Chapter 129
As Xie Mi’s words fell, the entire scene went silent.
If Director Niu’s previous question had been close-up level, Xie Mi’s statement was close-up times ten.
[Xie Mi is my spokesperson!]
[Yeah, yeah, what exactly happened? I’m dying of curiosity. Just say it clearly!]
[Can she even say this?]
[Xie Mi is really brave.]
Xu Shuangrong’s eyes flickered. Usually calm and composed, she now felt a strange flutter in her heart as she met Xie Mi’s composed, smiling gaze.
She forced herself to remain calm and smiled:
“Those are things from a long time ago. Honestly, I don’t remember all the details, and Miss Lai certainly wouldn’t want to bring them up either.”
“Really?”
Xie Mi raised an eyebrow slightly and turned to look at Lai Bingxuan.
Lai Bingxuan pressed her lips tightly together, her gaze filled with resentment toward Xu Shuangrong.
She was extremely unwilling, yet could not deny it.
Xu Shuangrong was right—she didn’t dare mention it.
She would never forget that afternoon in the principal’s office, when reporters and classmates looked at her with disdain, whispering in front of her, using the cruelest words to describe her.
She had gone mad, she had shouted, she had explained over and over that she hadn’t done those things—but no one believed her.
Xu Shuangrong had just stood there, doing nothing, and yet gained everyone’s trust.
Her frantic attempts to defend herself seemed like a joke.
From that day onward, she had adopted extreme measures.
Anyone who talked about the incident would receive a lawyer’s letter. Regardless of the outcome, she ensured they paid a price.
Through the power she wielded, the bullying rumors were controlled, and her life returned to normal.
Yet the shadow in her heart could not be erased. She would never forget those disgusted eyes, as if she were a heinous criminal.
It became a scar she refused to open.
So when Director Niu asked if she had ever bullied anyone, she could not say the word “no” with confidence.
Because even if she said it, no one would believe her.
At this moment, Xie Mi tried to uncover the truth.
Lai Bingxuan couldn’t understand.
Why would Xie Mi do this? Did Xie Mi also think she bullied others? Was Xie Mi taking Xu Shuangrong’s side? Then why had Xie Mi helped her before?
Her thoughts were in chaos; she could no longer reason clearly.
All she felt was that everyone was looking at her with disdain.
They were whispering:
“Why is she like this?” “Lai Bingxuan clearly bullies others.” “Rich people think they’re special? She’s a worthless person.” “Ugh, just the thought of breathing the same air as her makes me sick.”
She lost control, screaming: “Shut up! All of you shut up! You all shut—”
Xu Shuangrong was startled by her outburst and took a timid step back.
Xie Mi calmly pressed the switch on the wheelchair.
Bang, bang, bang.
Three ping-pong balls hit Lai Bingxuan’s forehead precisely.
Distracted by the ping-pong balls, Lai Bingxuan: “?”
“No one is speaking, you see.”
Xie Mi blinked sincerely at Lai Bingxuan, then glanced around at all the staff present.
Lai Bingxuan paused and instinctively followed her gaze.
None of the staff looked at her with disdain. None whispered insults.
Some looked worried, afraid the situation would spiral out of control. Some looked happy, waiting to capture a viral moment. Some frowned at the sky, worried about rain affecting filming. Some looked exhausted from intense filming.
Life wasn’t full of spectators; it was all an illusion she had created.
Lai Bingxuan’s expression froze as her eyes met those of a PD.
This PD was her personal camerawoman, a serious woman in her thirties.
At this moment, the PD looked at her with concern. After their eyes met, she immediately wrote something on her cue card and held it up to her:
[Are you okay? If you can’t answer, just make up an excuse to skip it. Don’t force yourself.]
Lai Bingxuan: “……”
It didn’t seem as bad as she had imagined.
“Actually, there’s nothing to worry about.”
Xie Mi’s voice came to her ear. Calm, flat, yet somehow it eased the agitation in her heart.
“If it wasn’t your doing, no matter how much others twist things, there will always be loopholes.”
“Stay calm, find those loopholes, and expose the lies of the slanderers. That’s what you should do when falsely accused.”
Xie Mi looked at her, eyes clear and bright.
“The other party took advantage of your quick temper. Are you just going to let them use you?”
Lai Bingxuan’s pupils trembled. She looked at Xie Mi in disbelief.
“How did you…?”
“I guessed.”
Xie Mi leaned back in the wheelchair, grinning:
“I saw people online claiming you bullied others, but no one has actually provided evidence. Isn’t that slander?”
“Ah… could it be that nowadays you don’t even need proof? You can fabricate facts just by opening your mouth?”
At this, Xie Mi looked at Xu Shuangrong, blinking innocently.
“Right?”
Xu Shuangrong’s expression wavered slightly. She forced a smile:
“Xie Mi is right.”
[Looking at it this way, it really is true. Those saying Lai Bingxuan bullied others are just spreading rumors—no concrete proof.]
[Many claiming to be her high school classmates are making wild claims. Ask them—they can’t really explain.]
[Ah? It’s really slander?]
[No proof equals slander, right? Just opening your mouth to speak nonsense?]
[Exactly! I support Xie Mi on this one!]
Lai Bingxuan frowned tighter.
She wasn’t someone who liked to think things through.
Or rather, she had trouble understanding subtleties.
When slandered, she would just shout, “I didn’t do it!” and explode in anger.
She only saw those people as despicable, questioning how they could pin false crimes on her, so she vented her anger endlessly.
But she never realized that her reactions made them believe they had hit a nerve.
Xie Mi had enlightened her.
Xu Shuangrong had always been using that fact.
Even just now, Xu Shuangrong had subtly tried to intimidate her, keeping the matter hidden.
The one truly afraid of exposing it wasn’t her—it was Xu Shuangrong.
“Xu Shuangrong!”
She snapped her gaze at Xu Shuangrong, took several deep breaths to calm her anger, and said coldly:
“Tell me.”
“Exactly what happened between us—tell me everything, completely.”
