Volume One, Chapter Seventy-One: It Must Be Chi Xingwan Who Harmed Me

At a restaurant near Wei Shian’s residence, Chi Xingwan was keeping her company over a meal.

“I never officially released ‘Turbulent,’ right? Now they want me to revise the melody and put it out, claiming that Yang Jing didn’t plagiarize my song—she just happened to hear it once and ended up composing something similar, as if she’s trying to skate by on a technicality.”

Chi Xingwan let out a cold laugh. “They’ve got some nerve. If you actually did that, public outrage would drown you.”

Wei Shian nodded vigorously. “Exactly! Do they think I’m a fool? I’m not falling for it.”

After dinner, Chi Xingwan saw Wei Shian home before leaving herself.

Meanwhile, Yang Jing stared at the photos sent by her private investigator, her face as dark as the bottom of a pot.

“So that’s it! I wondered how Wei Shian had the guts to go against me. Turns out it’s that ungrateful wretch Chi Xingwan stirring things up behind my back, sabotaging me!”

The photos clearly showed Chi Xingwan dining with Wei Shian.

Furious, Yang Jing flung her phone aside. “If I’d known, I never would have brought her back. No—I should have let her die with her parents back then.”

Her manager sat silently nearby, well aware of who Chi Xingwan was, and even more aware of the powerful Xiao family behind her.

After a long pause, the manager finally spoke. “Jing, the public sentiment online has turned against us. This is very bad.”

Yang Jing was agitated. “Then do something about it. Hire a PR firm!”

“It’s gotten too big. With the Xiao family applying pressure, no firm will touch it.”

The manager harbored her own grievances. Yang Jing had snatched the song and used it as-is, without even making changes. Video footage of her taking bodyguards to the rental flat was everywhere. There was no way to distance themselves now.

She needed to protect herself.

“The concert organizers have already asked to cancel. All sold tickets must be fully refunded, and they might even demand compensation.”

“What!” Yang Jing was aghast. “Cancel? I thought it was postponed?”

“That was before Wei Shian’s livestream. They were waiting for the dust to settle. After her livestream, public opinion reversed and your reputation plummeted. The organizers won’t risk it.”

The manager was all but spelling it out: Yang Jing was now a liability.

Whether Yang Jing understood or not, she was panicking. “No, it can’t be canceled. And if I have to pay compensation, where will I get that kind of money?”

“What else can you do?” For once, the manager’s tone showed a hint of anger.

Yang Jing heard it and didn’t dare push further. “So what do we do now?”

The manager replied, “Now that we know the Xiao family is behind Wei Shian, there’s nothing more we can do. We just have to swallow our losses.”

She fixed Yang Jing with a look. “Issue a public apology. Say you bought the song from Wei Shian, and only claimed it as your own in a moment of poor judgment.”

Yang Jing immediately balked. “No, that would mean—”

Her reputation would be in ruins.

The manager was blunt. “Given how things stand, your reputation is already in tatters. Better to let this blow over and find a way to recover later.”

Seeing Yang Jing’s reluctance, the manager said no more. She rose to leave.

Before going, she added, “Right now, you have more than public opinion to worry about—there’s also a lawsuit.”

A chill swept through Yang Jing. She’d nearly forgotten—Wei Shian had sued her.

With the Xiao family backing Wei Shian, and with the case on her side, Yang Jing knew she was bound to lose.

Her face contorted with rage as she clutched her head and screamed, blaming everything on Chi Xingwan.

A few more days passed before Yang Jing finally broke down and issued a public apology through her studio.

Unsurprisingly, the internet exploded with discussion.

Not only was Yang Jing denounced by the public, but even Chi Qianyu and Chi Yueyao weren’t spared.

Chi Qianyu sobbed bitterly. “Mom, the company has suspended all my activities. The other group members used to flatter me, now they look down on me, even giving me attitude.”

Yang Jing was a shadow of her former self, haggard and noticeably thinner, with streaks of white showing in her hair.

Chi Qianyu had wanted to complain, but seeing her mother so diminished, she couldn’t bring herself to be harsh.

Yang Jing snorted. “It’s all that wretched Chi Xingwan’s doing. She’s clearly out for revenge.”

“Mom, what are you talking about?” Chi Qianyu asked.

Even Chi Yueyao, who’d been silent, perked up to listen.

Yang Jing said, “Wei Shian only knows Chi Xingwan because she asked the Xiao family for help. That’s how Wei Shian had the guts to confront me.”

Chi Qianyu was nearly in tears. “Her again? Why does she keep haunting us?”

“Exactly.” Yang Jing’s resentment was palpable. “If only we’d never brought her back, even if it meant ruining the marriage with the Xiao family—it would have been better than this.”

Chi Yueyao felt a pang of discomfort at those words.

After all, it was her refusal to get engaged to Xiao Yue that had led the family to bring Chi Xingwan back. But now she regretted it—she hadn’t realized that even an engagement would make the Xiao family protect Chi Xingwan so fiercely, giving her anything she wanted and standing up for her.

If only she’d agreed to the engagement herself—after all, it was only an engagement, not marriage. She could always find a way to back out later.

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. The Xiao family should have been supporting her, but now it was Chi Xingwan who had taken that place.

…

Wei Shian tried on several outfits before finally settling on one as the time approached.

The moment she finished changing, the doorbell rang.

A servant answered, and Chi Xingwan walked in. “Ready? It’s time to go.”

“I’m ready,” Wei Shian said, taking a deep breath to steady her nerves.

Chi Xingwan smiled. “It’s just a recording session, not a trip to the battlefield.”

Wei Shian laughed sheepishly. “It’s my first time recording a song in a real studio.”

Today, she was going to record “Turbulent.”

Ever since the truth had come out, many online had urged her to sing the song herself. And Wei Shian, of course, wanted nothing more.

She hadn’t had the means before, but now, with the Xiao family’s support, releasing a song was a simple matter.

So Wei Shian decided she would be the original voice for this song.

But now that the recording was upon her, she was nervous.

After all, Yang Jing had already sung it—what if the audience rejected her version?

In the car, Chi Xingwan held her hand. “Don’t worry. Just do your best.”

Wei Shian nodded. “I know.”

“And anyway, with so many people in the world, not everyone likes Yang Jing. There will be those who love your version.”

Wei Shian’s nerves calmed. “You’re right, Xingwan. As long as even one person likes my singing, I haven’t lost.”