CHAPTER 113: CHAPTER 113; FIRST STEP IN REVENGE (A)

"We have exactly two hours and seventeen minutes before we face the vultures. Here’s the situation, and it’s not pretty."

She clicked a remote, and a presentation materialized on the wall screen, graphs and charts that looked like a heart monitor flatlining.

"Current public sentiment: seventy-three percent hostile, twenty percent neutral, seven percent sympathetic. And that hostile camp? They’re split between people who want you in prison and people who think you’re the devil incarnate for destroying an innocent woman."

Lu Zeyan felt his stomach drop, but Wang Jing wasn’t done.

"The photos of you with Lin Yueling?" She clicked to the next slide, the leaked images that were probably burning through social media right now. "Those turned this from ’maybe he made a mistake’ into ’this man is a pattern predator.’ You destroyed one sister and immediately moved to the next. It’s like a bad soap opera, except it’s your actual life."

"I didn’t..." Lu Zeyan started, but Wang Jing steamrolled right over him.

"Doesn’t matter what you actually did," she said, her voice sharp enough to cut glass. "Reality is dead. Perception is king. And right now, the entire country perceives you as a sociopath who ruins women for personal gain. That’s what we’re working with."

One of the assistants, a young guy who looked like he’d rather be literally anywhere else, raised his hand tentatively. "So... how do we fix that?"

"We lie," Wang Jing said flatly. "Well, not lie exactly. We... creatively reinterpret events. We craft a counter-narrative so compelling that people want to believe it. Because humans? They love redemption stories. They want to believe people can change, can be better, can have good intentions even when everything looks bad."

She clicked on a timeline on the screen. "Here’s our new truth: Lu Zeyan believed the evidence against Shuyin because it was presented convincingly. He was deceived, just like everyone else. But unlike everyone else, he started having doubts. Started asking questions. Started a private investigation."

"Private investigation," the assistant muttered, typing frantically. "Who conducted it? When did it start? What did they find?"

"Doesn’t matter," Wang Jing said with a dismissive wave. "We keep it vague. Legal consultants. Independent investigators. People who prefer to remain anonymous for professional reasons. The point isn’t the details, the point is positioning Lu Zeyan as someone who questioned the system, who fought for truth, who’s basically a goddamn hero for exposing this miscarriage of justice."

Lu Zeyan’s head jerked up so fast he almost gave himself whiplash. "Wait. Are we claiming I released the evidence?"

"Not directly," Wang Jing said, a predatory smile crossing her face. "But we’re implying, very, very strongly, that your private investigation created the foundation for everything coming to light. That without your tireless work behind the scenes, Shuyin would still be rotting in prison. You become the hero of the story instead of the villain."

"That’s..." Lu Zeyan struggled to find words. "That’s actually brilliant."

"I know," Wang Jing said without a shred of false modesty. "I’m very expensive for a reason."

She turned her laser focus to Shuyin, who’d been sitting quietly by the window like some ethereal ghost observing the chaos of the living world. Those jade eyes tracked everything, missing nothing, revealing even less.

"Now, the Lin Yueling problem," Wang Jing said, and Shuyin’s attention sharpened. "This is where you save us all. You’re going to defend her."

"Defend her?" Shuyin’s voice was soft, questioning. Not resistant, just... curious.

"With compassion. With understanding. With that particular brand of forgiveness that makes people cry into their keyboards." Wang Jing was already painting the narrative, you could see it happening behind her eyes. "The story goes like this: Yueling is your half-sister. You love her, you’ve always loved her, despite everything. She didn’t betray you, she just... fell in love with the wrong man at the wrong time. After you were already convicted, after everyone believed you were guilty. She’s not a villain, she’s just another victim of circumstances."

Shuyin nodded slowly, and something about the way she did it made Lu Zeyan’s skin prickle. Too calculated. Too perfect.

"I can do that," she said.

"You’ll need to sell it," Wang Jing warned, moving closer like she was studying a specimen under glass. "People will be watching for cracks. For any hint that you’re lying or being coerced. You need to look like you genuinely forgive her, even though she’s carrying your ex-fiancé’s baby. Can you do that?"

"Yueling is my sister," Shuyin said, and her voice broke just slightly, just enough to sound real. "I don’t want her destroyed by this. I want her to have a chance to be happy, even if that happiness... isn’t with me."

Wang Jing studied her for another long moment, then smiled. Actually smiled. "You’re good. Really good. Okay, we can work with this."

She whirled back to Lu Zeyan, and her expression went from pleased to stern in a heartbeat. "You, on the other hand, need to show remorse. Not the corporate ’we regret any inconvenience’ bullshit. Real, human, ugly remorse. You failed Shuyin. You didn’t fight hard enough. You let an innocent woman go to prison while you lived your comfortable life. Own it."

"But if I admit...." Lu Zeyan felt panic rising in his chest.

"You’re not admitting criminal culpability," Wang Jing interrupted, her voice sharp. "You’re admitting human failure. There’s a world of difference. You trusted the wrong people. You believed convincing lies. You didn’t ask enough questions. That makes you guilty of negligence, not conspiracy. And negligence? We can spin negligence into tragedy. Into a learning moment. Into a man who’s committed to being better."

She pulled up another slide, key phrases in bold text. "These are your mantras for today: ’I failed her.’ ’I should have fought harder.’ ’I let the system fail both of us.’ ’I’m committed to making this right.’ You say them until they feel true. Until people believe them. Until you believe them. I hope you are understanding..."