Ruin

After she ran out of flash drives, Li Yue joined the class with Mo Li and everyone else. With a smile on her face, Li Yue pretended not to notice the confused gaze that Mo Li gave her. After all, he knew that just the other night, Li Yue was bullied by Lu Xinyi.

Leaning towards her, Mo Li asked. "Are you sick?"

Li Yue leaned back as she gave the man a wry look. How could this Mo Li act like they were so close in front of everyone?

"What happened? Did you hit your head?" he asked. His voice, however didn't contain even a hint of concern. Li Yue immediately figured out that this man is scheming something.

"Classmate Mo, you should stay away from a fake phoenix like myself." She said, making sure her voice was loud enough for everyone to hear. "I don't want anyone to think that we are close or something."

"But we are." His face looked aggrieved. This immediately irritated her. Li Yue kicked his leg, and he responded with a grunt before he smiled. "Let's eat together later, alright?"

What the hell is this? Li Yue was confused. The agreement clearly stated that they were not going to tell anyone that they were fake lovers! Li Yue turned her head away as a sinister plan popped up in her head. When Mo Li saw that Li Yue had gotten quiet, he immediately stopped disturbing her.

After the rumor started spreading, everyone thought that Lu Xinyi's parents would meet the current principal to have Li Yue suspended. Contrary to their expectations, none of this happened.

Lu Residence, Yin City.

"So, they're really close?" Lu Xinyi frowned as she eyed the image of Mo Li leaning towards Li Yue. "How could that be? Mo Li is a celebrity and he comes from a prominent family. Surely, his father would not want him to get close to a woman like Li Yue, right?"

"I don't think his father knows about it." The woman speaking was one of Lu Xinyi's close friends. She and Lu Xinyi were Li Yue's classmates too. "Now that I think about it… what do you think will happen if his father were to learn about this?"

As expected, Lu Xinyi's eyes widened. She had just experienced an eureka moment! "Quick! Send me that image you took earlier!"

"Wait… Xinyi, what if his father— "

"Don't worry. I will introduce myself properly and tell him that I was only concerned about his son's well-being." Lu Xinyi thought that Mo Li's father would surely lash out at Mo Li and would tell him to avoid Li Yue and once that happens, Li Yue would lose the last person that she could hold on to. Lu Xinyi beamed as she started composing a text message to her mother. She needed to get Mr. Mo's number first!

However, this glee of hers was short-lived. A few minutes after she sent the message to her mother, Lu Xinyi received a message from an anonymous number. She immediately opened the text and slowly, her eyes widened. 

"Xinyi? Are you alright? What is that?"

"Leave." Lu Xinyi closed her phone, her face turned scarlet as she eyed her friend. "Leave me. I am not feeling well."

"Are you alright? Do you want me to call the— "

"No! I said leave!" Seeing the surprise on the woman's face, Lu Xinyi hurriedly added. "I will call you later!" she had to force the words out of her mouth. After all, just like most people in the academy, Lu Xinyi was also building connections with her peers— Connections of which she could use once she became an adult.

"Alright then… I will leave. Text me when you get home."

She nodded, pretending to understand her friend's words. Her mind was already in shambles, her breathing started to turn shallow as she clenched her fists. Did she see the right thing? Was that video… 

The buzz from her phone almost made her jump. She immediately picked it up and the message that she read immediately confirmed her suspicion. Someone is trying to blackmail her!

[MONEY OR I RELEASE THE VIDEO?]

Lu Xinyi trembled. She remembered that the video vanished from her phone months ago! How could someone get a copy of the video now? She started pacing inside her room as she thought about it. Then her phone buzzed again. Frowning, she opened her phone. However, the frown on her face was replaced with an even more grim expression when she realized that it was another number. 

[Miss Lu, I have a video that can very well ruin you. I suggest you give me what I want or I will release this online.] 

The text was followed by a short clip of the video. Seeing this, a gasp escaped Lu Xinyi's lips. Her eyes widened, lips agape. What is happening?

"No. This cannot be true!" She said as she opened the other message again. At that time, Lu Xinyi was only doing a dare! Her brother might have pulled her towards the bed, but nothing else had really happened. In fact, it was shown in the video that she was able to fight against him and slap him before running out of his room with her phone.

Even still, the video is enough to ruin her brother's reputation who had just got out of the rehabilitation center and is trying to change his life for the better. Lu Xinyi bit her lips so hard, she could taste blood flowing out. Having the video shown to her parents would make them lash out on her and they might even disown her brother. Surely, this would also affect her reputation in school. What should she do now?

Lu Xinyi paced back and forth until she heard another buzz from her phone. For some reason, she immediately felt her heart jump. She hesitated for a few seconds before she opened her phone. And just as she expected…. There it was.

Another message.

Another video.

And another number.

"How could this be?" she asked, face paling as sweat trickled down her forehead.