Xiao Man turned around, leaned back against the desk, elegantly holding a wine glass and sipping from it, with a smile playing at the corners of her mouth. "I’m not done playing either."

"What do you plan on doing? Cooperate with us for public relations? Right now, the fastest way to salvage your image is to apologize, with your sincere tears. That won’t be difficult for you, right?"

"How about killing the chicken to warn the monkeys? If the first one who led the trouble is killed, then the rest won’t dare to even make a move," Xiao Man said with a smile, sounding even more terrifying. She raised her right hand, "I just killed someone today. Also my first in this lifetime. I thought that killing someone would at least feel different, but it turns out it wasn’t. I didn’t feel anything at all. In that moment, I just—swish—ended her life. Turns out I’d already become numb from all those brutal trainings in the past."

Gu Liancheng wasn’t scared, but he laughed instead.

Although she didn’t say what had happened, from the looks of her injuries, it might have been related to the person who died by her hands.

"Ma Gang wasted his money hiring a body double," he said indifferently.

Of course, he didn’t believe that she would actually go through with the killing the chicken to warn the monkeys.

Even though Xiao Man was from the Dark Organisation, she wasn’t a bloodthirsty person and adhered to the principle of not initiating trouble unless provoked.

"Not at all," Xiao Man laughed, "If I had to do those martial artists’ moves myself, I’d have to ask for more money. My rate is much higher than that of a body double."

It was pleasant to chat with a clever person. Xiao Man had never opened up so candidly with anyone before.

Therefore, she felt fortunate to meet Gu Liancheng. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

"If Li Sinian were here, he wouldn’t let you suffer any grievances. His methods often involve fighting fire with fire. But it’s a pity, I can only let you suffer some grievances. How about holding a press conference this evening to garner some sympathy?"

"Not really," Xiao Man wasn’t going to give him face just because they had a good chat, "Are you so sure I won’t actually start killing if they push me too hard? Anyway, I’ve already started killing today, and I don’t mind adding one more, lest I start to enjoy the feeling of killing."

She laughed, a poisonous look seemingly hidden in her smile.

This time, it was truly venomous.

"You won’t. Because if you do, you wouldn’t be able to return to this ordinary world," Gu Liancheng said confidently, "You want to live as Xiao Man, not Heather."

Xiao Man could only give a bitter smile.

"Where to?"

"Where else can I go, but to torment myself for this evening’s press conference, to make myself look more pitiful, with a paler face, frail like one that would fall at a gust of wind. That’s how fans will feel sorry for you, right?" She turned her head and smiled.

"Right, in the style of Lin Daiyu."

...

Upon hearing that Xiao Man was going to hold a press conference, Qianxun immediately expressed her wish to attend.

Gu Liancheng remembered Xiao Man’s request and stopped her.

By evening, the press conference venue was packed, with not a single reputable media outlet missing. There were also fans, and netizens on Weibo waiting to watch the live broadcast.

Backstage, Little Five and Fan Fan were so nervous they could hardly manage, incessantly instructing the makeup artist to make Xiao Man’s makeup look more sickly.

"Sister Man, we will all support you, you must stay strong."

"Don’t worry."

The agent murmured on and on beside her: "Manman, that ’glamour photo scandal’ isn’t true, right?"

Otherwise, why would the informant mosaic out the face? It’s either defamation or insufficient evidence, simply adding a mosaic to make people doubtful.