Chapter 238 - 237: Hot Search

Auntie Lowell looked at the uncle and nephew with amusement. "Just listen to Nola. It’s not like she’d try to hurt you, right? For a grown man, you have some nerve bullying a child.

"Coincidentally, Adrian has been home studying lately, so we’ll head straight back to the family estate. We don’t have to worry about Caleb and Frank blowing our cover with those poker faces of theirs. You’re the one we need to worry about."

"No, no, no! As a doctor, it’s my duty to personally watch over Grandpa. I’m going back to the family estate too!"

Frank Lowell spoke with an air of noble self-sacrifice, his gaze as determined as if he were taking a solemn oath.

Auntie Lowell shot him a sidelong glance. "If you want to slack off, just say so, Tough Guy."

Frank Lowell: ... ’Mom, being that trendy can give you rheumatism, you know!!’

"Caleb is already on a flight back. Even though he knows Mom and Dad are fine, we don’t have to worry, given his poker face. As for Harrison and Yancy, I haven’t notified them yet. We’ll trick them into coming back first, to keep them from giving the game away on the road."

Wendy Sutton wore a mischievous smile, seemingly looking forward to the mischief to come.

"Alright! Let me break it down for everyone. After we leave the hospital, the whole family is on vacation! The only ones who need to act sad in public are Dad and Big Bro! But Big Bro is just playing himself, so if we round it down, it’s really just Dad." Adrian Lowell gloated, looking at his father.

Caleb Lowell gave his "model son" a sinister look. "I hear the third city-wide mock exams are coming up. If you don’t place in the top three in the city, that car your sister gave you and your precious collection of building blocks... I’ll give them all away."

"Tsk. So I’m not allowed to tell the truth now?" Adrian Lowell pouted resentfully. "Top three in the city is nothing. It’s in the bag. I won’t give you the chance."

And he wasn’t just bragging. It was in the Lowell family’s genes—none of them were fools.

If there ever was one, they would have to consider whether the baby had been switched at birth, setting the stage for a classic "swapped heir" soap opera.

Although Adrian Lowell usually seemed rebellious and had a devil-may-care attitude, always sporting a rainbow-colored wolf-cut, he was basically the male version of Nina Jennings.

But from the day he enrolled at Solstice, he had never once lost his spot as number one in his grade, and he always placed in the top three in the city on every joint exam.

Zachary Jacobs chimed in, "Uncle Caleb, if you’re giving his things away, make me your first priority!"

He still hadn’t forgotten about his Waifu No. 2, No. 6, and No. 8, or his Girlfriend No. 4, No. 7, and No. 19, which Nina Jennings had snatched from him to give to Adrian Lowell.

Even though Yvonne Lowell had already compensated him twofold, he just couldn’t resist wanting his old treasures back.

He was willing to take back another’s cast-offs for the sake of love. There was no shame in that.

"Alright, they’re all yours," Caleb Lowell declared magnanimously with a wave of his hand.

"The results aren’t even out, and you’re already making plans? Did you ask for the consent of the person in question?!" Adrian Lowell fumed on the side, practically jumping with rage.

After chatting and laughing for a little longer, Nina Jennings began to give Grandpa Lowell his acupuncture treatment. Grandma Lowell’s would wait until they returned to the family estate.

Once the acupuncture was finished, Grandpa Lowell fell asleep from exhaustion, making it the perfect time for him to be discharged while ’critically ill’.

...

「11:00 AM」

Several trending topics shot up the charts with lightning speed.

#LowellPatriarchCriticallyIll #[Explosive]

#ElderLowellDyingFamilyGathersInSorrow #[Hot]

#DischargedAfterOneNightDoctorsHelpless #[Hot]

#HarrisonLowellLeavesSetAfterBadNews #[Hot]

#LowellArrivesInKingslandHurriedAndWeary #[New]

It happened to be a Sunday, and netizens had plenty of free time.

In addition, they had chosen the perfect time—just when everyone was awake, done with their meals, and scrolling on their phones. As a result, Yvonne Lowell only had to buy a little bit of engagement at the start.

After that, the netizens took it from there, and the topic completely blew up.

The comment sections were a whirlwind of speculation. Some were curious about the cause of illness, some were spinning conspiracy theories, and some were even starting betting pools on how the Lowell family’s assets would be divided.

On top of that, Zachary Jacobs used a burner account to secretly upload a screenshot of an order the Lowell family had placed on the dark web to hire Michael White, fanning the flames of speculation to a whole new height.

When this news broke, not only did The Lowell Group’s stock begin to fall, but Pluto’s stock was also affected a tiny bit.

However, Pluto’s investors are spread across the globe, and those from Aurelia are only a small fraction, so The Lowell Group shouldered most of the damage.

The Lowell Group: ’Pluto, my dear friend, we agreed we’d lose money together. How could you be earning foreign currency on the other side of the ocean behind my back?’

「3:00 PM」 While netizens were still fiercely debating this juicy gossip in the comment sections, all the trending topics about the Lowell family suddenly vanished from the internet.

In the eyes of the netizens, this move was a classic case of burying one’s head in the sand, which only made them more convinced of the story’s authenticity.

It was safe to say that the events of the past few hours had unfolded almost exactly as Yvonne Lowell had predicted.

Their attempt at playing the victim card was a resounding success.

...

「In an office with simple, classic decor」

A wise, somber-looking man sat at his desk while an assistant stood beside him, respectfully reporting on the recent events online.

When the assistant finished his report, a hint of a smile finally touched the man’s lips, and he let out a soft chuckle.

"Hiring Michael White, really... Aren’t she and Michael White friends? Don’t think I don’t know she’s the one giving Old Man Chandler all those health supplements."

Seeing that the man had finally smiled, the assistant breathed a sigh of relief.

That little troublemaker, No. 1, had dropped a bombshell of an email on him in the middle of the night without so much as a warning.

He’d been caught in the crossfire like an innocent fish in a burning moat, forced to endure his boss’s foul mood all morning.

’Heaven knows how I got through the last few hours!’ he thought. ’If I’d known, I would’ve saved my emails for the afternoon.’

Outwardly, however, he just smiled and added, "Well, wasn’t No. 1 just trying to grab their attention to make it easier for us to move? And as for the supplements, she makes sure you get yours on a regular schedule too, doesn’t she?"

’I haven’t seen the boss this happy in ages!’ the assistant thought, figuratively biting a handkerchief. ’The last time he laughed this happily was... the last time he laughed!’

"Attract attention? She bought that trending topic just for me to see. She’s putting on a sob story for my benefit!"

The man was clearly familiar with her playbook, seeing through to the heart of the matter at a glance.

"Even if she is putting on a sob story, it only works because you’re willing to play along, sir. And besides, Elder Lowell was an innocent victim in this. Some people’s appetites are really getting bigger and bigger," the assistant said, stating the facts.

The man gave him a sidelong glance. "Did you secretly take a bribe from that girl? You’ve been putting in a good word for her all day."

"I’ll have to deny that accusation! My heart is loyal and true!"

Knowing his boss was no longer angry, the assistant’s tone became more casual. "Besides, if we’re really talking about who dotes on No. 1 the most, wouldn’t you and Elder Clark be first in line?"

"Hmph. You’re not without blame for her growing so brazen around us!"

After a few more moments of banter, the smile slowly faded from the man’s face, and his gaze grew deep and unreadable.

"However, it is indeed time we cleaned house. We’ve been lazy for a while, and now there’s mold and filth growing in the corners. It’s even starting to spread. We can’t let this continue; it will break the hearts of those who work to keep things clean."

"Understood. I will dispatch people to take care of it immediately. I’ll ensure it is cleaned up with the utmost speed!" Having received his orders, the assistant left the office.

The man’s gaze fell on a photo frame next to his computer. The picture showed two middle-aged men and a girl of about 15.

The two men were smiling warmly, but the girl wore a cold expression, holding three red brocade boxes. Inside each box lay a golden medal.

If the photo’s resolution were higher, one might be able to see the new badge pinned to her chest, bearing the large numeral ’1’.

A golden medal signified a righteous valor that transcended life and death. It represented the highest honor, and it was the very price she had paid for the badge on her chest.