Chapter 23

The previous hot searches were still hanging around. However, next to the new topics which revealed the truth, they were like a plague of shame, both ironic and ridiculous.

The top two searches were now ‘The Truth Behind The College Entrance  Exam Case!’ and ‘Turns Out This Is Vicious And Unfilial!’

Two places below them were ‘Mo Family Members’ Brain Circuit’, ‘Mo Di Framed’, and ‘Apologies to Mo Di’.

Several searches such as ‘Zhang Kuang Chang Lied’, ‘Mo Family Really Disgusting’, ‘Mo Di’s Sister Mo Liu Gui’, etc, were scattered amongst the tenth and twenty-third positions on the list.

For those who had cursed and insulted Mo Di, every time they opened up their Weibo, the naked truth was like a slap in the face!

Netizens are not machines, they are also human beings. Most people have normal three views, most netizens are the same.

Seeing the truth after being agitated out of their mind and abusing Mo Di, many netizens’ brains froze and crashed. They all felt the ache on their cheeks and a strong sense of guilt, shame, and anger.

At the same time…there was an influx of people who felt heartache for the grief-stricken young man in the video asking his family “why”.

With the spread of the videos, the hype and support from the public had reversed.

“That’s the truth! I just want to ask those who had insulted Mo Di does your face still hurt? Will you apologize to him?”

“Shit!!! My heart hurts very much! Mo Di this little thing is so pitiful and miserable!”

“I swear I will not follow the queue so easily again. This reversal hurts my face too badly! When I think about the abuse he had to go through daily and the insults that I hurled on him, I’m really…damn! Felt like I just burned myself!”

“I don’t know what to say. I’m now feeling quite sad, and also heartache. I just want to apologize to Mo Di. I’m really sorry!”

“I did not expect the truth to turn out this way. After watching the two videos, I was really surprised. How could Zhang Kuang Chang be so obnoxious? Framing someone like this could ruin their life! And those Mo people are really the best of their kind. Are their brains made of sh*t? They just insist that one of their family cheated just like that? This involves prison time and forever be covered in stains! It’s going to destroy him for a lifetime!”

“I think Mo Liu Gui is very white lotus. Her words are shifty.”

“When Mo Di asked them why they always insulted him, always thought the worst of him, it was f**king pitiful!!! What’s wrong with the Mo family, how can they be so prejudiced? Their reasoning is so twisted. They even pretended to be upright. Not caring or liking the child is bad enough, you even got mad at him for falling down when he tried to serve you tea?! His leg was burnt yet you blame him for scaring your baby girl?! Are you f**king retarded?! I’m so pissed!!!”

“I don’t want to say anything just that I’m really frustrated and heartbroken!!!”

“I want to see those who supported the villains but mistreated Mo Di, the victim, put to shame! How many of you will actually apologize?”

“Damn! He got first in his grade but still got reprimanded, beaten, and had his leg broken by his brothers? And that was considered good teaching? Why? Because it made your baby princess cry? My god, your little princess didn’t do well in the exam and it’s Mo Di’s fault? It’s an imperial edict that your princess can’t be sad? Do you think your daughter is Mary Sue or the biggest goddess in the world?”

“Poor Mo Di, he’s really pitiable.”

“I understand the Mo family logic now. You only have a burned leg, but Liu Gui she’s crying!”

“I second that! You only have a fatal allergic reaction but your sister, she cried and fainted!”

“Mo Liu Gui is such a white lotus. Those who had praised her to the sky, does your conscience hurt now?”

“…”

Public opinion was gradually changing. There was guilt, anger, sympathy, and various other emotions being posted. However, the antagonistic comments were not completely eliminated. A small portion of those that had attacked Mo Di refused to admit their guilt. Instead, their anger escalated and so did the vileness in their comments. Several also insisted that “Mo Di must have done something nasty to provoke Zhang Kuang Chang” or “the Mo family hated Mo Di so much because he must have done something unspeakable before”. Basically the victim is always at fault. And so a cursing war was started between them and the rest of the netizens.

But the negative commenters were relatively small in number compared to the majority of rational people.

…

Zhang Kuang Chang who framed Mo Di, and the Mo family with their abnormal brain circuit, were berated by angry netizens. There was growing support for increasing Zhang Kuang Chang’s sentence and boycotting of the Mo enterprises. As such, in just an hour, the Mo group’s stock decreased by nearly eight percent!

The initially gloating Mo family members who had come to see Mo Di’s downfall, in the span of an hour, had their faces slapped consecutively. The whole Mo house had become a complete mess.

The Mo patriarch almost fainted in anger and the Mo eldest son had to send him to the hospital. Mo Yi Cheng had to rush back to the company and was surrounded by concerned shareholders. The Mo second son had to send the crying Ruan Qing Dan to the police station to see Mo Shi Hong. Mo Wu Hang and Mo Si Lang received criticisms from the netizens and some even had complaints about their baby sister. Unable to contain their anger, they both opened a side account to throw back their curses. At the same time, their main account and countless water armies were used to whitewash the Mo family. 

As for how far the public opinion had developed, Mo Di had yet to know. Currently, he was giving out testimonies to the police. After all, there were still some details that had to be clarified by him.

Several police officers had taken a liking to Mo Di. One of the younger policewomen kept looking at Mo Di with sympathetic eyes. Before he left, she whispered to him: “It’s good to break off, you’ll be happy in the future.”

“Thank you, sister.” Mo Di raised his head and gave her a sincere smile.

When Mo Di could finally leave, Mu Tian Heng gently shook his shoulder and said: “Shall we go?”

“En!” Mo Di smiled at Mu Tian Heng with sparkles in his eyes.

Mu Tian Heng’s heart softened. Joy was emitting from his every blood cell and a smile bloomed on his face. “But before we go back, there’s someone we have to meet.”

“Who?”

“Commissioner Wang. We’ll hand him the original video recording and then take him to see Han Lan Yi for confirmation. That’s how we can finally close this matter.”

“Ok.” Mo Di obediently nodded his head. He knew that Han Lan Yi refused to enter the police station or appear in public, and so the only choice was to keep her identity in the dark.

Mu Tian Heng must have worked really hard to be able to find this Commissioner Wang in such short notice.

“Brother.” Mo Di suddenly shouted.

“Uhm?” Mu Tian Heng looked at him: “What is it?”

“Thank you, brother.” Mo Di touched his right hand lightly, raised his head and said: “I will definitely repay your kindness. And the money I owed, I will pay brother back.”

“Why are you saying such things again? When did you owe me money?” Mu Tian Heng disagreed: “If you’re talking about the money given to Han Lan Yi and the broadcast fees, then there is no need. They only add up to less than ten million, it’s not as much as the house I wanted to buy for you. I just want to repay you for saving me but you keep refusing. Only you can save me but I can’t help you?”

Mu Tian Heng had thought this through. If he insisted on giving Mo Di a house or the villa, he still wouldn’t accept it. Then he might as well just help his little one with whatever he needed on a regular basis.

“Brother, that’s not how this is calculated. Your….logic is off.”

“How is it off? I think I’ve got it all straightened out. This is just a mutual repayment. If it weren’t for you, I would have been killed by that steel pipe. Even if I don’t die, my legs would’ve been broken. Whether it’s my appearance, mentality, or health, I would have suffered a big blow. No amount of money can cure such trauma. So don’t you think you’ve helped me out a lot?”

“And,” Mu Tian Heng did not give Mo Di a chance to cut in, “I think my life is worth more than a house. The little money I’ve spent to help you can’t even buy an ordinary house in the city. Little one, do you think that my life is not valuable?”

“Brother, you know that’s not what I meant.” Mo Di’s brows wrinkled.

“I know that’s not what you meant. But you’re always trying to balance out the books this way. It just felt distant when you keep saying that owe me.” Mu Tian Heng reached out and rubbed Mo Di’s hair: “Little one, this book-keeping that you’re doing, I’ll give you a set of loopholes and between us, don’t mention debts anymore. Got it?”

“I…I got it.” Mo Di felt a little swollen in his heart. He could not tell what this feeling was. In a word, ever since he could remember, he had never felt like this before.

It made his whole being warm, as if he was enveloped in an embrace.

…

When Mu Tian Heng went to see Commissioner Wang, Mo Di did not follow. He waited in the car outside the house.

He decided to log in to Weibo to see how the public opinion had developed after the tables were turned.

When he entered, the screen…

Froze.

Mo Di was speechless. He logged in again and the same thing happened.

Mo Di: “…”

After about seven or eight times, Mo Di finally got in.

Mo Di browsed for about ten minutes before his focus stayed on the news about the Mo Group’s plummeted shares. He sneered.

Too bad it only went down ten percent.

But that was quite impressive already. With their market value shrunk, the shareholders alone were enough to give them trouble, not to mention the affected cooperation and investment. Even if they don’t crumble this time, it would still bottleneck further achievement.

Unless…

Qin Cheng Yi lent them a hand.

Even so, the Mo Group would not be able to return to its former glory. The Qin family would also be affected. In any case, it was all gratifying news to him.

Mo Di locked his phone, turned and appreciated the flowers on the side of the road.

In fact, completely sullying the Mos’ reputation was the most satisfying and valuable aspect of his counterattack this time.

That was because after the public realized how the Mo family had manipulated the truth, it will be deeply rooted in their hearts. In the future, most would refuse to blindly believe in the Mo family’s nonsense. Should they try to slander Mo Di again, their words should cause him no disadvantage at all. Instead, it might even benefit him.

And after his rebirth, one of his goals was to gain as many ‘passer-by’ favours and support as possible, and now, he had accomplished a small part of it.

More importantly, in this fight, it had caused bigger cracks in Mo Liu Gui’s godhood again. And compared to last time, it was much more serious. 

People had begun to question her intentions and no longer swayed by her tears. Unlike the one in his past life where everyone was queuing up to praise her, voted her as their favourite celebrity, every foreigner would think of her when they talk about Hua Xia, this time, things were so much better. Naturally, there were still those that would start a swearing war on the internet for her sake and passer-by who became her fan after seeing the video, but it did not matter. Her almighty mask had been cracked, and that was enough. After all, Rome wasn’t built in a day, it was just too unrealistic to topple her easily.

When Mu Tian Heng and Mo Di were finally done with their endeavours, it was already half past six in the evening. The two who did not manage to grab a bite the whole day eventually felt the hunger setting in. 

“Little one, the eating tour to the most authentic snacks and restaurants in the capital, is it still on?” Mu Tian Heng sat in the driver’s seat holding the steering wheel. He turned and smiled at Mo Di.

“Of course it’s on.”

Mo Di smiled naturally and said, “As planned, we’ll go to Lao Li Tou restaurant in Li Cheng lane tonight. That restaurant has the most authentic tasting local cuisines I’ve tried. It’s really good. And they not only have main dishes, but their snacks are also delicious. There are traditional flavours and innovative flavours as well. It’s said that their chocolate flavoured Lu Da Gun (TN: glutinous rice rolls) are the best. Brother, you will like it!”

“Chocolate flavoured Lu Da Gun?” 

“En! The traditional ones are filled with red bean paste. The newly created chocolate flavoured ones are made with soybean powder and taste like chocolate. It’s just amazing!”

“How do you know that I like chocolate?” Mu Tian Heng’s eyes slightly bent. His pupils were sparkling with the lights from the street. He teasingly questioned: “Did you ask Lai De Si?”

“No… I didn’t. I just made a guess!” Mo Di replied frenziedly.

“I can see that you’re indeed just guessing because I don’t like chocolate.” Mu Tian Heng smiled, “But I do like desserts. And I’m also looking forward to trying these authentic Beijing cuisines. Let’s go have our dinner now.”

Mo Di obediently agreed but internally, he was confused. Lai De Si clearly told him that Mu Tian Heng liked chocolates, why was that not the case?

Lai De Si, he’s…. not very reliable.

Because Mo Di had booked in advance, the two managed to avoid a gruelling queue of more than ten meters long. They were led to a table at a corner by the waiter.

“Good evening, these are complimentary dessert and snack from our store.” The young waiter stole a few glances at Mo Di but did not say anything.

Mo Di pulled up his mask, thinking that he should only take it down when they’re eating.

Mu Tian Heng thanked the waiter. He and Mo Di ordered several dishes together then let the waiter leave.

“It’s ok. After some time you won’t be treated as a walking attraction anymore.” Mu Tian Heng comforted him, then he teased: “Do you want a Lu Da Gun?”

Mo Di looked left and right. He quickly picked up a piece of Lu Da Gun, and, in a swift action, pulled down his mask, shoved it in his mouth and pulled the mask back up. He then gave Mu Tian Heng a proud look.

Seeing Mo Di’s movement and the puffed cheek, even his proud look made Mu Tian Heng want to laugh. His hand covered his mouth to suppress the chuckle and tried to speak steadily: “That was unexpected. Really can’t judge a book by its cover. That move of yours was really skilful. Amazing.”

Mo Di’s mouth was so full that even his tongue had nowhere else to go. He wanted to speak but was unable to. He had to chew the Lu Da Gun hard for half a minute before his tongue could move freely. 

He was about to say something when two figures entered the restaurant and caught his attention. He paused for a while.

His eyes followed the two people who went into a corridor at the other end of the room and into a private cubicle. 

Mu Tian Heng noticed Mo Di’s gaze and also turned to look at the two beautiful ladies in their early thirties. He thought and asked: “What is it? See someone you know?”

“Something… like that…” Mo Di refocused his mind and continued to chew laboriously. “The lady in the white suit and skirt is my eldest cousin, Mo Yi Cheng’s girlfriend.”

“Girlfriend?” Mu Tian Heng looked away with a little surprise.

On the surface, Mo Yi Cheng was perfect in talent and looks, his business skills were also not bad. It was just a pity that he was a brain-damaged sister fanatic and probably not a good man.

If Mo Di could hear what Mu Tian Heng was thinking, he would confirm that Mo Yi Cheng was definitely not a good man.

In his last life, a year after he left home, Mo Yi Cheng married his girlfriend Wen Ru ya, but they divorced after less than five years. 

He and Wen Ru Ya’s relationship was not close and were bad even. After all, his bad reputation was so well promoted by the Mo family and Zhu Wen Ze that the upper circle of the capital all knew of it. No matter how he explained, few people would believe him.

As for Wen Ru Ya, she was his big brother’s girlfriend, hence she would be closer to Mo Wu Hang and Mo Liu Gui. Naturally, she would not associate herself with him but she did not bully him either.

With that in mind, Mo Di wanted to give her a friendly reminder not to enter the fire pit known as the Mo family. 

Like him, she was also a cannon fodder – a relatively less important cannon fodder whose fate was not as bad as his but nonetheless, was still miserable.

Mo Di finally managed to swallow his Lu Da Gun. He then told Mu Tian Heng he wanted to use the men’s. On the way, he pretended to be lost and went to the corridor where Wen Ru Ya was sited.

Needless to say, he was not planning to directly persuade Wen Ru Ya to stay away from Mo Yi Cheng right now. He only wanted to observe her current state and attitude, then find a way to dissuade her later.

Coincidentally, as he approached the room, he could faintly hear Wen Ru Ya’s voice, which carried a hint of suppressed emotions: “Chun Wen, you don’t have to say anymore, I know what to do.”

“What do you know? The whole Mo family is a bunch of top-grade sickos. Why aren’t you breaking up with Mo Yi Cheng yet? Do you want to jump into that hell hole? All of them are crazy about Mo Liu Gui to the point of absurdity. Once you’ve entered their family, whether you’ve offended Mo Liu Gui or not, if she’s sad or not well, as long as it’s related to you, you’re automatically at fault. None of your in-laws will stand up for you, including your husband. Do you understand?!!”

Inside was silent.

It seemed Wen Ru Ya did not speak. The person named Chun Wen spoke again with a more restrained voice: “Don’t tell me that the timing is not right. There is no right timing for this. When it’s right, you’re already married!” 

“No, Chun Wen, we had discussed that the wedding will take place in May next year. There’s still some time for everyone to calm down.”

“No! There’s no more time!” the person said anxiously: “Ru Ya, let me tell you something but you have to promise not to tell Mo Yi Cheng.”

“I promise. What is it?” 

“Sigh…” there was a sound of a chair shifting and chopsticks being put down. 

“Ru Ya, let me tell you, my uncle who works in the Bureau heard a certain piece of news. Mo Shi Hong is being prosecuted and most likely sentenced because he participated in fabricating evidence. This is a very serious crime and they are going to make a big deal out of it. There will be no leniency. Do you want to have an uncle-in-law sitting in jail?!” 

“If you don’t break up with Mo Yi Cheng now, when his third uncle is convicted, then your break up will look even worse!”