"Zhengting, haven't you gotten the news yet? This woman is disloyal, colluding with outsiders to set you up. What kind of attitude is this now? Still treating her like a treasure, doting on her and cherishing her?" Jiang Mingxiu glared angrily at Xia Yan. "The moment I got to the company, I heard about her and that Ye Yunchen. A woman so indiscreet and fickle isn't fit to be with you."
"Mom, haven't you caused enough trouble?"
"Zhengting, I'm telling you the truth. Everyone in your company knows about her and Ye Yunchen, yet you turn a blind eye. Now, on top of that, you're calmly keeping her by your side. Don't you realize you're inviting a wolf into your home?"
"This matter hasn't been investigated yet."
"What's there to investigate? That video is clear evidence. Zhengting, you're flesh of my flesh, the apple of my eye. I'm your mother—would I ever harm you?"
Lu Zhengting touched Xia Yan's cheek and heard her let out a soft cry. Jiang Mingxiu had put all her strength into that slap, not hesitating for a moment. Listening to Jiang Mingxiu's accusations, Xia Yan felt a surge of anger both in her heart and body.
She pushed away Lu Zhengting's hand, took a deep breath, lifted her head, and looked at Jiang Mingxiu with sincere eyes, showing no fear. "Auntie, I have never done anything to harm the company's interests or to hurt Lu Zhengting. You are his mother, and you love him deeply—I know that. But I love him too, and I would never do anything to hurt him. I never have, I won't now, and I never will."
Jiang Mingxiu let out a cold snort. "No matter how sweetly you put it, it can't hide what you've done."
"Auntie, what exactly have I done? The evidence that surfaced online isn't real at all. I never said a single word, not even anything similar."
"Xia Yan, let me tell you, playing the victim or being sharp-tongued won't work on me. This time, I don't care what people online say or what evidence appears. I want you to leave the company right now and never contact my son again."
Xia Yan glanced at Lu Zhengting, saw the trust in his eyes, then looked back at Jiang Mingxiu and said firmly, "I can leave the company, but I won't leave Lu Zhengting. However, all of this must happen after these matters are cleared up. I won't just walk away like this."
"What did you say?" Jiang Mingxiu raised her voice, shouting angrily at Xia Yan.
Lu Zhengting wrapped his arm around Xia Yan, his piercing gaze fixed on Jiang Mingxiu, his voice cold and chilling. "Mom, this is the company. Company matters are decided by me."
"Fine, fine, fine. You're truly the good son I raised, siding with outsiders against your own mother. Fine! Then I'll lay it out here today: Xia Yan must leave the company, and she must leave you. Also, Chen Ma has already packed up all her things at home. Starting today, I don't want to see Xia Yan's face in the Lu residence!"
"Fine, I'll go back later and pick up my luggage," Xia Yan said coldly. She had always held back, tolerating everything Jiang Mingxiu did or said because she was Lu Zhengting's mother, staying silent and patient. But after today's events, she realized that her forbearance wouldn't change Jiang Mingxiu's dislike for her—it would only make it worse.
Such behavior only made her feel wronged without changing the situation.
Xia Yan's straightforward reply caught Jiang Mingxiu off guard. She had expected Xia Yan to cling on, but now it seemed things were going her way.
Jiang Mingxiu looked at her only son, both angry and anxious. Seeing him blindly protect Xia Yan, she felt a chill in her heart beyond her fury. In her eyes, Xia Yan had found yet another reason to be despised. She couldn't even bear to look at Xia Yan anymore, grabbed her bag, and left with an extremely sour expression.
The atmosphere in the office turned cold. Xia Yan blinked her stinging eyes and said softly, "Right now, I really want to know who's behind all this, scheming against me."
"Ye Yunchen."
"Brother Ye? He wouldn't do something like this," Xia Yan said without a second thought. Lu Zhengting, hearing her immediate response, fell into deep thought. She didn't know what was going through the man's mind, but the one thing she was sure of was that he believed her.
******
The revelations from the press conference couldn't be suppressed anymore, giving the people at Lu Corporation fresh gossip. Besides that, there was also Jiang Mingxiu's visit to the company to make her stance clear. Some words from what happened that day in Lu Zhengting's office had leaked out.
The women who once envied Xia Yan now mocked her, as if it made them feel more significant. Li Ru, who loved gossip, would hang out in the break room during her free time, sitting with others who came to chat and listen, discussing the latest company news.
Li Ru saw Coco swaying in from outside, glanced at her dismissively, and got up to leave.
Seeing this, Coco raised her hand, showing off her long fingers with bright red nail polish. She smiled, a hint of seduction in it, and said to Li Ru, "Li Ru, what's wrong? Why leave as soon as I show up?"
"I don't think there's anything worth saying between us. Besides, I don't think we're on the level where we can sit and chat."
"Heh, Li Ru, is it really necessary? Just because I didn't get along with Xia Yan back then? You've been licking her boots, and what good has it done you? Now that Xia Yan can't even save herself, sticking up for her is just asking for trouble."
"Coco, to be honest, it's not just because of Xia Yan. It's mainly because of you—always giving off this sly fox vibe, flirting with everyone. You really think I can't see through it?"
"Li Ru, say that again if you dare. Don't think I won't touch you just because you're pregnant."
"Listen carefully: I said you're always throwing yourself at men, giving off that sleazy vibe." Li Ru repeated it, even waving a hand in front of her nose, looking at Coco with disgust as she teetered on the edge of exploding.
"Li Ru, you—"
"Coco, don't be so harsh. Why are you always fixated on Xia Yan? Isn't it because she easily has what you don't? You're just jealous of her."
"You're lying! Me, jealous of her?" Coco scoffed, shaking off the few people holding her back.
"Yeah, of course you're jealous of Xia Yan. Don't forget, before you got transferred to finance, you were in project management. If I remember right, you liked Ye Yunchen, didn't you?"
"Li Ru, shut up! When did I ever say I liked him? Don't talk nonsense—there's nothing like that."
"Really? Coco, fooling yourself is so typical of you." Li Ru glanced at Coco, rubbed her belly, suddenly remembered prenatal education, and pursed her lips, silently thinking, Kid, don't absorb what just happened as a lesson.
Coco's secret was exposed by Li Ru in public. Seeing the looks from the others, she felt embarrassed. "Don't believe Li Ru. She's just making things up."
"If you ask me, liking someone isn't shameful, Coco. Why not admit it? Besides, back then, I thought Ye Yunchen was charming too, no less than our CEO Lu. It's only natural you'd be drawn to him."
"I told you, Li Ru is lying. I don't like Ye Yunchen," Coco said seriously.
One of the others shrugged dismissively. "Alright, alright, since Coco says she doesn't like Ye Yunchen, let it be. Not that it matters—Ye Yunchen likes Xia Yan anyway, right? You've all seen the online video? His words were full of protectiveness for Xia Yan."
"I think you're just sour grapes."
"Not at all."
Coco sat silently on the sofa, listening to the chatter around her. Li Ru was right—she did like Ye Yunchen. And she knew clearly that in Ye Yunchen's heart, there was only Xia Yan, which was why she hated her so much.
The incident between Li Ru and Coco in the break room reached Xia Yan's ears. Over the past few days, as things spiraled out of control, her mood had been irritable. At this critical moment, almost everyone kept their distance from her, except Li Ru, who still stood up for her.
Xia Yan shut down her computer and was about to head to the project management department to find Li Ru when, at that very moment, she got a call from Ye Yunchen asking to meet. She hesitated for a long time. The last time she went to see him, the situation had been twisted and used against her, leading to this mess. She didn't want to stir up more trouble. After a pause, she politely declined, grabbed her phone, and went to the project management department.
Meanwhile, Lu Zhengting called in Ning Xi, who brought Zhan Meng along with him. Zhan Meng sat bored on the sofa in Lu Zhengting's office, shooting Ning Xi an annoyed glare. Ning Xi pretended not to notice, focusing on Lu Zhengting's stern expression.
"I looked into what you asked. The person in that video isn't a composite," Ning Xi said, then felt the weight of Lu Zhengting's dark glare. He paused and added, "Don't rush—I'm not done. The video isn't fake, but the voice was deliberately added."
"And?"
"And I also found out about the person who showed up at the press conference. He was paid to do a job. Your people probably already questioned him—he didn't have much useful info, but I did learn that the person who contacted him was a woman."
"A woman?"
"Yeah, a woman. I don't know who specifically."
Lu Zhengting shot Ning Xi a sharp look. Zhan Meng, who had been left out, burst out laughing at Ning Xi's words. "Ning Xi, isn't that just stating the obvious?"
Lu Zhengting glanced at Zhan Meng, his eyes questioning Ning Xi: Why is she here?
Ning Xi frowned in reply: She insisted on coming. I couldn't stop her.
Zhan Meng caught their silent exchange out of the corner of her eye, rolled her eyes, and said with amusement, "Two grown men, so boring. I don't even want to listen."