With all his sweet and harsh words exhausted, Miss Ai reluctantly agreed to stay, though her expression remained sour. "Let me tell you, I'm willing to cooperate with you because of your identity. I have brains, otherwise, I could find anyone, not necessarily you."
Although Fu Tingyi's identity made things convenient, it also had a drawback.
He was on the watchlist of Shen Qingqing and her husband.
No matter what he did, that couple would know immediately.
Fu Tingyi was extremely displeased but showed no outward reaction. He coaxed her gently, "I know, I know. I promise I'll never do that again. I was just anxious. Look how big this online scandal has become; it's very detrimental to my taking over the Ruisi Group."
The shareholders were not supporting him to begin with, and now that his scheme had backfired, they had even less confidence in him.
How could he not be anxious!
Miss Ai sat down elegantly on the sofa and said, "What are you panicking about? It's just some online rumors. Let them say whatever they want. You are still Fu Jingshu's father, and that's something the outside world won't change."
"But what if they announce..."
Fu Tingyi's face showed worry.
Miss Ai, however, remained unhurried. "They won't. The company has finally calmed down; they wouldn't announce this now."
Her reasoning was not without merit.
The company had just stabilized, and any further trouble would affect its reputation.
After all, the paparazzi were watching every move of the Ruisi Group.
While Fu Tingyi found her words sensible, he was still a bit worried. "That's what you say, but you don't understand Fu Jingshu. He always plays by his own rules."
"Relax."
Miss Ai disliked seeing him so timid and fearful, lacking any trace of a man. A certain face flashed in her mind.
That face was cold and resolute, never showing her any gentleness, yet it was like a brand, unforgettable.
But the next day, someone knocked on Miss Ai's door. When she opened it, she saw Fu Tingyi, pale and terrified, as if something catastrophic had happened.
He held up his phone for Miss Ai to see.
Miss Ai saw his hands trembling and quickly looked at the phone. Upon seeing the scene on it, her pupils constricted slightly.
At the press conference.
Shen Qingqing and Fu Jingshu, supporting Old Madam Fu on either side, remained calm despite the flashing cameras and the barrage of questions from reporters.
"Old Madam, are the things Miss Shen just said true?"
"Is Fu Tingyi really not your biological son?"
"You haven't announced this for so many years, and now you're saying it – is it true? Do you have proof? Or did you say this in anger because of Fu Tingyi's actions?"
"Yes, Old Madam, if you want us to believe you, you need to present evidence!"
"If you say Fu Tingyi isn't your child, then is Master Fu not yours either?"
This question exploded like a bomb in the crowd, a question everyone wanted to know.
Old Madam Fu's face remained calm. "Everyone, please don't rush. Since we've called this press conference today, we're here to answer all your questions. I will tell you everything you want to know."
"First, Fu Tingyi is a child my husband and I adopted, and we've always treated him as our own."
"As for Jingshu, he is of the Fu family bloodline."
The crowd was surprised.
"But you just said Fu Tingyi isn't your child?"
Old Madam Fu sighed. "This is a long story..."
Since she had decided to reveal this news, she no longer cared if her unsavory past was exposed, even if it became a laughingstock.
She had been more than kind to Fu Tingyi, and now she could no longer tolerate it.
When the truth of this melodramatic story was revealed, everyone was stunned. The entire press conference fell silent for a full minute as everyone's mind raced.
Who would have thought that Fu Tingyi, at such a young age, could do something so wicked!
He abandoned his younger brother just to monopolize his parents' love and inheritance.
He even knew his brother's whereabouts but deliberately concealed it for so many years, watching his father die of regret from not finding his younger son. He left behind an elderly mother but received no kindness from him.
Truly malicious!
After finishing the long story, Old Madam Fu's eyes were filled with relief. "From today onwards, Fu Tingyi is no longer a member of my Fu family. I don't wish to pursue his past transgressions, but from now on, I ask that you never step foot in the Fu family's home again."
She said this seriously to the cameras.
It was as if she was certain that Fu Tingyi was watching the live broadcast and would hear every word.
Fu Tingyi did indeed see and hear it, every word clearly. His heart was filled with immense complexity, mingled with overwhelming panic.
"What do we do? Miss Ai, what should I do?"
Miss Ai also hadn't expected such decisiveness from the other party. She asked in confusion, "Aren't they afraid the company's stock will be affected?"
In fact, Fu Jingshu truly wasn't afraid.
Rather than let others use this matter to their advantage later, it was better for them to reveal it themselves.
After Old Madam Fu finished her story, she prepared to leave. The reporters still had many questions, but Shen Qingqing was already helping the old lady toward the lounge.
Only Fu Jingshu remained at the press conference.
He stood there, his expression neutral, yet his aura inexplicably chilled the atmosphere. The crowd dared not make a sound.
The numerous questions they had prepared seemed stuck like a jammed tape, unable to be uttered.
Fu Jingshu's cold gaze swept across the room. "Since there's nothing else to say, today's press conference is hereby concluded."
He then turned and left without hesitation.
The reporters only came to their senses after he had long disappeared, and they were filled with regret.
As Fu Tingyi, a participant in this affair, did not get away unscathed, Zhao Yixin's grandmother, who testified, was naturally not spared.
The netizens wouldn't show her leniency just because she was old.
The all-knowing netizens quickly doxxed the old lady's identity and background, then dragged her onto the trending topics and began a war of words.
A single hateful comment from each person was enough to make the old lady feel crushed.
Later, some people considered that the old lady might not be familiar with smartphones and the internet. So, many people resorted to the same tactic and went to blockade her house.
This greatly frightened the old lady, nearly sending her to the hospital.
When Zhao Yixin's parents returned, they found the situation had changed drastically. They quickly settled their mother and personally visited to apologize.
"I'm sorry, it was my mother's mistake. The old lady doesn't understand anything. She just thought you were bullying Yixin. She didn't know that Yixin and Chenchen were already good friends."
Zhao Yixin's father apologized sincerely.
Shen Qingqing didn't mind. "It's alright. I won't argue with an elder."