Novel Full 503 Sky's anniversary arc (8)
Ai pulled Xing Bi’s hand and asked, “Xing Bi? What are you saying?”
Xing Bi stood tall and furious, feeling betrayed. “It’s the truth! I cannot believe Miss. Sun would choose to sell your story despite her promise!”
Jun and Ai had no clue what Xing Bi was talking about. Especially for Jun who couldn’t imagine Sun Bai in any sort of unfavorable deal against Sky.
Sun Bai’s eyes slowly widened and her face paled as she could see how and why Xing Bi would misunderstand her. “That’s not t-true…I really didn’t make any deal with Lu Bohai!” Her once calm expression was filled with uncertainty now.
Jun frowned. “Please explain.”
“Xing Bi is indeed telling the truth, little brother,” Nian stood by her side.
“How do you know? And wait, why don’t I know about this?”
Xing Bi pursed her lips. “I kept it from you for all this. I am sorry, Liu Jun. But when I first came to know that Miss. Sun transferred Ai’s story on her personal device and then saw her talking to Lu Bohai, I could hardly believe it myself. I always looked up to Miss. Sun.”
Sun Bai stiffened. Without Xing Bi telling her anything, she already knew that she had disappointed her. And today, she was going to disappoint her boss too.
She clutched her dress hard, feeling cornered and afraid of the hate to come towards her.
Xing Bi recounted whatever happened regarding Sun Bai and her suspicions on her and Lu Bohai’s relationship. Their meetings at a cafe where Lu Bohai was demanding her to give something and Sun Bai’s agreement too.
“It was the next day when I met Miss. Sun and confronted her.”
*Flashback*
The evening after when Nian had come to Xing Bi’s apartment, she made it a point to meet Sun Bai first thing in the morning.
“I want the clear truth from you Miss. Sun.”
Sun Bai blinked, unsure of what Xing Bi had in mind.
“I saw you meeting with Lu Bohai.”
She froze.
“And I also came to hear your conversation with her. I also know that you have transferred some of Ai’s new story drafts into your personal device.”
By this point, Sun Bai had turned pale. She was visibly shaking as Xing Bi’s knowledge of her deeds was completely unexpected.
I thought I was careful…
Xing Bi looked into her eyes and said, “Miss. Sun. I really respect you a lot. You taught me everything since I came to Sky. It’s because of you that work at Sky became even more enjoyable…”
In her heart too, Xing Bi felt it being gripped with pain. From the bottom of it, she didn’t want the strong and independent person she respected so much to be involved in anything guilty and shady. She hated questioning Sun Bai like this but for Ai’s sake, she steeled her heart.
“Please tell me that you don’t have anything to do with Lu Bohai,” she urged more than coming off as a demand.
Xing Bi stiffened. She stammered. “That means you…”
“It is indeed true that I pulled some files…unethically.”
Xing Bi felt her eyes tear up.
Damn it! I had really hoped…I really hoped that she wouldn’t…
Sun Bai closed her trembling palms. “I met Lu Bohai too and yes…he did demand me to help him out because of his precarious position in Shi Publishing. I agreed to help him out too.”
Xing Bi bit her lip hard.
“But then I decided against it.”
She stared at her wide-eyed. “You did?”
As opposed to her previous guilty expression, Sun Bai looked firm on her stance this time. “Yes, Miss. Xing. I realized what wrong I was going to do and how badly it would affect Miss. Zhou. I have seen her work so hard and I…I just couldn’t bring myself to listen to Lu Bohai in the end. That’s why I already deleted all the files from my device and am going to give Lu Bohai my answer.”
Xing Bi couldn’t express how relieved she felt. But one question still bothered her.
“Why are you being threatened by Lu Bohai anyway? The Sun Bai who I know would never yield to such threats and demands!”
A strange light of fear flashed in her eyes. “Apologies, Miss. Xing Bi. But I cannot…tell you that.”
Xing Bi frowned with dissatisfaction. She understood that she might have her own reasons but if she didn’t know it, it would be difficult to trust if Sun Bai wouldn’t betray again and would actually keep her word.
“If you tell me, I will definitely help you!” She tried to convince her.
Sun Bai’s eyelashes trembled. “Nobody can help me. I am really sorry but I cannot reveal anything more than this.”
“But Miss. Sun, what about Liu Jun and Ai?”
A nervous gulp passed down her throat.
“I cannot possibly keep such a big thing from them.”
“Please Miss. Xing,” she sincerely requested. “Can I please ask you not to…not to tell Sir anything?”
Xing Bi couldn’t really come to a decision then as Sun Bai was still keeping a few things from her. What if she ended up agreeing to Lu Bohai in the end? Though she also felt that Sun Bai wasn’t lying.
But keeping this from Liu Jun…
“Please give me some time to think.”
The tension from Sun Bai’s mind didn’t completely disappear, but she was relieved to know that Xing Bi was willing to give her request a thought.
She bowed. “Thank you so much, Miss. Xing Bi. I…am sorry I disappointed you.”
*Flashback end*
After hearing Xing Bi’s side of story and Hou Lin’s confirmation as well, it became even more imprinted for the reporters that Sun Bai was the guilty party as much as Yunru was.
The doubts and uncertainty in everybody’s hearts towards her crushed Sun Bai’s heart.
It’s over now…
The small but contended life she had built in Sky was all finished.
“Even the Chief editor betrayed Sky?”
“That’s preposterous!”
“Poor Sky had been raising snakes around it all this time…”
Tears fell from Sun Bai’s eyes but amidst her blurry vision, she felt a soft hand hold hers. She looked up and was taken aback to see Ai standing before her.
“M-Miss. Zhou…”