Sheng Mingyang spent a few days in a slump, hitting dead ends everywhere in his job search. He even went to the Lin family to seek out his maternal grandfather and uncle, only to be met with cold rejection.
He could have delivered takeout or worked manual labor at a construction site, but he couldn't swallow his pride or endure the hardship. Eventually, he collapsed at the entrance of the Sheng family's old residence.
His biological mother took him in, and from then on, he settled into a life of mooching off his parents, his days consisting only of eating, sleeping, and playing video games.
He completely isolated himself from the outside world, so he no longer had to worry about his identity as an illegitimate child being exposed. As long as no one could find him, he would never have to face any of it.
Sheng Sinian, on the other hand, was clearly much more seasoned.
Good things come to those who wait. No matter the time, a person must have the courage to start over.
So, he too decided to start from scratch.
He began studying short videos, and it had to be said, he was a remarkably capable person, his mind sharp and quick.
He soon identified his target customer base and started filming videos tailored to that group.
There wasn't much variety, mostly just different settings.
His videos typically began with the surprise of being caught secretly filming, followed by an embarrassed cough into his fist, and then a shy smile.
Young girls watching would call it cringey, but middle-aged women saw him as a treasure.
His follower count grew rapidly, and once it did, he started livestreaming to sell products—not pillows for cervical spine issues, or lumbar support gadgets for back pain, or foot bath basins—all revolving around health and wellness.
His fan base had strong purchasing power, and his income was quite impressive, giving him the momentum to stage a comeback.
The private investigator relayed the information back to Lin Mengxing, along with the news that Sheng Mingyang was not her biological son.
Lin Mengxing locked herself in her room for an entire day, grieving for the child she had lost and seething with hatred for Sheng Sinian.
He had let the son of her enemy pose as her own son, claiming he was worried she might do something rash, saying that since that woman had killed her child, he would give her another child in return. But that was a human being—could it be traded like an equivalent exchange?
Thankfully, the child hadn't grown up by her side. If she had been forced to raise her enemy's child for twenty years, day in and day out, how cruel would that have been to her?
Even if Sheng Sinian were torn limb from limb now, it wouldn't quell the fury in her heart.
Sheng Sinian wanted to stage a comeback? As capable as he was, she would crush his budding resurgence in its cradle.
She watched Sheng Sinian's videos and nearly dropped her jaw in shock.
The beauty filters in those videos were cranked to the max—even his own mother probably wouldn't recognize him, right?
Lin Mengxing had to watch for a long time before she could vaguely see traces of his original appearance. It was rare for him to be willing to go that far.
She didn't want Sheng Sinian to have it so easy. She reported him with a single click and even pulled some strings to get many others to report him as well.
He was quickly silenced.
After tasting the sweetness of livestream sales, he tried to start over on other platforms, but just as he began to gain traction, he was reported again.
After several attempts, he realized someone was targeting him, and that path was completely blocked.
With the livestream sales route cut off, Sheng Sinian vanished without a trace.
Lin Mengxing dismissed the private investigator. From then on, Sheng Sinian was irrelevant.
She no longer wanted to waste her time and energy on him.
She was ready to begin a truly new chapter of her own life.
While she was busy dealing with the Sheng father and son, Shen Yunyun was also quite occupied.
Although she no longer lacked money, she was unwilling to slack off.
Whenever time allowed, she would open the trading center.