"The timing on this invitation is definitely wrong." Yun Lisa took a look and immediately knew that this was the invitation Qiao Ximin had given her. So she drew attention to Qiao Ximin on purpose.
"Ximin, you gave the wrongly printed invitation to Liang Yeri so that she would be at the exhibition hall half an hour early. Did you plan for all this to happen?"
The person who had planned it all would know it. But looking at the current situation, Liang Yeri had not managed to harm Yun Lisa, so she needed an excuse to blame others.
Yun Lisa knew that Liang Yeri had always been good at shifting the blame to someone else.
So now, in order for them to fight it out with each other, Yun Lisa would help Liang Yeri push the blame on Qiao Ximin and drag her into this too.
Oh well, they were both asking for it. If Qiao Ximin were able to stay out of it, it would have been much too easy on her.
Yun Lisa decided to stand next to Qiao Ximin and give her a little push so that she could fight it out with Liang Yeri.
"No way! This is my art exhibition, so why would I do such a thing to ruin my art exhibition? I don't even know her, and there are no ill feelings between us, so why would I harm her? Yun Lisa, don't be ridiculous!"
"Then why was it that only Liang Yeri received the invitation with the mistake? Of course, it could be a printing error, but even if that's the case, then what's with the AIDS-infected person outside and Liang Yeri looking like this now? How could there be such a coincidence that the timing on Liang Yeri's invitation was wrong, and there was someone with AIDS in the exhibition hall who tried to rape her? When there are so many coincidences, it's kind of unbelievable that you did not do this deliberately to harm Liang Yeri."
"No! Don't be ridiculous! I don't know that person outside, and I don't know what is going on. The printing could have been an error made by the printing company. I really don't know anything about what was going on at all!"
Qiao Ximin did not expect Liang Yeri to be so vicious toward Yun Lisa that she had gotten a drug addict with AIDS to rape Yun Lisa. Never mind if the man really did rape Yun Lisa, but if she contracted AIDS, then it would be equivalent to killing her.
Her plan was indeed cruel and vicious!
Qiao Ximin had only asked Liang Yeri to look for a drug addict so that they could ruin her reputation and get her expelled from Jingdu University. But she did not expect...
There were even more questions about this situation. Qiao Ximin did not understand how Liang Yeri had received the wrongly printed invitation card and had almost been raped by the person she'd hired herself!
This whole situation had become so ridiculous!
But Qiao Ximin was sure that she had given the wrongly printed invitation to Yun Lisa, so why was it with Liang Yeri?
What went wrong exactly?
Now, no matter what had gone wrong, Yun Lisa was already suspicious, and she had even pushed all the blame onto Qiao Ximin. So this was definitely bad news for Qiao Ximin.
You were the one who gave me the invitation...Liang Yeri suddenly remembered that Yun Lisa had knocked into her that night. Both their invitation cards fell to the ground, which must be when the invitation cards were swapped. That must be when everything went haywire.
But now, Liang Yeri had greatly embarrassed herself, and she could no longer hurt Yun Lisa. So if Liang Yeri doesn't pull Qiao Ximin down with her, she will become the only culprit in this situation.
To cover up all the silly things she did, Liang Yeri must push all the blame onto Qiao Ximin.
Anyway, no one knew that she had been the one who'd hired the thug. So, if she pushes all the blame onto Qiao Ximin, she will become the most innocent victim. And, if she does that, she will be cleared of all suspicion and get everyone's sympathy instead.
Otherwise, she can't clean up this mess at all.
Liang Yeri thought this whole situation was regrettable and really hated to see that the incident had not caused any pain to Yun Lisa.
But Liang Yeri must not under any circumstances let everyone know that it had been her plan all along.
Otherwise, she might suffer as a result of her actions in the end. When that happened, no one would sympathize with her, and the school might even expel her.
Even if it would be too embarrassing to stay at Jingdu University, she didn't want to have to leave because she had been expelled. Her future would be ruined by an expulsion.
Now, it so happened that there was someone here who could shoulder the blame for her instead. Qiao Ximin was just going to have to take it.
"Qiao Ximin, you are such a horrible person. I didn't expect you to be so vicious. Did I ever offend you? Why did you do this to me and even find someone to rape me? You are so vicious!"
"I..." Qiao Ximin couldn't say anything to defend herself. She couldn't think of any way to deal with this immediately.
Liang Yeri's aggressive questioning had pushed Qiao Ximin out into the storm, making her the person responsible for explaining this entire issue.
The situation had already deviated far from what Qiao Ximin had originally planned, and she wasn't able to find a way to solve the problem and get off the hook.
Liang Yeri had pushed all the blame onto Qiao Ximin. However, Qiao Ximin can't say that the invitation was initially for Yun Lisa. If she said that, she would also offend Yun Lisa.
Offending Yun Lisa was no big deal, but, if she were to explain what exactly had happened, she would be admitting that she had planned everything.
But if Qiao Ximin doesn't speak, she won't be able to escape once Liang Yeri pushes all the blame onto her.
Qiao Ximin had gotten herself into a h*ll of a predicament. She couldn't move forward or back away. This whole situation had forced her onto the edge of a knife.
Yun Lisa had definitely made a ruthless move and successfully dragged Qiao Ximin into the mess too.
Qiao Ximin could only blame Liang Yeri for being such a fool and so unreliable. Qiao Ximin doesn't care if Liang Yeri gets into trouble. However, Liang Yeri now was trying to push the blame on her. What a shameless move.
Qiao Ximin would not have agreed to help if she knew something like this was going to happen. Not only has she ruined her art exhibition, but she has also been dragged into this mess.
Zhao Eunha stood on the sidelines and watched Yun Lisa push the blame onto Qiao Ximin without batting an eye. She immediately understood what was going on, and she cheered for Yun Lisa silently.
Qiao Ximin and Liang Yeri had made plans to sabotage Yun Lisa together. But now, they were suffering from the consequences instead of Yun Lisa.
As well, they had now started fighting one another. What an exciting show!
"I really do not know what's going on. I also don't know why there should be such a misunderstanding..."
Looking at the situation now, Qiao Ximin can only deny everything. After all, she did not do anything personally, so she won't admit to anything either.
"Liang Yeri, I am sorry for what happened to you. I am the person in charge of the art exhibition after all, so I will take responsibility. But I had nothing to do with what happened to you. So if you are going to blame it all on me, show me the proof that I planned this. Otherwise, I am going to sue you for slander."
"What's going on over here?"
Several teachers and school counselors had arrived and walked through the crowd. Looking at a man tied up with tape on the ground and how disheveled Liang Yeri was, they asked what had happened.
Liane Yeri had covered herself with a windbreaker. She cried as she exaggerated and told the counselors about what had happened.
Qiao Ximin stood beside them and kept saying that she had also been wronged. But no matter what she said, she couldn't explain herself.
Soon, the police arrived at the scene. A policeman was shocked when he saw the culprit who was tied up. "Isn't this the drug addict Liu Jincheng? I heard that he has AIDS, so everyone must be careful."
The policemen came over and inquired about what had happened. The two girls were arguing, and Liang Xinyi was determined to drag Qiao Ximin down with her. In the end, the police decided to take them both to the police station for questioning.
The art exhibition did not go on as Qiao Ximin had expected. Instead, it was shut down immediately due to the drug incident.
Watching what was happening, some of the students had realized what was going on, but most were confused.
However, Yun Lisa did not explain anything. Instead, she left right away with Eunha after the art exhibition was shut down.
Yun Lisa called Grey Wolf after she left the exhibition hall.
"Grey Wolf, can you hack into the surveillance system of Jingdu University's exhibition hall?"
"Yes. Give me a few minutes."
"Great, can I please have the surveillance footage of the exhibition hall between 9:00 and 9:30."
Yun Lisa could hear Grey Wolf typing away on his keyboard. Soon he said, "I've gotten into the system. What do you want me to do with the video?"
Yun Lisa looked out at the sky as the rain continued to fall. She then said coldly, "Please send a copy to Han Zhongteng so that he can enjoy the good show!"
"All right..." Grey Wolf watched the video and remembered that Yun Lisa had asked for some information a few days ago. He looked up and noticed Mu Jungkook staring at the surveillance footage, and he asked softly, "Are you okay?"
"Don't worry. I am fine." Liang Yeri was the one who was in trouble now. She had really shot herself in the foot.
"That's great." Grey Wolf looked at the Young Commander and asked another question, "The HIV patient, do you want me to get someone to deal with him?"
"It's already taken care of. He's at the police station, and the police will deal with him. However, could you inform Han Zhongteng to go to the police station to pick up someone."
"Will do."
Grey Wolf finished the call. He looked at the Young Commander and asked, "Sir, since Han Zhongteng is involved in this, do you want to deal with him?"
"There's no need to do anything just now." Mu Jungkook stood up slowly and looked coldly at the surveillance footage, and he smirked. "This is such an interesting video. It would be a waste if we didn't use it to annoy Han Zhongteng. Just follow Yun Lisa's instructions. And please also post the video on Jingdu University's forum and make sure you save a copy for Yun Lisa."
"Yes, sir!"
If this video was posted on Jingdu University's forum, this whole situation would become a university-wide scandal.
Even if she were to act as an innocent victim, the school would probably still ask her to leave in order to protect their reputation.
Liang Yeri had asked for it herself, so she can't blame anyone else for being vicious.
Even though Yun Lisa hadn't been hurt, Liang Yeri's horrible actions were so bad that Mu Jungkook was determined to ruin her. But Yun Lisa did not want to let Liang Yeri off so easily.
...
In the conference room of the Han Corporation, Han Zhongteng and Han Yaotian were in a meeting about the status of the company's participation in a project helmed by the mayor.
When it was Han Zhongteng's turn to speak, the computer screen in front of him suddenly went black. The screen came back on after a few minutes, but weird numbers were flashing across the screen uncontrollably.
Just as Han Zhongtong thought there was something wrong with the computer, some footage appeared on his screen.
It wasn't really audible. However, as everyone had been waiting for Han Zhongteng to speak, it was so quiet in the conference room that one could have heard a pin drop.
In the video, one could hear Liang Yeri's gagged and muffled voice, together with sinister laughter from a man. Without looking at the screen, one would naturally imagine it to be a pornographic movie for adults.
Everyone seemed to have the same idea, and they all looked up and turned toward Han Zhongteng.
Everyone thought that Han Zhongteng had accidentally opened his private collection of adult films, and all of them looked at him with questioning expressions on their faces.
After all, most of the people in the room had been through the phase of being full of vigor. Everyone knew what it was and what it meant, so everyone just smiled and said nothing.
Han Zhongteng was shocked. He had not expected such things to appear on his computer out of nowhere. When he saw that the two people in the video were Liang Yeri and the HIV patient he had found, his eyes got wide instantly.
In the video, Liang Yeri's dress had been torn off and pushed under the man. There was a moment when Han Zhongteng's expression turned really dark.
He trembled a little, thinking about how the man was an HIV patient.
Soon, Han Zhongteng's mobile phone started ringing. The phone vibrated against the table, and it gave off a sharp sound.
Han Zhongteng suddenly came back to his senses. He quickly shut the laptop and picked up the call.
On the phone impersonating a policeman, Grey Wolf instructed Han Zhongteng to go to the police station to bail Liang Yeri out.
Han Zhongteng immediately replied that they'd called the wrong person and hung up.
When he turned around, everyone in the conference room was staring at him, especially Han Sehun, who looked extremely unhappy.
"What's wrong with you? Don't you know that you are supposed to be working?"
"It's not my fault that they got the wrong number."
Han Zhongteng turned off his mobile phone immediately, then pulled out his chair and sat down. He opened up his laptop again and began his presentation with a straight face.
When his presentation ended, he realized that his computer had automatically saved the video file on his desktop.
Han Zhongteng stared sullenly at the additional file on his desktop. He tried to delete the file, but he couldn't delete the video no matter how many times he tried.
The file saved on the desktop had an icon that was an image. It was an image of a half-naked Liang Yeri.
A hacker had hacked into his computer and left this file on his desktop that he was unable to delete. Looking at the file, Han Zhongteng felt like it was humiliation and a big slap across his face.
Han Zhongteng had no idea who had done this to his computer. But he also realized that stupid Liang Yeri had gotten herself into trouble again.
But he doesn't want to help her this time. Who knows if she was infected? He doesn't want to jeopardize himself just to satisfy his lust.
...
Chen Lixue was furious when she received a call from the police station to bail out Liang Yeri.
They still had not resolved what happened at the wedding banquet, and Liang Yeri had gone and created another problem now. This had made Chen Lixue start to think that her daughter was really troubled.
Chen Lixue had finally achieved what she had been aiming for and married into the Su family, but Liang Yeri kept causing trouble for her. And as her mother, the Su family would definitely blame it all on her for her daughter's behavior.
Thinking that she was going to be able to lead a good and wealthy life, she had followed the plans of her clever daughter and gave up on her relationship with Liang Weimin. Now, the good life she'd wanted seemed to be right ahead of her, but she also felt like a donkey chasing after the carrot dangling in front of her. No matter what she did, she couldn't seem to catch it.
Back at their condominium, Chen Lixue's heart sank when she heard Liang Yeri crying and complaining about what had happened.
Liang Yeri had tried so hard and even sacrificed her pride and her virginity in exchange for a place at Jingdu University. But now, she had to give it all up because of this matter. Even Chen Lixue was reluctant to accept it, let alone Liang Yeri.
One could only get the lowest and dirtiest job without a university degree.
Every easy and respectable job would require a degree. So, without a degree, one would end up living like someone without a proper residency and forever be the lowest class of citizens in Jingdu.
They had finally managed to leave Muyang while dreaming of climbing up the social ladder. But now, the daughter she'd relied on the most had gotten herself into such a mess. Chen Lixue could not accept it no matter what.
"Mother, can you get Uncle Zongping to help me? I want to continue studying at the university. I can't give up just like that. Yun Lisa is still there, and if I can't continue studying, I don't even need to think about beating her any longer."
"Uncle Zongping has already said that he will not get involved in our problems, and he won't help us at all. Have you forgotten about what happened at the wedding banquet? It's already good enough that they didn't blame that on you, and now you still want him to help you? I'm afraid that they will look down on us even more if they find out what happened today."
Ever since the wedding banquet, Su Zongping had been giving Chen Lixue the cold shoulder. In fact, he hardly came into contact with her at all. This had made Chen Lixue worry that their marriage had fallen into a crisis.
Therefore, if she were forced to seek his help now, she was worried that this could completely ruin their marriage and her life as his wife.
Judging from Liang Yeri's current state, she would be a bigger burden on them if she could not continue her university education.
However, Liang Yeri had lost a good portion of her reputation at Jingdu University. If she returned to classes now, she would become a laughingstock.
"You just have to tolerate it, my daughter. If Jingdu University does not expel you, then you should keep studying there. It is a top university, and the degree from there will give you better work opportunities than the ordinary universities. You gave so much for this chance. If you give up now, you would have wasted it all."
The mother-and-daughter pair were fully aware that the opportunity to study at Jingdu University had been given as a present to Liang Yeri. Only Liang Danyi had been kept in the dark and firmly believed her sister had entered because of her test scores.
Liang Yeri was naturally not willing to give up. She was certain her position as the victim would be able to earn her sympathy points regardless of what anyone knew or didn't know about the situation. It did not matter that she had humiliated herself.
As long as Liang Yeri was willing to tolerate and put up with some hardship through this period of time, she still had an opportunity to slowly restore her reputation.
When it was clear to Chen Lixue that her daughter had been sufficiently comforted, Chen Lixue let out a sigh of relief. The days of paranoia and stress she was living through were no better than the days she had spent as the wife of a village chief.
In her mind, however, the pains of living glamorously as the wife of a member of a rich family were still bearable compared to the days of living in poverty.
The rewards of luxury were worth the difficulties and risks she had to face.
However, what Liang Yeri did not know was that her plans had been ruined. They were ruined when the security footage recorded what she had done.
...
Since the security footage from the exhibition had been removed by a third party and all other forms of evidence had been removed, Liang Yeri was able to resolve this with Qiao Ximin civilly due to the lack of proof and her status as the victim.
However, Qiao Ximin had received the shorter end of the stick. She had had to pay a ridiculous sum in compensation, and this event had destroyed her image to all the students and faculty.
She could have accused Liang Yeri, who had let her take the blame, but Yun Lisa was part of the problem too.
Qiao Ximin had assumed Liang Xinyi was capable of a few tactics. However, Liang Yeri was absolutely nowhere near Yun Lisa's league.
And now Qiao Ximin had been dragged down as well. She was a fool who had chosen to work with a fool.
Until now, she could not understand what had gone wrong. However, she was certain that Liang Yer was the one to blame.
She was stupid to have worked with someone as clueless as Liang Yeri.
Not only had she failed to get on Yun Lisa's good side, but she had also ruined her partnership with Liang Yeri and lost another tool in her toolbox. All she had left now was the spoiled and ignorant Si Wenxuan.
The Mayor's office had already launched the bidding for the mayor's project. It was going to be necessary for her to seek under-the-table assistance from the Mu Corporation to obtain it.
She could only take back her right to talk to her father if she was able to take this collaborative project with Mu Corporation under her wing.
With what had happened, her reputation in school had been severely tarnished, and she feared that her image at the socialite ball was going to be affected as well. Qiao Ximin cursed herself in her mind.
She had truly underestimated Yun Lisa.
Driving back to school, Qiao Ximin felt something was amiss as she walked in. The looks she was receiving were different from what she was used to.
Particularly, she spotted a few classmates who had turned away and engaged in a heated discussion as soon as they had seen her.
"What's going on? Did something happen?"
Walking forward, Qiao Ximin tugged at the sleeve of a female student, but the student immediately swept her hands off and hurriedly took out a wet tissue to wipe down where she had touched her.
"Don't touch me! Who knows if you've caught AIDs too. You better stay away from me!"
"What are you talking about? AIDS! What does this have to do with me? You are the one who's sick!"
This was the first time she had been treated with disdain and disgust at school. Qiao Ximin's frustration went through the roof.
"Online, it said that you found a drug addict with AIDS to sexually assault Liang Yeri. And the security footage is missing too. If you found the person, maybe you have caught the HIV virus too? We better be careful around you."
"What do you mean? When did I find any drug addicts? Someone has been slandering me!"
"Who would slander you? It was you who used Liang Yeri in your own schemes."
"This is truly evil, if she had caught AIDS, you're no different than a murderer!"
"....."
The female students who surrounded her had always been sickened by her pretense of innocence. Only these female students knew Qiao Ximin's true self.
It did not help that Qiao Ximin's pretense had moved many male students in the school who had worshipped her relentlessly on a daily basis.
The female students admired her abilities, and they were jealous of the attention she received from all the men.
This event that had occurred was an answer to their prayers. The discourse about her on the online forum had spread throughout the school. Rumors talked about her vile nature, and how she had found an AIDS-carrying drug addict to sexually assault another girl. Supposedly, there was video evidence as proof. It was hard for anyone to argue with these rumors.
The female students were finally presented with the evidence that unveiled Qiao Ximin's true personality, and they teamed up to take her down.
Looking over to the laptop on the table, Qiao Ximin leaped forward toward it and opened the school forum. She clicked on the number one trending topic and instantly a video came into view.
The video was the security footage from the exhibition hall. It had captured a scene between Liang Yeri and the drug addict. The video clip was short, and it included the scene of the standoff between her and Liang Yeri.
After she had watched the entire video, she realized it had cut out the part when Liang Yeri had brought up Yun Lisa. The video only contained the stand-off between Liang Yeri and Qiao Ximin. It was as if Yun Lisa had never even been present at this event.
The comments on the forum were varied, though most of them were cursing and exclaiming how evil she was and a few others were sharing a bit of sympathy for Liang Yeri.
It was all Liang Yeri's fault. She had set this up to happen to herself. But it had all become her fault somehow.
Yet, the one the two had plotted to ruin had been excluded from the incident since the beginning. She had witnessed their downfall and humiliation as if it was none of her business.
If they had to appoint a champion, Yun Lisa was the real winner of this conflict.
The discourse had spread like wildfire, and no matter how Qiao Ximin tried to explain her innocence she could not produce the required evidence. The incident remained a large stain on her image.
The discourse had reached the school board as well. The online debate raging on the school forum had led to the school leaders asking Qiao Ximin for an explanation.
However, Qiao Ximin fought back against the allegations and denied all involvement. She argued that aside from the invitation with the timing mistake there was no evidence that she had recruited anyone to target Liang Yeri. Nevertheless, the school decided to penalize her with a major demerit.
...
In the hospital after her HIV test, Liang Yeri was told by the doctors that it would take a month for her results. The long waiting time added more pain to her turmoil.
As soon as she left the hospital, she received a call from Jingdu University that asked her to head to the school.
In hopes that it was good news, Liang Yeri called for a taxi immediately and headed back to the school. However, what greeted her was the news of her expulsion from the university.
The viral video on the forum had dragged in the involvement of the anti-narcotics personnel. The video was a hard hit on the reputation of Jingdu University and in order to protect it from further ruin, they had to persuade Liang Yeri to leave the university.
Moreover, as Liang Yeri had entered the university through means that were unofficial, once the school had understood the instructions from the upper management, they were unhesitant about their decision to expel her.
The decision from the upper management was a direct decision from Han Zhongteng. This meant that even Han Zhongteng had decided to withdraw his assistance. Liang Yeri felt as if her world was caving in on her.
Although she staged a tearful breakdown in the principal's office, it did not sway the principal's ultimate decision.
Her original plan to tolerate the shame for the duration of her education and earn her degree had been completely thrown into disarray.
All of her backup plans were useless at this point.
The work and the sacrifices she had made in order to get into university had burst like soap bubbles.
As Liang Yeri was feeling like she was at the end of her rope, a sign of hope had appeared for her: Han Wanling had returned.
Yun Lisa had heard about Liang Yeri's expulsion from Jingdu University, but the moment she heard that the school had reversed its decision in the final moments, she knew someone had reached out to speak for Liang Yeri.
If Han Zhongteng had made it clear that he would not intervene, the only one who could have offered any help to her would have to be Han Wanling.
There were two months left until the socialite ball. It was the right time for Han Wanling's return.
That night as Yun Lisa returned to her apartment after classes, she caught sight of Mu Jungkook sitting in the living room on the sofa. "Did Han Wanling return?" she asked as she removed her shoes.
Looking up from his computer screen, Mu Jungkook gave a slight nod. "Just returned today, and put Liang Yeri back into Jingdu University the moment she got here."
Mu Jungkook tided up his pile of documents and looked toward Yun Lisa. He stood up and poured a glass of honey water for her. "If that upsets you a lot, I can send someone to fix it."
"No need." Yun Lisa shrugged after she had taken a mouthful of water. "She's already reached a point of complete ruin in all aspects of her reputation and spirit due to me. I'm sure she hates me more than anything in the whole world. The more hatred she has, the more she will want revenge, and this hatred makes her a better tool for others. I know her well and, compared to a stranger, I would rather others use her against me because I have a higher chance of winning. She does not have any genuine support from anyone after all."
She had to keep herself guarded all the time in the face of unknown enemies. Yun Lisa did all kinds of research at a great cost of time and manpower to prepare herself to deal with them.
However, Liang Yeri was not worth any effort. She was akin to a hard-to-kill cockroach. As long as there was an opportunity to climb the social ladder, she would risk it all...even if it meant sacrificing herself as a tool on her ascent.
There was no bottom line for individuals like her. In Yun Lisa's eyes, as long as she understood Liang Yeri, she knew where her weak points were and how to handle her.
More significant, Liang Yeri had the hatred but not the wits, nor did she have a strong personality nor strong absolute support behind her.
If she were to fail, anyone would simply abandon her like a useless chess piece. They would never be by her side till the end.
Enemies like her were easy to handle, and Yun Ljsa did not worry that she might offend the power backing Liang Yeri in their battles.
Mu Jungkook nodded. He understood what she meant, and if she elected to stay out of the issue he would not ask anything further either.
As they asked each other about their days, Yun Lisa did not need to share much about Liang Yeri's expulsion as Mu Jungkook had already been notified by someone else.
However, what she wanted to bring up was someone who had hidden her involvement in the event well, almost as if she was invisible.
"I am pretty certain that Si Wenxuan interacted with Qiao Ximin privately. She had proposed the anti-narcotics campaign to the principal, and coincidentally Liang Yeri found a drug-abusing AIDS patient. I'm guessing Si Wenxuan is somehow involved in this too?"
"I knew about that." Mu Jungkook looked up, his pupils dark as he continued, "What do you plan to do with her?"
"You were aware?" Yun Lisa was surprised. "How did you know? I was only guessing, and all I knew was that she had approached Qiao Ximin, but I did not have any proof. How did you find out?"
"We attached a tracker from our lab onto Si Wenxuan. Of course, this tracker came with a listening device. If it had not been for what happened, we would not have listened to her private life normally. But once we heard what had happened, we investigated. She indeed approached Qiao Ximin and wanted to bring you down."
"Wow, that's terrifying! Could you have installed a listening device here too?" She was teasing him.
Yun Lisa did not feel like dealing with this now that she was aware that Si Wenxuan was involved. She knew this was not her business to handle and therefore she decided to change the topic.
"It's our private space, why do I need to install one? Would I need a spy device if I am talking to you directly?"
A listening device would interfere with his personal privacy. He saw no need to bring additional trouble to himself.
"Besides, what can a listening device do? Can you hug it to sleep? No thanks, I would rather be hugging you than some machine."
He knew she was trying to avoid the topic, but if Si Wenxuan was ever mentioned, he would only stand on the side of his love.
"I've already reported to the President about Si Wenxuan and asked him to discipline his daughter well. Looks like she won't be appearing near you for a while."
Yun Lisa smiled and showed no intention to continue with this topic.
"Han Wanling returned at a good time. She wants that project from the mayor, right? I heard it started its bid. If she was able to get this project from Han Sehun, her return might give her a standing in the executive board and even a long-term stay."
Do you think it's easy to just take whatever you want from Han Sehun's claws?"
"Then I'll make it easy for her!"
HMMM? "Don't you hate Han Wanling? Why are you helping her? Babe, you can't be so fickle!"
"But I hate Han Sehun more. If Han Wanling snatched the project, he would not back down. I say we let the Han siblings fight and apply some family-induced headaches on Han Hongbin, who will be caught in between. Who asked him to use that ledger as bait and even caused your injury. I've not gotten over this yet!"
From the moment the ledger from Han Hongbin landed in her hands, it became bait for Yun Lisa and Mu Jungkook to deliver themselves to unforeseen danger.
The times the two of them had narrowly escaped death's clutches could all be attributed to this ledger.
She had held on to a grudge about the ledger, and it was impossible for her to let it go with ease.
"Are you worried about me, babe?"
In the eyes of the man who had listened to her angry rambling words, he knew all of them were meant to express her worry for him.
She felt as if a school bully had hit on one of her children, and she needed to get back at the bully for the sake of justice. Her unashamed declaration of protection was right up Mu Jungkook's alley.
Yun Lisa pressed down on the hand that was ruffling through her hair fondly, her eyes fixed on him as she replied rashly, "Can't you let me be petty just this once?"
"Nope, can't you just admit you're worried about me?"
"Fine." Yun Lisa gave in too quickly, which made Mu Jungkook doubt the sincerity behind her words.
"Of course I do worry about you, and if anyone tries to plot against you they will only have misfortune coming their way."
Yun Lisa stood up from the sofa with a HMMPF! "Now that Han Wanling's back, I have to be sharper to avoid being tricked again."
"I'm still here. You don't need to live so carefully. I won't let the sky fall on you."
In their present status, they were fated to never enjoy the peace and tranquility of mundane everyday life. But he still hoped she could live slightly happier.
"By the way, I heard from the etiquette teachers I hired for you that your etiquette looks as if it had been trained professionally before. You did not need much teaching from them. Have you studied it before?"
His sudden question had thrown Yun Lisa off her rhythm, and she hesitated slightly before answering, "I learned it online all by myself. I didn't want to attend the socialite ball, but I am the eldest daughter of the Yun family and I knew I should learn etiquette to avoid embarrassing myself and you guys."
There were no flaws with her explanation. It was reasonable, and Mu Jungkook did not see any point in asking again, so he changed the subject to how she intended to help Han Wanling.
"About the collaboration with the Mu Corporation, I heard that Han Yaotian had paid Gu Baifan many visits, but each time Gu Baifan never failed to vaporize into thin air. If Han Wanling looked for him and he opened up, all we have to say to others is that she must have seduced him, no?"
"If you say he was seduced, I think Baifan will murder you!"
"Then we say nothing, and keep them guessing! A collaboration with the Mu Corporation is the equivalent of sealing the deal on the project. Han Wanling would become an unquestioned member of the executive board. Of course, this is conditional. She must have concrete plans or it won't happen. Even if I intervene, we can't let the Mu Corporation take a loss, right? I'm not dumb enough to get you into a bad business deal."
Moreover, she wouldn't intervene without an ulterior motive. Yun Lisa would never go easy on Han Wanling.
She was not foolish enough to help any of her enemies achieve their goals.
"But if this happens, Han Sehun will never accept it."
"Then let him beg you! He wanted the project in order to make a stand on the executive board and to let the veterans know that he is capable of what he promised, to bring them the best benefits. But Han Wanling will not stand down either."
"You really want to see him beg me, babe?"
Yun Lisa turned her head, the ends of her lips curling slightly into an ambiguous smile. "Actually, I wanted him to beg me!"
In her last life, she would have put all her effort into anything at Han Sehun's command. There was nothing she would not do for him.
She wanted him to have this same luxury in this life. She'd sworn that she would take all that he wants bit by bit from his hands. He did not need to beg her. The thought of him being left with nothing was good enough for Yun Lisa.
Mu Jungkook chuckled. He reached out and softly patted Yun Lisa's head and didn't say another word.
Yun Lisa had always had an unexplained hatred toward Han Sehun. Moreover, the hatred seemed to be rooted in some form of heartbreak despite the lack of any relationship between the two.
Seeing that it was something beyond his comprehension and beyond Yun LisaMs ability to address it with him, Mu Jungkook did not press on further.
"If you wanted him to beg you, I could have Baifan disappear for an extensive period of time. He will naturally come to find me then. When that happens, he would have to go through you."
"Forget that, I was just kidding."
Yun Lisa immediately wiped away all the emotions from her face and she waved her hands dismissively with a laugh. All the seriousness and vengefulness in her eyes had completely disappeared, and she smiled brightly.
...
Liang Yeri had returned to the university to continue her education, but she was much more conscious of her behavior and kept a low profile. Though the low profile did not hinder her from unleashing her hatred whenever she saw Yun Yeri, it kept her from any reckless actions.
However, it was Yun Lisa who felt slightly taken aback at the sight of Han Wanling, who she had not crossed paths with in more than a year.
As she stood outside the tennis court, Yun Lisa saw Han Wanling emerge from a sports car. She was dressed in a fiery-red, tight-fitting dress that hugged and accentuated her slender but voluptuous figure. The scooped neckline exposed her pale chest in the natural light.
It might only be a piece of fabric, but it was enough to seamlessly showcase her pride and joy: her elegant figure.
The many male students gathering in the nearby football field stopped for a moment to admire her. There were many beauties at Jingdu University, but there were few who could hold a candle to the enchanting appeal of Han Wanling.
But the sight of Yun Lisa somehow took an edge off the rashness and hatred Han Wanling had felt for her previously.
Instead, Han Wanling took the opportunity to observe her rival, the rival who had given Liang Yeri countless defeats.
Just like before, Han Wanling remained Yun Lisa's enemy.
In the beginning, she had never seen her as an equal opponent. Yun Lisa had been simply a girl with messy hair from the countryside, but now, in the span of a year, she had thoroughly transformed into a beautiful and competent individual worthy of being her rival.
It was her rule to never overlook the strengths of her enemies and to never ignore their weaknesses either.
Liang Yeri was not her only informant in the country. Crocodile had filled her in about the relationship between Yun Lisa and the Young Commander as well.
She still could not understand how someone like Yun Lisa had been able to catch the eye of the Young Commander.
Compared to her, Yun Lisa was nothing more than an infant, and she would never be able to compare with her present figure.
Yet despite all the countless men who had fallen under her charm, Mu Jungkook was the only exception.
"Yun Lisa's long time, no see!" Han Wanling reached out to stop her, raising her chin and sticking out her chest to block Yun Lisa's path.
Yun Lisa shot a look at those white, alluring breasts and released a light sneer. She had no interest in this type of milk cow who seemed completely out of all proportion.
Han Wanling's figure was not bad at all. However, her breasts were too big and her waist was too thin, causing her proportions to be off. It gave the illusion that if she walked, she might topple over from the weight of her breasts.
"Long time, no see, Miss Han."
Yun Lisa raised her eyebrows and took a step back. She raised her eyes to meet Han Wanling's provocative gaze, her pink face calm and fearless.
"I thought you would be surprised to see me."
"There's nothing to be surprised about. After all, you were bound to come back sooner or later. If you didn't come back now, the Han family would soon belong to Han Sehun. Even if you're the real Eldest Young Mistress, once he controls the entire Han family, you'll have nothing to do with it. Don't you agree?"
Yun Lisa narrowed her eyes and flashed an ambiguous smile. She hadn't said anything threatening, but it sounded like a threat.
Han Wanling frowned, and the smile on her face gradually faded. Her eyes, caked in makeup, instantly turned sharp.
"I don't need you to tell me that. He's just an illegitimate child. He has no right to inherit the Han family."
HMMM! "Then you better work hard, Miss Han. After all, Han Sehun has a lot of prestige in your father's eyes now that he's in the Han family. You've been exiled for so long, and you probably aren't current about a lot of things that have been going on. If you have the time to come and try to make trouble with me, why don't you go home and seize what belongs to you first? If you want to see who's better, you're welcome any time."
As long as Han Wanling still liked Mu Jungkook, she would treat her as her first target.
Therefore, this battle of life and death was about to begin.
It all depended on the process: who had the better methods and who was more ruthless.
"Yun Lisa, you don't have to be too proud. Just you wait and see." Han Wanling laughed coldly and arrogantly raised her chin as she returned to her car.
She still had a long way to go to accomplish what she had come back to do. She could not be as rash as she had been before.
She would seize everything that belonged to her...
Yun Lisa glanced at Liang Yeri, who was glaring at her from the sidelines. In the end, Liang Yeri did not say anything and obediently followed Han Wanling. With a light laugh, Yun Lisa turned around and walked toward the laboratory.
...
Because he had offended the Jiang family, Yun Yuanfeng realized that his path had not been smooth lately.
The few projects he had had on hand had slipped away from his hands, one after another. Some of them had even been directly handed over to the deputy director when the higher-ups distributed the projects. They did not go through him at all.
What did this mean? Had he been suppressed temporarily?
The Jiang family was a century-old noble family with deep roots in the political field. Compared to the Mu family's prestige in the military and the Huo family's dominance in the business world, the Jiang family had the most connections in the political field.
He had offended the Jiang family, and now it seemed that he had been stripped of his responsibilities as the director. He might even be removed from his position.
The thought of Liang Xiuqin's stupid actions made Yun Yuanfeng so angry that he wanted to beat her up.
This incompetent fool had not only failed to give him a son, but had also managed to drag him down.
Once this matter was over, he would definitely divorce that idiot Liang Xiuqin.
Only after the divorce would he be able to get rid of this woman who was of no use to him.
These last few days, he had been going to the sentry post at Tianyu Mountain to try and contact the Young Commander. It was a pity that he'd missed him every single time. He hadn't been able see him even once.
He was tired at work, because he could not sleep well at night from worry. He kept making mistakes because he was so stressed.
Although he was the director of the department and no one dared to say anything to him, there had been someone higher up than him who had made a mistake in front of the deputy mayor today, causing the entire department to be reprimanded.
Not only was he embarrassing himself, but he was also worried that if this continued, he would lose his official hat.