Little Miss Witch: Revenge of the Tainted Angel

Chapter 161 - Protect Her, Including From Yourself (1)

Lin Meirong was in deep trouble and she couldn't do anything but to hang her head low as Xi Shaohua threw the papers at her face while Mu Jianyu remained unperturbed in his seat, trying to ignore her presence. She could only hang her head low in shame as Xi Shaohua berated her. 

"Seriously? You don't know how to hide your affair?" Xi Shaohua snapped at her. "Do you think it's easy for us to pacify all of the complaints we're getting because of you?" 

"Then… what does Miss Xi want me to do?" Lin Meirong sobbed pitifully. Her eyes were red and swollen and without makeup, it was quite obvious that she hadn't slept well these days. 

"Nothing. There is nothing else you can do now to save your career, unless you stumble into some kind of luck in the future to revive it. This…" Xi Shaohua hesitated. 

They tried their best to remove all the news and articles about Lin Meirong's affair but it'll only take minutes before other news about her would pop out from somewhere. Clearly, someone was behind all of these and the intention was loud and clear. 

'Continue protecting Lin Meirong and you are next,' An anonymous message appeared on Xi Shaohua's personal computer that morning. 

It was a threat alright, and the Xi family wouldn't gamble on Lin Meirong. They would rather cut losses by kicking her out. This woman might have offended an influential person or else, how was it possible that their Xi family couldn't suppress the news about her? 

Lin Meirong raised her head as her body continued to tremble. She couldn't believe it. She couldn't believe that the career she tried to painfully earn over the years would end like this. 

Hasn't it only been a few short days since she received her first acting award and yet, Redux Entertainment was ready to kick her to the curb? Was this really the end for her? No, it can't be! 

"You can't do this to me… this is a breach of contract!" She complained. Lin Meirong signed for a three-year contract and it was only her first year with the company. 

Xi Shaohua snapped at her and hit the top of her desk, glaring daggers at the actress. 

"Then why the fuck couldn't you keep your legs closed and your affairs private?!" She yelled at Lin Meirong. "Do you know how much money we've already lost because of you? Of course, you don't! All of your endorsements have been cancelled. The stockholders also think that you shouldn't appear in public and let the issue die on its own." 

"But don't I still have two more years? You can't put me on hold for too long!" Lin Meirong wanted to contest, but it seems like the board of directors has decided to cut her off for good. She glanced at Mu Jianyu who only shook his head in response. 

"Well, you can try breaking off your contract legally, but the costs will be yours to shoulder. " Xi Shaohua leaned back and tried to calm herself. It's been days eversince Lin Meirong's scandal filled the news and they didn't have any way to stop it. 

On the other hand, Li Chuntao was pleased with the result of her first attack on Lin Meirong. Didn't that shallow woman like being the center of attention? So why shouldn't she give one that the slut wouldn't be able to forget in this lifetime? 

While Xi Shaouhua was losing money from Lin Meirong, the fruit of Lan Jinyao's hard work was starting to show when Lin Meirong's previous endorsements and projects landed on her hands. Even her manager was surprised with the sudden influx of projects for her. 

When she asked Li Chuntao if it was her doing, the witch denied any connections to it but Yu Lou and Su Ling knew better. It was Li Chuntao as 'Ying' who took the initiative to raise Lan Jinyao's popularity when Lin Meirong's influence plummeted. 

"Miss Lan, aren't you familiar with the saying 'The misfortunes of others taste like honey.' Lin Meirong is down, so now it's your turn to shine. It's best not to waste your chance this time," was Li Chuntaos' words when they talked over the phone. 

Now that her career was gone, it was time for Lin Meirong's life long suffering to start. 

---

While Li Chuntao busied herself with her revenge, Shen Zichen had buried himself with work for the past three weeks since he last saw her. The pain of finding out her secrets deeply troubled him. Even his parents hadn't failed to notice it. 

Tonight, at his mother's insistence, Shen Zichen drove back to the Imperial Residences to have their scheduled family dinner for the week. The moment he arrived, Shen Lingqing had immediately called him to their father's study upstairs.

Shen Zichen locked the door behind him as his younger sister took a seat and pulled out a thin envelope from the top drawer. 

"Come and see this. I personally think that you don't need it to confirm if Sister Chuntao was telling the truth or not but it will give you peace of mind, then take a look at it yourself," Shen Lingqing told her brother as she placed the envelope on top of the desk and pushed it towards him. 

Shen Zichen strode towards her and looked at it for a moment before picking it up. He opened it to read the contents of the report. His lips quivered, eyes gleamed with tears as it confirmed everything Li Chuntao had confessed earlier.

It took Shen Lingqing three weeks to gather the information he needed, and now he felt nothing but remorse for what he had done to the woman he claimed to love. In his hands were Li Chuntao's medical records from six years ago. Well, actually seven months after she left the country. 

The record shows that she indeed gave birth to a stillbirth baby boy at thirty-seven weeks of her pregnancy. The lab results showed that the baby was healthy and growing well in her womb until it lost its heartbeat two days before Li Chuntao was admitted to the hospital. 

"She's not lying, Zi Gege. She might have to keep the secret from you to protect you but she's no liar," Shen Lingqing said as she took note of her brother's reaction. 

Li Chuntao had suffered for a long time because of him and Shen Zichen regretted everything he'd done in the past. Not only did he hurt her once, but twice. She even had to face the grief and loneliness after Li Zirui's inevitable passing alone. 

Where was he during those times? What was he doing when she was crying alone? What kind of man was he to hurt her using her own twin sister? 

Li Chuntao might be a strong and independent woman but she was still a human who had deep feelings for those who were close to her heart. She was the kind of person that if she likes you, she would love you fiercely, but if you got on her bad side, you can bid goodbye to your luck because she wouldn't stop until she destroys you. 

Some people thought she was a heartless woman but they didn't know… didn't know that like Li Xiuying, Li Chuntao could love with all of her heart, and right now, Shen Zichen felt that he didn't deserve her at all.