Jian Jie clenched her fist and glanced at Qian Jia by reflex.

Qian Jia had a horrible look on her face and kept gesturing at Jian Jia for silence with her eyes.

However, Jian Jie summoned her courage and walked up to Chen Libin.

"I did it," she said.

"It's you!" Lin Xiaoman screamed before Chen Libin could speak. Standing up, she was ready to slap Jian Jie but Ji Weixi reacted quickly and caught her arm.

"Let me go! I'll kill her!" Lin Xiaoman struggled as if she was out of control.

Nonetheless, Jian Jie added, "Miss Lin, I do apologize as the culprit, but you must know that someone made me do it."

"Who is it!? Tell me, I'll kill her!"

Jian Jie looked at Qian Jia. "It's Miss Qian."

Lin Xiaoman looked at Qian Jia in disbelief, who was looking just a little fl.u.s.tered. Be that as it may, she got to her feet calmly and smiled. "Lady, I don't even know you. Please don't try to frame me."

"She approached me one day after work, looking for a moment when no one's around to pa.s.s me a bottle of lavender essence, telling me that she would give me money if I put some on Miss Lin's clothes." Jian Jie continued apologetically. "Miss Lin, I really didn't know that you're allergic to lavender, and I really needed the money… that's why… but it really was Qian Jia who forced me to do it!"

"Lady, mere casual words with no evidence could get you into prison." Qian Jia shot back with composure and no fl.u.s.tering at all. "I have been Xiaoman's manager ever since she started out as an artist, and you could I say I raised her from the start. Why would I hurt my own client? It wouldn't benefit me."

Lin Xiaoman nodded, convinced by her words. "That's right. Qian Jia has always been my best friend. There's no reason she would hurt me or force you to do such a thing."

On the other hand, Jian Jie was a little helpless since it was the first time that she was involved in such a scene. "Really… it really was Qian Jia who forced me to do it! She even blackmailed me, saying that she would tell my grandmother and give her a heart attack!"

Qian Jia sneered. "Lady, I don't even know you. How could I threaten you? And can you show some evidence?"

Jian Jie pointed at the security guard behind them. "Him! He knows! He heard it on the day you sought me out!"

The security guard was Huo Feng, and Ji Weixi had already prepared him for this before he entered.

Hence, he nodded. "Yes, I have definitely heard both of you talking about putting lavender oil on Miss Lin's clothes."

Qian Jia started clapping as soon as he said that, however, applauding them.

"What a magnificent performance," she said, and turned to Ji Weixi with a mocking look. "Miss Ji, I know that this was supposed to be your responsibility. You could have avoided admitting it and get President Li to back you since you are untouchable, but don't pick some random person to frame me, please!"

Mocking Ji Weixi in front of Li Shaoling face? Was she braver than a bear?

Still, Li Shaoling was smiling instead of getting infuriated. "My woman is untouchable, that's true."

He then paused, and shot a cold, sinister look at Qian Jia. "But nor should you mention her name with your stinking mouth."

Only he could use Ji Weixi's name, and no one else.

Qian Jia immediately choked, afraid to talk despite her anger.

Beside Li Shaoling, Ji Weixi was a little embarra.s.sed.

What was he saying?

Everyone's here, and he was declaring that she was his?!

Shameless! And who would want your backing!

That being said, Ji Weixi knew that Qian Jia would never admit her wrongdoing so easily, and as such got the truth out of Huo Feng before coming in.

Qian Jia was aware that Huo Feng knew about her deal with Jian Jie although Jian Jie had a.s.sumed otherwise. She had even bribed him, and had him delete the video footage of the day.

Qian Jia just did not expect that CBS surveillance systems had backup even in case of deletion, and Huo Feng had wisely given himself a way out.

And knowing that Qian Jie would never admit her guilt without evidence, Ji Weixi forthrightly told Lin Xiaoman, "Miss Lin. Please come with me to the control room and you would understand."

"Fine! We'll see what truth is!" Qian Jia exclaimed with a laugh of schadenfreude. "And would you be offering an explanation if it turns out to be not my fault?"

Ji Weixi smiled coolly. "Of course."

***

With Huo Feng leading them, they went to the security control room with Qian Jia laughing along the way.

Her laughter soon died when Huo Feng deftly showed the security footage on that day.

In the black-and-white video, Qian Jia was indeed shown talking to Jian Jie and pa.s.sing her a small bottle, and later Huo Feng whom she handed a check.

The truth could not be more obvious.

Qian Jia was left dumbstruck.

"H-how could this be?!" She exclaimed in rising agitation and pointed at Huo Feng. "But you deleted that in front of me! Why is it still here!?"

Slap—

Lin Xiaoman landed a vicious slap on her face. "Why would you do this, Qian Jia!? I never could have thought that it was you! You tried to kill my career, even when I treated you as a best friend!?"

Chen Libin was enraged too. "The gall! I never treated you unfairly, how could you do this to Xiaoman?!"

Qian Jia's face had gone askew from the slap, but she actually laughed as she held her aching cheek.

With things having come to this, she no longer had to pretend.

Her laugh soon stopped, and she glared at Lin Xiaoman hatefully.

"Yes, I did it. But don't you think you deserve it, Lin Xiaoman? Why am I a manager in the first place? Because you forced me!"

"I was supposed to make my debut too, but you went behind me and sent me all wrapped up to the higher ups, who toyed with me like a pet! In the end? All my sacrifices made you what you are now, and you even feigned sympathy and have me be your manager. Do you know how much I hate you? You destroyed my life!"

"Don't you know how much I want to strangle you when I saw how popular you've become!?"

Qian Jia grew in agitation even as she spoke, even attempted to strangle Lin Xiaoman—only to be kicked to the floor by Chen Libin.

"You're no longer her manager!" He roared at her, before turning to Li Shaoling with an apologetic smile. "President Li, I'm really sorry…"

Li Shaoling merely shot him a look of disdain and coldly cut him short. "Get lost."

Brus.h.i.+ng off her tears, Chen Libin held Lin Xiaoman in his arms as they left.

But unbeknownst to all and at an angle where no one could see, she was smiling as if she had gotten what she wanted.

After they were gone, Huo Feng chased out Qian Jia, who had been bawling crazily at the control room.

With Jian Jie having apologized but also becoming paler, Ji Weixi got Li Shaoling to have someone escorting her back to Ocean City, since the old lady must be worrying about her back home.

Ji Weixi breathed a long sigh of relief with the whole incident finally coming to an end, but just as she was about to call Tian Miaomiao and tell her the good news, Li Shaoling's phone rang.

"Shaoling, I've arrived. Come fetch me!"

Li Shaoling's lips curled into a smile. "Okay."

Ji Weixi could hear it clearly: that was a woman's voice, as tender as it was feminine.