SWMSO – Chapter 36

Just as Jiang Yi finished typing, the little monitor immediately asked, “So, how are you planning to get back at him?”

Jiang Yi’s fingers flew across the keyboard. “Same method. He posted anonymously, right? We’ve gathered some information, so we’ll post anonymously too.”

“Of course, first we need to know his weaknesses. Wanzhou, can you look into that? And Duolai, can you dig up any dirt on him, any skeletons in his closet?”

“Little Monitor, your writing skills are the best, so I’ll need your help polishing the draft.”

“I’ll handle uploading the information and posting. That way, even if something goes wrong, it won’t trace back to you guys.”

Jiang Yi laid out the plan clearly and concisely, concluding with, “Thanks everyone. Dinner’s on me afterwards.”

The little monitor replied, “You’re too kind! I want the most expensive place!”

Everyone chimed in with suggestions on how to extort Jiang Yi, until the little monitor finally asked, “By the way, Jiang Yi, this doesn’t really have anything to do with you. Shouldn’t you tell Jiang Sixian? You live together, after all.”

Indeed, the matter didn’t directly involve Jiang Yi. The target of the slander was Jiang Sixian.

Ignoring the little monitor’s burning curiosity, Jiang Yi replied casually, “I’m not doing this for Jiang Sixian. I’m doing it for Auntie Ning.”

Chen Wanzhou caught the key point. “Auntie Ning?”

Jiang Yi decided to come clean. “Jiang Sixian’s mother. She’s been very good to me. Jiang Duobao slandering her like that made me furious.”

About a year and a half ago, Jiang Yi’s mother had been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. Initially, her mother had planned to forgo treatment, leaving all their savings to Jiang Yi.

But when Jiang Yi found out, she’d begged her mother to sell their house and use all their money for treatment.

Even then, it was only enough to cover less than a year’s worth of medical expenses. During that time, Jiang Yi had neglected her studies, working part-time jobs while caring for her mother.

Later, seeing how exhausted Jiang Yi was, her mother, heartbroken, had secretly contacted Jiang Qionghua, hoping that, for the sake of their blood tie, Jiang Qionghua would take responsibility and care for Jiang Yi after she was gone.

Jiang Yi didn’t know the details of their communication. She only knew that when she desperately needed money, Ning Wenying, without even waiting for the DNA test results, had given her a large sum to cover her mother’s ICU expenses.

It was also Ning Wenying who, during Jiang Yi’s most vulnerable moments, had frequently visited the hospital, offering encouragement and comfort.

During that period, Jiang Qionghua, resistant to the idea of suddenly having such a grown-up child, had been reluctant to visit. To ease the tension between them, Ning Wenying had often spoken highly of Jiang Qionghua.

And her mother… her mother, who had already come to terms with her situation, had slowly shared her past with Jiang Qionghua.

Her mother had actually had a bit of a crush on Jiang Qionghua.

In her early twenties, Jiang Qionghua had been beautiful, from a wealthy family, and the head of a thriving company—a picture of youthful success.

But at that age, she’d fallen for someone who didn’t reciprocate her feelings, someone who saw her as a younger sister and was already married. Heartbroken, the young Jiang Qionghua had sought solace in alcohol, frequenting bars—a rather pitiful sight.

Her mother hadn’t been the first to be attracted to Jiang Qionghua, but she had been the first to take her to bed.

Perhaps to lessen Jiang Yi’s resentment towards Jiang Qionghua, her mother had once said, “I actually came out on top. She’s so beautiful, and she gave me such a lovely daughter, and I didn’t even have to pay her. What a bargain.”

“Xiao Yi, don’t resent her. It was me who kept it a secret, leaving you without a mother.”

Jiang Yi didn’t blame her mother. She just felt it was unfair to her mother, who had worked so hard to raise her alone.

Moreover, since she’d grown up healthy and strong, why should she return to Jiang Qionghua, giving her another child—a child Jiang Qionghua might not even want?

Jiang Yi had always thought this way, until Jiang Qionghua appeared before her, looking awkward and flustered, and her heart softened slightly.

Even so, she hadn’t wanted to return to Jiang Qionghua. Despite Jiang Qionghua’s attempts to persuade her, Jiang Yi had insisted on living independently.

In the end, it was Ning Wenying who convinced her. “Xiao Yi, just give her a chance to be a mother, okay? Live with the Jiang family until you’re an adult, and see if there’s any mother-daughter connection between you. If not, you can move out when you’re older. Just think of it as… living with a host family for a few years.”

Not only Ning Wenying, but Jiang Yi’s mother had also urged her to accept. Unable to resist their pleas, Jiang Yi had finally agreed.

After her mother’s passing, Jiang Qionghua was the only person left in the world with whom she shared a blood tie. Although Jiang Yi hadn’t valued this connection before, some bonds, once reconnected, couldn’t be easily severed.

Especially after learning the true nature of this world, Jiang Yi was even more grateful to Ning Wenying for giving her this opportunity.

At least, whenever she felt afraid, whenever she doubted her own reality, the thought of Jiang Qionghua and her mother reminded her that she wasn’t alone.

In her eyes, Ning Wenying was the most important, the most special person in the world to her, besides her mother. Even Jiang Qionghua, with whom she shared a blood tie, couldn’t compare to Ning Wenying in her heart.

Therefore, she wouldn’t allow anyone to slander her.

Jiang Yi’s counterattack took two days to prepare. During those two days, she spent every break and even lunchtimes huddled with the little monitor and the others, strategizing.

Jin Duolai unearthed a wealth of information about Jiang Duobao, such as the fact that many at school didn’t know his mother was a mistress and he was an illegitimate child, or that he was a notorious two-timer, juggling multiple relationships and deceiving unsuspecting teenagers.

Consumed by her mission, Jiang Yi had been neglecting everything else. She’d even stopped taking Jiang Sixian to lunch, simply bringing back a boxed meal for her before rushing back to Class B to discuss their plan.

Her continuous neglect had left Jiang Sixian feeling quite down, even affecting her appetite. Jiang Sixian, in turn, had gathered evidence of Jiang Duobao’s slander and sent a lawyer’s letter to the Jiang family.

Coincidentally, the letter, addressed to the Songshan Jiang family, was received by the housekeeper and placed in the study along with other important documents. Thus, it landed on the desk of Jiang Wensong, the current head of the family and Jiang Sixian’s grandfather.

That evening, Jiang Duobao was summoned to the study. Jiang Liuyun, Jiang Sixian’s father, was also present.

Jiang Duobao entered the study nervously and, looking at Jiang Wensong seated at the head of the desk, asked anxiously, “Grandpa, did you need something?”

Jiang Wensong ignored his greeting and asked, “How are things at school?”

Jiang Duobao felt uneasy. “They’re fine… Grandpa, are you asking about my grades?”

Jiang Wensong didn’t look at him, turning to Jiang Liuyun instead. “You’re always busy with the company. You need to make time to discipline your child.”

“Since you’ve acknowledged the child your mistress bore and brought him home, you have a responsibility to raise him properly. Don’t let him cause trouble outside and embarrass the family!”

Jiang Liuyun’s heart sank. He looked cautiously at his father and said, “Father… Duobao has always been a well-behaved child. What did he do to anger you?”

Jiang Wensong scoffed. “Well-behaved? I’ve never seen a more unruly and despicable child!”

With that, Jiang Wensong placed the lawyer’s letter and the gathered information before Jiang Liuyun.

Jiang Liuyun’s face darkened as he read through the documents. Enraged, he slapped Jiang Duobao several times.

That was the Ning family! The same Ning family who, years ago, had forced his daughter to divorce him and take a hefty settlement because of his infidelity!

Ning Wenying wasn’t someone to be trifled with. The reason they’d had no contact for years was because Jiang Liuyun had never bothered her and had prevented any gossip from reaching her.

After beating his son, Jiang Liuyun immediately contacted Ning Wenying, apologizing profusely and transferring a sum of money as compensation.

Ning Wenying, puzzled by the sudden apology and payment, simply accepted it, not giving it much thought.

However, Jiang Duobao’s troubles were far from over. The day after his beating, he became infamous overnight on the school forum.

The forum was flooded with his misdeeds.

Posts detailed his mother’s affair, his two-timing, his bullying, his flaunting of wealth, and more. Jiang Duobao finally experienced the terror of being anonymously exposed. Of course, all the accusations were backed by evidence.

In a single day, Jiang Duobao tasted the bitterness of cyberbullying. Those he’d bullied, those he’d deceived, all sent him hateful messages. Even his moderately popular influencer Weibo account was flooded with negative comments, dragging his moderately famous actress mother into the fray.

Jiang Yi, the instigator, hadn’t expected things to escalate so dramatically. By the time Jiang Duobao’s story went viral, his anonymous slander of his half-sister had also exploded.

Even the gossip-loving little monitor was stunned. “Are netizens this efficient? A simple family feud, and it’s trending?”

Chen Wanzhou offered a reasonable explanation. “It’s probably the combination of a wealthy family feud, an illegitimate child slandering his legitimate sister, and the fact that his mother is a somewhat famous actress. That’s the recipe for a viral story.”

As they analyzed the situation, Jin Duolai expressed some concern. “With things blowing up like this, won’t Jiang Yi’s family find out?”

The little monitor also worried, “Jiang Yi, if your Auntie Ning finds out, will she be angry with you?”

Just as her friends were expressing their concern, a knock came on Jiang Yi’s bedroom door. Jiang Yi froze, hearing Ning Wenying’s voice outside. “Xiao Yi, are you asleep?”

Jiang Yi’s typing stopped. She quickly typed, “Speak of the devil, Auntie Ning is here.”

After sending the message, she closed the chat window and called out, “I’m not asleep, Auntie Ning. Is something the matter?”

Ning Wenying’s voice, gentle as always, came through the door. “If you’re not asleep, could you come out and talk to me for a bit? There’s something I’d like to discuss with you.”

Could Jiang Yi refuse? Of course not.

She nervously got up, walked to the door, opened it, and greeted Ning Wenying with a wide smile. “Sure, Auntie Ning, what did you want to talk about?”

Ning Wenying reached out, ruffled Jiang Yi’s hair, and smiled. “Just something interesting.”

Author’s Note:

Jiang Yi: Auntie Ning, I love you.

Jiang Sixian: Something feels off.

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