Chapter 55

She had specifically waited until after she had posted a pity-seeking, sorrowful tweet before going upstairs in the hotel to get a Perfume Essence massage.

The purpose was to soothe her body and then enjoy watching Ying Zijin’s miserable condition.

Ying Luwei’s lips curled up in a smile as her fingers moved to the messages section.

As she had expected, there were lots of comments and private messages.

But when Ying Luwei clicked to take a closer look, her expression changed dramatically.

None were words of comfort; all were sarcasm.

[“The White Lotus Award goes to you. What brand of plastic bag are you, to be able to hold so much?”]

[“I’m so envious of your skin—it’s maintained such a thick facade.”]

[“Just with one picture you label your own niece as a seducer and shift the blame so proficiently. You’re wasting your talents not being a chef.”]

[“Afraid that you’ll pretend to be offline and not see the video, I’m sending it to you specially. Make sure not to say you didn’t see it, okay? [Video]”]

Ying Luwei furrowed her brows and opened the video.

Just a few seconds in, her eyes widened and her face turned pale as a ghost.

Impossible!

She had clearly arranged for Mr. Allen to erase the surveillance footage, so where did this video come from?

Ying Luwei scrambled to review the events on social media over the last couple of hours. After seeing everything, she was completely in disbelief.

Ying Zijin actually had the surveillance footage in her possession!

Had she really held onto it for so long only to release it now, on purpose?

Ying Luwei immediately called Allen, gritting her teeth and enunciating each word, “Didn’t you say that it was absolutely impossible for anyone to recover the surveillance footage? Why does the other party have it?!”

If she hadn’t been certain that Ying Zijin couldn’t clear her name, why would she have posted that pitiful tweet?

By this time, Allen had already boarded a cruise ship, heading for O continent.

Naturally, he could not be aware of what was happening on Hua Country’s Internet.

Upon hearing her words, he was first stunned, then his voice turned cold, “Of course it’s impossible. No hacker in Hua Country has better skills than me.”

“So you’re saying I’m blind?” Ying Luwei was fuming with rage, “Are you just scamming me for my money?”

Allen simply hung up the call, scoffing coldly.

Sure enough, people from small places have no vision.

To recover the surveillance footage he had erased?

Unless it was one of the top-ranking individuals from the Anonymous Hackers Alliance.

How could that be possible?

Someone from Hua Country hiring them?

Even after spending five years in the Anonymous Hackers Alliance, he didn’t have the privilege of meeting these few individuals.

Absolutely ridiculous.

With a sneer, Allen grabbed his briefcase and disembarked from the ship.

**

In the hotel.

Ying Luwei was staring at her phone, dazed, with cold sweat all over her body.

Her agent walked in, his face grim, “Luwei, I’ve said it before, don’t trust outsiders so much. Now it’s a real mess.”

He tossed the phone at her, “Take a look for yourself!”

On the screen was a long tweet.

Ying Luwei recognized this Twitter handle—it belonged to one of her loyal fans.

This fan attended every one of her concerts and would send her gifts during holidays, often spending tens of thousands on her piano album.

Although, that sum didn’t even come close to what she spent on cosmetics in a month.

[“@Luwei’s Little Piano: When the picture came out yesterday, I told everyone to please stay calm.

But no one listened to me. Some fans even asked anti-fan sites to blacklist me. You all saw today’s reversal, right? Wasn’t the last lesson enough?”]

And there’s Luwei’s Weibo post. I feel like she’s intentionally using us. Sorry, maybe I’m just too sensitive, but I really can’t continue supporting her. It feels like all the genuine emotions of these past years were wasted on a dog. We were like sisters, but it’s time to say goodbye here.]

Within just a few minutes after the post, a significant number of fans on the related topic had unfollowed her.

Many went back to step on her (leave negative comments), cursing her as a “white lotus” and accusing her of deceiving her fans.

Ying Luwei’s hand trembled, and her phone dropped to the ground, her face even paler.

“Didn’t I tell you before? The entertainment industry is too chaotic. Today you stand high, tomorrow you’ll fall,” her agent said tiredly, pressing his temples, “If you want traffic and fans, you need to be careful.”

He hesitated for a moment before asking the question that had long puzzled him, “Luwei, why are you so eager to push your fake niece to her death? How has she threatened you?”

Could it be…

Ying Luwei couldn’t hear anything anymore, an unprecedented sense of fear surged in her heart, reminding her of things from a long time ago.

No, this won’t do.

She picked up her phone with trembling hands, “Hey, Moyuan, help me, please help me…”

**

On this end.

Zhong Manhua had just gotten off the plane, clutching her phone, her chest heaving with anger, her head almost exploding.

That day, after Jiang Huaping had spoken with her, she had reflected and felt she was wrong.

She blamed Ying Zijin without getting the facts straight, which was not right.

But what about this time?

Could the pictures also be fake?

Every time she went to Oceania to see Xiao Xuan, Ying Zijin never failed to give her trouble.

Zhong Manhua grabbed her purse and rushed to Verdant, arriving at the principal’s office as quickly as possible.

The principal was in the middle of a discussion with He Xun about the International Class students, and he was startled by the sudden entrance of Zhong Manhua.

Before he could open his mouth, Zhong Manhua had already taken a step forward, “Principal, I’m really sorry, I am here to arrange for my child’s withdrawal from school.”

The principal was stunned.

“We didn’t expect such a thing to happen either,” Zhong Manhua said through clenched teeth, her extreme discomfort making it almost impossible for her to raise her head, “Withdrawing from school is the best decision, for the good of Verdant and for the child. Principal, what do you think…”

Before she could finish speaking, “bang!”, the office door was kicked open.

At the doorway, Ying Zijin stood with her hands in her pockets, her expression indifferent.

The temperature plummeted sharply, icy and chilling.

Upon seeing the girl, Zhong Manhua tried to soften her tone, speaking gently, “Zijin, don’t worry. Mommy is withdrawing you from school and is going to send you abroad. In a few years, once this blows over, you can come back, okay?”

“Madam Ying, you’re mistaken,” Ying Zijin lifted her lashes, her voice devoid of emotion, “I have nothing to do with you, and you have no right to control me.”

She turned her head, “Principal, she can’t manage my school registration, right?”

The principal, still dazed, nodded, “Yes, she has no say. Master Zhong has already said…”

It was as if those words were a slap in the face.

Zhong Manhua clenched the bag in her hand tightly.

In the presence of outsiders, the humiliation burned her face, “Zijin, what are you talking about? Mommy is doing this for your own good, I can’t just watch you get cursed at by others, right? It’s better to withdraw from school…”

“Wait, wait,” the principal had to interrupt Zhong Manhua, “Madam Ying, haven’t you seen the latest Weibo post?”

Zhong Manhua was taken aback.

What?

Seeing her expression, the principal knew she was unaware, and he shook his head, “I happen to have it here, Madam Ying, please have a look.”

After saying that, he placed the computer in front of her.

In less than a minute, the video had finished playing.

Zhong Manhua stiffened, as though she’d been punched in the face, even the color on her lips completely draining away.

She couldn’t help but step back, barely daring to look up at the girl.

Ying Zijin didn’t bother with her, she nodded at the principal and then placed a printed chat record on the desk.