Chapter 125: The Same Method

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“Where is she? How come I didn’t see her?” Song Zijiang looked in the direction Song Xin indicated, yet still failed to spot Song Wannian.

Until Song Xin said, “Dad, that’s my sister over there, standing in front, wearing the purple dress.”

If she hadn’t gone to the lakeside park before to look for Song Wannian last time, he probably wouldn’t have recognized her at all.

Song Zijiang was taken aback. “She’s Song Wannian?”

Still uncertain, he rubbed his eyes and stepped closer, studying her features carefully. Only then did he truly feel that the confident, commanding girl before him could indeed be Song Wannian.

As a father, Song Zijiang naturally gave a relieved expression first. “Wanning? It really is you. You’ve changed so much—I almost didn’t recognize you. Your aunt was right; sending you on that variety show was clearly the right choice.”

By “aunt,” he meant Lian Fangfang, the wife he had taken as a second wife later, and Song Xin’s real mother.

Although the original Song had always gotten along very well with Lian and her daughter, she never called Lian “mother,” only “aunt.” Over time, the Song household had grown used to it.

Song Wannian knew that with their identities, these two would never have been on Li Weiwei’s invite list, so she was certain they had slipped in. And there had to be an accomplice, who was very likely Jian Anan.

She glanced at Jian Anan while thinking this.

Her tactics were exactly like those in the book: first secretly ruin the dress and then make her wear it, then find someone to expose her scandal in full view of everyone. In the story it had been strangers from nowhere; now, it was the Song family.

Jian Anan, who had been eagerly waiting to enjoy the scene, turned her gaze away instantly when she saw Song Wannian suddenly look toward her.

Did Song Wannian realize it was Jian Anan who had done it?
Why would she? She had not slipped.
On what ground could she be blamed?
Jian Anan was shaken.

But Song Zijiang’s expression changed from brief pleasure to iron hardness in an instant. “Of course I’m glad to see you’ve changed so much and become so good-looking, but the family is in trouble now. Not only do you not help, you even dare to block everyone’s calls? Is this how you cut off all ties so you won’t have to pay back your debts?”

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Song Wannian rolled her eyes.
It was such a familiar tone—exactly the way Song Xin once sounded.

“That’s rich. When the company was making money, none of you thought to spend even one more penny on me. Now the company has trouble, and you still dare to come asking me for help?”

The netizens’ focus, however, was strange.

[Wow, is rolling your eyes really this beautiful when you’re a beauty?]
[No wonder high-status people make every move look good.]
[Hey, can we stay on topic? Shouldn’t we be talking about how to throw out these cold-hearted relatives?]
...

Song Zijiang’s pupils flickered. He clearly couldn’t believe Song Wannian would say something like this.
“Your sister came to find you before, and you refused her in the same way. I wouldn’t have believed her when she told me this, but to think you’re truly this selfish. We are one family—how can you be so petty?”

“Petty? What you call this unselfishness is that I should hand over all the fifty percent of shares held by my birth mother, so in the end the three of you each get a stake, while I get not a scrap of a share? Where is fairness in that?”

Song Wannian stared at Song Zijiang coldly, sending him a shiver.

It was this face that Song Zijiang had watched for over twenty years, from childhood to now. For the first time, she seemed so foreign and terrifying to him.
Same person, same face—how could she change so much in half a month?
Only then did the guests understand.

“So that was the Xu family’s bargain-basement son-in-law, wasn’t it? No wonder Xiangling Xu had no eyes if she picked him.”

“Shh! Her daughter is here.”
“So what if she is? I’m just telling the truth. You didn’t give her even one share, and now that the company is in trouble, you still have the nerve to come asking for help. Song Enterprises was built by Xiangling Xu herself. It’s a pity she married a smooth-talking, spineless man like that.”

Everyone who entered this hall as a guest today had at least some standing in society. None of them were people the Song family’s current paper-thin company could afford to anger.

Even as Song Zijiang heard those comments and felt deeply ashamed, he pretended not to hear them and kept pressing Song Wannian with appeals to family ties, trying to force her to beg Wen Jingxing for help.
He knew all too well that Wen Jingxing was standing right there, and yet he did not dare to go approach him. In his mind, Song Wannian was still that old, obedient “original” girl, easy to bully, with no temper at all.

That was why he could not believe what Song Xin had said about her changing.

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“Away with that, Waning. We’re one family. You don’t say things like that to people like this; it hurts. Isn’t Aunt Lian and your sister your family too? The shares may not be in your name, but did we not always give you money to spend? I’ve never shorted you when it came to food and clothing.”

Song Zijiang deliberately said this in front of so many people so Song Wannian would be embarrassed and publicly pinned down, hoping the crowd would brand her unfilial.
But the guests present were all people seasoned in society. No one failed to see this petty trick.

“I’ve seen shameless people, but never this shameless.”
“Hearing all things is not like seeing them—today I have truly opened my eyes to the Song family.”

The bystanders also felt something had gone wrong and started talking.
[How is Song Wannian’s father talking so strangely?]
[So it’s true—marry a stepmother, and even your own father turns into a stepfather.]
[This family has too much nerve. Last time they were hunting for Song Wannian at the lakeside, and now they’re talking about her in front of this many people.]

Li Weiwei, who had been watching from backstage, saw that unauthorized people had entered the hall. She immediately sent someone to have the father and daughter escorted out.

Just as Song Wannian was about to reply, Wen Jingxing suddenly stepped forward and shielded her from view.

“Song Zijiang! Your company’s losses are the result of your own mistakes. You’re a grown man—why do you humiliate A Ning in front of so many people?”

When Song Zijiang saw Wen Jingxing speaking up for Song Wannian, he was plainly taken aback.

But once he saw who was speaking, his aggressive tone melted away at once.
“Mr. Wen, as you said, we are one family. When trouble comes, she should help too. When the company profits, she spends; when it suffers, she runs away—that’s not how it works!”

“The company? At your business level, that company would have collapsed long ago on its own.”
A mocking smile flickered on Wen Jingxing’s face.
Song Zijiang’s expression darkened. “Mr. Wen, watch your words. Why do you personally attack our company? Though we take our business from you, we have always worked carefully and diligently. We haven’t made any serious mistakes, have we?”