The cold sweat on her face ruined her makeup and wet her hair, making Meng Lan look extremely embarrassed.
But she no longer cared about her appearance because she was horrified by the fact that Zhuang Li was also an SSS-level target.
If the system had been able to correct the fault in the detection program sooner, she would never have treated Zhuang Li like that. She would have been more careful and cautious. If Zhuang Li's grade had been an A instead of an F or a question mark, she would have known that this man had a complicated background.
But she relied too heavily on the system's judgments, and had long since grown accustomed to categorizing everyone into different levels. Those below C rank were nothing but dirt to her, B rank was a resource to be exploited, and A rank and above were friends or targets that needed careful conquest...
Unconsciously, she objectified everyone, and the thing called "sincerity" had long been discarded by her in the turbulence of time and space.
Without sincerity, what could she use to exchange for the sincerity of others? Ordinary people might be easy to fool, but SSS-level targets were not so easy to deal with.
Meng Lan thought of Xi Ming's stubborn temper and his unyielding mouth, and Zhuang Li's sharp eyes that could see through everything, and her heart felt cold.
She couldn't handle Xi Ming or Zhuang Li alone, let alone both of them. And they were married, seemingly in a very good relationship! How could she possibly succeed? Impossible! She'd die!
The more Meng Lan thought about it, the more frightened she became, and her face turned pale.
In a trance, she recalled what she had done to Zhuang Li. She was so complacent at that time, and now she felt so embarrassed.
No wonder the audience kept calling her stupid, she also felt that she was particularly stupid!
Meng Lan collapsed on the sofa in a completely ungraceful manner.
The audience watching their live broadcast immediately noticed her strangeness and said with gloating pleasure: "Did you see Meng Lan's expression? I bet she's regretting it now. If she were given a chance to start over, she would definitely be on her knees and lick Zhuang Li's ass."
[No need to start over. I bet she'll be kneeling down to lick Zhuang Li's ass soon.]
[Yes, Meng Lan is not here for a blind date, she is here to hunt, and she will flirt with anyone who has money. In front of her is Chang Jinbo, behind her is Xi Ming, and now there has to be Zhuang Li.]
[In fact, the one who values material conditions the most and is the most money-worshipping and vain is Meng Lan! ]
How dare Meng Lan call Zhuang Li hypocritical? I'm embarrassed for her!
Please don't bring Mr. Zhuang along when you're attacking Meng Lan, okay? Mr. Zhuang has long said that he doesn't value material things, but rather spiritual pursuits. After all, not many people are richer than him.
[That’s true, at least not in Asia, hahahahaha! ]
The computer on the table was playing the audience's comments in real time, but the distraught Meng Lan could no longer be seen.
Wan Annie, who used to dislike her, began to sympathize with her. She pushed her shoulder and reminded her, "Meng Lan, your makeup is smudged. Go downstairs and touch it up."
Meng Lan then realized that she was still broadcasting live, and quickly ran away with her face covered.
The director urged her to come back quickly, then walked into the live broadcast area and began the interview: "Zhuang Li is Mr. Zhuang, are you surprised?"
Lin Caixiu swallowed and said, "Surprised!"
In fact, her jaw dropped.
Thinking about it now, she still feels regretful. If she had known that Zhuang Li was Mr. Zhuang, she should have quickly forwarded Zhuang Li’s clarifying Weibo post, saying that there was no debt between him and Han Kun, and added, “I believe it!”
Wan Annie, Xu Jingjing, Zhou Banxia, and even Yi Jiangnan who arrived last all became good friends with Zhuang Li, but she was listed as an untrustworthy person by the other party, and the relationship between them has always been lukewarm.
How big a loss is this? You have to remember that Mr. Zhuang is the god of investment! How much benefit can I get if I establish a good relationship with him? And how high can I climb with this connection?
Lin Caixiu didn't dare to think about how big an opportunity she had missed, because she would feel heartache when she thought about it!
Meanwhile, her boss was sending her WeChat messages one after another, scolding her for being brainless, having no vision, and not knowing people. Mr. Zhuang had such an extraordinary demeanor, it was obvious at a glance that he was no ordinary person. How could she miss such a good opportunity to make friends with him?
However, Lin Caixiu knew that she was not brainless, but too brainy. She didn't want to offend anyone and wanted to do everything perfectly. When she was busy with everything, she lost her most basic sincerity and enthusiasm.
What was Mr. Zhuang looking for when he participated in this program? He gave the answer at the beginning: he was looking for a simple and pure love, looking for someone who would believe in him without reservation no matter what the circumstances.
Xi Ming, Wan Annie, Yi Jiangnan, Zhou Banxia, and Xu Jingjing all did it, so Zhuang Li always smiled very sincerely when facing them.
But when he looked at her and Ou Lu, his smile was faint, cold, and contemptuous. As a professional, Lin Caixiu would not fail to notice even this difference.
But at that time, she thought Zhuang Li was nobody, so she didn't care about his attitude at all. But now, thinking about it, she truly understood a very simple truth: everyone in the world should be respected, and nobody is also a person.
Lin Caixiu looked at Ou Lu, and her feeling of regret eased a little, because Ou Lu was the one who suffered the greatest loss.
Zhuang Li and the others were in different fields, with no significant conflicts of interest. But Ou Lu was different. He was also in finance, and if he could have climbed up the ladder of Zhuang Li's support, his career would have seen a qualitative leap. But he also missed such a great opportunity.
Ou Lu completely ignored Lin Caixiu's sympathetic gaze. He was sweating profusely as he replied to a WeChat message from his immediate superior. His attitude toward Zhuang Li was visibly cold and distant, visible to the entire nation.
Now his boss asked him to please Zhuang Li, but he didn't know how to start.
However, during the occupation guessing segment, he clearly had already discovered Zhuang Li's identity. He was the one closest to the truth, but he was ultimately clouded by online opinion and failed to make the right choice.
The key to the vault was clearly in his hand, but he flung it far away. Is it really that hard to just retweet a Weibo post that says "I believe"?
Speaking of regrets, Ou Lu was indeed the one who regretted it the most. His colleagues sent text messages one after another, envious of him for being able to record a program with Zhuang Li, but there were also some who mocked him for being short-sighted and lacking foresight.
His ex-girlfriend sarcastically said, "After all these years, your taste is still so poor. You still prefer green tea. Isn't Dong Ding Oolong like this, Mr. Zhuang, better than green tea?"
Ou Lu: “…”
The director continued to ask: "Besides being surprised, do you have any other thoughts?"
Ou Lu: "..." Don't ask, if you ask I will regret it! Ten thousand regrets!
Xu Jingjing replied, "Besides being surprised, I was also very happy. I knew Zhuang Li wasn't some emotional liar."
Wan Annie echoed, "Yes, emotional scammers don't have such clear eyes. And I've been hurt by rumors myself. I won't easily judge a person based on public opinion. I trust my own feelings more."
Seeing this, the audience sighed: "I finally understand why Mr. Zhuang is particularly fond of Wan Annie and Xu Jingjing. These two people have pure hearts."
The director asked, "Will you change your attitude towards Zhuang Li?"
Wan Annie and Xu Jingjing shook their heads in unison: "No, no matter what his background is, we are still friends."
Lin Caixiu and Ou Lu: "..." Is it too late to be a dog licker now? Will the audience laugh at me?
The director looked at Wan Annie and said with concern: "Don't worry about those rumors on the Internet. We have been together for so long, and everyone knows who you are."
Wan Annie confessed, "I'm just someone who wants to use your show to advertise my clothing brand."
Chief Director: “…”
Wan Anni looked at the camera and said seriously, "Please remember the brand 'Annie Qiyuan'. It's the brand Mr. Zhuang and Xi Ming have worn! They wore suits I designed when they went out tonight. When they come back later, I'll see if I can get their permission to take some photos and post them on Weibo. They look really handsome in my clothes!"
Chief Director: “…”
audience:"……"
After a second of pause, the screen was filled with "Hahahahaha" comments, and the audience sincerely said: [What kind of straightforward girl is this? Love it! Annie's Romance, right? Remember it, remember it!]
Wan Annie looked at the barrage, quickly clasped her hands together and said thank you with a smile.
Xu Jingjing raised her hand: "Sister Nini, this ad is beautiful!"
The two high-fived.
The audience burst into laughter again. This funny pair is really funny.
Chief Director: "..." Can you please not pretend I don't exist? You can't advertise on the show without paying the sponsorship fee!
However, rules are dead, but people are alive. The director smiled and let Wan Annie finish her speech, then encouraged her: "After participating in this program, I hope you can become better and stronger."
Wan Annie nodded and said carefully, "Thank you for your concern. It's really a blessing for me to be able to participate in this program. I have met very good friends, found someone I like, and met seniors who gave me strength and courage."
She stared straight into the camera and said firmly, "From today on, I will no longer live in a nightmare. I will walk into the sunshine. So, to those who have hurt me, please remember, I will not be weak again. I will take up the weapon of law to protect myself."
The director said sincerely, "Your choice is correct. The saying 'the innocent will be cleared' is just empty consolation. Amidst the clamor of public opinion, no one will believe a person who remains silent. With Mr. Zhuang's help, you will prevail."
Wan Anni's eyes were red as she bowed deeply. "Thank you for choosing me and giving me a chance to change. Thank you to all the viewers who supported me and believed in me; thank you to my friends who protected me by their side; and thank you even more to Mr. Zhuang who selflessly extended a helping hand to me. I am very happy now."
She shed two lines of tears, but also smiled the most brilliant smile she had ever had in her life.
The audience was stunned by her transformation and sent comments one after another: [Nini, we support you! ]
[Nini, you are so beautiful now! ]
[Nini, everything will be fine. You have to keep working hard! I'll go to your store to buy clothes!]
Meanwhile, those high school classmates who had spread rumors and slandered Wan Annie were frightened and fled in all directions. They were busy deleting their Weibo posts, comments, WeChat, Moments, and any web pages that might have left any evidence.
As they grew up, they understood all too well what real society was like. It was a steel jungle, and ordinary people like them were like ants wandering through it. In the face of powerful capital, they were nothing.
Not to mention suing a few high school classmates, even if they sue hundreds of online trolls at the same time, Zhuang Li's legal team can handle it. The tens of millions of dollars in legal fees a year are not wasted.
Wan Annie is so lucky! She became friends with Asia's richest man while filming a show!
These high school classmates were more jealous than before, but they no longer dared to say bad things about Wan Annie. Instead, some of them secretly sent private messages begging for mercy.
But it's too late. People always have to pay the price for the mistakes they have made.
---
At the same time, Chang Jinbo was looking at the menu with impatience.
Chang Fan scolded, "What's that expression on your face? Do you know who I brought you here to see today?"
"Who are you meeting?" Chang Jinbo curled his lips indifferently.
"Meet Mr. Zhuang. Don't you want to join the MAX Club? Can you enter without his approval?"
Chang Jinbo immediately sat up straight with a serious expression.
Just at this moment, Lawyer Ou entered the restaurant, accompanied by two men of extraordinary temperament.
"Come on, let me introduce you. This is my boss, Mr. Zhuang." Lawyer Ou said with a smile.
Chang Jinbo stood up suddenly and shouted in disbelief, "Zhuang Li?"
Xi Ming, standing next to Zhuang Li, also showed a look of astonishment. Clearly, he hadn't known about this news before coming here, and he was still puzzled when he saw Lawyer Ou.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
