Facing the reporter's belligerent words, Father Jia remained silent and sat calmly. The helpers and guards of the Jia family stepped forward to block off the reporters from Father Jia.
"Everyone, take turns to ask your questions. Sir has accepted your interview and will thus answer the important questions."
"Everyone, quiet! Take turns to ask!"
...
After the reporters had finally quieted down, Father Jia slowly lifted his head and said, "I will only answer the most pressing questions. I will accept three questions, and you may begin to ask now. After three questions, I will not answer anymore."
The reporters glanced at each other. This was something unheard of to them.
A reporter lightly croaked, "Mr. Jia, rumor has it that the Jia family established its mining business to supply money to the Shen family. The real proprietor of the mining business is the Shen family. Is this true?" "
Father Jia nodded. "That is true." His tone was collected but dispirited. This used to be a secret that the Jia family would have carried to their graves, and they had been wary of everyone else because of it. They didn't even divulge this to their most trusted friends. He had never expected that he would ultimately reveal this secret so simply to the reporters.
The affairs of the world were indeed ever-changing.
Seeing how Father Jia was preparing to answer, the reporters grew flurried and quickly asked another question. "Mr. Jia, did Old Master Shen disregard and expose the Jia family because of a dispute over benefits? Or is the Shen family kicking the Jia family to the curb?"
Father Jia listened to the reporters' words and snorted, "Your guess is as good as mine."
What kind of answer was this? The reporters couldn't wrap their heads around what Father Jia was trying to imply in his words. No matter how many times they asked again, Father Jia refused to explain.
The last question enquired about the Shen family's plot regarding the mining business. Father Jia droned on about how the Shen family supported them and how they took advantage of the Jia family.
Such restricted news stunned everyone at the scene, and they gaped in shock. There had been such a mind-blowing piece of news all along.
The reporters held their breaths as they listened, gravely afraid that missing a sentence or a word would tarnish their reports.
After the third question, the reporters dropped everything and ran back one-by-one to rush out their reports. Such astonishing news would definitely cause an uproar.
Ever since Young Master Xie took on his new role, the reporters' days were becoming more and more comfortable. There were constantly so many mind-boggling news stories, and the rewards they received had been plentiful.
After the reporters left, the Jia family home appeared empty all of a sudden. Father Jia abruptly slumped back on the sofa, wearing a worn-out expression. The Jia family had prospered for decades. Would they have to return to their original state of being an average household?
That could be good in its own way. Rather than keeping a secret and squandering each day away, it might be better to return to their initial ordinary and simple days.
However, Mother Jia couldn't endure living such an impoverished life. She blamed Father Jia and fought with him every day.
This was especially so for the Shen family. The coverage on them had just reduced, but they were thrown to the center of public attention once again. This time, the scrutiny on them was even more severe. The Shen family could never successfully conceal such a scandal no matter how hard they tried. Their status as one of the influential families of the first generation was crumbling. Their counterparts in Ning An City were also criticizing the Shen family for their shameless act, and they did not want to be associated with them.
"This will be the death of me!" Old Master Shen yelled vehemently when he read the news. He ultimately could not take the blow and passed out.
The Shen family was thrown into a state of chaos. Everyone frantically tried to send Old Master Shen to the hospital, but right when they left the villa, the reporters blocked their paths. Some other troublemakers were even smashing things around with a club.