Even though Jiang Ling was as cold-hearted as ice and remained unmoved, her management company, Liuyun Media, couldn't just stand by and watch her family of three repeatedly emerge to ruin her reputation and alienate her audience.
Wealthy and powerful companies like this usually opt for a peaceful resolution to avoid trouble and mitigate losses. Since they couldn't leech off Jiang Ling's success, they decided to extract a hefty sum from Liuyun Media. For a superstar raking in billions annually, demanding twenty to thirty million as hush money wasn't unreasonable. With this money, even if Jiang Ling refused to be a bone marrow donor, he could find a suitable match for his son through a substantial reward.
The more Jiang Jianguo thought about it, the more feasible this plan seemed. He went to the hospital room and shared his idea with his beloved son, Jiang Tianbao. Although Jiang Tianbao had leukemia, it was discovered early and wasn't yet at an irreversible stage. Besides being slightly weaker than an average person, he could still move around normally. Spoiled since childhood, he had been consumed by the shadow of his impending death from leukemia in recent days, paying no mind to external matters.
When he heard his parents reveal that his second sister, Jiang Mingxia, was none other than Jiang Ling, his eyes widened dramatically. "Dad, are you serious? My second sister... she, she's Jiang Ling..."
Jiang Jianguo nodded with conviction, "I'm not lying to you. Your second sister is Jiang Ling, the hottest female celebrity right now."
Jiang Tianbao eagerly said, "Now that you know her identity, why didn't you bring her to see me? Don't you know how popular she is? Many of my classmates are her fans. A signed photo of hers can sell for at least two hundred thousand on Xianyu." He became increasingly excited, exclaiming, "We're rich, rich, rich!"
Jiang Jianguo and Zhang Lian, however, sighed in unison.
"Dad, Mom, what's wrong? Jiang Ling is my sister, aren't you happy?" Jiang Tianbao asked, utterly confused.
"Happy about what?" Jiang Jianguo shot him an exasperated glance. "No matter how popular or rich she is, what good does it do us if she doesn't help us?"
With that, Jiang Jianguo recounted their encounter with Jiang Ling, how she had cursed them out after they tried to claim kinship, and the subsequent public relations battle that backfired.
Jiang Tianbao's face contorted with rage and venom as he listened, his fists pounding the hospital bed. "That ungrateful brat, she dares to disown her parents! Does she want to die? Cough cough..."
Overcome with anger, Jiang Tianbao coughed incessantly, his face turning pale. Zhang Lian, alarmed, quickly patted his back to help him breathe. "My son, why are you getting so angry? Be careful of your health."
After a moment, Jiang Tianbao looked up at Jiang Jianguo and said resentfully, "She's grown too big for her boots and doesn't recognize her parents or brother. We can't let her get away with this."
Jiang Jianguo immediately replied, "Of course not. There's an unbreakable blood tie between us. She thinks she can just abandon us now that she's successful? It's not that easy. I've already figured out how to control her, but I'll need your help."
"What's the plan?" Jiang Tianbao inquired.
Jiang Jianguo then meticulously explained his plan to garner sympathy. Jiang Tianbao listened, nodding continuously, his eyes hardening with a sharp, cold glint. "Alright, leave it to me. I swear I won't rest until I ruin this unfilial daughter's reputation!"
Jiang Jianguo smiled and patted Jiang Tianbao's shoulder. "That's my son! If we pull this off, you'll have your medical expenses, money for a wife, and even money for a car and a house!"