Rebirth as the Richest Woman in the World
Chapter 581: The calm before the storm

Chapter 581: The calm before the storm

Lu Yan’s brazenness stemmed from the fact that she was already dead.

Who would speak up against claiming the possession of something from someone who had passed away?

In this world, only the dead never speak.

But Lu Yan had surely never anticipated that she would live on in another identity, that she would live on as Chu Jin.

In this life, she was determined to make Lu Yan suffer complete defeat and pay for her actions in blood!

The plagiarism scandal caused a major stir in the literary circle, even making it to the trending topics on Weibo.

But during that period, Chu Jin was in military training and was unaware of the situation, hence she did not give any response.

Taking advantage of this, Lu Yan bought a bunch of internet trolls to attack Chu Jin on Weibo.

She also admitted publicly on Weibo that she was "Blue Smoke," and feigned pitifulness by posting photos of her increasingly frail figure. Since Lu Yan was already very popular on Weibo, her fans supported her wholeheartedly when they found out she was "Blue Smoke," believing that she would not plagiarize.

Lu Yan posted on Weibo claiming that "The World and You" was completed a year ago, but the submission was delayed because of her good friend Qin Jie’s accident. Therefore, in a sense, "The World and You" was completed even before "Blooms like Brocade."

"The Return of the Past" stole her manuscript and took advantage of her grieving period to publish the article.

Before this, Lu Yan had crafted an image of gentleness and kindness in the hearts of the public by using Qin Jie’s incident.

As such, most of her fans were true fans who refused to believe that Lu Yan had plagiarized.

They also accused "The Return of the Past" of being shameless for taking advantage of someone else’s misfortune.

Moreover, Lu Yan shared a handwritten draft that recorded inspirations that came to her by chance, all of which were written by Qin Jie in her previous life.

Because of this handwritten draft, and due to Chu Jin not having issued any response, more and more people sided with Lu Yan.

After all, "The Return of the Past" was just a new author, whereas Lu Yan was a well-known public figure in Capital City. When comparing the two, it was normal for people to trust Lu Yan.

After the incident, the book gained massive exposure and attracted many onlookers eager for gossip.

Chu Jin read through the comments on Weibo one by one.

Essentially, the readers who had followed her all this way believed in her unconditionally.

"Sister ’The Return,’ the innocent are innocent, and we all trust you."

"’The Return’, your words have helped me through the toughest times of my life; don’t be afraid, we have always got your back."

"’Blue Smoke’ the plagiarist has no shame! Our ’Blooms like Brocade’ has been published for nearly two months now! Her ’The World and You’ has just finished. Who gave this plagiarizing dog the face to say that we plagiarized?"

"The above +1, ’Brocade’ has been published, and ’The World’ has just finished, it’s clear who plagiarized whom, yet there are still people here talking nonsense without any clue."

"Sister ’The Return,’ we will always trust you."

"Shout out for sister ’The Return.’

"We strongly demand ’Blue Smoke’ to publicly apologize and remove the plagiarized work!"

"We believe that justice may be delayed, but it will never be absent!"

...

"’The Return of the Past’ is a plagiarist! Once a plagiarist, always despised!"

"Our Yan Yan is so troubled by this matter that she can’t even eat or drink! Can the plagiarist please leave her alone?"

"A bunch of idiots, brain-dead fans! Your ’sister ’The Return’ is now too guilty to face anyone!"

"Exactly! If she’s so bold, let ’The Return of the Past’ come out! Just a piece of trash that only deserves to live in darkness."

...

"Ding! Tour group checking in!"

"Not a fan of either side, just waiting to see when ’The Return of the Past’ will come out with a statement."

"This circle is really chaotic!"

"To be honest, ’The Return of the Past’ avoiding this forever is not a solution."

...

"What’s there to avoid? Isn’t that what plagiarists are best at?"

"Time-wise, ’The Return of the Past’ has the advantage, after all, her work was published so many days earlier than ’Blue Smoke.’ In terms of evidence, ’Blue Smoke’ has the advantage, since she is already outstanding and doesn’t need to plagiarize to gain fame."

"Time is not the issue at all, our Yan Yan already explained in her statement that ’The World and You’ was completed a year ago, and has always been stored on the computer. With such a major incident happening recently, how could our Yan Yan be in the mood to submit it! It’s clear that ’The Return of the Past’ took advantage of her vulnerability and stole Yan Yan’s manuscript!"

"It’s clearly ’The Return of the Past’ who plagiarized! And now they are trying to smear our Yan Yan!"

"I reckon ’The Return of the Past’ knows our Yan Yan in real life too! Otherwise, why would she act like a shrinking turtle, not daring to make a peep! Probably afraid of exposing herself, right? Such shamelessness!"

...

"I just want to see how ’The Return of the Past,’ the plagiarist, will try to whitewash herself."

"Damn! Stealing manuscripts! That stain will never wash away."

"Plagiarize if you must, but not daring to make a statement, what’s up with that? Who the plagiarist is, I think ’The Return of the Past’ is very clear about it in her heart."

"’The Return of the Past’ took advantage of someone’s misfortune, utterly shameless."

...

"Gu Gu, no matter what they say, we believe you are not evading, but just temporarily away. All of us in the Gu Family believe in you! Don’t be afraid, we’ll always stand by you. During that time, you were our sunshine; now, it’s our turn to be your sunshine."

"Yes, we are all your little suns, trusting that justice will eventually arrive."

"..."

Ever since the plagiarism controversy erupted, fans of "Blooms like Brocade" formed a fan group named "Gu Family." They encouraged each other in the group, made color palettes, gathered evidence, and were resisting against the fans of Lu Yan.

Because they all believed that the person they had always had faith in would never plagiarize.

As Chu Jin read these comments, there was a slight redness in her eyes—it would be a lie to say she wasn’t moved.

Thinking of those she had never met, who had put so much effort into supporting her and trusted her so deeply, her heart felt incredibly warm.

At such a time, if she didn’t step forward and say something, she would be letting down those who had always supported her.

Chu Jin’s latest Weibo post gathered nearly two million comments, half of which were attacking "The Return of the Past."

The public opinion was now overwhelmingly one-sided.

Under Lu Yan’s deliberate guidance, many people believed that "The Return of the Past" had stolen her manuscript and published it early, painting her as the victim of plagiarism.

Half a month had passed since the incident.

Both works became very popular.

Lu Yan claimed that "The Return of the Past" had stolen her manuscript, but this was just her side of the story with no concrete evidence; and since "The Return of the Past" was indeed published much earlier and its author had not made any statements, the literary world was temporarily unable to judge who the plagiarist was.

Chu Jin placed her hands on the keyboard and started typing, one letter at a time.

"The Return of the Past" V reposted Lu Yan V’s Weibo:

"Regarding what Ms. Lu has mentioned above, it is purely fabricated. I have taken screenshots for evidence and handed them over to my lawyer for handling.

I’m sorry that it has taken me until now to make this statement, and I appreciate everyone’s trust! "Blooms like Brocade" is my first work, a piece that took me three years to complete. It holds immense significance to me, and I will not allow anyone to tarnish it.

Lastly, to borrow a line from Shakespeare: however long the night, the dawn will break."

Thank you to all who believe in me."

She didn’t cry about her hardships to gain sympathy; she simply stated the facts and made it clear she intended to let her lawyers handle the matter by directly tagging Lu Yan.

As soon as this Weibo post was published, it immediately hit Weibo’s trending search.

"’The Return of the Past’ makes a statement."

The post attracted a new wave of spectators.

In just 10 minutes, the comments on the Weibo post had reached six digits and continued to soar.

"Sister Return, you finally came back!"

"Ah, I’m so excited! Love you, Sister Return!"

"However long the night, the dawn will break!"

"Add one for the above."

"Plus 2 for the above."

"Plus N for the above."

"I knew Sister Return wouldn’t bow down to the filthy forces of evil so easily."

"Sister Return, we will always be your strongest support!"

...

"How shameless can a plagiarizing dog be! Leave our Yan alone, she’s in the hospital now!"

"Our Yan has had such a hard time already!"

"I trust that the law is fair! It will surely bring justice for Yan!"

"Heh, plagiarizing dog, you finally showed up!"

...

"Ding! Sightseeing group checking in!"

"Here for the trending search sightseeing."

"Front row seats with sunflower seeds, bench, and tea all ready!"

"Sitting back and waiting for the drama!"

...

The comments were essentially divided into three groups: fans of both sides and neutral onlookers.

In an era where sensationalism prevailed, onlookers loved a big scene.

After posting on Weibo, Chu Jin responded to some fan comments and then picked up Mo Zhixuan’s phone to log into WeChat, only to realize that her editor had sent her countless messages.

Linglong dice: "Old Return! Weibo is exploding! You need to make a statement quickly."

Linglong dice: "I believe you wouldn’t plagiarize!"

Linglong dice: "Are you there?"

Linglong dice: "The editor responsible for ’The World and You’ came to me, but don’t worry, we won’t be taking down your work!"

Chu Jin looked through the messages the editor had sent, one after another, and replied, "Thank you, Editor, for your trust. I’ll handle this matter well. Peace."

Linglong dice: "Old Return, I’ve finally reached you! I thought you’d gone to Mars!"

Brocades and Mountains: "I was on military training the past few days and just got off yesterday; sorry for making you worry."

Capital University prohibits mobile phones during military training to cut off contact with the outside world, and the editor was aware of this.

Linglong dice: "Understandable, can you handle this on your own? If you need my help, just say the word."

Brocades and Mountains: "Thank you, I can handle it on my own."

On Lu Yan’s side.

Seeing Chu Jin’s post, she fell into a state of extreme panic.

She had thought "The Return of the Past" had vanished from the literary world for good, yet there she was, making such a statement. Was she ready to confront her head-on?

Who is this "The Return of the Past"?

Why does she also have Qin Jie’s brilliant creation?

What on earth does she want to do?

"The Return of the Past", "The Return of the Past", could it be that Qin Jie has returned? Has Qin Jie come back for revenge?!

What’s even more bizarre is that she can’t find any information about "The Return of the Past"!

It’s as if this person doesn’t exist in real life at all!

Lu Yan sat in front of the makeup mirror, anxiously clutching her hair, her face contorted with frustration.

Just then, the door opened.

Shen Lingtian walked in from outside.

"Ling Tian, you’re back!" Lu Yan exclaimed as if she had grasped a lifesaving straw.

Shen Lingtian frowned slightly, "What’s the matter? You seem all flustered."

"I..." Before she could finish her sentence, Lu Yan sniffed gently, detecting the scent of perfume on Shen Lingtian’s body. Her intuition told her Shen Lingtian had been with another woman, and Lu Yan, infuriated, pushed him away forcefully.

Lu Yan hated being betrayed in love above all else!

"What’s wrong!" Shen Lingtian asked, clearly annoyed.

Lately, he found Lu Yan more and more displeasing to the eye, thinking that if it weren’t for her looks, he wouldn’t give her a second glance!

"What’s wrong? Shen Lingtian, you still have the nerve to ask me what’s wrong!" Lu Yan mocked with a scoff, "Tell me the truth, are you keeping another woman on the side?"

Shen Lingtian didn’t deny it but simply smiled, "What happens with them is just for fun. My true love is you."

"Get lost!" Lu Yan said with disgust, "Don’t touch me with your filthy hands! It makes me sick!"

"What happened? Who made you angry?" Shen Lingtian asked.

.....

Shen Lingtian had a real knack for placating people.

Half an hour later, Shen Lingtian leaned against the headboard, gently swirling a glass of red wine in his hand.

"By the way, I have something to ask you," Lu Yan said.

Having sipped his wine, Shen Lingtian replied, "Go ahead."

"The manuscript that Qin Jie left behind, besides me, have you given it to anyone else?" Lu Yan racked her brain, thinking the most likely scenario was that Shen Lingtian had given the manuscript to other women as well.

Otherwise, how could there be two identical articles in the world?

"No." Shen Lingtian was momentarily startled, "Why would you ask that?"

Distrust flickered in Lu Yan’s eyes as she pressed, "Really?"

"Really," Shen Lingtian raised three fingers, "I swear to heaven!"

Seeing that Shen Lingtian didn’t seem to be lying, Lu Yan cast aside her suspicions, frowning, "If it wasn’t you, then who could it be?"

Who’s the most likely to have stolen the manuscript and published it before her?

Seeing her like this, Shen Lingtian asked nervously, "What’s going on?" Could it be that his affair with Lu Yan had been exposed?

Lu Yan recounted the whole situation to Shen Lingtian.

After listening, Shen Lingtian also frowned in confusion. He had never shown the manuscript to anyone other than Lu Yan! So, how could someone out of nowhere now be publishing an identical article?

Moreover, before Qin Jie’s death, other than being close with Lu Yan, she hadn’t had any other friends. So who on earth could "The Return of the Past" be?

"Ling Tian, what should I do now?" If the plagiarism scandal was confirmed, Lu Yan’s carefully crafted public image would crumble completely.

Even the Lu Group could be affected.

She would no longer be able to establish herself in Capital City.

"Don’t be afraid," Shen Lingtian patted Lu Yan’s back, comforting her, "The article was originally written by Qin Jie, so you are the original creator. The real plagiarist should be ’The Return of the Past’! And we have the original manuscript; she can’t make any waves."

Relieved, Lu Yan exhaled. Shen Lingtian was right! After all, Qin Jie was dead, and she had the original manuscript in hand; what was there to fear? Besides, so many people supported her online!

If it really came down to it, "The Return of the Past" would be the plagiarist!

She should use her fans wisely to create some buzz and win their sympathy!

So, Lu Yan picked up her phone and posted a new Weibo.

Lu Yan V: I don’t have the energy to say much; justice resides in the hearts of people, and that’s that.

She also attached a photo of herself wearing hospital attire.

In the picture, Lu Yan looked pale, the embodiment of sickness.

As soon as the Weibo was posted, the fans commented with various consoling and pitying messages.

In reality, these fans were all kind-hearted, only being deceived by Lu Yan.

Not long after the Weibo was posted, it was shared by Chu Jin.

"The Return of the Past" V: Well said, justice resides in the hearts of people, and the truth will eventually come to light. @Lu Yan V: I don’t have the energy to say much; justice resides in the hearts of people, and that’s that.

Upon seeing this shared post, Lu Yan was so startled she dropped her phone onto the bed, her face turning pale.

Lu Yan had an intuition that "The Return of the Past" was no ordinary person; she kept provoking her, seemingly fearless of her stature. Trembling, Lu Yan clicked on "The Return of the Past"’s profile and browsed her information.

Nickname: The Return of the Past.

Weibo Authentication: Original literature website author, famous for "Blooms like Brocade".

Gender: Female.

Location: Capital City.

...

Capital City!

Lu Yan’s face turned even paler. So this "The Return of the Past" was also in the Capital City...

Who on earth was she?

With trembling hands, Lu Yan clicked on the chat, hesitated for a long time, and finally composed a message to send.

In the interest of caution, she used a secondary Weibo account.

Capital City Beauty: "Who are you, exactly?"

The reply came quickly.

The Return of the Past V: "Little Sister Yan, long time no see (Emoji/Smile)."

Staring at the text on her phone screen, Lu Yan’s mouth fell open in shock, her scalp tingled, and she was stricken with panic!

How... How did she know to call her ’Little Sister Yan?’

Since Qin Jie’s death, no one had used that nickname!

Qin Jie was the only one who would call her that!

Lu Yan, horrified, threw her phone against the wall and let out a piercing scream, completely losing control!

"What’s wrong?" Shen Lingtian sat up and embraced Lu Yan.

"Ghosts!" Lu Yan pointed at the phone lying on the ground, terror-stricken, "There are ghosts! There are ghosts!" Then she turned around and grabbed Shen Lingtian’s collar, "Qin Jie is back! What do we do, Ling Tian? Qin Jie is back for revenge!"

"Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid. Qin Jie is dead, she can’t come back! It’s all your hallucination..." Shen Lingtian comforted Lu Yan while getting out of bed to pick up the phone.

The phone screen was shattered, but it was still usable. After unlocking it, the Weibo chat page showed no anomalies.

Shen Lingtian, looking at the phone, said with a hint of puzzlement, "Yan, there’s nothing here at all, are you sure you didn’t see it wrong?"

"No, I didn’t see it wrong," Lu Yan clutched her hair, her face filled with terror, "The Return of the Past is Qin Jie, she really came back, she just called me ’Little Sister Yan’ and said it’s been a long time..."

Shen Lingtian walked towards the bed with the phone in hand, and as he approached, lifted the phone saying, "Look, there’s really nothing here."

Lu Yan kept backing up towards the head of the bed, panic-stricken, "Don’t come closer, don’t!"

Shen Lingtian sat on the bed and held the phone up close to Lu Yan, "Take a look for yourself, you’re just too nervous! Qin Jie has been turned into a pile of ashes, she can’t come back, and I’m here, so don’t be afraid."

Lu Yan stared wide-eyed at the screen and saw that the chat page on her phone had only her own sent message, "Who are you, exactly?"

The message was marked as "unread."

There had been no reply at all.

It was as if the whole scene had just been her own illusion, yet she had clearly seen it...

What on earth was going on?

Lu Yan’s face was covered in cold sweat, pale as death, she swallowed hard, and for a moment, she struggled to distinguish between reality and illusion.

"Ling Tian, I don’t know what’s happening? You have to believe me, I really saw her reply to me just now!"

"It’s okay, it’s okay," Shen Lingtian hugged Lu Yan tightly, "It’s all hallucination, with me here, no one dares to hurt you! The Return of the Past is just a copycat, you shouldn’t take her to heart. Moreover, you have so many people supporting you on Weibo. This time, just focus on managing your fans, and leave the rest to me."

"Okay," Lu Yan nodded heavily, finally finding her anchor, "Ling Tian, thank you."

"Why be so formal with me."

Mo Group.

Chu Jin had been scrolling through Weibo, completely oblivious to the fact that two or three hours had passed, that it was time for lunch, and she hadn’t even noticed when Mo Zhixuan walked in.

Her fingers were constantly tapping on the keyboard.

The rapid clatter of typing.

The soft glow from the computer screen cast a pearly luminescence on her fine features.

Mo Zhixuan walked up behind her quietly and gestured for the secretary to remain silent.

"What are you looking at so intently?" Mo Zhixuan suddenly leaned over, wrapped an arm around her slender waist, and rested his chin on her shoulder.

Chu Jin, startled by his sudden move, chided him, "Why don’t you make any sound when you walk? You scared me to death."

Upon finishing her sentence, Chu Jin then said, "I’m thirsty, go get me a glass of water."

Good old Mr. Mo skittered off obediently to fetch her water.

"Do you want tea? Black tea or green tea?"

"Hmm... green tea," Chu Jin responded while typing on her computer.

Mr. Mo dutifully brewed the tea, and even personally handed it over to her, stopping just short of feeding it to her mouth.

"What do you want for lunch?" Mo Zhixuan continued to inquire.

"...Anything." Chu Jin didn’t look up from her screen, her focus still on Weibo.

Mr. Mo, striving to make his presence felt, asked, "Shall we go out to eat, or should we have something delivered?"

Chu Jin typed rapidly on the keyboard, her speed so fast it made Mo Zhixuan’s head spin, "Have it delivered up here, I still have work to do."

"All right." Mo Zhixuan picked up his phone, first sent a message to his secretary, then opened the search engine, typed in ’Weibo’, and spent ten full minutes figuring out what Weibo did.

Mr. Mo downloaded the Weibo app, registered for an account, and when it came to choosing a nickname, he glanced at the computer before quickly typing in three characters, "First Encounter."

After doing all this, Mr. Mo returned to Chu Jin’s side and spoke in a low voice, "What’s your Weibo account? Let’s follow each other."

Chu Jin, somewhat surprised, looked up, "Wow! You actually know about Weibo!?" For someone as old-fashioned as Mr. Mo, knowing about Weibo was even more extraordinary than the sun rising in the west!