Lin Xingwan and Lawrence soon stood side by side.
Even though Lawrence was a magnate who dominated the film and television industry, and Lin Xingwan was just an unknown owner of an entertainment company, when she stood next to Lawrence, her presence did not lose to him at all.
Even the coldness emanating from Lin Xingwan's bones was like the noblest snow lotus on the highest peak of an ice mountain.
A hostess quickly handed a microphone to Lin Xingwan.
"The invitation to tonight's banquet was sent to me by Mr. Lawrence. The moment I saw this invitation, I knew something was not simple. At that time, I thought, maybe I shouldn't attend this banquet, after all, it's a Hongmen Banquet for me. But I still came. Because I thought again, if you have a clear conscience, you don't need to fear any slander. Since I haven't done anything wrong, why can't I come? Not only must I come, but I must come in a high-profile manner."
Lin Xingwan wore a smile, but her eyes were devoid of any warmth, giving off an extremely distant and indifferent feeling.
"Since Mr. Lawrence claims I'm riding on your coattails and insulting your works, why don't you tell me how I'm riding on your coattails? Or how I've insulted your works?"
"Miss Lin Xingwan, this is the first time I've ever seen a woman as shameless as you." Ye Qingning, standing beside Lawrence, couldn't stand it anymore. Just seeing Lin Xingwan's arrogant posture made Ye Qingning want to stomp her into a cesspool.
"By what right and status do you say such things to me? What? Are you in such a hurry to become Lawrence's woman?" Lin Xingwan looked coldly at Ye Qingning, her face full of mockery. "Be good, go cool off somewhere. I'll deal with my own matters first, and then I'll deal with you."
Lin Xingwan's tone was gentle, but her words were extremely arrogant and presumptuous.
Ye Qingning's face turned red, then white, then green, like a palette.
At the same time, at the entrance of the banquet, Dongfang Junze's figure appeared.
"Young Master, you were right. Lawrence, that scoundrel, has indeed targeted the Young Madam. I'll go over and help the Young Madam out of this predicament right now."
Just as Chen Yuchu was about to step forward, Zhou Jinbai stopped her. "No need."
Chen Yuchu cast a confused glance at the man beside her, but the Young Master seemed unwilling to say more, so Chen Yuchu followed Zhou Jinbai forward.
Obviously, Lin Xingwan also noticed Dongfang Junze approaching them.
In the past, she would have felt it was a fated encounter every time she saw this man at a banquet, thanking heaven for letting her meet Dongfang Junze again and again, which allowed her career to flourish.
But now, after knowing Dongfang Junze's true identity, Lin Xingwan's heart was no longer stirred by his appearance.
It was just a dress-up game where he treated her like a monkey, yet she had never doubted it before.
"Lin Xingwan, a shrew like you is a disgrace to our China just by standing on this stage. There are so many international reporters at the banquet tonight. Look at yourself now, you're disgusting. No wonder you found a good-for-nothing man, because any man who is even slightly outstanding wouldn't look twice at trash like you."
Lawrence stood on the stage and cursed Lin Xingwan without regard for his image, even including Zhou Jinbai in his insults.
Dongfang Junze, standing below the stage, his eyes suddenly turned cold. He would not let Lawrence's suicidal behavior go unpunished.
"You are the one who is disgracing our China, you sinicized running dog!" Xue Manting, standing below the stage, couldn't listen anymore.
As she was about to rush onto the stage, Su Moyao, who had somehow appeared beside her, embraced her and comforted her with a doting expression.
"Su Moyao, let go of me. I need to help my best friend. I'm sick of listening to this. What is that idiot talking about! If I had known that the purpose of tonight's banquet was for Sister Lin, I would have definitely found someone to smash the place."
Su Moyao leaned into Xue Manting's ear in an intimate and ambiguous manner, "Dongfang Junze will handle this. What are you worried about?"
Xue Manting's agitated emotions instantly calmed down upon hearing the name 'Dongfang Junze'.
That's right!
They had a super big shot by their side. What was she rushing for?
Lin Xingwan glanced at Xue Manting below the stage. Seeing that her expression was no longer so angry, Lin Xingwan's hanging heart finally relaxed, and she even gave Xue Manting a reassuring look.
If she didn't have a foolproof plan tonight, she wouldn't have come here.
Since she had come, it meant she wouldn't suffer at Lawrence's hands. Moreover, she would return all the insults Lawrence had thrown at her.
"Mr. Lawrence, since you said there are many international reporters attending the banquet tonight, we can take this opportunity to clarify all the misunderstandings that have occurred recently. My character has nothing to do with you, but your words about me riding on your coattails and insulting your works are a form of harm to me."
Just as Lin Xingwan finished speaking, she saw a middle-aged man walking onto the stage with a stack of documents.
"Distinguished guests, hello everyone. I am Miss Lin's lawyer, my surname is Zheng. You can call me Lawyer Zheng. In my hands are evidence that Lawrence's company hired internet trolls to smear Top Entertainment, and that the author of 'Imperial Court' plagiarized 'Divine Miracle'. Miss Lin was kind-hearted and did not want to pursue these matters, but who would have thought that Lawrence would be so aggressive? If Miss Lin does not take up legal weapons to protect her rights, there will be more victims in the future."
Lawyer Zheng raised the stack of documents in his hand, but it had no deterrent effect on Lawrence at all.
"You think a few pieces of paper can fool people? Do you think I'm scared? Moreover, 'Imperial Court' did not plagiarize 'Divine Miracle'. It's just that they thought of the same plot. It's useless no matter how many times the author of 'Divine Miracle' sues. You are too ridiculous, you're rubbing everyone's intelligence on the ground." After Lawrence finished speaking, he actually burst into laughter.
Ye Qingning, standing beside Lawrence, also lowered her head and covered her mouth with her hand, laughing.
The guests below the stage began to discuss after hearing Lawyer Zheng's words:
"It's true that fame brings trouble. These people are just riding on Lawrence's coattails. The author of 'Divine Miracle' is also deliberately suing 'Imperial Court' again and again. Without 'Imperial Court', who would know about the novel 'Divine Miracle'!"
"Mr. Lawrence is a leader in the directing world. Why would he hire internet trolls to blacken an unknown nobody? These people are truly shameless, acting like saints after being prostitutes."
A woman in a black evening gown, who had appeared not long ago, crossed her arms and watched the show with a smirk. "Perhaps she wanted to latch onto Mr. Lawrence, but Mr. Lawrence didn't fancy her, so she went mad."
"Your mouth is so foul, have you been licking toilets? Throw her out."
Dongfang Junze's words, devoid of any warmth, instantly silenced the whispers in the venue.
A few seconds later, the woman in the black evening gown was escorted out by two burly bodyguards.
Others dared not openly discuss Lin Xingwan.
Lawyer Zheng also took this opportunity to speak again. "Mr. Lawrence, I have records of you transferring money to the editors of fashion magazines and reporters, as well as recordings of your phone calls with them." Lawyer Zheng paused at the opportune moment, took out a voice recorder, and played the audio file stored within:
"Take this five million first. As long as you smear Top Entertainment online, I'll give you more money based on the results."
"Yes, we need to publish that 'Divine Miracle' plagiarized 'Imperial Court', and also bring up the topic of Top Entertainment riding on the coattails. Then, we'll have the technical staff automatically slander Top Entertainment and Lin Xingwan, that bitch, online. This time, I'll make sure she has nowhere to hide."
...
In the voice recorder were chat records of Lawrence with different people. The voices of some of them matched those of the people who had been shouting the loudest below the stage.
Lawrence's arrogant expression turned flustered and nervous after listening to the contents of the voice recorder.
"Impossible... This is all fake. I never did any of this. It's all a fake audio deliberately synthesized by that shrew Lin Xingwan to frame me." Lawrence naturally wouldn't admit it. If he admitted to such a thing, his lifelong reputation would be ruined.
"Lawrence, do you know who gave me the contents of the voice recorder?" Lin Xingwan asked, seeing Lawrence trying to renege, a half-smile appearing on her delicate and exquisite face.
Lin Xingwan smiled but said nothing, merely casting a meaningful glance towards the banquet entrance.
The crowd couldn't help but follow Lin Xingwan's gaze. The banquet entrance was empty, with nothing there.
Just as they were utterly confused, they saw a woman in a fringed tight-fitting dress appear in everyone's sight.
Lawrence was shocked to see this woman.
Because this woman was Lawrence's wife – Tammy!
Once an international supermodel, she had to reluctantly leave the stage due to illness and recuperate at home.
Even though Tammy had been away from the stage for many years, the aura of 'I'm the coolest' she exuded still attracted everyone's attention.
Tammy walked towards them, the fringes on her body swaying wildly.
"I gave the contents of that voice recorder to Miss Lin. If anyone still wants to see the video, this USB drive in my hand clearly shows how Lawrence bribed people to satisfy his selfish desires."
Tammy turned confidently and explained to everyone.
Lawrence looked at his wife in disbelief, his eyes wide with rage. "Why... Why would you do this to me, my dear? I'm your husband!"
"Husband? Mr. Lawrence, the word makes me want to vomit. In the years I've been sick, did you care about me besides giving me money? Did you take care of me? No! You just accused me and belittled me, saying my body was withered, that you had no feelings for me, and that every time we made love, it felt like touching myself. You told me again and again that you were a normal man and that if I couldn't satisfy you, you would find other women outside..."
Tammy's emotions erupted, and her gaze towards Lawrence was filled with hatred.
"Shut up! They say family shame should not be aired in public. How can you say these things in front of so many people? Tammy, I am so disappointed in you. I don't know what kind of spell Lin Xingwan cast on you to make you frame me!"
Lawrence said to everyone, "I apologize, everyone, for letting you witness this spectacle. As you know, Tammy has been ill, so her mental state is not good. What she says is unreliable because she often has hallucinations. She's a madwoman."
Lawrence still wanted to throw all the blame onto Lin Xingwan and Tammy. Lawyer Zheng said calmly, "Mr. Lawrence, the people of our China have the strongest integrity. But for stubborn people like you, we reasonable Chinese have given up on reasoning with you. I believe your lawyer will patiently explain to you how to compensate our Top Entertainment with three hundred million. Believe me, Mr. Lawrence, I have the ability to do everything I say. Moreover, if you don't obediently pay the three hundred million to Top Entertainment, you will face imprisonment."
Lawyer Zheng finished speaking and adjusted his glasses, his eyes full of calculating shrewdness.
"Do you know why the author of 'Imperial Court' didn't come tonight? Because he's already having tea at the police station. Starting tomorrow, all legitimate links of 'Imperial Court' will be removed from the internet, and the physical books will be destroyed." After Lawyer Zheng finished, he respectfully asked Lin Xingwan, "Miss Lin, is there anything else I need to do?"
"Not for now." Lin Xingwan looked at Lawyer Zheng with great satisfaction, then turned to Ye Qingning and said, "Ye Qingning, now it's your turn."
Ye Qingning, who had been minimizing her presence since Tammy appeared, now looked at Lin Xingwan with fear in her eyes.
Clearly, tonight was a trap set by her and Lawrence, with the goal of making Lin Xingwan kneel and apologize like Guo Gaoming. But now, Ye Qingning felt that she and Lawrence had fallen into Lin Xingwan's trap.
"Lin Xingwan, what do you want?" Ye Qingning looked at Lin Xingwan with vigilance. Unbeknownst to her, Tammy had quickly walked up to her and slapped her.
Although Tammy was thin, the force of the slap was immense, and Ye Qingning fell directly to the ground.
"A slut wearing someone else's clothes, pretending to be something she's not, yet not doing anything decent. At such a young age, why would you steal someone else's man! Don't you know that stealing a man leads to no good end? The Ye family is a scholarly family, how could they have raised a shameless woman like you? In what capacity do you serve Lawrence? Concubine? Companion? You don't even qualify to be a concubine. At least a concubine has been formally married. To call you a bed warmer is even flattering you, because even prostitutes charge money. You have truly disgraced your Ye family completely."
After Tammy finished speaking, the large screen behind them suddenly lit up.