The originally exuberant person in charge awkwardly fell silent, then glanced toward the senior officials on the other side and hastily responded, "We'll begin right away, we'll begin right away!"
Ten minutes later, in the brand-new broadcasting studio, all staff of the Elderly Activity Center stood neatly in a semicircle. In the center of the circle were the senior leaders of the center, alongside Fang Xiufang and her husband Kong Chengyi. A microphone stood a few meters in front of them. Just beyond the microphone were the city's mainstream media, armed with long lens cameras and video equipment, ready to cover the event. Dozens of elderly people, eagerly awaiting, sat quietly in the audience seats, waiting for the gong to signal the start of the broadcasting ceremony, ready to take their positions and begin their very first broadcast in life.
"It is our great honor to welcome the leaders and President Kong to our activity center. We are also immensely grateful for President Kong's wholehearted support for our broadcasting studio. Without his full support, the studio would never have been established. Let us offer a warm round of applause to thank President Kong!" At the start of the ceremony, the person in charge once again fully acknowledged Kong Chengyi's financial backing.
Kong Chengyi gave a slight nod in acknowledgment, still maintaining an indifferent expression, without showing the slightest trace of joy.
Standing gracefully, Hua Lianxi joined in the applause with everyone else. Her clear eyes struggled to withstand the constant flashing of the cameras. She tilted her face slightly to the side, finding it somewhat difficult to restrain her gaze on his sharp and cold features. In this moment when all eyes were on him, she actually felt a sense of pride for him.
There were plenty of wealthy people around, but not every tycoon was willing to contribute charitably. Few were willing to devote themselves to a certain group of people. Moreover, sponsoring the broadcasting studio came with no extra benefits or conditions; it brought no profit to Cheng Group.
With his hands elegantly tucked into his pockets, Kong Chengyi's sharp gaze glanced forward, then suddenly dropped. In an instant, it caught the look in Hua Lianxi's eyes. His dark eyes returned the gaze fiercely, bearing a meaning that Hua Lianxi couldn't quite understand.
Her shimmering eyes were caught, but what she received back was a confusing gleam. Like a child caught misbehaving, Hua Lianxi quickly averted her face and stiffly resumed looking at the audience seats.
Almost inaudibly curling his lips, Kong Chengyi returned his gaze to the front as if indifferent to her actions.
"Let us invite Old Madam Kong to speak!" After a lengthy introduction and greetings, the person in charge finally invited Fang Xiufang to give a speech, asking her to introduce the origins of the broadcasting studio and the elderly's future operations of it.
Thunderous applause roared from the audience seats. One by one, the elderly seemed to burst with youthful vitality, eagerly shouting with excitement. Laughter mixed with the clapping as the whole venue instantly became jubilant.
Hua Lianxi, who had been stiffly watching the audience, bit her lip to suppress a smile. She was delighted to see the group of elderly people joyfully playing like children again, her heart filled with happiness.
"Thank you all. It is our family's honor!" Fang Xiufang's radiant smile touched the brows of those around, fully feeling the joy and cheering of her companions. She spoke with a strong and clear voice.
Suddenly, the open hall echoed with hurried footsteps, causing the once-celebratory crowd to instinctively turn around, curious about the commotion.
Squinting and looking up, Hua Lianxi's eyes instantly widened in surprise. Leading the charge was Cai Meiren from Scandal Weekly, followed closely by three burly men carrying large video cameras, all eager to grab a headline.
With a slight narrowing of his eyes, Kong Chengyi's thin lips pressed tightly in displeasure. No matter what these reporters intended, barging in so vociferously at such a moment, drawing all attention onto themselves, was an act of disrespect—an outright disregard for the mainstream media and guests present.
Blink and you'd miss it: Cai Meiren raised her microphone directly to Kong Chengyi's mouth and fired off, "Young Master Kong, it's said that you and your wife Hua Lianxi are not truly husband and wife? That she is merely your privately customized wife? In other words, she is a wife you bought with money?"
The once-thriving venue instantly fell into an eerie silence with Cai Meiren's rapid-fire barrage. Time seemed frozen at that very moment, all present opening their mouths in shocked disbelief.
Hua Lianxi's heart skipped a beat. She stared wide-eyed at Cai Meiren, unable to believe.
"Is this true? Are you just a woman hired by Young Master Kong with money? You aren't really husband and wife? Are you a gold digger?" Cai Meiren didn't miss Hua Lianxi's stunned stillness. Next, she pointed the microphone toward the woman, now like someone whose acupuncture points had been struck—urgently pressing her for the truth.
Veins bulging on his forehead and lips pressed tightly, Kong Chengyi's face darkened. With no mercy, his large hand grabbed the microphone pressed against Hua Lianxi, pulling it away forcefully. "Which magazine are you from? Who gave you permission to raise trouble here?"
"Quick, take photos, quick, keep filming!" Despite losing the microphone, Cai Meiren shouted at the cameramen beside her, fearing missing any expression from Kong Chengyi.
"Young Master Kong, isn't what I'm saying the truth? You're pretending to be loving in front of everyone? You're nothing but strangers, right? I obtained a detailed billing statement of Hua Lianxi's credit card. It clearly shows her lavish spending on luxury brands, all charged to your supplementary card and black diamond card. Doesn't this prove she's only a gold digger? Isn't your relationship purely financial?" Holding up the papers, Cai Meiren treated them as evidence.
The previously calm and orderly mainstream media suddenly sensed something unusual at this moment, fully realizing this was the truth. They wildly surged forward, each putting microphones right in front of both Kong Chengyi and Hua Lianxi.
"Chengyi!" Fang Xiufang, who had been standing nearby, finally yelled angrily, her entire body filled with fury in an instant.
The crazed media swarmed the trio, crowding closer to Kong Chengyi and Hua Lianxi in chaotic disorder, spontaneously surrounding them, seemingly determined not to let them escape.
Holding Fang Xiufang steady to prevent her from fainting, Kong Chengyi's face turned cold. He turned and barked loudly at Ke Jie outside the circle, "Ke Jie!"
Pressed and jostled, Hua Lianxi's eyes stared blankly at the chaotic crowd, lost and at a loss over the sudden exposure. Her lips quivered, trying to utter something, but no sound came out.
Perhaps, at this moment, what could she say? Could she simply admit it?
"Scandal Weekly?" Despite the chaos, Kong Chengyi spotted the badge of the woman who first exploded with accusations—Cai Meiren—and nearly wanted to grab her by the neck, hating Scandal Weekly's aggressive, omnipresent tabloid tactics.
"Young Master Kong, you've never spoken about Hua Lianxi's background before. Are you protecting her? You've always known she's just an illegitimate child? Her mother was once the mistress who destroyed another family when young? Now she's insane and living in a psychiatric hospital? Are you pitying her, so you customized her privately? Giving her extra financial support?" The rapid volley unleashed by Cai Meiren landed a crushing blow. She had no care for Kong Chengyi's denial or admission.
With one arm around Fang Xiufang, Kong Chengyi turned to gaze at Hua Lianxi who now stared vacantly with blank eyes. He pulled her into his embrace and, protecting them both, tried to leave the encircling crowd.
"Hua Lianxi, do you have anything to say about your background? Is it true? That your mother was a mistress? That she's now insane in a psychiatric hospital? Can you clarify all this?" Fierce as ever, Cai Meiren immediately pointed the microphone toward Hua Lianxi, allowing no chance for escape.
Those hollow, lifeless eyes instantly welled with tears under Cai Meiren's merciless interrogation. The secret buried deep in her heart was ruthlessly exposed before the public, like a sharp dagger piercing her chest, making her unable to breathe.
"Cai Meiren!" Trembling uncontrollably, Hua Lianxi screamed hysterically. She could never have imagined that it was Cai Meiren who pushed her most painful family truth so brutally into the glaring public eye, blatantly exposing her ugly scars, utterly disregarding her bleeding wounds.
Her sudden scream caused the noisy and chaotic scene to fall silent for a moment. It was as if everyone understood in an instant that all of Cai Meiren's accusations were true. The delicate and refined Hua Lianxi was nothing but Kong Chengyi's fake wife—a counterfeit disguised with money.
"Is it true? Young Master Kong, is all this true?"
"Hua Lianxi, are you just a customized girl? Are you only here for money?"
"Young Master Kong, how much did you spend on this customization?"
"Hua Lianxi, what is your price as a customized girl?"
"How long is your contract? Do you play the role of a married couple with real marital relations?"
...
In an instant, other media who couldn't get a word in seized the opportunity and went into a frenzy of questions, eager to obtain more useful information, ecstatic at the prospect of a headline and the sensational news impact afterward.
"You, you…" Not only everyone present was sober, but even Fang Xiufang's last hope was instantly crushed, shocked to know the truth.
The granddaughter-in-law she had always dearly loved turned out to be fake? All her affection had been poured into someone who was nothing but a paid plaything? Not to mention the hope of holding a chubby great-grandchild.
Unable to accept such an ugly fact, a surge of blood rushed to Fang Xiufang's head. Her eyes widened, lips trembling before gradually going limp, and her eyelids slowly closed.
Kong Chengyi's sharp gaze was filled with immense anger. He had never known about Hua Lianxi's background, nor had he suspected or investigated it. Now, hearing Cai Meiren's claims, he was also slightly shocked. He clenched his palm tightly, pulling Hua Lianxi closer as he moved to find an exit from the encircled crowd.
Cold and expressionless, he did not respond to any of the accusations. After taking just a few steps, he suddenly realized the person in his arms was growing weak. "Grandma!" he shouted furiously and scooped Fang Xiufang up in his arms.
By the time Ke Jie arrived with a group of security personnel, Kong Chengyi was already carrying Fang Xiufang, wildly rushing toward the exit.