Chapter 42: Exposed!!

She shuddered, trembling as she bowed repeatedly to Chen Yu and Niannian, her voice choked with sobs.

"Mr... Mr. Chen, I’m sorry... I’m so sorry... I was blind and failed to recognize a titan. It was my loose tongue... Please, I beg you, have mercy and let us go..."

The little boy, Kaikai, was terrified. Seeing his father kneeling on the floor and his mother weeping bitterly, he burst into loud wails.

Zhou Tianhao grabbed his son, pressed his head down, and roared, "Stop crying! Apologize to the little girl! Now!"

Kaikai, shaking with sobs, stuttered, "I... I’m sorry... I... I didn’t mean it..."

Chen Yu watched the entire scene with cold, indifferent eyes, his face expressionless. He offered no forgiveness, nor did he dismiss it. He simply knelt down gently, pulled his daughter into his arms, and patted her back soothingly. "Niannian," he asked softly, "he has apologized to you. Do you accept it?"

Niannian lifted her small face from her father’s embrace. Though her large eyes were still filled with tears, the fear had vanished. She looked at the little boy kneeling on the ground and shook her head.

Seeing this, Zhou Tianhao’s heart stopped. He knew that if he didn't get past this hurdle today, he was truly finished. He raised his hand and struck his son hard on the back of the head.

"Snap!"

"Apologize properly! Do it sincerely!"

He roared, then looked up at Chen Yu with a gaze bordering on supplication. "Mr. Chen... Chairman Chen! Please... are you satisfied now? I beg you, give us another chance! I was blind, and my wife and son were ignorant. It’s all my fault—I’m to blame for not raising them well!"

As he spoke, he began to slap his own face, each strike louder than the last.

"Snap!" "Snap!" "Snap!"

The office was filled only with the sharp sound of slapping and the stifled sobs of the family of three.

As for Ms. Wang, she was utterly stunned. She stood frozen, her hands and feet icy, her blood feeling as if it had curdled. Her mind was a blank slate, unable to process the surreal, Hollywood-like drama unfolding before her.

Chairman Chen?

The Chairman?

This man dressed in ordinary clothes... was the Chairman... of the Jiang Group?!

No, the Chairman of the Jiang Group was Jiang Zhiyun, a woman... So he... was the Chairman’s... husband?!

A thought so terrifying that she dared not even conceive it exploded in her mind.

She was finished.

She had actually threatened the Chairman’s husband and tried to expel the Chairman’s own daughter.

Chen Yu ignored the man still slapping himself and finally turned his gaze to the ashen-faced Ms. Wang.

"Ms. Wang," he said calmly.

Ms. Wang shuddered, her legs turning to jelly, and she nearly collapsed to her knees.

"Chairman... Chairman Chen... I... I was wrong... I truly was wrong..." Her voice was choked with tears and filled with dread. "I didn’t know... I really didn’t know Niannian was your daughter... I was blind to your greatness... Please, I beg you, give me a chance... I cannot lose this job..."

"Oh?" The corners of Chen Yu’s mouth curled into a cold arc. "Why can’t you lose this job?"

"I... my family’s situation is poor; I need this salary... and, I... I truly love children; I am passionate about the teaching profession..." Ms. Wang stammered in her defense.

"Is that so?" Chen Yu gave a light chuckle. "Why do I feel that you love the status this job brings, the sense of superiority it grants you, and even more, the opportunity it gives you to grovel before those rich and powerful parents?"

The words struck home.

Her complexion turned as pale as paper in an instant.

"You don't know you were wrong."

Chen Yu walked past her while holding his daughter.

"You just know you are afraid."

With that, he didn't spare another glance at the disheveled family or the crumbling Ms. Wang. He carried his daughter straight out of the office.

...

At the top floor of the Jiang Group headquarters, in the CEO's office, Jiang Zhiyun sat on her leather chair, her expression icy. Her slender fingers were gripping an expensive fountain pen that she had snapped in half.

When she received Chen Yu’s call earlier, her fury had reached a boiling point. Her daughter, her precious treasure whom she protected with her life, had been bullied at elementary school? And the teacher had twisted the facts?

She had a slight recollection of Zhou Tianhao—a social climber who would do anything to get ahead, with mediocre professional skills but top-tier sycophancy. She hadn't expected his family to be so arrogant and domineering.

Daring to bully Jiang Zhiyun’s daughter was nothing short of a death wish.

She didn't even go through the HR department; she dialed the direct supervisor of Zhou Tianhao on her internal line and said only one thing: "Zhou Tianhao from the Marketing Department—have him vanish from my company immediately."

Only after dealing with the matter did her anger subside slightly.

But immediately afterward, her private phone on the desk rang. The caller ID read: "Father."

Jiang Zhiyun’s eyes turned cold once more. She took a deep breath, composed herself, and answered.

"Hello, Father."

"Zhiyun, I saw the live stream."

Jiang Zhiyun said nothing, listening quietly.

"That Chen Yu... his performance at the school was, well, acceptable. He showed a bit of what a man should have."

"He seems to know how to cook as well. He has some talent."

Jiang Shicheng’s tone carried a hint of condescending scrutiny. "It seems many people online are guessing he is your contract husband. It seems this matter won't stay hidden for long."

"However," Jiang Shicheng’s tone shifted, becoming stern, "do not think that just because he did one thing, he has the right to step out of line!"

"No matter how well he performs, it doesn't change the fact that he is a complete loser—a street-level wretch who would hide away even a measly three hundred thousand yuan!"

"He has no room for you or this family in his heart! By hoarding that money, he was just leaving himself an escape route! Such a man is selfish, irresponsible, and unworthy of being my son-in-law—even a fake one!"

Jiang Zhiyun’s fingers tightened around the broken pen.

"Father, what are you trying to say?"

"Aren't you clear on what I’m saying?" Jiang Shicheng’s voice carried a touch of impatience. "Haven't you always claimed he is responsible and a decent person? Fine. I will give you a chance, and I will give him a chance to prove it!"

"Go back now and tell him the company’s capital chain is in trouble and you urgently need a sum of money for turnover."

"Tell him it’s three hundred thousand. Let’s see if he can produce it! Let’s see if he is willing to give everything he has for your sake!"