[The law has an 'abandonment offense.' Regardless of your reasons, abandoning your biological daughter is wrong and can never be excused!]
Seeing someone step forward to defend Zhang Lian, her fans were furious and spewed a torrent of abuse at the account.
Meanwhile, viewers misled by Zhang Lian's news, incited by paid commenters and keyboard warriors, launched a verbal assault on Jiang Ling.
[Buddhism teaches that saving one life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. If you won't even save your own brother, are you even human?]
[Your own mother knelt in public begging you, what more do you want?]
[I've seen heartless people, but never one as heartless as you. And this is the goddess adored by countless young men? Bah!]
[Even if the parents were wrong, the child is innocent. No matter what, the person lying in the hospital is your biological brother. How can you refuse to save him?]
[What's the use of being beautiful? Your character is ruined, you're garbage!]
[I thought Jiang Ling was a good person, but I never expected her to be so cold-blooded. Truly, you can know a face but not a heart.]
[Disrespectful to parents, unbrotherly to siblings. Aren't you afraid of being struck by lightning?]
[Fortunately, you were born in modern times. If this were ancient times, disrespecting parents was a capital offense. Being thrown into a pig cage would be lenient!]
[I was blind to have followed such a cold-hearted and unfeeling woman!]
[That's all I have to say, unfollowing!]
[...]
A throng of uninformed viewers, haters, and paid commenters rained down a barrage of abuse on Jiang Ling, sparing no effort in their vilification.
Anyone observing would think Jiang Ling had committed some heinous crime.
With the intervention of major capital forces, public opinion intensified, gradually dividing into two factions.
One faction supported Jiang Ling, arguing that it was only natural for her to disown her heartless family after being abandoned by her biological parents shortly after birth.
Moreover, the law clearly stipulates that if parents have a history of abandonment, their children are not obligated to provide support.
Furthermore, Jiang Ling's late adoptive parents had raised her for over a decade, legally establishing a legitimate adoptive relationship.
The law also upholds the traditional concept that 'blood ties are not as strong as the bonds of upbringing.' Since Jiang Ling was adopted, her obligation to provide support should be to her adoptive parents, not her biological parents.
The other faction, however, believed Jiang Ling was twisting the narrative. They claimed that the notions of valuing boys over girls and abandoning daughters were fabricated.
According to them, Jiang Ling's refusal to acknowledge her parents was solely due to vanity.
After all, celebrities in the entertainment industry, without exception, liked to cultivate certain personas.
Men were either highly educated or wealthy and handsome.
Women, on the other hand, were portrayed as wealthy beauties or intellectual goddesses.
Jiang Ling, they contended, wanted to cultivate a "rich and beautiful" image, leading fans to believe she was born noble, and consequently, she felt ashamed of being a country bumpkin from a mountain village, hence her cruel refusal to acknowledge her parents.
This behavior, they argued, was not merely ungrateful but utterly depraved!
Both sides steadfastly maintained their viewpoints, igniting round after round of fierce public debate.
"Ling Zi, how could you not tell me about something this big beforehand?"
Sister Sa unleashed a barrage of sharp and venomous attacks online, then turned to Jiang Ling, her voice laced with resentment.
Jiang Ling sighed, "The people behind this were well-prepared and didn't give us any chance to react. If I hadn't made the first move and seized the initiative in public opinion, I would have been roasted to death by now, with no time to tell you about this."