Chapter 66 part 1
After Jiang Shulu left the Jiang family, the storm of public opinion never ceased as the variety show continued to air.
On the surface, Jiang Shulu exposing his own status as an illegitimate child didn’t seem to impact the Jiang family much. Even though netizens mocked the Jiang family for reeking of feudalismâpushing some archaic “eldest legitimate son inheritance” systemâthe moment Jiang Shulu left, his reclaimed shares were immediately inherited by Jiang Jinan, who had just returned to the country.
Jiang Jinan was Jiang Shulu’s cousin. His status was naturally much “better” than Jiang Shuluâs in the eyes of Jiang Kaicheng, who feigned marital bliss on the surface while actually having an illegitimate child the same age as his legitimate one. Jiang Jinan was the son of the second uncle who had gone abroad years ago.
In this generation, there simply wasn’t a more suitable candidate. The others were either married with children long ago or were not yet adults.
Even now, many people criticized Jiang Shulu, saying he had lost the greater prize for the sake of petty emotions.
Simultaneously, numerous marketing accounts accepted money to relentlessly push stories about Jiang Kaicheng and Zhou Maiyinâs “romance.” These were released anonymously, painting vivid, detailed pictures of an immoral affair between a female student and a wealthy businessman, with the focus squarely on Zhou Maiyinâs personal character flaws.
Jiang Shulu had found his motherâs family, though he hadnât formally met them yet.
Years ago, Zhou Maiyin had acted willfully, leaving home and traveling thousands of miles, believing she had found true love. When the illusion shattered, she feared returning home only to face accusation and blame. She preferred to die in a foreign land rather than turn back.
However, Jiang Shuluâs side had already communicated with them privately. The people had been brought back by Jiang Shuluâs team, specifically to prevent the Jiang family from making a move.
The PR capabilities of an old-money family were formidable. Even though Jiang Heâs Chengkong Media had been established for years, in a tug-of-war like this, it was difficult to determine a clear winner.
The Jiang family kept up their glamorous facade. As soon as Jiang Jinan obtained the equity, he couldn’t wait to announce his engagement to another wealthy heiress.
They even sent invitations to Jiang He and Jiang Shulu.
When Tang Yueâs song Lily of the Valley in the Attic was first released, the discussion initially focused on the song itself.
Lyrics and composition were all by Tang Yue.
The melody was simple, but the loneliness and pain within it were an amplified version of his song from years ago, Planet Fragments.
The copyright page specifically noted: Cover photo taken by Mr. Tang Yue.
This led many people to save the image out of boredom while looping the song, studying it closely.
You could tell the setting was an old attic.
You could see a dust-covered chandelier and an empty wooden stool casting a long shadow on the floor.
But in the frame, there was a window, and there was light outside.
Contrasted with the solitary human silhouette reflected in the window glass, it looked even more desolate.
â I didn’t realize Tang Yue was actually quite good at photography.
â Just like the song, itâs healing yet depressing at the same time. Sob.
â Who is that person? Itâs so blurry, I canât tell.
â Do you even need to guess? Tang Yue took it, so the person with Tang Yue must be his boyfriend, Jiang Shulu.
â Does it feel like a location a cosplayer might use? The scenery outside the window looks quite old.
â Are the lyrics written from a girl’s perspective?
â Didn’t you guys notice the writing on the wall? It looks like a child wrote it. If you zoom in, itâs a name.
â Zhou Maiyin… that sounds so familiar.
â Fck!! Thatâs Jiang Shuluâs biological mom, right?! Iâve seen so many PR articles from the Jiang family lately. Sigh, rich families are top-tier at manipulating public opinion. To think they could gloss over the fact that their legitimate son died and they replaced him with an illegitimate one.*
â He is still a biological son, after all. Sigh, being a parent really doesn’t require an exam.
The comments section filled with more and more decryption threads, eventually spreading to other social media apps. Many people even reposted the video of Tang Yueâs chance encounter with a fan from that day.
Someone actually went to the location in the middle of the night to investigate.
A livestream confirmed the address was correct; the scenery outside matched the photo perfectly.
â The more I listen to this song, the more emo I get. But Tang Yueâs voice is just too damn good. He used to be so wooden, how is his singing so spirited now?
â I saw another anonymous post, apparently written by a classmate of Zhou Maiyin. It said she dropped out suddenly back then because of a boyfriend. That was almost thirty years ago; information wasn’t developed back then. How could she have known she was the mistress?
â I have a terrifying guess. Zhou Maiyin planned to raise Jiang Shulu alone, so how would she let her son go back to the Jiang family? He wasn’t snatched away, was he?
â Jiang Shuluâs attitude has always been ambiguous, but for him to leave so decisively, he must have reached his limit, right? Every time I watch that old Away video where they visited the Jiang house, I get goosebumps. The lives of the rich aren’t that easy. Indeed, a golden nest or a silver nest is never as good as your own dog kennel. 5555.
Undoubtedly, the discussion sparked by Tang Yueâs Lily of the Valley in the Attic was entirely beneficial to Jiang Shulu.
With the support of fans from all sides, it stayed at the top of the new song charts for three consecutive days.
Even Liang Yi was surprised by the effect.
Her attitude toward music was “as long as it makes a sound, it’s fine,” but Tang Yue had a talent for lowering the barrier to entry for musicâthere was always a moment in his songs that made people tremble.
And the more you listened, the more addictive it became.
On the day Tang Yue moved into his new home with Tang Mian, she couldn’t help but ask him, “Did you write this song for Jiang Shulu?”
Tang Yue didn’t react at first. He was still adding strawberries to a cake while Tang Mian stood on a stool, supervising the work.
Tang Yue: “What?”
Although Liang Yi had given Jiang Shulu advice and invited him to work at Kunyu Consortium, Jiang Shulu had refused.
That man was watertight in every move he made. Liang Yi didn’t know if he would have torn off the facade so bluntly that day if Tang Yue hadn’t been there.
No matter how you looked at it, the word “impulsive” didn’t fit Jiang Shulu at all.
But when he stood with Tang Yue, it was like a magic trickâhe became a completely different living person.
Liang Yi: “I’m talking about your new song.”
While Tang Yue was distracted, Tang Mian quickly added a few more strawberries to the cake. It didn’t look like a garnish anymore; the whipped cream was about to be crushed.
Tang Yue grabbed Tang Mianâs hand before he could throw more on, nodding as he spoke.
“When I went to that attic with Shulu-ge that day, I suddenly wanted to write a song.”
He asked Liang Yi in return, “Is that not allowed?”
The young man in the fleece hoodie had fluffy hair and clear eyes. He smiled shyly at Liang Yi. “Next time, shall I write one for Yi-jie and brother-in-law?”
Liang Yi let out an “Uh.”
She hadn’t expected this guy to pay zero attention to the online drama.
Tang Yue wanted to write it simply out of a moment of pity for Jiang Shulu. It was so sincere and free of impurities that it made Liang Yi feel a bit emotional.
Tang Mian switched hands to hold a strawberry and was finally lifted off the stool by his biological father.
He huffed, “Xiao Yue, you’re bullying me.”
Tang Yue: “You have to slice them before putting them on! Who puts whole strawberries on a cake?”
Jiang Shulu arrived just then. Tang Mian shouted “Baba!” and was hoisted onto Jiang Shuluâs shoulder.
The man had been chatting with Jiang Xiujun. The horror manga artist was gathering material from his brother-in-law and had asked several trending questions from the internet.
Jiang Shulu didn’t seem to mind much.
Tang Mian: “Shulu Baba, do you think strawberries should be sliced or eaten whole?”
Tang Yue: “The ones on the cake should be sliced.”
Tang Mian: “If you slice a strawberry, it’s not complete anymore.”
Liang Yi laughed at this nonsense philosophy.
Jiang Shulu: “Not enough? Should I go buy more?”
Tang Yue: “It’s enough.”
Tang Mian: “Can I go for a walk after we eat?”
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