Chapter 204 – My Lady Heroine in the Holographic Online Game – What Goes Around Comes Around (18)
What does it feel like to suffer the consequences of your own evil deeds?
Jiang Yiran was now experiencing it firsthand. However, her mind wasn’t fully clear yet, so she hadn’t realized that an even greater tragedy was about to unfold.
Thanks to Bai Tang’s timely transformation into a little squirrel and his leap from above, Jiang Yiran’s camera didn’t catch him on video. Instead, it recorded her and that group of people’s actions in full clarity.
Qi Hongyi brought Bai Tang back to the Qi household, but of course, he didn’t forget to give Jiang Yiran her “payback.”
With just a phone call, someone naturally carried out his instructions.
Soon, several men in suits arrived at the warehouse Qi Hongyi had mentioned. They knocked out the man who was still lying on top of Jiang Yiran, then tied up Jiang Yiran—who was still in heat—and drove her to the red-light district.
On a dimly lit street, the naked woman threw herself at any man she saw. What kind of men go to such places if not those looking for pleasure? No one would refuse a woman who threw herself at them. Before long, Jiang Yiran was surrounded…
At the same time, a graphic, 18+ video began circulating online, and the female lead in the footage was none other than Jiang Yiran, who had recently been very active in the Bai Corporation.
The Bai family elders had gone out of their way to build Jiang Yiran’s reputation, even holding a banquet to introduce her to the public and officially acknowledge her as their granddaughter. Many people remembered her.
The release of this video caused an uproar.
Qi Hongyi, fearing that the Bai family elders might not hear the news about their beloved “granddaughter” in time, even had the video burned onto a disc and mailed directly to the Bai household.
At that moment, there were only three people in the house: Grandpa Bai, Grandma Bai, and Mother Bai.
As soon as Mother Bai saw Jiang Yiran’s name written on the disc, she curled her lip and walked away, uninterested.
Grandpa Bai, however, was quite eager and took it to the room to share with his wife.
Grandma Bai had always found Jiang Yiran sweet and thoughtful; they often chatted together. Grandpa Bai thought this would cheer her up.
But when they put the disc into the player and were greeted with moans and obscene scenes, Grandma Bai nearly had a heart attack.
How could this be? Impossible. Yiran had always been self-respecting—how could she have behaved so recklessly?
It took everything Grandpa Bai had to help Grandma Bai calm down.
Grandma Bai clutched Grandpa Bai’s hand and said, “Yiran is a good child. You must find out who framed her!”
Suddenly, Grandma Bai remembered that a few days ago, Jiang Yiran had told her someone from her family’s past had come to seek revenge. She quickly relayed this to Grandpa Bai, who comforted her, saying, “Alright, alright, don’t worry. I’ll look into it right away.”
Grandpa Bai went back to examine the video again and noticed that the location was an abandoned warehouse. This only strengthened his belief in what Grandma Bai had said.
Since it involved Jiang Yiran’s enemies, her parents would surely know best.
So, Grandpa Bai called in Jiang Yiran’s parents. When he asked them, the couple looked at each other, confused, then shook their heads. “We’re just ordinary folks. We’ve never done anything shady or illegal—what enemies could we possibly have?”
Their answer left Grandpa Bai scratching his head. Who could be framing Jiang Yiran?
If it wasn’t the Jiang family’s enemies, then it had to be someone targeting Jiang Yiran herself. Could it be that Jiang Yiran had drawn too much attention recently and ended up provoking one of the Bai family’s enemies—someone who saw her as an easy target?
The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. Grandpa Bai immediately called the eldest Bai son, Bai Rui, and asked him to investigate the matter.
Unfortunately, Bai Rui had already received a heads-up from Qi Hongyi. He sneered over the phone and bluntly refused to help Jiang Yiran, saying she had brought this on herself.
Grandpa Bai was furious and scolded him for being an unfilial grandson who didn’t care about his siblings.
“Siblings? I only have two younger brothers—where did this so-called sister come from? You may recognize a granddaughter, but I don’t recognize any sister,” Bai Rui said coldly before hanging up.
Then he ordered his men to deliver a “little gift” to Jiang Yiran.
If she dared to touch his Tang Tang, she’d better be ready to live a life worse than death.
Anything developed by the system is guaranteed to be top quality.
The drug powder made by Xiao A was highly effective—its effects lasted for nearly a full day and night before Jiang Yiran finally regained consciousness.
She screamed and shoved at the men on top of her, enraging them. In response, she was beaten violently.
She eventually managed to escape the dark alley of the red-light district, grabbing someone’s discarded clothing and hastily throwing it on.
Just as she stumbled onto the road, a large truck came barreling straight toward her.
Due to exhaustion, Jiang Yiran could only scream as she watched the headlights draw closer, until finally, she collapsed under the wheels of the truck.
Qi Hongyi stood by the window, gazing at the dark clouds in the distance. He held his phone to his ear and said to the person on the other end, “Make her famous.”
Qi Hongyi knew Bai Rui’s methods well, and what he intended to do next was to continue where Bai Rui had left off.
Jiang Yiran was taken to the hospital by a so-called “kind passerby.”
Entertainment reporters, like sharks smelling blood, swarmed around the unconscious Jiang Yiran lying on the hospital bed, snapping photos like mad.
“Stop filming! Stop! The patient’s condition is critical—she needs to be rushed to the emergency room! Move aside!”
Despite the doctors and nurses shouting loudly, they couldn’t stop the relentless flashes from the reporters’ cameras.
Jiang Yiran was covered in blood. The exposed parts of her body were bruised, scratched, and battered, and on top of that, she had just been hit by a vehicle. It was impossible to tell which injuries came from what.
After much effort, the medical staff finally managed to get her into the emergency room and block the reporters outside. Still, they refused to give up. Every news agency left one reporter behind at the hospital to keep watch while the others rushed back to write articles, print headlines, and break the story as quickly as possible.
In less than half a day—and without confirming any facts—Jiang Yiran’s scandalous deeds had spread like wildfire across every street and alley.
As a result, Bai Corporation, the company that had backed her, took a major hit. A large number of shareholders started dumping their stocks, causing the company’s stock price to plummet and eventually hit the daily limit down.
As the current head of the Bai Corporation, Bai Rui should have been the most anxious in the face of this crisis.
But he wasn’t. Instead, he sat calmly at his desk, his fingers rhythmically tapping the tabletop, as if everything happening to the Bai Corporation had nothing to do with him.
He had played a role in fueling Jiang Yiran’s negative press, and he had long anticipated the chaos that was now unfolding. He took no action—he was waiting. Waiting for the Bai family elders to make their decision.
What had happened to Jiang Yiran was far too serious for her parents not to be informed.
As soon as they heard the news, her mother and father rushed to the hospital. When the doctor came out, removed his mask, and said, “We did our best,” Jiang’s mother couldn’t take the shock and fainted on the spot.
Chaos broke out once again as she was rushed to the hospital’s rest area.
Fortunately, the doctor’s words didn’t mean that Jiang Yiran couldn’t be saved. Her life had been spared. However, her right leg had been so badly crushed that the bones were shattered and the nerves destroyed. To prevent further infection, the hospital had no choice but to amputate her right leg.
When the reporters waiting outside heard that Jiang Yiran had undergone an amputation, they immediately went into overtime, rushing out articles.
Headlines such as “Scandalous Behavior Leads to Tragedy”, “Mistress Gets Revenge from the Legal Wife”, and “Cinderella’s Rise Ends in Ruin” began flooding the news.
Some news outlets even dug up old stories, like how Bai Tang had been kicked out of his home by Jiang Yiran.
Reporters naturally wanted to interview Bai Tang, but getting into the Qi residence was no easy task. They couldn’t even get close to the iron gates.
Although members of the Qi family occasionally went out, the reporters didn’t dare to stop them. Bai Tang remained hidden inside the Qi family’s main residence, and they had no way of reaching him.
While the reporters were at their wits’ end, Qi Hongyi issued a warning to all major news agencies: Anyone who dares to write nonsense about Bai Tang should prepare to shut down their operations.
Using the excuse that he needed to keep Bai Tang company, Qi Hongyi once again shoved all the company affairs back onto Qi Dad.
Father Qi, who had just packed his bags and was ready to go on a honeymoon with his wife: “!!!”
Mother Qi sighed. “Forget it, let’s delay the trip. The kids need us right now.”
Father Qi: “Alright then…”
Back in the room, Bai Tang was enjoying a deep, peaceful nap. If Qi Hongyi hadn’t started “bothering” him, he probably would’ve slept until nightfall.
“Haha—stop it! That tickles!”
The boy shrank his neck, laughing, trying to avoid Qi Hongyi’s “attack.”
Maybe it was because he was still groggy from sleep, but Bai Tang’s little squirrel ears and fluffy tail had popped out. Qi Hongyi was currently tickling Bai Tang’s neck with that big, furry tail.
“Time to get up, little lazy mouse. If you don’t wake up now, there won’t be any food left,” Qi Hongyi said with a straight face, blatantly lying.
No matter what, Grandma Qi would always save a meal for Bai Tang. And even if there really was no food left, weren’t there still servants? Making another serving wouldn’t be a problem at all.
Qi Hongyi was actually worried that if Bai Tang slept too much during the day, he wouldn’t be able to sleep at night. Then he’d end up lying awake, staring at the stars and feeling miserable.
“I’m not a lazy mouse! I’m a little squirrel~” Bai Tang’s just-woken-up voice was soft and a little hoarse, completely lacking in conviction.
“Alright, then the little squirrel needs to get up. Otherwise, Grandma will be worried if she doesn’t see you come downstairs.”
Bai Tang stretched out his arms, and Qi Hongyi slid his hands under them to lift him up, helping him get dressed and put on his shoes.
Once dressed, the lazy little squirrel transformed into a handsome one.
Energetic and bright-eyed, Bai Tang ran downstairs, calling out, “Grandma! Grandma!”
Grandma Qi had just been about to go upstairs to call him when Bai Tang came running down.
“Aww, my little sweetheart is awake. Are you hungry? Come eat quickly,” she said lovingly.
She pulled Bai Tang to sit beside her. Technically, his seat shouldn’t have been so close to the head of the table since he was a junior.
Bai Tang sat a little awkwardly, but Grandma Qi said, “Your Uncle and Aunt have gone back to the company tonight. If you sit so far from me, I’ll be all alone up here. Eating by myself is so lonely…”
Hearing that, how could Bai Tang bear to let Grandma Qi sit and eat alone?
He picked up some food and put it on her plate. “I’ll eat with Grandma. We’re still going to make a cake together later.”
Grandma Qi beamed with joy. With the two of them chatting and laughing, even Qi Hongyi couldn’t get a word in. He just sat quietly, drinking glass after glass of apple cider vinegar.
Bai Tang turned to him and asked, “Yi Yi, why aren’t you eating? What are you doing?”
Qi Hongyi glanced at him resentfully. “Drinking vinegar.”
That sour jealousy practically filled the entire room. Grandma Qi pretended not to notice. “Ignore him. Come, come, let’s eat,” she said as she picked up another bite of food and placed it in Bai Tang’s bowl.
The atmosphere in the Qi household was warm and harmonious, completely unaffected by the chaos outside.
But things were very different at the Bai household—gloom and sorrow hung in the air.
After Jiang Yiran woke up and saw the empty pant leg on her right side, the memories of the warehouse, the red-light district, and the humiliation she endured came flooding back. She clutched her pillow in agony, emotionally on the verge of collapse.
First, Grandpa Bai had demanded that Bai Rui investigate the matter regarding Jiang Yiran. Bai Rui had only replied, “Jiang Yiran brought this suffering on herself.”
As he spoke, he laid out evidence in front of Grandpa Bai showing Jiang Yiran’s dealings with members of Organization X.
Grandpa and Grandma Bai were in disbelief and immediately took the evidence to the hospital to confront Jiang Yiran.
Jiang Yiran fell off the bed, hugged Grandma Bai’s leg, and wept bitterly, begging for forgiveness.
Seeing her cry so miserably, coupled with the fact that she had lost a leg, Grandma Bai felt pity. But when she remembered that Jiang Yiran had tried to harm her own grandson, that pity quickly turned into resentment.
For a moment, she didn’t even know what to feel.
In the end, after much discussion, Grandpa and Grandma Bai decided that since Jiang Yiran hadn’t actually succeeded in hurting Bai Tang, and she had already lost a leg—which could be seen as punishment enough—and considering she was now a disgraced, disabled girl unlikely to find a good marriage, they would compensate her for having once saved Grandma Bai. They chose to transfer her some minor company shares so she could receive a small annual dividend and live without financial worries. Beyond that, they would wash their hands of her future.
When they informed Bai Rui of their decision, he let out a cold laugh. “If Grandpa and Grandma have decided this, then as your grandson, I have no choice but to obey. But this will be the last time I call you ‘Grandpa’ and ‘Grandma.’ If you insist on recognizing her as your god-granddaughter, then pretend I was never your eldest grandson.”
His words implied that he intended to sever ties with the two elders.
Grandpa and Grandma Bai were stunned, repeatedly asking how he could say such a thing.
“You don’t see Tang Tang as family. You don’t see my second brother as family. So having one more or one less like me probably doesn’t make a difference,” Bai Rui said, waving them off like guests.
When Bai Luo got the news, he also jumped in to criticize his elder brother, saying he was being unkind. If they were going to sever ties, how could he be left out? Just like his older brother said—since Grandpa and Grandma had Jiang Yiran, a god-granddaughter was enough. If they didn’t like their grandsons, then he wouldn’t stick around to be an eyesore. He also cut ties with the Bai elders.
The Bai elders were furious. Grandma Bai had a heart attack on the spot. Aside from Grandpa Bai staying by her side, Bai Rui, Bai Luo, Bai Tang, and even Father Bai and Mother Bai didn’t show up.
Although Father Bai and Mother Bai didn’t like Jiang Yiran, they had tolerated her because the elders did. But once they found out she had tried to harm their son, there was no forgiving it. The fact that the elders continued to protect Jiang Yiran chilled them to the bone. In their anger, they decided to move out and live with their sons.
Back in the now cold and empty villa, the Bai elders lived in deep loneliness.
When people get old, they long to be surrounded by children and grandchildren. But their sons, daughters-in-law, and grandsons had all left. During holidays, aside from a few gifts sent by Father Bai and Mother Bai, not a single person came to visit. Their loneliness was indescribable. In the end, they spent their remaining years alone, steeped in memories and regret.
But that’s a story for later.
Back to Jiang Yiran—her shares were officially transferred to her name. However, on the third day after her surgery, she was sent to a psychiatric hospital by Bai Rui.
The dividends she received each year were just enough to cover the psychiatric hospital’s expenses—no more, no less.
A psychiatric hospital is no kind place. None of the people locked inside are truly normal. Even if they were, staying there long enough would drive anyone mad.
Jiang Yiran was terribly bullied there. She was a weak woman with a broken leg—she couldn’t fight back, and she couldn’t run.
The doctors and nurses had even been “specially instructed” by Qi Hongyi and Bai Rui to take extra care of her. Jiang Yiran was harassed daily by other patients. Being hit and cursed at became routine, not to mention the “extra ingredients” added to her medication. In short, Jiang Yiran didn’t have a single peaceful day inside.
Whenever she thought she was about to die and finally be free, the nurses and doctors would rush in and save her—only for the cycle of torment to begin again the next day.
After Jiang Yiran’s parents learned of what their daughter had done, they were too ashamed to face the Bai family. They tried to find Bai Tang to apologize, but he was nowhere to be found. Bai Rui, Bai Luo, and the others refused to see them. They expressed their gratitude to the Bai elders, wrote letters of apology, resigned from the positions the Bai family had arranged for them, packed their things, and returned to their rural hometown.
Once everything settled down, Qi Hongyi and Bai Tang got married. They invited many friends and relatives—even their online game friends, Xiao Feidao and Qingshan Bugai were invited.
Bai Tang spent his life happily in the Qi family. Grandma Qi doted on him, Qi Hongyi pampered him, and the rest of the Qi family got along with him harmoniously.
Whenever he had time, Bai Tang would visit Bai Rui and Bai Luo with Qi Hongyi, and occasionally have meals with Bai Dad and Bai Mom. But for the rest of his life, he never once stepped foot into the Bai family villa—now occupied only by the two Bai elders and their servants.
In this life, Qi Hongyi never changed his mischievous ways. His favorite thing was still playing with Bai Tang’s fluffy tail and ears. If he annoyed Bai Tang too much, he’d get banished to the guest room.
In this life, Bai Tang was truly happy—mentally, physically, and in every possible way.
Author’s Note:
To punish Jiang Yiran, the greatest suffering is to remain alive. Death would’ve been a release—so let her reap what she sowed.