Standing Next To You-Chapter 185: Barging in

A/n: This Chapter has been fixed. Thank you for waiting.

****

The Simon family finally left Country C. Due to the incident with Lin Xiaoni, their last day in the Lin mansion was spent wrapping up the engagement. There was no banquet or celebration. The engagement was done privately.

Because of the chaotic and hectic day, the Simon family did not have time to look for Bei Sangyun and apologize to her personally. They only wrote letters of apology and instructed their assistant to send them to Bei Sangyun.

Surprisingly, Old Master Lin let it go and did not demand anything more.

Richard, unwilling and detesting the engagement, did not even say goodbye to Lin Xiaoni or anyone in the Lin family. The same went for Sophia.

They came to the country hoping to have fun while looking forward to their new toys; however, they left with hanging heads and broken spirits. They couldn’t even avenge themselves and had to leave in shame and embarrassment.

The Simon family departed in a depressing atmosphere.

But their distress and problems did not end here.

The moment they set foot in their country, a huge crowd of reporters awaited them. These urgent reporters collided with their guards and asked them about the ongoing trials and their involvement boldly, asking shameless and straightforward questions to their faces.

It turned out that the situation took a turn for the worst in the past two days. The families of those young masters got impatient and finally made Richard’s involvement public. They filed lawsuits and exposed Richard’s crimes.

The sudden turn of events even shook Mr. Simon. At first, he thought he could still salvage the situation with his connections and money since the proof in those families’ hands was insufficient. But he did not expect that in just two days, they already had something huge in their hands.

They posted the videos of the twins, Richard and Sophia, had taken for ’fun’ while bullying their ’toys’—the victims, all over the internet. And these sensational videos were not only one or two. The past crimes they buried with the help of the hacker and the Simon family had surfaced one by one and caused huge outrage among the netizens.

With such irrefutable evidence shown to the public, the victims, who could only endure and live with the shame they had suffered, gained courage and joined forces with the families targeting the Simon family.

They gave their testimonies and came out in public. With many people fighting against the Simon family, they finally saw hope to get the justice they deserved.

The Simon family struggled to withstand the mounting pressure until Mr. Simon and his grandchildren returned to the country. Unfortunately, upon their return, the situation had already reached its peak, and they had become the focal point of society’s discussions.

Despite being back in their home country, their predicament looked grim. Hostile crowds hurled rotten eggs at their mansion and their company’s headquarters, while the internet overflowed with revelations of the twins’ previous crimes. The names of Richard and Sophia were now synonymous with curses and ridicule.

They can’t even go outside because many people recognize them for the wrong reasons.

Mr. Simon attempted to defend his grandchildren vigorously. Paradoxically, the more he tried to shield them, the more his life’s work—the company he had dedicated his entire career to—started to crumble. Stock values plummeted, investors withdrew, and collaborations with other companies were severed. No one wanted to invest in their new projects or associate with them, and the public initiated a widespread boycott against their company.

For the first time in the Simon family’s history, they found themselves at rock bottom, relying solely on loans to keep their operations afloat.

Despite the influx of loans, their downward spiral continued.

The families harboring grudges against them relentlessly attacked, ensuring they had no respite.

Every attempt to move forward was met with a force pushing them backward, preventing any chance of recovery. They continued to sink further into despair.

The Simon family, overwhelmed by the backlash, could no longer cope with the situation and had to make sacrifices.

Mr. Simon’s first sacrifice was handing over Richard. The Lin family, whom he believed would stand by them as in-laws, had betrayed them in their time of need.

As the situation worsened, Mr. Simon sought Old Master Lin’s support. However, the cunning and sharp Old Master Lin thoroughly investigated the Simon family’s circumstances and did not provide an immediate answer. When Mr. Simon turned to his old friend for help, Old Master Lin coldly replied with Lin Xiaoni’s engagement being called off.

Old Master Lin’s decision to sever ties between the two families not only dealt a severe blow to Mr. Simon but also served as a harsh awakening, forcing him to confront the cruel reality. Understanding his old friend’s unwillingness to associate with a sinking ship, Mr. Simon realized that the Simon family’s condition was dire, destined for a downfall.

To improve their situation, Mr. Simon recognized the need to eliminate the persistent enemies that continually harassed the family. The Simon family could only have a chance to recover if those troublesome families, intent on bringing them down, were removed from their path.

After two years of struggling, Mr. Simon finally conceded defeat and compelled Richard to turn himself in, facing the consequences of his committed crimes.

With Richard imprisoned, the families targeting the Simon family due to his actions eased their attacks.

Although the external assaults ceased, the accumulated losses over the past years were insurmountable, rendering the Simon family unable to recover. Their damaged reputation made collaboration and partnerships impossible, and only a miracle could they restore their former glory.

In a desperate bid for that elusive miracle, Mr. Simon made another sacrifice.

He sold off his granddaughter to a wealthy man who was over fifty and had three sons older than Sophia. There was a rumor that this wealthy man had three wives, but because of his fetish, his wife either divorced him or got sick. But despite the rumors that were likely true circulating around, Mr. Simon still chose him because of the huge wealth this family had. Despite Sophia’s pleas and cries, Mr. Simon accepted the support of this wealthy man, hoping for a chance at recovery.

Only then did the Simon family begin to experience a semblance of recovery. However, despite the sacrifices, they never reclaimed their former greatness, settling as an average family with a middling company, gradually fading into obscurity with the changing times.

As for the fate of the two grandchildren, their future proved to be even bleaker—a consequence of their own deeds.

This grim fate awaited them in the years to come.

*****

Bei Sangyun woke up early, brimming with energy. After freshening up and changing clothes into a cheerful mood, she dashed to the neighboring room.

With a bright smile, she pressed the doorbell, eager to greet her neighbor.

She pressed the doorbell a few more times before an impatient voice crackled over the intercom.

"What is it?"

Unfazed, Bei Sangyun playfully leaned closer to the camera. "Hey, let me in. I’ll cook breakfast."

"...."

There was a moment of silence on the other side.

Bei Sangyun pressed on the doorbell again. When there was still no answer she pressed it two more times.

"...Stop." Fei Chuan sounded helpless. "I already told you I don’t need you to cook for me or be my hand. I am doing well."

"How will I know if I am not seeing it?"

Although this high-end hotel has an intercom and two-way communication, the two-way video camera wasn’t out yet in the market. It will probably be produced at the end of the year.

So Fei Chuan can see Bei Sangyun outside, but Bei Sangyun can only hear Fei Chuan.

"I said I am fine. Just go back." Then there was a long ’beep’ sound.

Fei Chuan had turned off the intercom.

Bei Sangyun: "..."

Undeterred, she pressed the doorbell again but the man did not answer her this time. Bei Sangyun gritted her teeth and pressed it without a pause.

Inside, the continuous ’ding, ding, ding’ reverberated in the room.

Fei Chuan ruffled his hair in irritation and went back to the door. He opened the door and prepared to scold the unwanted visitor.

"Can you stop--"

Bei Sangyun seized the opportunity, pushed open the door, and barged in. "Good morning." Her sheepish smile showed her good mood.

Fei Chuan, caught off guard, nearly lost his balance, but Bei Sangyun swiftly held his arm.

"Oops. Sorry," she said, her half-dry hair emitting a scent that Fei Chuan both hated and looked forward to.

’That damn lavender scent again...’

Fei Chuan pushed her away, nagging, "Didn’t I tell you just yesterday not to barge into someone’s room?"

Ignoring his protests, Bei Sangyun replied in the same tone, "Didn’t we agree that I’ll do the cooking and be your hand for two days?"

"I don’t remember agreeing to that." Fei Chuan replied.

Bei Sangyun teased, "I also don’t remember agreeing to your ’no barging into someone’s room’ rule."

Fei Chuan: "...."

Bei Sangyun took advantage of his speechlessness and directly went to the kitchen after taking off her shoes. She then busied herself in the kitchen, although it was just her cooking rice.

Fei Chuan sighed helplessly. Like yesterday, he was defeated by her shamelessness again, and he couldn’t stop her even though it was his own rented house.

He followed her into the kitchen and couldn’t help but notice her feet. Since he didn’t have any extra indoor slippers, Bei Sangyun was only wearing her socks. The weather was cold, and the floor must be cold too.

Fei Chuan reached out for the remote control and increased the heater.

Bei Sangyun turned around and kindly reminded him, "I’ll prepare the dish, so you can go ahead and wash up. Your breath stinks." There was a playful smile on the corner of her lips.

Fei Chuan: "...."

He was woken up by the doorbell and just came out because of the continuous bell, so he hadn’t washed his face or brushed his teeth.

Fei Chuan turned around towards the bathroom with a solemn face. When he closed the bathroom door, he smelled his own breath.

Does it stink?