The banquet hall was modeled after a European palace. European-style carvings, delicate tulle and lace, and an Athenian-style ceiling design all exuded an air of ostentatious luxury.
Beneath the magnificent crystal chandelier stood people dressed in diverse attire and with varied postures. Chinese robes and mandarin jackets, melon-shaped hats, Japanese kimonos, and Western clothing created a seemingly harmonious blend of East and West, old and new. Yet, in reality, it mirrored the decadent and extravagant Shanghai of the past—all the beauty was merely an illusion. Beneath, danger lurked, and devastation was everywhere.
Xu Keke doesn't like Tang Wan. Her words, seemingly an apology, actually confirm that her relationship with Ji Mingkai is inappropriate. Everyone present could tell.
But her dislike for Tang Wan wasn't solely due to the original owner's resentment, nor was it simply because of Tang Wan's petty tricks and schemes.
Regardless of whether the history of this world is real or fabricated, she has lived through several eras and has long developed feelings for this country. Therefore, Xu Keke dislikes anyone who betrays their motherland. She can accept cowardice, weakness, and fear, but she cannot accept betrayal. One can live a life of compromise, but there are always certain bottom lines.
Xu Keke's face turned cold as she stared at Tang Wan. "I dragged my family here today. The publicity for this movie claims that the character who seduces a married man is based on me. I came here specifically to ask who gave you permission to spout such nonsense. Also, where are the people from the Morning Post? You've colluded with the film company to ruin my reputation. How are you going to handle this?"
She didn't confront Tang Wan's words because she knew all too well that getting entangled with them would only reinforce the meaning behind Tang Wan's words.
Xu Keke stared at the reporters surrounding her. There were definitely people from the Morning Post among them. Given the close cooperation between the Morning Post and Tangwan, it was likely the newspaper that made the decision today.
"Miss Zhou, you misunderstand. This is just the newspaper staff's own imagination, trying to link two unrelated things together. It has absolutely nothing to do with Qingfeng Film Industry."
It's a shame that Lin Minghai, at his age, still has to bow and scrape to a young girl like Xu Keke, with a fawning smile. So, his scholarly air is ultimately just an act.
Because of his words, the editor-in-chief of the Morning Post had to come over and apologize to Xu Keke, saying, "It was our fault for not investigating thoroughly and not carefully reviewing the article, which resulted in publishing an article that did not conform to the facts. It was our mistake, and we accept the punishment. We will publish an apology to you in the newspaper tomorrow."
The man verbally admitted his mistake while inwardly cursing Tang Wan, glancing at Lin Minghai's expression out of the corner of his eye. "Your reputation is priceless; no amount of money can compensate for it. However, we are willing to offer you some compensation."
Xu Keke laughed, "Compensation, how much are you prepared to offer?"
Xu Keke's words stunned everyone. They hadn't expected her to actually want money.
Xu Keke kept staring at Tang Wan, and seeing the disdainful sneer on her face, she raised her hand and pointed at her directly, asking, "What does Miss Tang mean by that smile? Do you think it's inappropriate for me to ask for money?"
Everyone turned to look at Tang Wan as she spoke. Tang Wan hadn't expected anyone to notice her. Suddenly called out, she quickly composed herself, but it was too late. From her stunned expression and Xu Keke's words, everyone could roughly guess what she had been thinking.
“Miss Tang, do you think my niece did something wrong? She was bullied and then pretended to be magnanimous and forgave the other party, only to trip them up behind their backs. We, the Zhou family, cannot do such a despicable thing as seeking fame and reputation and scheming behind people’s backs.”
Zhou Xiangnan looked at Tang Wan with a cold smile. Although Tang Wan had only recently arrived in Shanghai, since she had already been involved in the film industry, she must have known about Zhou Xiangnan and had heard rumors about him. So even though she knew that Zhou Xiangnan was referring to her, she kept her mouth shut and dared not say another word.
“Yes, Miss Zhous are right. We should compensate for our mistakes. This is also a matter that our film company failed to handle properly. Tomorrow I will have someone deliver the check to your residence for you to fill out. No matter how much you fill out, Qingfeng Film Company and the newspaper will have no objection and will follow your instructions. After all, we made a mistake.”
Lin Qinghai is indeed a cunning old fox. If he fills out too much of the check when it's delivered to his door, it won't look good. If he fills out too little, Lin will be happy, but he'll still look pathetic.
"There's no need to send the check to the Zhou residence. Just fill in the amount yourself and send it to the orphanage. I'll donate all of this money."
Lin Qinghai never expected the young girl to say that. He hadn't intended to refuse; things had come to this point, and paying was unavoidable. His plan was simply to send the check, have it returned, and then secretly give her some money—a way that would look good on both sides.
Those around Xu Keke applauded after hearing her words. People from other newspapers gathered around, busy taking pictures of Xu Keke; the follow-up to this young woman's tears could be on the front page tomorrow. These people had practically already come up with their headlines.
The editor-in-chief of the Morning Post stood to the side, his face crestfallen. He regretted listening to Tang Wan and believing her words to be true before releasing the news. He had thought that with the Zhou family's relationship with Feng Shaozhe, their actions would make others think they were true to the news itself, unafraid of power, and would earn them more respect. Moreover, he assumed that if what they said was true, Feng Shaozhe wouldn't touch them for the sake of his reputation. Now, however, they had become a laughingstock and offended Feng Shaozhe.
Feng Shaozhe was very pleased with Xu Keke's performance. He nodded approvingly at her.
He used to think that this little girl was too naive, protected too much by her sisters-in-law in the Zhou family. In this chaotic world, she could easily be bullied. He had privately reminded Zhou Xiangnan a few times, but she didn't seem to like it. Since she was just a little girl and it wasn't a big deal, he didn't say anything more. But today, it seems he had worried too much; this child really does resemble her father, Zhou Shiyuan, quite a bit back then.
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
