Chapter 103: Means

Chapter 103

Jiang Sui yawned sleepily. After hanging up the phone, she lazily unlocked her cell. The moment she did, major news alerts from every platform popped up on her screen. And every single one bore the same headline.

#Bai Xixue’s husband really is Ji Sicheng, President of Qiangsheng Group#

Immediately following were a series of related trending topics:

#Qiangsheng Group accused of tax evasion#
#Anonymous tip links Qiangsheng Group to organized crime#
#Bai Xixue: “This has nothing to do with me”#
#Bai Xixue’s official clarification#

Jiang Sui calmly scrolled through each one. As she got out of bed, the little paper dolls that slept beneath her bed sprang into action. They floated up to dress her and brush her hair. Now that she had mystical power at her disposal, she might as well make things easy for herself.

Each little paper figure was folded from talisman paper, and with a touch of her power, they became tiny puppets at her command.

All these trending topics were interlinked, so once Jiang Sui tapped into one, the rest appeared alongside it. Reading the headlines, she couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

Indeed, the report about Qiangsheng Group’s tax evasion had been her doing—she’d arranged for someone to tip off the authorities. She’d heard from Lu Ye that the Ji family’s fortune was tied to illicit dealings, so it stood to reason they’d have tax issues too.

What’s more, if, as the original script claimed, Ji Sicheng would do anything—even kill or burn—for Bai Xixue, and already had a hint of the underworld about him, then—

Either he was ignorant of the law, or he was breaking it knowingly.

So she went straight to the authorities. Sure enough, the investigation uncovered tax problems in several Qiangsheng subsidiaries. Evidence even surfaced linking them to violent, bloody incidents.

But Ji Sicheng was quick to distance himself. The moment the scandal broke, he suppressed the trending topic, severed ties with those implicated subsidiaries, and claimed it was all the work of rogue branch managers, who had now been fired and reported to the police—nothing whatsoever to do with headquarters.

His methods were swift and ruthless, cutting cleanly. In the end, whether tax issues or criminal allegations, Ji Sicheng’s rapid response left him apparently unscathed.

Yet, even so, suspicion lingered.

“Oh my God, so our city’s youngest elite entrepreneur Ji Sicheng really is Bai Xixue’s husband! I guess the rumors were true after all!”

“Damn! When you think about it, could the person who tried to kidnap Jiang Sui have been Ji Sicheng all along?”

“The mysterious president husband of Bai Xixue... My illusions are shattered!”

“Does anyone still remember that phone call Jiang Sui got in ‘Mom is a Hero’? Even though it was clarified later, I always thought something was off. Maybe it was real!”

“Yes, yes, I remember now! It’s the twenty-second century, how do people like this still exist?”

“Hahaha so Bai Xixue’s mysterious, hidden husband ends up trending for tax evasion—serves her right!”

“Of course she’s a pampered canary kept by her husband, climbing the entertainment industry ladder with dirty money—does it make you happy?”

Bai Xixue’s fans couldn’t sit still. They rushed out to defend her.

“What does President Ji’s business have to do with our Xixue? Don’t drag everything onto her.”

“Our Xixue already said on the show—her husband never meddles in her affairs. Everything she’s achieved in the entertainment world is her own; she’s just doing it for fun. Stop throwing mud at her.”

“Xixue knows nothing, Xixue shines on her own. Mr. Ji, please handle your own problems and don’t drag our Xixue down with you. Thank you.”

“It’s not Xixue who evaded taxes! Besides, it’s only a few unruly subsidiaries—don’t tar everyone with the same brush.”

Onlookers chimed in:

“Haha, weren’t Bai Xixue’s fans praising her husband to the skies before, calling him the best brother-in-law ever? Now you’re turning your backs on him?”

“Bai Xixue’s fans are cracking me up, honestly...”

“Can you believe what Bai Xixue’s fans say? They claim she’s just doing this for fun, but she has an endless stream of resources and even her outfits are meticulously styled—is that what ‘slacking’ looks like? Even if her bones turned to ash, she’d still be stubborn.”

For a time, the internet was awash with trending topics and memes.

Though it seemed Ji Sicheng had cleared himself of all involvement, in truth—

No amount of explanation could ever truly wash him clean now.

Because, after all, the netizens would fill in the gaps.

Sherlock Holmes-level netizens, and the ever-watchful citizens of Chaoyang District, would never let him off the hook.

Jiang Sui’s lips curled into a faint smile as she scrolled down and came upon Bai Xixue’s official clarification.