Her voice carried an irrepressible excitement.

"Aiden, it's exploded! It's exploded!"

I opened Weibo; the trending list was almost entirely dominated by the same name.

#Vanessa Vice President Wang# [Explosive]

#Vanessa Hotel Video# [Explosive]

#Star Shine Media Stock Price Plummets# [Trending]

#Julian Likes Post# [New]

I clicked on the first trending topic.

A video over a minute long—although the critical parts were blurred, the footage was still shocking enough to be visceral.

In the video, Vanessa actively catered to a bloated, middle-aged man, her posture sycophantic, her smile servile—she was a different person from the high-and-mighty version I remembered.

The comment section had completely fallen.

[What the hell! Is this Vanessa? My eyes aren't failing, right? Who is that man?]

[To the person above, that man is the former Vice President of the Su Corporation, surnamed Wang; he was just taken away for investigation by the discipline committee two days ago.]

[So... Vanessa went and... traded favors for the Su Corporation endorsement?]

[I'm gonna vomit. To think I used to believe she was some enlightened beauty; I didn't expect her to be this dirty!]

[Where are her fans? Come out and defend her! Weren't you guys bragging about her being a future wealthy daughter-in-law? Is this your 'wealthy' connection?]

Vanessa’s fans were rendered completely speechless.

The evidence was as solid as a mountain; any attempt to whitewash her seemed pale and feeble.

The most lethal blow came from Julian.

Not only did he "like" the post with the leaked video, but he also posted an update with a pointed message.

[Julian V: When paths are different, there is no plan to work together. I am fortunate to have cut my losses in time.]

This post instantly ignited public opinion.

Everyone understood that this was Julian cutting ties with Vanessa.

Her most trusted "male bestie" had dealt her the most ruthless blow at the very moment she needed support the most.

When a wall is about to collapse, everyone pushes it.

In a short time, all kinds of scandals about Vanessa emerged one after another.

Acting like a diva, double-booking roles, stealing resources, bullying newcomers...

It was as if, overnight, she had transformed from a fairy on the clouds into a street rat that everyone wanted to beat.

I calmly scrolled through these news reports, feeling no great waves in my heart.

All of this was within my expectations.

My phone rang; it was my father.

"Did you see it?"

"Yes."

"Well done." There was a rare hint of approval in my father's tone. "However, it is not enough."

I was stunned. "Dad, what do you mean?"

"That woman must pay the legal price for her behavior in tarnishing the reputation of the Su Corporation." My father's voice turned cold. "I have already had the legal department prepare a lawyer's letter, and it will be sent out tomorrow. Everything she took from the Su Corporation previously must be returned with interest. Additionally, you can sue for the cyberbullying you were subjected to at the same time."

"I understand."

"Aiden," my father paused, his voice softening slightly. "Remember, the people of the Su family can be devoted, but never foolish. No one is allowed to use us as a stepping stone to be trampled upon at will."

"Yes, Dad."

After hanging up, I let out a long breath.

The giant rock that had suppressed my chest for two years had finally been completely removed.

I clicked into the core fan group.

The group was already a mess.

Those who had cursed me the most viciously before were now frantically tagging me, apologizing.

[@Aiden, I'm sorry! We blamed you! We were all blind!]

[@Aiden, it turns out we were the real fools! We were led around by her!]

[@Aiden! Young Master Su! Please release more info! Let this bitch be completely ruined into the dirt!]

The group owner, "V-Light Always Shines," sent me a private message.

[Young Master Su, I'm sorry. I solemnly apologize to you for my previous words and actions.]

[We are preparing to organize a mass unfollowing and expose her. Is there... anything else you need us to do on your end?]

Looking at these faces that had done a 180-degree turn, I only felt it was laughable.

I replied to her.

[No need.]

Then, I pressed "Exit group chat and delete."

There was no longer any need to stay in this place where I had lurked for two years.

I stood up and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window.

Outside the window, the sun was shining just right.

Everything should come to an end.

And it was time to start over.

I picked up my phone, ready to call my assistant to arrange the upcoming work.

An unknown number called again.

I frowned, thinking it was someone from Vanessa's side, and answered it casually, my tone not very friendly.

"Who is this?"

A crisp female voice with a hint of playfulness came from the other end.

"What's the matter, Young Master Su? You've got such a temper just after hammering your ex-girlfriend into the ground?"

I froze.

This voice...

"Are you... Qin Yue?"

Qin Yue, a classmate from university and the daughter of my father's lifelong friend, known famously as a "little demoness."

We had never gotten along since we were kids, bickering every time we met.

"Yo, you still remember me?" Qin Yue chuckled. "I thought you only had that Vanessa left in your brain."

Her tone carried undisguised mockery.

"Why are you calling me?" I frowned.

"To give you a big gift." Qin Yue lowered her voice slightly, carrying a hint of mystery. "A gift that will ensure Vanessa can never turn things around."

My heart stirred. "What do you mean?"

"Do you remember the period two years ago when you fell out with your family and moved out on your own to chase after Vanessa?"

"I remember." That was the most wretched period of my life.

"Did you come down with a high fever back then and almost die?"

"Yes." I had been unable to shake a high fever and remained in a coma for three days before I woke up.

"What did Vanessa tell you?" Qin Yue pressed.

"She said she stayed by my side, unceasingly caring for me for three days and three nights." This was one of the reasons why I had always felt gratitude and guilt toward her.

On the other end of the line, Qin Yue let out a scornful laugh.

"Her? She was busy vacationing on the beaches of Sanya with a newly rising popular male star at that time! The person who took care of you was me!"

I felt like I had been struck by lightning, instantly freezing in place.

"What did you say?"

Chapter 5

"I said, the person who took care of you back then was me, not that ingrate Vanessa!"

Qin Yue’s voice came through the receiver, every word clearly smashing into my ears, leaving my mind completely blank.

"Impossible..." I instinctively retorted. "When I woke up, the person I saw was her."

"That’s because she timed her return perfectly!" Qin Yue’s tone was filled with disdain. "I hired a home nurse for you, fed you your medicine, and only went home after seeing your fever had broken. But as soon as I returned, I saw her sitting by your bed, crying like a downpour, telling me how worried she was about you. I felt sick even back then, but seeing how much you liked her, I didn’t have the heart to expose her."

My hands and feet turned ice cold, and my heart felt as if it were being tightly squeezed by an invisible hand, hurting so much I could barely breathe.

So that was it.

The bedrock I had always believed in—the foundation of our relationship, that grace of enduring hardships together—had been a complete, thorough lie from the very beginning.

Vanessa didn't just steal my love; she stole someone else’s kindness, comfortably enjoying the gratitude and guilt that never belonged to her in the first place.

"Aiden, are you okay?" Qin Yue seemed to sense something was wrong; there was a hint of concern in her voice.

"...I'm fine." I took a deep breath, trying to make my voice sound steady. "Qin Yue, thank you for telling me this."

"What’s the use of just saying thank you?" Qin Yue huffed. "I didn't help you this time for nothing."

"What do you want?"

"I want you to owe me a favor." Qin Yue’s voice carried a hint of craftiness. "A very, very big favor—the kind that I can redeem at any time in the future."

"Okay." I agreed without hesitation.

Forget one favor; I’d grant ten, a hundred, without question.

"Straightforward!" Qin Yue laughed with satisfaction. "Then let me send you another piece of news. Vanessa is currently preparing to hold a press conference to publicly 'apologize' to you."

"Apologize?" I sneered.

"Yes, apologize." Qin Yue’s tone was full of playfulness. "I guess she plans to tearfully admit at the conference that she was 'madly in love' and made mistakes, then paint you as the 'deeply devoted victim' she hurt. Finally, she’ll splash all the dirty water onto that Vice President Wang and Julian, leaving herself spotlessly clean. She might even garner some sympathy and recover a bit of public favor."