CHAPTER 30 (PART 2)

Cheng Yue had no interest in the entertainment industry. He cared far more about the progress of his research labs, which Cheng Corporation patents were entangled with foreign policies, and even his enemies—his concern for them outweighed his concern for Dong Jiayu a hundredfold.

This had always frustrated Dong Jiayu, but it also emboldened her.

Too many people were afraid of Cheng Yue, and no one dared associate themselves with him—except for Dong Jiayu. Besides, she really had been seen with him before.

So no one ever doubted her. Her carefully crafted statements left no loopholes.

Until today…

There was no time for Dong Jiayu to wonder how he had figured it out.

Her heartbeat raced, her breathing quickened involuntarily, her face paled, and sweat formed on her forehead.

She had completely lost control.

Cheng Yue was terrifying… He was a man who bore grudges and repaid them a hundredfold.

He remembered every kindness but never forgot a slight.

And this was just the beginning… He had come today to tear apart the Cheng Corporation banner she had raised—to utterly destroy the illusion she had built.

No… maybe even more than that.

What else would he do?

Sister Wang squeezed her hand lightly from behind and whispered, “Stay calm.”

Stay calm?

How could she possibly stay calm?

A sudden, terrifying realization struck Dong Jiayu—Jiang Su!

Jiang Su was about to perform on stage soon!

Cheng Yue would see her!

In the past, Jiang Su had been unpredictable. But the Jiang Su of today—she just might expose everything.

She just might tear off my mask completely!

Dong Jiayu clutched her chest and leaned against Sister Wang, not even having time to say she was feeling unwell—

When Cheng Yue turned his head, his eyes dark and icy.

He spoke unhurriedly, his tone cutting, “You borrowed forty million, and you couldn’t even get a decent DeVega procedure done? Which foreign doctor did you hire? Hm? I’ll have Old Xu make a call and bring them over. Is it really that easy to scam money out of Hua Nation?”

The words seemed to be aimed at the foreign doctors, but the reporters instantly caught the underlying meaning.

Yeah…

She took that much money for a surgery and still ended up like this? And now she was acting sick? Wasn’t this a bit much?

Dong Jiayu broke out in a cold sweat. “N-No need… Maybe I’m just too weak physically.”

If that phone call really went through, she’d be utterly humiliated.

Sister Wang also realized something was wrong.

She glanced cautiously at Cheng Yue’s back, feeling an unsettling premonition—

He wasn’t just here to question Dong Jiayu.

He was here to rip her apart, completely and utterly, right in front of everyone.

Dong Jiayu was growing desperate.

She couldn’t let Cheng Yue see Jiang Su.

Everything else, she could still try to explain. At worst, she could just lay everything bare—confess her true intentions, reminisce about their childhood ties…

But she absolutely couldn’t let him see Jiang Su!

Even she didn’t know why she felt so nervous… Technically, even if Jiang Su did tattle, there was still room to maneuver.

But more than anything—

She had to admit, the Jiang Su of today…

Was far too captivating.

Seeing Cheng Yue take his seat, Dong Jiayu hurriedly spoke again, “Aren’t you tired these past few days? You didn’t have to come to an event like this yourself.”

Cheng Yue chuckled. “Good point.”

Then he turned to the MicroLight Platform CEO.

“Dong Jiayu isn’t feeling well, and you still asked her to be a guest?”

The CEO stammered, “Uh, well…” Suddenly at a loss for words.

By now, the mentors were already taking their seats.

Cheng Yue spoke indifferently, “From now on, stop arranging these pointless gigs for Miss Dong.”

Oh?

Didn’t she love flaunting his name?

Fine—he’d help her out.

Cheng Yue’s voice was cold, each word piercing through Dong Jiayu like a blade:

“Don’t waste that forty million… Do you even realize how many children in border villages still don’t have access to education or enough to eat?”

The crowd instantly stiffened.

Wasn’t this the same as saying—

Anyone who gave Dong Jiayu another job in the future…

Was basically stealing food from impoverished children?

Who would dare?

Dong Jiayu sat frozen, chills running down her spine, pressing a hand to her chest as a deafening buzz filled her ears.

…In this setting, she wasn’t even given a chance to explain.

The platform CEO hurriedly agreed, “Yes, yes, you’re absolutely right. I know Cheng Corporation donates a significant amount to border regions every year… We’ll definitely align ourselves with the group’s values going forward!”

But Cheng Yue still wasn’t done.

He clicked his tongue lightly, his tone casual.

“Did you know? When I was young, I spent a year living in the mountains.”

Everyone froze. No one dared to respond.

Dong Jiayu, however, felt her eyelids twitch violently.

No.

Don’t say it.

The reason she had been able to cling onto this relationship and frame it as a monumental act of kindness—

Was because she knew that Cheng Yue’s time in the mountains had been a major scandal for the Cheng family!

A man as proud as Cheng Yue would never bring it up himself.

Which was why she had been free to embellish her role in it however she pleased.

“The hardship in those mountains is beyond what most people can imagine…” Cheng Yue narrowed his eyes. “And Miss Dong—you, of all people, should know that best.”

All at once, every gaze turned toward Dong Jiayu.

No.

I don’t.

Dong Jiayu clenched her teeth, her jaw locked tight.

No one knew anymore that she had grown up in those mountains.

The whispers began.

“If that’s the case, then Miss Dong must truly cherish that forty million…”

Dong Jiayu forced a weak smile.

But for the first time—

She had no idea how to respond.

After today, who would still dare to offer her a job?

At this moment, the platform’s owner finally spoke in a daze, “So, Miss Dong, you’ve known Mr. Cheng since back then?”

Cheng Yue said indifferently, “That year, during the anti-crime crackdown, a desperate fugitive kidnapped me and hid in Dongjia Village. He wanted to trade me for wealth to last a lifetime.”

Dongjia Village. Dong Jiayu. What else was unclear now?

Even the secretary was stunned.

He had no idea that Mr. Cheng had gone through such an ordeal in the past!

Cheng Yue continued in a calm tone, “What a coincidence. I was held captive in Miss Dong’s house.”

“…” Everyone’s mouths fell open in shock.

Memories quickly resurfaced in Dong Jiayu’s mind.

However, the clearer the memories became, the paler her face grew.

Her so-called act of helping Cheng Yue was nothing more than this:

At the time, her mother had just given birth to a younger brother, and everything good in the house was saved for him.

In a fit of anger, she grabbed the last half of a cornbread bun left in the bowl, refusing to share it with her brother.

She used that half a cornbread bun to trade for a jade piece from Cheng Yue, who hadn’t had food or water for three days.

When the Cheng family came to rescue him, she was so terrified that she fainted. Back then, medical knowledge wasn’t as advanced, and when Cheng Yue’s mother saw her, she mistakenly believed that Dong Jiayu had secretly shared her own food with Cheng Yue despite being under strict watch, and that she had starved herself sick as a result.

In the mountainous region, food was incredibly precious. So, out of gratitude, Cheng Yue’s mother personally took Dong Jiayu to the hospital and carefully looked after her. It wasn’t until years later that they found out her pale complexion was due to congenital heart valve malformation.

But the truth was, she had indeed saved Cheng Yue.

She just never dared to say why.

But did that even matter?

Her parents went to prison, and her younger brother was sent to an orphanage. Yet, because of that half a cornbread bun, her life took a completely different path.

She crawled her way out of the mud. She gained an opportunity to cling to the Cheng family.

Now that Cheng Yue was bringing up this incident again…

Was he planning to let go of that old debt of gratitude?

Dong Jiayu’s body trembled slightly, her throat tightening.

Why was he so angry? Was he trying to cut off all her escape routes?

Just then, a sudden wave of deafening cheers and screams erupted in the venue.

The fans were passionately chanting a name:

“Jiang Su! Ahhh! Jiang Su!”

In stark contrast to Dong Jiayu’s distress and near despair.

At that moment, Cheng Yue was finally certain—he hadn’t been hearing things.

His gaze shifted slightly.

“Jiang Su?”