IOLYF Chapter 84

The Shengda Charity Night was one of the most prestigious charity events in the country, held every two years. It not only gathered influential figures from the entertainment industry but also attracted business and political elites.

When Han Shaoxiu arrived, he went straight to the upper gallery, where he joined Qin You and a few others.

The celebrity guests were mingling in the main hall below. From his elevated vantage point, Han Shaoxiu easily spotted Mo Ming standing by a buffet table, seriously eating a piece of dessert with a small plate in his hand.

“Who are you looking at?” Qin You, holding a glass of champagne, stood beside Han Shaoxiu and followed his gaze down to the hall below.

Han Shaoxiu withdrew his gaze and leaned back against the railing. “No one.”

After a while, a middle-aged man suddenly entered the hall from the entrance. He was ugly and poorly dressed, and no one knew how he had managed to get in.

Some of the staff approached him to inquire, but he loudly declared that he was there to find Mo Ming.

The man looked to be in his fifties or sixties, with deep wrinkles on his face and a scar on one side. He wore an old, black coat, exuding an air of roughness that clashed with the luxurious surroundings of the hall.

When he spotted Mo Ming not far away, he immediately crossed the crowd and headed straight for him. People instinctively moved aside, but their eyes followed him.

Shen Peiling’s lips curled up in a smile. She leaned over to Wen Ci and whispered, “Just watch how he’ll embarrass himself later. Xiao Han is watching from upstairs.”

Wen Ci remained silent, watching as Mo Ming became surrounded by curious onlookers.

He was aware of his mother’s plan—finding Mo Ming’s estranged father, giving him money, and instructing him to publicly denounce Mo Ming for abandoning him, along with a slew of exaggerated accusations.

Seeing Mo Ming’s father now, Wen Ci felt a sense of balance. Growing up in such a terrible family, with such an uncouth and despicable father, Mo Ming was only noticed by Han Shaoxiu because of his resemblance to himself. There was nothing about Mo Ming worth envying.

Instinctively, Wen Ci looked up… Han Shaoxiu and Qin You were standing behind the railing on the upper gallery, dressed in black suits, their expressions unreadable as they looked down at the hall below.

Wen Ci could vaguely feel that Han Shaoxiu’s gaze was on Mo Ming, but there was no sign of confusion or concern for him in this situation. His deep eyes were calm, as if he already knew how this would end.

Wen Ci frowned…

The middle-aged man quickly reached Mo Ming and grabbed his wrist, scowling as he cursed, “You ungrateful brat! How many years has it been since you came home? Now that you’re a big star, you just abandon your father?”

Mo Ming looked bewildered. “I don’t know you. My father passed away many years ago…”

“You dare deny your own father and curse me dead?” The man tightened his grip on Mo Ming’s wrist and turned to address the crowd. “I’m Mo Ming’s biological father! This brat ran off with a rich man when he was just a teenager, abandoning his family for years. His mother died early, and I was the one who raised him. Now that he’s successful, he won’t even give me money for medical treatment. And this guy dares to talk about charity? What a joke…”

The hall buzzed with whispers as all eyes turned to Mo Ming.

Someone instructed the staff to call security.

“Mo Ming is an invited guest at this event, so his father is naturally a distinguished guest as well,” Shen Peiling suddenly said. “It’s heartbreaking to see a son abandon his father, and it’s not right to have security remove him. After all, tonight is about charity.”

The man suddenly walked over to Shen Peiling and grabbed her hand, his face full of gratitude. “I have to thank Ms. Shen for her help. If it weren’t for you finding me, bringing me to Chuanhai, and arranging for me to come here tonight, I wouldn’t have been able to see this ungrateful son… You truly are a kind person.”

Shen Peiling felt goosebumps rise on her skin from his rough touch. Although she had arranged everything through a hired agent, she hadn’t intended for her involvement to be so blatant. But this disgusting old man had just exposed her in front of everyone… A bumpkin from a small town with no sense of subtlety.

Under the eyes of the crowd, Shen Peiling forced a smile. “It’s nothing. I just can’t stand seeing hypocrisy. Don’t worry, everyone here tonight has a kind heart. If you have grievances, we’ll all support you.”

Whispers spread through the crowd…

“He can’t be so poor that he can’t even afford his father’s medical bills. That’s cold.”

“So he ran off with a rich man when he was just a teenager? His private life must be a mess.”

“If Mo Ming really abandoned his father, he doesn’t belong at an event like this.”

“Is that really Mo Ming’s father? He doesn’t look like it.”

“Maybe Mo Ming takes after his mother… But this man doesn’t seem like a good person. Coming here just to ruin his own son’s reputation.”

“If this gets out, Mo Ming might lose the lead role in ‘Temperature.’ Liu He Kun would rather pay a penalty than keep him…”

The event organizers tried to mediate, politely asking the man to go backstage to rest, but the man stubbornly demanded that Mo Ming give him an explanation.

Mo Ming seemed frightened, his trembling eyes like those of a helpless fawn. “I… I don’t know you. Why are you slandering me?”

Shen Peiling couldn’t help but admire Mo Ming’s acting skills. She could see the doubt spreading among the crowd because of Mo Ming’s innocent demeanor. She said to the man again, “Since you say you’re Mo Ming’s father, you must have some proof.”

The man slapped his thigh. “I do, I do! I have a photo.”

He pulled out his phone and found a picture in his gallery. Shen Peiling, wanting everyone to see clearly, had the staff project the photo onto the large white wall at the front of the hall.

In the photo, Mo Ming looked young, no older than fourteen or fifteen. The man beside him had a scar on his face, clearly recognizable as the man standing here now, his hand on Mo Ming’s shoulder, looking close.

The hall erupted in murmurs… This was unmistakable evidence.

At least it proved that Mo Ming knew this man.

“Mo Ming, why won’t you acknowledge your father?” Shen Peiling sighed. “Letting him suffer in his old age, refusing to pay for his care… Even if you achieve great success in the entertainment industry, what does it matter if you’re morally bankrupt?”

People around them nodded in agreement…

“He’s probably embarrassed.”

“He should just admit it. This is getting too ugly.”

“If it were me, I’d want to dig a hole and hide.”

At this moment, standing behind the gallery railing, Qin You smiled at Han Shaoxiu and said, “Aren’t you going to help? Mo Ming looks like he’s about to cry.”

Han Shaoxiu watched the figure in the crowd. “If I show up, it’ll only affect his performance…”

Qin You was puzzled. “What do you mean?”

Han Shaoxiu closed his eyes slightly. “That woman is asking for her own death…”

In the hall, Wen Ci glanced up at Han Shaoxiu again.

As the accusations against Mo Ming grew louder, Wen Ci finally couldn’t resist speaking up.

“Mo Ming, why don’t you take your father backstage to rest first?” Wen Ci said gently. “A father-son reunion should be a good thing.”

Mo Ming looked at Wen Ci, who had finally spoken up, and his tightly pressed lips relaxed slightly…

Wen Ci walked over to the man and said politely, “Uncle, I think there might be some misunderstanding between you and Mo Ming. You should try to understand each other. I know you’ve suffered a lot from being abandoned by Mo Ming, but I know him. He’s a good person. I’m sure he has his reasons…”

The man grabbed Wen Ci’s hand and nodded emotionally. “Thank you, son. You and your mother are such good people. Your mother told me that if it weren’t for your suggestion, she wouldn’t have hired someone to find me.”

Wen Ci froze, instinctively turning to look at his mother.

Shen Peiling was just as stunned… She had never said such a thing.

“Mr. Wen…” Mo Ming finally spoke, his brows slightly furrowed. “If you have any grievances against me, you can tell me directly. There’s no need to conspire with your mother to smear me with such despicable tactics.”

Given the situation, Wen Ci could only press on. “I was speaking up for you… Mo Ming, you should let go of your prejudice against me.”

People around them nodded in agreement.

“Yes, Wen Ci was defending Mo Ming just now.”

“Mo Ming is being ungrateful…”

“The evidence is clear. Why is Mo Ming still arguing?”

“Alright then…” Mo Ming sighed softly, as if he were reluctant. He pulled out his phone. “I have a photo I’d like to show everyone as well.”

The staff, eager to cooperate, quickly projected Mo Ming’s photo onto the wall.

To everyone’s shock, Mo Ming’s photo was almost identical to the previous one, except that the person standing next to Mo Ming had the same body and clothes but a different head and face.

“It’s a doctored photo!” someone in the hall exclaimed. “Mo Ming’s photo is the original. The previous one was photoshopped.”

At a glance, it was hard to tell, but with the original as a reference, the previous photo’s inconsistencies were clear.

The head had been swapped.

Shen Peiling was stunned, and so was everyone else.

“This man is my former middle school teacher,” Mo Ming said, not looking at the man but staring at Wen Ci. “I didn’t expect you to find such a photo.”

The hall erupted in even more heated discussions…

“This is ridiculous. Using a fake photo to claim to be someone’s father.”

“So is this man really Mo Ming’s father or not?”

“If he’s faking the photo, what else is he lying about?”

Shen Peiling snapped out of her daze and immediately said, “This man is your father. I’ve thoroughly investigated it. There’s no mistake. As for the photo, the photo…”

She didn’t know how to continue and turned to the man. “Say something.” She hadn’t expected the man to produce a doctored photo. She had hired a private detective to bring the man from Mo Ming’s hometown to Chuanhai, pampered him with good food and drink for days, all for this moment… She had hired a private investigator, and all the information matched. There couldn’t have been a mistake.

The man visibly panicked. “I… I…”

Mo Ming spoke slowly, “If you tell the truth now, I promise to drop the matter. But if you continue to impersonate my father and slander me, I’ll call the police right now. After that, even if you confess and apologize, I’ll pursue it to the end…”

“No, no.” The man quickly waved his hands in panic. “I’ll tell the truth. I’ll tell everyone the truth.”

He wiped the sweat from his face and, to everyone’s shock, peeled off the scar on his face, revealing that it had been glued on. He explained, looking mournful, “I’m not Mr. Mo’s father. I’m just an extra who hangs around the ** film base. She…” The man suddenly pointed at Shen Peiling. “She found me, gave me a lot of money, and asked me to pretend to be Mr. Mo’s father and put on a show here. I’m usually too timid to do something like this, but the money she offered was too much. I couldn’t resist the temptation, so…”

The man turned to Mo Ming, bowing repeatedly. “I’m sorry, Mr. Mo. I’m really sorry. Please don’t call the police. I truly regret it…”

Shen Peiling’s finger trembled as she pointed at the man. “You… You’re lying!”

“Sorry, Ms. Shen. Even though you offered a lot of money, I can’t act against my conscience.” The man said, “I can’t help you or your son.”

Shen Peiling’s face turned pale. “You… You…”

The man continued bowing and apologizing to Mo Ming, backing away quickly, and finally fled the hall as if his life depended on it.

Wen Ci watched the man’s hurried retreat, suddenly realizing that the man his mother had brought back from Mo Ming’s hometown was indeed Mo Ming’s biological father, but the man who showed up tonight was not.

The real man had been switched…

With a photoshopped picture and a hired actor… A carefully crafted setup.

The realization sent a chill down Wen Ci’s spine. He suddenly turned to look at Mo Ming.

Mo Ming briefly smiled at him, his eyes bending slightly.

Wen Ci’s heart sank.

He knew it was over…

“How vile! Making up a fake father. If Mo Ming hadn’t kept that photo, he would’ve been slandered without any way to defend himself.”

“How wicked. Luckily, it was exposed on the spot. If this had spread, Mo Ming would’ve been ruined, and no amount of clarification afterward would have cleared his name.”

“How could Wen Ci’s mother come up with such a despicable idea?”

“Didn’t you hear that scammer say it was Wen Ci who suggested it to his mother? It’s clear—jealousy. He thought he could ruin someone else and take the lead role in ‘Temperature.’”

“After tonight, someone’s reputation is truly going to be ruined…”

The bright lights of the hall made Wen Ci feel dizzy. He couldn’t bear the overwhelming criticism and accusations. Knowing he would have to face the consequences of public opinion, he nearly fainted. In his daze, he saw Mo Ming looking at him. The calmness in Mo Ming’s eyes, after the smile faded, was devoid of any satisfaction or anger, as if he were looking at something insignificant.

Wen Ci bit his lip and quickly left the hall… He realized that this man had probably never seen him as a real opponent.

Shen Peiling held her wine glass, her back straight, but the oppressive, disgusted stares from the crowd made her feel as if her skin was being scorched. She struggled to maintain her composure.

Shen Peiling barely held it together, but Wen Zhongchong couldn’t take it anymore. Once a respected artist, he had never been so humiliated in his life. He pushed his wife’s arm away and stormed out.

Shen Peiling finally couldn’t take it anymore either. She lowered her head and hurried out of the hall.