Chapter 85 The man behind Kiyoe is a talkative cat, Tom. ...

[To Zhu Qingzhi, the "Perfect Victim": Do you think you're clean?]

Hello everyone, I am Liu Xiaoning.

Now that things have come to this, I know many people are waiting to see me fail, and some have even labeled me "malicious." But it doesn't matter. In this world where only the winner takes all and only results matter, I don't bother explaining myself.

But some things are hard to say, like a fishbone stuck in my throat.

From birth, I received the most elite and rigorous education. What my family gave me was far more than wealth; it was a vision and perspective that is difficult for ordinary people to attain.

From my school days, my gaze has only ever followed one person. He was outstanding, composed, and radiant, an object of admiration for everyone.

I became even more demanding of myself, striving to learn everything I could to be worthy of him, so that one day I could rightfully stand by his side.

We share similar family backgrounds and are both on well-planned, parallel paths to elite status. Our union is a natural progression, an inevitable choice for the optimal allocation of resources.

He and I were clearly from the same world, until you came along. @祝清枝

Please forgive my bluntness, but I still can't understand how someone who needs to rely on the camera and a persona to survive can comprehend the heavy burden and ambition on their shoulders? How can one provide truly substantial support when they need it?

Yes, I was resentful, and I did some things. Does the person whose beloved possessions are taken away not even have the right to be angry? Does my decade-long youth, the effort to which I placed all my hopes, deserve to be trampled into nothing?

You stole the position that should have been mine, ruined my hopes and efforts of more than a decade, and yet you still put on that innocent look of a perfect victim, letting everyone blame me?

Are you truly without any guilt in your heart?

The "energetic little sun" going to work, the helplessness of being "innocently implicated," and those so-called "friends" taking sides for you... one thing after another, making you completely absolve yourself.

And I will become the stepping stone to make your perfect life stand out.

But I still believe that one day he will understand who is the right person for him, who has been watching him, looking up to him, and trying his best to stand shoulder to shoulder with him since he was young!

As for Mr. Zhang, it was just an unexpected event in my life, a piece I casually played when my main repertoire was temporarily unavailable. I never imagined that he would take this impromptu performance as his theme song.

I have long since let go of him, and I have never regarded him as my final destination.

*

Although the article was restricted due to its mention of sensitive words, screenshots of it have already gone viral.

Public opinion was instantly ignited.

[Holy crap?! This is incredible information! Liu Xiaoning and Zhu Qingzhi are rivals in love?! Zhu Qingzhi really has a sugar daddy?!]

"Someone who makes a living off the camera?" What era are we living in? Why are you still so condescending? What you're doing is truly despicable!

[I understand. Liu Xiaoning thought she was the "designated Crown Princess," but the "femme fatale" snatched her away, so she went crazy.]

[Cute, wronged soul @ZhangSiyuev, come look! This is your white moonlight.]

【What?! Is this woman crazy? The official statement has been released, and she's still sticking to the victim-blaming argument?】

[However, if Liu and that person are truly childhood sweethearts, the kind of couple their families have been hoping for, then Zhu Qingzhi... tsk tsk.]

[A classic love triangle with two women vying for one man, so who exactly is the male lead?! Someone needs to dig this out!]

"How shameless of her! She portrays herself as some kind of innocent lotus flower!" In the dressing room, Xiao Zhou was so angry that her hands were trembling. Worried that Zhu Qingzhi would be unhappy, she quickly comforted her, "Sister, don't pay attention to her. Sister Dani is already handling it."

Zhu Qingzhi's face remained expressionless. She and Wen Qi had long anticipated that Liu Xiaoning wouldn't let the matter rest, and they were prepared for her to reveal the truth.

However, this short essay was poorly written. The focus of the attempt to elicit sympathy should have been on the "more than ten years of unrequited love."

She raised her hand and gently tidied up the stubborn tuft of hair that always stuck up on Xiaozhou's head, giving her a reassuring wink: "Don't worry, I'm fine!"

Xiao Zhou: "......"

Okay, she was just overthinking it.

"Why hasn't the crew given us lunch yet?" Zhu Qingzhi pressed her empty stomach, only then noticing the message Wen Qi had sent fifteen minutes earlier: [Want lunch?]

Zhu Qingzhi clicked her tongue: "Why are you still thinking about food?"

Wen Qi: [Even if the sky falls, we still need to eat. Park the car under the locust tree behind the cosmetics building.]

"It's on the third floor, I'll go get it." Xiao Zhou looked at the messages in the crew's group chat and started to walk out.

Zhu Qingzhi casually hooked her arm around her shoulder and walked out with her, smiling brightly: "You don't need to lead me~"

Fine snowflakes, like silver dust, piled up layer upon layer in the air. A black sedan was parked under a tree, its roof also covered in a layer of ice cream-like white.

Zhu Qingzhi rushed over, taking three steps at a time. She opened the passenger door but didn't see Wen Qi.

She was a little puzzled when she heard familiar footsteps behind her. Turning around, she saw Wen Qi standing behind her, holding a thermos in his hand, smiling at her.

Zhu Qingzhi put her hands on her hips, but before she could even ask a question, Wen Qi had already raised his hand and pressed down on the top of her head, pulling her towards the back seat without saying a word.

"Let's go, Tom."

"Tom?" Zhu Qingzhi was belatedly pushed into the back seat, looking blankly as Wen Qi followed her in and closed the car door.

She asked again, "Jerry?"

Wen Qi didn't explain, but skillfully put down the hidden table on the central armrest and took out the food from the insulated box one by one. They were all her favorite light flavors and were still steaming.

Then, he reached out and ruffled her hair, his tone filled with indulgent laughter: "You can talk."

Zhu Qingzhi paused for two seconds, then finally realized! Wen Qi was talking about Talking Tom, how does she resemble him?!

“You’re Tom!” she immediately retorted, reaching out to pinch his cheek as punishment.

Wen Qi easily caught her restless wrist, his smile deepening: "Yes, you're my dream cat." Then he took out a disinfectant wipe and carefully cleaned each of her fingers. "Let's eat first."

Zhu Qingzhi held her chopsticks, mashed a piece of yam cake and stuffed it into her mouth, saying indistinctly, "Hmph, I'm not like that~ Didn't President Wen see the news? Someone said I stole her position."

She deliberately dragged out the last syllable, while secretly observing his reaction with her eyes.

Snowflakes drifted silently down outside the car window, condensing into fine water droplets on the glass.

Wen Qi didn't even raise an eyebrow. He calmly pushed the deboned fish meat in front of her and said in a calm tone, "The Liu family abandoned her, so this morning, Liu Xiaoning went up to the rooftop of an abandoned suburb."

He spoke of it casually, but behind it all must have been a fierce struggle. The fact that the Liu family gave up so completely suggests that Wen Qi must have exerted considerable pressure.

Zhu Qingzhi blinked, momentarily forgetting to swallow the yam cake.

Wen Qi knew that Zhu Qingzhi was soft-hearted, so he gently held her hand and said, "It's okay. She was pulled down half an hour ago and is now at the police station."

Zhu Qingzhi slowly put down her chopsticks, her feelings complicated. Although she disliked Liu Xiaoning's actions, hearing this news still made her heart tighten.

“You didn’t pursue her repeated provocations before. But this time is different, especially with the extent to which this short essay has spread online, it has already constituted serious defamation.”

Wen Qi's voice was calm and firm, "I share the same thought as your brother: to pursue her criminal liability to prevent future troubles."

Zhu Qingzhi looked up at him, the snow outside the car window reflecting in his deep eyes, where there was no wavering.

Seeing that she was still in a daze, Wen Qi gently lifted her chin, making her look directly into his eyes: "From the moment she decided to hurt you, she should have thought that this day would come. People always have to pay the price for their choices."

Zhu Qingzhi nodded gently.

She's not a saint; she won't sympathize with someone who's trying to destroy her at every turn.

"I understand." She grasped his fingers in return, finally revealing her first genuine smile of the day. "But could you let go first? I can't use chopsticks with my left hand."

Wen Qi chuckled softly, readily letting go of her hand, but then deliberately teased her, "Do you need me to feed you?"

"Dream on!" Zhu Qingzhi glared at him, picked up her chopsticks again, and this time she really had a big appetite.

After a hurried lunch, Zhu Qingzhi returned to the film set. Meanwhile, due to the Wen family's unilateral termination of all cooperation with the Liu family, the group's affairs suddenly became very busy, and most of the middle and senior managers were urgently recalled. Wen Qi also needed to rush back to Beijing immediately to handle the follow-up matters.

Speculation about the male protagonist in that short essay intensified online, with various theories swirling around. Almost every eligible young man in Beijing was listed as a "suspect."

Lu Yao, Wen Qi, Gu Huaichuan, Ji Ran, Zhou Shicheng, Xu Mingyuan... Behind each name lies a distinguished family background.

Netizens are enthusiastically analyzing who best fits the description of "excellent, composed, and radiant" in the short essay, and who is most likely to have an interaction with Zhu Qingzhi.

A bystander offered a valuable suggestion:

[Zhu Qingzhi was originally based in Haicheng, but moved to Beijing at the end of last year after signing a contract with Chaoxing. Just check the recent activity patterns of these individuals over the past few months to see whose activities overlap with hers, and the answer will be obvious.]

The suggestion was met with an immediate and enthusiastic response, with netizens turning into detectives, searching for clues in various leaks and public appearances.

Just as netizens' "detective work" was in full swing, the official Weibo account of the Lu Group suddenly released a statement:

In light of the recent negative impact of online public opinion on the Group's image, the Lu Group has decided to terminate all business dealings with the Liu Group, effective immediately.

This brief yet weighty statement instantly dropped a bombshell in the already boiling public opinion arena.

Just as onlookers rushed to the scene and were about to pinpoint the male lead's target, the Gu Group's official Weibo account updated its list of partners, and the Liu Group was conspicuously removed from the "strategic partner" list.

Immediately afterwards, Ji's investment company issued an announcement, declaring its withdrawal of investment from three projects controlled by Liu's Holdings.

As if toppling the first domino, major companies in Beijing began distancing themselves from the Liu family. What started as a mere online spectacle suddenly escalated into a collective business war.

Wait a minute! I don't quite understand this plot.

Why do I feel like these people are taking sides?

[It's chilling to think about; just how much power does the man behind Zhu Qingzhi really wield?]

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Author's note: Kiyoshi [helplessly]: Give me some time.

Wen Qi [shrugs]: I'm OK.

Ah Mei [helplessly]: I can't wait! Get in the car!