The Sickly Villain Only Wants to Survive

89

The photo that Uncle Liu had seen quickly found its way to the old man.

Cheng Qingsong looked at the two boys in the picture, maintaining his usual serious demeanor in front of his subordinates.

"How is everything going lately?"

The secretary replied calmly, "Mr. Liu has taken care of it. The daughter of the Kong family has dropped out of the art school she was attending, and her family members have been placed on the entertainment industry blacklist. Since the news broke, no one has disturbed the young master in the county for the time being."

"..."

The Kong family had brought this upon themselves, having acted as the first to take a stand.

After Kong Lu attempted to seek out someone in the county, her family's business faced unprecedented setbacks. With the backing of Zhuo Yunan's uncle's family, the Kongs could have managed even in bankruptcy, but after this incident, their last hope was snuffed out.

Zhuo Yunan's career, however, remained largely unaffected. After the incident was exposed, she garnered sympathy online for being exploited by her uncle's family. Even those who had previously blamed her for being related to Kong Lu turned to support her once they learned of her predicament.

This was, of course, a result of effective public opinion management, as well as a reflection of her attitude.

Zhuo Yunan knew when to advance and when to retreat, allowing her to continue flourishing as a major star, even elevating her career further.

In contrast, Kong Lu, lacking self-awareness, could only bring her entire family down with her.

Liu Jianbai's actions also confirmed that his acknowledgment of the Zhu siblings was not born of ulterior motives; he truly treated them as his own children.

He never interfered with normal social interactions, but if someone approached with malicious intent, they had better weigh their own strength against that of a formidable figure.

However, the more he made this clear, the more some people refused to believe it.

If he valued his godson so highly, how could he allow him to associate with an illegitimate child?

How could he remain unmoved even when presented with various intimate photos?

It was truly foolish for those who tried to provoke him to expect that he would take action against their relationship; Uncle Liu had seen it all before. A few photos were hardly enough to faze him.

Old Master Cheng was even more broad-minded. Unlike others, he did not see procreation and business succession as paramount concerns. With both Zhu Tong and his mother's health being rather precarious, he worried that even if his grandson were to have descendants, they might also be frail, bringing a life into the world only to suffer. He didn't want his grandson to repeat the same mistakes as his daughter.

Moreover, compared to his mother, Zhu Tong's judgment of people had not disappointed him.

Achieving independence and strength was far more difficult than merely speaking about it.

Cheng Qingsong looked at the people in the photo and asked, "Is the Xia family involved in a lawsuit recently?"

The secretary replied, "Yes, Mr. Xia's wife has filed for divorce."

Cheng Qingsong fell silent for a moment before responding, "Keep monitoring the situation."

"Understood."

He wanted to see how far the young man could go on his own.

...

In a newly opened barbecue restaurant in Gongshui County, Zhu Tong stepped inside from the cold, wintry outdoors and couldn't help but shiver.