Chapter Thirty-Six: Sister, How Could You Frame Me?

All conversation ceased abruptly.

I could not hear what was said on the other end of the phone, but Zhou Chenyan looked at me and said, "I have something to attend to, you..."

I opened the car door and stepped out immediately. Without a hint of hesitation, I turned and walked away. Although I hadn't heard the content of the call, I had heard Zhou Zhizi crying; she was likely playing the victim again. But what did that have to do with me?

To finish the design drafts as quickly as possible, I sacrificed half of my night's sleep to complete the final outlines, then sent them to Zhou Zhizi's computer. It was annoying, but I had to cooperate. After all, it was a joint project; if I didn't let her see the work, she would only cause trouble for me later.

It was nearly dawn by the time I crawled into bed, and I had slept for less than two hours when I was jolted awake by a frantic, life-or-death phone call.

"Mu Yan, come to the office immediately!"

Cui Lu’s scream chased away every trace of my drowsiness.

Inside the conference room, Zhou Zhizi and Cui Lu were waiting, along with our client, Mr. Zhang. His expression was grim. Messy papers were strewn across the table in front of him. I walked over and took a look; they were indeed our design drafts.

"Supervisor Cui, is this the level of competence your employees possess? What is this trash? It’s an eyesore just to look at!"

Cui Lu hurriedly explained, "This is my oversight. I should have reviewed them first. Mr. Zhang, please don't be angry. I will have new designs sent to you as soon as possible."

"What new designs? Today is the final deadline!"

Mr. Zhang was furious, slamming the table repeatedly. Even the usually composed Cui Lu had beads of sweat on her forehead. "I’m sorry, I am truly sorry. This was our negligence. I apologize to you, but I guarantee I will have my staff revise this immediately. We will absolutely not let you down again!"

"You said the same thing before."

Having been publicly humiliated by Mr. Zhang, Cui Lu redirected her anger toward Zhou Zhizi and me. "What is wrong with you two? How could you dare to submit such crude drafts?"

"I didn't check them because I trusted you. Is this how you treat me?"

I glanced at the drawings. "That’s not right. This isn't my final draft."

Both Mr. Zhang and Cui Lu froze. I picked up the papers to examine them more closely, and then I was certain. "It really isn't. This is just our initial draft. I finished the final version last night and sent it to Zhou Zhizi."

I looked at Zhou Zhizi. "Why did you show Mr. Zhang the initial draft?"

In the conference room, three people stared at Zhou Zhizi with six eyes.

She explained in a panic, "No, that's what you sent me! I thought this was the draft you wanted submitted!"

"What are you talking about?" I found it almost laughable. The sending records were right there; trying to frame me over this was truly brainless.

Cui Lu was confused. "What is actually going on?"

Zhou Zhizi looked at me, her eyes reddening. "Sister Mu Yan, why would you say that? I’m willing to share the responsibility with you, but you can't push all the blame onto me."

As she spoke, tears began to fall. She cried with such a pitiful expression.

I couldn't be bothered with small talk. I opened my computer and brought up the sent folder. It clearly showed that I had sent her two versions of the designs—the original draft and the final version we had completed after much discussion and revision.

"See for yourself."

Cui Lu and Mr. Zhang both turned their attention to Zhou Zhizi. To everyone's surprise, Zhou Zhizi opened her own computer, but it only showed the first draft I had sent her, with no trace of a second email.

"Sister Mu Yan, I know you dislike me, but you shouldn't try to frame me."

"I have always tried hard to get along with you. You even promised me that you wouldn't make things difficult for me at work. I even helped you secure this opportunity. How could you do this?"

"Do I look like I need your help to secure an opportunity?"

The retort slipped out before I could stop it. As soon as I said it, I realized something was wrong—I had fallen for her trap. I had seen this face so many times in my previous life. She would secretly plot against me while acting friendly on the surface, causing others to misunderstand and think I was the one targeting her. She kept her good reputation, while I was painted as the malicious, ugly, and petty one.

Sure enough, Zhou Zhizi said with a look of disappointment, "I understand and accept that you have issues with me, but I cannot accept you jeopardizing our work for personal reasons."

She turned to Mr. Zhang and Cui Lu. "I’m sorry, Mr. Zhang, Supervisor Cui. It’s all my fault. It was my negligence that led to today’s situation..."

"How can this be your fault? It’s already very clear." Cui Lu looked at me, her gaze cold. "Mu Yan, I used to think you were a hardworking person, but it seems I was wrong. I despise people who use underhanded tactics to sabotage their colleagues. You should resolve your personal grievances in private. The way you look right now is truly ugly!"

Mr. Zhang stood up, not even sparing me a glance. "I have no interest in your company's internal conflicts. I just want a complete set of designs."

"Please don't be impatient. Give me one more day, and I guarantee I will give you a satisfactory answer."

Cui Lu promised, and Mr. Zhang, barely satisfied, turned to leave. I rushed to stop him. "Mr. Zhang, you can't leave yet."

"Get out of the way. I have nothing to say to you." Mr. Zhang walked past me and strode out of the conference room.

I wanted to block his path again, but Cui Lu called out to me.

"Mu Yan, because of what you’ve done today, the company can no longer keep you. I don't have time to deal with you right now, so hand over the final draft immediately. I’ll deal with you once I’m done."

"Supervisor Cui, I do not accept your accusations."

Cui Lu replied angrily, "Are you intending to openly defy your superior’s orders?"

I shook my head. The more my head throbbed, the calmer I felt. "We have both presented our evidence. On what basis do you believe I am the one lying?"

"Zhou Zhizi helped you get this work; why would she frame you?"

I smiled. Cui Lu looked at me, puzzled. "What are you laughing at?"

Another person deceived by Zhou Zhizi.

I didn't want to argue anymore and said bluntly, "Even a judge relies on solid evidence to reach a verdict. You insist on punishing the one at fault, which I find very reasonable. Therefore, I request that we bring in a professional to verify this. Whether an email was sent or not leaves a digital trail; one check will reveal the truth."

The internet is a magical thing; everything leaves a record. Even if a message is deleted from an account, the footprint left on the internet cannot be erased.

Zhou Zhizi's expression shifted.

"Supervisor Cui, let it go. I won't hold it against Sister Mu Yan. The priority is to appease Mr. Zhang..."

"Are you letting it go, or are you afraid?"

Facing my aggressive questioning, Zhou Zhizi clearly couldn't handle it. "I just don't want to waste any more time on these meaningless matters."

"Didn't you just say you were accepting my framing and wanted justice?" I looked at her with a mocking smile.

A flash of panic appeared on her face. I turned to the now-calm Cui Lu. "Supervisor, what do you think?"

She looked at me, then at Zhou Zhizi. "I think Mu Yan is right. I’ll contact someone right now..."

"Supervisor!" Zhou Zhizi panicked. Her voice became slightly shrill. But that reaction was as good as a confession. Wasn't it obvious there was a problem?

Cui Lu gritted her teeth. "Zhou Zhizi, if you haven't done anything wrong, what are you afraid of?"

Zhou Zhizi's eyes darted around, clearly flustered. "I, I just think that if this becomes a big deal, it won't look good for anyone. We’re all colleagues and have to see each other in the future. There's no need to..."

"So you *did* frame her!" Cui Lu used a tone of certainty this time.

"No, I didn't!"

Unfortunately, having been fooled once, Cui Lu would no longer believe her. "You are truly remarkable; you even managed to deceive me."

I didn't say another word, waiting to watch the show. Cui Lu had a tough personality; she certainly wouldn't let Zhou Zhizi off easily.

At that critical moment, a tall figure walked through the door. It was Zhou Chenyan.