After the Sickly Child Differentiates into A - Chapter 25

More than ten minutes earlier, at Bolin Newspaper.

The editor-in-chief, sitting in his office, suddenly received congratulatory calls from many colleagues. Puzzled, he clicked on the trending topics and saw the overwhelming popularity, grinning from ear to ear. Just as he was about to call Liu Chuan, the reporter who wrote the article, a new call came in.

The familiar short number made his heart skip a beat the moment he saw it.

As expected, after hearing what the other party had to say, the editor-in-chief’s face instantly turned grim. He nodded and bowed in agreement, hung up the phone, and stormed out of his office, shouting, “Has Liu Chuan not returned yet?!”

“Not yet.”

“Damn it!” The editor-in-chief pointed at the seven or eight people still in the office and roared, “Right now, immediately, take down all the photos related to Wen Jingzhi’s daughter! All of them! Now!”

“Suppress the trending topic as well. I don’t care if you have to release stories prepared for the New Year’s performance push or buy stories from other outlets just get that trending topic down as soon as possible!”

The others were confused, but seeing their boss so enraged, they didn’t dare delay and immediately returned to their computers to start working.

Just as they began, one person noticed something off and shouted to the editor-in-chief, “Editor! The photos are already gone!”

Damn! Things have really blown up!

The editor-in-chief’s face turned pale, and his entire body trembled. Furious, he slammed the door shut and returned to his office, calling Liu Chuan. As soon as the call connected, he roared, “Delete all the negatives you took today! Now!”

The person on the other end of the line was the paparazzo the security guards hadn’t caught. He complained, “Why should I? I took those photos with my own skills. If you want me to delete them, you’d better offer something in return.”

“Do you even know that Wen Jingzhi is from the Wen family?!”

“You idiot! Who told you to spread fake news about the Wen family?!”

“If you want to die, don’t drag the company down with you! Get back here now!!”

“I only exposed it because I knew.” The Wen family would surely pay a lot of money.

That stranger and Chen Qing had already paid him, but who would say no to more money?

“You brainless fool, filled with pig entrails!!”

“Do you even know that the Wen family has had generations of soldiers and martyrs? They’re not like the Chen family, those nouveau riche tycoons! They’re a century-old prestigious family, you idiot!”

“Do you know what your act of spreading this fake news is called?”

“It’s called deliberately tarnishing the image of martyrs’ descendants, you moron!”

“If they decide to pursue this to the end, do you think it’ll be as simple as receiving a lawyer’s letter? You’ll be preparing to have tea with the authorities, you fool! Damn it!”

“You’re fired! Your stuff is in the trash downstairs, go dig it out yourself! Disgusting piece of trash!”

The editor-in-chief hung up the phone, still fuming. Remembering something, he opened the door again and warned his subordinates outside, “If even a word of what you just heard gets out, pack your things and get lost!”

Someone who had been gossiping with a friend immediately deleted the half-typed message.

After closing the door, the editor-in-chief cursed again.

Damn! Now I have to go grovel to Wen Jingzhi and the Wen family to apologize, and there’s no guarantee they’ll even accept it. If this tabloid gets on the Wen family’s bad side, it won’t survive more than a few days!

The photos of Wen Xihe from the summit she attended were removed from the trending topics in less than ten minutes. Since the news content was relatively positive, the photos weren’t taken down entirely, but from then on, no news about Wen Xihe ever appeared in the entertainment section again.

Anyone in the news industry knows that some people and some matters, no matter how much you investigate or capture evidence, cannot be used. If you truly want to use them, you must write honestly without a hint of fabrication, and you must submit a report to the higher-ups before publication only with their approval can it be released.

Some red lines must never be crossed.

Liu Chuan, who had just been hung up on, was now completely panicked. No matter how greedy he was for money, he wouldn’t dare cross that line! He immediately tried calling Chen Qing, but the call wouldn’t go through. Then he tried the man in black’s number, only to find it was already out of service.

He cursed under his breath, so furious he felt like smashing his phone.

Amid the chaos, most people assumed the recent actions from above were targeting the Wen family specifically, Wen Jingzhi.

But they were all wrong.

After the photos were swiftly taken down, Wen Xize, who had just finished notifying his younger sister, received a call from Dr. Su.

“We’ve removed the photos from our end, but they circulated online for a while. We can’t be sure if anyone has saved or shared them privately. So, from now on, Lin Li’s check-ups must be done at the research institute.”

“Only you or Old Master Wen can bring him. Bringing him along with Second Young Miss Wen like last time is no longer allowed.”

“No bodyguards either. We’ll arrange for security.”

“Also, we didn’t remove the group photo of Lin Li at the school. We only instructed the teachers to notify parents not to share it casually. Make sure to remind your younger sister as well.”

Wen Xize sighed. “Understood.”

As soon as he hung up, Old Master Wen called. Rubbing his temples wearily, Wen Xize answered.

To suppress the trending topics about Wen Jingzhi, several explosive stories had been abruptly released. Netizens were overwhelmed by the sudden flood of gossip, spending the entire afternoon like startled marmots in a melon field, scurrying around to share and discuss the juicy news, too busy to catch their breath.

As night fell, the key figures at the center of the storm remained oblivious to the online frenzy. Once they learned the photos and trending topics had been resolved, they put away their phones, enjoyed a satisfying meal, and leisurely strolled through the amusement park.

The park was empty, illuminated only by two tall figures, a small white fluffball, and a grayish-white puppy.

Though the crowd was sparse, the park was brightly lit, with all the rides operating normally.

Clearly, it had been reserved for a private event.

Wen Xihe had inquired about the park’s policies earlier and, upon learning that pets weren’t allowed, decided to book the entire venue.

Moreover, Wen Jingzhi and Lin Li had just been in the spotlight. Even if Wen Jingzhi tried to disguise herself, her presence was magnetic, not to mention Wen Xihe accompanying her making it highly likely they’d be recognized.

A crowded environment also posed risks for Lin Li. Amusement parks are open spaces, and encountering someone with rose-scented pheromones or someone carrying roses could easily lead to trouble.

So, Wen Xihe reserved the evening session outright from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

For those who had purchased tickets for the evening session, compensation was offered at three times the ticket price. This included travel expenses like flights, train tickets, and hotel bookings for visitors who had come to City A specifically for the park, as long as accurate information was provided, all reimbursed at double the original cost.

Though it wasn’t strictly necessary, since the reservation was made last-minute and disrupted regular visitors’ plans, Wen Xihe generously doubled the compensation. The park’s official account also issued a notice: from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m., anyone living nearby who still wished to visit could enter with proof of their original ticket purchase.

Staff were also compensated with overtime pay.

They planned to drive back to the hotel around 10 p.m.

After all, little kids shouldn’t stay up late.

“Is there anything you want to play?” Wen Xihe gestured proudly toward the amusement park facilities. “We’ve booked the whole place today play as much as you want!”

Wen Jingzhi shot her an indifferent glance, offering no encouragement.

“Wow!” The little one, however, gave Wen Xihe all the praise she wanted. “Sister Xihe is amazing!”

Wen Xihe was thoroughly pleased; if she had a tail, it would be wagging up to the sky. “Just a little amazing, just a little.”

Lin Li smiled sweetly, then untied Xiao Xi’s leash to let him play on his own. She carefully examined the surrounding rides but didn’t recognize any of them. After looking around, her gaze settled on a curved track.

So high.

“That’s a roller coaster,” Wen Jingzhi said, having picked up a brochure at the entrance. She flipped it open. “You can’t ride it.”

The height requirement was over 1.4 meters.

“Why can’t I ride it?” It looked so fun.

Wen Jingzhi continued flipping through the brochure without looking up. “Little kids aren’t allowed.”

“Pfft!” Wen Xihe, standing nearby, caught sight of the height restriction and couldn’t hold back a laugh, turning away to stifle her giggles.

A cold glare swept over Wen Xihe before Wen Jingzhi’s attention returned to the brochure.

Lin Li was a bit disappointed. She had thought she could ride everything here. “Then what can I play?”

Wen Jingzhi closed the brochure and pointed toward the carousel across the way. “That one.”

No height restrictions.

Lin Li stared silently at the cute, endlessly circling “horses.”

She didn’t want to ride it. It seemed so childish.

Her reluctance was written all over her face.

Wen Jingzhi lowered her gaze, a slight smile tugging at her lips as she bent down to pick up Lin Li and headed toward the carousel. “Let’s start with this.”

Lin Li: …

I don’t want to.

Maybe it was the birthday cheer making her feel relaxed, or perhaps she had let her guard down a little around Wen Jingzhi, but the little girl had forgotten to act obedient. Resting in Wen Jingzhi’s arms, she wore a clearly sulky expression.

Still, she didn’t say a word.

Even though she disliked the carousel, she didn’t utter a single “I don’t want to” as Wen Jingzhi placed her atop a colorful unicorn.

Still keeping it all inside.

“Aren’t you sisters going to ride?” Lin Li hugged the unicorn’s neck and slumped forward, her voice soft and lazy.

“No,” Wen Jingzhi replied coolly, lying to the child again. “This ride is only for little kids.”

In truth, she just found it too childish to bother with.

Even as a child, she had never ridden a carousel at amusement parks.

“Pfft!” Wen Xihe burst out laughing again but quickly chimed in when a cold stare shot her way. “Yes, yes, this is only for little kids.” She held back her laughter and signaled to the control room.

The staff, who had been waiting, immediately started the carousel. The little girl, perched on the colorful unicorn, began to rotate with the machine.

After a couple of rounds accompanied by the cheerful, tinkling music, Lin Li couldn’t help but cast a slightly resentful look at Wen Jingzhi.

This isn’t fun.

Wen Jingzhi turned her head, suppressing a smile, and maintained her cool, detached expression, pretending not to understand the child’s look. She said nothing.

If you don’t want to ride it, then say so yourself.

After a few more rotations, Lin Li’s resentment toward her sister shifted into resignation. She let out a small, weary sigh.

My sister just doesn’t get my expressions.

“Sister,” the bored little one finally spoke up. “I don’t want to ride this anymore.”

A hint of victory and satisfaction flickered in Wen Jingzhi’s eyes as she raised a brow. She signaled to the control room to stop, and the carousel gradually came to a halt. Stepping forward, she lifted the child down.

“Don’t like it?” Wen Jingzhi wanted to break Lin Li’s habit of being a quiet little clam, so she occasionally posed questions that would put the child in a “difficult” position.

Her sister had rented out the entire amusement park just for her, it wouldn’t be right to say she didn’t like it.

Lin Li wrapped her arms around Wen Jingzhi’s neck, squinting with a smile. “I like it!”

Wen Jingzhi raised an eyebrow and turned as if to place the child back on the merry-go-round. “Want to go again?”

Lin Li: …

Sister is a meanie!!

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