TIL - 38

Chen Cheng’s press conference was held at the National Convention Center. In the hall of over six thousand people, everyone involved was present except for Wen Huo.

Han Bailu was only released by Chen Cheng and then learned that he had publicly acknowledged Wen Huo. She was surprised that Wen Huo actually pulled it off, yet a vague, negative emotion left her frowning and unable to feel happy.

Whether it was Anna or Wen Huo, both were people who made Chen Cheng bow his head, whereas Han Bailu’s first half of life had been spent bowing to others.

Since she was very young, she had hoped that one day, a man would hold her hand, announce their relationship to the world, kiss her, caress her, and look at her with eyes full of love...

Thirty years flashed by, and it remained just a hope.

During the years Chen Cheng held her captive, she thought of Anna more than once. She had indeed wronged her, but if given another chance, she would still do the same thing she did back then.

She scoffed at and felt a physiological aversion to any shortcuts to success.

Wen Huo successfully making Chen Cheng acknowledge her only further solidified Han Bailu’s belief in the hypocrisy of love. She loved with such sincerity, yet she couldn’t achieve her desires as effectively as two calculating individuals. Was there still such a thing as love in this world?

Backstage, in Chen Cheng’s private lounge, Han Bailu was being made up by a makeup artist he hired, like a Barbie doll. After curling the last strand of hair, the makeup artist “retired successfully.”

Han Bailu thought this would be her last conversation in her marriage with Chen Cheng. She didn’t want their discussion to be as sharp as in the past.

Chen Cheng was looking at his phone, waiting for the invited partners and official media to finish signing in.

Han Bailu dared not turn her head to look at him, so she faced away from him and said, “Even though you knew about my deal with Wen Huo, she still managed to seduce you. I don’t want to talk about winning or losing now, but I beg you to spare my life. What happens to you two, or to me, will no longer matter.”

Chen Cheng put down his phone, not looking at her. “The tide hasn’t turned yet. Don’t be so quick to negotiate.”

Han Bailu shook her head. Once she calmed down, she could actually understand many things. In the past, she had been too irrational, always having her words and actions used against her. During the time Chen Cheng forced her to reflect, she even understood why Wen Huo, a young girl hired to do a job, could speak to her with such confidence. Wen Huo was a calm person; she didn’t show many emotions, so no one could find her weaknesses.

With no weaknesses in others’ hands, she naturally had ample confidence.

Han Bailu said, “I know that even if she successfully seduced you, you wouldn’t let me succeed. My plan to divorce you and divide your assets is also impossible to achieve. I don’t want anything now, just Yiyi.”

Chen Cheng smiled faintly, saying nothing.

Han Bailu knew he didn’t believe her, but she still said, “My feelings for Yiyi aren’t deep, but feelings can be nurtured. Besides, she’s my biological daughter; she has the same blood as me.”

Chen Cheng also stated his position: “You’re here to hear the outcome, not to make choices. From the moment you plotted Anna’s death during childbirth, you lost the chance to choose.”

Han Bailu turned around. “I killed one Anna, but I compensated you with a Wen Huo.”

Chen Cheng stopped talking. Just then, a staff member came in to remind him that the press conference’s opening ceremony had concluded, and all guests had been introduced. He was simply waiting for Chen Cheng’s entrance.

Chen Cheng stood up and walked out.

Han Bailu followed closely, but before she could exit, Chen Cheng’s secretary stopped her. He opened the TV in the room, showing the live broadcast of the press conference, and said, “You can listen here.”

Han Bailu, though she had objections, also wanted to know what Chen Cheng would say, so she temporarily accepted the arrangement.

Chen Cheng walked onto the stage. The technologically advanced design made it seem as if he was in a galaxy. The attending guests, media, and audience had thought the opening ceremony was already a peak visual feast, but they hadn’t expected Chen Cheng’s appearance to be just the beginning.

Laser projections combined holographic images with reality, forming a virtual-real space where points and lines connected to create a multi-dimensional environment, showcasing the warmth of technology.

He didn’t seem to be there to clarify things, but rather to put on a show, allowing everyone to see the harmonious blend and vigorous development of humanity and technology.

Only insiders knew he was advertising.

After Chen Cheng’s patent law firm went public, it would develop new sectors and invest substantial funds to support more scientific and technological personnel in research and innovation. Once a project was approved, Chen Cheng’s team would follow it from beginning to end, providing guidance, answering questions, and handling agency applications.

This meant that Chen Cheng was expanding the scope of patent agency services, no longer limited to a single field, but covering a wider range of areas.

He cleverly didn’t expose his intentions at the start, so those unfamiliar with the industry merely thought he valued the press conference and had prepared a program for the guests.

The background music faded, and Chen Cheng cut to the chase, holding the microphone. “Let’s skip the self-introductions, shall we? I’d like to start by talking about how Han Bailu and I met.”

He wasn’t a bass, nor was he a tenor. The depth of his voice was just right, sounding clear and crisp. In abnormal situations, when he spoke, he would use certain interjections that always made people want to lie down in bed.

He recounted, “Han Bailu and I met in Canada, when I was young, in my twenties.”

“At that time, my girlfriend was her good friend, and we were merely nodding acquaintances. Later, my girlfriend passed away unexpectedly, and we never saw each other again. After returning to China, we serendipitously reconnected, and past memories flowed back into my mind.”

He spoke with a hint of nostalgia. “By then, we were both people who prioritized our careers, so we tacitly thought of combining our lives.”

“And that’s what we did. During a drunken night, we absurdly got our marriage certificate. Back then, everyone around me advised me, saying she had many dark histories and was involved with many men, but I just listened and never cared.

“Because there was no love between us, only mutual appreciation and suitability.

“I needed a wife with an independent career who could accompany me to various occasions, graceful and proper. She needed a husband who could be her backing, protecting her from wind and rain. And since we already knew each other, were familiar with each other’s backgrounds, we were perfectly suited.”

Chen Cheng finished this part with a self-mocking laugh, then continued, “Perhaps because there was no love, she regretted it the very next day and went to the civil affairs bureau to revoke our marriage certificate.”

The screen immediately displayed Chen Cheng’s household registration certificate, showing him as unmarried.

The entire hall was astonished.

Chen Cheng continued, “I don’t blame her, and I allowed her to leave, but then she felt isolated and helpless in the entertainment industry and still wanted support. Here, I don’t want to speculate on her other motives; I only believe she saw me as a pillar of support.

“At that time, we made an agreement: we would continue to live as a married couple until one of us found another love.”

“Many people might wonder why I made such a compromise. Because at that time, I didn’t believe in love, nor did I have time for it, so my marriage could exist without love.

“We maintained a marriage in name only, until the arrival of Yiyi, and everything changed.”

Chen Cheng took two steps forward, an invisible camera directly in front of him, allowing everyone to see his expression more clearly. He said, “Yiyi is not my child, nor Han Bailu’s child. She is the child of a friend of mine who passed away from illness.”

The venue immediately erupted.

Media reporters stood up.

On the screen appeared the paternity test reports of Chen Cheng and Han Bailu with Chen Naiyi, confirming that neither of them had any blood relation to the little girl. Following this was a handwritten letter from Chen Cheng’s friend.

The letter asked him to take good care of his daughter, signed by Jiang Yan.

Han Bailu in the lounge was disfigured, trembling all over. She had never imagined that Yiyi was neither Chen Cheng’s nor her child.

At this moment, Jin Ge and Chen Wenli, who were following the live news broadcast elsewhere, gripped each other’s hands tightly.

Jiang Yan was the child they had given away years ago.

The child who had a friendship with Chen Cheng that transcended mere platonic bounds.

Chen Cheng said, “Han Bailu and I both knew Yiyi wasn’t our child, but the public didn’t. She gradually revealed her true colors by leveraging this point. The first step was rekindling her old flame with her former boss, Lu Xingchuan.

“We had an agreement at the time that if an outsider came into the picture, our relationship could end. But she refused; she wanted to hold onto the title of Mrs. Chen.”

“She exploited the fact that I wouldn’t reveal Yiyi’s true identity, demanding resources from me while also being involved with various men. Among these men, besides Lu Xingchuan, there was also a shareholder of my law firm.”

As Chen Cheng spoke, he presented new evidence—the contract for his acquisition of Hanxing Media, and Li Yihang’s written resignation.

“I tolerated it again and again, until Lu Xingchuan ran into trouble. She asked for my help, and I acquired Lu Xingchuan’s company, solving his urgent problem. But I had one condition: to terminate our agreement, severing all ties between us.

“She agreed, but then immediately conspired with my shareholder to orchestrate a scheme, falsely accusing my firm’s newly patented technology of being plagiarized, sabotaging our cooperation with Guotong Industrial.

“Our relationship reached an all-time low. I lost my temper with her for the first time, hoping she would know when to stop. Instead, she began to feign illness.”

Chen Cheng looked helpless. “For Yiyi, for my family, for my career, I wanted to completely cut ties with her. So I asked her to state her demands, which I would meet, and then we would part amicably. I also promised not to reveal any truth about her in public.

“She agreed and demanded that I accompany her to the Chuan Valley Film Festival. As for the assets, I would give them to her without her asking. But I didn’t expect...”

Chen Cheng looked up. “I didn’t expect her to bring my student to the film festival, making her drink a lot, intending to mislead the media into thinking there was something improper between my student and me. This way, the reason for our separation would appear to be my betrayal.

“She could then play the victim to gain sympathy and never lack resources or opportunities.

“I left with my student because she had been drinking. If you review the news from that day, you’ll also see that her state was very abnormal.”

Chen Cheng presented Han Bailu’s other phone, used to contact Wen Huo, as evidence on the screen, proving that Han Bailu and Wen Huo knew each other, thereby indirectly proving about eighty percent of Chen Cheng’s statements in this regard.

Combined with the hundred percent authentic evidence from earlier, the audience largely overlooked any potential insufficiency of evidence at this point.

This was his brilliance.

The scene truly reached continuous climaxes during Chen Cheng’s calm narration. The calmer he was, the more uncontrollably their hearts pounded. They had expected Chen Cheng to explain, but they hadn’t expected him to expose, and to do so with such meticulousness that every truth he spoke was backed by evidence.

Their expressions continuously shifted and broke new ground in those brief thirty minutes; it was nothing but shock.

Chen Cheng finished speaking, and the screen returned to the highly immersive holographic projection artwork.

The remaining time was handed over to Chen Cheng’s secretary. He took the “crestfallen” Chen Cheng off stage and delivered the concluding remarks: “Mr. Chen has truly worked hard. I’ve watched him endure and bear so much. His original intention was to part amicably and not harm anyone, but there are just so many things in this world that go against one’s wishes. He never asks for his kindness to be repaid, but he also doesn’t want to receive this kind of soul-crushing feedback.”

Then he also admitted, “Of course, my words are too subjective. He’s my teacher, so I consider him kind. Perhaps some partners find him deeply cunning, but which businessman has a simple mind? Mr. Chen is simply more serious and responsible in his work.”

He sighed repeatedly, his acting skills surprisingly on par with Chen Cheng’s. “Mr. Chen disclosing these matters means a complete separation from Ms. Han. Since the two of them never had a real marriage, let them both find peace from now on. This is also Mr. Chen’s wish.”

After stirring everyone’s emotions, he began to address the main topic: “I believe everyone has also seen our holographic images. Technology is the future direction of our firm. We originally planned a separate press conference, but Mr. Chen didn’t want to occupy too many public resources, so he combined the clarification with the new project launch. Of course, Mr. Chen doesn’t deny that he made this decision today to capitalize on the large crowd and high attention.”

If the secretary hadn’t said that last sentence, someone would surely have questioned whether Chen Cheng was indirectly advertising. But since Chen Cheng’s side frankly admitted he was advertising, it left people speechless.

This was Chen Cheng.

Whether one agreed or not, everyone had to accept that only he could reach such a height.

________________________________________

Tang Junen watched the entire press conference, shaking his head and applauding. “Damn, is this even a human being?”

Han Bailu offending him was truly the worst luck imaginable.

Now, everything was completely reversed.

Looking at it this way, it wasn’t true that nothing could be explained clearly these days. As long as the evidence was solid enough, real enough, the kind that could be presented in court, rational people would still recognize the truth.

He had worried for Chen Cheng for so many days for nothing; he was indeed more anxious than the emperor himself.

________________________________________

Chen Cheng returned to the lounge. As soon as he entered, Han Bailu knelt before him again. He watched her with cold eyes, saying nothing.

Han Bailu couldn’t defeat Chen Cheng. No one could defeat Chen Cheng. She wanted to survive; she needed a way out. Her hands trembled, tears streaming down. “I was wrong! I was wrong! It’s all my fault!”

The moment Chen Cheng stepped off the stage, he didn’t feel the slightest relief, nor did he feel lighter with a clear conscience. He still felt heavy, as if a ton of weight pressed down on his shoulders.

He didn’t want to let Han Bailu off. If he didn’t want to, he could always make things reasonable and justifiable, but he was too tired.

He wanted to let her go. He didn’t know why, he just wanted to let her go. He said, “You can leave.”

Han Bailu was a bit incredulous, frozen for a long time, then tentatively asked, “Can I, can I leave?”

Chen Cheng stepped past her, sat on the sofa, loosened his tie with one hand, and massaged his temples. “You can go, but your lips must be sealed. If you can’t do that, then your old case of murdering Anna will be reopened for review.”

This was a threat, and if Han Bailu wanted to live, she had no other choice but to do as he said, remaining silent from then on, like a mute.

Chen Cheng watched Han Bailu flee in disarray, still wondering why he hadn’t publicly exposed her murder of Anna at the press conference. He certainly wasn’t a kind person. It wasn’t until his phone rang, and he instinctively thought it might be news from Wen Huo, that he understood.

He would let Han Bailu go because she had brought Wen Huo to him.