Chapter 3

The live broadcast turned into a farce. Just a few minutes after Mo Honghai appeared on the live broadcast, it was immediately cut off.

Even though the live broadcast had ended, discussions continued all over social media platforms. Various videos and photos kept surfacing, with the more scandalous news attracting even more attention.

Originally, Pei Jingyou’s performance at the press conference a few days ago had successfully turned the tide of public opinion to some extent. Today, his act of reconciliation with the victim at the hospital was expected to further mitigate the situation. However, Mo Honghai’s dramatic antics immediately stirred up the heat once again.

For several days in a row, social media was fervently reporting on the car accident.

“Privacy” in this era of new media was equivalent to a joke.

Soon, information and photos of Mo Yin’s entire family began circulating online.

Especially Mo Yin, the sole survivor.

A photo of his pilot registration card quickly went viral online.

With his beautiful eyebrows, bright eyes, high nose bridge, and fair and handsome face, wearing a simple round-neck black T-shirt with a faint smile, he appeared full of youthful vigor, yet restrained and gentle.

Contrasting with this ID photo was the gruesome scene of the car accident, with arms struggling to escape from the car window, and blood dripping irregularly on the ground.

Compared to the abstract term “victim,” such a concrete portrayal of a person was evidently more vivid and bloody. As a result, the emotions of netizens surged even more, sparking a wave of boycotts of “Friendship Logistics” online. Despite how much of this was instigated by competitors, Friendship Logistics found itself in a difficult situation, unable to provide a reasonable explanation.

Mo Honghai was extremely pleased.

He had now become an internet celebrity, his phone was ringing off the hook with calls from reporters and self-media. Even late at night, his WeChat was constantly buzzing. He had become a sought-after figure in the eyes of the media.

Mo Yin was right after all. This heat couldn’t be quenched. At this rate, Friendship Logistics would soon offer him more money.

Mo Honghai was ecstatic, too busy giving interviews and crying for sympathy to visit Mo Yin in the hospital. He quickly called Mo Yin, saying he was coordinating with Friendship Logistics, and Mo Yin just needed to wait in the hospital for a good outcome.

After the live broadcast was cut off, visits were canceled. Mo Yin didn’t see Pei Jingyou. He watched videos and photos taken by passersby, showing Pei Jingyou awkwardly returning to his car under the escort of his staff.

These days, Mo Yin spends his time quietly in the hospital.

He had also become somewhat famous. Nurses and doctors sympathized with him even more than before, trying their best to take care of him.

In this world, Mo Yin naturally had a gentle and harmless face. He didn’t say or do anything, just sitting on the hospital bed with a faint smile, which was enough to make people feel sorry for him.

The two caregivers hired by Friendship continued to take good care of him, changing his clothes and attending to his needs meticulously. They didn’t initiate a conversation with him, and Mo Yin remained silent.

While the internet was in an uproar, Mo Yin continued to recuperate peacefully every day, without contacting Mo Honghai again, letting him stir things up as he pleased.

After a few days, there was a surprising turn of events online.

A self-media account exposed that Mo Honghai owed a lot of debts and was a compulsive gambler. Not only that, his son was also a debtor, now marked as untrustworthy due to taking a lot of online loans. The whistleblower sarcastically referred to them as a “den of debtors.” Moreover, the relationship between Mo Honghai and Mo Hongshan’s family was very ordinary. A neighbor of Mo Hongshan testified that the two brothers rarely interacted, with Mo Honghai often coming over to borrow money. It was obvious that Mo Honghai wasn’t seeking justice for his nephew, but rather trying to extort money for himself.

Following this, Friendship also issued a lawyer’s letter, directly accusing Mo Honghai of malicious extortion. They had notarized some of Mo Honghai’s WeChat chat records, ready to sue him and hold him legally responsible.

The timestamps on the WeChat chat records were just two days after the live broadcast.

In contrast to the pitiful appearance of accusing unscrupulous companies online, Mo Honghai’s greed and ruthlessness were clearly revealed in the chat records, where he explicitly or implicitly stated, “This is my own nephew—I need more money.”

This greedy and heartless face shattered the illusions of many onlookers, who exclaimed, “We should let the bullets fly a little longer in the future.”

The online argument escalated once again, with armies of water armies and public relations flying in. Netizens engaged in endless debates online, causing the heat of the incident to rise to another level.

The nurses, upon reading the post, exclaimed indignantly, “That uncle is really despicable! His nephew is paralyzed in bed, and he only visited once.”

“Really? Is he that heartless?”

“Why would I lie to you? He’s just blinded by money. That poor child even asked me pitifully if his uncle was telling the truth about his legs being bad. I’m sure that uncle must have pressured and coerced him. Who else can he rely on in the future? Only his uncle… It’s really pitiful. He’ll definitely be abused and used to death by his uncle!”

“This is too pitiful… Why do I feel like everyone here is evil, and he’s the most unfortunate?”

“Who can argue with that? At least Friendship Logistics hired caregivers for him.”

“…Ah, so unlucky. Encountering such a thing, losing his family, and ruining his future…”

As the nurses were chatting, someone approached. It was a middle-aged man dressed immaculately in a suit, representing Friendship Logistics, here to visit Mo Yin.

“Who are you?”

The nurse asked cautiously.

“I represent Friendship Logistics.”

Ding Mohai followed the nurse to the front of the ward. The nurse knocked on the door, and Mo Yin’s voice came from inside, “Please come in.”

Ding Mohai nodded to the nurse, who turned her face somewhat discontentedly. In her opinion, Mo Yin should be resting and not seeing anyone. But since Mo Yin agreed to see him, she couldn’t stop him.

The door to the ward opened.

This room was a special single high-class ward arranged by Friendship Logistics, clean and tidy, much like a bedroom at home. The warm and fresh color scheme, with the curtains drawn back, allowed natural light to pour in, illuminating Mo Yin’s calm face on the hospital bed.

This was Ding Mohai’s first time seeing Mo Yin awake. He introduced himself first, and Mo Yin nodded slightly, looking at him with some avoidance. “What brings you here to see me?”

Ding Mohai stood at the foot of the bed, finding it hard to connect the Mo Yin in front of him, who seemed ill, with the one Mo Honghai had described as “taught by him.”

“Mr. Ding, you know me. I have no ill intentions. When you found me back then, I agreed immediately without a second thought… Mr. Ding, it was all the idea of that… of Mo Yin, that brat. He told me to make a big deal out of it, and taught me to demand more money from you! I… I really didn’t think about it. My nephew is a good student, smart, really, this isn’t my fault. Please spare me and don’t take me to court…”

Mo Honghai considered himself a seasoned businessman, but in reality, he was naive. Ding Mohai brought a lawyer along and gave him a good scare. Combined with the sudden change in online sentiment, Mo Honghai immediately caved in. He quickly changed his tune and threw Mo Yin under the bus.

Ding Mohai made a call to Pei Jingyou.

Pei Jingyou remained silent for a moment and then told Ding Mohai to handle it himself.

Ding Mohai decided to personally meet the “mastermind” behind the scenes, as mentioned by Mo Honghai.

To be honest, Mo Yin didn’t seem like the type to come up with such ideas. Stirring up trouble while wearing mourning clothes suited someone like Mo Honghai, but it didn’t fit with the refined and gentle young man in front of him.

Ding Mohai silently scrutinized Mo Yin. Mo Yin slowly lowered his head under his gaze.

Ding Mohai frowned slightly and spoke calmly, “We’re sorry for what happened to you and your family. We want to offer some compensation on behalf of the employee responsible. What do you think is appropriate?”

Mo Yin kept his head down and didn’t speak. After a while, he said slowly, “I don’t know. You should talk to my uncle.”

Ding Mohai said, “I’m here on behalf of your uncle.”

Mo Yin raised his head, looking wary. “I want to call my uncle.”

Ding Mohai smiled. “He might not be available right now.”

Mo Yin’s face turned pale. “What did you do to my uncle?”

Ding Mohai remained silent, just smiling down at Mo Yin with a superior air.

Mo Yin’s breathing became rapid, his chest heaving slightly, and a faint blush appeared on his pale face. “If you harm my uncle like this, I will go to the reporters.”

“Harm?”

“My uncle doesn’t owe any debts,” Mo Yin gritted his teeth. “It’s you who are harming him.”

Ding Mohai realized that things might not be as he had imagined. After a moment of thought, he went straight to the point, “Mo Honghai said it was you who told him to deliberately cry outside the hospital during the visit?” Then he stared intently at Mo Yin’s face, observing his instant reaction.

Mo Yin’s face showed no expression.

He didn’t widen his eyes or dilate his pupils; he just stared at Ding Mohai motionlessly, as if he had been struck by lightning, stupidly without any reaction, staring at Ding Mohai.

After about four or five seconds, his lips trembled, and he said, “What?”

Ding Mohai wanted to believe either this 18-year-old in front of him was an Oscar-winning actor, or Mo Yin was innocent.

The words of a gambling addict held little credibility to begin with, especially compared to the youth who had just suffered a series of heavy blows in front of him, which were almost negligible.

“Yes,” Ding Mohai finally tested, “that’s what he said.”

Then he saw Mo Yin’s face quickly turn gray, looking somewhat desperate and slowly lowered his head again. Ding Mohai waited for him to defend himself or accuse, but unexpectedly, Mo Yin smiled and chuckled, his mouth reluctantly curving up, and he said softly, “I don’t believe it. My uncle wouldn’t say that.”

Ding Mohai was stunned.

The ward fell silent, with only Mo Yin’s slight, somewhat breathless inhales.

Ding Mohai was starting to feel a bit sorry.

Before coming here, he had thoroughly investigated Mo Yin’s family and his relationship with Mo Honghai, as well as their previous phone records. In his judgment, Mo Honghai’s explanation was completely unbelievable.

“Perhaps there’s some misunderstanding between you and your uncle,” he grasped the rail at the end of the bed, his tone much milder than before, “I hope you’ll consider cooperating with us to resolve this matter. We’re very sincere.”

Mo Yin lay down, pulling the blanket up to cover his face.

Ding Mohai watched the trembling shoulders under the blanket and didn’t say much more. He turned and left the ward.

As the door closed, Mo Yin lowered the blanket, a flush of suppressed laughter on his face.

Youcheng didn’t disappoint him at all; he quickly sorted out Mo Honghai.

Relying solely on Mo Honghai’s poor acting skills to contend with such a large corporate PR battle was simply a pipe dream.

Fortunately, Mo Honghai didn’t disappoint him either, immediately choosing to betray him like a turncoat.

Mo Yin turned his head to look at the pale ward door, a faint smile in his eyes. So, it was his turn to perform next.

Ding Mohai chatted with the nurse outside the ward.

“His uncle is really bad, who tells someone just waking up that their legs are useless, and they’ll be paralyzed in the future? It scared the poor kid. He even brought a basket of fruits, but the kid didn’t want to eat them. He kept saying they were bought by his uncle and waited eagerly for his uncle to come see him, but he never came…”

The nurse sneered. They were also following public opinion online. When Mo Hong Hai’s behavior as a deadbeat and those chat records were exposed, she felt like Mo Yin was being treated like a cash cow by Mo Honghai.

Anyway, Ding Mohai was from Youcheng’s company, so she didn’t mind saying whatever. Whatever she wanted to say, she said it.

“His parents are gone, and he’s stuck with such an uncle. Given his current situation, what responsibility do you think you should take for the rest of his life?”

This question was difficult for Ding Mohai to answer. He had almost finished investigating everything he needed to, so he was ready to leave.

“Something’s wrong, Boss—”

Ding Mohai was about to turn around when a caregiver rushed out from the end of the ward, looking very frightened.

—

“What did you say?” Pei Jingyou held a cigarette, his brow furrowed tightly. “Suicide?”

“Highly likely.”

Ding Mohai described in detail what he had seen in the ward.

Mo Yin had crawled to the ground, his head bleeding from hitting the tiles. When the caregiver entered, he was slowly moving his arm toward the window, making it easy to imagine what he was preparing to do.

“His parents are dead, he’s paralyzed from the waist down, and his only elder is like this. He’s probably hopeless.”

Pei Jingyou took a deep drag on his cigarette, inhaling most of it in one breath. “We can’t let him die.” His finger tapped on the table, his expression not showing any fatigue as when facing the media. His eyes were shining, “At this critical moment, if he commits suicide—”

His finger tapped urgently on the table, the sound of “da da” revealing an intense pressure, the unspoken meaning of his words making Ding Mohai’s heart tighten. He lowered his head and said, “I’ve already sent someone to watch him 24/7.”

“If he really wants to die, even if you lock him up, he can still manage to die!”

Ding Mohai remained speechless.

It seemed that Mo Honghai’s tactic of shifting blame had become the final straw that broke Mo Yin’s spirit, making his probing today a major mistake.

Pei Jingyou silently finished smoking a whole cigarette. Then he stood up and said, “Tomorrow, I’ll personally go meet that child.”

No one knew what Pei Jingyou and Mo Yin had said in the ward.

All they knew was that when the door to the ward opened, Mo Yin was lying on Pei Jingyou’s shoulder, sobbing. Pei Jingyou was patting his thin back like a kind father, saying, “Good child, don’t cry. You have a family now…”

The scene was extremely touching.

After that, Youcheng Corporation implemented strict regulations regarding working hours. Pei Jingyou also held a press conference, hoping that society as a whole could collectively supervise Youcheng’s future development. His words were sincere and heartfelt. When Mo Yin’s pale face appeared on the big screen, the reporters paused for a moment, then frantically pressed their shutters.

“… No one wants such tragedies to happen. I earnestly plead with everyone to use love and tolerance to dissolve all hostility and hatred. I wish everyone could find happiness.”

The last image frozen on the screen was a sincere smile, despite illness.

Anyone who saw this smile couldn’t help but marvel inwardly: this was truly a beautiful youth who remained tolerant and optimistic despite enduring such great pain.

“Thank you all for attending today’s press conference,” Pei Jingyou’s eyes were slightly red, looking as deeply moved as everyone else, “Actually, I have another announcement to make today. After sincere communication and discussion, I have decided to officially adopt Mo Yin as my godson!”

The month-long storm ended in an unexpected way, leaving the media scrambling to report. Youcheng’s reputation was once again turned around in a short period, leaving behind an unrepeatable legend in the PR world.

Behind this legend was a conversation in the hospital ward.

Pei Jingyou never mentioned what the two of them had talked about, only sighing, “That child is very pitiful, but also very resilient. He’s a good child with a bright future. He should be nurtured well.”

It was deep autumn. Pei Jingyou coughed lightly after speaking.

“Father put on another layer.”

“It’s fine, I’m not cold.”

Pei Jingyou waved his hand. He pressed his chest, “Just an old ailment acting up. My heart feels a bit uncomfortable. Mingshu, that child is being discharged tomorrow, but I have a meeting to attend and can’t make it. Since you’re back, you can go pick him up. Consider it representing our family.”

Pei Mingshu nodded slightly. He had just returned from overseas the day before yesterday. After listening to the detailed account of the turmoil in the company and staying silent for a long time, he calmly addressed his father’s trusted confidant, “Father made a mistake.” Ding Mohai didn’t dare to respond.

Autumn leaves gently fell on his shoulders as Pei Mingshu said, “Alright, I’ll go pick him up.”