Chapter 7: Was It All Her Doing?!

Xue Yuanyuan was utterly at a loss when Lin Zhiwei hurried forward, raising her voice, "Yuanyuan, sorry, your phone just fell at the bar; I brought it over for you. Sorry to interrupt." She offered an apologetic nod in Shen Qian's direction.

With an elegant mask on her face, Yuanyuan cursed inwardly. What was wrong with this foolish woman Lin Zhiwei? Was she here to ruin her plans? And how could Qi Heng be here? She had checked discreetly—he hadn’t been invited tonight; he shouldn’t be present.

No matter. Qi Heng was merely someone she strung along using Lin Zhiwei’s name to scam money. He already had a proper fiancée; she was only using him and could discard him at any time. If he saw her being proposed to, so much the better. It might provoke him, perhaps yielding even greater benefits.

"Let me take a photo for you! Such a beautiful moment deserves to be captured," Lin Zhiwei said, swiftly unlocking Yuanyuan’s phone.

Yuanyuan’s face darkened, a sense of dread rising in her chest.

"Hey, Yuanyuan, why do you have my WeChat account here?" Lin Zhiwei exclaimed in surprise. "Did I forget to log out last time?"

Yuanyuan stepped forward to stop her, but Lin Zhiwei continued, "Wait, this isn’t my WeChat. It’s full of guys I don’t even know. Who is Qi Heng?" She blinked innocently.

"Qi Heng?" Zhao Qianlu heard the name and rushed forward, trembling. Was it really this woman?

But wasn’t Yuanyuan Lin Zhiwei’s best friend, the Lin family’s adopted daughter?

Qi Heng’s face turned ashen when he heard his name. He grabbed Zhao Qianlu and whispered, "It can’t be me. Must be someone with the same name."

"Wow, you two went out for dinner and a movie just two days ago. And the others here are all guys too. Are they your friends, Yuanyuan? You hang out with so many men and never invite me—I’m getting jealous," Lin Zhiwei pouted in mock annoyance.

Yuanyuan snatched her phone back, suppressing her anger. "Zhiwei, don’t talk nonsense. This isn’t my WeChat. Probably a friend logged in on my phone and forgot to sign out," she forced a bitter smile.

Shen Qian’s expression had turned cold, but he held back, waiting to see how things would unfold.

Zhao Qianlu grabbed Yuanyuan’s phone, scrolling through it as she spoke loudly, "Qi Heng! You still claim it’s not you? That WeChat avatar is unmistakably yours. So the woman you’re fooling around with is actually her!"

Qi Heng had no strength left to argue; the evidence was clear. But was the woman’s name really Yuanyuan, not Lin Zhiwei? She had always used Lin Zhiwei’s identity in their dealings.

He had suspected at first—Lin Zhiwei was rumored to be unattractive—but Yuanyuan’s disguise and seduction had ensnared him completely. He fell right into her trap.

"Qian, let me explain, this isn’t true, it’s someone else’s account, not mine, I never…" Yuanyuan immediately turned to Shen Qian, clutching his hand, pleading.

"You… You seduced me, said you loved me, promised to wait for me—now you act like nothing happened," Qi Heng confronted her furiously.

"I… I…" Yuanyuan struggled to defend herself, but words failed.

"You wretch, how much money did I give you? You lied to me, claimed you were Lin Zhiwei, said your family neglected you, starved you… you…" Qi Heng’s eyes burned red with fury; he slapped Yuanyuan and stormed out.

Zhao Qianlu followed him out. Everything was clear; Lin Zhiwei would settle things later. She handed the phone to her, giving a meaningful glance.

Yuanyuan, stunned, couldn’t believe things had escalated so quickly—she had just been slapped to the floor.

Shen Qian stood aside, his face grave, unmoved.

Lin Zhiwei inwardly rolled her eyes—this wasn’t over yet.

"They’re lying. Yuanyuan is innocent. That man must be the one at fault. Here, this is Yuanyuan’s real WeChat. Inside… huh?" Lin Zhiwei took the phone from Zhao Qianlu, flipping through it as if searching carefully.

Yuanyuan glared at Lin Zhiwei with hatred. It was all her fault, that wretched woman—still not satisfied! She touched her burning cheek, about to rise and snatch the phone back.

But Shen Qian moved first, flipping through her WeChat. His expression shifted from solemn to furious. He tossed the phone at her and spat, "I never realized I was just one of your many backups. Yuanyuan, you’re ruthless."

With that, he strode away, anger radiating from him.

"A… Qian…" Yuanyuan struggled to stand, but her sprained ankle failed her. Watching his retreating figure, rage burned within.

It was her. It was all because of Lin Zhiwei!

No, it couldn’t be mere coincidence—was this all her doing? Had she orchestrated everything? Impossible!

Yuanyuan looked up at Lin Zhiwei, nearly screaming, "Lin Zhiwei, it was you—you planned this, didn’t you? You want to destroy me!"

Lin Zhiwei traced circles on the floor with her foot. Hearing Yuanyuan’s accusation, her expression remained placid, but her voice was cool as she bent down, smiled, and answered slowly and forcefully, "Yes. It was me."

Yuanyuan was shaken by her expression. It was the same familiar face, the same person, the same demeanor.

Yet the aura was entirely different—the sharpness and malice in Lin Zhiwei’s eyes seemed to awaken a new soul within her. Or perhaps… at last, Lin Zhiwei was truly herself? Yuanyuan’s mind could no longer comprehend.