CHAPTER 224: CHAPTER 224: OUT OF HIS MIND

Shan Hao had it all planned, but ended up facing bizarre guests and a reality show crew, and even got exposed by a little girl, ultimately falling into a disadvantageous position.

Afterward, when confronting Ai Jie, this woman didn’t care at all about what people were saying online and casually laid bare their affairs. He left like a defeated dog, with his tail between his legs.

At home, the more he thought about it, the angrier he got.

He contacted his distant cousin Shan Fengxing, but the other was mired in his own troubles, busy with PR, and couldn’t help him strategize like before.

He was hoping that this rising star would help him promote his game in the future, so he couldn’t urge him but had to find a way on his own.

With just a quick online search, it was all mocking him.

Some netizens even traced back to his game company, pointing out that their latest game was a rip-off.

"Slander! It’s all slander!"

Those small companies hadn’t even sued him, so how could it be called plagiarism?

Just then, there was a knock on his door.

He impatiently walked over, seeing it was his mother, his expression softened a bit.

"Mom, what’s the matter now?"

Mrs. Shan looked worried, "Son, our family can’t face extinction. You must win back Danbo; Ai Fengyi can stay with that woman, after all, she’s just a girl."

Shan Hao replied peevishly, "Don’t you think I know that? But now, public opinion is all on that woman’s side!"

Many people mocked Ai Jie, but even more supported her.

The only helpful opinion was that Ai Jie shouldn’t stop him from visiting his two children, but they hoped he’d pay child support.

He didn’t want visitation rights; he wanted custody! Such opinions were useless!

Mrs. Shan didn’t understand public opinion, just thinking if everyone cursed Ai Jie, they’d get their beloved grandson back.

"Then get everyone to curse that woman, say something unfavorable about her. Didn’t you say she, as a female celebrity, cares about her reputation?"

Shan Hao thought of a perfect idea, but it would expose himself, making himself a laughingstock.

He held back.

"Then I’ll stir things up by making a big deal of the surname change."

They had gotten married, and Ai Jie had quit showbiz, never publicly announcing the children’s names.

It wasn’t until Ai Jie joined this show that the public learned the kids’ names.

So quickly, Shan Hao claimed on a platform that he was deeply unfortunate in his past marriage, that Ai Jie was domineering and disrespectful to his mother, calling him whenever needed and discarding him when not, and even threatened that if the kids weren’t given the surname Ai, she wouldn’t have children.

Not only that, he claimed Ai Jie often badmouthed him in front of the kids during their marriage, causing them not to be close to him.

The intention of saying this about Ai Jie was to claim she wouldn’t be a good mother and the kids should best be given to him to raise.

On the other side.

Tuanzi leaned on the sofa, holding a tablet, and got fuming mad seeing this post.

"Distorting facts, shameless!"

Gu Yunmu hadn’t learned his lesson; he leaned over to see it and laughed, "But many people just have decorations for brains, believe anything they hear. As soon as this guy plays the victim, everyone feels sorry for him. And many people think artists make too much money, naturally resent them. Ai Jie is an artist, so she’s the target of their resentment. They mix things together."

But in reality, these are two separate issues; you can’t attack B with A, it’s useless in resolving the issue.

He spoke unkindly, "Right now, no one remembers Ai Jie was the cheated-on party, how she works hard raising the kids after the divorce. People just want to see the part they care about, so this trick is quite effective."

That was indeed the case.

Previously, public opinion was one-sided, and there were some self-proclaimed clear-headed individuals who believed it was Ai Jie’s conspiracy.

Now that Shan Hao played the victim, it stirred some people’s ’sympathy,’ with many comforting him and condemning Ai Jie.

[With a wife like that, no wonder he cheated]

[Ai Jie should consider her own issues; if she were gentler and treated in-laws better, her husband wouldn’t cheat]

[Cheating is wrong, but Ai Jie also made mistakes]

[Both of them have problems]

Gu Yunmu said sharply, "Slandering Ai Jie to drag her to the same level, that’s the man’s goal."

Tuanzi almost exploded with anger.

Just then, a piece of news popped up on her software, and upon opening it, she found it was a response from Aunt Ai Jie.

The other party directly released a recording.

Clicking play, "Eh, it’s that baddie’s voice."

The recording revealed that if Ai Jie was willing to give Shan Hao a sum of money, he’d agree to let the kids change their surname.

[This timing should be after they successfully divorced]

[Wait, if custody is with Ai Jie, why would she need Shan Hao’s consent for a surname change]

[Well, here’s how it is: if they’ve come of age, they can change it freely. If they’re underage, it requires both parents’ consent. Even if divorced, even if not the guardian, as long as Shan Hao is the father, he can oppose the surname change before they come of age]

Soon after, Ai Jie posted several photos.

The photos showed the birth dates and names of the twins when they first registered.

The lie was debunked instantly.

[So, the kids had the surname Shan from birth, no threat involved, Shan Hao is lying]

[Wasn’t that obvious?]

[Ai Jie seems a bit scary, keeping photos and recordings, anyone living with such a person would lose out]

[What’s that about being scary? Even if she didn’t keep the photos, the kids’ registries would’ve shown their previous names, a lie easily debunked, it’s Shan Hao being stupid for trying this trick]

Just as Tuanzi was about to smile, she heard ’pat-pat’ sounds.

Turning her head, she saw Gu Yunmu slapping his knee in laughter, "This guy is such an idiot, hahaha, does he have water in his brain? Hahaha!"

Tuanzi: "..."

"However," Gu Yunmu wiped at his laughter-induced tears, a fleeting sharpness in his eyes, "this Ai Jie is indeed prepared. No matter what happens next, she’ll handle it step by step, no need for you to worry about her."

Tuanzi turned her head, "Hmph, don’t need your concern, Miaomiao worries about whoever she wants, just not you!"

The blue-haired handsome guy clutched his heart, "My heart is going to shatter!"

"Hmph, hmph, Miaomiao will glue it back, go ahead and shatter!"

On the other side, Shan Hao patted his head.

"I’ve been so muddleheaded with anger!"

He was mad at himself for forgetting about the previous names appearing on the registrar.

If this move didn’t work, he only had one last trick left. But that one would expose his privacy, and if he said it himself, the public wouldn’t immediately believe it, they’d be suspicious.

He needed to choose a suitable person.

Obviously, the distant cousin was the most suitable choice.

He called him, and the other was impatient.

"You really need to help me, actually," he said, "those two kids aren’t even mine, I... I have oligospermia, the doctor said I won’t have children. Ai Jie cheated!"

On the other end, Shan Fengxing: "!"

This little-known actor contemplated the feasibility of the matter.

This distant cousin could produce proof, so chances are high that Ai Jie did cheat.

Even if it was false, it didn’t matter, he didn’t need to say ’Ai Jie cheated’ or ’Ai Jie has a scandalous private life,’ just mentioning the cousin’s condition would suffice.

As long as the condition is real, the rest is up to the netizens’ imagination, having nothing to do with him, and even if exposed, he could pretend to be deceived.

As for why he wanted to go after Ai Jie, it was naturally for multiple reasons.

Before joining the crew, he was vying for lead roles in two dramas, but Gu Che beat him to one. The director of the other one was a friend of Ai Jie, who was, after all, sort of his sister-in-law.

He had once approached her with a small endorsement deal, got rejected, and thus lost the chance to star in that drama’s lead role, holding a grudge ever since.

Moreover, if Ai Jie got into trouble, "Let’s Transform Together" would be scorned, and Gu Miaomiao would certainly be affected. Gu Che, being so fond of his sister, would surely be upset about it.

This was like killing multiple birds with one stone, Shan Fengxing thought.

"Alright, I’ll help you this once."