Sienna looked aggrieved. "Julian, I didn't want others to think I was using you to get a backdoor entry, so I chose to find a job on my own. I thought this would at least be fair, but I didn't expect..."

"Celine, what right do you have to cancel Sienna’s qualifications?"

Someone immediately stood up to fight for Sienna, and others chimed in right away.

"Exactly! Do you know how outstanding Sienna is? She graduated from the top major at the country's most elite university! Her grades were always first in her year!"

"She has won four national awards and even three international gold medals!"

With every sentence they spoke, Sienna stood straighter, a gleam of triumph in her eyes, though she pretended to be humble:

"Everyone, stop talking. I believe Celine must have had her reasons for doing this."

"What reasons could she have? It’s simply because she’s jealous of you, Sienna! She used dirty tactics to climb into the beds of company executives, whispered in their ears, and targeted you on purpose!"

"Look at her outfit. Every piece is worth five figures. If she relied on herself, she wouldn't be able to afford it even if she didn't eat or drink for years!"

Gaze after gaze of scrutiny landed on Celine, filled with sarcasm.

"To be able to reach into this company, she must have slept with quite a few men. Truly shameless!..."

Listening to their verbal abuse, Celine remained expressionless and called for security:

"Clear them out."

They looked at her in disbelief.

But just as the security guards moved to throw them out, several bodyguards in suits surrounded them, forming a dark, oppressive wall.

"Let’s see who dares to move."

Julian patted the back of Sienna’s hand to soothe her, then walked up to Celine, staring down at her.

"Celine, if you continue to be so deluded, don't blame me for being merciless."

As the words fell, the company's general manager, Chen Zheng, rushed over, nodding and bowing:

"Mr. Julian, I didn't know you were visiting. My apologies for not welcoming you properly..."

He then glared at Celine with displeasure. "Are you the person Sun Shiya found from goodness-knows-where? Are you crazy? Do you not know what kind of background Mr. Julian has? How dare you offend him?! Apologize immediately!"

The aggressive words were exactly the same as what Celine had heard years ago.

That summer, after her family suffered a crisis, Celine had taken a job as a waitress to save up for her living expenses abroad.

She had happened to encounter Sienna and Julian eating at the restaurant together.

While Julian was out making a call, Sienna deliberately made things difficult for her, spilling coffee on her own dress, claiming Celine had done it, and demanding she kneel and apologize.

The restaurant's general manager at the time had grabbed her just like this, warning: "Celine, do you not know the background of Young Master Julian? Someone who dares to offend him? Apologize immediately!"

"I didn't do it, why should I apologize?"

Celine retorted, "The restaurant has surveillance, we can check it..."

But the next second, Sienna picked up the hot soup from the table and splashed it on her own hand!

When Julian rushed in, he caught exactly that moment—Sienna clutching her hand as tears fell in streams.

"Celine!" He grabbed Celine’s hand with enough force to nearly snap her wrist. "You’re hurting Sienna again?!"

"I didn't."

"I saw it with my own eyes!"

Julian cut her off. "Since you don't remember the lesson, don't blame me for being heartless. Men!"

Celine was locked in the restaurant cellar.

For 48 full hours.

Darkness, dampness, and cold, like venomous snakes, coiled around her limbs and swallowed her whole.

Yet, once, when she had been accidentally locked in the equipment room during PE class, Julian was the first to find her and carry her out.

Back then, he had said: "With me here, I will never let you get hurt."

But in the end, the person who kept hurting her, time and time again, was him.

When she was finally released, she had lost almost all sensation.

The Julian family’s bodyguard stood before her: "By offending Young Master Julian, there isn't a single shop in the entire city that will hire you."

Chapter 6

Those unbearable memories had left indelible scars on Celine’s heart to this day.

Now, facing their aggressive, biting faces, Celine tightened the fingers hanging at her sides.

"I will not apologize. What can you do to me?"

"And furthermore, just a moment ago, I sent the admission list to the headquarters. It isn't any of the people present here."

"You! You!..."

Chen Zheng was furious.

A glimmer of malice flashed in Sienna’s eyes, and she tugged at Julian’s sleeve with tearful eyes: "Julian, you know I prepared for this interview for a long time, but because of her, all my efforts were in vain. You must seek justice for me..."

Julian looked at Celine’s stubborn profile, his brows furrowing, and finally, he spoke coldly:

"Since Manager Chen says she was brought here by Manager Sun, if she refuses to apologize, then Sun will have to bear the consequences for her actions."

"Julian!"

Celine gritted her teeth. "If you have the guts, come at me. What kind of person drags innocent people into the mud?"

Julian stepped forward, lowering his voice to a volume only the two of them could hear:

"Celine, don't forget, if I could pin the blame for cheating on the college entrance exam on you five years ago, destroy your evidence, and throw you into a detention center, I can still make sure that you and everyone related to you pay the price now."

"If you don't believe me, we can try and see."

Celine’s throat tightened, and her chest felt like it was being gripped by an icy hand. "Julian, you are truly despicable."

"Sometimes, being too stubborn does you no good."

Julian softened his tone for once. "Whether or not you drag others down is entirely up to you."

The atmosphere fell into a deathly silence.

After a long while, Celine closed her eyes, let out a breath, and finally nodded: "Fine, I agree."

That evening, Chen Zheng immediately ordered the company to issue an emergency statement:

【After investigation, Celine has falsely impersonated an interviewer for our company and illegally intervened in the recruitment process. All unauthorized actions were carried out solely by her, and the company bears no responsibility. We strictly order Celine to make a public apology and take full responsibility for her inappropriate behavior.】

In an instant, a tidal wave of abuse crashed down upon Celine.

【Celine? Why does that name sound so familiar? Is that the person who cheated on the college entrance exam years ago?】

【It’s her! I didn't expect that besides cheating, she would even go so far as to impersonate an interviewer!】

【How can there be such garbage in our society! Ugh, pathetic!】

...

Celine silently scrolled through the comments, her face showing no significant ripples.

Her phone also received several messages.

One was from Sienna.

【Celine, you will always be the loser whenever you fight me!】

【From now on, you can only be a street rat, shouted at by everyone!】

And one from Julian.

A transaction record.

And a text message.

【Apologize publicly at the press conference tomorrow. Once the storm passes, I will arrange for you to work by my side. The treatment will naturally be much better than you working odd jobs. You should know when to be content.】

Sun Shiya, sitting beside her, was nearly driven mad with rage. "These petty people are simply despicable! Celine, you've worked so hard to get where you are today—please don't compromise with them for my sake!"

"Don't worry."

Celine stared at the screen and pulled at the corner of her lips.

"It’s been five years. Since someone has taken the initiative to set up the stage, of course, I have to play this role well."

Chapter 7

The next morning.

Chen Zheng invited various media outlets to hold a press conference.

Two rows of microphones and cameras were set up. In the live broadcast, Chen Zheng and two other interviewers sat at the main table.

Several other candidates whose interview qualifications had been canceled sat in the representative area.

Julian sat in the VIP section with Sienna by his side.

Celine was being watched by several bodyguards from the Julian family, surrounded by gazes filled with scrutiny and disdain, leaving her feeling like a prisoner.

Soon, the press conference began.

Chen Zheng took the stage first, speaking into the camera:

"Thank you to all our media friends for coming. Today’s conference is primarily about the incident where Celine impersonated an interviewer, maliciously disrupting our company’s normal recruitment process and infringing upon the rights of outstanding candidates."

He paused, having Sienna’s impressive resume projected onto the big screen.

The top major at the nation's most elite university.

First in her year for four consecutive years while enrolled.