Chapter 13: The Adopted Daughter of a Wealthy Family Leaks Telepathy 13 The Male Lead is Not Old at All…

Chapter 13: The Wealthy Foster Daughter Reveals Her Thoughts 13 – The Male Lead Isn’t Lao Dingtou...

Now the scandal couldn’t be contained anymore. No matter how furious Song Jie was, she couldn’t stop the netizens’ enthusiasm for the gossip.

Douban quickly pieced together the truth of the matter. Initially, Song Jie had paid for hit pieces to smear Yang Anni. Although Xu Ziyan refuted the "gold-digger" rumors, the "gold-digger" label still stuck to Yang Anni—it might not have affected her, but it was still irritating.

So Ding Yao, the so-called "sugar daddy" himself, stepped in to publicly acknowledge his real girlfriend. On the surface, it seemed like an effort to dispel rumors, but every word was calculated, with no wasted breath.

Ding Yao posted a picture of the jewelry he intended to gift his girlfriend, emphasizing how precious and unique it was, which his mother won at auction. The set Song Jie had was either fake or obtained from Ding Yao’s mother.

Given Ding Yao’s deliberate emphasis on "Mrs. Ding," the latter seemed more likely. The kicker was: Song Jie was probably Lao Dingtou’s mistress and shamelessly took Mrs. Ding’s heirloom.

In hindsight, was Song Jie targeting Yang Anni because Yang Anni was Ding Yao’s girlfriend? And was Ding Yao stepping in to expose the mistress? Was Song Jie’s son also returning to the Ding family to fight for the inheritance?

Though the netizens’ speculations had no concrete evidence, everyone increasingly believed this was the truth.

A seemingly small scandal involving the wealthy had unraveled into a full-blown drama, and the online crowd discussed it with great enthusiasm. Every word and action of Song Jie’s decades-long career was picked apart relentlessly, all in an effort to dig up her mistress story.

Xu Ziyan joined in the gossip too. With her knowledge of the world’s plot, she knew more about this than anyone else. Using a burner account, she occasionally dropped hints for the netizens.

"Song Jie came from a poor background and was sponsored by Mrs. Ding to attend high school and university. Later, when she visited to express gratitude, she met Lao Dingtou."

"Song Jie was both insecure and arrogant. Seeing that Mrs. Ding was around her age but came from such a privileged background, she grew wildly jealous and became Lao Dingtou’s mistress, taking money without hesitation. She was the OG gold-digger, using his money to buy her way into roles."

"Song Jie told her son she was forced by Lao Dingtou—that she had no choice at first but later compromised for his sake so he could have a better life. That’s why her son hates the Ding family and went back specifically to fight for the inheritance."

Netizens didn’t know if these details were true, but the gossip was too juicy to resist. Xu Ziyan’s messages spread quickly. Moreover, while Song Jie’s fans had initially defended her fiercely, many suddenly went silent—clearly, something had struck a nerve.

Song Jie’s fan groups were also in heated discussions. Most of her fans were drawn to her beauty—she was stunning, the kind of face that seemed like Nuwa (the goddess of creation)’s masterpiece. Despite having no standout roles in her decades-long career, she still had a massive, loyal fanbase.

Because these fans had followed her for so long, they knew many things about her. For instance, she truly came from a remote village and was indeed sponsored for her education. Though Song Jie never mentioned it, her fans had dug it up before but never brought it up—until now, when someone exposed that Mrs. Ding was the sponsor.

Fan groups kept tagging Song Jie’s assistant, demanding to know if this was true.

As for Song Jie’s history of using funds to secure lead roles, long-time fans knew about it. They had even spun a romanticized story—that a powerful man fell in love with her but couldn’t marry her due to their status difference, so he protected her and their child while supporting her acting career. Since no scandals had surfaced before, fans had turned a blind eye, never questioning whether the man had a wife.

Now that the truth was exposed, if the funds Song Jie used came from Ding Yao’s father, then she was undeniably a mistress. If Mrs. Ding’s sponsorship was also true, then Song Jie was an ungrateful villain. How could fans stay calm?

Especially since Song Jie had bragged about stealing Mrs. Ding’s heirloom online—how shameless!

The backlash against Song Jie grew louder, pushing the topic to the top of the trending list with a bold "BREAKING" tag. The Ding family was also thrust into the spotlight, and the nickname "Lao Dingtou" trended online.

Xu Ziyan was lounging on a poolside chair, enjoying the gossip storm, when a servant suddenly approached to inform her that Yang Anni and Ding Yao had come to visit.

Xu Ziyan was surprised. "Why are they here? Bring them over quickly, and prepare some fruits and snacks. Ask what they’d like to drink."

"Understood, Young Miss."

Soon, the two arrived. Ding Yao’s expression was visibly grim, while Yang Anni looked slightly awkward. She explained, "We’re sorry for dropping by unannounced. Ding Yao insisted on coming to discuss the company’s progress with you."

Xu Ziyan grew wary. "Don’t tell me you want me to make decisions? Let me clarify—I don’t work. Don’t expect me to take on responsibilities."

Ding Yao sat on a nearby lounge chair and took off his sunglasses. "Relax. My old man kicked me out, so I finally have time to fully focus on our new company. I just thought we could chat about future directions—casually, since we’ve got nothing else to do.

Besides, the online noise is driving me crazy. I figured I’d lay low here."

Xu Ziyan laughed. "Never heard of someone seeking peace at their enemy’s turf."

And it was true—the Fu and Ding families had a long-standing rule of never visiting each other. When the servant led Ding Yao in earlier, their expression had been one of utter disbelief. Truly a "you live long enough to see everything" moment.

Ding Yao shrugged, "I don’t know about the older generation’s business. I was raised by my mom and even lived at my grandfather’s place for years. My way of thinking’s nothing like the Ding clan’s."

Fine, we’re all just cannon fodder here—no need to judge each other. Let’s just stick together.

Actually, Ding Yao was in a hurry to hear what Xu Ziyan really thinks. The moment he saw those online leaked secrets, he guessed they came from Xu Ziyan. Only she would mentally refer to his father as "Lao Dingtou," so she must know everything—more than what he could dig up himself.

He wanted to hear if there was anything else. Suddenly realizing the world wasn’t as he knew it put him on edge, and oddly enough, being near Xu Ziyan weirdly calmed him down.

Xu Ziyan pulled Yang Anni to sit down. "Perfect timing—my dad’s birthday banquet is coming up. You’ve got an eye for this; help me pick out a dress. There are a few I really like."

Xu Ziyan opened her tablet’s photo album, and the two huddled close to browse the dress options together.

Ding Yao suddenly got a call from Lao Dingtou. His furious shouting was so loud that Xu Ziyan could hear it clearly from two seats away.

"You disgrace! Running your mouth online and dragging the company down with you. Did I strip you of your position out of spite? Is this your revenge? Have you even considered the damage to the company?"

Ding Yao barked a laugh. "Where did I mention you or the company? Can’t I even gift my girlfriend a set of jewelry from my mom’s collection? If you and those trashy women you mess with are taking heat, maybe reflect on whether your actions were just plain vile."

"Hand it all back—exactly as it was—everything my mom left. How dare she lay a finger on my mom’s things? Who does she think she is?"

"You—"

Lao Dingtou tried to keep yelling, but Ding Yao hung up and blocked him in one fluid motion—clearly not his first time doing so.

Xu Ziyan thought to herself, *Did the script have this scene? Let me check. Huh? Did meeting Anni, teaming up with Ding Yao and Anni for the company, lead to Ding Yao standing up for Anni and exposing all this? Talk about the 'butterfly effect'—tiny changes really do ripple through the plot.*

*So, following the original plot was never possible. Expecting a living person like me to act like a puppet, sticking to every scripted move while avoiding all butterfly effects? That’d drive me insane.*

*No wonder the plot couldn’t hold up.*

She glanced at Ding Yao. "Speaking of which, in the original plot, Ding Yao was just a pampered playboy, a second-generation heir with all privilege, no merit, coddled by his grandfather and mom. So when the male lead schemed to push him out of the company and steal his inheritance, it was a 'crowd-pleaser' for readers."

*But here’s the kicker—the male lead wasn’t even Lao Dingtou’s biological son!*

Ding Yao spat out his lemon water in shock.

Xu Ziyan and Yang Anni turned to him. Thinking fast, he muttered, "This lemon water’s tart as hell…"

Xu Ziyan took a sip, puzzled—it tasted fine. She continued, "Song Jie was bold, huh? Getting pregnant by some young fling and dumping it in Lao Dingtou’s lap, then ending up as the queen bee of the Ding family."

*As for Ding Jie, after dealing with Ding Yao, he turned on Lao Dingtou. Only after finally seizing the Ding family did he learn the truth—he wasn’t even related. He made sure to show Lao Dingtou the paternity report, making the old man drop dead in his hospital bed, avenging every humiliation he’d endured while sucking up to him.*

She suddenly realized, "Wait, so both the Fu and Ding families—these sworn rivals—ended up destroyed by Ding Jie?"

The plot felt like a forced redemption arc shoehorned in for Ding Jie, painting all his cruelty as justified revenge under his mother’s lies. Revenge, after all, blinds people to any means necessary.

Only at the very end did he learn his mom was just a straight-up gold-digger. So the male lead wasn’t at fault—it was all his mom’s doing. A few regretful sighs later, and his "good heart" was revealed, sweeping everything under the rug.

Xu Ziyan couldn’t stand the idea of the plot unfolding this way. Why should everyone bend over backward for this male lead?

Yang Anni suddenly spoke up. "The trending topics are all gone. Ding Yao, did your dad pay to scrub them? Tsk, that must’ve cost a fortune."

Ding Yao, still reeling, distractedly checked his phone. Sure enough, all related tags had vanished. The thought of the Ding family falling into an outsider’s hands—all because Lao Dingtou was led by his lust—made him laugh bitterly. He quickly typed and posted another tweet.

"Wow, so much drama! Should I be nervous? Let’s set the mood—how about this: ‘Inheriting a fortune and holding company shares, living my best life. If I ever go missing, don’t ask—it’s definitely foul play!’"

He was furious about his original fate—maimed and dumped abroad as a beggar. If they wanted to mess with him, he’d return the favor. So what if they deleted the trending topics? He’d give them fresh material.

Sure enough, his post became the new hotspot for drama-hungry netizens. The phrase "foul play" spawned countless conspiracy theories.

Song Jie’s reputation went from "pretty face" to "backstabbing mistress," Lao Dingtou became the "old scumbag," and Ding Jie was dubbed the "mini backstabber."

Seeing this, Xu Ziyan, ever the instigator, seized the moment. "You should get a paternity test for your dad and brother on the sly. If things go south and you can’t win against them, at least you’ll have proof, right?"