1. 37. When Someone Farts (Part 1)

"Chun, let me handle this. You focus on the files I've given you." Leah gazed at Zhou Chun and didn't break eye contact until she nodded in agreement.

Zhou Chun agreed immediately when she noticed Leah's serious expression.

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At the same time that Leah was having an afternoon nap in the greenhouse, her office inside Wang Haoran's company building was being used as a private meeting area by two unauthorized female employees from his secretarial team.

A woman with long black hair and glasses locked the door. Her slender frame made her appear taller than her actual height of 165 cm. She then turned around to face another woman who had requested this meeting.

She walked closer to the study table. "What do you want?" She looked intently at her co-worker, sitting comfortably in Liu Leah's chair.

This colleague of hers, who was only five centimeters shorter, always had her black hair tied high, even though it made her round face appear more doughy. Just like what she was wearing now, which did not fit her well, her fleshy belly showed and jiggled every time she walked.

This was Chen Mei, the little piece of sh*t who had a hand in the incident that led to Liu Leah being hospitalized. One of Wang Haoran's die-hard admirers and delusional secret stalker, she couldn't find the whereabouts of Wang Haoran, and the company had been busy lately, so in her spare time, she did what she did best: destroy Liu Leah's reputation.

From the looks of it, she had removed both armrests of Liu Leah's custom-fitted ergonomic chair so she could sit on it.

The woman sitting in the chair looked at her approaching colleague and stood up. She handed her a USB flash drive. "I have another file for you to upload, Zhu Ai."

"Chen Mei, how many times do I have to tell you not to say my name when we meet in places where we do not work!?" Zhu Ai reminded her while checking the room to see if there were any monitoring devices.

"I checked this place before asking for a meeting. It doesn't have any monitoring cameras or listening devices," Chen Mei said, dropping the USB flash drive on the table. "Besides, we are at work. Now, take this," she added, pointing at the flash drive.

Zhu Ai turned around again, looking first at Chen Mei and then at the flash drive. She approached the table. "Alright, I trust you. Stalking is your expertise, anyway."

Chen Mei frowned at Zhu Ai's comment but kept silent, waiting for the deal to finish.

"That's $10,000. Transfer it to the usual account," Zhu Ai offered.

Chen Mei immediately complained, "That's double the amount from last time! You could earn more money by selling this to the media! Why did you increase the price?"

Zhu Ai took the flash drive. She knew the content contained thirty to forty percent truth, with the rest being false, but Chen Mei had a talent for making up things, and people naturally believed her handiwork.

"Do you think the Liu Family is easy to hide from? I was almost caught. Besides, no media outlet, online or offline, wants to buy this. They are all being sued and pressured by the Liu Family. Some have even filed for bankruptcy in the past few days," Zhu Ai explained calmly.

Chen Mei silently looked at her colleague after her explanation, then nodded to show her agreement. "Alright. Send this anonymously. The more it spreads, the better."

"I'll do just that once I see the money in my account," Zhu Ai replied.

"What did Liu Leah do to you anyway? She has been friendly and generous towards us for the past two months. Even before that, she hasn't done anything to you that warrants this," Zhu Ai said, finally voicing the question she had meant to ask Chen Mei.

However, Chen Mei remained quiet. "Alright, I won't ask again. I'm going," Zhu Ai said, taking the flash drive and leaving. She wanted to save time here; the longer they stayed, the higher the chances someone might notice.

Chen Mei waited for Zhu Ai to leave the room and then sat back in the chair. She twirled around, looked through the floor-to-ceiling glass window, and enjoyed the view from this corner office.

She had stolen the key to this office from Liu Leah herself the day before Leah was rushed to the hospital. She couldn't have it duplicated, as no locksmith is legally allowed to duplicate Liu Leah's type of door lock. If Liu Leah hadn't been hospitalized and her assistant had noticed that her office key was stolen, they would have replaced the door lock and issued a new set of keys.

"Leah, you b*tch. You are just reaping what you sow," Chen Mei muttered with a menacing expression.

Chen Mei thought about her childhood. She was born in a remote, poverty-stricken town. Her parents married late and had her late. They were too old to have a second child, and due to the state of their hometown, she was their one and only child.

She was lucky to be born to parents who worked as grade school teachers for the government in their small town. Deemed a lucky child due to her heavy birth weight, fair skin, and the rain during the drought season when her first cry was heard, she was cherished by the townspeople.

Growing up, she was indeed lucky. No matter how little she ate, her baby fat, seen as a sign of luck by her townsfolk, did not disappear. She also maintained her fair, delicate skin and appearance because her parents and teachers did not allow her to work heavily at home and in school.

Chen Mei could also leave her hometown and attend a university in a big city on a scholarship.

Everything was going well for her, as she got along well with her dormmates and classmates. They adored her like a little sister, but the atmosphere around her shifted after only one month. All the attention she enjoyed and took advantage of was taken away when Liu Leah entered the same university.

In her mind, she had been the school flower from nursery until she graduated from high school. She was consistently praised as intelligent and beautiful. She expected to be recognized the same way at university and as the number one beauty on their campus.

She believed that everything changed when the latecomer Liu Leah entered the university.