just how “pinnacle” this really is. [Doge]

Huamao Technology’s marketing department was indeed highly skilled. Su Mi didn’t intervene. Their product lines differed significantly, with no direct competition. Since this hot topic was trending, everyone stood to benefit—no rule dictated she alone could reap all the advantages.

Yet, mindful of the upcoming court hearing, she logged back into her gossip account to plant a few explosive revelations.

OP: Everyone saw today’s murder scandal. In fact, the scumbag was released some time ago—but was re-arrested for another case. Another hearing is imminent, and this time, his sentence will likely be substantially longer.

His relationship with his fiancée is equally tangled. In short, the scumbag grew arrogant, cheated on her—and felt proud of himself for it. As a top-tier socialite, she couldn’t tolerate such humiliation. Whether actual murder occurred remains unknown—but she definitely orchestrated retaliation against him. We’ll find out more when the two families face off in court.

Currently, however, the scumbag remains detained for the other case—a violent conflict with his younger daughter. She refused further involvement with him. Having always been the one to discard others, how could he bear being dumped by a woman?

So he kidnapped his younger daughter and her entire family—and smuggled them overseas. Related reports still surface if you search foreign news archives. The incident escalated into multiple gunfights before police rescued them. After all, the younger daughter had previously been adopted by the Su family—they couldn’t stand idly by.

Now everything hinges on whether the younger daughter will testify against the scumbag in court. If evidence proves solid, both the scumbag and the creep will likely keep each other company behind bars for a very long time.

Incidentally, last time the creep drugged Su Mi, the scumbag was involved. Rumor has it she’s found a key witness this time—and plans to sue them jointly.

1st Floor: Ugh—these two scumbags are so revolting I nearly vomited last night’s dinner!

2nd Floor: Su Mi should send them both straight to prison!!!

3rd Floor: OP, please dig deeper into the tea about S and L. Did they really reunite? S’s personality doesn’t strike me as someone who’d go back to an ex. [Grabs popcorn]

4th Floor: Maybe the performance *did* genuinely improve. Rich, great physique, and willing to marry into her family—where do you find such a live-in son-in-law? [Grabs popcorn]

5th Floor: Feels like L’s the biggest winner in this wealthy-family drama. The other two end up behind bars; he walks away with both the person *and* the fortune—and maintains a spotless, sympathetic image from start to finish. [Grabs popcorn]

6th Floor: No need for conspiracy theories upstairs. L’s family background isn’t shabby either. For a one-son family to agree to him marrying in takes serious resolve. Name one CEO who’d willingly become a live-in son-in-law? [Tears of Joy]

7th Floor: Wasn’t the entire internet just mocking L as average? Ordinary men couldn’t handle such ridicule. His mental resilience must be exceptional—not extreme like the other two. [Grabs popcorn]

8th Floor: He probably *isn’t* average—that’s why he handles memes so well. If he were truly average, he’d feel inferior and snap—how could he possibly withstand mockery from the whole internet? [Tears of Joy]

9th Floor: L seems remarkably emotionally stable. Compared to the other two, he genuinely stands out. [Grabs popcorn]

10th Floor: The other two are absolute disasters—one drugs people, the other kidnaps. A pair of certified geniuses. [Grabs popcorn]

11th Floor: Didn’t expect the creep drugging S to have the scumbag’s involvement. These two deserve the death penalty!!!

12th Floor: More curious whether SRR will testify. Feels like her type—would stab S in the back without hesitation.

13th Floor: Surely the “white lotus” won’t try whitewashing her image now? Like issuing a statement claiming *she* was deceived by the scumbag—suddenly transforming back into a pure, innocent white lotus? [Smiley Face]

14th Floor: The more you think about it, the scarier it gets! The white lotus is terrifyingly manipulative. Seeing public sentiment turn against her, she instantly pivots—suing the scumbag and recasting herself as the victim.

15th Floor: Curious how this wealthy-family feud will conclude. Either way, the white lotus can’t rehabilitate her image in my eyes. [Smiley Face]

16th Floor: First time seeing a billionaire CEO become a live-in son-in-law. Truly—you live and learn. [Tears of Joy]

Su Mi sincerely wished the female lead possessed more intelligence. Yet all she knew how to do was cry. If left unchecked, she might soften again after a round of pleading from the Qi family.

But whether she ultimately retracted her testimony hardly mattered. With Zhao Yun and the other witness set to testify, the evidence would be rock-solid. Nor had Su Mi forgotten Qi Yun’s collusion with Pei Yun to drug her last time—with intent to murder. She fully intended to sue for that, too.

The male lead’s assistant finally spoke up: the male lead had originally planned to cooperate with Pei Yun to lock her in a dark room—ensuring she could never oppose him again. He hadn’t intended to kill her.

Absolutely disgusting!

No wonder these domineering CEOs are obsessed with imprisonment plots. They probably view it as nothing more than a method to “tame” women. This isn’t dominance—it’s monstrous, inhuman depravity!

People like this deserve decades behind bars—reformed by the justice system itself. Let’s see how cool they look sewing clothes on industrial machines.

Just as he’d likely recovered enough to leave his sickbed, the female lead started acting up again—actually requesting to meet the male lead, urging him to actively cooperate with the public security organs’ investigation.

Regarding this, Su Min had specifically hired a psychologist to assess her—wondering whether she suffered from underlying mental health issues. Otherwise, why would she consistently engage in such reckless, irrational behavior?

When Su Mi returned home from work, she found the psychologist speaking gravely with Su Min. Upon spotting her, he quickly offered a polite greeting.

“Miss Su has demonstrated markedly greater emotional stability recently. It appears her environment exerts a profound influence,” the doctor said with a gentle smile.

The servants nearby nodded emphatically. Indeed, the eldest young lady hadn’t lost her temper once during this period.

Su Mi looked at him. “How is Su Ruanruan?”

Truthfully, she’d also suspected the female lead had cognitive impairments. It seemed the worse others treated her, the more she fixated on their feelings—while overlooking those who treated her best. What kind of disorder was that?

Hearing this, the doctor frowned and glanced upstairs. “Based on my preliminary assessment, Second Young Miss Su likely exhibits tendencies consistent with Stockholm syndrome. In essence, when subjected to harm, she experiences fear and related emotions—and simultaneously develops sympathy, gratitude, or other positive feelings toward her perpetrator. This stems from environmental conditioning and perceptual distortion. Active intervention is needed to reshape her cognition and modify her surrounding influences.”

“…”

Su Mi was speechless. No wonder, when she’d first grabbed the female lead’s hair, the girl later called her “sister” with increasing affection—yet drove the elderly man who cared for her most to his death.

She rejected wealth, yet fell in love with mixing cement in the countryside. Turns out, she truly *did* have a problem.

“Will treating this prove especially difficult?” Su Min frowned.

He felt he’d treated Ruan Ruan fairly—how could a seemingly healthy person develop such severe cognitive distortions?

“This differs fundamentally from manic disorder…”

At this point, the doctor instinctively glanced at Su Mi, cleared his throat gently, and said softly, "Second Miss Su's psychological barrier won't harm those around her; it only harms herself."

However, Su Min frowned even more deeply upon hearing this. He would rather Ruan Ruan be more assertive than be like this, ultimately causing trouble for everyone around her.

If it weren't for finding out that Ruan Ruan was with Qi Yun, Dad wouldn't have been so angry that he ended up in the operating room, and his health plummeted. Qi Yun's father was so angered by the two of them that he died. Their families, once close friends, have now escalated into a lawsuit. Ruan Ruan may seem like she hasn't done anything, but all of this started because of her and Qi Yun.

Could it really be because he had always been too good to Ruan Ruan?

"Second Miss Su's symptoms aren't particularly severe. As long as she actively works on changing her mindset, she can still be treated. You don't need to worry excessively," the doctor quickly reassured.

As Su Mi went upstairs to her room, she thought it would be best for the female lead to recuperate in the countryside. After the female lead carried cement for a while, she seemed to improve a bit, which shows that enduring some hardship is still useful. When a person's body is exhausted to the extreme, they naturally won't have the energy to think about men.

By the time she changed clothes and went down for dinner, the female lead was already sitting gloomily in the dining room. Su Min didn't hide her condition, simply saying that if she was willing, she could stay abroad for recuperation in the future. Perhaps a change of environment would do her good.

"Thank you, Uncle and Aunt. Actually, it's always been my fault. I always say I don't want to trouble you, but I end up troubling you every time."

Su Ruanruan said with reddened eyes and a choked voice, "From now on, I won't let you get involved in my affairs anymore. After the trial, no matter the outcome, I'll go back to the countryside with my own parents. I feel quite good there, so you don't need to worry about me."

She had always thought her sister was the sick one, but it turned out she was the one with problems. She hadn't even realized what she had done, constantly hesitating and hurting so many people.

She knew she couldn't change overnight. All she could do was distance herself and avoid causing more trouble for others.

"As long as you've thought it through yourself. It's also because we spoiled you too much since you were young, so you never experienced much hardship, which led to you becoming like this."

Mrs. Su sighed, taking out a check and placing it on the table. "Those advertisers are all suing you. If you don't have enough money, just let us know."

Given the female lead's current reputation, it naturally affects her advertising endorsements. The brands she had previously signed with would definitely sue her for compensation. Unless her reputation takes a dramatic turn for the better—but Su Mi had no intention of getting involved. This was the female lead's life, and she wasn't anyone's nanny. Others must bear their own hardships. If the female lead had any sense at all, she would know that now is the time to capitalize on the male lead for publicity. But the female lead would absolutely never do that, so let her pay the compensation.

"I still have some savings; it should be enough to handle it," Su Ruanruan said, pushing the check back with reddened eyes.

"That's what your grandfather left you. You can come to me anytime you want it. After all, it's what he left for you, and we have no right to control it," Su Min couldn't help but sigh.

Although he didn't understand his father's allocation either, that money ultimately belonged to Dad, and he couldn't do something like seizing someone else's inheritance.

"How could I be worthy of taking Grandfather's things?" Su Ruanruan said, tears streaming down uncontrollably, choking to the point where she couldn't speak.

Su Mi kept her head down, focused on her meal. She wondered how the female lead's tear glands could be so productive. With this constitution, she could save a whole box of eye drops if she played the tragic heroine in a melodrama.

Crying all day long—even the best mood would be ruined by her tears.

"I... I'm full."

Suddenly remembering that her sister didn't like it when she cried, Su Ruanruan quickly wiped her tears, stood up, and walked upstairs with small steps.

"Since Ruan Ruan has her own thoughts, we should respect her plans. The air in the countryside is fresh; it might really help her recuperate," Su Min sighed, picking up his chopsticks to eat.

As if remembering something, he glanced at Su Mi. "We should have a meal with the Lin family when we have time. Let's see what their attitude really is. If they're just paying lip service but aren't actually willing to marry into our family, it's better to cut our losses and break it off in time."

It was rare for her dad to say something practical, but Su Mi had no intention of meeting with the Lin family. Their relationship wasn't at that level yet, and whether the other party was truly willing to marry into her family had nothing to do with her. Marriage and relationships weren't currently within her plans.

"Mimi naturally has her own plans. When young people's feelings develop naturally, they'll bring it up themselves. It's not like the old days of arranged marriages; why are you worrying so much?" Mrs. Su shot her husband a sidelong glance.

The latter choked back his words and didn't say anything more, simply focusing on his meal.

His daughter had been so emotionally stable lately that he almost felt a bit unaccustomed to it.