Chapter 2

After venting her anger with a long tirade, Wang Lin said to Chu Fengruo, “You asked me to collect a sample of the drug from Lin Jin’s place, so I sent people over. But Lin Jin moved incredibly fast. I had them pretend to be property management staff checking the water and electricity, but by the time they arrived, Lin Jin had already cleaned the entire place until it was spotless. She’d even polished the floor until it shone.”

“She’s smart enough to think of that?” He Jia asked doubtfully. “The last time I saw her, she was nothing but a drunken wreck, stumbling around in a daze. She didn’t look remotely calculating. Her face practically screamed stupid and rotten.”

Wang Lin was puzzling over it as well. Unable to make sense of it, she asked Chu Fengruo, “Could it have something to do with your family…?”

“Since we have reason to suspect that, investigate along those lines,” Chu Fengruo replied in an ordinary tone, though exhaustion was written all over her face.

“Also check whether my uncle is behind it,” she added. “He was the one who arranged this marriage in the first place. Lin Jin used to be nothing more than a bit of a delinquent. She didn’t drink excessively or gamble compulsively. My uncle was the one who later lured her into gambling. I refuse to believe he had nothing to do with what happened today.”

Wang Lin promised to investigate. Once she found out the truth, she would make sure they paid the price.

After hearing everything, He Jia said indignantly, “We live in a modern, civilized society, yet there are still Alphas this vicious. That bastard Lin Jin is a disgrace to Alphas. And your uncle is an animal too. Just so he could force you out and monopolize the family fortune, he actually resorted to such despicable methods.”

Half a year ago, Chu Fengruo’s uncle, Chu Chengye, had exploited a loophole in the marriage law while fighting over the family inheritance. He entered Chu Fengruo’s genetic information into the government matching system, successfully matched her with Lin Jin, and three months later, the system automatically registered them as married.

Chu Fengruo had been filming on a closed set. By the time she came out, she discovered that she was already legally married.

To protect Omegas, the marriage law stipulated that once a successful match was finalized, divorce was forbidden for three years.

The original intention behind the legislation had been good. It was meant to prevent Alphas from abandoning Omegas immediately after obtaining them, which was why this protective law had been created. [unauthorized copy]But Alphas seemed naturally adept at exploiting loopholes for their own benefit. As a result, a law originally designed to protect Omegas had instead become a shackle used to persecute them.

The government had even granted Omegas a three-month evaluation and objection period during the matching process. If no objection was raised, the system would automatically change their marital status.

But Chu Fengruo had been filming in complete isolation at the time and had known nothing about it.

By the time she found out, everything had already been finalized.

She had considered suing her uncle and the relevant government departments, but her lawyer told her that her situation was far from unique. Many people had been “voluntarily” registered against their will. Most of them had filed lawsuits, but very few had succeeded.

The lawyer had frankly told her that although the Alliance’s current marriage law appeared fair on the surface, many lawyers and judges were biased at heart, instinctively favoring Alphas.

The lawyer also advised that her best option for now was to sign additional agreements with Lin Jin as soon as possible to safeguard her own interests, then wait three years. Once three years had passed, if the Omega and Alpha had no children together, either party could request a divorce on the grounds that the marriage had produced no offspring. The process would be much easier then.

Her lawyer had drawn up a detailed contract for her, and Chu Fengruo had spent a great deal of money coaxing Lin Jin into signing it. In doing so, she had successfully separated her assets from Lin Jin’s.

Chu Fengruo had never paid attention to issues like this before. She had believed forced matching was something far removed from her own life. After all, the matching process was only supposed to begin when someone voluntarily submitted their genetic information, and Omegas were given a three-month period to object. The policy had seemed flexible enough.

She had never imagined that certain scum could exploit the meaning of “voluntary” or turn it into a weapon against others.

The only reason she had moved in with Lin Jin this time was to deal with the government’s random inspections of marital harmony among newlywed couples created through genetic matching. If they were found to be living separately, it would be judged as a negative attitude toward the marriage, and the legally binding period would be extended.

Otherwise, she never would have brought Ningning to stay with Lin Jin.

For safety, she had even hired a nanny and a bodyguard. Yet the moment Lin Jin drank some alcohol and swung her fists a few times, both of them had fled together.

“Sister Wang, investigate the nanny and bodyguard I hired as well,” Chu Fengruo said.

“I already arranged that,” Wang Lin replied. “Don’t worry.”

Once Chu Ning had eaten her fill and Chu Fengruo had finished discussing everything, she took the child back to the newly purchased house.

Curled in Chu Fengruo’s arms, Chu Ning looked around the unfamiliar place with curiosity.

Chu Fengruo’s arms were beginning to ache, so she set the child down. But the little girl immediately pressed herself against Chu Fengruo’s leg, wrapped both arms around it, and tilted her head up to look at her, too afraid to wander around on her own.

Chu Fengruo lowered her gaze and stroked the child’s little head.

“Don’t be afraid, baby. Mommy is right here. This is our new home.”

Encouraged by Chu Fengruo, Chu Ning finally began exploring the unfamiliar place. Even so, she kept turning around every so often to make sure Chu Fengruo was still there.

Chu Fengruo boiled some water. While preparing formula for little Chu Ning, she called her manager again.

She still could not stop worrying about Ningning. The child had clearly been badly frightened.

“Sister Wang, please make an appointment with a child psychologist too. Once you’ve arranged the time, have the doctor come here.”

Wang Lin was busy on her end as well. After hearing Chu Fengruo’s request, she muttered several more curses about Lin Jin before adding the psychologist to her list of arrangements.

Chu Fengruo had once been the easiest artist in the industry to manage. She worked diligently, behaved properly, and caused no trouble.

Then she got married, and her life plunged from heaven straight into hell.

Even Wang Lin’s workload had increased dramatically. Fortunately, Chu Fengruo offered excellent terms and paid her generously.

Wang Lin briefly updated her on the nanny search.

“I’ve arranged interviews with several candidates. When the time comes, keep whichever one you think is suitable. I’ll have He Jia arrange the child psychologist. Also, you need to control your weight for the next little while. In your upcoming historical drama, you’re playing a princess of a fallen kingdom who has fallen on hard times. Your current physique won’t work for the role. The production team has already asked me about it several times, so pay more attention.”

“Mm, I understand.”

Chu Fengruo then asked whether she had uncovered anything about the previous nanny and bodyguard.

Wang Lin’s fiery temper immediately erupted.

“That rotten uncle of yours really was involved! Both of them had been bought off. They also confessed to something else. Yesterday, Lin Jin went to the black market to buy a drug. She planned to induce your heat early, but Ningning accidentally interfered and knocked over the milk instead. As for that drug, I suspect your uncle ordered Lin Jin to ​read the original at bailiantales.com​buy it. He may even have supplied it himself. But that is only my speculation. There’s no direct evidence proving he did it.”

Chu Fengruo listened in silence.

She felt sickened by Lin Jin and utterly disillusioned with Chu Chengye.

They were all members of the Chu family. Her Alpha mother had died when she was very young, and her Omega mother had later passed away after a serious illness. Chu Fengruo had been raised by her grandmother.

In her childhood memories, her uncle Chu Chengye had treated her very well. On her birthdays, he would carefully prepare surprise gifts and help her celebrate. He had even personally tutored her.

Back then, he had not been as ruthless, vicious, and unscrupulous as he was now.

So why had everything changed once they grew up?

She had never shown the slightest desire to compete for the family fortune. She had the studio her mother left her in the entertainment industry, as well as her own acting career. She had no interest in the Chu family’s ancestral business.

Besides, her grandmother was still alive. No matter how fiercely everyone fought, wouldn’t the final decision still come down to a single word from her?

Her uncle also had an older Beta sister. Although her aunt had chosen to study medicine and had always worked at a hospital, making her seem like little threat to him, a Beta aunt still had a better chance of inheriting the family business than an Omega niece like Chu Fengruo.

Yet her uncle neither competed with his sister nor worked hard to prove himself to his mother.

Instead, he had intensified his schemes against his Omega niece.

What kind of logic was that?

Had a donkey kicked him in the head when she wasn’t looking?

“…Fengruo? Chu Fengruo? Are you still listening?”

“Huh? Yes, Sister Wang. What did you just say?”

“I said I’ve just discovered that Lin Jin owes 1.2 million in gambling debts. She also owes money to several loan sharks, and the interest keeps compounding. Your uncle’s shadow is behind all of it, but again, there’s no concrete evidence. What exactly is Chu Chengye trying to do?”

“I don’t know. Grandmother often says he’s a madman. But my uncle is capable at the negotiating table. That’s why Grandmother allowed him to take control. He’s just become increasingly strange over the years.”

Chu Fengruo thought that if murder were not illegal, Chu Chengye would probably already be sharpening a knife for her.

Wang Lin sighed as well.

“The waters in wealthy families really do run deep. Fortunately, you separated your finances from Lin Jin’s immediately after getting married. If Lawyer Mo hadn’t arranged everything so thoroughly, Lin Jin’s gambling debts would have dragged you down too. In that case, your uncle’s plan would have succeeded.”

“I really should thank Lawyer Mo. Once she returns from her business trip in a few days, I’ll find time to invite her to dinner and thank her properly.”

Chu Fengruo sighed.

Being forced into a genetically matched marriage had left her physically and emotionally exhausted. Still, things had not yet reached the worst possible outcome. Receiving Lawyer Mo’s help could be considered a stroke of good fortune—she had met a benefactor at the right time.

Chu Fengruo took a firm stance and demanded that the nanny and bodyguard be sued immediately.

Then she contacted a friend overseas and targeted Chu Chengye’s foreign project. It would not be enough to shake the foundation of the Chu family, but it would certainly give him a severe headache.

Chu Fengruo made another call. Without concealing anything or beating around the bush, she said directly, “Grandmother’s seventieth birthday banquet is at the end of the month. Find a way to expose all of Chu Chengye’s dirty secrets at the banquet. Include plenty of suggestive material. Mix the true and false together and put all of it out there.”

When the time came, Chu Chengye would only be able to deny part of it.

But once he chose to issue denials and addressed only some of the accusations, anything he left unanswered would be treated as an admission.

By the time he realized he had fallen into a trap, he would have no choice but to use his usual method of pressuring the media into silence.

But times had changed.

The media no longer held all the power to control public discourse. Ordinary people could speak out as well, and they were more eager than ever to claim a voice of their own.

Once the internet erupted into chaos, it would be more than enough to disgust Chu Chengye and damage the status and reputation he cared about most.

If the old madam chose to protect [read the original at bailiantales.com]Chu Chengye, she would have difficulty answering to the board of directors.

If she refused to protect him, then Chu Chengye would have to pay for his stupidity and cruelty.

He would probably be so terrified that he trembled in the middle of the night. After all, his greatest fear was being abandoned by his mother.

Only then would Chu Chengye truly suffer.

“Since he likes using drugs so much, let him have a taste too. You don’t need to tell me the details. Just make sure it’s handled cleanly,” Chu Fengruo said calmly.

The person on the other end hesitated.

“Isn’t that going too far? You’re all still members of the Chu family. If a scandal like this comes out, it won’t be good for you either…”

“You don’t understand.”

Chu Fengruo sighed, then said with a smile, “Ever since I was little, my grandmother has taught me that harmony in the family brings prosperity in all things.”

“Huh?”

Chu Fengruo gave a derisive laugh.

“You still don’t understand? My household registration has already read the original at bailiantales.com been transferred to the Lin family. Why should I care about preserving the Chu family’s dignity? The bigger the commotion, the better. I happen to enjoy this kind of excitement.”

She paused before adding, “Send someone to keep an eye on Lin Jin. Don’t let her go too far.”