In the early morning, the sun shines through the gauze curtains, casting a light golden glow on the room. Dai Shiya took her phone with sleepy eyes and browsed the news as usual. However, the next second, the eye-catching headline on the phone screen instantly woke her up.
"The new heritage upstart Dai Shiya: the secret methods behind it", below the title is a photo of her attending a charity dinner, but the photo was deliberately cropped, showing her arrogant and domineering expression.
Dai Shiya's heartbeat suddenly accelerated. She clicked on the article and was instantly filled with anger. The article had no factual basis and was full of malicious speculation and slander against her, portraying her as a scheming woman who would do anything to get the inheritance. The article was signed by "Reporter Zhao".
She immediately understood that it was Lin Mei who was behind this! Last night, Lin Mei had vowed to teach her a lesson, but she didn't expect him to do it so soon.
Putting down her phone, Dai Shiya forced herself to calm down. She knew that the most important thing at this moment was not to lose her composure. This article was obviously fabricated on purpose, and as long as she found evidence, she could clarify the facts.
However, things were far worse than she had imagined. Before she could come up with a coping strategy, the phone rang.
"Miss Dai, I'm sorry, we have to cancel tomorrow's lunch meeting."
"Ms. Dai, we need to think about the cooperation again..."
She received a barrage of phone calls, all of which were notifications of cancellations of appointments and collaborations. Obviously, the report had done great damage to her reputation, and people in her social circle avoided her.
"Damn it!" Dai Shiya angrily threw her phone onto the sofa, feeling powerless like a tide. She knew that all this was the result of Lin Mei's manipulation behind the scenes.
"Shiya, don't lose heart, we will find a way." Wei Qing comforted her, "The most important thing for you now is to stay calm and not fall into her trap."
Dai Shiya took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down. She picked up her phone and dialed a number.
"Hello, this is XX Daily, what can I do for you?"
"I'm looking for reporter Zhao. I have something important to discuss with him!"
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, and then a formulaic voice came: "Sorry, reporter Zhao is not here today, you..."
Before the other party finished speaking, Dai Shiya hung up the phone angrily. She knew that this was just a barrier used by Lin Mei to obstruct her. But she would not give up and must find reporter Zhao and expose Lin Mei's true face!
"Lin Mei, do you think you can defeat me like this? I won't let you succeed!" Dai Shiya held the phone tightly, with a determined light in her eyes. Dai Shiya took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down. She knew that losing her temper with Wei Qing would be useless, and the key now was to solve the problem.
"You're right. I can't just sit there and wait for death." Dai Shiya picked up her phone and pulled out a number. "I want to call the newspaper. I want to expose the true face of reporter Zhao!"
When the call was connected, Dai Shiya suppressed her anger and explained her purpose in a calm tone, and asked to speak to reporter Zhao. However, the other party repeatedly shirked responsibility, saying that reporter Zhao was not there, and that the content of the interview was true. If Dai Shiya had any objections to the report, she could resolve it through legal means.
"Legal means? Ha!" Dai Shiya laughed angrily, "You are simply deliberately biased! I will file a complaint against you!"
However, the customer service staff on the other end of the phone repeated the official statement like a robot, and no matter what Dai Shiya said, she could not sway the other party in the slightest. In the end, the other party simply ended the call with "Anything else? If not, I'll hang up."
Dai Shiya helplessly put down her phone. She knew that all this was manipulated by Lin Mei. Although this newspaper was well-known, the Lin family had influence in all fields, and it was easy for them to manipulate a media.
"It seems that the traditional media approach is no longer viable," Wei Qing calmly analyzed. "Now is the Internet age, information spreads faster and has a greater influence. We can try to make our voice heard through the Internet platform."
Dai Shiya's eyes lit up, and she immediately opened Weibo to edit a clarification statement. However, when she logged into her account, she found that the comment section had been flooded with insults and attacks, and she herself could not post anything.
"My account has been restricted from posting!" Dai Shiya's eyes widened in disbelief, shaking with anger, "Lin Mei, how dare she?!"
"Don't worry, we have other ways." Wei Qing calmly comforted, and at the same time she began to worry about Dai Shiya. Lin Mei came prepared this time, and she was taking every step carefully, obviously wanting to force Dai Shiya into a dead end.
At this time, Dai Shiya's mobile phone screen lit up, and it was an invitation letter - "Private yacht party, you are sincerely invited to join."
Dai Shiya's eyes lit up. This might be an opportunity, an opportunity to get in touch with the upper class and clear her name...
"I must go!"
The golden sunlight sprinkled on the rippling sea, and the luxury yacht swayed gently with the waves. With elegant people in fine clothes and clinking glasses, this was a private party with many celebrities.
Dai Shiya was wearing an elegant white dress and trying to maintain a decent smile as she wandered among the crowd. However, whenever she tried to strike up a conversation with someone and explain the recent false reports, the other party would always leave in a hurry after a few perfunctory words, and some even pointed at her and whispered about her.
"Look, she is the daughter of the Dai family who was involved in the scandal."
"It's really embarrassing. You have the nerve to attend this kind of event."
The sarcastic words pierced Dai Shiya's heart like needles. She tightly grasped the champagne glass, her fingertips turned white, but she still maintained a perfect smile on her face.
"Don't pay attention to them, they are just a bunch of fence-sitters." Wei Qing handed Dai Shiya a glass of juice and whispered to comfort her, "The innocent will be innocent, time will prove everything."
Dai Shiya forced a smile. She knew this was true, but the current predicament made her feel extremely powerless. She had to get out of the predicament as soon as possible, otherwise, she would lose all chances of turning the tables.
"I'm fine. Please help me check on Reporter Zhao. I always feel that this matter is not that simple." Dai Shiya took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down. She believed that as long as they found the mastermind behind Reporter Zhao, they could reveal the truth.
Wei Qing nodded, turned around and disappeared into the crowd. She turned on her phone, and the screen showed Zhao's profile, from her education background to her work experience, everything in detail.
"Reporter Zhao, you graduated from a third-rate university and have mediocre work experience. How could you suddenly break such explosive news?" Wei Qing frowned and slid her fingers quickly across the screen. Suddenly, a familiar name came into her eyes, which made her heart tremble.
"How could it be him?!" Wei Qing covered her mouth in surprise, then a sneer appeared on the corner of her mouth, "It seems that things are getting more and more interesting."
The yacht party was coming to an end amidst laughter and joy, but Dai Shiya felt like a lamb that had strayed into a pack of wolves. She was isolated and excluded, and it was almost hard for her to breathe.
After returning home, Dai Shiya slumped on the sofa tiredly, her delicate makeup unable to conceal the haggardness on her face.
"How is it? Did you find out anything?" Dai Shiya looked at Wei Qing, her eyes full of anticipation.
Wei Qing shook her head, seeming to hesitate to speak.
"What's wrong? Did you find anything?" Dai Shiya's heart suddenly rose to her throat.
Wei Qing looked at Dai Shiya, pondered for a moment, and slowly said: "I found out that reporter Zhao and..."
Just then, Dai Shiya's cell phone suddenly rang, and an unfamiliar number appeared on the screen.
"Hello, who is this?"
"Ms. Dai, long time no see. I'm Lin Mei." Lin Mei's proud voice came from the other end of the phone, with a hint of undisguised sarcasm, "You must come to the socialite club event tomorrow night."
The call was hung up, and Dai Shiya's face turned pale instantly, and her hand holding the phone trembled slightly. She knew that this was the calm before the storm, and a bigger storm was coming...
"It's her!" Dai Shiya gritted her teeth and said these two words, the anger in her eyes seemed to be about to burst out.
Wei Qing held her hand anxiously and said softly, "Don't be impulsive, let's analyze it."
Dai Shiya took a deep breath, trying to suppress the anger in her heart, and asked: "What does she want to do? I'm already in such a miserable state, and she still won't let me go?"
Wei Qing calmly analyzed, "Lin Mei has always regarded you as a thorn in her side. Your reputation being damaged this time is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for her. Of course, she will take advantage of the situation and suppress you completely."
"Damn it!" Dai Shiya punched the sofa, her delicate face full of anger and unwillingness, "I won't let her succeed!"
"Calm down, Shiya," Wei Qing suppressed her conscience, "Lin Mei has made a careful plan this time, and there must be a backup plan. We can't lose our composure."
Dai Shiya closed her eyes, took a few deep breaths, and tried to calm herself down. She knew that Wei Qing was right, and now was not the time to act on impulse. She had to stay calm in order to find a way to deal with it.
On the other side, Lin Mei was lying leisurely by the swimming pool of the villa, enjoying the sunbath. She was holding a glass of red wine in her hand, with a smug smile on her face.
"Dai Shiya, let me see how you turn things around this time!" She whispered to herself, her tone full of malice and pleasure.
"How is it? Is everything arranged?" A deep male voice came from behind her.
Lin Mei turned her head, looked at the man behind her with seductive eyes, and said in a tender voice: "Don't worry, dear, everything is going according to your plan. That woman is now a rat crossing the street, and everyone is shouting and beating her."
The man nodded with satisfaction, walked to Lin Mei, leaned over and whispered in her ear: "Very good, when the matter is done, I will reward you well."
Lin Meijiao leaned in the man's arms with a smile, her eyes gleaming with greed.
On the day of the socialite club event, Dai Shiya attended it reluctantly. She knew that if she chose to escape, it would only make Lin Mei more proud, and she must not let Lin Mei look down on her!
As soon as she entered the banquet hall, Dai Shiya felt countless eyes falling on her, some were curious, some were contemptuous, and some were gloating... She tried to stay calm and walked gracefully through the crowd to her seat.
"Hey, isn't this the eldest daughter of the Dai family? How dare you attend such an occasion?" A sarcastic voice suddenly sounded in my ears.
Dai Shiya raised her head suddenly and saw Lin Mei, wearing an expensive dress and with an undisguised conscience on her face, standing in front of her, looking at her with contempt, as if she was looking at a stray dog.