His agent wouldn't do something as foolish as deleting videos and suppressing trending topics when they knew they were relatives.
Just then, Jian Xiuhuan's phone rang.
It was his agent.
Jian Xiuhuan answered and casually put the call on speakerphone.
A man's irate voice came from the other end: "Xiuhuan, did you see the trending topics that just disappeared?"
"Yes, Brother Wang, I saw them. The people in the video are my paternal aunt and cousin."
"I guessed as much. I was just about to call you to clarify the situation, but the trending topics were already taken down. Xiuhuan, do you know who did it?"
"I'm not sure. I just saw it myself."
The agent's voice grew serious: "I feel like someone is targeting you, but I can't confirm who it is yet."
Jian Junruo had a flash of inspiration and suddenly thought of someone.
Given his personality, he might actually do something like this.
Jian Junruo said, "I might know who did it?"
"Who?"
"Who?"
Jian Xiuhuan and his agent's voices came at the same time.
Jian Junruo pointed at Jian Sheng, "It might be Sheng Sheng's father."
Jian Sheng thought of the plot in the original novel. In that situation, her cousin's presence was minimal; the main conflict was between Xu Lan and her mother.
The video was eventually deleted by the Jian family when the situation escalated, but her father handled the subsequent issues.
Now, because of her, things had deviated from the original plot. There was no malicious female supporting character causing trouble, and her father and mother's relationship had improved considerably. It was highly likely that her father would intervene early.
Jian Sheng nodded slightly, "I also think it might be Dad."
Thinking of this, Jian Sheng couldn't help but smile happily.
Her father usually seemed so indifferent, but in reality, he cared about her and her mother. He had been paying attention to them and immediately resolved their troubles when he saw them.
Hearing this, Jian Xiuhuan and his agent simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief. It was good that it wasn't orchestrated by rivals in the entertainment industry.
If it were those scheming people in the entertainment industry, who knew what kind of trouble they would cause.
However, Jian Xiuhuan instinctively felt something was not quite right. httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
Having received their answer, the agent, though somewhat suspicious, didn't think much of it, considering their close aunt-nephew relationship gave them an inherent advantage.
He had only called to inform Xiuhuan and get on the same page.
Reminding Jian Xiuhuan to remember his schedule and not to forget the time while playing at home, he hung up.
-
It was nearly evening when they returned to the Jian family home.
The car drove into a garden area built into the mountains and finally stopped in front of a cluster of classic-style villas.
Jian Junyu led the three inside. The Jian family members were all seated in the living room, their gazes scanning Jian Junruo and Jian Sheng back and forth.
It had a bit of a "three-level interrogation" feel to it.
"Dad, Mom."
Jian Junruo called out to the elderly couple at the head of the table, her mood complicated.
"You ungrateful girl! You still know how to come back!"
The old lady, her hair streaked with gray but still as elegant as ever, stood up from her chair and pointed a trembling finger at Jian Junruo.
"Mom..."
Jian Junruo called out again, her voice so soft it seemed like it could shatter at any moment.
"Mom, it's been a long time."
The other elder, seated at the head of the table, picked up his teacup. As he opened and closed the lid, mist rose, blurring his old eyes.
Just then, an ear-piercing voice suddenly cut in.
"You also know how long it's been since you've been back?"
Jian Sheng, holding her mother's hand, looked towards the source of the voice. It was a woman in her forties whose figure had begun to go a bit slack.
This person was her eldest aunt, Chen Yuling, and also Jian Xiuhuan's mother.
Back then, she was a staunch supporter of arranged marriages and forced her mother to choose a university in Shencheng, far from home, after high school.
During university, she even instigated the family to have her mother forcibly brought back, saying that if she wanted to go to university, she should get engaged first.
When her mother discovered she was pregnant, besides wanting to avoid the scummy father, a large part of it was not wanting to be found by the Jian family.
If the Jian family had found her then, the child in her womb would definitely not have been kept, and the scummy father would also have been implicated.
Even years later, when her mother returned, her eldest aunt continued to sow discord, hoping to rekindle the elders' desire for an arranged marriage.
However, Jian Junruo was no longer the little girl who had just been brought back from the orphanage, forced into an arranged marriage, and had to flee to a distant land.
Upon hearing Chen Yuling's words, she immediately retorted without any politeness.
"Sister-in-law, we are not familiar with each other at all. When I return has nothing to do with you."
Chen Yuling immediately turned to the elderly couple and complained tearfully:
"Dad, Mom, look at her! She's been out there for so many years, look what she's become!"
"Did I say something wrong? She doesn't know the meaning of filial piety at all. She left for nearly ten years and forgot about you, Mom and Dad. Now that she's back, I, her eldest sister-in-law, say a few words, and she's still so fierce to me?"
"Mom, please judge this fairly for me!"
The old lady held Jian Junruo's hand and gently patted it. "Ruoruo, your eldest sister-in-law isn't wrong. Apologize to Yuling, and this matter will be over. We'll still be a happy family."
Jian Junruo's heart grew cold.
After so many years apart, her mother's concern for her was genuine.
Her tendency to play favorites was also genuine.
She unconsciously took a step back, creating distance from the old lady.
Jian Junruo's movements and gaze were filled with resistance and alienation.
Chen Yuling immediately became even more impolite and accused her.
"I said this girl has been spoiled out there. When we brought her back, we should have taught her what manners are, what filial piety is, and the principle that an elder brother is like a father, and an elder sister-in-law is like a mother."
"I was doing it all for the good of the Jian family and for her own good, and this is how she repays me?"
Chen Yuling's spittle flew everywhere.
Suddenly, a young and soft voice interrupted her.
"Auntie, you're so noisy~"
Silence!
The entire living room instantly became so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
"You little bastard! What did you call me?"
This word was extremely hurtful to the woman, and Chen Yuling's face contorted with anger.
In an instant—
"Enough!"
"Shut up!"
"Yuling!"
"Mom!"
"Sister-in-law, you've gone too far!"
Suddenly, several louder voices erupted simultaneously, stopping the curse words that were about to spill from her lips.
Even the old lady, who had always indulged her, frowned more deeply, looking at her with displeasure.
"Yuling, don't say that again."
Chen Yuling also realized she had spoken out of turn.
The Jian family had been passed down for many years, and they valued old-fashioned rules.
With her status as the eldest sister-in-law, she could always scold Jian Junruo under the guise of acting for her own good.
Even the Eldest Madam and Eldest Master Jian, despite their displeasure, would not openly say anything.
But insulting a child clearly crossed their bottom line.
The moment that word slipped out, everyone from the elders to Jian Junyu and Jian Xiuhuan spoke up.
Chen Yuling shrunk her neck and muttered softly, "A child born to a wild man, what else can she be but a little bastard?"