CHAPTER 164: CHAPTER 164: LAI SHENLAN, THE LITTLE GENIUS, SHOWS HER PROWESS

Liang Siyun covered her mouth in surprise. "Grandma, she..."

Lai Rumu’s sharp gaze fixed on Liang Siyun, trying to discern the truth from her face.

He knew Liang Siyun’s acting skills were just passable, incapable of perfect deception, so he believed her somewhat.

"She has been feeling unwell since last night."

"No wonder you were in such a bad mood last night, and I couldn’t even show understanding. I really shouldn’t have," Liang Siyun said, struggling to push off the covers to get out of bed. "I’ll post on Weibo right away."

As soon as she stood up, the world started spinning, and she collapsed back onto the bed.

Lai Rumu helped her lie down. "Give me your phone; I’ll post it. You just rest easy."

Liang Siyun nodded. "My phone is in last night’s bag."

Lai Rumu immediately went to look for the bag.

Liang Siyun’s eyes were filled with desolation.

Lai Rumu edited a Weibo post with Liang Siyun’s phone, even deliberately mentioning Lai Shenyan.

The netizens hadn’t had any juicy news to follow recently. Seeing Liang Siyun’s Weibo post, they all perked up.

"Lai the movie star and Liang Siyun are at the stage of meeting parents already? Why didn’t I see Liang Siyun follow Lai the movie star to join Fu Ying’s camp?"

"You think everyone has the money to pay a huge penalty fee?"

"Lai the movie star is really something else, switching companies without considering his girlfriend’s situation, putting her in an embarrassing position. Looks like he’s willing to abandon family and girlfriend alike."

"Another scumbag joins the ranks in the entertainment industry!"

"Without clarity on the situation, a bunch of people are already picking sides? Who can prove it’s not just Liang Siyun creating hype?"

"Liang Siyun conspiring with the Lai Family to trap Lai the movie star? Are you such a fan that you’ve lost your mind?"

"Is it possible that this is a move to pressure Fu Ying? After all, Lai the movie star’s grandma is seriously ill, and Lai the movie star is with Fu Ying. Isn’t this indirectly asking Fu Ying to treat Lai’s grandma’s illness?"

"Don’t drag my Fu Ying into this at such a time, or it’ll be like when Mrs. Rong passed away; despite going to save her while sick, she got bashed by a bunch of people."

"Just thinking about that situation makes me feel sorry for my Fu Ying."

"..."

When Lai Shenyan saw the Weibo update, he immediately showed his phone to Lai Shenlan.

Fen Du had become accustomed to this sort of thing recently.

After reading it, Lai Shenlan said, "This morning I went to have breakfast with Sister Fu Bing and heard she caught a chill last night and is running a fever. Auntie Gu and Sister Linxing are taking care of her."

Lai Shenyan frowned with concern. "Why wasn’t this mentioned earlier?"

"I thought you knew," Lai Shenlan said, supporting her chin. "We should handle this ourselves and not involve Sister Fu Bing. She has plenty of her own troubles to deal with, and with her health requiring peace and quiet, she can’t be running around with us."

Lai Shenyan understood her unspoken words.

Fu Bing had already done enough for them; they couldn’t drag her down any further. On the contrary, if they were to return to Jiangcheng, they might take the opportunity to resolve a few issues for Fu Bing.

Lai Shenyan asked, "What do you plan to do?"

"Grandma’s illness must be Uncle and Auntie’s doing; they’re trying to crush you with public opinion. You’ve said before about Liang Siyun that she’s clever but lacks wisdom. People like her have one thing in common: they lean towards whoever pays them more. She’s had so many abortions for Lai Rumu without him planning to give her a proper title; she must harbor resentment. She could become our collaborator, dragging Lai Rumu down with her."

Lai Shenyan listened intently to her without making a sound.

"Lai Rumu is currently vying for a major urban construction project. We can exploit his affair with Liang Siyun to destabilize him. Once he loses the project, Sister Fu Bing can arrange for someone to take over, ensuring that we keep the benefits within our reach."

"You’re oversimplifying if you think you can defeat Lai Rumu with just a scandal; he isn’t incompetent," Lai Shenyan warned.

"That’s just one step in the plan. He’s currently collaborating with the Qin Family. If we pin the blame for the car accident involving Sister Fu Bing and Director Ren on him, the Qin Family will certainly appreciate it and support us. Both Director Ren and Sister Fu Bing know who’s behind the accident and will play along with our act. When the time comes, Lai Rumu will try to prove his innocence, but the Qin Family, who want someone else to take the fall, won’t let him."

There wasn’t a trace of childlike innocence in Lai Shenlan’s dark eyes.

She had been spending a lot of time with Gu Sining lately. She envied Gu Sining. Gu Sining’s life had its ailments, but it wasn’t bleak. Her own life was filled with calculation and life-or-death situations.

Even though Fen Du was already somewhat familiar with Lai Shenlan, her meticulous deduction still sent a cold sweat down his spine.

Are all children from wealthy families this formidable? Making peers their own age seem worthless in a matter of seconds.

Lai Shenyan nodded. "What should we do next?"

"Let’s take it one step at a time," Lai Shenlan said, stroking her chin. "You respond to Liang Siyun online; stir things up even more."

Lai Shenyan obediently replied online, "You can call me if there’s anything. There’s no need to use public resources. Or have you deleted my contact details too?"

Lai Shenlan leaned her small face over to see her brother’s response and nodded in satisfaction.

As expected from a man who’s acted in a bunch of melodramas, his skill in stirring trouble was extraordinary.

Lai Shenyan’s response stirred up another wave of heat.

Liang Siyun was completely put on the spot, with no way out.

When Lai Rumu saw Lai Shenyan’s response, he cursed, "He’s really good at turning the tables! Send out the documents about your surgery and make him acknowledge that the child is his. I refuse to believe that won’t destroy his reputation!"

Lai Rumu even somewhat regretted not making better use of her two previous abortions.

He continued, "Do you still have the paperwork from your previous surgeries? Send that out too!"

"When I lost our first child, I didn’t even know Lai Shenyan," Liang Siyun said softly. "Rumu, if I send these out, my reputation will be ruined. Lai Shenyan will never marry me. What will I do then?"

A chill flashed through Lai Rumu’s eyes. "How much money do you want?"

"Money, always money! Is there nothing between us but interests, not even a little bit of affection?" Liang Siyun pretended to be heartbroken.

Lai Rumu was aware that his words might be too direct for a woman.

In his lifetime, there could be many women to bear his children. Whenever he wanted to, he could just find a woman he fancied and have her give birth to his offspring. Therefore, before he found a woman he truly fancied, he wouldn’t let any other woman have his child. Moreover, Liang Siyun had been with Lai Shenyan for years. Could he be sure any child she claimed was his actually *was* his? She was merely looking for someone to take the blame.

Lai Rumu inwardly despised Liang Siyun’s actions, but said outwardly, "I know these past years haven’t been easy for you, and I understand your difficulties. If I had no feelings for you, why would I keep you by my side, let alone allow you to approach Lai Shenyan? The more you know about my affairs, the greater the risk to me.

"You should understand that my relationship with Lai Shenyan is now like fire and water, and you can only choose between him and me. If you help me, you could still gain the status of Mrs. Lai; what could you get if you help Lai Shenyan? He has trusted you from the start and can’t possibly give you what you want."

Lai Rumu employed a mix of carrot and stick.