The Female Lead of the Abusive Novel Can Hear My Heart's Voice - Chapter 44

Teng Jingsi got into trouble, and the entire Teng Group plunged into frantic overtime work.

That research project stolen from the Xia family was only a half finished product, and the key lay with Xia Chi. Only later did everyone realize that she had left a hidden card.

The holographic game was too realistic, and the world inside was too beautiful. At first, for a day or two, the subconscious would remind people that it was just a game, but gradually they couldn’t distinguish reality from virtual.

People treated the most beautiful game world as reality. Overnight, many never woke up from the holographic pods. Their bodies couldn’t last long they would die.

Those who remained asleep were like vegetative patients, unresponsive no matter how loudly one called. This was the crucial point.

Xia Mucai saw the news and didn’t know whether to laugh or worry. She had warned that the holographic game was unsafe, but no one listened. She painstakingly made videos to inform them, only to be scolded. “Serves them right,” she thought.

Yu Yinyin applauded, watching one after another lie down and never wake up. “I told them, but they didn’t believe me. Now look at this serves them right.”

When Xia Mucai came out of her room, Yu Yinyin showed her the news on her phone. “Xia Mucai, have you seen the news?”

After hearing Yu Yinyin’s words, she nodded. “Yes, I saw it.”

“I told you, believing in our CEO Xia was right. She doesn’t work like some people, earning money with a guilty conscience.”

“She really has good character,” Xia Mucai praised without hesitation. Since Xia Chi was praised, Xia Mucai felt like she was also being honored, because Xia Chi’s success was entirely thanks to her cultivation. Of course, she was happy.

Yu Yinyin also liked hearing others praise her idol, holding her phone happily and smiling. “Of course, CEO Xia is the best.”

In another week, it would be the Xia family’s scheduled release for the holographic pod, but online voices said only the Xia company could save those unconscious inside the pods.

At first, people begged Xia Chi to save those in comas. But Xia Chi and the whole Xia company made no move.

Then they got desperate, resorting to threats and bribes, acting like Xia Chi owed them a favor.

Meanwhile, the real culprit hid perfectly after a single day of criticism.

Floor 1: [CEO Xia, you used to be with the Teng family. You have to be responsible for them!]

Floor 2: [This vicious woman knew the holographic pods were dangerous but didn’t warn Vice President Teng. What are her intentions?]

Floor 3: [Xia Chi, do you want to see the whole country kneel to you before you’ll save those unconscious people?]

Only one day into the incident, the online discourse completely reversed. It was clear who was manipulating things.

Teng Jingsi was a scoundrel who always passed the blame to Xia Chi whenever there was trouble. Xia Mucai felt relieved that Xia Chi hadn’t married him, or else she’d be furious enough to have a stroke.

After work, Xia Mucai lay on her bed, holding her phone and arguing with those insulting Xia Chi. Xia Chi, due to her status, dared not retort, but Xia Mucai did!

Angrily typing on her phone: [Where’s Vice President Teng? Why is he perfectly hiding? Isn’t this all his doing? When things go wrong, he drags an unrelated person to take the fall. What a coward.]

As soon as the post was sent, the comments section showed her just how shameless people could be.

[Blog owner, they used to be together. Knowing the danger of the pods, couldn’t she have stopped Vice President Teng from acting rashly?]

This made Xia Mucai furious. She suspected the commenter wasn’t human but an AI.

No matter, she still had Yu Yinyin, a capable ally. If she didn’t verbally destroy those people tonight, she wouldn’t be a Xia.

With the addition of the peaceful Liao Jia, the three of them could form an army.

No one was allowed to insult Xia Chi. She finally escaped suffering, and no one was allowed to drag her back to hell.

It was very late before she went to sleep. Before that, a sudden thought struck her she wanted to see if Xia Chi was asleep.

Given the situation, Xia Chi must be feeling disgusted herself. Hopefully, she wouldn’t get angry.

Just a quick look, she told herself.

Connecting to the Lucky Cat comm device, which should be at the hotel where Xia Chi stayed, the style was simple.

In the dark room, Xia Chi sat at the desk, the laptop’s white light illuminating her face, dark circles under her eyes obvious.

How curious. It was nearly 1 AM, and she was still working, turning into a workaholic.

Not taking care of herself like this, what if she got sick?

So frustrating!

Xia Chi stretched, seeming ready to finish working and go to sleep.

But then she walked over, picked up the Lucky Cat from the bedside table, and looked at it for a moment.

She sighed but said nothing. Xia Mucai couldn’t understand the sadness in Xia Chi’s eyes.

Why so melancholy?

“I’m going to sleep now, good night,” Xia Chi suddenly said, startling Xia Mucai, who had been lying on the bed half-asleep.

What? Was she discovered?

Xia Chi placed the device back on the bedside table, obviously just speaking casually, then turned to lie down and closed her eyes.

“Phew,” Xia Mucai breathed a sigh of relief, nearly wanting to scream.

Good thing she wasn’t found out. If Xia Chi knew she had been watching her, she wondered what she would think.

Xia Chi didn’t like being watched. Putting herself in Xia Chi’s shoes, she assumed she wouldn’t like it either.

But she couldn’t help wanting to know how Xia Chi was doing. Once or twice, she would scold herself. But the more she did it, the more she felt the thrill of almost being discovered while doing something shameful.

Xia Chi said good night to her, and Xia Mucai wanted to say it back too. Without realizing it, the words “Good night” slipped from her lips.

She disconnected from the main device, content, and smiled involuntarily.

Because Xia Chi said good night, she was happy.

Two days later, netizens realized that no matter how much they scolded or begged Xia Chi, she remained unmoved.

Desperate, they finally remembered who the real culprit was and took banners to protest at Teng’s branch offices, and some even went to the Jiangcheng headquarters.

Teng Jingsi found a scapegoat, who apologized and said that Teng’s family had no solution, and that anyone who wanted a fix must go to Xia’s family.

He even suggested everyone protest at Xia’s company, hoping their sympathy would push Xia to produce a solution.

The Teng family was mocked online as shameless. They refused to reflect and instead played their own jokes.

The official blog tagged Xia Chi’s Weibo saying, [CEO Xia, everyone is waiting for you to save them. You can’t just watch ordinary people die.]

Xia Chi wasn’t a pushover. Being stepped on and disrespected, she wouldn’t let Teng Jingsi think everyone could bully her.

She quickly posted a long reply, about 400-500 words.

In essence, she said the problems were caused by Teng’s family and they refused to solve them, treating lives like nothing. If they had time, why not research solutions?

She also made it clear Xia’s family had no solutions either.

Taking this opportunity, she announced that next week’s release event would be canceled.

Fans of Xia Chi were the most disappointed. Teng Jingsi was furious to the point of needing hospitalization.

This contradicted what Guo Bai’an had said. Teng and Guo families had always cooperated, and Guo Bai’an had returned to the country for the holographic project.

Half a year ago, she said she had a contact inside Xia’s company, allowing her to easily steal the core of their project.

What was supposed to take five or six years was suddenly developed overnight. Seeing Xia Chi’s warnings, they panicked.

Teng Jingsi knew Xia Chi’s temper and didn’t rush. The idea to blame Xia Chi was hers.

He was really something, like a piece of gum that had been chewed too much. Xia Chi accidentally stepped on him, feeling disgusted to death.

Teng’s family didn’t care, Xia’s family was powerless, and netizens were desperate, especially those whose relatives lay in the pods, unable to wake.

Many watched their loved ones motionless, barely hanging on with infusions and glucose drips.

Xia Mucai went to work; many colleagues were absent. She also saw Xia Chi’s furious posts about Teng Jingsi. Could there really be no way to save them?

Her colleagues were kind and took care of her. How could she just watch them die?

The boss looked at those who came to work and sighed, “You don’t need to come in today, go home and rest.”

The boss’s daughter, also the director, was nice and often brought meals to Xia Mucai.

With her “magic power,” the Lucky Cat might push project research forward.

But was it worth it? A dying person cared about early or late death?

She told the boss, who looked ten years older overnight, “Don’t worry, there will be a solution soon.”

The peeling boss had lost hope. Teng family ignored everything; Xia family was helpless. Ordinary people could only wait.

Xia Mucai went to find Xia Chi but didn’t know which hotel she stayed at, only knowing Xia’s branch office.

She took a taxi there. After the storm, many security guards were stationed at the branch entrance. No pass meant no entry.

She was stopped by security, despite being nominally part of the Xia family. This company belonged to her too!

The head of security told her, “Miss, no internal invitation, you can’t enter.”

Panicked, she blurted her identity, “I’m from the Xia family! I’m a Xia daughter!”

“Heh,” came a mocking laugh with whispers, “I’m the chairman’s father. You lying without any preparation? Hilarious.”

If he were really the chairman’s dad, that would be something.

Xia Mucai nodded. Having left home for a year, she was no longer part of the Xia family.

Looking at the tightly sealed branch company, unless she grew wings and flew in, she wouldn’t get inside.

“Miss, please go back. We know you’re here because of the heated issue. If you want trouble, go to Teng’s family they are the ones who put your family in this coma.”

After a year, she saw an old acquaintance Xia Chi’s voice behind her.

“You came.”

She seemed to have known Xia Mucai would come back all along.