The Jilted Second Young Master (47)

Lin Shaofeng quickly pulled Lin Yitian over to a corner and discussed what he should do on the press conference later on.

"...and lastly, about that insensible young miss from the Rong family, I trust that you know what to do. Leave the Rong family to me, I've already dealt with them."

Lin Shaofeng patted Lin Yitian's shoulder, a slight smile flitting across his face.

"Yitian...you've done well."

Lin Yitian saw for the first time genuine praise on his father's eyes. Since he was young, it was the first time his father had looked at him with that kind of expression. That kind of fatherly look had usually been reserved for Lin Shenglan.

The press conference began to start shortly after, with Lin Shenglan standing in front of a podium with several microphones turned towards him. He didn't attempt to hide his haggard face, and his eyes betrayed a lack of sleep. Lin Yitian and his parents stood behind him, looking solemn. Flashes from the cameras transformed the room into a small fireworks display.

The press was having a field day with Lin Shenglan's scandal. After all, the Lin family was relatively famous, not to mention that Lin Shenglan had a spotless reputation prior to the leaked affair. And the Rong family were also well-known for their strong political influence. That's why the room was filled to capacity, making Lin Yitian blink his eyes and look down to focus on his phone.

The bright lights and the loud noises were giving him a headache, and there was a constant ringing in his ears. He clenched his hands and intently kept his eyes on Song Jia's picture. He wanted to go home as quickly as possible.

Lin Shenglan leaned into the microphone, looking at the numerous faces that were staring at him.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the press, I thank you all for coming here today. I am grateful for the opportunity to explain, and to clarify my side of the story. Before I begin, I'd also like to thank my family, who placed their trust in me and decided to support me today. Without them, I would have no doubt...been unable to look as composed as I am today."

Lin Shenglan's voice was hoarse, and his eyes looked as if they were enduring a terrible pain. The press corps quickly began taking notes.

"I've been busy dealing with the company business lately, keeping focused on making sure that our company always offers the best to its users. But it's clear to me now that this has narrowed my view, and made a mess of my priorities. That was my mistake. Because of this, I've been slandered, and have deeply hurt my fiancée, the woman I was supposed to take care of.

"I deeply apologize to her, to her family, and to those whom I've hurt by association. It was my mistake—because of my carelessness, someone took the opportunity to create discord between me and my future wife, who I very much love deeply."

Lin Shaofeng gazed in strong approval at Lin Shenglan. That was why he liked this eldest son of his very much. He knew how to sway the public's opinion, and didn't hesitate to use whatever means at his disposal to achieve his goals. They had already reached an agreement with the Rongs—the engagement would remain as it was, and Rong Jingfei would continue to be the future Mrs. Lin.

In return, they would heavily compensate the Rong family, and get rid of the secretary Lin Shenglan had fooled around with. Also, they wouldn't press charges against Rong Jingfei for posting the video by creating a third party to take the blame.

It was a deal the patriarchs of the two families quickly agreed with.

"As of now, we're conducting a full investigation about the suspect who spread this false video on the net. I'm fully aware that most of you would be skeptical by the authenticity of my words, that's why I've invited several experts to study the video and offer their professional opinions. If you would like, I can have my team follow up with you after this. I would also like to once again state my innocence in this whole fiasco, as I have been nothing but a loving fiancé to Jingfei. To the person with malicious intentions who wanted to destroy our relationship, please allow me to just say a few words."

Lin Shenglan faced one of the cameras, his eyes looking determined and resolute. His jaw tightened.

"I promise this, I would not let you come between me and Jingfei. The two of us have endured many things in our long relationship, and this fake video would only serve as one of the many stumbling blocks for us. Whether your target was to stain our company or damage my relationship, I would definitely not let you succeed. Both have been strengthened by time and hard effort throughout the years, and they would not easily crumble just because of your lies."

Lin Shenglan bowed his head to the reporters and said, "Thank you for having me here today. I'm now ready to take your questions."

As cameras flashed, a flurry of questions was fired one after another at Lin Shenglan. He answered each of them with relative calm, while exhaustion was written all over his face. He looked like a wrongly convicted prisoner who had just been recently exonerated. Although they knew that the chances of that video being fake was low, just around 0.01%, Lin Shenglan made them believe that 0.01%.

It was his talent and ability. Vastly different and less powerful than Lin Yitian's, but undeniably an excellent skill, especially in business and commerce.

"CEO Lin, I've heard that your fiancée personally testified about this affair. What are your thoughts about this?"

Lin Shenglan flashed a sad smile. "I can't blame Jingfei for doubting my sincerity. After all, if I personally didn't know that this whole affair never happened, I would have also thought that the video was real. As the CEO of a software company, even I find myself a bit surprised at how far technology had progressed."

Lin Yitian rubbed his temples. This was taking too long. He finally looked up and tilted his head to one side in impatience, his eyes momentarily looking away from his phone screen. This small action of his caught the attention of the reporter interviewing Lin Shenglan.

Lin Yitian had been standing still with his head bowed down earlier, hiding his features. Although the reporters knew that the Lins had a second young master, because there was never any news about him, he slowly faded to the background.

"CEO Lin, you said your family came to support you earlier. Did this mean that your younger brother, the elusive second young master Lin, also came to support you today?"