Sober and beautiful, my husband and son begged for my forgiveness on their knees.

Despite their concern, Ning Yao remained unfazed and placed the surveillance footage in front of them.

The moment Xiaoxiao and Wen'an saw the figure in the surveillance footage, they were both shocked.

Xiao Xiao looked at Wen An in disbelief, stammering for a long time before finally managing to utter a few words.

"An'an, you, how could you sneak away like this..."

Before he could finish speaking, Wen An immediately explained to Ning Yao.

"Sister Yaoyao, things aren't as you see them. I only went into your office to get a few design drafts; I didn't mean to steal anything!"

Ning Yao narrowed her eyes, a hint of coldness flashing in them.

"I haven't even mentioned that I lost anything, so how can you be so sure that you didn't steal anything?"

Wen An stood frozen in place, a palpable look of panic in his eyes.

Xiao Xiao realized something was wrong at that moment, and with tears in her eyes, she gripped Wen An's hand tightly.

"An'an, what exactly happened? Tell the truth!"

Wen An lowered his head, not daring to meet Xiao Xiao's gaze at all. It was Ning Yao who spoke in a cold voice.

"If you don't tell me, I'll have no choice but to call the police. The evidence is conclusive now. If you get arrested, your family will be in a very difficult position, right?"

Seeing Ning Yao's cold and businesslike demeanor, Wen An turned pale with fright.

"Sister Yaoyao, I... I have my reasons. I really didn't want to do this. I just thought that doing this wouldn't cause serious consequences."

Just thinking?

Ning Yao's eyes darkened, her brows furrowing with barely concealed sorrow.

"You said you saw that post online. If I don't have evidence, and the supervisory department gets wind of it and investigates, and finds some clues, then not only will Suixing be finished, but I will also go to jail. Is this what you call 'thinking'?"

Wen An's pupils slowly dilated, and his voice gradually choked with fear and apprehension.

"No, no, the things in the safe are just some copied designs. They have nothing to do with money laundering at all, Sister Yaoyao. I'm telling the truth. I'm not lying to you!"

Xiao Xiao couldn't help but shed tears.

"Sister Yaoyao, I know An'an did something wrong, but she has feelings for Suixing and for you. She definitely wouldn't want you to go to jail. There must be some misunderstanding."

Wen An and Xiao Xiao hugged each other, and Ning Yao felt a headache coming on as she watched them cry.

She just wanted Wen An to tell the truth, so why does it seem like she's bullying them?

"Alright, tell me everything in detail. As for the rest, I'll take care of it."

As soon as Ning Yao spoke, Wen An wiped away his tears and confessed honestly.

"Someone gave me a sum of money to put some plagiarized designs in your safe, Sister Yaoyao. I didn't do anything else."

Wen An's tone grew weaker and weaker, and his head was lowered even further.

Ning Yao glanced at her.

Why did you do this? For the money?

Although she was shocked and even chilled when she saw the surveillance footage, she knew that Wen An was not the kind of person who would do such a thing easily, which is why she confronted Wen An herself.

But the reason? It was for money?

She really didn't understand, since the benefits of the Scattered Stars were usually quite good, and each designer even received a corresponding commission.

How could someone she trusted so much betray her for money?

Ning Yao's feelings were extremely complicated at this moment.

Wen An looked at her cautiously, and finally choked up again.

“My brother has leukemia and needs bone marrow. That person promised me that if I could get it done, he would give me some money and find a suitable bone marrow donor for my brother.”

"So that's it."

Ning Yao stared silently at the documents in front of her. They contained information about Wen An's family background and her younger brother's illness.

She never imagined that the person behind this would use Wen An's only hope to harm her.

Ning Yao looked at Wen An with a pained expression.

"You're so stupid. Your brother needs bone marrow. All you had to do was come to me. I would have helped you no matter what. But you betrayed me because of a promise from an outsider. How could you be 100% sure that the other person would help you find bone marrow?"

Ning Yao's words struck Wen An's heart like sharp awls.

Wen An unconsciously took a few steps back, shaking his head and shedding tears.

"I... I don't know either, Sister Yaoyao. I really had no other choice at the time. I had to do this for my brother..."

Ning Yao looked even more disappointed.

She clearly had other options at the time, but she was blinded by greed and did something that ruined her life.

"I won't pursue this matter, but you're no longer qualified to stay at Shattered Star. You can leave now. Your salary and commission for this month will be deposited into your account as usual."

After saying that, Ning Yao turned her back, and Wen An quickly grabbed her hand and pleaded with her.

"Sister Yaoyao, I beg you, please let me stay. I can't live without this job. If I lose my job, I won't be able to afford my brother's medical bills! Sister Yaoyao, please give me another chance?"

Xiao Xiao had been crying uncontrollably for a while, but she didn't say anything more in Wen An's defense.

Ning Yao still did not turn around.

"You should understand that if I choose to call the police, you're not just facing unemployment, you're facing jail time."

Wen An froze, then suddenly collapsed to the ground, his eyes becoming empty and numb.

"no no……"

"Ms. Ning, we have received a report that Suixing is suspected of money laundering. We now need to shut down Suixing completely. Please come with us for questioning."

At this point, several people in police uniforms entered, showed their identification, and explained their purpose.

Not only Xiaoxiao, but Wen An was also startled.

"You, you must have misunderstood. Suixing is not involved in money laundering. That's just a rumor circulating online!"

"Sister Yaoyao is innocent, you can't take her away. I can testify for her!"

Xiao Xiao and Wen An held onto Ning Yao tightly, refusing to let her leave.

Ning Yao was helpless.

"Don't interfere with the police investigation, I'll be right back."

Before leaving, she took a deep look at Wen An.

"I've made myself very clear. I hope I won't see you again when I come back."

Minutes later, a news story bombarded the entire internet.

[Shattered Star has been sealed off by the police!]

A photo of the sealed-off property even circulated online, causing an uproar among netizens.

Is this for real? Is Shattered Star going to fail? It's only been riding high for less than a month, and it's already coming to an end?

My relative lives nearby and said that the person in charge of Suixing has been taken away! It's definitely true!

[Oh no, I even ordered the "Shattered Stars" design. I guess they won't be able to finish it in time. I need a refund!]

Within just half an hour, the official account of Shattered Star was completely flooded with comments, but no one responded.

Meanwhile, at the villa.

"I don't believe it! That woman is so capable, she couldn't possibly have been captured! This is fake!"

Lu Mingjin burst into tears upon seeing the news online.

"I want to find her! I want to find my mother!"