The Beautiful, Strong, and Tragic Female Lead is Mine [Transmigration Into a Novel] - Chapter 108

Bright lights filled the spacious room, making it as warm as spring. The furnishings were opulent, the marble tabletops gleaming, and an array of exquisite pastries and freshly washed fruits were laid out in a dazzling display.

A tall man lounged on a sofa in a relaxed, casual pose. He had a plain face but exuded a ruthless aura that brought to mind a bloodthirsty jackal. Several young, handsome boys surrounded him, vying for his attention and eagerly feeding him various snacks.

The man appeared to enjoy the attention, hugging one and caressing another. Amidst the laughter, discarded fruit peels and trash littered the floor, and two short robots scurried back and forth, cleaning tirelessly.

Just then, a knock sounded at the door. A low voice from behind it said, “Commander, Miss Zhong has arrived.”

Fan Yu’s movements paused for a moment before he lifted his eyelid. “Let her in.”

Zhong Wanfeng pushed open the door, her feet sinking into the soft, high-quality, beige wool carpet. Her gaze swept over the lavishly decorated room before settling on the small stains on the carpet.

“A life of debauchery, with beauties in your arms. The commander certainly knows how to enjoy himself.”

Zhong Wanfeng’s lips curled into a faint smile, but her voice held no warmth. “Such an expensive item, and you don’t even mind getting it dirty.”

The bright lights reflected in her long, narrow eyes, revealing a hint of amusement and making the glaring scar on her face even more prominent and menacing.

The boys seemed to be afraid of her, shrinking back behind Fan Yu in unison.

“What’s there to be afraid of? The robots will clean it up.”

Fan Yu said nonchalantly, “If they can’t get it clean, we’ll just buy a new one. Miss Zhong, you shouldn’t be so tense. Life is short; you should enjoy it. Look at that cold expression on your face; you’ve scared these kids.”

He waved his hand, gesturing to the people around him. “Alright, you all can leave now. I have something to discuss with Miss Zhong.”

After the boys left, the large room suddenly became much quieter.

Zhong Wanfeng spoke calmly, “Commander, what do you need from me?”

Fan Yu’s gaze, like that of a venomous snake, roamed over her body before he slowly began to speak. “Miss Zhong, do you know why I admire you?”

Zhong Wanfeng didn’t say anything, knowing she didn’t need to.

As expected, without waiting for her answer, Fan Yu continued on his own, “Because you’re ruthless enough. I think we are very similar people—unscrupulous and decisive. Our cooperation will surely be pleasant. But this time, things don’t seem to be going so well. What do you think?”

His words carried a heavy sense of oppression, but Zhong Wanfeng remained calm, showing no change in emotion. She asked, “Commander, you’re not getting sentimental, are you?”

“I’m not. They were just a few worthless lives.”

Fan Yu stared intently at her, his tone sinister. “Those male cyborgs aren’t very useful, so a few more or a few less doesn’t matter. But I don’t like pointless consumption. They can die, but their deaths must be valuable.”

He stood up and slowly walked over to Zhong Wanfeng. “Miss Zhong, I followed your plan, deliberately having the robots attack the cyborg soldiers and then spreading rumors to pin the blame on Meng Qiang, manipulating public opinion. But it’s been two days, and Meng Qiang doesn’t seem to have been affected at all, and the mining progress in Zone A hasn’t slowed down either.”

“Not only that, the hype around this matter has been continuously declining, and there aren’t as many people discussing it as there used to be. If things continue this way, we will have lost public support and sacrificed the lives of our soldiers. It’s a losing business.”

“You’re too impatient, Commander. This is just the beginning.”

Zhong Wanfeng looked up, meeting his gaze without fear. “How long can a flower raised in a greenhouse last? Meng Qiang has had a smooth life without any setbacks. Although she appears to be the same as usual, she must be anxious inside. We’ve prepared so many surprises. A war of attrition is the most difficult and exhausting for one’s will. How many rounds do you think she can endure?”

After listening, a thoughtful look appeared in Fan Yu’s eyes, and his tone softened slightly. “That’s true, but I’m still not at ease. After all, we don’t have any substantial evidence.”

He and Zhong Wanfeng had fabricated many scandals about Meng Qiang, and to make them seem realistic, they had deliberately created related evidence. The evidence was ambiguous and speculative, but it wasn’t a definitive smoking gun.

Furthermore, the current public opinion environment was different from the past. For one, the internet was not yet fully widespread, and secondly, the improved status of women prevented their plan from achieving the best results.

Fan Yu couldn’t help but feel nostalgic for the past. Before the end of the world began, it was simple to ruin a woman—just spread rumors that she was having an affair or was a mistress. Humiliating a woman was vulgar and base, but the effect was always effective.

“Substantial evidence isn’t necessary. People will only believe what they want to believe,” Zhong Wanfeng said. She paused, then asked, “Commander, what would you do if someone slandered you?”

Fan Yu was stunned for a moment, then replied, “Of course, I’d find them and kill them.”

Zhong Wanfeng smiled faintly. “You are indeed that kind of person, but Meng Qiang is different. She’s arrogant and has a very high moral sense. If she’s slandered, she will do everything she can to prove her innocence. If she can’t, she might get stuck in a rut and, in a moment of impulse, even die to prove her integrity.”

“As the saying goes, a scholar can’t argue with a soldier. Throughout history, countless stuffy scholars have sacrificed their lives for their reputation. People who can’t tolerate a grain of sand in their eyes always live very tiring lives.”

“Good, very good.” Fan Yu listened, a smile gradually appearing in his eyes. “Miss Zhong, I was right about you. You not only kill the body but also the heart.”

However, even though he was satisfied, a sense of fear arose in his heart. He hoped never to be an enemy of such a sinister, ruthless, and terrifying woman.

In the conference room, the atmosphere was a little heavy.

A circle of people sat around a long wooden table. Everyone had a serious expression with no trace of a smile. Meng Qiang sat in the leftmost seat, with Xie Zhitian and Luo Yang beside her. Opposite her, Guan Qin and two other girls were talking in succession.

“The buzz around the incident was already starting to die down, but this morning, Zone B started causing trouble again. They said their technicians worked three days and nights without rest and recovered the data from the recording devices of the out-of-control robots.”

Guan Qin’s expression was indignant as she spoke nonstop. “Setting everything else aside, the timing of this feels very suspicious. Before, the gossips in Zone B and Jurisdiction 54 were debating heatedly, but there was no follow-up news. As soon as the hype slightly dropped, they added more fuel to the fire. They’re playing a long-term psychological game.”

Xia Fufeng frowned and asked, “What’s a recording device?”

Another technician replied, “To ensure safety and better monitor the robots’ behavior, each robot is equipped with something like a dashcam that can retain data for 14 days.”

Xie Zhitian’s eyes darkened, and she already guessed what had happened. “After they recovered the data, they found evidence related to Dr. Meng?”

“Exactly. It’s all a setup,” Guan Qin sneered. “In the monitoring data of two of the robots, a figure who looked very similar to Dr. Meng was recorded about ten days ago. Although the image was blurry and didn’t show her face, the clothes, hairstyle, and movements were identical. Now Zone B is in an uproar, and everyone is saying there’s a mole in their zone colluding with Dr. Meng to orchestrate this vile incident, trying to slander Jurisdiction 54 to take over the entire mine.”

“Calling a thief a thief. Their methods are truly despicable.”

Luo Yang was angry, her voice filled with unconcealed rage. “And if the ‘Dr. Meng’ in the video appeared ten days ago, it means this was all a setup, including the deaths of those male cyborgs, all to slander Dr. Meng. Including real lives in their plan… this is just…”

Xie Zhitian gently held her hand, comforting her. “Don’t rush. The people from Gu Hong’s side have always been this way. But no one is a fool. If they do this too often, they’ll lose public support sooner or later.”

Another technician spoke angrily, “With our equipment, there’s no way to hack into their system. And if Dr. Meng had the ability to hack in, why wouldn’t she have deleted the video that’s detrimental to her? Isn’t that a contradiction?”

“Contradictions create discussion. It might be a deliberate loophole,” Tang Zhuoran replied indifferently. “And this is easy to explain. For example, Zone B uses too many robots, and the recordings last for 14 days. Even Dr. Meng wouldn’t be able to check and screen them all one by one.”

“True. They probably planned it all out, so they can always find a way to justify themselves,” the girl said, feeling discouraged. “The problem now is how we can find strong evidence to make the public believe that Dr. Meng is innocent.”

The other technicians agreed. Meng Qiang also did not object. She looked at the girls beside her, her eyes looking helpless, with a fragility that could shatter at any moment.

“What should we do now?” Meng Qiang asked softly. “I really haven’t done anything wrong, but… I don’t seem to be able to prove it.”

The room fell silent as everyone pondered.

The various events of these past few days replayed in Xie Zhitian’s mind like a slideshow. She slowly sorted through the chaotic information, and her thoughts gradually became clear and sharp.

After a moment, Xie Zhitian was the first to speak, breaking the silence. “Proving innocence… Why do we need to prove innocence? If we focus on this, we’re on the wrong path.”

Meng Qiang was stunned, a look of confusion in her eyes. “What do you mean?”

Luo Yang explained, “In this situation, trying to prove our innocence means being led by the enemy. We’ll be tirelessly trying to explain a fake rumor, and there are probably thousands more waiting for us. Explaining each one will only exhaust us mentally and physically. It’s too passive.”

Meng Qiang was too naive and was still contemplating the meaning of Luo Yang’s words, but the other technicians had already reacted. “You’re right. And if we do that, Dr. Meng will be too busy to work properly, which is exactly what they want.”

Guan Qin asked anxiously, “So what do we do now? Do we have a good plan?”

“We do,” Xie Zhitian smiled at them, her tone light. “We don’t explain. We fight back. The dirty water they threw at us, we’ll just throw it right back.”

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