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Chapter 122: Jared Asks Julia to Go to a Hot Spring
“What place?” Jared suddenly asked.
Joseph found himself entirely at a loss for words, rooted in his spot.
‘Wasn’t he uninterested just now?‘ Joseph thought, feeling puzzled.
‘Oh, man! He’s like a woman, can’t easily be understood!” he added inwardly, mentally shaking his head.
On the other hand, Julia’s phone chimed. Upon checking, she unbelievably saw Jared’s name. Curious, she opened the message and read it.
[Jared: When are you free?]
Julia furrowed her brow in bewilderment at his unexpected question. Nonetheless, she swiftly typed her response on her phone.
[Julia: What’s the matter?]
Not long after, her phone chimed again.
[Jared: I haven’t relaxed in a while. I’m thinking of visiting a hot spring. Would you like to come along?]
After sending the message, Jared felt an inexplicable sense of nervousness. He was anxious that Julia would turn him down. Even though Joseph had successfully won over his girlfriend using this approach, Jared couldn’t dispel the idea that it might not work on Julia.
The plan that Joseph had suggested to Jared was for the latter and Julia to share a hot spring together. This way, they could unwind together and have meaningful conversations, ultimately deepening their bond and understanding of each other.
However, if Julia declined the invitation, his well–crafted plan would go down the drain.
Jared’s train of thought was interrupted by a notification from his phone.
[Julia: A hot spring? It’s been a while since I’ve been to one.]
As she sent the message, she gently touched her sore shoulder and glanced at the lingering bruises on her foot. Clearly, a trip to the hot springs could do her some good.
Jared, on the other hand, read the message and couldn’t help but wonder, ‘Is this a yes, then?’
With that thought, a hopeful gleam appeared in Jared’s eyes. He didn’t want to give Julia too much time to overthink, so he swiftly confirmed the plan.
Jared: How about Friday evening?]
Since the next day was his day off, Jared didn’t mind staying up late. Soon enough, another message popped up on his screen, this time from Julia.
Julia: Sounds good.]
And thus, the plan was set into motion smoothly.
Meanwhile, Yasmin heard her phone ringing. Seeing that it was her assistant calling, she promptly answered and asked, “Is all your investigation true? Vivien isn’t really pregnant?”
“Absolutely sure about it!” confirmed the assistant.
“I never thought everything Julia said was true,” Yasmin muttered.
All of a sudden, the assistant came up with a wicked idea and suggested, “Yasmin, do you want to vent your anger? Like, teach Julia a lesson?”
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Chapter 122: Jared Asks Julia to Go to a Hot Spring
“Absolutely, I’m all for it! I’ve never liked Julia. Especially last time, she embarrassed me on set, leading to the director’s disapproval. It was all because of her!” Yasmin grumbled, gnashing her
teeth in resentment.
“I have a great idea!” the assistant exclaimed.
Intrigued, Yasmin eagerly asked, “What is it?”
“Hehe! I happened to record the entire incident from the last time on set. I’ll go find bloggers who are eager to leak the footage. This way, news of Julia’s mistreatment towards you will spread. Considering your substantial fanbase, they will surely rally in your defense and criticize Julia. Not only that, but it might also attract a fresh wave of supporters for you,” the assistant explained with an evil grin.
Upon hearing the assistant’s suggestion, Yasmin clapped her hands in excitement and shrieked, “You’re so brilliant! Let’s do it!”
The speed of online communication was incredibly fast. An hour later, Julia was pushed into the center of public opinion. Alexander came across the news and promptly messaged Julia about it.
[Alexander: Boss, you need to see this.]
Attached to the message was a link to the news article. Intrigued, Julia initially felt puzzled but ultimately clicked on the link. The article revolved around her and Yasmin.
The article claimed that she bullied Yasmin, her stepmother’s daughter, to an extreme degree. Given how openly she acted on set, one could only imagine how Yasmin must be suffering at home. An image was included as well, depicting Julia looking defiantly at Yasmin, who covered her face while shedding tears, suggesting deep emotional wounds.
Julia scrolled down to the comments section.
[What’s wrong
with a stepmother’s child? Can’t they treat each other as human beings if they’re not biological siblings?]
[She looks pretty, but she’s a real femme fatale!]
[Bullying our Yasmin is unforgivable!]
As Julia immersed herself in reading the comments, another notification chimed on her phone. It was Alexander messaging her again.
[Alexander: Yasmin must be behind this! That woman!]
Julia also guessed that Yasmin was the mastermind behind this incident. Yasmin likely believed that Julia would be an easy target for her scheme. However, Yasmin had severely underestimated Julia’s resourcefulness, as Julia had already devised a counterplan.
Not long after, Alexander sent her another message.
[Alexander: Don’t worry, Boss, I’ve also recorded that time. Don’t you want to praise me even a bit?]
Julia was taken aback by Alexander’s revelation. She ignored his request in the second part of his message and responded to the first part.
[Julia: You did?]
[Alexander: I actually arrived early that day. Because I was worried Yasmin would pick a fight with you, I secretly recorded the situation from a distance. I wanted to help you vent your frustration and give Yasmin a good slap on the face. But Boss, you’re amazing! You turned the situation around in just a few words, so I didn’t end up using the record.”
Chapter 122: Jared Asks Julia to Go to a Hot Spring
Alexander’s words were a bit of flattery, but they were also genuine admiration from the bottom of his heart.
As Julia sat on the sofa, she tapped her fingers rhythmically on the armrest, contemplated for a moment, and then a faint smile curled her lips. She had already formulated a comprehensive plan to counter Yasmin’s maneuver. With this in mind, she typed out another message on her phone.
[Julia: Don’t post the video yet. I have an idea.]
Meanwhile, Yasmin was deeply engrossed in the article’s venomous comments aimed at Julia. Her face radiated satisfaction from successfully exacting revenge.
To her joy, she dialed her assistant’s phone number. As soon as Cindy answered the call, Yasmin enthusiastically declared, “Great job, Cindy. As a reward, I’ll give you my Blue Moon bracelet
later.”
“Really? Oh, thank you so much. I can’t wait,” Cindy responded, clearly thrilled.
Upon ending the call, Cindy clasped her phone against her chest, biting her lip with excitement. She felt like she was on cloud nine, utterly delighted by the promised reward.
At this moment, while the two were reveling in the outcome of their vengeful plot, a trending topic suddenly surged across their phones.
It was the one sent by Philip a month ago that drove Julia and Conrad out of the Watson family. “Huh? Strange! How did this become a trending topic? Could it be that Julia spent money for it to happen?” Yasmin mumbled to herself.
However, she swiftly pushed aside this idea.
Julia simply couldn’t afford it as it would cost her dad a significant sum, which was something the latter would need to consider. Furthermore, given that Julia had been estranged from the Watson family, it was impossible that Philip had taken such an action on her behalf. Conrad was not definitely the one behind it as well as he was in a dire financial situation like Julia.
“But… if it’s not Julia, then who could have done it?” Yasmin wondered out loud.
As this post gained traction and became a trending topic, the comments from internet users shifted from initially taking one side to many individuals siding with Julia.
[I’m not a fan of Yasmin or Julia. But when I saw that photo before, I also misunderstood Julia for bullying the stepmother’s daughter, Yasmin. Now I realize I was wrong about Julia. This also proves that fairy tales aren’t lies. Just like in Snow White, the stepmother and her daughter are bullying the original child.]
[Same here. In the end, Julia was kicked out of the house.]
[But can’t we analyze this from another perspective? Did you not see the photos from before? Our Yasmin was bullied quite miserably. As for Julia being kicked out, it’s because she was too wicked. She was always bullying Yasmin at home. She never learned her lesson and only got worse, so her biological father had no choice but to kick her out.]
Our Yasmin is kind–hearted. I’ve been her fan for years, witnessing her growth since her debut. She’s kind, gentle, and compassionate toward others. I’ve even come across candid photos of her holding an umbrella for her assistant and buying milk tea for everyone. How could someone like her be a villainous antagonist in a fairy tale?]
The comment section was in disarray, showcasing a wide array of differing opinions.
Yasmin’s frown deepened as she read through the comments. While she doubted Julia’s ability to
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Chapter 122: Jared Asks Julia to Go to a Hot Spring
orchestrate the topic’s popularity, she couldn’t deny that Julia seemed to be benefiting from it.
At that moment, Yasmin speculated that Julia might now be involved with a wealthy older man, which could explain her sudden ability to make such things happen. The imagination of her belief even goes to the extent of Julia stripping naked to cater to the old man in order to get money from him. With that scene playing in her mind, Yasmin felt disgusted and scornful.
“Oh, what a brilliant idea I’ve got!” Yasmin suddenly exclaimed as a spark of inspiration ignited within her.
“Cindy, have those bloggers disseminate this information. State that Julia is being financially supported by an older man. The popularity of the previous post was manipulated by this older man financially backing Julia. Additionally, mention that Julia physically assaulted her stepmother and her own sister, leading to her father disowning her.”
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Chapter 123. Is Julia crying?
