A preview of the adorable kid taking down his scumbag dad

Zheng Xinxin was the daughter of Zheng Mother's younger brother. Twenty years ago, a car accident had claimed both her parents' lives.

Feeling sorry for the little girl, Zheng Mother had taken her home, so Zheng Xinxin had grown up in the Zheng Family. She was pretty, sweet-natured, and a good student. Barely an adult, she had already received an acceptance letter from a prestigious university abroad.

Counting the years, this was her fourth year overseas.

Zheng Ye wasn't particularly close to Zheng Xinxin, but they got along well enough. He occasionally saw the photos she posted on her social feed, but he had never seen her post any pictures of a child.

Besides, how could she not tell the family about something as important as getting married?

Zheng Ye frowned. She really had gone abroad and left her heart there too.

Wait, no. I don't think it's Zheng Ye's sister's kid. Is it her best friend's?

Ning Shile thought back carefully.

Right, I think it was her best friend's kid. Her friend had postpartum depression and attempted suicide several times. She was mentally fragile, so Zheng Ye's sister took the child in and became his godmother.

"President Zheng?" The person on the other end called softly, then asked, "Should we protect him?"

Zheng Ye snapped out of his thoughts and asked, "What has Jiang Jingyin been involved in lately?"

"He's the male lead in the drama Order of the Luo Goddess." Worried Zheng Ye might not remember, the person added, "We invested in that series too."

Order of the Luo Goddess! It's actually that drama!

President Zheng has a great eye!

I remember it broke a whole bunch of records when it first aired! Every character, even the supporting roles, had incredibly high search numbers. It was leagues ahead of everything else airing at the time!

Too bad it got pulled halfway through.

Ning Shile clicked his tongue twice.

After his wealthy sugar mommy found out Jiang Jingyin had secretly married and had a kid, she went straight online to tear him apart! She posted all kinds of hard evidence and battled his brain-dead fans for three hundred rounds! They dominated the trending searches every day!

Oh, right! She even released their bed photos in the end!

Jiang Jingyin got famous through a drama adapted from a boys' love novel in the first place, then turned queerbaiting into his specialty. Once his fans learned their darling wasn't just straight but a scumbag too, they weren't having it. They hauled the whole train out of there overnight!

Ning Shile rubbed his chin.

Which raises the question: does Zheng Ye have a good eye for investments or not?

Hearing this, Zheng Ye rubbed between his brows and asked, "How long have they been filming?"

"A little over two weeks, I think." The person paused, then added, "There's quite a lot of buzz around this series. Fans of the original novel are very happy with our casting. It's getting popular before it even airs."

Order of the Luo Goddess was adapted from a hugely popular novel on Tomato Platform. It had ranked among the site's legendary works for several consecutive years and boasted countless fans.

Back then, numerous platforms had competed for its adaptation rights. Gossip accounts had spread news everywhere, and it had been a fixture on the trending searches. Even people who hadn't read the novel were bound to have heard its name.

Its popularity was inevitable.

Otherwise, Zheng Ye wouldn't have invested.

As for Jiang Jingyin, he was a newcomer the company was currently promoting heavily. He knew how to pander to fans and capitalize on hot topics. He had potential.

But there were plenty of entertainers. Someone who lived off a wealthy woman's patronage, secretly married and had a child, then had someone come knocking would crash and burn sooner or later. Better to take this opportunity to drop him.

What Zheng Ye needed to consider was how to make that downfall generate the most buzz.

"Keep the photos under wraps," Zheng Ye said. "Give them the go-ahead to release them tomorrow."

"Huh?"

The person on the other end was puzzled. What difference did releasing them today or tomorrow make?

"I'll go to the set tomorrow. Wait for my instructions on the details." With that, Zheng Ye hung up.

Zheng Ye was going to the set tomorrow!

Hearing that, Ning Shile perked up too. Tomorrow's juicy scoop was an adorable kid taking down his scumbag dad! How could he miss the chance to watch something that fresh unfold in person?

He poked Zheng Ye's arm, pressed his palms together beneath his chin, and blinked at him pleadingly. "Brother Ye, can you take me along tomorrow?"

Zheng Ye lowered his gaze to him.

Ning Shile's eyes turned even more earnest, his lashes fluttering. "I want to go too."

Inwardly, he made his case just as emphatically. Old man, share a bite of that juicy gossip. Please, pretty please~

Zheng Ye couldn't help chuckling softly and nodded.

"Yay!" Ning Shile clenched his little fists in delight and nearly jumped up.

"You—" Zheng Ye was just about to speak when a black car suddenly pulled up in front of them, cutting him off.

They looked up as the car doors opened. A middle-aged man and woman, elegantly dressed and carrying themselves with exceptional poise, stepped out.

Then Bai Qiongyu got out of the front passenger seat and leaned against the car. "Mom, Dad, he's the one who helped my big sister."

Mom and Dad?

So these two were Bai's parents?

Ning Shile instinctively backed up two steps.

In the original novel, these elders of the Bai Family had been no pushovers.

Their rise had been different from the Zheng Corporation's. The Zheng Corporation was built through generations of hard work, while they had relied on dirty tricks and schemes. They had toyed with Haicheng's major families before swallowing them whole. Bai Hai, Old Master Bai, in particular, was a ruthless predator who left nothing behind.

And the Bai Family had also been the biggest force behind Zheng Mother's eventual disfigurement and the Zheng Family's bankruptcy.

If the Zheng Family was the king of beasts in the forest, the Bai Family was a venomous snake lurking in a haystack at night. One couldn't afford to let one's guard down.

At the thought, Ning Shile instinctively grabbed Zheng Ye's sleeve.

Sensing something was wrong with Ning Shile, Zheng Ye stepped half a pace forward.

"So you're the one who helped our Xiaoyu." Bai's mother spoke as though she hadn't noticed their little movements.

She had delicate features and looked much younger than her actual age. Her face, fingers, and skin were all smooth and radiant, showing no signs of aging. She approached with a smile. "Thank you so much. What's your name?"

"Ning Shile."

"What a good boy." Bai's mother took a business card out of her bag. "If it weren't for you, our Xiaoyu would have been ruined."

"My contact details are on here," she said sincerely. "Consider this a favor the Bai Family owes you. If you ever need anything, just ask."

The Bai Family owed Ning Shile a favor.

That promise carried far more sincerity than any sum of money.

Ning Shile considered it for a moment, then reached out to accept the card, his lips pressed together slightly. "Thank you, Auntie."

Bai's mother was a little surprised by his reaction. Anyone else would surely have thanked her over and over in excitement. Why was Ning Shile so calm?

Still, she liked that sort of person: grounded, composed, and well-behaved in appearance too. He could amount to something.

So the Ning Family could raise such a fine child after all.

Bai's mother had a fairly good impression of Ning Shile. "If anything comes up in the future, don't hesitate to ask."

Ning Shile nodded. In a distracted moment, he noticed that Bai Father behind her had been studying Zheng Ye all along.

Got it. They've got an ulterior motive.

Quick to read the room, Ning Shile steered the conversation toward Zheng Ye. "Actually, I didn't do much. Brother Ye was the one who really helped this time."

"Is that so?" Only then did Bai Father turn his gaze to Ning Shile, with a little more approval in his eyes.

When Bai Qiongyu had mentioned Ning Shile to them earlier, he had praised him to the skies. But those little tricks and clever moves didn't amount to much in Bai Father's eyes.

Now, however, Bai Father felt there really was something different about Ning Shile.

He was neither servile nor overbearing, knew how to read people, and had considerable emotional intelligence.

Recruiting someone like him into the Bai Corporation might be a good choice.

But that could wait. Today, he had come primarily for Zheng Ye.

"President Zheng." Bai Father stepped forward. Though older, he still stood a notch below Zheng Ye in status, since control of the Bai Corporation remained in Old Master Bai's hands. He bowed slightly and extended his hand. "I've long admired you."

Zheng Ye stood tall, his gaze calm, and reached out to shake Bai Father's hand.

"I've long heard that you've accomplished a great deal at such a young age, Mr. Zheng. Meeting you today, I can see your reputation is well deserved." Bai's father spoke very politely, keeping his wrist lowered as he shook Zheng Ye's hand twice.

Zheng Ye withdrew his hand and lowered his eyes. "You're too kind."

It's just an ordinary conversation, so why does it feel like every word has a hidden meaning?

There was far more to it than hidden meanings.

Zheng Ye's gaze turned cold and sharp.