CHAPTER 256: CHAPTER 235: THE TIDE SEEMS TO BE TURNING (PART 1)

"Rong Jing, Rong Qiao... I never harmed you, didn’t even offend you, why do you treat me like this... why so cruel to someone who’s already fallen into the abyss of despair..."

"I still have two children... how can you bear it? Huh?"

Rong Jing looked at Su Xiaomeng’s despairing face, he thought... she was prepared when she followed them here.

At least a moment ago she was so calm, so composed...

This might be the first time in Rong Jing’s life that his stone-hard heart felt slightly moved by someone’s cries, by someone’s grievances.

She hadn’t harmed them, hadn’t even offended them...

She had fallen into the abyss of despair, and she still had two children...

But isn’t this how the world is? The deepest pain often comes from these kind and innocent people.

The greatest wrongs are often borne by these kind and innocent people.

At her naive, inexperienced age... she stepped into this grand mansion through a marriage.

While savoring the sweet forbidden fruit given by the man she deeply loved, she was silently guided into a battlefield without smoke.

Even though Yin Shixiu protected her in every way, since ancient times, which prestigious family doesn’t fight, which prestigious family doesn’t have a history soaked in blood and storm...

Perhaps through this incident, Su Xiaomeng can realize, she married not just a man who loves her, but everything related to this man.

Rong and Yin Families have had ties for a hundred years, where does this ’good’ come from?

During the period of the Republic, both families were evenly matched in terms of financial and manpower, during the war, Mr. Yin’s father joined the army to save the nation, while the Rong Family continued in business, providing money and effort for the country during the most chaotic times.

After the external war ended, the civil war started, the Rong Family had no stance, but because of a word from the then Old Master Yin...

The Rong Family’s entire assets were confiscated.

It was a chaotic world, no point in judging right or wrong, everyone was desperately trying to protect themselves, trying their best to distance themselves from trouble.

But...

The human heart is not centered, so it will never be balanced.

Fortunately, the Rong Family did not give up, they rose again, spending decades to reach their current position.

And the Yin Family... these decades, have prospered, with fame, respect, achievements...

Whatever they wanted, it was at their fingertips.

The present is stable, and the Rong Family is rising too, but as long as they bear the ’Rong’ surname, they can’t swallow the humiliation from half a century ago.

Rong Jing looked at the girl in front of him, with a face too young, the determination in her eyes before reaching him was crushed by his few words.

She is innocent, she is pitiful...

But so what? She’s Yin Shixiu’s wife... she should be careful in everything! She should not allow herself a single mistake!

Since she married into the Yin Family, how many eyes have been watching her?

Not to mention others, just the Yin Family... the elderly couple’s age is there, who will the next Family Head be?

As long as Yin Shixiu gives any hint to Yin Shiqing, the Yin Family would undergo a major reshuffle.

Others only see this as a war between Yin Shiqing and Yin Shixiu, little do they know that the second sibling, Yin Shilan, and the son-in-law by marriage, along with the entire family behind him, are watching intently too!

Becoming the Family Head, aside from everything else, the first thing to obtain is this mansion comparable to the royal gardens.

Those born here are either wolves or tigers, who wouldn’t covet it?

Oh, as for Yin Shihua, the third sibling, he indeed is a non-competitive type, along with her scholarly husband.

But whether they truly are non-competitive or just lack the position to compete?

Only they know in their hearts.

It was Su Xiaomeng’s carelessness, losing her step this once...

Now those who caught her misstep happen to be the Rong Family, asking him to give up such a good pawn is like asking a jackal to voluntarily spit out the fresh meat in its mouth.

"I said, I’m here to help you, I won’t let things reach such a terrifying extent... no one will ever know about your ’seducing’ Rong Qiao’s fiancé..."

Rong Jing reached out and gently wiped away Su Xiaomeng’s tears, coaxing, "You are still your Yin Family’s Young Madam, the Yin Family, the Bai Family, your husband’s family, your husband and children will not be blamed."

"...you have a condition..."

Su Xiaomeng’s voice was hoarse...

"A... very small condition."

Su Xiaomeng bit her lip tight, slapped his hand away, her eyes reddened as she glared at him, "Get lost!"

"You won’t even listen? Won’t even listen and have already made your choice... blindly watching things head towards the worst direction?"

Su Xiaomeng felt both desperate and helpless at this moment, even though she knew how disgraceful this matter was and what kind of impact it might bring...

But when Rong Jing laid the consequences out before her like a giant net, so clear and distinct...

What she had imagined was far from sufficient.

She now feels only regret...

Regretful for wanting just a little more time with her husband and children, yet not having confessed.

Regretful for her cowardice and weakness!

If she had confessed proactively, it would only concern a small family matter... she could just leave.

But now, standing before her are two cunning individuals, tightly holding onto this leverage. They’ve exaggerated the event, turning it into a snowball, involving everyone who can be involved...

The massive snowball in front of her is something she simply cannot bear.

Rong Jing sees her silence and slowly speaks, "Before your incident, Yin Group and Rong Family Group were vying for a major cooperation project, which affects whether Rong Family could break into the internet economy."

"For Yin Group, this may just be one among many cooperation projects. Of course, I’m not saying this project isn’t important to Yin Group; I just want you to understand that Rong Family needs this project more than Yin Group."

Su Xiaomeng quietly watches him...

"Help me reclaim this cooperation project, and your ’seduction’ of Ren Yixuan will never be brought up again."

"I don’t understand business operations; I can’t do it."

"You don’t need to understand. I’ll give you a USB drive; all you have to do is plug it into Yin Shixiu’s work laptop and install the software from the USB."

"The cooperation project, he’s already signed it with the other party. How do you take back an already signed project?"

Su Xiaomeng furrows her brow.

Rong Qiao, who had remained silent on the side, couldn’t help but scoff, "Asking more won’t help; you don’t understand business operations anyway."

"Xiao Qiao, remember she is Brother Shixiu’s wife, show some respect."

Rong Qiao glanced at Su Xiaomeng with disdain and scoffed.

Rong Jing looked at Su Xiaomeng, "His computer contains the details of the cooperation project. The contract takes effect from the date of signing, but every contract has some additional conditions, and that’s what I’m after."

"...This project... he put a lot of effort into it..."

Su Xiaomeng looked at Rong Jing, her eyes red, "You want me to give you the fruit of his efforts?"

"Or you can choose to have him and all the important families bear the world’s reproach with you, as well as the shame that should have been yours alone."

Rong Jing said lightly.

Su Xiaomeng lowered her head... clenched her fists...

"The Yin Group won’t suffer a significant loss from missing this project, at most some breach penalties, but if your matter is exposed... it’s not only you who will suffer, think about it..."

"Yin Shixiu won’t love you anymore... your children will be constantly reminded that their mother went for wild food after marrying such an outstanding man—"

"Enough!"

Su Xiaomeng covered her ears, her mind near breaking...

Rong Jing was silent, he knew her answer, he knew what choice she would make...

Because she is simply a very simple woman.

Su Xiaomeng reached out to him, "Where’s the USB?"

Rong Jing curved his lips into a smile, Su Xiaomeng clearly heard Rong Qiao’s disdainful scoff.

He retrieved a USB drive from within a blue-and-white porcelain vase and placed it in Su Xiaomeng’s hand, "Just install this software, I promise—"

"Shixiu he..."

Su Xiaomeng looked at the USB in her hand, clenched her fist, then slightly lifted her head to look at Rong Jing, interrupting him, "He often tells me as jokes, things he’s encountered at work... some happened when he and his friends were starting up, some when the company went public, some during the financial crisis..."

"I really don’t understand business operations, and Shixiu never goes into that with me, but he does tell me some trends... I’ve never really heard of."

"For instance... with technology being so advanced now, some corporate spies don’t need to enter another company to steal secrets, they just need to install a kind of system software onto the computer of a key manager..."

"Once the software is installed, there will be no trace of it, but it will have connected remotely to another computer, allowing the other party to browse all confidential files without a trace..."

Rong Jing’s eyes squinted slightly.

"If there’s any project that’s not invalidated due to a breach by one party but can be snatched anytime by a third party during the contract’s validity period..."

"Uncle should definitely tell me if it happens, I’d love to share such a curious story with others."

Su Xiaomeng took a shallow breath, while Rong Qiao’s expression became increasingly serious, she stared at Su Xiaomeng...

"What you want isn’t any cooperation project, but all the confidential information of Yin Group. If I install this software into his computer, heh..."

She chuckled softly, "The person who developed this software was an American hacker, jailed for several years because of it, and after getting out... was hired by Yin Group."

"I’m not sure if you know that, Uncle?"

"Heh... really? I hadn’t heard about that..."

Su Xiaomeng took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled, sniffing a bit, she looked at him, "If I do what you say, it wouldn’t just be giving you his couple of months’ efforts, but an entire decade’s worth..."

"My worth, Su Xiaomeng’s worth, isn’t that high. If I separate from him because I was involved with Ren Yixuan, at least I know myself I am also a victim..."