Chen Siyan walked toward Song Xinya. He was so shocked that he lost his footing, stumbled forward, and fell with a thud, landing on both knees at Song Xinya’s feet.
Song Xinya said, “Rise, my loyal subject.”
Chen Siyan slipped smoothly into character. “Thank you for your mercy, Your Majesty. Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!”
After getting to his feet, Chen Siyan immediately dropped the act and returned to his stunned expression. He slapped the piece of paper down on Song Xinya’s desk.
“Teacher Song, take a look at this.”
When Song Xinya saw the words on the paper, she was shocked as well.
She had known for a long time that Zhao Yinian was a bad person, but she had never imagined Zhao Yinian could be this vile.
The paper contained information about Sheng Tianjun. It clearly stated that Sheng Tianjun had a prior conviction for rape.
So Zhao Yinian had known from the very beginning what kind of person Sheng Tianjun was. She had deliberately hidden the information and watched as Song Xinya walked step by step toward that rapist.
She had not merely stood by and watched. She had aided and abetted him.
Was Song Xinya angry?
Of course she was.
But what she wanted to do even more was—
Bring Zhao Yinian down! Drive Zhao Yinian out of the company!
Chen Siyan, a righteous man through and through, was furious. “This is too much! This is absolutely too much! Instead of being an upright person in the sunlight, she insists on becoming a filthy ghost lurking in the shadows! Her entire life is dark and despicable, her heart rotten, narrow-minded, and vicious—she’s a ghost!”
The angrier he became, the faster he walked. Clutching the paper, Chen Siyan headed toward Zhao Yinian’s office. “I’m going to confront her right now! I’ll expose her true colors!”
The colleagues in the lobby were astonished when they saw the fury on Chen Siyan’s face.
Although Chen Siyan and Zhao Yinian argued constantly, he had always maintained a carefree, playful attitude. It often seemed as though they were about to tear each other apart, but they had always preserved that final shred of civility. They had never truly exploded into a fierce confrontation.
This time was different.
With Chen Siyan looking ready to erupt, it seemed as if he was about to rip away that last layer of decorum.
The colleagues couldn’t help becoming curious.
“Manager Chen, what happened?”
“What’s written on that paper?”
“Who is it about? Why are you so angry?”
“Is it related to Teacher Song?”
The colleagues crowded around Chen Siyan and Song Xinya, stretching their necks to see what was written on the paper.
Some of them were genuinely concerned. Others simply wanted to watch the drama unfold.
When people heard that a woman had been sexually assaulted by a man, they always tended to associate it with scandal and salacious gossip.
Because Qin Yuhe had arrived in time, Sheng Tianjun had not succeeded in assaulting Song Xinya.
She could explain the situation to her colleagues and tell them exactly what had happened.
But what if they spread the story?
One person would tell ten, and ten would tell a hundred.
Once a secret was known by one person, soon thousands upon thousands would know it.
What was more, this was the age of social media. Information spread exponentially fast online.
She couldn’t explain the truth to every person who heard about the incident.
She didn’t even know every person who might hear about it.
After being embellished, exaggerated, and distorted by countless mouths, the story could easily become one in which she had actually been raped by Sheng Tianjun.
That would damage her reputation.
It would affect her life.
It would leave her carrying a terrible stigma.
Yes, a stigma.
“Why did Sheng Tianjun want to rape her and not someone else? It must be because there’s something wrong with her.”
“She wears skirts every day, showing off her calves. What a slut.”
“Why does she put on makeup every day? Why does she dress herself up so beautifully? Isn’t it just to seduce men?”
After condemning her, the gossip would inevitably turn to her husband, Qin Yuhe.
“A man as outstanding as President Qin—how could he have married a used-up piece of trash?”
“Whenever President Qin sleeps with her, does he ever wonder what other men did to her?”
“For President Qin’s sake, I recommend that he divorce Song Xinya immediately!”
“How has President Qin still not divorced that woman with such an immoral private life?”
“President Qin isn’t just blind—he’s blind in the heart, too!”
The rumors would grow louder and louder, and then the Qin Group’s stock price would begin to fall.
Song Xinya and Qin Yuhe’s relationship was already public. She was now Mrs. Qin. Every move she made represented not only herself but also affected the Qin Group’s business empire.
The fewer people who knew that Sheng Tianjun had attempted to rape her, the better.
Now, the company’s employees were all gathered around Chen Siyan, craning their necks to look at the paper.
With a sharp slap, Chen Siyan flipped the paper over, preventing anyone from seeing it.
The heat of his anger had finally cooled.
If he stormed into Zhao Yinian’s office right now and made a huge scene, he wouldn’t be helping Song Xinya. He would be harming her.
Actions couldn’t be driven by a burst of righteous passion alone. They required brains.
The colleagues hadn’t seen what was written on the paper, and they were all disappointed.
“Manager Chen, why won’t you let us see what’s on the paper?”
“If it’s something good, you should share it with everyone. If you can see it, so can we.”
“Don’t be so stingy. Everyone’s already gathered here. Turn it over and let us take a look.”
Chen Siyan said, “You’re so curious about everything. Why not be curious about when you’ll get promoted and strike it rich?”
“When you have free time, worry about your own lives. Have you paid off your credit-card installments? Have you paid off your mortgage? Have you met your work targets? Can you afford a meal with three dishes and soup? Are you willing to buy yourself clothes that cost more than five hundred yuan? Do you have ten thousand yuan in savings? Instead of thinking about how to live your own life, you spend all day worrying about other people’s business. No wonder your lives are so miserable!”
Everyone fell silent.
That hit a little too close to home.
One by one, they turned around and went back to work, no longer interested in spectating.
Song Xinya and Chen Siyan continued waiting for the right opportunity.
After work, Zhao Yinian picked up her bag and headed outside.
Song Xinya raised her phone to her ear and spoke loudly. “Hello, honey? I’m not coming home yet. I still have some work to finish, so I’ll need to stay another hour. Come pick me up at the company in an hour.”
“Okay, it’s a deal.”
After putting down the phone, Song Xinya saw Zhao Yinian pick up her bag—then turn around and come back.
One corner of Song Xinya’s mouth lifted.
The screen of the phone in her hand had been black the entire time. She hadn’t made the call at all.
An hour later, everyone in the company except Song Xinya and Chen Siyan had left.
The two exchanged a glance, stood up, and began to act. Together, they headed toward Zhao Yinian’s office.
At that moment, Zhao Yinian’s ears were practically standing upright as she listened carefully to the sounds coming from the company lobby.
An hour had passed. President Qin should be arriving soon, right?
She had originally planned to enjoy a lavish dinner that evening. But after hearing Song Xinya call Qin Yuhe and ask him to come pick her up at the company, Zhao Yinian had immediately turned around and returned.
Although she and Qin Yuhe worked in the same building, his whereabouts were unpredictable, and she rarely had a chance to run into him.
The security around the offices on the thirty-eighth floor was extremely tight. Forget entering his office—even getting onto the thirty-eighth floor was impossible for her.
For Zhao Yinian, seeing Qin Yuhe even once was like celebrating the New Year.
So when she heard that Qin Yuhe was coming to the eighth floor, Zhao Yinian immediately returned to her office and put on some makeup.
When Qin Yuhe arrived, she planned to walk out carrying some documents and pretend she was working overtime, creating the image of a dedicated employee who would give everything—even die—for the company.
Bosses all liked employees who worked themselves to the bone for the company. It might help her earn Qin Yuhe’s favor.
The thought of seeing Qin Yuhe filled Zhao Yinian with delight.
Suddenly, the door to her office was kicked open, and Song Xinya appeared in the doorway, tall and graceful, her expression cold.
Zhao Yinian stared at her in shock. “What are you doing here?”
Song Xinya said coldly, “I’m here to punish you!”
