Zhou Zhili gaped. She was astonished at this girl's ignorance. "Do you know that the tabloids are full of huge pictures of CEO Yang Xinyu and you in an amusement park holding hands and walking,"

The caption says, "Who Is This Mystery Girl?"

"The story is strange. They say that the CEO of Yang Corporation Yang Xinyu finally found a girl for himself. But how old is she? Looking at her, she looks like a teenager from a high school. So is it true that the twenty-nine year old CEO has found a seventeen or eighteen-year old girlfriend? Or is she younger? Is he a pedophile?" She said in one breath as if she had memorized each and every word.

"Wu Lina, what is going on? Why didn't you tell me that you and CEO Yang are together? I thought that the CEO hated you from the core of his heart because he would scold you every time he met. Then what is this sudden change? Has he forced you into something? You must tell me Wu Lina. I will help you out. I can call the police if you want." Zhou Zhili was extremely nervous.

When she had read the newspaper in the morning the first thing she did was to call Wu Lina. She had thrown a barrage of questions at her as soon as she picked the phone. However, the reception was so bad that none could properly talk to each other. Zhou Zhili had decided to go to the office earlier than usual in order to talk to Wu Lina. But upon reaching the office she realized that there was a huge load of work waiting for her. Mornings were always busy and today wasn't any exception. She decided to talk to Wu Lina at the first opportunity.

When she confronted Wu Lina, she could sense that something was amiss.

Wu Lina became paralyzed, fear gripping her, panic setting in. She saw stars in front of her and became giddy. She held the counter of the coffee room and felt blood pounding in her ears. She held her face and tears started forming. Can't God give her just one day of happiness? Is it so difficult for the world to accept her happiness?

Her heart thudded and her hands shook. Her tears made her vision bleary, as if she was looking through a fish-eye lens. She didn't realize the kind of risk she had taken. She was now stranded in a world of derision. If she went out of the office she wouldn't be able to face all those stares. If she stayed, she will stay too close to what happened. She clutched her dress so tightly that her nails were digging in her palms. Her breathing became hard. She started crying, her chest growing tighter by the minute.

This was the end of their 'new beginning'… her knees became wobbly.

Upon seeing her reaction Zhou Zhili rushed to her side to prevent her from falling. Wu Lina held Zhou Zhili close to her and cried hard.

"Wu Lina, talk to me. Please let me know what has happened. I can help you only if you say something. I am nervous for you…" saying this Zhou Zhili patted her back in assurance trying to convey that she would support for her friend.

No wonder everyone in the office gave her strange looks…

While Wu Lina was despairing, the door of the coffee room opened and a few girls came in. One of them looked at her and spoke in a hushed way to the others. All of them burst into laughter. Zhou Zhili was visibly annoyed and she asked them to stay quiet.

"Can't you see that Wu Lina is not feeling well?" She reprimanded them.

"She should be happy now that she has CEO Yang as her boyfriend," said one of them and they started laughing again.

"Wu Lina, when did you start seducing CEO Yang? We've been in this office longer than you, but CEO Yang never noticed us. So all that drama of CEO Yang hating you was just a façade? Wow! You deserve a standing ovation for your performance," said the other.

"Why are you crying? Didn't the prince buy you expensive things? But what are you worried about now? You can have best of the stuff that one can even imagine for the rest of their life. Are you trying to play a victim here by crying? Do you want to sue him? Tsk, Tsk. Don't worry, we will buy you something that suits your profile and you can be happy but please don't sue him," and they again started laughing. The remarks were piercing.

Zhou Zhili gave them a cold glare and said, "Stop being mean! Why are you spouting nonsense? Are you jealous of Wu Lina or are you sad that CEO Yang never paid attention to you? Perhaps you don't even exist in the company as far as he is concerned. So take your petty soul out of the room and leave us alone. We don't want to hear your rubbish."

Zhou Zhili tried her best to dismiss those arrogant girls. Their vicious comments made Wu Lina cry harder.

How could Wu Lina explain her trepidations to them or to anybody in the world? 'I had worked so hard to live a better life but what happened in the end? The person I loved the most is the person who is responsible for my downfall. And the tragedy is that he doesn't even know about it.'

She clasped Zhou Zhili harder as if she was the only thread of her life and her body shuddered. Zhou Zhili's concern increased. She wondered if CEO Yang would help them out or would he leave her in misery. She hoped that this nightmare ended soon and Wu Lina is free from it. She was the one who always pestered Wu Lina to never leave the company and now she was the one who wanted her to leave the company as soon as possible.

"Please don't cry Wu Lina. I will help you no matter what. Consider me as your older sister. Okay?" said Zhou Zhili.

One of the girls who were standing there clapped her hands and said, "Wow, what a show!" All others joined her in her shallow laughter.