As soon as Mrs. Hu's words left her mouth, a few people in the crowd eagerly joined in. Some did it to please her, others out of sheer jealousy toward Xia Yuqing, and a few simply because they didn't want to work with a woman of no character. "Yes, Boss, you have to fire her!"
"We cannot have such a shameless woman working with us!"
"Who knows who she will seduce next?"
"This is a reputable company. Having someone like her among us will only lower our standards!"
"Yes, Boss, fire her and put her on the blacklist! No company should hire people like her!"
"That will teach her a lesson..."
A flicker of victory crossed Li Xinran's eyes as she took in everyone's reaction. This was great. As long as she was safe, nothing else mattered. But still, as the former best friend of the accused, she needed to keep up the act. "That's enough, everyone. We should leave the decision-making to the boss," she said calmly.
At once, the room fell silent and everyone looked at Hu Chengyu.
Hu Chengyu looked at Xia Yuqing. "You are fired, Xia Yuqing. Pack your things and leave."
Everyone looked at Xia Yuqing to see her reaction. They waited with bated breath to see her cry, shout, scream, or even create a scene. But, nothing. She did none of those things. She didn't flinch or react. No arguments, no pleas, no outbursts.
She simply stood there, watching.
A few looked disappointed, others confused wondering why she was standing still. Even Li Xinran had the same question. She bit her lip, her brows furrowing. What was going on? Why wasn't Xia Yuqing saying anything? She wasn't the type to create a scene, but she expected Xia Yuqing to defend herself or cry the least.
Was she silent with shock?
"Psst... what's going on?" one of the coworkers asked."Why isn't she saying anything?"
"Maybe she's too ashamed to speak..."
"Nah! I think she's heartbroken that her dream of becoming Mrs. Hu just got shattered..."
Li Xinran took a step forward. "Xia Yuqing, are you—"
Before she could finish, Xia Yuqing looked at her. For a fleeting moment, Li Xinran's heart trembled. It felt as if the air had been sucked from her lungs. Since when had Xia Yuqing's eyes become so fierce? If before they were as gentle and harmless as a dove, now they were like a tigress on a hunt.
"You..." Li Xinran stammered in a daze.
Xia Yuqing chuckled, a mocking smile appearing on her face. "You would have made a fine concubine in the emperor's harem."
"Excuse me?" Li Xinran blinked in confusion.
"Where are my things?" Xia Yuqing asked flatly.
Almost instinctively, Li Xinran pointed toward the desk. It wasn't that she wanted to obey—it was the way Xia Yuqing asked. Her voice carried an unshakable authority that demanded obedience. And only after pointing did Li Xinran realize what she had done.Why had she obeyed so easily?
She looked at Xia Yuqing, her eyes narrowed and observing. Since the moment she hit her head and stood up, something was off about her. Xia Yuqing ignored her and walked over to the desk. She glanced at the weird object, put them all in her bag, and turned to leave.
The office buzzed with hushed whispers. Everyone looked at each other."That's it? She's just leaving?"
"No fight? No tears?"
"How boring..."
While some were disappointed that the drama had come to an end, others were simply happy. But just as Xia Yuqing reached the door, she suddenly paused and turned around. Her gaze swept across the room—briefly landing on Hu Chengyu, then on Li Xinran's doubtful face, before she stopped at Mrs. Hu's furious expression.
She smiled faintly. "Being oblivious to the truth is a disease. Perhaps eating more carrots would help."
A stunned silence filled the room. They looked at Xia Yuqing, their eyes wide with shock. No one expected such words. Everyone understood the meaning. She was indirectly calling Mrs. Hu blind.
Mrs. Hu turned red with rage. "You arrogant little—did you just call me blind?!" she screeched, rushing forward, but Hu Chengyu grabbed her arm, his face dark with anger. She continued to roar and shout, but Xia Yuqing didn't stop to listen. She turned and walked out of the office without a second glance. Once outside, she inhaled deeply. The air felt... different. Lighter. Fresher. She looked around and spotted a bench nearby. Slowly, she made her way over and sat down, observing the world around her.Everything was so different.
Men and women bustled past her, dressed in strange clothing—some colorful, some with bizarre patterns, some shockingly bold. Many clutched small rectangular objects in their hands, their fingers moving, some fast, some slow. Their eyes were glued to it as they walked, oblivious to everything around them.Her brow furrowed. She had seen that object before. Even she had one.
Quickly, she rummaged through her bag and pulled it out.
What was this thing?
And, more importantly—where was she?
Suddenly, a sharp pain pierced her head. Her vision blurred, and unfamiliar memories rushed in—fragments of a life that wasn't hers, yet felt so real. It was as if another person, someone with the same face and name, had lived it all before.She gripped the bench, eyes squeezed shut, trying to steady herself as these strange memories filled her mind.
Seconds passed.
And when she finally opened her eyes, everything became clear.
She had crossed over. Into another world.
The 21st century.
Her mind swirled with strange new knowledge, information, and concepts she had never encountered before. This world was nothing like the one she had known. There was no emperor, no palace, no kingdoms—only countries and governments and laws.
And this body was of Xia Yuqing a 24-year-old orphan. A simple girl with a kind heart. A girl who had just been betrayed by her closest friend, that woman in the red dress.
Li Xinran.
She had sacrificed Xia Yuqing to save her own ass... another word that popped into her head.
A small smirk appeared on Xia Yuqing's face.
How interesting!