Chapter 14 Before the Storm
1381 Words
It was early morning in the capital, and the fog had not yet dispersed.
The moment Su Wanyin turned on her phone, a series of push notifications and messages hit her eyes like an avalanche.
"New clues to the old case of the Su family have been exposed. Is the former daughter Su Wanyin now the favorite of President Li?"
"Dig deep into Su Wanyin's hidden life experience. Is there another reason for her father's trial in the past?"
"How many secrets are there behind the new young lady of the Li Group that have not yet been revealed?"
Her fingers trembled, and she almost dropped her phone.
"Are you awake?" Li Jingchen came from the kitchen with a cup of hot lemon water in his hand. His eyes fell on her pale face and his tone sank: "Have you seen the news?"
Su Wanyin nodded and asked softly: "Did our meeting yesterday leak?"
"It may not be Qin Muching." Li Jingchen handed her the water and sat beside her. "The people I arranged watched the whole process. There is no blind spot in the club. But the information of your father's case is being re-filed, which has affected some old interest chains."
"So, someone is scared?"
"Some people can't wait."
As soon as he finished speaking, Su Wanyin's phone vibrated again-
It was Su's mother's call.
She hesitated for a few seconds and picked up the phone.
An anxious and flustered voice came from the other end of the phone: "Yinyin, are you okay? I went to the supermarket this morning, and someone recognized me and said I was the 'wife of an economic criminal'! I almost... almost fainted!"
Su Wanyin's heart tightened, and she quickly comforted him: "Mom, don't be afraid, I will handle this matter."
"But you are the daughter-in-law of the Li family now, will they dislike you? Do you want to keep your distance from Mr. Li... for the time being?"
"Mom!" She raised her voice, "He is not that kind of person."
There was silence on the other end of the phone for a few seconds, and then Su's mother whispered: "Mom believes you. But you also have to remember that not everyone is as strong as you think."
After hanging up the phone, Su Wanyin leaned back on the sofa, with uneasiness and guilt surging in her mind.
She knew very well that this public opinion storm was not a simple hot search operation, but someone was deliberately guiding the public's attention to pull her from "Mrs. Li" to the label of "abandoned daughter".
"Jingchen." She whispered, "Have we... brought you trouble?"
Li Jingchen just looked at her, his eyes full of determination: "Su Wanyin, I said, you are not alone."
"But now the whole network is digging up my past scars, my mother is being blamed, and even you are beginning to be questioned, saying that you married me for business purposes."
"I don't care." He interrupted her, his eyes deep, "You must remember that you are not a subsidiary of the Su family, nor are you a pawn of me, Li Jingchen. You are yourself, the woman I chose."
His words were like a beam of light, piercing the chaos in her heart.
Just then, Li Jingchen's private mobile phone rang.
It was an encrypted text message from Cheng Anyan:
"There is movement on Qin Muching's side. His father Qin Guohuan seems to be planning to question whether the Li family is "not distinguishing between public and private" at the board meeting.
Li Jingchen's eyes suddenly turned cold, and he dialed a phone, his voice cold: "Tell the public relations department that I will personally hold a press conference at nine o'clock this morning. The title is "Clarification and Announcement." "At nine o'clock in the morning, the lobby of the Four Seasons Hotel in the capital was bustling with people and the media gathered. Su Wanyin, wearing a simple white dress, with plain makeup but unable to hide her fatigue, followed Li Jingchen into the hall. The flash lights were like thunder in an instant. The moment she sat on the podium, she finally understood what Li Jingchen wanted to do. He was not here to whitewash her identity, but to put her in front of the whole world, standing beside him openly. Li Jingchen stood up and took the microphone. "Dear media friends, thank you for coming here today. I will only say three things."
"First, my marriage with Ms. Su Wanyin is real and legal, and there is no interest marriage or false elements."
"Second, there are indeed many doubts in the old case of the Su family. We have applied to the prosecutors to re-examine the case file."
"Third, Su Wanyin, no matter whose daughter she was in the past, is now Li Jingchen's wife."
The whole audience was in an uproar after the voice fell.
The media asked frantically: "Mr. Li, do you know the internal situation of the Su family bankruptcy case?" "Has Ms. Su ever participated in money laundering, false investment and other behaviors?"
Li Jingchen said calmly: "I know she is innocent. For the rest of the questions, please wait until the results of the judicial system investigation come out before asking."
Su Wanyin suddenly looked up and took the microphone.
Her voice was trembling but clear: "I don't expect everyone to understand me, but I will do my best to seek justice for my father. I am willing to cooperate with the investigation, even if the process is long and painful."
She paused and glanced at everyone, "But I also want to tell you that I am not a woman who needs to rely on others to survive. My name is Su Wanyin, not anyone's affiliated label."
Her speech caused the media on the scene to fall into a brief silence.
On the Internet, however, it has begun to quietly turn.
"She actually appeared at the press conference, dared to speak and take responsibility, and did not seem like a guilty person."
"Suddenly I feel that she has a strong aura, not like a vase."
"Mr. Li is very protective of his wife, I am touched."
After the press conference, Li Jingchen put his arm around her shoulders and walked out of the venue, saying in a low voice: "You said it very well just now."
"I just... don't want to run away anymore."
He stopped and looked down at her: "Su Wanyin, from now on, you are not allowed to bear everything alone."
She nodded and leaned on his shoulder.
The wind blew, but it was not cold.
But the storm never really passed.
That night, a photo quietly appeared on the homepage of a well-known forum.
In a blurry surveillance screenshot, Su Wanyin and Lin Ran appeared in the same picture. The two looked intimate in conversation, but the accompanying text was cold and vicious:
"Does the Li family's young lady still have an old love? The photo proves that "the old love has appeared"! Who is her true love?"
The Internet exploded again in an instant.
Although Li Jingchen had ordered the removal of related remarks, the spread of the picture had long been out of control.
Back home, Su Wanyin looked at the screenshot with anger in her eyes: "This is simply a rumor! That day I just asked him to return the information in person, he... He wanted to touch me at that time, and I pushed him away!"
"I know." Li Jingchen said calmly.
"You know?"
"I asked someone to check the original surveillance." He handed a USB flash drive to her, "Here is the complete video, tomorrow, I will make it public on the interview program you personally attend."
"Interview?" She was surprised.
"It's time to let those who only dare to hide behind the screen and slander you see that you, Su Wanyin, are not 'Mrs. Li', nor are you 'the daughter of the Su family', but you can speak for yourself - Su Wanyin."
Her heart seemed to be hit hard by something, and after a while, she said softly: "Okay."
"Don't be afraid." He stretched out his hand and gently held her in his arms.
"No matter how strong the wind is, I'm here."
- Writer
