Conviction

Back at his apartment, Jingwei could only stare blankly at his phone for the second time today. His brother just told him in no uncertain terms to keep his head down and ignore the mess that was happening. 

While that was his original plan to begin with, the thought of clarifying the accusations levied towards him and taking some form of responsibility remained an incredibly attractive thought. 

"I'm guessing your brother said no," Xue Ning guessed, after seeing the crestfallen look on his face. 

"You're right," Jingwei said, leaning against the sofa as he looked at her curious face. "He told me in no uncertain terms that I wasn't allowed to hold press conferences, and if I did hold one - he wasn't going to help me at all." 

"That sucks," was Xue Ning's sympathetic reply. "Guess we should just wait it out then." 

Before Jingwei could reply, his phone began ringing again.