Standing Next To You-Chapter 514: No retaliation

Fei Chuan’s team worked quickly and efficiently. They deleted all the rumors about him and Bei Sangyun, including the articles circulating about Bei Sangyun and George.

They also released a statement explaining that Fei Chuan and Bei Sangyun had been childhood friends and had maintained their connection over the years. Regarding the photos of Fei Chuan seen leaving Bei Sangyun’s house, his team confirmed the truth: Fei Chuan had visited Bei Sangyun and her grandmother for a meal and to reminisce about the past.

The released statement included proof in the form of old photos of Bei Sangyun and Fei Chuan—one from their kindergarten graduation and another from their high school homecoming dance.

["Bei Sangyun and I are childhood friends, and our bond deepened during high school. However, we became separated when I went abroad to finish my studies. I only returned to the country this year, and it had been so long since we shared a meal together. That day, I visited her and her grandmother to reconnect and honor our past friendship. I hope this clarifies any misunderstandings and stops the unwarranted hate directed at my friend."

– Fei Chuan]

Fei Chuan’s statement spread rapidly on the internet. Meanwhile, the critical articles targeting Bei Sangyun vanished completely. Soon, articles highlighting the friendship between Bei Sangyun and Fei Chuan began surfacing one after another. It was as if the rumors of Bei Sangyun being romantically involved with George or Fei Chuan had been erased entirely—leaving no trace behind.

However, a handful of people who firmly believed that Bei Sangyun was seducing two men tried to fight back. They published posts criticizing her, but within minutes, their posts would suddenly glitch and disappear.

In the end, their efforts proved futile. Any posts or articles expressing hatred toward Bei Sangyun were automatically deleted. Although some netizens noticed this strange phenomenon, they were unable to discuss it because every time they tried, their posts would vanish as well.

...

Thousands of miles away from Country C, inside a grand European mansion, a middle-aged man with deep green eyes listened to his subordinate’s report. His frown deepened as he took in the details.

"George did what?" he asked again, his voice laced with irritation.

"He dated a woman named Bei Sangyun, the founder of Phoenix Holdings—"

"I mean, why are you telling me this? That boy dates a different girl every day. Do I need to hear about all of them?" the middle-aged man snapped impatiently.

"No, sir. But this Bei Sangyun is different. She has connections with Fei Chuan—" freewёbn૦νeɭ.com

"Fei Chuan? William James’ right-hand man?" the man interrupted, his sharp gaze narrowing.

"Yes, sir," the subordinate confirmed.

The middle-aged man stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm. In that case, you should stir the matter further. This could be an interesting way to provoke the James family. I want to see how they’ll react."

The assistant’s expression shifted, his hesitation obvious. "We’ve already tried to escalate the situation, sir," he said carefully.

The middle-aged man raised a brow, catching the subtle implication. "And?"

"People were already criticizing Bei Sangyun when we fanned the flames. However... those articles were suddenly removed."

The middle-aged man was momentarily stunned. "Did the James family suppress the rumors?"

"I believe so. Our team has attempted to publish several articles to reignite the controversy, but each time, they were abruptly taken down and deleted. This level of control can only be attributed to the James family. Only they have the power and resources to manipulate the internet on such a wide scale."

The man let out a cold laugh. "Hah! Then try harder!"

With his permission, the assistant brought in more professionals to bolster their efforts. The water army was mobilized to publish and amplify the rumors involving Bei Sangyun, George, and Fei Chuan. They succeeded briefly, but before long, their articles were attacked by a mysterious virus and vanished without a trace.

As the assistant prepared to try again, a file unexpectedly popped up on their computer screens.

The hired hackers paled as the mysterious file appeared on their screens. Some were excited, while others were horrified, murmuring among themselves in hushed tones.

"...It’s Zero..."

"No wonder I couldn’t crack it. It’s godly Zero!"

The reactions of the skilled hackers were so exaggerated that the assistant couldn’t help but grow curious. "What’s going on? What happened?"

A young hacker sitting across from him, his eyes sparkling with awe, eagerly explained, "There’s this number-one hacker that every hacker in the world admires. He’s the only one who’s ever achieved the title of ’god’ in our industry—Zero. He’s a mysterious figure who’s held the top spot for over a decade. He rarely makes an appearance, but when he does, it’s game over." The young man’s voice was almost exhilarated. "I can’t believe I’m seeing him in action. This is incredible!"

The assistant glanced uneasily at the strange file as it suddenly opened on its own, lines of code flashing across the computer screens. "So... is this a bad thing or not?"

Another hacker chuckled dryly. "Didn’t you hear him? When Zero shows up, it’s game over. The reason why every post disappears the moment it’s published? That’s all him. He’s the one who set this up. We’re no match for his hacking skills—we can only sit back and watch as he rules the virtual world."

The assistant blinked in realization. "...So it is a bad thing."

"Yup." The man laughed. "No matter how many of us you hire, nobody can go up against Zero. You should just give up now." He leaned back in his seat, watching with an odd mix of dread and admiration as the file corrupted his computer. For him, it was almost an honor to have Zero’s virus grace his system.

Among the group of hackers, a man named Code stared at his screen in horror. The font, the coding patterns, the colors—it was all too familiar. His hands trembled as memories resurfaced. This was the same method that had ruined his computer once before and destroyed his client, Richard’s, life, and his life.

"Turn off your computers!" he suddenly shouted. But it was already too late.

The file finished downloading on its own. They could only watch, stunned, as the contents of their systems were copied, then systematically corrupted. Unlike what had happened to Code in the past, this time the virus left a single folder on each computer.

One by one, the folders opened on their own, revealing photos, documents, and videos. Each one of them could potentially cost several millions of dollars loss to the Henson family.

The assistant’s eyes widened as he caught a glimpse of the files. His face turned ashen. "S-shut down... Shut down your computers if you value your lives!"

Realizing the gravity of the situation, the hackers quickly unplugged their machines, following his desperate command.

All the computers went dark, leaving the room in heavy silence.

The assistant glanced grimly at everyone present. "The money will be wired to you as agreed, even though you failed to do your job. We’ll add extra, but you must leave your computers here and sign a confidentiality agreement. You will be under twenty-four-hour surveillance, seven days a week. If you speak to anyone about what you’ve seen or heard in this room, the Henson family will hunt you down and make sure you don’t escape. I hope you understand—I don’t want to dirty my hands."

The hackers exchanged uneasy glances, understanding the gravity of the situation, and nodded in agreement.

The assistant left them to handle the formalities and hurried to report to the current head of the Henson family.

When he entered the study, he saw George Henson sitting across from the middle-aged man.

"I’m telling you, Uncle, I’m innocent. I didn’t even know she had this," George sighed, his tone filled with frustration. "She told me she had insurance, but who would’ve thought she knew about the woman I got pregnant?"

The middle-aged man remained silent, his expression grim as he examined the photos on his tablet.

George’s casual demeanor sharpened suddenly. "And I also didn’t know that woman has given birth to my son. Didn’t you tell me you forced her to abort the child? How come, in the photos she sent, the child is already walking around? I believe you owe me an explanation, Uncle."

The middle-aged man finally shut off the tablet, his voice cold. "It is indeed your son. The abortion didn’t work."

George let out a bitter laugh, his tone dripping with ridicule. "You expect me to believe that? If Bei Sangyun hadn’t sent me this to stop our family from retaliating, I wouldn’t have even known I had a son. Did you hide this from me so that, once the child grew up, you could kill me off? After all, I’m of no use now that the child exists."

"George Henson, watch your mouth!" the middle-aged man snapped, his voice firm.

"Why? Did I hit the mark?" George shot back, his voice rising. "You only care about having a pureblood Henson to inherit your position. But because I didn’t live up to your expectations and you can’t have children of your own, your only hope is my child!" His face was flushed with anger, his emotions finally boiling over.

The atmosphere in the study was tense and suffocating.

The assistant, who had just stepped into the room, froze. Sensing the charged atmosphere, he slowly backed out and quietly shut the door.

It seemed the rumor wasn’t a priority at the moment.

From that day forward, the Henson family’s retaliation never came.