Chapter 52: Is Redemption Still Possible?
The Ruan family was on the verge of losing their minds.
Because of Ruan Wei's situation, the stock prices of the companies under Ruan Yingzhe's control had plummeted overnight. Several major clients, who had already agreed to place orders, desperately called a halt to their deals; even if it meant paying breach-of-contract penalties, they were willing to bear the cost.
Ruan Wei, her eyes red and brimming with tears, stared at the torrent of online abuse directed at her, as well as Ruan Cha's Weibo post tagging her and calling her mentally ill. Tears rolled down her cheeks in streams.
“Dad! Mom! Ruan Cha is slandering me! I didn’t do this! How can they accuse me of framing Ruan Cha based on a single fake photo? I posted on Weibo for her sake, and I’ve been attacked by everyone online. Now she turns around, posts a single message, and dumps all the blame on me. It’s not fair!”
When Old Madam Ruan heard her beloved granddaughter sobbing so bitterly, she was instantly furious. “Call her right now! Tell that wretched girl to delete her Weibo post immediately, or our family will make sure she pays for it!”
Ruan Yingzhe dialed Ruan Cha’s number from a new phone; his previous number had been blocked by her.
As soon as the call connected, Ruan Cha’s formal, detached voice came through. “Hello, may I ask who’s calling?”
“Ruan Cha! This is your last chance—delete every message you’ve posted on Weibo!”
Upon hearing his threatening tone, Ruan Cha replied coolly, “And why should I?”
Before she could finish, Old Madam Ruan’s shrill voice pierced through, “You shameless, brazen girl! I’m warning you, Ruan Wei is the granddaughter I’ve cherished all my life. If she suffers in any way because of you, our entire family will not let you off!”
“You’d better clear things up at once. Post on Weibo and tell everyone that your heart is twisted by jealousy because Ruan Wei has lived better than you for ten years—that the photo is a fake, and you deliberately tried to frame her.”
Listening to Old Madam Ruan’s words, a mocking glint appeared in Ruan Cha’s eyes.
“And if I refuse?”
“Do you really think our powerful family can’t deal with you? If you dare to disobey, I’ll make sure you can’t stay in Mo City for another day—” The line abruptly went dead.
Old Madam Ruan was still screeching venomous words, but Ruan Cha had already hung up unhurriedly and, with practiced ease, blocked the new number.
The next day, as the scandal between the Ruan sisters continued to escalate online, the Ruan Group released an official statement:
[This was originally just a minor quarrel between two sisters, but it has been recklessly sensationalized by some online busybodies. Ruan Cha is an illegitimate daughter who grew up in the countryside under harsh conditions, never even having access to smart devices—how could she possibly track an IP address? We urge everyone to treat this matter rationally.]
With this statement, the Ruan Group openly labeled Ruan Cha as the illegitimate child, following the herd of public opinion.
How could someone who doesn’t even know how to use a computer possibly track Ruan Wei’s IP address?
A number of opportunistic netizens immediately transformed themselves into self-styled crusaders for justice, swarming beneath Ruan Cha’s Weibo.
[Just childish photoshopping games from a kid—how could anyone actually believe this?]
[With the Ruan family making this statement, it’s clear what kind of person Ruan Cha really is. Is there even a need to defend her anymore?]
[Don’t bother trying to clear her name—her own family says so, how could anyone believe otherwise?]
Just as the tide of public opinion was shifting in Ruan Wei’s favor, the Ruan Group’s official Weibo statement was suddenly reposted by the official account of the Cybersecurity Bureau.
[Ruan Cha is a highly gifted computer programming expert, a former champion of the Internet Security Competition. With her abilities, is it possible she couldn’t even trace a basic computer IP address? //@Ruan Group]