Everyone was pointing fingers at Su Xi.
Su Xi glanced toward Su Rou, who was smiling at her smugly. She scanned her surroundings once more—this spot was a blind spot for the surveillance cameras. So Su Rou was betting that without camera footage, she could make Su Xi helpless to defend herself?
All chest, no brains.
Utterly foolish.
"Su Xi would never do something like this!" Hua Qing stepped forward.
She had just stepped away to take a phone call and hadn't seen what happened, but she knew Su Xi—she would never do something so low and despicable.
"You're her manager, of course you'd protect her. How can anything you say be credible?" Su Rou's manager, Zhou Li, had also rushed over and was helping Su Rou up with great concern.
Su Rou deliberately turned her swollen face toward everyone. Seeing her pitiful state, the crowd's accusations against Su Xi grew even more intense.
They were just short of pointing at her forehead and calling her vicious and ruthless!
"If she's not credible, then what about me?" A magnetic male voice came from behind.
Everyone turned to look—Zhou Jingming was walking over with his hands in his pockets, looking roguishly cool.
Su Rou seized the opportunity, crying even more pitifully, "Brother Jingming, don't blame Xi'er. She didn't mean to be so careless."
Heh.
Su Xi clapped her hands in applause.
Honestly, Su Rou's acting was perfect for a villainous role, but the woman insisted on playing the innocent white lotus, always taking roles as the virtuous, delicate heroine.
What a waste of her talent.
If she ever played a vicious supporting character, she might actually win an Oscar.
"Young Master Zhou, you invested a hundred million in this film. You have a say in this—it's more appropriate for you to step in."
The executives on site knew that Su Xi and Zhou Jingming had gotten their marriage certificate, so they had to tread carefully and couldn't go too far. They could only pass the problem to him.
Zhou Jingming was notoriously dissolute.
He'd been embroiled in endless scandals over the years, and everyone knew it was Su Xi who had climbed into his bed of her own accord. No one thought highly of this marriage.
Everyone was waiting to see Zhou Jingming's stance.
Would he stand up for Su Xi, or protect Su Rou, the cash cow?
Su Xi blinked.
That bastard had invested a hundred million in her film?
If she remembered correctly, Zhou Jingming hadn't been optimistic about this project at all.
"Su Rou makes her living off her face. Her schedule is packed these days, and she has a film about to start production soon. With her face injured like this, how is she supposed to go out and face people?"
Zhou Li reminded him, "Young Master Zhou, I believe you're someone who separates business from personal matters. With something like this happening, Su Rou will have to cancel all her commitments. Who's going to cover all the losses?"
"There must be some misunderstanding here. Our Su Xi definitely didn't push anyone. Maybe the great Actress Su tripped on her own."
Hua Qing usually told Su Xi to avoid competing with Su Rou, but she was fiercely protective. The moment Su Xi suffered any injustice, she would always step forward immediately.
"Nonsense! Su Rou is an award-winning actress with a precious reputation. Why would she do something so self-destructive?" Zhou Li scolded her forcefully.
Su Xi leaned lazily against the wall and sighed lightly, "Even if I did hit her, she deserved it!"
This Zhou Li, relying on having made Su Rou famous and her status as a top-tier manager, had long been used to throwing her weight around the company. Her tactics were no less ruthless than Su Rou's.
No matter how much Hua Qing argued, these executives would shift the blame onto Su Xi for the sake of profit.
After all, Su Rou was the one making money for the company.
Meanwhile, Su Xi was mired in scandals—she'd earned little over the years, but the company's reputation had suffered several times because of her.
Zhou Jingming curled his lips in a devilish smirk. "So you really did hit her?"
"Yes, I hit her," Su Xi admitted openly.
Zhou Li's face twisted as she pointed at Su Xi viciously. "Listen to her! She's the one who beat Su Rou like this."
Hua Qing suddenly felt guilty. Oh dear, how could she have beaten someone to this extent? Wasn't her situation bad enough already?
Artists had no status in the company, and managers had even less leverage. Hua Qing muttered quietly, "Even if… Su Xi hit her, Su Rou provoked Su Xi first."
"You…"
Zhou Li was so furious her face turned pale. She lunged forward to teach Hua Qing a lesson.
Before the slap could land, Su Xi stepped forward and blocked Hua Qing, effortlessly grabbing the other woman's wrist.
"I don't have many virtues, but one thing I can't stand is people touching what's mine." Su Xi twisted hard, and a crack of bone dislocation rang out.
What followed was Zhou Li's miserable scream.
Su Xi flicked her long hair and said lightly, "If you dare touch my people again, I'll have you crawling out in a wheelchair."
"Su Xi, you're too arrogant!" Zhou Li grimaced in pain, tears streaming down.
Su Rou also put on a pitiful look and accused Su Xi. "Xi'er, if you have any grievances, you can speak up, but you can't treat Sister Li like this!"
Su Xi hummed in acknowledgment. She did indeed have plenty of grievances.
Without any regard for the executives present, she pointed at Su Rou. "Drop this hypocritical act. Others might fall for it, but I don't."
"Also, if you want to play the victim, you'd better practice your hand strength. If I really hit you, your injuries would be far worse than this."
With that, Su Xi stepped forward and, in front of everyone, slapped Zhou Li.
Five even palm prints were clearly visible.
A stark contrast to the messy injuries on Su Rou's face.
"These are the marks from my hit. If anyone doesn't believe it, they can go to the hospital for an examination—whether the injuries were self-inflicted or caused by someone else, I believe the evidence will reveal the truth."
Hua Qing stared at Su Xi with eager eyes.
That backhanded slap just now was simply too cool.
As expected of her Su Xi, always so unique.
Wait.
With such a huge scene caused, Su Xi wouldn't be blacklisted by the company, would she?
"Young Master Zhou, both leaders, Su Xi is too arrogant. You must seek justice for me and Su Rou. Beating us like this—how are we supposed to face people in public anymore?" Zhou Li's arm hurt, but her entire face was burning even more. It had only been red before, but now it was completely swollen like a pig's head.
How much force did that damned Su Xi use!
Su Rou said nothing, only cried.
She had always been like this.
Putting on a frail and innocent front, whether it was Li Xuemei or Zhou Li, they would all risk everything to protect her.
Zhou Jingming ignored the two of them entirely and walked up to Su Xi, grabbing her hand. "Does it hurt?"
"Husband, it hurts so much. My palm is all red." Su Xi immediately switched to a fragile image, tears welling up, as if she were the one who had been wronged.
Who didn't know how to play pitiful and pathetic?
When she was navigating the entertainment industry, Su Rou was still lying in some man's bed—who knew where.
Su Rou was so furious her heart, liver, and lungs were cramping.
That damned Su Xi, getting the upper hand and still playing innocent!
She cried even harder. "Leaders, I have quite a few engagements recently, and several dramas waiting to be filmed. Now that my face is injured, I'm afraid I can't go out and face people…"
The executives exchanged glances.
As leaders of the company, they couldn't care less about how the artists clashed or caused trouble behind the scenes—what mattered to them was the company's performance and profits.
Su Rou was the face of the company. Now that her face had fallen, her work was bound to suffer.
She might even face a hefty penalty for breach of contract.
The leader's expression turned troubled as he turned to Zhou Jingming. "Young Master Zhou, what do you think about this?"
Zhou Jingming was rubbing Su Xi's palm, not looking up. "Since she can't be seen in public, she should just go home and rest. Transfer all of Su Rou's work to other artists."
Su Rou froze.
Those roles had been hard-won by her. If she went home to recuperate and someone else took over, all the spotlight would be stolen.
She absolutely couldn't go home to rest!
Su Rou pinched herself hard, and her tears flowed even faster. "Brother Jingming, those contracts were signed by me. It wouldn't be appropriate to hand them to other artists, and the business partners won't agree either."
Zhou Li also stepped forward to put in a good word. "That's right, Young Master Zhou. If Su Rou needs to rest, the company will face massive penalty fees—it's not worth the loss!"
The man let out a lazy, light chuckle. "Isn't the Su family pretty wealthy? Just have Aunt Su step in and take care of it, won't that solve the problem?"