The man she had always longed for, the man who had always faced her with an expressionless face, now only revealed an intense, almost unreal tenderness and love when she thought of him.

She understands perfectly.

Because she had seen him like that too.

Because he had never looked at anyone like that before, including her.

Therefore, she could tell at a glance whether a man loved her or not, and whether he had softened or wavered in the slightest.

Even though she had given everything, even her life, to love this man over the past five years, it was all for nothing.

"Lacuna's origin has always been just one person, but that person is not me."

"Oh? Lack's muse?! Who's so lucky?!"

The man seemed to have heard a joke. He looked down, his gaze falling on the ring finger of his left hand. The camera also captured his focus, gradually zooming in on the man's hand with the ring.

Even through the screen, you can feel the tender caresses of that hand, which exudes a detached indifference even in its fingertips, now brimming with affection and deep tenderness.

The man's voice was tender:

“Muse…”

"But how can a muse describe her?"

"Rather than saying she is my muse, I would say she is the artist who designed me. She created Lacuna in my life, and she designed Lack."

"No artist can resist falling in love with their muse."

"But I fell in love with her before Lack."

"Meeting her was my good fortune."

"…………"

The man's solemn expression was magnified by the camera, and from a short distance away, Helian Xin seemed to hear the director's low exclamation.

"This is explosive! Quickly, move up there to divert attention!"

“…”

So... was this a hastily recorded production by the production team in an emergency?

So, Shi Youxi is now confessing his love for Mu Yiran in front of everyone, both subtly and openly?

…And what about her?

And who is she anyway?

How much she sacrificed over the years to climb to that height! She did all sorts of disgusting and inhumane things!

And in the end?!

It was easily ruined by Shi Youxi and Mu Yiran!

Are we just supposed to watch them show off their love?!

"Ha ha ha ha…"

After confirming that no one was around, Li Duan ran back and said to the woman who was laughing hysterically:

"Hurry up! The fans over there have realized you're not following us anymore!"

Seeing that she was acting somewhat frantically, Li Duan glanced at the large screen where the live interview was still taking place and said, "While some attention has been diverted to others, it will be too late if you don't leave now!"

"Over there! Over there! Is that Xinxin?!" From the other end of the corridor, a scream was followed by a rush of footsteps.

Li Duan went up to pull her, but the woman pushed him away!

"Why should I leave?" Helian Xin grinned maliciously. "Aren't they trying to divert attention?"

"Put the things I gave you up there!"

Li Duan realized what she was saying and was somewhat incredulous. "Why? Can't you just leave now? Why do this—"

"Slap!" His face was slapped.

Li Duan turned his head and looked at the woman in front of him who was threatening him with harsh words, as if she were a demon who had fallen into hell.

"I told you to let it go! Do you still want to find a donor for your daughter?!"

"..." Li Duan silently lowered his hands.

A few minutes later, in the underground parking lot.

Helian Xin avoided the crowd and went to the location Mai had indicated, while she was still watching the program's live stream.

When Helian Xin saw Mu Yiran appear on the screen, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

"Hello everyone, I'm Aorsa, the chief designer of Saorsa."

She stared intently at the smiling woman in the video. Mu Yiran's radiant appearance made her feel even more pathetic, like a rat crossing the street!

Her eyes reflected light, mirroring Mu Yiran's face, revealing deep resentment and madness.

“I know that people online still have a very limited understanding of Saorsa, and some of it is even tainted by her past. This is the first time I’m addressing these questions directly.”

Helian Xin gripped the Bluetooth earpiece, her voice shrill: "Li Duan..."

"Actually, I shouldn't respond to such baseless rumors, but Saorsa is very precious to me, so I hope to use this time and everyone's efforts to give the domestic fashion circle and the audience the most sincere self-introduction."

—“Saorsa means a unique and priceless treasure, so if Saorsa were ever associated with copying, then Saorsa would cease to exist.”

—"So I filmed a vlog, a short video from the preparation period until the completion of the work, hoping that after watching it, everyone can get to know Saorsa again."

There were still many doubts and insults in the comments, but a lot of encouragement and support came in return.

Just as Mu Yiran struck the pose, Helian Xin roared ferociously!

"Now! Put it up!"

Isn't Mu Yiran trying to attract attention?

Okay! She'll give it to me!

Isn't she supposed to be upright and have nothing to hide? Then she'll make Mu Yiran fall into an abyss! Either dead or crippled!

Just like everything she's going through right now!

As she finished speaking, the live stream went black, and the scene that all the viewers had been waiting for slowly appeared.

Helian Xin stared intently.

Just when she thought she was about to see Mu Yiran disheveled and ravaged as she was pinned to the ground!

The camera panned, and she saw—

My own face.

“…”

Helian Xin's pupils shrank to needle-like size with excitement as she stared blankly at herself on the screen.

In the video, she is sitting on a sofa with a group of men and women, while a row of half-naked teenagers and children are kneeling in front of her.

"…………"

It's over.

The sounds came from inside, the traffic was so heavy that it kept lag. Helian Xin's hand went limp and she knelt down, her eyes wide as she tried to grab her phone that had fallen out of her hand.

"No...no...Li Duan! Li Duan! Take the video back! It's not this! It's not this, ahhh!"

"Who is that?" a voice asked from behind.

“…”

Helian Xin froze, then turned her head in a distorted manner. Behind her, Mu Yiran stood on the steps, looking down at Helian Xin kneeling under the lamplight, not in the darkness.

She held a few photos between her fingers; those were the photos Helian Xin had originally planned to smear across the entire internet.

The indecent photos of Mu Yiran being humiliated at the birthday party that night.

"You mean this, right?"

“…”

Mu Yiran put her hands in the pockets of her coat, which was very large and completely covered her. She walked down the steps one by one, lifted the hem of her skirt, and squatted down in front of Helian Xin.

He said expressionlessly:

"Helian Xin, I gave you a chance."

Helian Xin stared at her blankly, "...Opportunity?"

The Bluetooth headset emitted a call disconnection tone. Helian Xin ripped off the headset, paused for a second, and then slammed it hard onto Mu Yiran.

"Mu Yiran...you plotted against me?!"

"Scheme?" Mu Yiran sneered. "What did I scheme against you for? Was it that I schemed against you for stealing my designs, or that I schemed against you for spreading rumors before the show?"

She walked up to Helian Xin, and the two looked at each other. "Or did you scheme to use Qi Qiulin to lure that idiot Wen Qingyu into selling me to Li Zhenrong?"

"Um?"

Helian Xin was forced into retreat. "You! How did you know?!"

She suddenly remembered those videos from earlier—the kind of people who could sneak into HG and film things…

"Did Shi Youxi tell you that?!"

The double metaphor was only understood by the two of them.

Mu Yiran readily admitted, "Yes, so what?"

“He gave it to me when we met again.”

“............”

"Haha!" Helian Xin laughed sharply. "You've really endured a lot of humiliation to avenge what happened five years ago! Huh?!"

She looked her up and down. "Should I call you Mu Yiran or Mu Yiran? Damn! You actually made me a fool of myself!"

"When did you and Shi Youxi get together?! Hmm? You've been holding back for a long time, haven't you?!"

"Li Duan is one of yours too?! That little assistant who betrayed you was also an actor!" She lunged at Mu Yiran and ripped at her clothes. "If I had known, I should have had Sedge kill you five years ago!"

Mu Yiran slapped her hand away. "At this point, you still want to use someone else's hand to lessen your guilt?"

"You weren't the one who conspired with Sagin?"

"Wasn't it you who actively sought out people to buy my dirt and stalk me?"

"You bribed the people around me to frame me in order to climb up the ladder for your own sake. Wasn't it you who betrayed me?!"

Mu Yiran pressed forward step by step, while Helian Xin retreated step by step.

Did I force you to do this? Or did I lure you into harming myself?

"If I really wanted revenge, you would have already hit rock bottom the moment Shi Youxi gave me the photo, the moment we first met!"

"..."

Shi Youxi handed over all the black marks about Helian Xin that he had compiled five years ago to her to handle.

An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth is not difficult, but that alone is not enough.

So Mu Yiran wove a net and entered into it herself.

"Having used others to do your dirty work for so long, have you forgotten how much blood is on your hands? What, for your so-called dreams, you think you can scheme against me and use me as a stepping stone? You won't even let me fight back and defend myself?!"

"You think your dreams are noble?! You think you were born superior?!"

Helian Xin was rendered speechless by her.

Mu Yiran seemed a little tired as she spoke.

"How does it feel to have a boomerang dart hit you? How does it feel to be betrayed by someone close to you? Why do you think I can tolerate that?"

"Because seeing you in so much pain makes me really, really happy!"

Even she, once again, experienced the humiliation and betrayal of having her sincerity exchanged for a knife.

Looking at Helian Xin, who was in pain and constantly trying to justify herself, Mu Yiran couldn't understand why people like Helian Xin, Wen Qingyu, and Ji Yunli could always shamelessly take advantage of others' good deeds to do evil.

"I didn't mean to Aorsa! It was Wen Qingyu and Helian Xin who forced me to!"

Ji Yunli tugged at her sleeve and kept explaining.

She's scared! She's terrified!

“They said if I didn’t do it, they would frame me! They said you wouldn’t believe me! They said someone as insignificant as me could be abandoned by you at any time! I really didn’t mean it, Aorsa!”

"Just because you're afraid?" Mu Yiran sneered.

“Ke Yunli, can you honestly say that when you sent them the sketches, you weren’t happy for a single moment because you wanted to take this opportunity to showcase your work?”

"When you said you'd use your design in the competition, can you honestly say you weren't glad you leaked the sketches?"

Mu Yiran's disappointment turned to indifference. "Someone as selfish as you thinks that by pretending to be pitiful to me, I should understand you and forgive you?"

Ji Yunli turned pale at her blunt words. Her fig leaf had been torn away, and the stench that emanated from beneath her carefully constructed facade was unbearable!

"So what if I am! I want to get ahead, I want to climb the ladder, so what!" Ji Yunli roared.

"I've worked so hard on this path for so many years, don't I even deserve this little reward?!"

"Why should I? Just because you come from a better family than me! And because you have a boyfriend who'll stand up for you! How are you any more noble than me? Aren't you relying on others too!"

"Me too... I just want to use your help to take another step forward!"

Ji Yunli then put on a pleading expression, "They promised me that if I could do it, they would make me the next Aorsa. They seduced me! They said it was just a sketch! Even if it got leaked, nothing would happen!"

"Aorsa, you're so awesome, you prepared a backup plan long ago, so whether the sketch was stolen or not doesn't matter at all, right? It doesn't affect you at all! But I have nothing!"

Ji Yunli was extremely aggrieved, tears streaming down her face: "Didn't you say you would help me, that you would give me resources! You were the one who promised to help me first! I was just trying my best to do so!"

"I just...wanted to achieve my dream! Just because I have nothing, just because I come from a humble background, am I destined to live a lowly life, always at your beck and call? You're the one who pushed me down this dark path, what did I do wrong—"

“You are wrong.” Mu Yiran interrupted her, looking directly into her eyes. This was the first time Ji Yunli had seen mockery and disdain in Mu Yiran’s eyes.

"You want to climb the social ladder and latch onto a powerful figure, but you can't even tell which leg is the strongest. You pick up a rotten dog bone and think it's a feast. You're ridiculously stupid!"

Mu Yiran never felt that someone like her had any right to boss others around.

But now—

“But now I’m telling you.” Mu Yiran threw the pearl necklace she had prepared to give her on the ground, scattering the pink and gold beads all over the floor.

"Ji Yunli, you deserve to be so despicable now."

“…”

"——"

"So, you've come all this way to show off? Want me to wish you success in both your career and love life? Pshaw!"

Helian Xin screamed wildly, completely losing his composure.

Looking at the woman who was screaming and ferocious even more than Ji Yunli, Mu Yiran threw a stack of forms and photos in front of her—

"Smack!"

"This is the lawyer's letter, and the remaining photos."

Helian Xin looked at the photos scattered on the ground. In each one, her face and the children were clearly visible, and there were even some public figures from H country.

If the blurry few seconds of video from the live stream could be excused, then any one of these leaked images could double her sentence. She can't escape it; HG will definitely use her as a stepping stone!

"What do you want to do!"

“Qi Qiulin must have collaborated with HG quite a bit over the years, right? I want all the documents she’s traded, whether they’re financial statements or transaction records.” Mu Yiran nodded with her chin. “I’ll exchange them for all of them.”

"Then you turn yourself in for stealing Saorsa's confidential documents, and I may consider submitting a letter of leniency to the judge."

After all, ruining Helian Xin's reputation is more painful than putting her in jail.

“.......

"When you resort to despicable and shameless means, you should be prepared to be punished. This is the last chance I'm giving you."

Mu Yiran glanced at the time; ten minutes had passed since the video was posted. The parking lot entrance, not far away, was already bustling with noise, and Wenxin's building was about to be completely surrounded by people.

"I'll be waiting for your message by this time tomorrow." She prepared to walk towards her parking space.

The phone rang; it was the puppy calling.

Mu Yiran answered the phone, "Hello, I'll drive out myself... No! You can't call me!"

Shi Youxi was unwilling.

He was wearing a mask and was going down the elevator in the VIP parking lot. The elevator had a transparent wall, and he could see the person sitting to his side at a glance.

The way the coat completely enveloped her made Shi Youxi feel a burning, itchy sensation in her heart.

The embrace there must be very soft and warm.

Hiss, I want to crawl inside…

"If you don't believe me, I'm coming to find you! If you dare abandon me, I'll hitch a ride with one of the reporters outside!"

He tapped the button twice, eager to land and run out. At the same time, he heard Helian Xin's voice coming from the other end of the phone—

Mu Yiran brushed past him, and Helian Xin chuckled softly.

"Hehehe... Wow! You turned yourself in?! You really went easy on me, I'm so touched!"

She looked up at Mu Yiran's straight back, and could hear the tenderness in her voice towards Shi Youxi.

Helian Xin thought darkly, why can she always be so high and mighty? Why is it that when they both try to get what they want, she is ruthless and unscrupulous, while Mu Yiran is aloof and innocent?!

Why should they get what they want? Why should she and Shi Youxi be able to be together happily?

Why should I?!

Helian Xin swayed slightly, picked up her phone, and said quietly, "As a thank you... shall I tell you about another one of my accomplices? Okay?"

Mu Yiran turned around and looked at Helian Xin:

"What else do you want to say?"

"You say that villains like me, who will stop at nothing to achieve their goals, should be punished? Then shouldn't you be taking revenge on me, Mu Yiran..."

At that moment, Mu Yiran heard Shi Youxi's panicked cries:

"Wait! Sister, come here first, ignore her—"

Helian Xin raised her eyelids, looked at the man rushing towards her in a panic a hundred meters away, and laughed wildly:

"Speaking of which, I should thank him. If it weren't for him, how would I have had the chance to drug you that day!"

"?"

Seeing her shifty and gloomy gaze, Mu Yiran assumed she was just rambling incoherently and didn't want to pay her any attention. She saw the man running towards her ahead, her eyebrows arched, and she was about to quicken her pace when, behind her, two voices suddenly echoed throughout the empty parking lot—

"Shi Youxi, you keep saying you're different from me, that you love her... Ha, your love is just condoning me drugging her and then taking advantage of the situation to possess her?"

"Shi Youxi, aren't you just as despicable and ruthless in your love as I am?!"

“…”

The rapid sound of high heels stopped abruptly, as if Mu Yiran had been struck by lightning.

She stood there, stunned, her eyes meeting those of the man who was drawing ever closer, and at the same time, she heard Shi Youxi's voice reply from behind:

"So what if it is?"

"..."