In the morning, especially during the rush hour commute, the city was at its most bustling.

"Quick, look at the latest trending topic! Li Si's relationship has been exposed!"

"Holy shit! My goddess, swept into someone's arms just like that?"

"Li Si and Zou Wendong, the second young master of Lingjin City's Zou Family, were secretly dating and caught on camera! Tsk tsk, so it's the Zou Family's second young master. No wonder he could capture Li Si's heart."

"Putting everything else aside, Li Si and Zou Wendong are a good match. We should wish her well!"

"May you be happy forever, but we'll still love you!"

"I'm not that noble! I just feel like I've been dumped, and my whole world has turned black and white!"

"..."

Whether on the bus or in the office, nearly everyone was discussing the matter. Some were heartbroken, screaming their lungs out. Others were so furious they considered jumping from a building, only to be pulled back at the last moment. And then there were those who sincerely offered their blessings, their love for her unchanged.

Online, Li Si's social media account completely exploded. The number of comments shot past five hundred thousand in an instant. Among them were curses, blessings, and questions.

Why?

Why was the relationship announced so suddenly?

Why?!

Under the onslaught of discontent and outrage, the comment section was quickly disabled.

While scrolling through the news on the bus, Qin Mo suddenly froze, her mouth hanging wide open. It took her a long moment to come to her senses. Tugging Chen Yang's sleeve, she said, "Brother-in-law, Li Si announced she's in a relationship!"

Huh?

Chen Yang frowned. He hadn't heard anything about it. How is that possible?

"It's just a rumor, right?" Chen Yang asked in disbelief.

Qin Mo held her phone out to Chen Yang. "Look, X Film Entertainment already confirmed it! It's official. Sisi and Zou Wendong, the second son of our very own Lingjin City's Zou Family."

"Zou Wendong?" Chen Yang was astonished, but his expression turned strange the moment he saw the photo in the article. After a moment of thought, he immediately saw through the scheme.

What a classic bait-and-switch. What a despicably shameless tactic! Most importantly, this wasn't just Zou Wendong acting alone; it was clear that X Film Entertainment also approved of this approach. Otherwise, why would they release such a confirmation? This way, the biggest beneficiaries are Zou Wendong and X Film Entertainment. And while it does increase Li Si's exposure, which could be considered a good thing for her, how could she ever be happy about something completely fabricated? She's being used as a pawn. No one seems to care about her reputation or her feelings.

"Huh?" As Chen Yang was lost in thought, Qin Mo suddenly exclaimed, "Brother-in-law, doesn't the man's back look a lot like you? And those clothes, don't you have an outfit just like that?"

"Just a coincidence. Think about it, who is Li Si and who am I? How could we possibly be romantically involved?" Chen Yang explained hastily. Thankfully, it wasn't a difficult thing to explain away, otherwise it would have been a real problem.

Qin Mo immediately nodded. "Oh, right! How could Li Si ever be involved with you? Besides, the news clearly states the man is the Zou Family's second young master."

"Given Sisi's standards, this Zou Wendong must be a decent guy. I sincerely wish them the best!" Qin Mo said earnestly, clasping her hands together.

Chen Yang's lip curled. Decent, my ass! He's nothing but a despicable, shameless scoundrel!

This incident alone was enough to see that Li Si's days at the company weren't going smoothly; her troubles far outweighed any happiness. Otherwise, why would the company collude with Zou Wendong to fabricate such a story?

At this, Chen Yang's expression grew solemn. When I see her, I have to find a chance to ask her about this.

「X Film Entertainment, Lingjin City branch.」

In an office, the company's top executives were all present. Yang Chun and Li Si were naturally there as well.

At this moment, Li Si's face was dark with unconcealed annoyance. With her arms crossed, she turned her head to gaze out the window. Her limpid eyes, clear as autumn pools, gradually misted over.

"Oh, is Sisi crying? You shouldn't be. Logically, with such wonderful news, you should be happy!" a tall, glamorous young woman sitting next to Li Si said, covering her mouth slightly as she spoke in a saccharine, mocking tone.

This was Peng Xiaoqian, X Film Entertainment's newly promoted star and currently the one with the most potential. But with Li Si, a top-tier A-lister, overshadowing her, it was proving difficult to achieve true stardom.

"Sisi, you should see how much exposure you've gotten since the news of your relationship broke!" Peng Xiaoqian flashed a charming smile. "What I'm dying to know is, when did you hook up with young master Zou Wendong? To think he was even willing to make it official."

Li Si whipped her head around and glared at her. "Shut your mouth!"

However, Peng Xiaoqian showed no restraint. Instead, she leaned closer to Li Si. "Sisi, could you teach me your tricks? Who knows, I might need them someday."

"Get lost!" Li Si was not known for her good temper, and Peng Xiaoqian was clearly humiliating her. How could she possibly tolerate it?

SLAP!

Li Si raised her hand and struck Peng Xiaoqian across the face. The crisp sound echoed through the conference room, causing an uproar. Everyone looked up, staring in shock at the two women.

Unexpectedly, Peng Xiaoqian didn't retaliate. Instead, she let out a chilling laugh.

KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.

A middle-aged man sitting at the head of the table rapped on the tabletop. "That's enough! You're all part of the same company. What is this behavior?"

"Sisi, what's done is done. The company had to do this. Otherwise, that photo would have become a black mark on your record, which would have been bad for you!" The man speaking was Wang Qingquan, the General Manager of X Film Entertainment. He was in charge of all company affairs.

He made his final decision. "I've seen the online reaction, and it's quite good. This is settled!"

"I disagree!" Li Si stood up. "I have absolutely no relationship with Zou Wendong. I cannot accept something so completely baseless."

"I, Li Si, have always conducted myself with integrity. What doesn't exist, simply doesn't exist! I don't care what the company's position is, I am strongly against this."

With that, Li Si grabbed her coat and stormed out of the room.

How despicable. Utterly shameless! Li Si had no desire to play these kinds of low-level, deceitful games with these people.

"Heh, you really know how to throw a fit. Are you saying you're too good for General Manager Wang now?" Peng Xiaoqian sneered with contempt. Who does she think she is?

After leaving the office, Li Si ran head-on into Zou Wendong.

Seeing Li Si's aggrieved expression, Zou Wendong knew exactly what had happened. He put on a warm, modest smile. "Sisi, your company approached me. After they explained what was at stake, I had no choice but to agree. After all, this is beneficial for you."

"Zou Wendong, let me give you a piece of advice. You'd better give up on this idea. I will never yield!"

Throwing those words at him, Li Si pushed past Zou Wendong and ran toward the exit.

Zou Wendong sneered. Playing the virtuous maiden? Now that I have my eyes on you, do you really think you can escape?

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