CHAPTER 289: CHAPTER 290: REAPING THE BENEFITS OF THE QI PEOPLE’S WORK

"Who do you think you’re fooling, saying it has nothing to do with you? One moment you lured me into the forest by hook or by crook, and the next, an assassin popped up—it’s clear as day that you hired someone to murder me!"

Shi Mei’s voice was loud and resolute.

Tang Gu panicked and shouted loudly, "If I had the guts, I wouldn’t have the money! Plus, what deep grudge do I have against you to warrant killing you? At most, I’d lock you up to stop you from competing in the fourth round!"

Shi Mei scoffed derisively, "You think I’d believe that? As if such coincidences exist in the world!"

Tang Gu grew even more anxious, "It wasn’t me—it had to be Bai Yuejie. She’s the one who made me lure you into the forest. All those things I told you, about platonic love, about my attraction to Tang Wu being merely carnal, she instructed me to say all that. I was just following her orders!"

Once his words fell, a heavier feeling settled in Shi Mei’s heart.

Even though she had anticipated as much, hearing it firsthand still made her involuntarily admire Bai Yuejie’s cunning and manipulative ways.

Seeing that Shi Mei remained silent, Tang Gu became even more frantic, "The assassin must’ve been called by her, too..." He seemed to realize something suddenly, his face changing color, "That day, it was me who led you there, then the killer came to murder you, and now she has made me the scapegoat..."

As he spoke, Tang Gu’s complexion fell, "No wonder she wouldn’t answer my calls. She planned to use me as a pawn all along! She wanted you to think I wanted you dead, and now, as you start your vengeance against me, she turns a blind eye, resolutely determined to throw me under the bus!"

Shi Mei’s eyes gleamed with sharpness, barely containing her laughter.

Such a rich imagination; indeed, with just a slight nudge, Tang Gu’s already wavering conviction crumbled.

Frowning, Shi Mei said, "How could that be? She’s so kind, so gentle..."

"Bullshit!" Tang Gu roared, "You only see her kindness, her gentleness; you have no idea what she’s really like behind closed doors. To get close to Mr. Shi, she schemed to approach his foolish wife, just so Mr. Shi would notice her. And the songs she’s released over the years—most of them were unfinished works by Tang Wu, which she altered to fit her own style and then shot to fame. Do you think Baiyue Media rose to success by chance? Bai Yuejie is very deceptive behind her perfect exterior!"

Shi Mei’s face showed shock, "How could that be? You must be slandering her!"

"Heh, do I even need to slander her?" Tang Gu sneered, "Why do you think she created someone like me? Not just because I look like Tang Wu, but also because my voice is somewhat similar to hers. She wants to use me to get close to Mr. Shi, to ensure my debut as Little Tang Wu would sabotage Mr. Shi and his foolish wife’s marriage, so it would collapse, giving her a chance to step in!"

Shi Mei really wanted to applaud her, yet she still retorted, "But weren’t they already involved?"

"I don’t know about their affair, but they definitely have no formal relationship," Tang Gu asserted with conviction, "According to Bai Yuejie herself, Mr. Shi has been discreetly dating her for years to protect her reputation. Such noble, unsullied love is supposedly true love, pfft, it’s actually only because her own health issues mean Mr. Shi never intended to marry her. Think about it, what’s the point for a vigorous young man to marry a wife he can’t even touch? That’s where Mr. Shi is particularly smart—keeping both Tang Wu and Bai Yuejie on the hook, one for the body and the other for the mind. Ha, enjoying the best of both worlds indeed!"