After I Gave Up/Let Things Slide, I Became Famous Across The Entire Internet - Chapter 27

Yu Huimei stared anxiously at the cold interrogation room. The moment she saw Tang Wenjing, she immediately reached out to grab her and asked urgently, “Where is your dad? Why didn’t he come? Why is he not answering my calls? Ah, is he really abandoning our many years of marriage for a Tang Shuxia?”

Tang Wenjing sat there, looking at the haggard person in front of her, and tears streamed down her face.

Yu Huimei’s agitated emotions showed impatience, even ferocity. “Why are you crying? Speak.”

Tang Wenjing cried even harder. She didn’t know why, but in just a few days, their family’s sky had changed. She even remembered the day Yu Huimei left; the latter was dressed glamorously, wearing beautiful clothes, and carrying her favorite handbag, as if preparing to attend a grand and lavish banquet.

She was quite happy then, waiting for her mother to bring back the finished counterfeits. Then, they would replace the real jewelry, and the fake ones would be given to Tang Shuxia. She had her eye on the emerald necklace in the safe and was planning to beg her mother for it on her birthday. She had secretly worn it out once before and received a wave of admiration and compliments from her friends.

However, she waited and waited, but her mother didn’t return even after dark. The next morning, she saw news that her mother had been taken into custody for suspected counterfeiting. Her good friends now asked her if their family’s technology company was a front for printing counterfeit money to get rich. She felt completely humiliated.

Tang Wenjing was sobbing, almost choking. “Dad… Dad hasn’t come home for days. No one answers my calls.”

Yu Huimei’s heart sank to the bottom, and she slumped in her chair. “Your father is truly ruthless. He’s planning to watch me be ruined by the Sheng family so he can find you a new stepmother and enjoy his life. He can dream! I won’t let him succeed even if it kills me.”

Tang Wenjing still didn’t know exactly what had happened. Hearing Yu Huimei’s cruel words, her heart also trembled. “Mom, please don’t let anything happen to you. You can’t leave me alone at home. I’m scared.”

Yu Huimei looked at her silly daughter. She suddenly straightened up. “Go find your uncle. He must have made a lot of money over the years. As long as he pays the money to cover the loss, I should be able to get out. Yes, tell your uncle that the extra money will be considered a loan from him, and I will definitely repay him. Also, go ask Lawyer Li to see if I can be released on bail first.”

Yu Huimei systematically planned their next steps, and Tang Wenjing’s uneasy heart was miraculously calmed. “I understand. Mom, wait for me. I’ll definitely ask Uncle to save you.”

As soon as Tang Wenjing came out, she immediately went to Yu Tianlei’s house. Yu Tianlei had partnered with friends to open an entertainment company in recent years and had a little money. Hearing Tang Wenjing’s words, he immediately went aggressively to the precinct to try and get his sister out. He grabbed someone and fired off questions: “How much money does Yu Huimei need to pay? Have you calculated it? Can she be released as soon as the money is paid…”

That person saw the Sheng family’s legal team. These lawyers were very dedicated and top-notch professionals. She quickly asked them for help. Since it was the same case and the relevant representatives for both the plaintiff and the defendant were present, the precinct simply offered them an empty conference room for consultation and clarification.

Yu Tianlei lit a cigarette, puffed out smoke, and sat back with his legs crossed, constantly shaking his foot and clicking a silver lighter in his hand. “Just give me a price. How much?”

The legal team integrated all the current information and collected evidence. After a brief discussion, their representative spoke with him. “Mr. Sheng’s intention is to demand that Ms. Yu Huimei return the original items.”

Yu Tianlei raised an eyebrow, stretched out his legs, and his lighter slipped out of his hand. “What original items? There are none. Only money.”

The representative was very composed, especially skilled at dealing with lay about like the man in front of him. He pushed up his glasses. “According to our assessment and valuation, excluding the appreciation of the jewelry, the current market value is on this sheet. The total value is here. Mr. Yu, please take a look.”

Yu Tianlei thought it was just a few broken pieces of jewelry; why such a fuss?

He clamped the papers between two fingers, dragged them closer, and took a puff of smoke. The thick smoke obscured his vision. He glanced at the numbers. “It’s just these small… money” After clearly seeing the numbers and a long string of zeros, his eyes widened, almost popping out of their sockets. “One, two, four, five, six, seven, eight… nine!!!”

He rubbed his eyes and, not convinced, counted again. “Hey, did you add a few too many zeros to that number?”

The representative looked serious and took the papers back. They collectively recalculated them and even thoughtfully attached a few more sheets. “Mr. Yu, this is the purchase receipt for all the jewelry, the price list provided by the auction house, the detailed list, the appraisal certificate, and the market fluctuation prices over the years… Please review them one by one.”

Yu Tianlei felt like he was sitting on two steel knives and could barely remain seated. He understood every word on the paper, but combined, it looked like a celestial book, especially the appraisal certificate; the words seemed to fly off the page. What was all this stuff? He nervously swallowed. “The total is that much? You’re not tricking me, are you?”

A few of the lawyers in the delegation couldn’t help but smile, but they quickly suppressed it. “Mr. Yu, please do not question our professionalism. If you are not familiar with market conditions, you can seek legal aid.”

Yu Tianlei eventually stalled and found an opportunity to flee under the pretense of needing the bathroom, even forgetting his precious silver lighter on the table.

Tang Wenjing was still waiting for good news at Yu Tianlei’s house. When she saw her uncle’s BMW pull up, she rushed out like a little bird returning to its nest. However, when she opened the door, there was no one but Yu Tianlei, and a choking smell of smoke hit her nose. She covered her face and asked, confused, “Uncle, didn’t you say you were going to pick Mom up and bring her home?”

Yu Tianlei slumped in the driver’s seat, listless. The car was filled with swirling smoke, almost suffocating a person. He looked completely drained, taking shallow puffs of his cigarette with a vacant stare. “Wenjing, it’s not that your uncle doesn’t want to help, but your mother’s case is just too big.”

Tang Wenjing was perplexed.

She couldn’t help but wonder how big.

Yu Tianlei had indeed made some money over the years, but he had also spent a lot on dining and entertainment. He originally thought that Yu Huimei’s issue would require a compensation of a few million, at most ten million. But it turned out his sister’s problem involved hundreds of millions. Hundreds of millions! More than nine digits! He had never seen that much money in his life. Where was he supposed to raise it for his sister?

Tang Wenjing was upset. “Uncle, Mom is waiting for you to take her home. How can you say such a thing?”

Yu Tianlei shook his head; he was also at a loss. He had secretly contacted lawyers in the industry afterward, fearing that the other lawyers were tricking him. Well, what do you know, the lawyers he found all advised him to forget it as soon as they heard the opponent was the Sheng family. It turned out they hadn’t lied one bit. “Wenjing, tell me, how could your mother be so bold as to squander hundreds of millions of someone else’s assets? The Sheng family is demanding compensation now. Can you come up with that much money? Your uncle certainly can’t.”

Tang Wenjing felt like the sky was falling. Her mind was blank. She stammered, “Hundreds… hundreds of millions?”

Were those jewels really worth that much?

Yu Tianlei also hadn’t expected the matter to be so troublesome. “If you ask me, if there’s no other way, just let your mother stay inside. She’ll have food and clothing. When you become successful, you can bail her out, or you can beg my brother-in-law. Oh, wait, your dad seems to be in trouble recently too, so he probably can’t help either.”

He had received a call from Tang Mingcheng yesterday, likely asking him to pool funds, and he, too, was asking for hundreds of millions.

He had to admit, his sister and brother-in-law were truly a perfect match.

He patted Tang Wenjing’s shoulder earnestly. “Wenjing, if you ever have nowhere to live, your uncle has a room I can fix up for you here.”

Tang Wenjing was confused.

A few days later, Tang Wenjing roughly repeated what Yu Tianlei had told her to Yu Huimei. Yu Huimei trembled with rage. She gnashed her teeth. “Did your uncle really say that? Let me stay here, with food and clothing? Why doesn’t he come and experience the VIP treatment here himself?”

Tang Wenjing lowered her head. “Yes, Uncle also said that if he had the money, he’d rather keep it to spend on himself.”

Yu Huimei felt pain in her chest and head from the anger, but she still remembered the crux of the problem. “That unreliable thing. But why is he saying the compensation is hundreds of millions? When did I sell that much jewelry?”

Tang Wenjing had run to many places in the past few days. Besides consulting lawyers, she had also visited various jewelry stores with photos. Of course, she also saw what netizens were saying online: Tang’s stock kept falling and falling. Most importantly, Tang Mingcheng really hadn’t been home for a long time. She couldn’t find him when she went to the company, and there was even a layer of dust on the tables at home. The whole house was empty, and she now didn’t dare to go home alone.

“Mom, I can’t think of any other way. Why don’t you stay here for a while, and when I earn enough money, I’ll definitely take you out.”

“…”

Yu Huimei narrowed her eyes, staring at Tang Wenjing’s drooping head and guilty expression. “Wenjing, tell me, was it you?”

Tang Wenjing slowly raised her head. “What?”

Yu Huimei knew her daughter too well. She wanted anything good. In the past, if Tang Shuxia got a beautiful dress, Tang Wenjing would also whine for one. If she didn’t get it, she would keep pestering until you agreed. Every time she showed these jewels, she would let Tang Wenjing see them, and Tang Wenjing would also whine that she wanted them. “That emerald necklace, I remember you especially liked it.”

A few times when she was not home, Tang Wenjing would even take it out and wear it.

Tang Wenjing looked at the woman in front of her in disbelief. “Mom, how can you suspect me?”

Yu Huimei had a moment of regret. Yes, how could she suspect her own daughter? But then she felt that besides Tang Wenjing, no one else could have taken that necklace. It couldn’t be that the Sheng family was deliberately keeping that emerald necklace to frame her and make her serve more years in prison. “Wenjing, don’t hurt your mother. Bring out the necklace. That necklace is too expensive. Mom will buy you a much nicer one in the future.”

Tang Wenjing cried, slapping away the hand reaching out to grab her. “I didn’t! I didn’t!”

Then she ran out crying.

Yu Huimei, “Wenjing!”

While the Tang family was in utter chaos, and Tang Shuxia was lying on a plane looking at the clouds, the peace on the internet was completely disrupted by a small account. There was already sensational news online recently, such as the Tang Technology counterfeiting incident. Although the precinct later issued a retraction saying it was a false alarm, the impact of the rumor caused great trouble for Tang Technology. A number of sharp-witted people seized on the fact that the incident involving Mrs. Tang’s counterfeiting had not been clarified, suggesting there was a big story there, and Tang Technology’s public relations efforts were futile. The real reason was simply too embarrassing for them to admit.

They couldn’t possibly say that their chairman’s wife was a thief who stole the dowry left by the chairman’s daughter’s mother. If that came out, the wave of public opinion would probably collapse the Tang Technology building.

They could no longer distinguish whether printing counterfeit money or embezzling other people’s property would cause a bigger explosion among netizens. So the final decision was to stay silent and let netizens speculate. Tang Technology was already precarious and could not afford any more mistakes.

But..

A certain small account really climbed up to secretly expose the news: #The Bad Woman in the Tang Shuxia Incident Finally Surfaces, Never Expected Her to Be…

【Damn, this headline again. I remember a small account used this headline last time and got banned.】

【Banned account warning (OP).】

The OP was not afraid and even thoughtfully posted a piece of text, fearing that netizens wouldn’t understand. They also posted a blurry photo, marking who was who. Unfortunately, Fang Xiaochun and Yu Huimei were both named. Tang Shuxia’s little fans all swarmed over, clicked on the image, zoomed in, and zoomed back out.

【Who is Fang Xiaochun? Who is Yu Huimei?】

【Why are these two women again?】

【I’m going. Isn’t this the two women fighting in the video posted by the banned account last time? I remember her water-bucket waist. That’s the one who hit our Tang Tang, humph.JGP】

【You probably don’t know who the other person is. It’s the extremely hot counterfeiting woman, Ms. Yu Huimei, the Chairman’s wife of Tang Technology. Her clothes are exactly the same as in the video that day.】

I have a friend at the precinct who told me a shocking piece of gossip a few days ago. After hearing it, I, the OP, was completely unwell. I held it in for days and finally couldn’t help but share it with you all. Maybe my account will be banned again after sharing. By the way, do you know why these two women were fighting? One is an illiterate country woman, and the other is the chairman’s wife of Tang Technology. They have nothing to do with each other, yet they were fighting outside the precinct. Aren’t you curious? Fine, I’ll tell you the answer directly. It was a complete mistake, but it led to the truth behind the incident where Tang Shuxia was assaulted not long ago… The woman who assaulted her publicly accused the chairman’s wife of Tang Technology of paying her to hurt Tang Shuxia. The human witness and physical evidence are complete. This matter was confirmed on the spot. Many people heard it at the time.

【OMG.】

【Shocked.jpg】

【OP, you’re making this up. Keep making it up. Why would a chairman’s wife spend money to deal with a small celebrity? As you said, they have nothing to do with each other. It’s not like Tang Shuxia was the chairman’s mistress, and the official wife found out and paid to deal with this eighteen-tier small celebrity. That’s too ridiculous.**

【Go away! Don’t touch our Tang Tang.】

【Is this a fan of Mu Yingying? Why are they always bringing up mistresses?】

And here comes the second big piece of gossip. Haven’t you noticed that Tang Shuxia also has the surname Tang, and Tang Mingcheng, the chairman of Tang Technology, also has the surname Tang? Those who don’t know Tang Mingcheng can search for his entry on Baidu. It says he had two wives. He started from nothing with his first wife. Yu Huimei is his second wife, and he has two daughters.

[User Comments/Online Discussion]

【Woc, woc, now that the OP mentions it, I’m getting goosebumps. A chairman’s wife and a chairman’s daughter the chairman’s wife paid someone to injure her own daughter???】

【Holy cow, even novels wouldn’t dare to write this.】

【So, the question is, based on what the OP just said, let’s assume Tang Shuxia is a second-generation rich kid. Then why did she run off to a place like the entertainment industry? Why not just have Tang Technology invest in a drama for her or something? Wouldn’t that be better than being cannon fodder in a bad movie? And when she was being slammed by the entire internet over that Mu Yingying incident before, Tang Technology didn’t say a single word, nor did we see Tang Mingcheng stand up for his own daughter. That doesn’t make sense.】