Back to 1984: Earning Money, Raising Kids, and Keeping the Household Busy

Chapter 238 Confusing right and wrong

"Zhang Long, what's done is done. No matter how much we make a fuss, it won't change the fact that our two families have become the subject of gossip. Rumors have probably already spread, and if they continue to circulate, even the most unpleasant speculations will emerge."

"We accept your apology, but we cannot forgive you. After all, the damage has already been done, you understand that, right?" Mr. Xue sat there calmly, smoking a cigarette, as if chatting casually, but his words made Zhang Long and his group's expressions change.

Zhang Longqiang suppressed his anger and forced a dry laugh, "My father-in-law is right."

Mr. Xue interrupted him, "No, the marriage between our two families has not yet taken place. It's best not to acknowledge this father-in-law so as not to cause any misunderstandings."

Zhang Long's fake smile was almost impossible to maintain. He gritted his teeth and slapped his thigh. "Yes! Director Xue is right. Yesterday's incident really made you suffer, especially Lingxue. To be honest, we are extremely satisfied with Lingxue."

"Jingxuan's mother and I had already agreed that this morning, when the newlyweds served us tea, we would give Lingxue the villa in the east of the city and four prime shops in the city center. Everything was prepared long ago; you can see for yourselves!"

As he spoke, Zhang Long hurriedly had everyone open all the things they had brought. "These property deeds were prepared a long time ago. They all belong to Ling Xue. We are very sincere. We just never expected that unfilial son would do something like this!"

However, we asked him last night, and he said that he met that woman named Anne at a cocktail party in England. At that time, Jingxuan had just arrived in England and was a clueless young man. Anne took a liking to our Jingxuan because he was handsome and rich, and took the initiative to seduce him.

After a while, Jingxuan and she got together. At that time, our two families hadn't started discussing marriage yet. But just as our families were about to start discussing marriage, Annie suddenly told Jingxuan that she was pregnant.

Jingxuan was too kind and responsible; he couldn't bear to let Annie abort the child. Looking back now, maybe Annie had already investigated Jingxuan's background and knew that he was getting engaged, which is why she was in a hurry to have a child to secure her position.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to approach that girl from the Chen family after Jingxuan left England. If you ask me, it's because our Jingxuan is too kind and upright that he fell into Annie's trap.

It's also because Annie kept talking badly about other women around Jingxuan that Jingxuan would dislike Lingxue for no reason. That doesn't make sense, does it?
Everyone was manipulated by Annie. It's really not that Jingxuan did these things intentionally. I hope Director Xue and Mrs. Xue can understand.

Zhang Long spoke with such sincerity and without the slightest hint of guilt. As for why he was so calm, it was naturally because Annie and her two children had taken a plane back to England early that morning.

No matter how capable the Xue family is, they could not possibly extend their reach into Britain. In addition, due to the language barrier, it would be difficult for the Xue family to verify what he said.

Wang Suling sneered, showing no sign of yielding to Zhang Long's words. "Chairman Zhang, you still haven't grasped the point. We have absolutely no interest in An Zhang Jingxuan and that woman. What we want is an explanation! These tactics of smoothing things over might work on others, but against us, you'd better save your breath!"

If they truly intend to act sincerely, they should issue a statement in the name of the Zhang Group, notify the media, clarify the facts to the public, and minimize the impact on the Xue family. Anything else is meaningless.

The Zhang family members whispered among themselves, their expressions grim.

Zhang Long's face fell, and he became anxious. "Madam Xue, if you do this, you're completely cutting off Jingxuan's future! Which man doesn't make mistakes? Besides, Jingxuan was already with that woman before they were even discussing marriage."

"Bang!" Wang Suling slammed her hand on the table. "Zhang Long, what do you mean by having your son, who already has a girlfriend, discuss marriage with my daughter? My innocent daughter has been turned into a mistress by your Zhang family. How are you going to compensate her for the damage to her reputation?"

"No, that's not it! That's not what I meant. Madam Xue, we were also unaware of this. If we had known about Jingxuan's situation earlier, we definitely wouldn't have let him discuss marriage with Miss Xue," Zhang Long hurriedly explained. The other elders of the Zhang family echoed his sentiments.

Uncle Xue roared, "That's because you're incompetent! You didn't even understand your own son before rushing him into marriage, and you'll have to bear the consequences yourselves! In short, this statement must be issued! If you don't, we will! Don't blame us for leaking everything later!"

Zhang Long's expression changed drastically. Facing the third uncle of the Xue family, his imposing manner instantly weakened. "Yes, yes, yes, we will hold a press conference in the name of the group when we get back to clarify the facts. I guarantee that we will minimize the negative impact on Miss Xue and the Xue family."

After saying that, Zhang Long led his group away in a dejected manner.

Wang Suling angrily threw down the gifts brought by the Zhang family, shouting, "What a load of rubbish! Shameless old hags!"

That afternoon, Zhang Long indeed held a press conference to clarify the wedding of the previous day. He dared not offend the Xue family, nor could he joke about the interests of the Zhang Group, so he threw all the blame on Annie.

Zhang Jingxuan was described as a kind, innocent, and upright young man who was tricked.

As soon as the report came out, Chen Xinyue saw it immediately. Seeing that the Zhang family was distorting the facts to whitewash Zhang Jingxuan, she was so angry that she gritted her teeth and immediately dialed Annie's number.

"Ms. Anne, I'm sorry to contact you at this time. If the Zhang family weren't so shameless, I wouldn't be making this call."

Chen Xinyue then translated the report into English for Annie.

Anne was furious and immediately started swearing.

Chen Xinyue hung up the phone when she felt it was about time.

Turning around, she found Chen Ruiyu standing behind her. She merely raised an eyebrow and pouted, "Brother, you heard everything?"

Chen Ruiyu was somewhat speechless. "Your English is getting better and better. You can translate a dry report into a vivid and expressive one. I would feel bad if I didn't listen to the whole thing."

But I still want to ask, aren't you afraid the Zhang family will cause you trouble if they find out about this?

Chen Xinyue chuckled lightly, remaining remarkably calm. "Brother, I've never liked causing trouble for Mom and Dad, and I still am. There's one thing this report is right about: Annie isn't a simple woman."

Zhang Jingxuan was, after all, the heir whom the old chairman of the Zhang Group had painstakingly cultivated. His ability and vision were beyond doubt. If Annie was just a pretty face with seductive skills, Zhang Jingxuan would not be interested in her.

Before returning to China, I subtly inquired at Jane's house and learned that Anne's grandfather was a British duke, her grandmother was Italian, and her family was in the jewelry business. Her parents divorced early on, which is why Anne developed a rebellious nature and was not very willing to have contact with her parents.

Zhang Jingxuan treated her very well, which is why she became infatuated with him and willingly gave birth to two children for him. However, she never expected that her love would follow the same path as her parents. This woman was originally strong-willed and had a temper. It's no wonder she couldn't tolerate the Zhang family treating her so badly!
"Just you wait and see, Annie will definitely not let the Zhang family off easily. As for my brother, Annie is grateful to me now. Given how the Zhang family treated her, do you think she would betray me?"