Chapter 38 - The real culprit

When Su Lanfen walked out, she found a crowd of people outside her studio. It was not unusual. She was a famous model. Hundreds of her fans would line up outside to just get a glimpse of her. She walked out nervously. She thought after the recent blow to her reputation, she should act nice. She went to them to give her signatures and selfies. But what awaited her wasn't the was not the praises but insults.

"Here comes the bitch."

"How dare you slander our Prince?!"

"Did you think we are here for you? We are here for our prince! We are his loyal fans! Whoever wants to taint his name will have to fight with us."

Some of the fans even tried to come forward and attack her. But her bodyguards quickly surrounded and safely guided her to her car. Su Lanfen was near to crying.

It must be that bitch scheme!

Su Lanfen wanted the insults to end desperately. She quickly picked up her phone and typed a response.

"I had just come back from my latest shot and was shocked to find all that. How could my fans turn their backs on me at the moment of need? Will you believe I can do something like that? I've no idea what Jing Lihua has against me to make her slander me like that but I say it now. I didn't even know about the rumors about Mo Liang and Jing Lihua till this morning. And though I've seen them together on various occasions, I never suspected their relationship. After all, Jing Lihua is married to my cousin and I won't dare to raise a finger against her. She is my sister-in-law. I would never tarnish her reputation. As of the audio, my true fans know it is entirely fake. I hope all my fans make a decision after finding the truth. Love Su Lanfen."

There were subtle hints of her trying to say that the Mo Liang and Jing Lihua scandal was real. The post was instantly rushed with hundreds of responses.

"If you say so Su Lanfen we'll trust you."

"Everyone deserves a second chance but we won't forgive if you are proven wrong."

"I trust my goddess. Listen carefully to the audio. Did you hear the voice? The voice of the person was though identical to our goddess but one could tell it was not the same gentle tone of Su Lanfen. The audio is obviously fake."

"Jing Lihua is trying to divert the people's attention towards Su Lanfen and trying to hide her own scandal."

Su Lanfen felt relieved after she read a series of positive comments. Even though she lost half of her fans, the half that remained was true to her. Even the subscribers' number slowly began to recover after her post. She smiled as she thought about Jing Lihua's reaction once she looked at those comments that were back at insulting her.

Unbeknownst to her Jing Lihua was dealing with trouble far greater than her and didn't even have time to pay Su Lanfen any mind. She walked with Heng Bingwen and Mei Xiu into the restaurant. The police were already involved, reporters were waiting outside. It was not a single murder that could be easily covered.

It was a massive massacre. Twenty men slaughtered brutally. There was no way to cover it.

"President, you didn't have to come personally. I'm afraid the scene must be gruesome for you. And you've also just recovered from an injury. How about it; I and Mei Xiu inspect it?" Heng Bingwen had noticed that his President hadn't fully recovered yet. She was still a little weak.

"How could I not come? This restaurant is mine. The workers are my employees. Someone brutally killed my employees. How would I answer my conscience if I didn't come?"

Jing Lihua walked to the crime scene. Her eyes blurred as she watched the bloodbath in front of her. Forensic technicians were taking the samples and photographs. The scene reminded her of that winter evening in her grandfather's garden when she was killed.

It was just like that evening. Dozens of her grandfather's loyal guards were butchered ruthlessly.

"Are you alright, President?" Mei Xiu saw Jing Lihua staggering a little.

"Yes, just go ahead and find the Chief officer"

The chief officer was already waiting for Jing Lihua. She gave her statement and asked him to report to her from the progress of the case. When she stepped out of the restaurant, she was surrounded by reporters.

"Mr. Jing, what do you think about the murder? Who do you suspect for is behind it?"

"The audio released this morning clearly had Su Lanfen voice. She was found saying that she cleared the CCTV recording and no one will ever know what happened."

"Su Lanfen claimed that the audio was fake. What do you say, President Jing? Was it real or fake?"

"If it was real, could it be Ms. Su behind the massacre?"

"Would you testify against your sister-in-law in the court?"

"What do you think was her motive behind it?"

The reporters were less ferocious than other celebrities while dealing with Jing Lihua. Now it was common knowledge among them that Jing Lihua had support from a massive force in Hong Kong. As from whom, only a handful of senior reporters knew.

Jing Lihua didn't reply to a single question unlike those who would have gladly taken the opportunity to slander their enemies. She walked straight towards her car as her bodyguards cleared the path.