Addicted to you-Chapter 80: Lied to him

So, he quietly asked his people to investigate what had really happened at SC University, particularly the day he went to see her and noticed the angry red swelling on her cheek.

The moment he received the full report, fury surged within him.

His instincts had been right.

The cause of Yeri’s red, swollen cheek wasn’t an accident from PE class or some careless fall. It was a slap.

A deliberate one.

And what infuriated him further was how much she tried to hide it from him. If he hadn’t asked for the investigation himself, he would’ve remained in the dark.

Thanks to SC University’s high-end security system and cutting-edge technology, the campus had CCTV coverage almost everywhere except for private areas like restrooms, locker rooms, and changing rooms. It didn’t take long for his people to locate the relevant footage.

The video showed Yeri stumbling out of the restroom, clearly disoriented and in pain. She looked pale, her steps unsteady, and more than once she nearly collapsed in the hallway.

Later, a teacher eventually escorted her to the clinic after noticing her condition.

Before that, three other girls were seen entering the restroom just minutes after Yeri had gone in.

Shin Keir’s people had been efficient as always. They traced the timeline, gathered statements from key staff, and even compiled the clinic report.

According to the school doctor, Yeri had collapsed the moment she lay down in the infirmary bed. She was unconscious for a short time and could barely explain what happened once she came to.

So she hadn’t just fallen asleep and ignored his messages. She had passed out in the infirmary.

The doctor had simply assumed she was unwell again, perhaps due to stress or recurring illness and had not performed a proper physical exam.

That alone made him even more infuriated.

She was barely able to walk, her face showed visible injury, and she couldn’t even speak clearly, but the doctor just sent her home with some cold medicine and skin patch?

From the way she staggered down the hallway, it was painfully obvious something terrible had happened to her. And yet, no one took it seriously.

Yes, Yeri had reported the incident to her teacher. But that brought Shin little comfort. If anything, it made his blood boil more.

First, she kept it from him. Lied, even saying she got hurt during a PE activity.

Second, the girls involved had a long record of being school bullies. In fact, it was already well-known that they frequently targeted Yeri.

And third, Marco Fabian. That weakling turned out to be related to the leader of the bullying, Tiffany Rhian.

Shin could already imagine the years of quiet torment Yeri had endured long before they ever met. Tiffany came from a powerful family, even more influential than the Zhis. It wasn’t hard to believe she used that influence to avoid consequences while freely tormenting others.

He clenched his jaw.

No wonder she kept things to herself. Perhaps she didn’t want to burden her parents. Maybe she believed handling it alone was the best choice. Maybe... she was just used to it.

It made his heart ache and his anger burn brighter.

Of course, he wasn’t going to let this go.

His fingers tapped rhythmically against the car’s armrest, a sharp contrast to the storm building behind his calm expression.

"Boss?" Secretary Yun finally spoke, noting his silence.

Shin leaned forward and muttered coldly, "Bring me everything on Tiffany Rhian and Marco Fabian. Family ties, legal records, school conduct, public scandals, private rumors, I want it all."

Secretary Yun was momentarily confused but still nodded, already typing on his tablet. freewebnøvel_com

"And prepare a report on the doctor and the teachers who were handling that day’s incident."

"Yes, boss." Secretary Yun then hesitated before asking, "And the issue with the former employee...? How should we proceed?"

Shin’s tone remained even, but his words carried a quiet edge. "Have the legal team prepare a statement. Tell the PR department to coordinate with Zhi Corporation’s team. If possible, we’ll handle it, have them hold off on releasing anything for now."

"Understood." Secretary Yun nodded. "Should we attempt to obtain the footage?"

"No. Leave it." Shin said flatly. Klaus Zhi wasn’t a fool. "Just keep monitoring Zhi Corporation closely."

The comment sections were turning into a war zone. Some were defending Lucia, painting her as the tragic heroine. Others stood firm on neutrality, waiting for official statements or evidence. And then there were those simply using the chaos to vent long-held frustrations.

Soon, another wave of netizens joined the storm and this time, individuals who claimed to be former employees of KGG. With usernames that seemed real and matching profile pictures, their posts added a whole new layer to the situation.

"I used to work at KGG until last month. Trust me, Lucia’s case isn’t isolated. They’ve been silently laying off employees under the pretense of re-evaluation."

"Here’s my story, I recorded everything. I’m not scared anymore. I was fired without warning or cause after two years of service."

Others began sharing their own livestreams, showing screenshots of internal emails, photos of empty office desks, and even chats in employee forums.

Hashtags like #KGGTruth, #JusticeForLucia, and #ExposeConglomerates started trending.

In just a day, what began as a messy personal complaint about a spilled cup of coffee ballooned into something far larger and more chaotic.

Zhi Corporation, the parent company of Café Zhillion, was now being dragged into the controversy for allegedly shielding an "aggressive" employee.

Meanwhile, the focus on Lucia’s café incident began to morph into a heated online conversation about KGG’s internal policies, wrongful terminations, and the toxic culture of corporate giants treating their employees like numbers.

---

At Zhi Corporation, Master Zhi was in the middle of a casual phone call with his wife, discussing dinner plans and whether he’d be home late again. His tone was light, almost teasing, as he mentioned craving her homemade braised short ribs.

But the moment his secretary stepped in, followed closely by a member of the PR department, both wearing troubled expressions, he ended the call immediately.

"What is it?" he asked, placing his phone aside and sitting up straighter in his chair.

The secretary spoke first. "Sir, there’s been a situation at one of our café branches. The manager already called to report it earlier. Although the staff managed to calm the scene and the irate woman agreed to leave the premises, she insisted that she will pursue legal action through her lawyer."

Master Zhi’s brows furrowed. "What about the CCTV footage? Did they send it?"

The secretary nodded then hesitated, eyes flickering toward the PR officer, but finally gave a reluctant nod. "Yes, sir. It’s been submitted to your private server."

Normally, issues like this doesn’t need the CEO’s attention, the legal and PR team would’ve deal with it, but since it involved the only daughter of Zhi Corporation, obviously they have to let him know.

Before Master Zhi could open the file, the PR manager stepped forward with an additional update.

"CEO Zhi, just moments ago we received a call from KGG’s legal team. They asked if we could withhold releasing the footage or making any public statements regarding the incident. Apparently, the woman involved is a former KGG employee."

Master Zhi leaned back in his chair, his fingers tapping slowly against the polished desk. He didn’t speak right away. His gaze dropped to the paused preview on his screen.

Then, his tone sharpened. "I’ll review it myself. And I’ll decide what to do after that."

---

That evening, over at the university dormitories, Yeri was just finishing her notes when her phone rang. She blinked at the screen.

It was her father.

He rarely called her directly unless it was serious or family-related. Hesitating for just a second, she picked up.

"Princess, come home tonight," her father said, his voice calm but firm. "The chauffeur is already waiting for you downstairs."

"Dad, what’s the matter?" she replied automatically, though unease already prickled at her neck. Something wasn’t right. Her father had never summoned her home this abruptly before.

"Let’s talk once you’re home." He simply said.

She quickly gathered her things and rushed out of her dorm. As she stepped down the front steps of the building, Nina came sprinting up, waving her phone.

"Yz!" she called out, slightly breathless. "Have you seen what’s trending right now?"

Yeri blinked. "No... Something?"

Nina looked at her like she was from another planet. "You’ve seriously not checked social media today?"

Yeri shook her head. "I rarely open it unless I have to. Why?"

"Some crazy woman started a scene in one of your family’s cafés and now your dad’s company is being dragged through the mud online!"

Yeri paused, stunned. "What?"

"It’s all over," Nina said, holding up her phone. "Livestream clips, rants, people tagging Zhi Corporation and KGG. Netizens are going wild. You should check it out for yourself."

Zhi Corporation and KGG?

Yeri was even more confused, but she didn’t have time to stand there scrolling through comments. The car was already waiting. She gave Nina a quick hug. "Okay, I’ll look into it. Thanks for telling me."

"Be careful," Nina added as Yeri got into the car.

Once inside, with the door shut and the city lights flashing by the tinted window, Yeri finally opened her phone and browsed the trending topics.

It didn’t take long before she found it.

A viral video was pinned to the top of her feed. The title read:

"Exposing the truth– Former KGG Employee lost her job over a spilled coffee at Café Zhillion."

Other posts continued to pop up on Yeri’s screen simultaneously, each more ridiculous than the last:

"Who was the Café Zhillion server desperate to serve CEO Keir?"

"Drama at Café Zhillion: Another obsessed fan of Shin Keir costs an innocent employee her job."

She clicked it. The video loaded. And there she was.

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