After Lin Li was transferred to a general ward, Jiang Shuqin collapsed in tears, sobbing uncontrollably over him.
The expressions of the three Lin sisters were grave.
"Eldest sister, given Lin Li's current condition, you probably shouldn't take him to the business gala in two days," Lin Qingyan said.
"Mm."
Strangely, Lin Qingwan felt a sense of relief after this incident.
Lin Li's affairs had been the talk of the town these past few days.
If she still brought him along, both she and Lin Li would undoubtedly become the targets of gossip.
Him not attending was the perfect way to avoid all that.
After leaving the scene, Su Qi immediately began editing the footage.
Once she received Jiang Qing's approval, she wasted no time sending it to the media.
The journalists were electrified.
Just as the buzz around Lin Li had started to die down, another bombshell dropped!
Afraid of being scooped, they hastily downloaded the video and published it on their official blogs and various platforms.
Weibo caught wind of the trend and rocketed the story straight to the top of the hot search list.
Netizens who saw the headline were stunned: "???"
Lin Li and six homeless men?
Was it what they were imagining?
This couldn’t be real, could it?
They clicked in—and were immediately met with a scene that burned their eyes.
"Holy sht!"
A collective gasp erupted.
They had assumed the headline was just clickbait.
But no, it was all true!
Was Lin Li’s taste this… extreme?
Two overweight, unattractive men were bad enough, but homeless men too?
The comments flooded in:
—Damn! My eyes are bleeding. What kind of cursed content did I just stumble into?
—I once slid into Lin Li’s DMs asking to hang out. He never replied—now I see why. I bow to his… unique preferences.
—Lin Li has single-handedly supplied my entertainment for the past year or two.
—Incredible. Absolutely incredible. Anyone got the uncensored version? I need it!
—It’s 5 a.m., and I’m getting served this drama? Is this the reward for pulling an all-nighter?
Lin Qingyan was the first to receive the video from her agent.
This…
Her eyes widened in shock as she watched.
How could this happen?
"Eldest sister, third sister, Mom—come look at this," Lin Qingyan called out. "This video shows Lin Li with six homeless men… and he actually seems to be enjoying it."
Su Qi had cleverly edited out Lin Li’s pained expressions, leaving only the moments where he appeared pleasured.
This way, everyone would assume it was consensual.
"Ugh—" Lin Qingxiu gagged, barely holding back vomit.
Lin Qingwan didn’t retch, but her face twisted in disgust.
Jiang Shuqin, however, paled, her eyes brimming with heartbreak.
"My son endured so much during his disappearance!"
Her heart ached as if being wrung out.
How hopeless Lin Li must have felt back then.
Lin Qingyan quickly closed the video, fearing she might vomit too.
"Damn it!" Jiang Shuqin hissed through clenched teeth. "Lin Xuan must have hired those men to target Lin Li!"
"That Lin Xuan is pure evil."
Lin Qingwan wanted to defend him—this had to be a misunderstanding. From what she knew of Lin Xuan, he wasn’t the type to stoop so low.
"Mom, I think—"
Before she could finish, Jiang Shuqin shot her a glare.
"You’re still defending Lin Xuan? Your brother suffered unimaginable pain, and instead of caring for him, you’re worried about an outsider who cut ties with us?"
Lin Qingwan fell silent.
Satisfied, Jiang Shuqin turned away.
"The police will handle this. You girls stay out of it."
The video clearly captured the homeless men’s faces.
Identifying them would be easy, and once found, they’d surely expose Lin Xuan.
Justice would finally be served.
With that thought, Jiang Shuqin immediately called the officer who had just left.
The policeman was enthusiastically sharing Lin Xuan’s scandal with his colleagues.
"No way, that wild?"
"Dead serious. The doctor confirmed it and even ordered Lin Li to abstain. Rich folks really know how to party."
"Hold on—I’m getting a call."
He checked his phone.
Jiang Shuqin.
He answered, pressing the phone to his ear. "Ms. Jiang, how can I help?"
"Officer, we’ve uncovered a critical lead. Check Weibo—the men who assaulted my son were surely hired by whoever targeted him. Find them, and you’ll uncover the mastermind."
The officer nodded. "This is valuable. Don’t worry, we’ll investigate thoroughly."
After hanging up, he assigned a team to run facial recognition on the homeless men, pulling their records and tracking their connections and movements.
He’d rather not, but duty called.
Jiang Shuqin and the Lin sisters kept vigil by Lin Li’s bedside.
When he awoke, despair etched his face.
Visions of those men haunted him.
"Son, you’re awake!" Jiang Shuqin brightened.
"Mom, eldest sister, second sister, third sister… has my scandal spread online?" Lin Li stared at the ceiling, voice hollow.
The sisters exchanged glances, none daring to answer.
"Tell me! Has everyone seen it?" Lin Li’s tone turned frantic.
"...Yes," Lin Qingwan admitted softly.
"I knew it."
A bitter laugh escaped him.
The moment he saw that woman filming him, he’d braced for this outcome.
His reputation was beyond ruined.
Wherever he went, he’d be a laughingstock…
"Son, don’t lose heart," Jiang Shuqin soothed. "The police have clear images of those men. They’ll trace them to whoever hurt you."
"The police?"
Lin Li scoffed.
"What good will that do?"
"Last time I was framed, the investigation went nowhere."
He was certain the culprit had powerful backing.
With Starlight Group bankrupt, no one would side with them.
Even if the culprit was exposed, their influence would sweep it under the rug.
Yanxi reminds you: Due to Tomato’s request for 3M+ daily updates straining server capacity, we now recommend switching to alternative sources provided by other providers.
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
saw a female celebrity tied up and stuffed in the trunk! Little did he know, countless cameras were aimed at him at this moment - this was a new type of reality show. The first randomly selected passerby was caught in less than an hour. But when Xu Moru was selected, things started to take an unexpected turn. "Damn, this isn't how the script goes. This Xu Moru is too bold, he's not following the rules at all." "Crap, is this guy taking it seriously?" "The female celebrity has been scared to tears!"
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
