The netizen K’s exposé was too outlandish, too attention-grabbing.
As a result, they were quickly urged by the masses.
— “What are you doing? Show us the evidence! Without evidence, I won’t believe it!”
— “One minute has passed! Hurry up! Hurry up! Throw the evidence in my face!”
Perhaps annoyed by the催促, netizen K directly threw out three photos.
In the photos, a man in a suit and tie and a petite girl were sitting in an office eating.
Behind them was the dazzling night view of the imperial capital.
In the latter two photos, the girl, head bowed as she ate, said something that caused the powerful man to lower his head slightly.
He listened attentively, a faint smile playing on his lips.
It was very charming, very captivating.
The comment section immediately exploded!
Top Comment 1: “Honestly speaking, Second Master Fu is so handsome!”
Top Comment 2: “Being able to have dinner in the president’s office of Fu Corporation, their relationship must be extraordinary!”
Top Comment 3: “If I recall correctly, the final decision-making power for Xing Er’s national submission lies with Fu Corporation.”
Top Comment 4: “Aren’t there rumors that the Han family and the Fu family are at odds? Could Second Master Fu be interested in Miss Han?”
“You guys…”
The moment they saw the photos, Lu Youran and Jiao Yutong looked at her in unison.
Although they believed in their friend with all their hearts, the photos were too convincing.
Let alone them doubting reality, even Wen Tingxue, the person in question, found it outrageous.
If she hadn’t experienced it herself, she would have almost believed netizen K’s exposé.
After all, these three photos were indeed ambiguous and alluring.
If one were to say there was nothing going on, no one would believe it.
“Oh my god—”
Wen Tingxue shivered, rubbing her scalp in terror, “I was just there to deal with the matter of my work being replaced. Nothing happened, it was just a normal conversation! How can they take photos that look so…”
After thinking for a long time, she reluctantly managed to utter, “like a couple???”
Yes, that’s right.
It looked like a couple.
Based on these three photos alone, one could easily imagine a plethora of CEO falls in love with me novel tropes.
But in reality, she wished she could avoid Fu Yuchuan like the plague.
She wished Fu Yuchuan would hate her, forget her.
However, things were contrary to her wishes. After a brief encounter in their second year of high school, he truly remembered her.
Thinking of these inexplicable entanglements, this fate, Wen Tingxue’s head ached.
“Forget it, I’ll just…” she said in despair, taking out her phone and speaking word by word, “post a statement.”
The reason she had been holding back was that she had observed this topic. From its appearance to its topping the trending search list, it took less than half an hour.
Under normal circumstances, even top celebrities in the entertainment industry wouldn’t rise that fast.
And it was deliberately chosen for a Sunday when the art association staff were resting.
It was definitely a well-prepared move.
A simple statement wouldn’t easily quell the doubts; instead, they would find loopholes and further inflate the hype.
Therefore, she had originally planned to wait until tomorrow when everyone was back at work to discuss how to resolve it better.
Moreover, by morning, the hype should have died down a bit.
She truly didn’t want to implicate Elder Yan; he was old and shouldn’t be dragged into this storm without reason.
But now, it seemed she couldn’t wait any longer. If they continued digging, who knew what would happen.
The edited text was sent out, and soon, hundreds of comments appeared.
“A little celebrity posting on Weibo would have this effect, right?” Wen Tingxue laughed, shaking her constantly ringing phone.
Lu Youran and Jiao Yutong were amused by her attempt to make light of the situation.
“You’re really calm. If it were me, I’d be frantic,” Lu Youran said sincerely, impressed.
Jiao Yutong, however, felt a pang of sympathy. If it weren’t for the Huang Yao incident a few days ago, she probably wouldn’t have developed such a strong heart, right?
Wen Tingxue shrugged indifferently, “A clear conscience fears no slander. I’m confident I didn’t engage in any underhanded dealings. I have nothing to hide, nothing to feel guilty about, so why should I be afraid?”
“That’s true!” Lu Youran nodded, then added, “I can’t help you with anything else, but I’ll go argue with them.”
She quickly typed on her phone.
The little girl blinked her eyes in confusion. Was she overthinking things?
Was it just a coincidence?
The moment she heard a voice that sounded very much like Meng Xiyao, her cousin immediately got a clue about that voice actor?
“Seeing that you’re alright, we can rest assured,” Song Ruining said as he opened the car door. “You go with Ah Li for a walk. Zhi Shu and I still have work to do. Call us if anything comes up, got it?”
Every time they met, he would reiterate this.
Wen Tingxue smiled and nodded, “I know, you guys go ahead and get busy.”
The two of them were now quite well-known in the industry, and working overtime was the norm.
She was quite surprised that they could still be concerned about Meng Xiyao’s matter.
…
Que You drove towards the outskirts of the city, where the scenery was beautiful and suitable for relaxation.
By the time they arrived, it was completely dark. A few stars could be seen dotted in the sky, not very conspicuous, but noticeable.
Wen Tingxue got out of the car, hands in her pockets, and walked towards the lake. A gentle breeze blew strands of hair across her cheeks. In the dim night, her figure appeared somewhat lonely.
Yu Wenli followed her at a distance, wanting to say something but feeling that nothing was appropriate.
This situation was different from the last time.
Huang Yao was defamation and slander. The Han family could spend a lot of money to pursue it.
The cost was too high, and soon, no one would discuss it.
But the scandal was challenging everyone’s tolerance for privilege.
Clearly, no one could tolerate such “unearned gain” and privilege that disregarded the efforts of others.
Even the Han family couldn’t.
What was more troublesome was that at this very moment, Miss Han’s identity would only further solidify the notion of a scandal.
She appeared optimistic and carefree, but she must have been feeling terrible, right?
Being pushed to the forefront of public opinion again and again, with baseless rumors being spread about things that never happened.
She was not even twenty, had not yet left school, and was already facing so much malice…
The more Yu Wenli thought about it, the more distressed he became.
When she stopped by the railing, he reached out and hugged her from behind.
She was a small, delicate figure, easily enveloped by him.
“I’m fine,” the little girl said with a light laugh.
However, there was no laughter in her eyes as she looked out at the lake.
She couldn’t bring herself to smile.
She felt so incredibly tired.
The overwhelming doubts and rumors were suffocating her.
She had secretly looked at the comments. They were completely different from the fabricated rumors about her personal life last time.
This time, the words were more cutting.
Her appearance, her figure, her voice – all were ridiculed.
She felt like a commodity displayed on a shelf, chosen by anyone.
From the inside out, from top to bottom, she was belittled into worthlessness.
She even began to doubt herself, wondering if she was truly that terrible…
So terrible that she had not a single redeeming quality.
Hearing the little girl comforting him instead, Yu Wenli’s heart felt as if it were being pierced by needles, causing him immense pain.
But he didn’t say much. He simply pointed to the brightest star overhead and said, “Do you see that little twinkling star?”
Wen Tingxue forced herself to look up, “I see it. It’s very bright.”
Yu Wenli whispered in her ear, “Let me tell you a little secret. Many stars in the sky have to travel for tens of thousands of years in the universe before they reach our eyes.”
“Tens of thousands of years?” The little girl turned back in surprise, her moist almond eyes regaining their brilliance.
Yu Wenli smiled and nodded, “Yes. To allow us to see them, the stars work really hard. And even if they are occasionally obscured by clouds, they never get discouraged.
“Because they know that darkness is only temporary, and when the clouds dissipate, they will still shine brightly in the night.”
— Darkness is only temporary.
— When the clouds dissipate, they will still shine brightly in the night.
Wen Tingxue savored these two sentences, and suddenly, a light dawned on her.
That’s right.
No matter how dense the night, as long as she could endure it, she would eventually see the dawn.
The only thing to fear was if she gave up on herself before dawn.
Having understood this, Wen Tingxue immediately turned back and hugged him. “Stars don’t stop shining because of temporary darkness, and I shouldn’t doubt myself because of temporary rumors.”
She held him tightly.
It was like grasping at the only straw of hope.
It was also like thanking him for his unwavering support.
Yu Wenli was squeezed so hard it hurt, but he didn’t say anything. He just lowered his head and kissed her forehead, praising, “My little girl is so smart.”
“But I’m really not doing well. I didn’t do anything, so why do I have to go through this?” In his arms, she confessed her vulnerability and breakdown for the first time.
Yu Wenli patiently stroked her long hair, his voice soft, “Because my Yi Yi is destined for great things. Didn’t the ancients say, ‘When Heaven is about to place a great responsibility on a person, it first tests their resolve and hardships.’
“Having gone through such difficult things, it means my Yi Yi will definitely become a renowned great designer in the future.”
On the way back, Wen Tingxue’s mood had improved considerably. Even Que You, who was driving, was surprised.
What the heck!
What did Brother Yu say to her?
The little girl was completely different from when she came!
If her eloquence weren’t for her pure heart, she’d definitely be in jail!
Not necessarily, maybe she’d even be on the international wanted list.
If Yu Wenli knew what he was thinking, he would definitely give him a good beating.
“I can’t cook, shall we eat out?” he said.
Que You immediately replied, “Whatever little sister-in-law wants to eat, I’m fine with it.”
Wen Tingxue scrolled through her phone with one hand, and upon hearing this, she said faintly, “Then let’s go to the usual place.”
“Alright!” Upon hearing this, Que You’s speed increased significantly.
He couldn’t help it; he was hungry.
“Stop looking, your eyes will hurt,” fearing that the comments would hurt her again, Yu Wenli reached out and covered the screen.
Just as Wen Tingxue was about to hand over the phone, she suddenly saw a comment through her fingers: “Look what I found! The artist’s name at the beginning of that piece wasn’t Wen Tingxue at all! It was Fu Feifei!!”
Below it was a screenshot of the list posted on the official website of the art exhibition.
“Wait!”
Wen Tingxue immediately snatched her phone back and zoomed in on the picture. She realized that this screenshot was taken before the art exhibition deleted the old list.
In other words, someone had already noticed this matter at that time.
It was just that no one spoke up. Now, looking at these two lists again…
Wen Tingxue was struck by lightning. She finally understood why Fu Yuchuan had agreed so readily!
Because he never intended to make things difficult for her at that time.
His true calculation was here!
So ruthless!
So venomous!
After lurking for nearly half a year!
Noticing her altered expression, Yu Wenli immediately took her phone. At that moment, Fu Feifei had just posted on Weibo:
“I’ve been busy all along and didn’t expect my hard work to be stolen. *cries.jpg*”
Attached were several sketches, identical to Wen Tingxue’s award-winning work.
However, Fu Feifei posted the drafts, the preliminary sketches.
They were also marked with a date: April 12th, XX year.
With the party involved, public opinion immediately flared up.
Netizen A: “Holy crap! Ironclad evidence! Definitely plagiarism! There’s a draft!”
Netizen B: “I’ve studied it for a long time, and I think the dates match. It was probably drawn in April, not a new draft.”
Netizen C: “The art exhibition posted the list twice, a week apart. It feels like Fu’s work was replaced by Wen’s.”
Netizen 1: “I don’t think it was a replacement, more like plagiarism. After all, Fu Feifei isn’t an ordinary person, how could she be replaced?”
Netizen 2: “Is there a possibility of plagiarism + replacement? Since the art exhibition announced the list twice, and the first announcement lasted for seven days, Fu Feifei couldn’t have not known.”
Netizen 3: “I also think plagiarism + replacement is more likely. After all, it’s a fact that the old list was announced for a week, but Fu Feifei is the legitimate daughter of the Fu family, while Wen is just Han family’s goddaughter. How could she replace Fu? It’s outrageous!”
Netizen 4: “At this point, we have to believe the rumors about someone and the head of Fu Corporation.”
Netizen 5: “I don’t think it was Second Master Fu. For his rival’s goddaughter, abandoning his own niece is something only a love-struck fool would do. Second Master Fu doesn’t seem like one.”
Netizen 6: “I think it’s more likely Wen’s mentor. After all, he’s the chairman of the art association. Replacing someone is just a matter of his word.”
Netizen 7: “Don’t forget, the vice-chairman is also his favored guest.”
Netizen 8: “Suddenly remembering that someone once said Wen had a messy personal life… I… kind of believe it now.”
Just as the tide was about to shift towards Elder Yan, a netizen exposed several photos.
The quality of the photos was very clear.
Therefore, everyone could easily recognize Fu Yuchuan, Fu Feifei, and Wen Tingxue.
As for the content, it was even more explosive.
Because in the end, Fu Feifei ran away crying, and the timing was exactly two hours before the art exhibition’s official website changed the list.
Netizen D: “Case closed! Plagiarism + replacement! And right in front of the rightful owner. So arrogant!”
Netizen E: “This proves that Second Master Fu is indeed a love-struck fool. For his rival’s goddaughter, he even abandoned his own niece!”
Netizen F: “True Queen of White Lotuses. See? A true master. She’s the worst one, yet her expression is so innocent, and she didn’t even move an inch. Simply amazing!”
The moment this comment appeared, the car entered a tunnel.
Wen Tingxue looked at the seemingly endless path ahead and suddenly felt that it wasn’t a tunnel, but a beast devouring her.
She didn’t know how long Fu Yuchuan had been setting up this trap.
But she knew that it was currently a dead end.
Because the only computer that could prove her innocence was still broken.
She couldn’t explain to anyone that the painting was something she had stayed up for several nights, worked hard on, and painted stroke by stroke.
She could only watch as she was branded with the crimes of plagiarism and replacement.
At this time, in country M.
Xie Jinyi had just finished her work and was about to send Wen Tingxue a congratulatory text message.
Congratulating her on winning the gold medal.
Although this congratulatory message was a bit late, she had done her best.
She had been incredibly busy lately, with no time to even touch her phone.
Just as she finished editing the text, before she could send it, Wen Bin called.
Xie Jinyi frowned in displeasure but finally answered.
“What is it?”
The moment her voice fell, a handsome and extraordinary man entered through the door.
Xie Jinyi expertly blew him a kiss, while also indicating that she was on the phone and asking him to wait.
The man holding roses nodded patiently and turned to look around the vicinity.
Wen Bin said, “Sister Xiao Yi, something has happened.”
He tried to summarize the events in the most concise way possible.
“So that’s the situation. I really can’t help much.”
After listening, Xie Jinyi’s brow was furrowed.
“Why didn’t you say anything about this sooner?!” she reprimanded in a low voice.
Wen Bin hadn’t seen her angry in a long time and touched his nose innocently, “I thought it wasn’t a big deal, and she could handle it herself. I didn’t expect the hole to get bigger and bigger, even involving the Fu family…”
“That’s enough!”
Xie Jinyi interrupted impatiently, “The only thing you need to do now is keep an eye on her and make sure she doesn’t get hurt. As for this matter…”
She glanced at the man not far away, her eyes deepening, and said, “I will find a way.”
At the same time, in country Y.
Just as Chi Zherui, who had just disembarked from a cruise ship and was preparing to party elsewhere, received a text message.
It was from his informant in the imperial capital, a single sentence—【She is caught in a storm of public opinion.】