Chapter 61: Proud Scholar x Elite Lawyer 19

Just a few days after the incident at the bar, Kong Liang found himself in a pitiful state, overwhelmed and harassed from all sides, as if everyone was out to get him.

His past misdeeds were dredged up once again and spread like wildfire across the internet. No matter how hard he tried to whitewash his image, he couldn’t stop the flood of information.

“Kong Liang” became synonymous with moral corruption.

Every detail of his life was exposed—from bullying classmates and extorting protection money in middle school to manipulating friends and deceiving girlfriends in college. All of it resurfaced for the public to see.

The hashtag #KongLiangScumbag dominated the trending topics for days, sparking countless discussions and drawing widespread attention.

Kong Liang finally tasted the bitterness of being cyberbullied by the entire nation, facing relentless online attacks, and becoming a pariah.

He didn’t even dare to leave his house, fearing he’d be recognized and subjected to endless scorn if he stepped outside. Yet, everything he was enduring was what Xie Qingjia had once suffered.

Back then, Xie Qingjia had it even worse, facing life-threatening challenges, almost reaching the peak of misfortune.

Choking on water, tripping down stairs, even having his bed collapse while he slept…

As a result, Xie Qingjia had to flee abroad, but even then, he was robbed while out drinking. In the original storyline, Xie Qingjia died during that robbery, with no friends or family by his side.

Now, Kong Liang was only experiencing the first stage of what Xie Qingjia had endured.

Infamous and despised by all!

Three years ago, after clearing his name, Xie Qingjia hadn’t pursued Kong Liang to the bitter end, leaving him a meager lifeline.

But Kong Liang didn’t cherish this opportunity. He had come asking for trouble, and Xie Qingjia was more than willing to grant his wish for self-destruction.

This time, Xie Qingjia wanted Kong Liang to be utterly ruined, not just stripped of the things he had wrongfully acquired, as had happened three years ago.

In less than half a month, Kong Liang not only lost his job but was also blacklisted by the Xie Corporation and various other companies, leaving him unable to find decent work.

With no income, he had no choice but to return to the home he least wanted to go back to, where his alcoholic father was waiting. But his father wasn’t welcoming.

“Get the hell out of here! Go wherever you want!”

Kong’s father put down his beer bottle, glaring at his troublesome son with disgust.

“You think I don’t use the internet? Your stupid antics are all over the place!”

“I may be a drunk, but I’ve got my own money. I don’t need you to support me. Don’t come looking for me, and I won’t come looking for you! Get out!”

Though Kong’s father loved to drink, he wasn’t foolish. His son wanted to come home and mooch off him? Not a chance!

He was already not asking his son for support, and now the son wanted him to take care of a grown man in his twenties who refused to work? What a joke!

Kong Liang squeezed out a couple of tears, pleading hoarsely, “Dad, I have nowhere else to go. I had to come back to you.”

His father remained unmoved. “Save it.”

“You only come back after causing trouble out there. When you were making money, you never thought of me. Get out! This house is mine, and I’m telling you to leave. Don’t ever come back!”

With a grim expression, he picked up Kong Liang’s suitcase and threw it out the door, forcing his son out on the very first day he returned.

The message was clear: Don’t mess with me.

He didn’t recognize any Kong Liang, and he wanted nothing to do with him.

Kong Liang stared helplessly at the closed door. Just as he was about to knock, he heard footsteps and voices in the hallway.

“That guy looks like Kong Liang. Isn’t he that notorious scumbag?”

“Not just that! His rich ex-girlfriend came forward to expose him, saying she was blind to have ever liked him.”

“Stay away from him. He’s bad news. Getting involved with him brings bad luck.”

“How unlucky. He’s back.”

These words pierced Kong Liang’s heart like needles, leaving him too ashamed to stay.

He left the capital overnight with his luggage, hoping to start over in another city.

But no matter where he went, he faced endless disdain and rejection. No one dared to hire him, and he endured constant cold shoulders.

Two months later.

When Kong Liang spent his last penny, he was stranded in a small northern town with nowhere to stay.

Desperate, he ended up living under a bridge, truly descending from an ordinary person to a beggar.

But he didn’t last long under the bridge. The local beggars recognized him and, fearing his bad luck, drove him away, refusing to let him share their territory.

Without the bridge, Kong Liang had to sleep on the streets, but he was always chased away. Everyone was afraid of catching his misfortune.

No one dared to give him money or food, fearing it would bring disaster to themselves or their families.

Because of Kong Liang’s notorious history, no one pitied him. He couldn’t even beg for enough food to survive and resorted to stealing. During one such attempt, he was caught and beaten severely.

Bruised and battered, he stumbled away, unsure of where to go. His despair reached its peak.

It was as if the heavens had played a cruel joke on him, giving him undeserved fortune only to snatch it away one day.

From then on, the heavens no longer favored this fallen “chosen one,” leaving him in disgrace and abandoned by all.

Kong Liang grew more and more despondent. As he walked by a river, a terrible, mad thought crossed his mind—he wanted to die and start over.

“Heavens, favor me one more time.”

“Please let me be reborn. I won’t fail this time.”

He jumped into the deep, dark river, letting the water engulf him.

As he suffocated, Kong Liang smiled, like a gambler at the table, always hoping the next round would be the big win.

But life is rarely so kind.

Kong Liang’s hoped-for rebirth never came. He lost his life completely, his body even devoured by the fish at the bottom of the river.

He died at the age of 25.

No one cared when he passed. His alcoholic father was drinking, and his mother was attending her stepson’s parent-teacher meeting. No one noticed whether he lived or died, as insignificant as a speck of dust.

Only Xie Qingjia, who had been watching Kong Liang, knew he had died because of his greed and delusions.

Xie Qingjia scoffed at Kong Liang’s naive and foolish belief, even thinking the man was out of his mind to think rebirth was something one could simply wish for.

Even if it were possible, it would only be granted to those with great fortune or virtuous deeds.

For a petty, two-faced scoundrel like Kong Liang to think he deserved such a precious chance at rebirth was nothing short of laughable.

Heaven’s retribution can be forgiven, but self-inflicted ruin is irredeemable!

Kong Liang got what he deserved!