Ch 44 (Part 1): Rebirth of the Tool Man in a Pampered Protagonist Novel

The Case of the Fang Family’s Child Swap.

Due to the live streaming and online supervision throughout the entire trial process, a storm of discussions erupted on major social media platforms immediately after the court announced its verdict.

The passionate netizens who were shocked and stimulated by the truth revealed during the live broadcast couldn’t wait to release their lengthy articles on Weibo, Tieba, Moments, and other platforms. Among them, an article titled “Scumbag Man and Woman, Deserve Each Other!” gained the most attention.

The author of the article clearly had good literary skills and a sharp writing style. Despite not being a professional gossip journalist, their report surpassed all the gossip news articles in terms of content and presentation.

The entire article revealed the facts with precision, impartiality, and a captivating storytelling technique.

The Fang family’s case involving cultural relics was incredibly complex.

At the beginning of the article, the author didn’t say much but presented a detailed chart of the relationships between the individuals involved. Then they delved into the main subject by starting from over twenty years ago, when Fang Yandong was in college.

The language used in the article was simple and straightforward, devoid of any flowery language. The narrative technique made the story clear and easy to understand.

The dark version of “Arrogant Campus Hunk Falls for Me” between Zheng Yaxue and Fang Yandong shattered the romantic fantasies and idealistic expectations of many young netizens, leaving them seething with hatred. It tainted their cherished imaginary world.

Fang Yandong’s image as a good father and husband for the past few decades underwent a complete reversal overnight, triggering angry outbursts and profanity-laden comments from netizens.

No matter how good Fang Yandong’s image used to be, it plummeted to rock bottom by manyfold. He had become the representative of a “scumbag man” in the eyes of the nation. People felt no sympathy for him being deceived by Zheng Yaxue; instead, they found it satisfying and laughed in approval.

Even though Fang Yandong’s biggest fault in the entire case was “standing by and doing nothing,” not getting directly involved, the netizens weren’t fools.

While Zheng Yaxue was undoubtedly malicious and hypocritical, Fang Yandong wasn’t any better. Both were scum, and scum deserves scum. They were meant to harm each other for eternity!

The fact that Fang Yandong ultimately escaped conviction because he didn’t “intervene” only fueled people’s hatred even more.

Most netizens didn’t understand the law, and in the eyes of ordinary people, “Fang Yandong’s infidelity within marriage, causing harm to his wife and distorting his legitimate son” constituted a serious and vile crime deserving the harshest punishment.

However, in the end, Fang Yandong couldn’t be legally convicted for his actions. Apart from returning the property he should never have obtained in the first place, it seemed to everyone that he suffered no consequences!

Wasn’t this a classic case of exploiting legal loopholes?

Especially with this point, the author of the lengthy article, in its conclusion, took a sharp turn and directed the focus towards Fang Yandong, writing: “Although all the evidence and testimony so far, including Zheng Yaxue’s confession, point to her as the mastermind, given the current outcome, I can’t help but speculate: Is this Ms. Zheng Yaxue the true ‘mastermind’?”

“After all, numerous real cases and detective novels have shown that a truly intelligent perpetrator would never dirty their hands. Think about it, could Mr. Fang, who produced such a high IQ genius like Tang Xue, be manipulated so easily by a Cinderella from the slums?”

“Of course, the above is just my personal speculation. As a fan of detective stories, the author tends to let the imagination run wild… After all, no matter how you look at it, our dear Mr. Fang was the biggest beneficiary before Zheng Yaxue succeeded, right?”

These words were like the finishing touch.

The imaginative conclusion, filled with associations, was clearly intended to provoke resentment towards Fang Yandong.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

Everyone realized that although there was no evidence proving that Mr. Fang was responsible for Zheng Yating’s demise, he had definitely driven her crazy. It turned out that both were scumbags, equally guilty. Neither of them was innocent…

Apart from the online buzz.

In real life, those who had grievances or issues with Fang Yandong in the past didn’t miss this opportunity to kick him while he was down.

They made sarcastic phone calls of “congratulations.”

“Oh, Yandong, congratulations, really congratulations. Who would have thought that Tang Xun is your son? Yandong, you’ve really made it big this time. I’m so envious, our relationship is so ‘good,’ don’t forget to support me in the future, hehe…”

“Oh, Yandong, you were silent for so long, and now you make such a huge noise. Impressive, truly impressive. I heard you suffered quite a big loss this time…”

“Yandong, my old buddy! I hate to say it, but why can’t you ever think straight? Those women outside might be good, but they are just temporary. Just play around with them, don’t take it seriously. And now, look at you, you took it seriously and messed it all up.”

“Tsk tsk tsk, Yandong, who would have thought that someone as smart as you would be played by a woman. ‘Arrogant Campus Hunk Falls for Me,’ hahaha, Yandong, you really know how to play…”

Mocking phone calls poured in.

“Bang!”

Returning home, Fang Yandong was so furious that he almost bit his teeth to pieces. He threw things around, creating a mess on the floor.

These people were opportunistic, kicking him while he was down, and speaking ill of him.

If he still couldn’t see that this case was not just aimed at Zheng Yaxue on the surface but primarily targeted at him, then he was truly blind.

What did it matter if Zheng Yaxue went to jail? That despicable woman had nothing to begin with. She enjoyed a wealthy wife’s life like Cinderella for decades. Going to prison was already a good deal for her!

But what about him? His net worth plummeted by half after going to the police station and the court!

In Fang Yandong’s mind, the shares and inheritance in his son’s possession were his belongings. They had always been “temporarily entrusted” to his son, and now they were gone in an instant.

However, he could endure losing half his wealth.

Now, he had become a notorious figure all over the internet. How could he hold onto the position of the company’s chairman? For the sake of the company’s image, the shareholders would definitely oust him from his position at the shareholders’ meeting.

Most infuriatingly, Fang Ziyang and his brother sold their shares to Li Zhiren. Once the contract was signed, no matter how hard he worked, he would be nothing more than a lackey to Li Zhiren!

He, Fang Yandong, has been in a high position for half his life, and now he has to bow down to others?

Fang Yandong, who had never experienced such a blow, was truly tempted to kill someone.

And when he looked at Fang Qianhao…

There was no trace of paternal love left in his heart. Whenever he saw Fang Qianhao, he couldn’t help but think of Zheng Yaxue, who had caused him harm. Now Fang Qianhao had become his most hated son, without a doubt.

“I knew it. How could I have given birth to such an impulsive and brainless son? It turns out it’s because you resemble that foolish and malicious woman so much! Are you and your mother naturally destined to ruin me?!”

He couldn’t vent his suppressed anger on others, so Fang Qianhao became his punching bag.

He used to love Zheng Yaxue and cherish Fang Qianhao, but now he despised both of them. It was all because of these two that he had ended up in this situation.

If it wasn’t for these two, he would never have had such conflicts with Lu Fei, never allowed Lu Fei to give birth to two sons who resented him.

“It’s all because of you! I told you not to provoke your younger brother, but you never listened to me. From childhood to adulthood, you always had to compete with your younger brother for everything!”

Fang Yandong regretted and became angry again. “If it wasn’t for you, with Ziyang’s respect and reliance on me as his father, he would never have easily turned against me after knowing the truth. He would have definitely stood by my side…”

During the court trial, Fang Ziyang’s meaningful and bright smile made him realize one thing: his younger son’s unusual behavior was probably not just because of the trending videos but because his younger son knew the whole truth, knew that his father was incompetent, and knew about the existence of his biological brother.

Fang Yandong deeply regretted it.

If he had known earlier, he would have treated his younger son better. After all, he was his own flesh and blood. How did he become so blinded by his own desires?

Fang Qianhao also carried a lot of suppressed emotions.

He used to take pride in his identity, but now it had become a joke. He had become a disgraceful illegitimate child, the son of a malicious woman. He was in so much pain, yet the father who claimed to love him the most still vented his anger on him.

Fang Qianhao, with his irritable temper, couldn’t bear it anymore. He glared fiercely at his father.

“Why do you have the right to hit me? If it wasn’t for me and Xiao Tong providing false testimony, shifting all the blame onto that despicable woman, would you be able to come out? Do you think I wanted to be born to you? Do you think I wanted to be a hidden illegitimate child?”

“You have no right to lecture me. It’s all your own stupidity! It’s your fault!”

“Well, since you hate me so much, then just kick me out. Bring back Fang Ziyang and Tang Xun and see if they are willing to recognize you as their heartless father!”

With one sentence, Fang Yandong was silenced.

Fang Ziyang and Tang Xun would never want to return to the Fang family. Leaving aside the fact that Fang Yandong stood by and watched Tang Xun being swapped, there was also the matter of their mothers’ deaths, which couldn’t be dissociated from him.

Lu Fei, in the past, was driven to her death by him…

Fang Yandong’s face turned gloomy, and he couldn’t say another word.

Fang Qianhao looked at his father in front of him and sneered in his heart. He now clearly understood that his father didn’t love anyone, he only loved himself. Once it involved his own interests, his father could abandon anyone.

The father and son who should have loved each other had become enemies after all the hidden secrets were exposed.

And at that moment…

Yan Tong, who had been cautiously listening outside the door, heard the argument inside finally calm down. Emboldened, he pushed the door open.

“Uncle Fang, Brother Qianhao, please stop arguing. This momentary difficulty is not a big deal. I… I can help Uncle Fang and Brother Qianhao start over. I will use my power to protect Uncle Fang and Brother Qianhao…”

Yan Tong’s gaze was filled with concern, his face showing care.

As if the two people in front of him were the most important to him, he would always stand by their side, like a cool stream that could soothe the restless lions.

“This thing will definitely help Uncle Fang and Brother Qianhao.”

Yan Tong, timid yet resolute like an angel, handed over a set of documents.

At the moment when Fang Yandong returned home, angry and amid the online uproar, Tang Xun directly used his connections to transfer Fang Ziyang’s household registration from the Fang family. He also made a public statement cutting off all ties with the Fang family.

In short, while the whole nation sympathized with them, it was necessary to separate themselves from the Fang family.

With the declaration of cutting off ties, Fang Yandong’s reputation took another hit.

Although Chinese people value respect for elders and care for the young, and other traditional values, it wasn’t as feudal as ancient times. People knew very well that parents who were harmful shouldn’t be morally imposed upon with filial piety.

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