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In the hospital room, a sense of warmth prevailed, and Fu Chijing was thoroughly enjoying it. Unfortunately, someone lacked tact. Tong Qing glanced at the caller ID, and the flashing name "Tong Hongliang" on the screen prompted a sneer. She had spent an entire day searching for him when she learned her mother was about to be evicted from the hospital. Now that she had stopped looking, he had the nerve to call her. With an icy expression, she pressed the answer button. The moment the call connected, the voice on the other end bellowed with fury, "Tong Qing, you unfilial daughter, what have you done to Nianyu?" Tong Hongliang had just gotten home when Tong Nianyu went to him, tearfully recounting Tong Qing's supposed misdeeds. The thought of his precious daughter being mistreated by Tong Qing was unbearable. Tong Qing let out a derisive snort. "You're asking me what I've done to her? Why not ask what she's done?" She had deliberately cut off her mother's medical funds and had her thrown out of the hospital. Worse, she had flaunted a pearl necklace bought with the dowry from the Fu family right in front of her. Tong Qing felt no remorse for what had happened today, not even if she had gone as far as to kill her. "You dare to talk back!" "Is speaking the truth now considered talking back?" Tong Qing said with a mocking edge. "You really can't handle the truth, can you?" Tong Hongliang's face turned livid. "Silence. I don't want to hear your justifications. Listen to me, if you want your mother to continue staying in the hospital, you will come back immediately and apologize to Nianyu." Was he threatening her again? Tong Qing's eyes darkened with anger. Just then, a hand reached over and took the phone from her grasp. Fu Chijing's gaze was deep and cool as he said, "Tong Hongliang, you have quite the audacity." He dared to berate her, and he expected Tong Qing to apologize to Tong Nianyu? Tong Hongliang had still been ranting when the chilling voice interrupted him, and he trembled with fear. "Mr. Fu?" He gripped his phone tighter. Could it be...

Had he overheard what was just said? The thought made Tong Hongliang’s heart leap into his throat. He quickly backpedaled. "Mr. Fu, you... you must have misunderstood. It’s all a big mix-up. I heard that Tong Qing and Nianyu had a bit of a spat, so I simply wanted her to come home and clear things up." "Heh." That explanation might have worked on someone else, but not on him. He had heard every single word clearly. There was no way he would believe it. A chilling glint flashed in Fu Chijing’s eyes. "With the way you talk, you must think you’re untouchable in business. In that case, FOR’s withdrawal of investment surely won’t affect the Tong family." "Mr. Fu!" Tong Hongliang panicked. "You can’t do this." The Tong family had finally secured a major project with the Fu family’s backing. If the funding was pulled now, he would be facing losses in the hundreds of millions. Fu Chijing clearly had no intention of discussing it. He was only informing him. Tong Hongliang pleaded urgently, "Mr. Fu..." The call ended. Tong Hongliang’s face went pale. Minutes later, his phone rang again. It was his secretary, sounding frantic. "Director Tong, we’ve just received word that FOR has pulled its investment. What... what do we do now? Without FOR’s backing, this project..." Tong Hongliang couldn’t listen any longer and slammed his phone to the ground. Regret churned in his gut. What had Tong Qing fed Fu Chijing to win him over so completely? She had only just married in, yet she had already gained his favor to the point that he would abandon a deal worth billions for her. If he had known it would come to this, he never would have acted so rashly. Now he had lost on every front. Tong Nianyu had been hiding by the stairwell, eavesdropping. She had thought Tong Hongliang would stand up for her and put Tong Qing in her place, but instead she witnessed the fallout. Terrified, she didn’t dare cause a scene and slipped back toward her room.

Tong Hongliang's gaze snapped in her direction. A wave of panic surged through Tong Nianyu. "Dad..." When Tong Hongliang saw her, he was reminded of the loss of hundreds of millions, and his heart ached fiercely. He stormed over and, without a word, slapped her across the face, warning, "From now on, you're forbidden from causing any more trouble for Tong Qing. If you do, I won't let it slide." Leaving behind those thunderous words, Tong Hongliang, with a multitude of issues to resolve, hastily departed. Tong Nianyu remained frozen in place, hand on her cheek, as tears poured down her face. Yao Qing, hearing the disturbance, rushed out to find her daughter in distress, her face ashen with shock. "My dear girl, what happened?" "It's all Tong Qing's fault," Tong Nianyu spat bitterly. "If it weren't for that wretch, Dad would never have hit me. She's to blame." Yao Qing narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. "It seems I can't allow her to keep gloating." "Mom, what are we going to do?" Yao Qing pondered for a moment. "I've heard that Tong Qing has transferred to Jiangcheng University and enrolled just a few days ago." "What?" Tong Nianyu was incredulous. "How did that little wretch manage that? She must have used some backdoor influence." That was Jiangcheng University, after all. How on earth did Tong Qing manage to get in? "Don't concern yourself with how she got in. Just remember one thing," Yao Qing said, gripping her daughter's hand firmly, emphasizing each word. "You are the Tong family's precious daughter, and she's nothing but a lowly-born illegitimate child. She will never outshine you." Hearing these words, a shadow passed over Tong Nianyu's eyes as she reclaimed her confidence. Her mother was right. No matter how advantageous Tong Qing's marriage might be, she could never alter her origins.

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