Chapter 26: Rather Than Consuming Myself with Inner Turmoil, I'd Rather Go Mad and Destroy Others

Both of them simultaneously turned their gaze toward Ruan Mianmian, eyes sharp as blades, as if their stares alone could pin her to her desk. Ruan Mianmian remained utterly unruffled, rising with measured composure and smiling at the two women.

"I know I'm good-looking, but you don't need to stare at me like that. My orientation is perfectly normal," she said with a gentle smile.

In terms of looks, she was certainly no slouch. Her willow brows and starry eyes adorned a smooth oval face, and her dimples were especially sweet when she smiled.

"Ruan Mianmian, don't get cocky!" One of them leaned close to her ear, her voice angry yet subdued, afraid to speak too loudly. "You did it on purpose last Friday night. I won't let you off!"

Ruan Mianmian deliberately raised her voice. "Oh, Li Xiaofei, you and Fang Yali disappeared in the restroom for ages, and now you're blaming me? I was only gone as long as it takes to use the toilet. How could I have known you two were in another private room with some men?"

If Li Xiaofei was going to provoke her first thing in the morning, then she shouldn't blame Ruan Mianmian for retaliating.

Li Xiaofei clamped a hand over Ruan Mianmian's mouth, furious. "Ruan Mianmian, what nonsense are you spouting? Do you believe I'll tear your mouth apart?"

Ruan Mianmian pulled Li Xiaofei's hand away and continued, even louder, "You already threatened not to let me off—so what can't I say now? If you and Fang Yali dared to do it, why be afraid if people talk?"

She had been intimidated by that woman yesterday only because the woman had bodyguards and she couldn't win in a fight. But she had no fear of Li Xiaofei now; since things had already escalated, there was no chance of getting along anymore.

Rather than tormenting herself, why not go all out and crush her adversary?

"Ruan Mianmian, shut up! We were only catching up with two friends in the private room that night. Nothing happened!" Fang Yali couldn't help but shout.

She'd been stewing for two days, and now, first thing at work, Ruan Mianmian was bringing up the incident again. She couldn't take it anymore.

Ruan Mianmian curled her lip. "Oh, so it was a reunion. You must be really something—your reunion managed to bring the police in, and you even ended up at the station. This style of catching up is truly unique, letting everyone broaden their horizons. It's a pity the news didn't report such a specialty."

She emphasized the word "specialty" so heavily that everyone understood her implication.

Everyone already knew what had happened, so she wasn't afraid to speak out.

"Ruan Mianmian! I’m going to tear you apart!"

Li Xiaofei was shaking with rage, no longer caring about her image as she screamed and lunged at Ruan Mianmian, her long nails aiming straight for Ruan Mianmian's face.

Fang Yali followed closely, reaching for Ruan Mianmian's hair.

The two of them had already suffered a major setback on Friday, and now Ruan Mianmian was mercilessly exposing them in front of their colleagues. Their reason had been utterly consumed by fury.

The watching colleagues cried out in alarm.

No one had expected Li Xiaofei and Fang Yali to start fighting so suddenly.

Xu Weiwei shouted anxiously, "Mianmian, be careful!"

Ruan Mianmian had anticipated this; she knew the two would lose control under pressure.

She deftly stepped back and, without hesitation, grabbed the soy milk she'd bought that morning and hurled it at Li Xiaofei, who was charging ahead.

Splash!

Li Xiaofei's hair stuck to her face, soy milk dripping from her tips and nose, her carefully applied makeup ruined, eyeliner smeared into a mess—she looked utterly miserable.

Stunned by the sudden splash, Li Xiaofei froze in place, like a drenched chicken.

"Aah!" Li Xiaofei shrieked.

Fang Yali, startled by the unexpected turn, instinctively halted her steps.

Ruan Mianmian tossed aside the empty cup, put her hands on her hips, and shouted even louder, "What now? Did I hit a nerve? Are you so furious you want to fight? Friday night, in Suite 309 at Yueyuan, you two were 'catching up' with those men, so much so that the police had to come. And now you have the nerve to come at me? Li Xiaofei, Fang Yali, do you think everyone in the department is blind or deaf? You must know the police station's location better than anyone by now!"

Li Xiaofei and Fang Yali's faces turned deathly pale.

Indeed, everyone at the dinner that night had seen what happened.

Li Xiaofei wiped the soy milk from her face, pointing at Ruan Mianmian with tears in her voice, "You... you're making things up!"

Fang Yali couldn't even speak, her heart pounding with anxiety.

She noticed her colleagues looking at her as if she were something filthy.

Ruan Mianmian let out a cold laugh. "Making things up? You know perfectly well whether I am or not. As it happens, I had a friend in the next room that night. Everything you said and did, my friend heard clearly. Do you want to go to the station and check the police records from Friday night?"

The bit about her friend was a lie—she just wanted to scare them.

She refused to believe these two wouldn't be frightened out of their wits.

With every word Ruan Mianmian spoke, Li Xiaofei and Fang Yali grew paler.

They had thought the events of that night were behind them. Ruan Mianmian had run off quickly and hadn't suffered any harm.

But to their surprise, Ruan Mianmian was now exposing everything, bright and early.

And since when did she have a friend in the neighboring room?

"It's not like that... It's a misunderstanding... Ruan Mianmian is making things up. Those two men really were our friends," Fang Yali stammered, desperate to explain.

Li Xiaofei managed, "Yes, the police misunderstood us, that's why we had to cooperate with their investigation. If there was really an issue, we couldn't be at work now, could we?"

Under Ruan Mianmian's accusations and the contemptuous stares of their colleagues, their explanations sounded ridiculous.

But they had to say something.

Otherwise, who knew what people would say behind their backs?

"Enough!" A furious roar erupted from the edge of the crowd.

Everyone turned to see Li Tu, his face dark as thunder, standing there. Who knew how long he'd been listening?

Li Hao strode forward, looking with bitter disappointment at the disheveled Li Xiaofei and the downcast Fang Yali.

He then shot a fierce glare at Ruan Mianmian, whose chin was raised stubbornly like a mule.

Finally, his gaze landed on the soy milk splattered across the floor and the discarded paper cup.

"This is work time! The three of you aren't doing your jobs, but instead you're here soaking each other and brawling! What do you look like?"

His anger was so intense that even the fat on his face quivered.

He barked, "All three of you, get to the meeting room and write your reflections!"

This matter needed to be settled in the privacy of the conference room.

He took a moment to steady himself, then addressed the rest of the crowd, "Get back to work, all of you! Unless you want to work overtime tonight, focus on your tasks!"

First thing in the morning, they had to deal with this mess—did they want to quit, or what?

Everyone quietly returned to their desks.

Li Xiaofei and Fang Yali, heads bowed under the scornful looks of their colleagues, headed for the meeting room.

Ruan Mianmian took a deep breath, glanced at Li Tu, and walked toward the meeting room as well.

She wasn't the one at fault.

And she was no longer the easily bullied "Soft Mianmian."

She was not afraid!