Chapter 39: Apology!

Their mutual stubbornness and pride had, in the end, become the very blades with which they wounded each other.
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“What did you say?” Xue Zuining’s eyes narrowed dangerously, but before she could finish, the woman’s cold, sharp voice cut her off again.

“Didn’t you hear me? I said, your mother is just as shameless as you!”

The sudden eruption drew the attention of everyone else on set. Xue Zuining advanced step by step on Dong Qian, who retreated with every step, a mocking smile playing on her lips. “You’d better take back what you just said.”

“So what? Planning to hit me?” Dong Qian’s gaze lingered on the barely restrained fury etched on Xue Zuining’s face. The crowd was already drifting toward them. Seizing her chance, Dong Qian grabbed Xue Zuining’s arm and shouted loudly, “Help—she’s attacking me!”

Xue Zuining stared at the woman who had turned the tables, her loathing so intense she could barely keep from tearing off that mask of hypocrisy. In the scuffle, their movements inevitably hurt each other. Her foot was stomped on viciously; instinctively, she raised her hand to push Dong Qian away.

At that very instant, there was a resounding “slap!” that seemed to freeze the air.

“Ah—!” Dong Qian, shoved aside, whipped her head around and shrieked in panic, “She hit me—!”

Xue Zuining hadn’t expected her action to accidentally involve Mu Chenxi, who had stepped between them. The moment she turned her face, the others rushed to separate them.

“I…” Xue Zuining could not defend herself.

Everyone stared at the scene—first in shock, then in confusion, and finally with a pained sympathy for Mu Chenxi, who had been struck for no apparent reason.

“Miss Mu, are you alright?” Several women rushed over, seeing Mu Chenxi pressing a hand to her cheek, a trace of blood at the corner of her lips, their faces blanched with fear.

She had actually drawn blood! Even Xue Zuining was stunned. Her movement hadn’t even left a handprint, so how could she have injured her so badly?

“Blood—Director Mu, you’re bleeding…” The shrill cries of several crew members alerted others working along the beach.

Lu Huaining had not expected the first thing he’d see was Xue Zuining surrounded by a group of people. Chu Ci, seeing the chaos on set, could only step in to clear the crowd.

“It’s Mr. Lu!” The cameraman pointed out Lu Huaining’s tall figure, prompting everyone to step back of their own accord.

“Chenxi…” Lu Huaining spotted Mu Chenxi with blood still staining her lips. He pulled her gently into his arms, anxiety burning in his eyes. “What happened? How did you get hurt?”

“Huaining, why are you here?” Mu Chenxi hastily wiped away the blood, but the man lifted her chin, preventing her from hiding her face. “I’m fine—it was just an accident.”

“How can you say it’s nothing?” Lu Huaining sounded genuinely concerned. “Didn’t we agree to have dinner with Grandmother tonight? How did it come to this?”

His gentle words were like a balm to Mu Chenxi. Watching them display such intimacy, Xue Zuining was about to speak when Dong Qian suddenly pointed at her and accused loudly, “It was her!”

“Mr. Lu, we’re not quite sure…”

“Maybe it really was just an accident…”

“That’s not true! She did it on purpose. I was only rehearsing lines with her—I never expected to offend her somehow. Director Mu got hurt because she tried to protect me from Xue Zuining’s slap!” Dong Qian’s words reignited the crowd’s agitation, and all eyes shifted to the three of them.

The murmured voices buzzed like flies. Xue Zuining met Lu Huaining’s scrutinizing gaze and saw surprise and uncertainty in his deep eyes. “Is it true, what she said?”

He was asking her, but Xue Zuining had no desire to speak. Since he had already chosen to believe that woman’s words, anything she said would be pointless.

“It’s alright, Huaining. I’m sure Miss Xue only acted on impulse. It’s just a superficial wound—I’m really fine. Please don’t pursue this further.” Mu Chenxi’s gentle persuasion only poured oil on the flames, confirming Xue Zuining’s supposed aggressiveness. “Didn’t you promise to have dinner with me? Let’s go. We can’t keep Grandmother waiting.”

Lu Huaining heard no answer from Xue Zuining, not a single word of explanation. Even the weariness in her eyes, he mistook for guilt and silent consent.

Some in the crew had always been against her. He knew it well and thought she would ask for his help one day. Never did he expect she’d take such drastic action herself!

Suddenly, the sunlight on his face seemed to darken, a chill settling in his features. Most of all, his eyes grew misted and opaque—she could no longer see herself in their depths.

“Miss Mu’s never suffered such humiliation in her life, and today she was struck…”

“That’s right. If Old Master Mu hears of this, he’ll be heartbroken.”

“She really doesn’t know her place, daring to lay a hand on Miss Mu…”

Just as Xue Zuining was about to defend herself, Lu Huaining’s hoarse voice drifted above the crowd, heavy with an oppressive authority. “Apologize!”

Xue Zuining was stunned. So, in the end, he still chose to believe another’s cunning tongue. Apologize? Why should she! Since everyone had already cast her as a vindictive villain, why should she give them more reason to belittle her? She even suspected Mu Chenxi’s actions had been precisely timed to stage a scene for the man she wished to ensnare. Was the blood on her lips really from Xue Zuining’s hand, or had she bitten herself deliberately?

“Apologize!” Lu Huaining’s voice suddenly sharpened, his hawk-like eyes dimming.

“Huaining, you…” Mu Chenxi’s soft protest was cut short by the man’s abrupt command, his icy gaze sweeping over Xue Zuining’s stubborn face.

“I did nothing wrong!” Xue Zuining answered his authoritarian demand without hesitation. A faint, cold smile touched her lips. Her eyes blinked once, long lashes trembling like wounded butterfly wings—leaving a final trace of beauty for those who watched her.

Lu Huaining caught the defiance in her gaze and tightened his hold on Mu Chenxi. He looked away, but his voice was insistent, brooking no argument, resonating with unyielding authority. “I told you to apologize!”