Chapter 593: Chapter 593: Shifting the Target of Attack

Lin Zhiyi was not surprised by Bai Ruoshu’s response.

Bai Ruoshu wasn’t someone who could be easily manipulated. When her design was publicly criticized, she must have realized that she was being targeted.

The first thing she needed to do was to shift the target of attack.

Liao Yi was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.

“Zhiyi, what should we do now? Should we clarify things online?”

“Clarify what? That Bai Ruoshu had ulterior motives when she saved me?” Lin Zhiyi retorted.

“But we can’t just let her talk nonsense, right? If she was willing to save you, why does she sound so aggrieved?”

Liao Yi pointed indignantly to Bai Ruoshu’s response.

Lin Zhiyi stared at it for a few seconds, vaguely feeling that this matter wasn’t over.

Sure enough.

Before she could even comfort Liao Yi to calm down, another bombshell dropped online.

It was a surveillance video.

The video showed Lin Zhiyi forcefully pushing away the Bai mother and daughter while protecting Liu He in the hospital.

The surveillance was out of context, not showing what happened before or after.

It only captured the segment where Lin Zhiyi forcefully bumped into Bai Ruoshu.

If the surveillance had rewound thirty seconds, it would show that Yang Jingwei and Bai Ruoshu were cooperating, pretending to twist an ankle to push the pregnant Liu He.

Lin Zhiyi, pushing the weight of two people alone, naturally used all her strength.

Now, after the selective editing, she appeared to be the vicious villain instead.

“What a venomous ugly woman, knowing Miss Bai was injured and still bumping into her like that, clearly intentional!”

“Bitch! I’ve never tolerated women scheming against each other like this! They’re simply degrading our women!”

“You better stay hidden behind those men’s legs for life, otherwise the next time you show up, we’ll beat you up again!”

Liao Yi’s eyes widened as the comments grew increasingly outrageous.

“How can these people make such wild accusations? It’s completely off-topic; they’re just venting their anger now.”

Now is a time of societal restlessness, with a belief in freedom of speech.

People often think venting in the comments section is no big deal.

But each word is as sharp as a knife.

Liao Yi was so angry that she wanted to jump into the phone and fight with those people.

Lin Zhiyi reached for her phone: “Stop looking; it’s all interconnected. Clearly, Bai Ruoshu was prepared, and this is just the beginning.”

Liao Yi took a deep breath: “Zhiyi, are you really not worried?”

“Worried, but think about it—if they have evidence, why not just release it all at once to nail me but release it piece by piece?” Lin Zhiyi countered.

“This…” Liao Yi scratched her head, realizing something, “It’s like a publicity stunt! It’s similar to celebrities in the entertainment industry, keeping the audience in suspense, then using it to gain traffic.”

“Exactly.”

Lin Zhiyi nodded.

She continued, “If I respond to everything, wouldn’t that just be playing into Bai Ruoshu’s hands?”

“Her jewelry design didn’t go well this time, affecting her art gallery’s interests, and she desperately needs an excuse. Once I respond, the public focus will shift to me.”

“Besides, who knows what other evidence she may have against me? It’s better to see what more she comes up with.”

Lin Zhiyi didn’t want to fall into the trap of self-justification.

So she decided to play it cool and let Bai Ruoshu have her moment of triumph.

The bigger the hype, the more traffic it generates, but let’s see if Bai Ruoshu can handle it.

Lin Zhiyi took Liao Yi to have breakfast in the dining room, where the aunt was serving food to Xingxing.

“Xingxing did great today, helping me make some small wontons.”

The aunt liked Xingxing very much, knowing that Xingxing had undergone major surgery, and was very particular about food.

She tirelessly tried different ways to prepare meals for Xingxing.

All to ensure Xingxing eats more and recovers soon.

Lin Zhiyi felt gratified and invited the aunt to join them for breakfast.

As they ate, the aunt comforted, “Miss Lin, don’t mind the online comments. People these days are quick to anger and often speak without thinking. Don’t take it to heart.”

Unexpectedly, even the aunt knew about it.

“Don’t worry, I understand.”

Lin Zhiyi had a good appetite and ate quite a bit.

Just then, her phone chimed.

Liao Yi was more anxious than Lin Zhiyi and eagerly leaned over, “What is it now?”

Lin Zhiyi opened her phone and said in a daze, “It’s a response from President Xue.”

Liao Yi glanced at it suspiciously, and her anger flared up.

“What does she mean by being more convinced of her choice? Is choosing you a mistake? She was stepped on by her ex-husband and his wife, and now she wants to step on you? This is outrageous!”

Lin Zhiyi poured her a cup of water.

“The studio is everything to Xue Man. She can’t step down, so someone must take the fall for this new product mistake, and she can only protect Bai Ruoshu.”

“What, is her drinking problem your fault too? Are you still defending her?” Liao Yi fumed.

Lin Zhiyi looked at the cold text on her phone.

“This is the last time, just consider it a repayment for the rejuvenation she gave me over the past three-plus years.”

After saying this, she was about to put down her phone when she received a call from Gong Chen.

After answering, she heard the man’s low voice.

“Have you eaten?”

“Yes, a bowl of wontons, two pieces of cake,” Lin Zhiyi replied.

“Your appetite is so good; I guess the online stuff isn’t affecting you much.”

“It was bound to happen sooner or later, but you better find a way to suppress any photos of us together. What if someone recognizes you?” Lin Zhiyi reminded him.

There was silence on the other end of the phone.

Lin Zhiyi thought the call had dropped and checked her phone.

“Third Young Master? What’s wrong?”

“Would it be bad to be recognized? I wish I were recognized,” Gong Chen’s voice deepened, unhappy.

Lin Zhiyi knew what he was thinking.

The two women around Gong Chen both met unfortunate ends, yet no one called him unlucky for women.

Instead, many said Song Wanqiu and Sang Ran were unfortunate.

They even labeled him as the most eligible golden bachelor in Jing City.

As soon as this label appeared, Gong Chen wiped it out completely.

No matter how much he hated Song Wanqiu and Sang Ran, he didn’t want to use women to build a golden bachelor image for himself.

But this approach only attracted more women who threw themselves at him.

He often wanted to make it known that he had someone he loved.

But he was always stopped by Lin Zhiyi.

“Xingxing needs half a year to recover. If we go public, many people will dig into Xingxing’s identity, and I don’t want any more mishaps.”

She had already lost Xingxing once and could not go through it again.

The pain was like seeing everything in shades of gray.

Even the flames on the day of self-immolation seemed grayish.

Gong Chen also cared about their daughter’s health and didn’t make things difficult for Lin Zhiyi on this matter.

“I understand.”

Lin Zhiyi got back to the point: “Why did Bai Ruoshu suddenly turn against me? What does she want?”

Gong Chen’s voice turned chilly: “Either I admit the man in the photos is me, or I ask her to clarify the injury situation for you.”

Admitting it was impossible, whether for Xingxing’s sake or due to the Gong family’s internal strife.

Now was not the right time.

Ye Feifei had already gone mad, and the evidence in Lin Zhiyi’s hands wasn’t enough to directly prove Bai Ruoshu’s self-directed drama.

So the only option was to ask Bai Ruoshu.

Lin Zhiyi suddenly realized: “One goal is to divert the attention of the netizens, and the other is to get you to owe her another favor. This way, not only can you help her resolve the doubts about her work, but she can also maintain her father’s collaborative advantages with you.”

Furthermore, by claiming to save someone, she could gain significant online traffic.