"It's just hypnosis, you don't need to be so nervous," Lu Shiyan shrugged indifferently. "You've told us all the truth. You not only used a borrowed knife to kill, but you also killed Cheng Zhiyuan. Congratulations, you'll have to pay for your actions."
Ye Qingning felt as if she had been struck by lightning. She sat on the ground blankly.
"How can you do this to me? What you're doing is illegal..." Ye Qingning was furious. The thought of them hypnotizing her and forcing her to tell the truth made her want to kill them all.
"We have to use extreme methods to deal with a venomous woman like you." Lin Xingwan looked at Ye Qingning's still arrogant demeanor, walked up to her, and slapped her twice. "Even now, you're still stubborn. Just wait to rot in prison."
The crisp sound of the slaps shattered Ye Qingning's dignity and trampled all her pride underfoot.
Lin Xingwan looked at Ye Qingning, who had collapsed on the ground, with a look of disgust and disdain.
When she first met her, she had her own radiance.
But how had she become like this now?
"Rot in prison? Haha, do you think that's possible? No matter how bad our Ye family is, it's more than enough to save me. Lin Xingwan, I haven't lost. You can't do anything to me."
Ye Qingning laughed heartily after saying that, but the next moment, what Dongfang Junze said froze Ye Qingning's laughter on her face.
"That's a real shame. Now, your family members who should be in prison are in prison, and those who should be dismissed are dismissed. They're all too busy to care about you. Especially your parents, you know better than us what they've been doing all these years."
Dongfang Junze's voice was neither hurried nor slow, but every word he spoke had the power to make Ye Qingning's heart tremble with fear.
"I don't believe you, you're talking nonsense... I don't believe you..."
Ye Qingning shook her head frantically. If her last resort was gone, what was the point of her living?
Dongfang Junze sneered and said nothing more.
Ye Qingning's expression grew more and more serious and fearful.
The Ye family was nothing in Dongfang Junze's eyes.
It was as easy for Dongfang Junze to destroy the Ye family as it was to crush an ant.
She was only in her twenties. If she spent her whole life in prison, it would be no different from being dead.
No!
She absolutely could not go to jail.
Thinking of this, Ye Qingning, who would rather die with fragrance on her branches, suddenly softened her tone. "Mr. Dongfang, I was wrong, I really know I was wrong. You are magnanimous, spare our Ye family, spare me, okay? Our Ye family will follow your lead in the future and be your most loyal dogs. Please let us go, okay? I'll kowtow to you, I really know I was wrong..."
Ye Qingning looked pitifully at the man standing in front of her. Although most of his emotions were hidden by the mask, the majestic aura of a ruler emanating from him still made Ye Qingning feel a lingering fear.
"There are plenty of people who want to be my dogs. What are you? But since you want to be one so badly, then bark a few times for me to hear." Zhou Jinbai looked at the woman crying her eyes out with a cold and indifferent demeanor.
Ye Qingning stared blankly at Dongfang Junze, her eyes filled with terror because of the man's insulting words.
She quickly shifted her gaze to Lin Xingwan, her eyes now filled with guilt and self-reproach. "Lin Xingwan, please speak up for me, okay? I became like this today because I was too jealous of you. I apologize to you, I'm sorry, please give me a chance to atone."
As Ye Qingning spoke, she raised her hands and slapped herself. The crisp sound of the slaps felt painful even to others.
"An apology requires an attitude. Didn't you hear what Mr. Dongfang just said? Bark a couple of times."
Lin Xingwan felt no sympathy for Ye Qingning. She had tried to kill her. If she were to be lenient with her now, it wouldn't be kindness, but stupidity.
Ye Qingning clenched her clothes tightly, biting her lip.
Her suppressed appearance made it seem as if Lin Xingwan and the others were forcing her into prostitution.
Ye Qingning didn't want to bark, but now she had no choice.
"Woof... Woof woof woof..." After Ye Qingning barked, her face turned red.
She had never suffered such humiliation in her life. In her heart, she had already torn Lin Xingwan into pieces.
But she could only comfort herself, "If the green hills are still there, there will be no lack of firewood." When she got out, she would get revenge for today's humiliation.
"Why are you barking so softly? Did you not get any bones?"
Lin Xingwan's eyes held a sharp glint. At this moment, she was no longer the hesitant and helpless woman she once was. The aura of a decisive queen was beginning to take shape within her.
Even those standing beside Lin Xingwan couldn't help but secretly give a thumbs-up to Lin Xingwan's actions.
This was incredible!
Ye Qingning's hands clenched tighter, her long fingernails digging into her flesh without feeling pain. "Woof woof woof woof woof..."
This time, she barked louder and more clearly.
"Why are you barking so loudly? Do you think I'm deaf? I don't need a dog like you. Anyone who likes you can take you. I'm not interested."
After Lin Xingwan finished speaking, she walked out.
"Did you hear that? Even if you want to be a dog, they don't want you." Lu Shiyan whistled. "The people in prison love to beat dogs. You'd better be careful."
After saying that, Lu Shiyan also left.
Although Chen Yuchu said nothing, the disdain in her eyes made Ye Qingning feel even more uncomfortable than if she had said harsh words.
It was as if she were a maggot in a latrine.
"You go out first," Zhou Jinbai said to Chen Yuchu.
Chen Yuchu nodded and left the room.
Ye Qingning looked at Dongfang Junze standing in front of her. For some reason, she felt that this man exuded a dangerous aura.
"Ye Qingning." Dongfang Junze's cold voice fell from above Ye Qingning's head. Ye Qingning felt all the warmth drain from her body, and her blood seemed to freeze.
"Mr. Dongfang, please spare me, okay? I beg you, I'll kowtow to you. I was blinded by greed. As long as you nod, I'm willing to give you everything the Ye family has. I'm still young, and I don't want to go to jail." Ye Qingning thought Dongfang Junze had stayed to give her a glimmer of hope. She crawled to the man's feet, reverently caressed his shiny black leather shoes with her hands, and pressed her forehead against his shoes. When she tried to kiss the tip of Zhou Jinbai's shoe in the most humble way, she was ruthlessly kicked away.
"Spare you? How ridiculous. You've tried to kill my wife multiple times. Do you think I'll let you go?" As Zhou Jinbai spoke, he removed the mask he was wearing.
Ye Qingning's eyes widened to their limit, her eyeballs seeming as if they would fall out of their sockets at any moment.
Her mouth remained open due to extreme shock.
"Zhou... Zhou Jinbai... How... How could you be Dongfang Junze..." Ye Qingning was struck by lightning. She had never imagined that the useless man beside Lin Xingwan would turn out to be Dongfang Junze!
She had always thought that becoming Cheng Yanzhe's fiancée, even if Cheng Yanzhe didn't like her, she was still better than Lin Xingwan. At least her fiancé was a world-renowned violinist.
Lin Xingwan's useless husband was not presentable at all!
But now Ye Qingning realized how absurd and ridiculous her thoughts were.
"No wonder... no wonder... Hahaha... I kept wondering why I lost to Lin Xingwan time and time again. So that's why."
Ye Qingning said this while laughing wildly, tears streaming down her face.
She had always thought she could win against Lin Xingwan, but at this moment, all her confidence was shattered.
She had never won against Lin Xingwan. She had lost completely and utterly!
But why!
Why was Lin Xingwan so charming?
Why!
Zhou Jinbai said coldly, "Ye Qingning, do you know why I wanted you to see my true face?"
Ye Qingning didn't want to know, but she felt her body stiffen. She couldn't even perform the simple action of shaking her head.
"So that you can... die... with... peace!"
After saying that, Zhou Jinbai put the mask back on and walked out.
It wasn't until the man had been gone for a long time that Ye Qingning slowly recovered from her extreme fear.
Her body trembled uncontrollably. The words Zhou Jinbai had said before leaving meant she was going to die!
If she didn't die, this man would find countless ways to kill her!
"Lin Xingwan, you bitch, I won't let you go even as a ghost!"
Ye Qingning screamed hysterically towards the door, revealing her most malicious side without any restraint.
"I will curse you with my soul. May you live in torment every day from now on, never find happiness, be plagued by illness, and go to the eighteenth level of hell."
Ye Qingning knew she had no chance of turning things around. After saying that, she ran headfirst into the wall.
The intense pain in her head made her consciousness blur.
As she fainted, she saw a strange woman in a police uniform give her a sinister smile.
That night, the internet was filled with reports about Lawrence and Ye Qingning.
Over the years, Lawrence's bribery of judges, bullying the weak, and decadent private life were all exposed online.
Especially when the news of Lawrence having a venereal disease broke out, many female celebrities began to panic.
Ye Qingning was expelled from the International Ballet Association, and countless netizens condemned her for her ruthlessness.
The Ye family was exposed for corruption and bribery, and embezzlement of public funds. Ye Qingning's parents were both imprisoned, and the Ye family went bankrupt overnight.
The author of "Royal Court" admitted to plagiarism, and all websites removed the book. The investment and filming of the movie "Royal Court" were all withdrawn by sponsors due to Lawrence's actions, and Lawrence had to pay a huge amount of liquidated damages.
"Miracle," produced by Top Entertainment, saw its popularity soar. Countless sponsors wanted to cooperate with Top Entertainment, and they even secured over a dozen advertising deals.
This night was a great victory for Top Entertainment.
And for Ye Qingning, who wanted to smash her head against the wall and commit suicide, it was an ordeal that felt like an eternity.
The intense pain woke her from her unconsciousness.
When she painfully opened her eyes, she found herself lying in a strange and luxurious room.
A woman with a graceful figure stood with her back to her, gazing at the snowy landscape from a huge floor-to-ceiling window.
Even though Ye Qingning didn't recognize the woman, her back alone exuded an air of haughty elegance.
Was she alive or dead?
Where was this place? Heaven? Hell?
Ye Qingning warily observed the woman with her back to her, and the woman slowly turned around.
Ye Qingning looked at the extremely aggressive face and said with fear, "Who... are you?"
The aura of this woman was too strong. Ye Qingning couldn't even make eye contact for a second before quickly looking away.
"You don't need to know who I am. You just need to understand that we have a common enemy, and I can help you kill... Lin Xingwan."
The woman spoke calmly and composedly, but her brows exuded the authority of a superior.
Looking at the woman's demeanor, Ye Qingning knew that this woman's family and power were definitely superior to the Ye family's.
"As long as I can kill Lin Xingwan, I will accept any price." Ye Qingning was a smart person. Since heaven had chosen to let her survive a great disaster, she would definitely make a comeback and strike a fatal blow.
—
In the following days, Lin Xingwan was busy signing cooperation agreements with sponsors, while Liu Mengqin was busy assessing a large number of artists joining the company.
Top Entertainment, in just over four months, had fully revived from a state of annual losses and near-death, becoming a dark horse in the entertainment industry, advancing unstoppable.
Lin Xingwan sat at her desk, drawing a circle on the calendar with a Montblanc pen.
There was only one week left until her divorce from Zhou Jinbai.
As long as she got through this week, she could go to the Civil Affairs Bureau with this man to get their divorce certificate.
Lin Xingwan looked at the dwindling days on the calendar and felt extremely agitated.
Just as she was about to do something else to distract herself, she heard the sound of high heels hitting the floor from the office corridor.
Then, Xue Manting, dressed in a qipao, appeared in Lin Xingwan's sight. Although it was only three in the afternoon, Xue Manting reeked of alcohol, and her fair cheeks were flushed red.
"Lin Mei... Lin Mei..."
Xue Manting was swaying even as she walked. Lin Xingwan, afraid she would fall, quickly got up from her chair to support her.
"What time is it, and you're already this drunk?"
Lin Xingwan looked at Xue Manting helplessly. This woman had the face and figure of a mature queen, but her behavior was like that of a little girl.
"Drinking... when the mood strikes, I can't stop myself. I just had a little sip. I came to ask you... to ask you to go to a hot spring. Will you accompany me to Qingxi Town to soak in a hot spring? I'm feeling down, and I want to go to a hot spring... but I have no other friends, only you. If you don't accompany me to Qingxi Town, I'll... I'll die for you to see!"
After saying that, Xue Manting made a throat-slitting gesture.
"It's getting late. Even if we go to Qingxi Town, it will have to be tomorrow." Lin Xingwan replied helplessly.
"No! I have a big plane! We'll be there soon... Look..." Xue Manting pointed outside, and indeed, a helicopter was flying towards Top Entertainment.
Lin Xingwan: "???"
Are all rich people playing like this these days?
Lin Xingwan had been wanting to go to Qingxi Town's Anlong Village to investigate the matter of the conch pearl necklace for some time. Moreover, she had been working too hard these past few days and needed a few days of rest.
So, she and Xue Manting hit it off.
Lin Xingwan helped the tipsy Xue Manting onto the helicopter. She didn't notice a furtive figure hiding behind a large tree. As the helicopter flew higher and higher, the furtive figure also emerged from behind the tree, gazing with cold, hateful eyes in the direction the helicopter had disappeared.
This time, she would grind Lin Xingwan, that bitch, into ashes!