The loud noise and flashing camera lights brought the passionate encounter between the two people in bed to an abrupt halt.
"Ah... what's going on?" Lin Shirou, her face pale with shock, kicked Gu Shaoting away and quickly covered herself with the quilt.
Gu Shaoting, stopped at the most crucial moment, had his displeasure about to surface when he was startled by the throng of people before him.
He instantly deflated, his face turning as red as a pig's liver.
This was a damn nightmare!
Several microphones were shoved in his face:
"Mr. Gu, isn't your fiancée Lin Xingwan, the Deputy General Manager? Why are you now involved with the Deputy General Manager's sister?"
"Miss Lin, are you knowingly becoming a mistress? Seducing your own brother-in-law?"
"May we ask how many times you've stayed at a hotel together? Does Deputy General Manager Lin know?"
...
That night, indecent videos and photos of Huan Yu's CEO Gu Shaoting and his artist Lin Shirou went viral online.
Lin Shirou's seductive expression and skillful actions in the video, pleasuring Gu Shaoting to the point of ecstasy, were even turned into reaction memes.
Before this, Lin Shirou's public persona was that of a new generation's pure maiden successor.
Now, whether she was pure or not, netizens didn't know, but she was certainly quite seductive.
In just one night, the amount of money earned from selling their explicit photos and videos reached over five hundred thousand.
This was the most profitable endeavor for Lin Shirou since becoming an artist.
#ContrastBitchLinShirou#, #LinShirouCarryingPingRu'sWardrobe#, #LinShirouIndecentVideoWithBrotherInLaw#
Various headlines emerged, dominating the top three trending topics on major apps, all concerning Lin Shirou.
Meanwhile, Lin Xingwan, who had passed out drunk, was naturally unaware of any of this.
She was woken by a knocking sound.
Lin Xingwan slowly opened her eyes, only to see unfamiliar surroundings.
She paused for a moment, faint memories surfacing in her mind.
She had gotten drunk last night and was helped to a guest room by Zhou Jinbai's grandmother to rest. She hadn't expected to sleep until morning.
Lin Xingwan picked up her phone to check the time. It was just past eight o'clock, and her phone indicated dozens of missed calls.
Lin Xingwan glanced at them. The missed calls were from unknown numbers, her grandmother Zhong Jingjing, her father Lin Hanhai, and Sister Qin...
Hadn't she just slept for a while? Why were so many people calling her? Had something happened at the company?
Knock, knock, knock—
Knock, knock, knock—
The knocking outside grew louder. Lin Xingwan hurried to open the door and saw Zhou Jinbai standing there.
The man was wearing a tracksuit, clearly having just returned from a morning run.
A shallow wound marred his sensual thin lips, slightly swollen.
"Zhou Jinbai, what happened to your mouth?" The wound on his lips was like a slash on a blank canvas.
It was truly... a waste of perfection!
Zhou Jinbai gazed deeply at the woman before him. The wound on his lips was indeed left by this woman.
As they were kissing, she had bitten him like a puppy.
However, Zhou Jinbai was also grateful for her bite. Otherwise, in that moment of easy temptation last night, he wouldn't have been able to rationally withdraw and would have only wanted to succumb.
"It's inflammation," he said, unable to vent his fiery passion. He had taken several cold showers and gone for a run before dawn.
"Then you need to take some medicine to clear the heat and detoxify. Oh, and I'm really sorry about last night. I was drunk and disturbed you all night. I probably don't have time for breakfast. Something must have happened at the company, and I need to go back to deal with it." Lin Xingwan looked apologetic, but Zhou Jinbai crossed his arms, looking displeased.
"Don't you know about the scandal between Gu Shaoting and Lin Shirou? If you go to the company now, you'll just be cannon fodder."
"What do you mean?"
Zhou Jinbai leaned against the doorframe, his sensual thin lips parting slightly. "Last night, Lin Shirou and Gu Shaoting were caught by paparazzi at a hotel. They were caught in the act, and what they were doing in the hotel became major entertainment headlines. The reason they're calling you is to have you clean up the mess."
Lin Xingwan felt as if a bolt from the blue had struck her. The tension in her heart instantly dissipated.
Besides shock, there was nothing else.
She opened her phone and, as expected, saw numerous entertainment news reports about Lin Shirou and Gu Shaoting.
Lin Xingwan casually clicked on one of the topics and saw Lin Shirou, shielding herself with a quilt, and a bewildered Gu Shaoting.
Below were various comments from netizens:
[What am I seeing? They're even blurring this little earthworm? I was laughing so hard watching the video. I'd believe it if they said Gu Shaoting was a eunuch. Lin Shirou acted so satisfied, truly a great actress.]
[Since ancient times, the world has few virtuous women, and crooked melons and cracked dates line up. Occasionally, a few sounds of mandarin ducks are heard, but it's just a slut with a scoundrel.]
[To be fair, Lin Shirou's figure is quite good. She'd be a huge star as a model.]
[Is this pig-headed man Gu Shaoting? Which page of the Classic of Mountains and Seas is he from?]
[How could they do such a shameless thing? The brother-in-law and sister-in-law drama, I've only seen it on TV. I never expected my favorite idol to have such low character. I'm out, I'm out.]
...
As Lin Xingwan read these comments, her shock slowly subsided, and she even curved her lips slightly at a few amusing remarks.
"I thought something big had happened. Turns out it's just two dogs who couldn't control their lower halves."
"So, do you still want to go to the company now?" Zhou Jinbai asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No. They made their own mistakes, they can solve them themselves. I don't want to pour my heart out for someone only to be disliked for smelling of blood. Besides... they don't deserve my heartfelt effort."
"No, you need to go to the company. At that time, these people will definitely ask you to issue a statement clarifying that you and Gu Shaoting had already broken off your engagement."
"Wouldn't that just make them happy? I don't want that." Lin Xingwan was clearly unwilling. She did want to break off her engagement with Gu Shaoting, that was true, but to offer help in this situation was beyond foolish.
Zhou Jinbai adored the way this woman acted spoiled, finding it particularly... adorable, and he wanted to...
He pinched Lin Xingwan's cheek. "Silly! If you announce to all the media that you and Gu Shaoting had already broken off your engagement, do you think Gu Shaoting's future attempts to renege will be effective? Besides, with so many stocks in hand, you won't have trouble selling them at a good price. Would you still be attached to a company full of filth?"
What the hell?
What the hell!
What the hell, hell, hell!
Was the man standing before her a god of wealth?
Lin Xingwan's eyes sparkled. Her gaze towards Zhou Jinbai was no longer describable by mere 'admiration.'
On the surface, she was fulfilling Gu Shaoting and Lin Shirou's desires, but in reality... she was killing two birds with one stone!
"Big shot, please accept my humble bow."
Lin Xingwan's eyes were filled with laughter. Gu Shaoting gently lowered his head, looking at the smiling woman before him.
At this moment, everything seemed to become gentle and romantic.
"Go wash up. After breakfast, I'll drive you to the company."
"Okay." Lin Xingwan happily went to wash up. However, while brushing her teeth, she noticed many small red dots around her neck.
Lin Xingwan leaned closer to the mirror to examine them. These red dots must have been mosquito bites, right?
She didn't pay much attention to them. After washing up and having breakfast, Zhou Jinbai did indeed drive her to the company.
Lin Xingwan called Liu Mengqin. Liu Mengqin's emotions were even more agitated than hers, the supposed victim.
"Xingwan, my darling, my ancestor, you finally answered the phone. Do you know what happened last night? Did that scumbag Gu Shaoting call you and beg you? I'm telling you, absolutely do not go to the company, or you'll fall into their trap.
I always suspected those two were involved, but I never imagined they'd be so bold as to rent a hotel room and meet! Such foolish behavior, isn't it just creating opportunities for those paparazzi? Even zombies would leave in disappointment, but passing dung beetles would have their eyes light up. These two scumbags, they should write an apology letter to Du Xiusi for their existence.
They caused this mess, so let them deal with it themselves. I want to see how capable they are without you."
"Sister Qin, please calm down."
Lin Xingwan finally finished listening to Liu Mengqin's rant, realizing that her nickname "Sister Duì Duì" was well-deserved.
"Calm down? How can I calm down? My lungs are about to explode. I couldn't reach you and was worried sick, afraid you'd do something foolish." Liu Mengqin treated Lin Xingwan like her own sister, and having both experienced betrayal by scumbags, she could empathize.
"How could I do something foolish for a scumbag? That would be incredibly stupid." Lin Xingwan said this with no negative emotions whatsoever.
Liu Mengqin readily agreed, "Yes, yes, doing something foolish for a scumbag isn't worth it. And did you see the video last night? It was hilarious. Gu Shaoting turned out to be a paper tiger, weak and useless. I didn't expect him to be so small. Did he stop developing in elementary school? Hahaha. Xingwan, you absolutely cannot keep a man who can't give you happiness. But I think Zhou Jinbai is quite good. This man looks very reliable, and in terms of bed performance, he'd definitely blow Gu Shaoting away by several streets. I'm speaking from experience, believe me! Go for it, my dear..."
"Sister Qin... I have the speakerphone on."
"What does that have to do with whether you have the speakerphone on?"
"Zhou Jinbai is here with me."
What followed was a deathly silence.
"Ahem... What? I can't hear you... My signal is bad here, I'm hanging up now." Sister Qin quickly hung up the phone.
Lin Xingwan peeked at the man driving with a poker face and explained, "Sister Qin's personality is just like that. She likes to joke around, please don't mind her."
"What she said is indeed true. I can definitely blow Gu Shaoting away by several streets. Do you want to try, hmm?"
Lin Xingwan glared at Zhou Jinbai. "Drive properly!"
Meanwhile, at Huan Yu Group.
This matter had already alarmed Old Mrs. Lin, Zhong Jingjing.
She was currently sitting on the sofa in Lin Xingwan's office, her ebony cane with a Ruyi head placed diagonally beside her.
"Is the house not big enough, or are there not enough rooms, that you had to go out and rent a hotel room? Do you know how much this incident will affect Rou Rou?"
Zhong Jingjing's wrinkled face was filled with anger. She, who had always favored Gu Shaoting, now felt disgusted seeing his dejected state.
"Grandma, we truly know we were wrong. This will never happen again." Lin Shirou cried, her eyes red and swollen, tears streaming down her face as she spoke.
"I'm sorry, Grandma. It was my fault for not protecting Shirou well enough, for disappointing you. You can scold or hit me however you want, just don't make yourself sick." Gu Shaoting blamed himself endlessly.
Yang Niyun, Lin Shirou's mother, gently patted Old Mrs. Lin's back and advised, "Mom, now that things have reached this point, no amount of scolding or hitting can change the outcome. What we need to do now is work together to solve this problem. Shirou is the hope of the Lin family. Her life has just begun, and it cannot be ruined like this."
"Yes, Mom. We need to think of a solution." Lin Hanhai chimed in.
Zhong Jingjing's gaze fell upon the potted plant before her. She remembered what a wise monk had said more than twenty years ago: "Shaoting will eventually marry Rou Rou, and Xingwan will eventually have to face these things. Rou Rou is her sister, and as an elder sister, she should consider her sister and sacrifice for our Lin family. If she doesn't agree, I will be the villain."
With Zhong Jingjing's words, everyone felt a sense of reassurance.
Lin Hanhai opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but seeing Zhong Jingjing's forceful expression, he ultimately fell silent.
As Lin Xingwan arrived at her office, she saw a room full of people.