Kneeling before these media outlets?

These reporters were the ones I summoned. And this press conference... it was all orchestrated by me. Now, I have to kneel here and explain in detail how I framed Li Si? If I really do that, not only will I lose all my dignity, but the entire Zou Family will be implicated and become a laughingstock. Besides, how could I ever survive in this circle again? This will completely ruin me!

Zou Wendong, holding the phone, nearly ground his teeth to bits as he finally choked out, "I... I am from the Zou Family, the number one of the eight great families of Lingjin City. How about we just let this matter go?"

"I dare to kill members of the Martial Association, let alone your Zou Family," Chen Yang said indifferently, adding, "And for the record, I'm not just referring to Tao Jinshui."

BUZZ!

At that, Zou Wendong felt as if he'd been struck by lightning, his Divine Spirit completely scattered.

Could it be... he was the one behind the Martial Association's massacre yesterday? This...

All his vigor and spirit were completely drained by that single sentence.

That's right! If it wasn't him, how could Tao Jinshui have been killed?

"You…" he started to say, but the call had already been disconnected.

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

The sudden busy signal was like the wail of the Grim Reaper, echoing in Zou Wendong's heart and sending his soul scattering in terror.

"Young Master Zou, what's wrong?"

"Young Master Zou, there's no need to be upset! A great person like you has a much better future waiting. Some people and some things are best forgotten."

"Pull yourself together. It's just a woman, nothing to get worked up about."

The reporters, assuming he was simply heartbroken over his girlfriend's betrayal, began to console him.

But Zou Wendong's guts were twisted with regret. He felt utterly dazed and lost. The only reason he'd orchestrated such a grand spectacle was to force Li Si to submit while simultaneously garnering a wave of public sympathy for himself. In the end, however, he had only shot himself in the foot.

I've been caught in my own trap!

「Meanwhile.」

At the Lingjin City branch of X Film Entertainment, the release of the news article had thrown the entire company into chaos.

Nobody had expected Young Master Zou Wendong to resort to such a scorched-earth tactic.

Li Si, who had already left for the day, was called back to the company.

"Li Si, look at the mess you've made!" Yang Chun roared, slamming the table as she walked into the familiar meeting room. "You provoked Young Master Zou Wendong over and over, and now his revenge is here. Are you satisfied now?"

Li Si bit her lip until a trace of blood seeped out, shaking her head bitterly. She had planned to retire from the industry right after her concert tour, but it now seemed she wouldn't be able to escape unscathed.

"Zou Wendong is dead set on having his way with me. Don't I even have the basic right to refuse?" Li Si said sorrowfully.

CRASH!

Yang Chun furiously smashed a cup on the floor. "Of course you don't! You're just being coddled by a bunch of morons. Do you really think you're somebody important?"

"You're nothing but a hired singer!" Yang Chun sneered. "And as a hired singer, you need to learn some damn awareness!"

"Heh heh..." Li Si gave a bitter laugh, utterly despondent.

In all my life, I have never felt so completely and utterly worthless.

"Enough!" Wang Qingquan, sitting at the head of the table, bellowed. He then fixed his gaze on Li Si and said, "Given the circumstances, whether for your own sake or for the company's, you'd better call Young Master Zou Wendong right now and accept his terms."

"Only then will he clarify things for you at the press conference and clear your name."

As he spoke, Wang Qingquan sighed. "Sisi, Yang Chun's words were blunt and unpleasant, but sometimes, that's just the reality of the situation. Besides, Young Master Zou Wendong isn't some old geezer; he's a true heir to a wealthy family. Just think of it as a bad romance with a scumbag, can't you?"

"President Wang, I can't do it!" Li Si said resolutely.

Wang Qingquan's expression shifted. Visibly struggling to suppress his rage, he said ominously, "Sisi, do you really think you have a choice right now?"

Li Si laughed, a tragic, desolate sound. Are they trying to force me to my death?

"If you ask me, that article circulating out there might not be false," Peng Xiaoqian chimed in. She pointed at the large screen on the wall showing the live broadcast of Zou Wendong's press conference. While nonchalantly admiring her fancy nails, she continued in a snide tone, "And with SiSi's looks and fame, it's only natural she'd attract those wealthy businessmen! The innocent White Lotus persona is so popular these days. Who knows what you're really like behind the scenes."

"You bitch, shut up!" Li Si snapped angrily.

Peng Xiaoqian was unfazed, her words becoming even more vicious. "And you have the nerve to call someone else a bitch? A shameless, despicable woman like you should just go find a river and drown herself!"

"That's enough!" Wang Qingquan slammed the table to silence them, then made his final decision. "I'll make the call! And you, Sisi, will go see him tonight."

With that, he pulled out his cell phone.

But just then, on the screen, Zou Wendong—after answering a call—looked as if his soul had been ripped out, swaying on his feet.

What in the world is going on? Wang Qingquan frowned, and the others stared in confusion.

But what happened next stunned them all into disbelief.

On the screen, Zou Wendong's knees buckled, and he collapsed to the ground.

"I... I want to come clean to everyone!"

"The earlier stories about my relationship with Li Si, as well as the article about her secret three-year affair with a wealthy businessman... I fabricated them all myself!"

"My goal was to force Li Si to submit, to make her do things she didn't want to do!"

The moment he spoke, the venue and everyone watching erupted. This was a live broadcast; his words were reaching every corner of Lingjin City. Kneeling and confessing like this... he was committing career suicide!

THUD! THUD! THUD!

Distraught, with tears and snot streaming down his face, Zou Wendong kowtowed repeatedly, mumbling, "I'm sorry! It's all my fault! Please spare my life!"

"This..."

In the meeting room, Wang Qingquan was completely dumbfounded, his eyes wide in shock.

Yang Chun stood agape, rooted to the spot.

Even Peng Xiaoqian, who just moments before had been so confidently and scathingly insulting Li Si, found her expression twisting again and again.

Did Young Master Zou Wendong take the wrong medicine or something?

"You despicable creature! Open your damn eyes and look!" Li Si charged at her furiously. "I'll rip that rotten mouth of yours apart!"

SLAP! SLAP!

With several consecutive slaps, she sent Peng Xiaoqian sprawling to the floor, her hair disheveled and blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.

...

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