Jian Tao returned home with an empty stomach, filled with anger, and prepared herself a meal, eating voraciously.

In her mind, she fantasized about chewing Ye Fan up and swallowing him piece by piece. Unfortunately, it didn’t let off any steam.

Thinking about Ye Fan’s indifference and peculiarities only made her angrier.

After Ye Fan returned to the villa, he shared his observations of Jian Tao’s behavior with Mengyao.

"It seems she can still be salvaged and won’t resort to extreme measures against us. This means we can relax a bit. A little tolerance will suffice." After hearing Ye Fan’s words, Mengyao said, "After all, she’s a mother. For the sake of her child, she won’t act recklessly, nor will she exploit her child, as long as we change this perception that we’re the bad ones."

"Changing a bad image is not simple. If we deliberately try to please her, it might backfire. We can only let things take their natural course," Ye Fan said calmly. "Jian Tao isn’t inherently bad. She’s just stimulating herself to be a villain under the provocation and anger of avenging her husband. I hope she abandons her preconceived notions and realizes her mistakes."

"Let’s see when the black hand behind the scenes will be exposed. By then, she will admit the facts and won’t act wantonly based on her fabricated ideas," Mengyao anticipated.

"The fox’s tail has already been revealed. I believe the mastermind will soon surface," Ye Fan said calmly.

...

Photos of Ye Fan and Jian Tao dining happily with her daughter were placed in front of Zhao Zhongtian.

"Good, very good. With these photos, we can ruin Jian Tao’s reputation. I want to see how she will face the world then," Zhao Zhongtian said with a displeased expression, considering the involvement of some untouchable figures.

"But these photos of Ye, shouldn’t they be fabricated and reported at will?" Heipi cautiously asked.

"I understand your concerns, and they are mine as well," Zhao Zhongtian frowned, "No matter how bold I am, I wouldn’t dare provoke or mess with this Mr. Ye."

"What should we do then?" Heipi inquired, "To tarnish Jian Tao’s name, Mr. Ye is an indispensable factor."

"Just remove Mr. Ye’s head from the photos, leaving only the silhouette. This way, people will more likely wonder who this man is and what unspeakable purpose he has with Jian Tao, leading to a more devastating effect," Zhao Zhongtian smiled smugly.

"That’s clever. It’s easier for such gossip to provoke debate and belief," Heipi nodded cautiously.

"Is the reporter tracking Jian Tao and her daughter trustworthy?" Zhao Zhongtian emphasized, "That reporter is just a tool. Make sure our identities aren’t leaked, understood?"

"Leave it to me. You can rest assured," Heipi guaranteed.

"Hmm!" Zhao Zhongtian’s smile colded further as he sternly said, "This time, I want to see how Zhao Feipeng will handle this."

...

Soon, rumors about Jian Tao’s scandal swept across, fueled to a boiling frenzy.

"Zhao Family’s daughter-in-law secretly meets a mysterious man for a cozy dinner for three. It makes one wonder why the newly widowed Zhao Family’s daughter-in-law has the leisure to enjoy a romantic candlelight dinner with a mysterious man while bringing her daughter along."

"Does this mean she doesn’t care about her husband’s accidental death and has another man in her heart?"

"From the daughter’s smiles and mannerisms towards the mysterious man, it can clearly be seen that this man is not simple. It’s hard to believe he has no unspeakable motives with the Zhao Family’s daughter-in-law, " the writer stated as their first belief.

"Hence, I boldly speculate, could this mysterious man be the Zhao Family’s daughter-in-law’s affair partner? A woman who has just lost her husband, if truly saddened, would likely start a new relationship as a remedy to the sorrow. But isn’t this pace a bit too fast, making one suspect that the Zhao Family’s daughter-in-law is indifferent to her husband’s death, and the mysterious man was indeed her husband all along? It’s probable that this mysterious man frequently meets with the daughter; judging by the daughter’s closeness towards the man, their relationship is not ordinary."

"Is there a possibility that the daughter isn’t of Zhao Family’s blood but was instead born from an affair between the Zhao Family’s daughter-in-law and this mysterious wild man?"

Online, defamatory comments against Jian Tao surged, with all sorts of foul language in the comment sections.

Despite the anonymity online, Jian Tao and her daughter’s photos were displayed, and only the mysterious man’s head was obscured.

Though not mentioned by name, the Zhao Family’s daughter-in-law and the photos directly dumped all the filth on Jian Tao.

The dissemination of these online messages originated from multiple sources, not just Jiang Zhe who took the photos. Others were also fabricating stories, similar to writing gossip, further sensationalizing Jian Tao’s incident.

The malevolence lies not just in the circulating news itself but also in the innumerable, appalling curses emerging in the comment sections.

The mastermind behind this, Zhao Zhongtian, wore a satisfied smile after viewing the online information.

"Jian Tao, don’t blame me for being ruthless. I’m compelled to do this. I’ve reached this point and am forced by circumstances not to retreat," Zhao Zhongtian expressed some guilt. If possible, he naturally wouldn’t harm Jian Tao.

If the plan to kidnap Zhao Ruixi succeeded, events would unfold as he planned.

However, after the failed kidnapping, he could only turn to other methods.

Within the Zhao Family and the entire business circle, few genuinely cared for him. Jian Tao was a junior who truly respected him, so Zhao Zhongtian still had some scruples about harming her.

Since extending a lethal hand to Zhao Hai, firing the initial shot at Zhao Feipeng, and competing for leadership within the Zhao Family began, Zhao Zhongtian had changed and couldn’t turn back anymore.

Even if he wanted to retreat, it was a dead end. He could only fight fiercely.

Moreover, after his painstaking plotting, how could he retreat?

If there was a shred of benevolence left in his heart, it had to be snuffed out. Before gaining control of the Zhao Family, he wouldn’t allow himself to make mistakes.

Though reluctant to kill, someone like Zhao Hai, whom he must kill, won’t be spared.

"The path to power is fraught with thorns and bloodshed. It is the unavoidable scenery on this inevitable road," Zhao Zhongtian sneered, cold and cruel.