Chapter 504: Chapter 504: You Still Haven’t Figured Out How to Live

Lin Zhiyi and Gong Chen stood not far away watching the scene.

In the end, Zhao Xuan was taken away by an ambulance, and her usually close colleagues didn’t dare to accompany her.

Finally, it was Xue Man who suggested Bai Ruoshu go to check on her.

The colleagues finally breathed a sigh of relief.

But Lin Zhiyi’s face tightened slightly; Xue Man wasn’t worried about Zhao Xuan.

She wanted Zhao Xuan to keep her mouth shut.

Seeing this, Lin Zhiyi sighed.

“Understood? What are you planning to do?” Gong Chen asked.

Lin Zhiyi pressed her lips: “It seems Zhao Xuan is done for, but… they should be fine.”

“Hmm.”

Gong Chen lowered his eyes to look at her, seemingly waiting for her next words.

Lin Zhiyi hesitated for a moment, then slowly said, “Let me think about it.”

“Alright.”

Gong Chen didn’t force her to accept the fact that she had been betrayed by her once good mentor and friend.

As he said, everything in the arena of fame changes.

But Lin Zhiyi wanted a reason.

Xue Man walked out of the hall, staring at the shattered works on the ground at the door in a daze.

It wasn’t until then that she noticed Lin Zhiyi and Gong Chen a few steps away.

She paused, her face as pale as her white cashmere suit.

Lin Zhiyi said to Gong Chen, “I’ll go in first. I’ll keep a close eye on Ji Nian Jewelry.”

Gong Chen didn’t mind Xue Man’s presence and gave her hand a squeeze.

“See you later.”

After watching him leave, Lin Zhiyi approached Xue Man.

Xue Man took a deep breath, turned, and said, “Come to the office with me.”

Lin Zhiyi followed Xue Man into the luxurious office.

Xue Man supported herself on the desk for a while.

Then she reached out to open the nearby liquor cabinet, took out a very expensive foreign wine, poured a glass, and drank it down in one gulp.

Lin Zhiyi only now noticed that this cabinet used to hold many fashion magazines.

But now it had turned into a liquor cabinet; originally, through the glass door, she thought it was decorations.

Now she realized it was full of genuine alcohol, most of which had been drunk.

When she came back to her senses, Xue Man had already poured three glasses, her face showing a tipsy flush.

She remembered that Xue Man used to rarely drink, thinking that drinking too much could delay matters.

How come…

Xue Man swirled her wine glass, sneering, “Zhiyi, you knew someone would mess with your design a long time ago?”

“Yes.” Lin Zhiyi nodded.

“You let it happen, just waiting for this moment, right? You even kept it from me.”

Lin Zhiyi looked at her seriously, “Because I didn’t know who it was, I didn’t want to implicate you, but I didn’t expect the one who ultimately hurt me would be you.”

Xue Man’s raised wine glass paused, taking a long time before she slowly spoke.

“Do you know a new jewelry brand that’s appeared in Jing City in the past two years? Called Huan Yu.”

“I’ve heard of it. The designs are quite in line with public taste, sales are good.” Lin Zhiyi replied.

“Doesn’t it feel familiar?” Xue Man asked in return.

Lin Zhiyi was momentarily stunned, having a guess in her heart.

“Chen Huan and your ex-husband?”

“Yes, they have a child now, named Yu. Huan Yu, Huan Yu, seems to mock my half-life.” Xue Man chuckled.

“…”

Lin Zhiyi listened silently.

Xue Man sat in her status-representing seat, swirling the glass in her hand.

“Who doesn’t want to see their ex-husband fail miserably, and the mistress fall from grace? But in reality? The whole concept of Huan Yu was the idea I once shared with him, yet now I’m suffocated by a studio that looks like a small workshop.”

“Why? Huan Yu is no match for your studio.” Lin Zhiyi refuted.

“Take a good look.”

Xue Man said and started drinking again.

Lin Zhiyi used her phone to look up Huan Yu’s website.

Upon opening it, the tone and taste were almost identical to Xue Man’s studio, but the prices were very affordable.

The popular designs inside also seemed very familiar.

The recent works looked more and more familiar.

Lin Zhiyi zoomed in and noticed the detail, realizing Huan Yu was essentially following a high-imitation route.

Aside from the logos and materials being somewhat different, it almost seemed like they were modeled after Xue Man’s work.

There’s no need to guess that Xue Man’s ex-husband was the culprit.

Xue Man put down the wine glass: “I once poured my heart into him, only to end up with this outcome, where he uses such malicious means to plagiarize everything of mine!”

“So what?”

Lin Zhiyi put down her phone and looked seriously at Xue Man.

Xue Man said, “I can’t lose.”

“Using me as cannon fodder? Without me, would you win? Wouldn’t that negate all of your efforts over the past three years?”

“Zhiyi, you’re still so serious. You’ve gained the favor and attention of Third Young Master, isn’t that enough? Are you expecting him to marry you? Isn’t it true that being a mistress in Jing City is quite respectable? You’re still not seeing the reality clearly.”

Xue Man stared at Lin Zhiyi, a hint of displeasure in her eyes.

Lin Zhiyi said nothing, just gazing at the woman she once admired.

“President Xue, why can’t you tolerate your ex-husband’s mistress? If you ask kindly, for the sake of benefits, he might stay by your side.”

“It’s… different!”

“Different how? Because you look down on me as well, thinking I’m only fit to be a mistress, so you attributed my designs to Zhao Xuan, right? Wasn’t this Bai Ruoshu’s idea? To turn Zhao Xuan into a poisonous needle aimed at me, then destroy the needle without a trace.”

Lin Zhiyi directly pierced through the layer of unsaid truths between them.

Xue Man gritted her teeth.

“Lin Zhiyi! Stop talking! With all you’ve said, do you have proof? Who can you convict? Don’t forget, this is my studio! You’re just my employee!”

“President Xue, I’ll make sure to work hard at this charity gala, thank you for your past care.”

Lin Zhiyi originally thought Xue Man had her reasons.

But after hearing all this, she knew it was all just for fame and gain.

“I’ll be going now.”

“Zhiyi…”

Xue Man came back to her senses, got up wanting to chase after Lin Zhiyi, but only saw the closed door.

She supported herself on the desk, looking at the full cabinet of liquor, then at her trembling hand.

After what seemed like a long time, the assistant rushed in.

“President Xue, bad news. Your ex-husband’s studio suddenly released several pieces of jewelry, all of which are the ones you prepared to make as new products a few days ago. What should we do now?”

“Impossible! Those pieces of jewelry only I knew about!”

Xue Man frantically opened the computer, clicked on her ex-husband’s studio’s website, about to view the latest jewelry.

How could this be?

In a daze, the phone on the table rang.

She hurriedly answered, the man’s voice on the other end harshly cold.

“How does it feel to have your own things taken away?”

“Third, Third Young Master, is it you?”

“Yes, did you really think that harming my people wouldn’t require a price? Xue Man, you sided with the wrong player this time.”

“Third Young Master, I beg you to have mercy.” Xue Man’s voice trembled.

“President Xue, the Ji Nian Jewelry of Gong Group should not have any more issues this time, right?”

“Absolutely not! I guarantee it!”

“Very good.”

Beep beep beep…

Gong Chen hung up the phone.