"You misunderstood."
"Huh?"
Lily Yu blinked rapidly, her brain momentarily freezing. Was… was this scumbag actually trying to explain himself? A whole army of mythical beasts galloped through her mind in pure disbelief.
Jason Cross stood there, straight-backed and calm as ever, his suit jacket perfectly pressed as if nothing in the world could ruffle him. His deep black eyes remained steady as he continued, "Her intentions were indeed impure. But I don't have that intention."
The air froze.
Not only Lily, but even Dora—still collapsed pathetically on the carpet—looked as if she had been struck by lightning. Her wide, tear-filled eyes were filled with confusion. Fired? Rejected? Just like that?
Didn't the CEO despise his wife? Didn't every rumor say he didn't even look at her?
What went wrong?!
Inside Lily's mind, the system dinged.
[System: Host, please continue. The plot is only slightly off track.]
[Lily: Slightly?! My entire divorce plan is now hanging in mid-air! What am I supposed to do if the male lead suddenly grows a conscience?]
[System: …Cheer up! You can still do it!]
Beep—system offline.
Lily stared blankly at the empty space in her mind. "Cowards… all of you."
But she still let two perfectly dramatic tears slide down her cheeks and whispered tremulously, "I don't believe you, Jason… you're lying to me…"
Jason lowered his gaze, covering the faint amusement that flashed beneath the ice-cold exterior. When he spoke again, his tone was calm, composed—dangerously convincing. "There is surveillance footage."
Lily paused. Of course there was. But was she going to check it? No. Checking surveillance footage was a sign of low IQ. And she was, after all, an elite actress—even her fake jealousy had class.
She sniffed delicately. "I believe you, Jason. I knew you would never betray me."
[Lily (thinking): Sister has no intention of watching surveillance. But I'll give you a pass this time since you're unexpectedly cooperating.]
Her shoulders slumped dramatically, exhaustion washing over her expression. "I'm tired… I'm going home to sleep. I won't bother you anymore."
Jason didn't respond, so Lily turned theatrically and headed for the door. Before leaving, she added with a sugary smile, "Jason, I know you still have a lot of work. I'll let you focus."
Then she glanced once at Dora—the woman she had beaten earlier—and her eyes narrowed.
Dora, still dazed, trembled.
Inside Lily's head:
"What a poor thing… The scumbag boss didn't even spare her a glance. There are so many adorable puppies out there, but she chose to go after a wolf with no heart. Sad."
She slammed the door behind her.
Dora felt the temperature plummet the moment Lily left. She didn't dare meet Jason's eyes. She scrambled up from the floor and stumbled toward the exit, legs shaking.
Jason didn't look at her. His voice was like winter steel.
"Didn't you hear my wife? Get out."
Dora flinched. She fled as if she'd been pardoned—terrified but alive.
She knew Jason Cross's reputation. If he told her to resign herself, that meant he was still giving her a way out. If he wanted to crush her career, she wouldn't be walking out of this building today.
This man… truly frightening.
Moments after Lily left, Ethan stepped inside the office. He had expected Jason to be furious, maybe even throwing something. Instead, Jason calmly sorted through documents, completely unbothered.
Ethan swallowed nervously. "Sir… your wife has left."
"Good."
Ethan hesitated before adding, "Your wife was stopped by the receptionist downstairs earlier, and she…"
Jason looked up, his expression unreadable. "Get to the point."
Ethan froze, then gritted his teeth. "The receptionist blocked her because she didn't recognize her. And… your wife almost slapped her."
Jason didn't even blink. "Fire the receptionist."
Ethan: "…"
Two employees fired in one day. The company erupted in gossip instantly. Group chats exploded. Messages flew everywhere.
"The CEO's wife caused chaos again?"
"I heard she beat someone from Finance!"
"Two people resigned today. All because of her?"
"Why does the CEO tolerate her?"
Of course, no one dared say it aloud.
Meanwhile…
The first episode of New Generation 2025 finally aired online. Because the show had trended many times during filming—and because Lily Yu herself was a walking magnet for gossip—views shot past a million within the first hour.
Inside the living room of the Cross Estate, a soft blanket draped over the couch, Lily curled up like a pampered cat. One hand held hot tea. The other held a slice of cake.
Life was good.
She lazily slid the progress bar forward until it landed on Kara Sun criticizing a junior trainee.
On-screen:
"Kara is so sharp! I live for her attitude."
"Lily got what she deserved, lol."
"She lied about dancing skills, she deserves a slap."
Lily blinked once, calm as a monk.
She then skipped forward to her dance segment.
The barrage went oddly silent at first.
Then—
"Wait… her dancing is actually good?"
"From a non-professional: she dances beautifully."
"Same. Didn't expect this."
Lily smirked and popped another bite of cake into her mouth. "See? Art wins."
The episode ended on the group ranking reveal.
"Little troublemaker…" Yang Jie muttered from beside her, face stiff as stone. "I didn't want you to see it. Even if you gained fans from the dance segment, people still hate you. Look at the trending topics—"
She didn't get to finish.
Because Lily grabbed her phone and cheerfully read aloud:
#The Lying Expert, Lily Yu#
#Kara Sun's Stunning Comeback#
#Lily Yu and Molly#
Three trending topics. Two of them about Lily. Not flattering ones, either.
Yang Jie panicked, jumping up. "I'll call Xiaomei! We can take them down immediately!"
Lily plucked the phone right out of her hand.
"Why are you panicking? Trending means attention."
"The prerequisite," Yang Jie hissed, "is that the trends are positive! The internet hates you!"
Lily tugged her down by the wrist before Yang Jie could faint. "Relax. Once you're famous, haters multiply like mushrooms after rain."
She shrugged casually. "Everyone goes through a hate cycle. I've done it before. As long as I survive, I'll be fine."
Hours passed. Public sentiment turned uglier, harsher, and louder.
Yang Jie begged Lily to take the trend down. Lily refused.
Meanwhile…
As online hate for Lily grew louder, he smirked. "Of course a few random netizens can't push her this high. I hired a special team. That woman is finally getting what she deserves."
Beside him, Molly sat stiffly, her expression twisting.
"What did you do?" she demanded, voice sharp.
Nate's grin widened. "Mo—Molly, don't worry. This is our chance to destroy her image once and for all. I'm doing this for you."
Molly's chest rose and fell rapidly. She was furious—the most furious Nate had ever seen her.
She shoved her phone toward him. "Look!"
Nate glanced down.
His smile turned to concrete.
#Shocking! Lily Yu is actually the disciple of Wen Huan Guan#
#Wen Huan — National Master of Ethnic Dance#
Nate blinked.
Once. Twice.
"You're kidding."
Molly gritted her teeth. "Lily has been training in ethnic dance for more than ten years. You pushing this so hard just made her reputation explode upward instead of down!"
Nate stared at the screen like it had betrayed him.
The hashtag was already climbing—4th, 5th, soon to break into the top three.
"This… this backfired," he whispered.
Molly looked ready to strangle him.
And in the Cross Estate…
Lily Yu stretched lazily on the couch, blissfully unaware of the chaos outside.
Her popularity was skyrocketing.
And she didn't even have to lift a finger.