Chapter 41 Revenge

Chapter 41: Retribution

After the USB drive was submitted, a recording soon began playing in the courtroom.

"You only ever think of me when you need something. Have you ever considered my feelings? If I provide false testimony and Su Mi comes to hate me as well, do you have any idea how much our Huo family could lose?"

"You're already going to marry Su Ruanruan, so why are you still coming to me?"

"I won't help you this time."

The female voice in the recording sounded plaintive, but it was unmistakably Huo Xuan's. Everyone looked at her with a strange expression, realizing that Miss Huo was actually a lovesick fool.

"You know very well what you've done. If it weren't for the ties between our two families, I wouldn't have covered for you when you secretly released that video."

"She already knows you framed her. Considering that crazy woman's personality, do you think she'll let you off?"

"If you don't want to do it, I can't guarantee I'll keep covering for you forever."

"Also, my patience is limited. If there's a next time, I won't hesitate to take legal action."

The male voice in the recording was condescending, showing no trace of affection and even carrying a hint of warning. However, it sent a shockwave through the gallery.

So it was Huo Xuan who secretly released the video at the Qi family's birthday banquet. They had always thought it was Su Mi. Who would have guessed it was the always gracious and considerate Huo Xuan? Of course, no woman could tolerate her fiancé fooling around with someone else. It seemed her apparent magnanimity was all an act; behind the scenes, she had long been plotting revenge against Qi Yun and Su Ruanruan.

But for her to willingly expose herself now... it seemed she was prepared for mutual destruction. After all, CEO Qi had pushed her too far, still trying to coerce and bribe her at this point.

The jury whispered among themselves. After all this time, the source of the case was finally clear—it was actually Huo Xuan who had released the video.

Only Su Mi stared at Huo Xuan expressionlessly. The other woman had deliberately acted utterly deferential in the recording, firstly to lull the male lead into a false sense of security, making him believe the third female lead still loved him, which was why he felt confident enough to have her testify in court.

And by choosing to expose herself, the third female lead also shattered the male lead's last bit of arrogance. As long as she could send the male lead to prison, at worst she'd only be charged with violating someone's privacy—that would be a separate case. Whether the male lead could win that lawsuit was uncertain, but he was definitely going down for suborning perjury.

Just listen to how this pretentious jerk talks. No wonder the third female lead wants to knife him. Cheating on his fiancée and still acting so high and mighty—it's utterly nauseating.

But the third female lead is also extremely clever. By still playing the role of the lovesick fool at this moment, public opinion will only blame Qi Yun for cheating first.

"Everyone can hear that the defendant coerced and induced a witness to give false testimony in court. This has seriously interfered with judicial fairness. Moreover, he instigated Qi Xi to publicly slander my client's reputation. What immense losses would this cause to my client and her company?"

The plaintiff's lawyer spoke forcefully: "This charity auction was organized by my client's company. If others believed Qi Xi's words and thought my client had someone maliciously drive up prices, what credibility would my client's company have in the future? What was originally a good deed to support public welfare has now been deliberately smeared by others. Who would dare engage in philanthropy in the future? Wouldn't this discourage those dedicated to public good?"

The jury nodded slightly and whispered among themselves. Doing charity is a good thing, and having a company's image deliberately tarnished indeed creates a negative social impact.

"Witness, you keep claiming you turned against him because you didn't want to interfere with judicial fairness. But as everyone knows, my client did indeed wrong you. Could it be that you harbored resentment and therefore deliberately gave false testimony in court to frame my client? Moreover, what evidence do you have to prove you didn't collude with the plaintiff to maliciously drive up prices?" the defense attorney pressed relentlessly.

A trace of bitterness appeared on Huo Xuan's face. "The defendant and I were childhood sweethearts, betrothed before birth. To keep up with him, I studied various etiquette courses diligently. Yet he betrayed me and fooled around with others behind my back. Even so, he showed not a shred of remorse toward me. That's why I became resentful and released the video to expose their affair."

"Afterward, the defendant said he was sorry to me, but then turned around and hooked up with Su Ruanruan again, even demanding to break off our engagement. What did he take me for?"

"A heartless scumbag like that isn't worth my attachment. But he held the fact that I secretly released the video over my head, threatening me to give false testimony. That proves he knew from the start that I was the one who released the video, yet he deliberately framed the plaintiff. It wasn't until just now that I realized—what wouldn't a person like him do? If I gave false testimony for him today, he'd come after me tomorrow. So why should I give him more leverage?"

"As for bidding on that pair of earrings, it was simply because I liked them and wanted to contribute to charity. Is there a problem with that?"

She spoke with clear logic. The gallery looked at Qi Yun with even more contemptuous expressions. Who would have thought he would treat his fiancée like this? The Huo family hadn't done anything to wrong the Qi family all these years. Wasn't he just trampling their dignity into the ground? They weren't fools, of course they'd fight back.

Only Qi's father kept clutching his chest, as if another heart attack was coming. He had always known this Huo Xuan was calculating, but he never expected her to be this ruthless. Turning against them now was clearly meant to send his son to prison!

But he couldn't sue Huo Xuan for violating privacy rights. If he completely offended the Huo family while his son was in prison, the Qi family would truly be in dire straits.

After Huo Xuan stepped down, Qi Xi also took the stand as a witness for the defense. His expression was grim; even a fool could see the situation was extremely unfavorable for his elder brother now.

"Witness, why did you publicly accuse the plaintiff of maliciously driving up prices?" The defense attorney's expression grew increasingly grave.

Without hesitation, Qi Xi shouldered the blame. "The plaintiff and I have had a strained relationship for a long time. Moreover, I asked Huo Xuan, and she said the plaintiff told her to drive up the price. That's why I went to confront her. This matter has nothing to do with my elder brother."

Hearing this, Su Mi leisurely said, "Oh? Any normal person would know those earrings weren't worth that price. Why did you go to such lengths to win the bid? And who did you give the earrings to afterward?"

At this, Qi Xi seemed to choke, his gaze involuntarily shifting toward Su Ruanruan in the gallery. He clenched his fists tightly but couldn't utter a word.

What could he say? If he said he spent a fortune to win those earrings for Ruan Ruan, everyone would think Ruan Ruan was two-timing. How could she face others afterward?

But if he said he gave them to someone else, the surveillance footage from that day showed him giving them to Ruan Ruan. That would only make things worse for his elder brother.

Seeing him remain silent, the defense attorney was also at his wit's end. After analyzing the case for so long, it doesn't take a genius to figure out who this Second Young Master Qi had given the earrings to.

But he couldn't expose it, otherwise CEO Qi would be furious later.

Yet, given the current situation, how could they break through in this case? Even if they offered him another five million, it wouldn't work!

"At that time, I asked the witness to communicate privately, also for the sake of the company's image. After all, I didn't want unfounded accusations to affect the company's credibility. But the witness refused to communicate privately and publicly insisted that I had told Huo Xuan to maliciously drive up the price. Isn't this premeditated slander? Once it affects our company's image, what immense losses would it cause our enterprise? And he can just lightly say 'it wasn't intentional' to offset the doubts cast upon our company?" Su Mi declared emphatically.

Qi Xi was now completely speechless. Furious as he was, he didn't know what to say. It was true—his elder brother had told him to deliberately provoke Su Mi into having an episode. But he never expected that Su Mi, who used to explode at the slightest provocation, didn't have an episode that time. Everything had gone beyond their expectations.

But he absolutely couldn't tell the truth; otherwise, Ruan Ruan would be the one to suffer.

"Defendant, do you have anything to add?" the presiding judge asked sternly, looking at Qi Yun.

The latter merely frowned, his gaze instead falling on Huo Xuan, his eyes filled with an icy chill.

These two women had long been colluding. He had underestimated them.

After a brief recess, the presiding judge began reading the verdict. "Appellant Qi Yun, dissatisfied with the original judgment in the case of slander and intimidation against Su Mi, appealed to this court. This court has tried the case according to law, and the trial has now concluded."

"The defendant coerced Huo Xuan into giving false testimony to frame the plaintiff, seriously interfering with judicial fairness. Additionally, the defendant instigated Qi Xi to slander the plaintiff's reputation, causing corresponding impact on the plaintiff and her company's reputation, and creating an even more negative social impact. This court finds the defendant guilty of slander, intimidation, and other charges."

"Therefore, the appeal is dismissed, the original judgment is upheld, probation is revoked, and the defendant is to be taken into custody immediately."

"Qi Xi is sentenced to three months imprisonment for slander, suspended for two years."

"If the defense witness Qi Xi is dissatisfied with this judgment, he may appeal to this court within fifteen days from the second day after receiving the judgment document."

Hearing this verdict, Qi's father in the gallery stiffened and collapsed. The people around him were so frightened they immediately called 911, and even court staff rushed over.

Su Ruanruan originally wanted to say a final word to Qi Yun, but due to Qi's father fainting, she could only leave with reddened eyes following the crowd. It was only a year and three months; it would pass in the blink of an eye. She would definitely wait for him.

Only Huo Xuan stepped up to Qi Yun's side and, under everyone's watchful eyes, leaned close to his ear. "I wish CEO Qi a pleasant time serving his sentence."

After saying this, she turned and strode purposefully out of the courtroom.

Su Mi told Zhou to immediately release the prepared press release, preferably letting the whole world know this pretentious jerk was going to prison.

If he loves pretending so much, he can go pretend in jail.

He knew perfectly well that the third female lead had released the video, yet he still tried to pin the blame on her. Wasn't this clearly trying to ruin her reputation? Utterly malicious. Letting him off with just a year and three months was letting this idiot off easy.

And he still wanted to sue her for violating privacy rights? This pretentious jerk is even more of a hypocrite than the female lead.

Before even leaving the courthouse, she saw Huo Xuan standing at a corridor corner, clearly waiting for her.

Seeing Su Mi approach step by step, Huo Xuan smiled slightly and extended her hand. "I apologize for not telling you about my plan. But as long as the result is satisfactory, the process no longer matters."

Su Mi did not take that hand, merely looking at her calmly. “Your actions have already harmed my interests. Anyone who infringes upon my interests should not become my partner.”

Hearing this, Huo Xuan leaned in apologetically. “But we are meant to be partners, aren’t we?”

“As an apology, next time you won’t have to lift a finger. You can just watch how the person you despise vanishes bit by bit right before your eyes.”

Su Mi instantly understood her meaning and couldn’t help but frown. “Whatever you plan to do, don’t come looking for me in the future. We have no relationship whatsoever. Moreover, I’m warning you not to do anything illegal—murder, arson, or the like. If I see it, I will report it to the police.”

After saying that, she brushed past her without another word. Woman Three hadn’t changed at all; she was definitely plotting revenge against the female lead now.

She should stay even further away from it. Otherwise, when the other party got caught later, she might claim she’d acted on Su Mi’s orders to harm the female lead. Anyway, she had said all she needed to say. The path she chooses is her own.

As for warning the female lead to be careful?

That was even more unnecessary. No matter what she said, the female lead would remain unchanged—crying all day. If she heard Woman Three wanted to harm her, she’d probably burst into tears again, insisting it was all her fault for getting involved and that Woman Three’s resentment was justified.

So, it’s no wonder the male and female leads ended up together—they both had a few screws loose.

It’s better to respect others’ destinies and mind your own business—or you might end up suffering consequences that aren’t yours.

When she walked out of the courthouse, reporters didn’t dare swarm her, only secretly snapping photos from a distance. With one glance from her, they immediately lowered their cameras.

After returning home, her mother specifically instructed the servants to prepare a few extra dishes that day, while her father had the butler send a bouquet to the hospital as a get-well gesture.

Though it was a bit of a jab, hadn’t the Qi family stabbed them in the heart when they sent back the wedding invitation back then?

As for such major news, it took less than an hour to explode across trending topics. “#Qi Yun Sentenced to One Year and Three Months#” secured the top spot on the trends.

Lolicon: Aaaaaah, my Sister Mi is the best!!!!!!!

Wow: First time seeing a CEO go to jail for defamation. When I saw the plaintiff was my Sister Mi, I immediately felt relieved [crying-laughing emoji]

I-I-I Crack Melon Seeds Super Fast: This is what it means to take down a scumbag! Watch Sister Mi teach you step by step [smirk emoji]

Strawberry Conditioner: Hahahaha, probably no one will dare eye Sister Mi’s family fortune anymore [crying-laughing emoji]

Smiling Slightly: Hahaha, how did she even manage to make a CEO go to jail [crying-laughing emoji]

Gigs: So what if he’s a CEO? My Sister Mi is the heir to a billion-dollar fortune. He might not even be as rich as Sister Mi [smirk emoji]

Hee-hee-hee-hee: Please don’t let the white lotus off the hook! I want to see the follow-up of tearing the white lotus apart!

Timid and Meek: I also want to learn to fight back hard like Sister Mi [tearful emoji]

Blink Blink: Hahahaha, after cleaning up the entertainment industry, Sister Mi has now put the CEO circle in its place [crying-laughing emoji]

Thanks to the recent drama’s success, her fan count had skyrocketed to ten million. With such a major hot topic, of course she had to capitalize on it. So, she went online and posted another update.

Su Mi v: Everything has its cause and effect [smirk emoji][smirk emoji][smirk emoji]

Wool: Hahahaha, sis, stop smiling, I’m scared [crying-laughing emoji]

Fruit Candy: Finally understand why Huamao Technology hasn’t even dared to ride the hype recently. Probably afraid their CEO will get sent in too [crying-laughing emoji]

Oh-oh-oh-oh: Heard there’s still some creep harassing sis—send him in too!!!

Hee-hee-hee-hee: Recently obsessed with the drama, sis is truly in a league of her own when it comes to fight scenes [tearful emoji]

Hesitant to Speak: Sis deserves a Best Actress award!!!

Charcoal Grill: Shoot more dramas—the domestic entertainment industry really can’t do without sis [tearful emoji]

Silent Love: This is the kind of presence a true female lead should have. No matter the other party’s status, just plow right through them!!!

Since the first trial concluded, Su Mi noticed that not only had her company’s stock risen, but sales of its products had also multiplied many times over. In this internet age, even momentary hype from netizens could bring substantial profits.

Regarding this, she didn’t hold the marketing department back—they should jump on the bandwagon when appropriate. Better that than letting Lin Yue benefit.

However, quality control had to be strict, especially for daily necessities. They couldn’t slack off on oversight just because sales increased.

The day after the second trial concluded, Heyuan Group’s stock hit a new low. However, she heard the male lead’s father, despite his illness, had returned to the company to take charge again.

But she also heard the female lead had been thrown out by the Qi family. The Qi family believed all this started because of the female lead—and without the male lead to protect her, they naturally vented their resentment on her. The female lead returned to the Liu family, and according to Zhao Yun, she hadn’t eaten for a full day.

If some people insist on seeking hardship and suffering, who can they blame? The female lead probably still thinks it’s all her own fault—otherwise, the male lead wouldn’t be in jail. That’s just how people with warped thinking are. Would being a wealthy woman really kill her? She insists on finding suffering for herself—even the Su family relatives aren’t as extreme as her.

Taking advantage of the recent surge in both reputation and popularity, the drama’s ratings also hit a new high. She took the opportunity to join a new production team. The professor was also brought along to tutor her on set, though her financial management talent points still needed a bit more to reach one hundred.

Triggering tasks wasn’t easy now. Actually, she wanted to convert to other skills—mainly because her luck points weren’t sufficient. Otherwise, she’d have more safeguards in case of danger.

Why say that? Because with the male lead’s character, how could he not seek revenge after getting out? After all, she’d made him suffer such a huge loss. He probably wants me dead. So, she must learn more skills to be safer.

If one lacks long-term plans, they will have immediate worries. When danger comes, it’ll be too late to cram.

So even after joining the production team, she didn’t slack off on her daily training—she even added an extra half hour. It’s just that Li Yi kept having his old injury flare up. The other coaches the butler hired for her felt mediocre; they weren’t great as sparring partners either. She even had to hold back to avoid injuring them. It was better to just practice alone against the sandbag.

During the day, she had to act in scenes where her character was bullied by classmates. To generate exposure for the drama, Sister Zhou had specially invited several media outlets to visit the set. They just seemed hesitant and afraid to ask.

“Why did you choose to take on such a role?” one reporter boldly asked.

Su Mi held several microphones while looking at the camera. “This role is very challenging. I see reflections of many people in her—including myself. So, I want to tell more people that when facing unfair treatment, you must dare to resist. Life doesn’t give second chances. Don’t wait until the future to regret past endurance.”

“Have you also been bullied by classmates?” another reporter asked curiously.

Su Mi smiled slightly. “That term covers a broad range. I believe everyone encounters people who bully the weak and fear the strong in life. There have been many such people around me—but gradually, they all stopped making noise.”