章 16: Internal Strife

Once Xiao Lingyu was done, everything became quiet again. Everyone had different expressions.

If Xiao Lingyu had made this statement without Young Master Yan by her side, probably no one would have cared. So what if Chen Ran and Zhao Wenman had an affair? Who would dare to point fingers at Zhao Wenman? She was the chairman's daughter!

In fact, most of the employees would side with Zhao Wenman to mock Xiao Lingyu for her inability to keep her boyfriend. It was Xiao Lingyu's fault for failing to compete with Zhao Wenman.

However, when Xiao Lingyu had Young Master Yan's support, things were wildly different. Regardless of the relationship Xiao Lingyu had with Young Master Yan, at that moment, Xiao Lingyu had his support, so her words couldn't be underestimated.

Xiao Lingyu just dumped Chen Ran. Chen Ran knew he would end up with nothing unless he could get Xiao Lingyu's forgiveness. He wouldn't get the bright future he had with Zhao Wenman as well as the love he shared with Xiao Lingyu.

Yan Siming broke the silence by clapping. He added with a smile. "My little firecrackers, since they have feelings for each other, you should let them be together. I agree with you. You are so generous. You should be qualified to get an invitation to their wedding party. Wouldn't you agree?"

Yan Siming added with ridicule. "After all, if you continue to block their path, they'd only keep on bullying you. Can you blame them for setting you up? You were a blockage in the middle of the lovebirds!"

Someone in the crowd burst out laughing.

Yan Siming was being sarcastic. He chided Chen Ran and Zhao Wenman for their shamelessness and disloyalty.

Chen Ran and Zhao Wenman's faces burned with shame. Their bodies trembled.

Chen Ran gritted his teeth and said, "Young Master Yan, that's enough!"

Yan Siming raised his eyebrows and said with an evil smile, "That's enough? Manager Chen, have I said anything wrong? Don't you and Miss Zhao have feelings for each other? My little firecracker doesn't want to stand in your way anymore. How is that wrong? So why are you so angry? Am I not telling the truth?"

Everyone, "..." Well, he was telling the truth. Then again, everything Young Master Yan said would be the truth.

Chen Ran, "..." Chen Ran clenched his fists tightly, and the veins on his wrists were throbbing as if they were about to burst.

Chen Ran raised his eyes to study Xiao Lingyu. Yan Siming stood protectively beside her. Then he looked at Zhao Wenman, whose face was red from being forced to apologize to Yan Siming. Yan Siming didn't even look Zhao Wenman's way. Instead, he was still teasing Xiao Lingyu. At that moment, Chen Ran's eyes flashed, and he made up his mind.

Chen Ran faced a predicament, one he had encountered before. A choice between bread and love. In the past, he chose bread over love but now that bread had gone stale. The choice was obvious.

Chen Ran couldn't do anything to Yan Siming, so he focused his attention on Xiao Lingyu. He said sincerely, "Yu 'Er, I was wrong. I know my mistake now. But please, believe me, I still love you. It was Zhao Wenman who seduced me. She offered me the position of company president in the future. I... I am just a man. I fell for her temptation."

Chen Ran bowed and said with penitence. "Yu 'Er, I merely made a mistake every man would make. You can understand my difficulty, right?"

Xiao Lingyu glanced at the expressions of everyone present, especially Zhao Wenman.

"Understand your difficulty? You have to be kidding me!" Xiao Lingyu roared. "Then why did you drug me and offer me to that ugly, perverted man?"

Chen Ran's expression stiffened, and then he added, "That was Zhao Wenman's idea. She said she couldn't stand that I have once loved you. She said you were as disgusting as a pile of shit. Therefore, she needed you out of her sight. She wanted to kick you out of City Z. It was Zhao Wenman who set up everything. She provided the drug, found the man, took the pictures and videos to ruin your reputation! This is all her fault!"

Xiao Lingyu could not take it anymore and gave Chen Ran another hard slap. She demanded sternly, "Chen Ran, are you still a man? How can you push all the responsibility to Miss Zhao?"

But honestly, Xiao Lingyu was not really mad at Chen Ran. She was mad at herself. She was Chen Ran's lover for ten years, and she did not even realize how selfish and cold-hearted this man was.

Chen Ran could frame his girlfriend of ten years for the sake of a better future. Now that Zhao Wenman couldn't provide him with a promising future anymore, Chen Ran didn't even blink and pushed all the blame onto Zhao Wenman without any hesitation.

Chen Ran's selfishness, ruthlessness, and coldness scarred Xiao Lingyu deeply. She felt so sorry for herself in her previous life.

Because of Chen Ran, Xiao Lingyu hated Xiao Tong. After giving birth to Xiao Tong, Xiao Lingyu never once cared about Xiao Tong because, in her eyes, Xiao Tong was the reason she lost Chen Ran and her reputation.

Xiao Lingyu ran away from home for five years to avoid seeing Xiao Tong. Now, the weight of the guilt pressed down on Xiao Lingyu. She owed Xiao Tong so much. And the culprit behind this was her lover of a decade.

Xiao Lingyu hated Chen Ran so much that she wished he'd die on the spot. Xiao Lingyu scolded, "Chen Ran, you're a real bastard! I must be blind to have fallen for a scumbag like you!"

At the same time, Zhao Wenman raised her head abruptly. Her expression was full of shock and disbelief.

The crowd was not dumb. They all realized that Chen Ran wanted to push all the blame onto Zhao Wenman. Instantly, Chen Ran's loyal friend and lover image crumbled. More and more people sided with Xiao Lingyu.

Chen Ran was a real bastard.

After riding over the shock, Zhao Wenman was incensed.

She took a few steps towards Chen Ran and raised her hand to give Chen Ran a big slap. She growled viciously, "Chen Ran, you are not pushing everything onto me! If I fall, I will drag you down with me!"

Zhao Wenman sneered. "You're right. I was the one who got someone to drug Xiao Lingyu and found the ugly man to rape her. But I couldn't have done that without your permission, Chen Ran! You approved everything I did! Now you want to shift all the blame? In your dreams!"