Chapter 30 Arrest

Chapter 30: The Confrontation

After taking a bath and returning to bed, she found that her post now had over forty or fifty thousand comments. Before the show's trailer was released, she typically received fewer than a hundred replies per post.

Without Zhou Jie's comment moderation, Yang Yizhou's fans were fervently speculating that she was throwing shade at Yang Yizhou, so the comments were mostly filled with abuse.

The Logical One: Do you have to leech off others' fame to survive? [vomit]

Steamed Bun is Delicious: This lady will stop at nothing to get famous. [vomit]

Rainbow Bridge: I'm scared, I'm scared. Please, sis, find someone else to leech off. [pleading]

Forever and Ever: She didn't even mention Yang Yizhou. Why are the fans so eager to identify themselves? Or do they know their own brother is a "crispy duck"? [crying-laughing]

Zhangjiakou's Fried Dough Sticks: Pay attention to this "duck"!

Squeak Squeak Squeak: Right now, I'm more eager than anyone for the show to air. [dog head]

Watching the Surveillance: Good. If the production team forces Brother Zhou and this woman into a fake CP, I might just kill someone. [smiley face]

Su Mi scrolled through and noticed many new rumors saying she was desperately trying to create hype by forcing a CP with Yang Yizhou. They were so detailed it was obvious someone was pushing an agenda.

Yang Yizhou didn't have the guts for this, so it must be Zhang Yue. With financial backers, she was subtly using Su Mi as a shield. With Su Mi, the "resource princess," taking the heat first, fans would be more accepting when Zhang Yue and Yang Yizhou later promoted their CP.

Su Mi could stir up drama herself, but that didn't mean she would let others use her as a shield.

Scrolling through her phone, she found a selfie and posted it.

Su Mi v: The scenery is so nice. [picture]

Art Vocational College Student: Wow, Yang Yizhou and Zhang Yue in the background are gazing lovingly at each other! [wide-eyed]

Wuwuwuwu: Hahaha, is sis throwing shade here? [crying-laughing]

Takoyaki Balls: So it's Zhang Yue who's promoting the CP with Yang Yizhou. [crying-laughing]

Lakala: At this moment, all PR statements pale in comparison. [crying-laughing] This sis's motto is: if there's a rumor, she'll clarify it herself. [crying-laughing]

Walking Along: Hahaha, Yang Yizhou's fans on their side are already going crazy attacking Zhang Yue. [crying-laughing]

Question Bank: Told the fans not to provoke this sis, but they wouldn't listen. Ended up hurting the enemy by a hundred and themselves by eight thousand. [crying-laughing]

How Far Once Was: I want to eat the melon! [crying] Don't make me beg on my knees! Please, tell me if they're really together! [crying-laughing]

Hualala: Gazing like that... Congratulations to Yang Yizhou's fans on gaining a new sister-in-law! [clapping]

Hagrid: Hahaha, this sis is going to be the death of me.

It was a selfie taken on a bamboo raft. She was taking a picture of herself when Yang Yizhou and Zhang Yue accidentally wandered into the frame. She meant to delete it but later forgot.

She could maintain her sharp-tongued persona, and they could promote their CP, but trying to use her as a shield was wishful thinking.

Soon, she saw Zhang Yue and Yang Yizhou's names trending on the hot search, flooded with fans' abusive comments. Now, the target was Zhang Yue, as fans couldn't possibly criticize their own "brother," so they directed their attacks at the woman.

Zhang Yue's fans weren't pushovers either. They immediately listed her film achievements, subtly implying Yang Yizhou was just a representative-less pretty boy. However, Yang Yizhou had more fans, so his side slightly won this round of online warfare.

Not long after, Zhou Jie sent a message saying there were indeed signs that Zhang Yue's side was trying to use Su Mi as a shield. Of course, they would never admit it. If Su Mi was unhappy and wanted to retaliate against Zhang Yue, it wasn't impossible. The attacks from Yang Yizhou's fans alone would be enough to give her a hard time, given the formidable combat power of girlfriend fans.

Su Mi didn't ask Zhou Jie to intervene. After all, she had already exposed their CP-promotion intentions herself. Moreover, she was curious. During the recording, those two did seem ambiguous. She didn't know if they were actually together. Now that Zhang Yue was under attack, since the CP promotion was mutual, any decent man should say something. She wondered if Yang Yizhou would listen to his manager or step up to defend Zhang Yue.

Actually, men are all the same. They would always choose career over love, as evident from the male lead. He claimed he couldn't let personal feelings affect the company's interests, but it was just selfishness, using the female lead's soft nature to his advantage.

Losing the cooperation with the third female lead's company meant the Qi family just missed out on a big project; they wouldn't go bankrupt. Yet, he still preferred to keep the female lead as his secret lover. If he truly considered her feelings, he wouldn't let her suffer this humiliation.

However, most domineering CEO novels are like this. This novel where the heroine is doted on by everyone is already decent. Those other CEO stories are even more bizarre—digging out uteruses, kidneys, and then shamelessly asking the female lead for forgiveness. Even stranger, the female lead actually forgives him.

She used to be utterly perplexed by this until she saw the female lead. Then she suddenly understood. They are like two magnets, destined to stick together no matter what. Otherwise, what wealthy young lady would tolerate being the other woman? That's just having a screw loose.

However, the female lead currently doesn't dare defy her family's wishes. After all, she has an innocent and kind persona. As long as they use morality to bind her, she probably won't rush into the male lead's arms for a while.

On the day of the family meeting, the location was a hotel under the Qi family's banner. Perhaps due to the importance placed on this issue, Elder Qi, who hadn't appeared last time, was also present.

As a junior, Su Min naturally greeted the elders politely upon entering. "There was an urgent matter at the company today, so we were delayed. Sorry to have kept you waiting."

The room was already filled with people. The moment Qi Xi saw Su Ruanruan, he immediately stood up, his gaze fixed intently on her until Qi's mother coughed lightly a few times, forcing him to reluctantly sit back down.

"I no longer handle company affairs. It's rare that you're still willing to give this old man some face," Elder Qi said, his expression unchanged.

Hearing this, Su Min smiled but didn't respond, instead pulling out a chair for his wife.

"When people get old, they often find themselves powerless in many situations. Like me, my daughter is right under my nose every day, yet I didn't even know when someone tried to lead her astray," he said unhurriedly.

Qi's father and mother exchanged glances, then Qi's mother spoke first. "This must be a misunderstanding. It's common for young people to get carried away in the heat of the moment. Once the misunderstanding is cleared up, everything will be fine."

"Misunderstanding?"

Su's mother sneered. "My daughter is only seventeen and was almost tricked by your son into doing that kind of thing. And you call it a misunderstanding?"

Su Ruanruan sat there with her head bowed, face pale, body trembling slightly. From beginning to end, she didn't dare look up, as if she didn't know how to face everyone around her.

"This..." Qi's mother frowned and turned her gaze to her son. "What's going on? You two were already... so early?"

Qi Yun stared intently at the girl across from him. "I fell in love with Ruan Ruan at first sight. I just couldn't tell you and Grandpa because of the engagement with the Huo family."

Hearing him openly admit he liked her, Su Ruanruan couldn't help but raise her tear-filled eyes, looking misty-eyed at the person opposite.

Seeing them locking eyes again, Su Mi frowned, pressed the female lead's head down, and stared sharply at Qi Yun. "So you let her be the other woman? Is that how you treat someone you like? The Qi family's skin is thicker than the next!"

"Seventeen... you were only seventeen..." Qi Xi slumped weakly in his chair, muttering to himself. Then, as if remembering something, he turned a furious gaze toward his older brother. "You're already engaged to the Huo family! How could you treat Ruan Ruan like this!"

"I don't care! Ruan Ruan is engaged to me! No matter what, she is my wife! I won't let you insult her like this!" he roared.

Qi's mother immediately pulled him. "Shut up!"

Qi's father's head was buzzing, never expecting both his sons to fall for the same woman. Thankfully, he'd had a few days to process it, so his acceptance level had improved.

"Young people are full of emotions; entanglements are inevitable. As long as things are clarified, it's fine," he said thoughtfully. "From now on, I won't let Qi Yun see Ruan Ruan again. Ruan Ruan and Qi Xi's engagement will proceed as planned. What do you think?"

Having never heard such shameless words, Su Min couldn't help but scoff. "It wasn't your daughter who was almost sexually assaulted, so it's easy for you to talk. We'll settle right and wrong at the police station. We've already reported and filed a case for the good deeds your son did. We'll send Ruan Ruan abroad from now on. There's no need to mention the engagement anymore. Our Su family can't climb that high to match your Qi family."

Su Ruanruan suddenly looked up, stunned, at her parents. Clearly, she had never heard about them planning to send her abroad.

How could she go abroad when her career was just taking off? Or did Mom and Dad think she had disgraced the Su family and didn't want to see her anymore?

"You..." Qi's father's expression also changed. "What do you mean 'sexual assault'? Your words are too harsh. It was a matter between two consenting young people; it's not as serious as you make it out to be."

"March 5th. 'Did I hurt you just now? Sorry, I'll be more careful next time.'"

"March 6th, what, still not satisfied?"

"March 7th, you little temptress, I'll die on you sooner or later."

Su Mi read aloud from a document with vivid emotion, her delivery absolutely flawless, ensuring an eighty percent restoration of the male lead's overbearing CEO vibe.

Instantly, everyone's expressions changed. Su Ruanruan swayed unsteadily, looking like she was about to fall apart.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Su slammed a document in front of Mr. Qi, seemingly unwilling to say another word.

Qi Xi snatched the file first. When he saw the ambiguous phrases written line by line, he felt a chill run from head to toe, and could only look at his usually woman-averse elder brother in disbelief.

Even a fool could understand what these words implied.

Mr. and Mrs. Qi also paled, staring at their son in shock, as if they had never imagined their typically reserved and taciturn son could do such things!

Of all people, why did he have to like this Su Ruanruan, and even say these things...

"These alone don't prove anything. Young people's romantic feelings are normal. If Ruan Ruan was unwilling, Qi Yun couldn't have forced her all along," Mrs. Qi said, barely containing her anger toward her son.

"The truth will be determined by the police. We don't want to say more," Su Min stated sternly as he stood up.

If not for his remaining sense of propriety, he truly wished he could curse Qi Yun out—a pack of shameless animals!

"Arguing now is useless. The main thing is to resolve the issue. If he really did such a thing, I, his grandfather, will be the first to make him pay!" Elder Qi suddenly shifted his gaze. "Ruan Ruan, you tell us yourself—did Qi Yun force you or not?"

Under everyone's intense stares, the girl at the center of this kept her head down, unable to utter a single word. She didn't know what to do. If she said Qi Yun forced her, he would definitely go to jail. But if she denied it, her parents would surely be deeply disappointed in her.

"You don't need to pressure her. I will break off the engagement with the Huo family and marry Ruan Ruan. Not handling this properly is my responsibility. It's normal for Uncle and Auntie to blame me. In the future, I will never let her suffer the slightest grievance again," Qi Yun declared, his eyes burning with determination.

Then, he turned his attention to Su Mi. "However, her act of secretly playing a video at our Qi family's birthday banquet has violated my personal privacy rights. I will also have my lawyer handle this matter."

Hearing that he would break off the engagement with the Huo family to marry her, Su Ruanruan froze on the spot, her eyes welling up with tears.

Seeing the female lead mooning over him again, Su Mi took a deep breath. Remembering today's task, she suddenly stood up and slapped Ruanruan across the face, her face darkening. "Are you that desperate? Can't you live without a man? Do you have to throw yourself at someone just to sleep with them?"

"Su Mi!" Qi Yun abruptly stood up.

"You vicious woman!" Qi Xi instinctively rushed forward.

"Ding! Key plot triggered!"

Su Mi pushed him away with one hand and added a kick for good measure. "If I were really vicious, would you still be standing here whining in front of me?"

As she stepped forward, Qi Xi instinctively covered his face and shuffled back two steps. The gap from his missing tooth seemed to remind him of what had happened before.

Su Mi immediately opened her laptop and played the video, looking at Qi Yun with disdain. "Doesn't anyone in your family have a brain? I don't even know how your family has managed to survive until now without going bankrupt. I violated your privacy rights? Are you blind, you idiot? You don't even investigate before framing others. Mindless piece of trash, no wonder you're being led around by the nose!"

The surveillance footage showed a familiar figure glancing around furtively before entering the monitoring room, then quickly exiting shortly after. The timestamp clearly indicated it was the day of the engagement banquet.

Seeing Huo Xuan in the footage, Mr. and Mrs. Qi's hearts sank. Given that she entered the monitoring room at that time, coupled with the video from the birthday banquet, even without thinking too hard, it was obvious what had happened.

As if unable to believe that the usually magnanimous Huo Xuan would do such a thing, both rubbed their temples, unsure how to face this.

Yet, they couldn't very well blame her. After all, they were the ones who wronged her first. It was normal for her to be frustrated with no outlet. However, the engagement absolutely had to be called off.

Such a scheming daughter-in-law was truly more than their Qi family could stomach.

Qi Yun lowered his gaze, his expression showing no surprise, as if he had expected this.

"Miss... Miss Huo..." Su Ruanruan stared at the person in the footage in disbelief, clearly never having imagined Huo Xuan was behind it.

Even Qi Xi was stunned on the spot. He had always been certain Su Mi was responsible—only she could be so malicious. But now...

Only Su Min gazed at his daughter approvingly. Indeed, Mimi was thoughtful, even investigating secretly to clear her name. But why was Ruanruan, whom he had raised himself, like this...

"Excuse us."

At that moment, the room door opened. Several police officers entered, showing their badges. Their eyes quickly locked onto the composed Qi Yun. "Mr. Qi Yun, you are suspected of indecent assault and sexual harassment of a minor. Please come with us for investigation now."

Seeing this, Su Ruanruan suddenly stood up, seemingly about to say something, until Mrs. Su glared at her, causing her to pale and close her mouth.

"In-laws, this is going too far," Mr. Qi also darkened his expression.

Su Min glanced at him impassively. "If you have nothing to hide, what is there to fear? Right and wrong will be judged by the law."

With that, he directly took his wife's hand and left. Su Mi also grabbed the female lead and pulled her away.

To secure the male lead's conviction, she had specifically asked the butler to retrieve the garden surveillance footage from the year the female lead was seventeen. In the novel, the male lead forcibly kissed the female lead there. Of course, the female lead was unwilling at the time. Wasn't that indecent assault?

Whether this arrogant bastard could be convicted was one thing, but at the very least, it could get him detained for a few days to experience what it's like to be behind bars.

Moreover, he kept accusing her of spreading the video, which constituted defamation. Faced with such a situation, of course, she had to use the law to protect her rights.

"Ding! Host's luck value +60!"

Once outside the hotel, Su Ruanruan suddenly stopped. "Are we... going too far?"

Hearing this, Su Min looked at her with profound disappointment. He raised his hand but ultimately didn't slap her. "You're a girl. Can't you have some decency and shame? How did that beast treat you? If he truly liked you, would he have been entangled with the Huo family for so long? Your sister is right. I think there's something wrong with your head. Otherwise, how could you be led around by the nose so completely by such a beast!"

Since childhood, they had indulged their daughter's every wish, giving her the utmost care and affection. And yet, she went and became someone else's mistress. What exactly did he lack in providing for her?!

Sensing her father's disappointment, Su Ruanruan could only follow behind, tears streaming down her face. She didn't know why she had become like this. But every time she saw Qi Yun, she couldn't control her heart. Even though she knew it was wrong, she just couldn't control her actions.

As if having seen through her character completely, Mrs. Su couldn't be bothered to say anything more. She got in the car and closed her eyes, calming her inner anger.

Only Su Mi sat there, playing with her phone. Originally, slapping the female lead was her fault, but now she suddenly felt she had been too lenient. Otherwise, why would the other still feel sorry for the male lead?

Indeed, it's necessary to respect others' destinies. Let the male and female leads lock each other up.

"Until the case is fully settled, you are not to leave the house even one step," Mrs. Su suddenly said coldly.

Hearing this, Su Ruanruan timidly said, "But I have two events to attend later."

"Not attending won't kill you," Su Min said, unusually harsh.

The entire car immediately fell into a heavy atmosphere, broken only by Su Ruanruan's continuous sobs.

After returning home, Su Mi heard her father instruct the butler that for the next month, the female lead was not allowed to step out of the house or meet anyone.

This was mainly to prevent the female lead from being foolishly infatuated again and going to see the male lead. After all, as long as she hadn't been removed from the Su family registry, she was still a daughter of the Su family. If she continued entangling with him before he broke off the engagement with Woman Three, it would surely bring shame to the Su family. Outsiders would only think the elders failed to discipline her, leading to such behavior.

Not long after, the lawyer came again. This time, it was mainly to sue the male lead for defamation. He kept accusing her of secretly playing the video—wasn't that defamation? I have it all on tape.

She wanted these outlaws to know that the Qing Dynasty had fallen, that era is over. The age of being buried alive on a whim was past, and this was now a society governed by law.

However, news came the very next day: the male lead had been bailed out.

As expected. But the court hearing was in a month. By then, everyone would know they were suing him for indecent assault of a minor. Regardless of the outcome, they could then have media reporters run a media blitz—"Qi Corporation CEO Assaults Minor"—and release a few screenshots of his flirty chat logs. That would surely hurt his company's stock.

In this internet age, you have to learn to use public opinion to get ahead of the story. That murder stuff is out of the question—no need to risk yourself for some pretentious asshole.

But just one day before the variety show aired, a video popped up online out of nowhere. It showed her and Lin Yue leaving the gym together and entering a room. The video quickly shot to the top of the hot searches, and by the time she woke up early the next morning, many gossip blogs had already reposted it, mostly insinuating she was sleeping her way to the top.

Moreover, the comments underneath were running wild. The video was cut to look suggestive, blurry yet clear enough to show them entering the room together. This footage was clearly from the day she injured Lin Yue's neck and went to his room to apply medicated wine, but the editing made it look like they were hooking up.

Under the hashtag #SuMiSpendsNightWithMysteryMan#, all sorts of dirty rumors flooded in.

Sleuth: What mystery man? Isn’t this the CEO of Huamao Group? This lady is eating well! [eating melon emoji]

OhYoOh: No wonder so many big shots have backed her—she really does have a sugar daddy behind her [vomiting emoji].

LaLaLaLa: Didn’t she claim to come from a wealthy family? Turns out she’s a "special" daughter [vomiting emoji].

SelfAware: So she’s a trophy mistress [eating melon emoji].

OKThen: Uh… am I the only one focusing on something else? This sugar daddy is really handsome [drooling emoji].

Yoon: Rich people would never marry a starlet. He’s probably just toying with her, but she’ll have squeezed out enough resources by then [eating melon emoji].

RouJiaMo: This sugar daddy is my type [drooling emoji].

HeartfeltLonging: Scrolling through gossip and it's about my own boss—this is our company’s CEO! I’ve seen him once before, and he’s super handsome!!!

GeZiShan: Just a kept woman pretending to be rich [vomiting emoji].

OhMoMo: Typical, men only care about a pretty face. How can someone with such low character still get kept? [vomiting emoji]

"Ding! Critical plot triggered!"

The scandal spread like wildfire, impossible to contain. Normally, gossip blogs wouldn’t post about her, so this clearly meant someone was targeting her. Who else but that arrogant male lead would have the guts?

If she produced evidence now to prove she was from the Su family, it would only solidify her image as someone relying on connections. The male lead was obviously trying to gross her out on purpose, using this kind of sex scandal video. Even if she explained nothing happened, people online wouldn’t believe her—after all, they did enter the room together.

Such a large-scale exposure would definitely damage her reputation. The only way to salvage it would be to publicly announce a relationship with Lin Yue, but the male lead knew that was impossible, so he was deliberately trying to mess with her.

She received a call from her manager, Sister Zhou, who sounded urgent and hinted that the Qi family was behind this. Controlling public opinion was already too late; they needed a new PR strategy.

The only fix now was for her and Lin Yue to go public, which would minimize the damage to her reputation. But that was out of the question. Why rush? Let those people gossip if they wanted. Why is the woman always the one whose reputation gets ruined for getting a room? She should even thank him for triggering the mission.

Logging into her account, she attached a screenshot of a 500,000-yuan transfer.

Su Mi v: Had a good time. He's fit. [image]

MaoRongRong: F… five hundred thousand yuan? Wait, Su Mi transferred money to the man???

GreenHomeland: Uh… she’s so bold. Isn’t she afraid of being blacklisted?

MeowMeowJi: A CEO actually doing this kind of side gig???? Is this lady treating everyone like fools?!

MoMoJiJi: Whether the CEO does side gigs or not is unknown, but if this lady were really a kept woman, would she dare talk about her sugar daddy like this?

NoDoubt: Actually… I have a little money too. Could you hook a sister up? [shy emoji]

MakeupPadTooThick: I enhanced the video—the CEO’s physique is really good [drooling emoji].

TuLaiKanKan: Hahahaha she's really fighting back! Isn’t she afraid of being banned? [crying-laughing emoji]

ThenConsiderIt: Ahhhhh she’s so wild!!!

NianNianPanWangApple: Hahahaha so dramatic and juicy [crying-laughing emoji].

MoJi: I have a friend who wants to know if the CEO’s skills are any good [shy emoji].

Su Mi @ MoJi: Mediocre. [smiling face emoji]