Once Bitten, Twice Shy

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Samantha cocked her eyebrows slightly and wondered what else could possibly have happened.

She wrapped the blanket around herself and sat up against the bedhead. After finding a comfortable sitting posture, she tapped on Waybo.

Her 999 and more unread private messages were again displayed in big red numbers.

It seemed to have something to do with her too…

Samantha clicked directly into the Waybo trending searches, and sure enough, the top searches were all related to her.

#WalterShuckapology #LycheeTVannouncement #Samanthaistherightfulwinner #theanchorwhosavedthekidisSamantha

She clicked on the first one and saw that the number one trending post was Walter’s latest upload.

He had posted a video and looked rather miserable as he sat down. It seemed as though he had not slept the entire night and his stubble was starting to appear.

His voice was low and he lowered his gaze while saying very slowly, “First of all, I must offer my apologies to the audience who have trusted and supported me. The situation became the way it was because of the mistakes I made during the course of my duty as well as due to some private correspondence. Hiding the truth was my personal decision. It has nothing to do with anyone else. I was the one who made a mistake and I can only apologize to everyone. I have let down the very TV station who have once placed their trust in me and nurtured me. I have let down Ms. Larsson more so than anyone else, so I once again offer my sincerest apologies to her. I’m sorry.”

With that, he stood up and gave a 90-degree bow to the camera.

He then continued to look right at the camera and said, “I will take full responsibility for this and tender my resignation. This is a lesson for me to reflect on. This incident has taught me to be honest and act honestly. Thank you, everyone.”

The video ended just like that.

Samantha clicked on Lychee TV’s official account and saw an official explanation of the situation. The entire responsibility lay with Walter.

Walter and Harmony had both been chastised on Waybo the day before, but it seemed to shift to one person only. The scolding was directed at Walter and Harmony had successfully become invisible.

After reading everything, Samantha did not know what to say.

Walter protected Harmony and took all the blame himself, but Harmony seemed to have gotten off lightly from the ordeal.

Walter did not look like the kind of selfless individual and neither did Harmony have some kind of backing, or could it be someone guarding her from behind?

Samantha exited Waybo and clicked on the missed call. It turned out to be an unfamiliar number that made several calls to her.

She tapped to dial the number.

The call was answered after barely a couple of rings. Samantha asked politely, “Hi, this is Samantha. There were a couple of missed calls from this number. May I kindly ask who I am speaking to?”

“Hello, Samantha! I’m the general manager of Lychee TV. Do you remember me?”

She had met the general manager briefly once and did not expect that he would be calling her.

Samantha responded immediately. “I do, I do. Hello, Sir. Is something the matter?”

“I’d like to talk to you about something if that’s alright. Is it convenient for you to come over to the station?”

Samantha thought that he probably just wanted to explain things to her, so she replied happily, “Sure. I can come over now.”

After ending the call, Samantha got up and went to the bathroom to wash up.

She reached Lychee TV more than an hour later. The general manager’s assistant was already waiting for her in the lobby on the ground floor and led her directly to the general manager’s office.

The general manager still had that amiable smile and greeted her cordially when he saw her. “Sammy, you’re here.”

Samantha smiled in return. “Sorry to keep you waiting, Sir.”

“Come and have a seat. Would you like some tea? Come and taste this new blend I bought.”

“I’d be happy to.”

The general manager and Samantha both sat on the sofa. He personally poured a cup of tea for her and set the teacup in front of her. “Please try it, but be careful. It’s hot.”

“Thank you.” Samantha held the teacup, blew lightly on the tea, and took a sip.

The tea was truly of exceptional quality, for it tasted mellow and left a fragrant aftertaste.

“Mm, it’s delicious.”

The general manager could not help but smile. “Do have some more then.”

After the initial pleasantries, the general manager straightened up slightly and got down to the serious business. “Sammy, this has been a severe injustice to you, but I promise you that this is purely Walter’s idea. Other Lychee TV top brass are unaware of his actions and Lychee TV will always continue to carry itself with dignity.”

Samantha would have eaten it all up if she was just a young girl in her 20s, but having experienced plenty of things, she would have been an idiot to believe that.

How could Walter have possibly shut the mouths of all the staff present at the time without having any help?

He must have consulted his superiors, although Samantha did not know which level he asked for instructions.

However, she believed that he would not have involved the general manager, otherwise the latter would not have been so surprised and angry the day before.

In any case, the general manager made it very clear that he hoped for the matter to end at Walter. He then dismissed Walter to preserve Lychee TV’s image and reputation.

The general manager specially invited her over that day and treated her with extreme courtesy, so she was more than willing to accord him the respect, considering how he was never involved with the entire incident in the first place. After all, she knew to separate right from wrong and was not the kind of person who poured scorn on those who showed her kindness.

Samantha picked up the teacup again and finished it all in one gulp. She then nodded and said, “I understand, Sir.”

Upon seeing that, the general manager smiled with satisfaction.

She drank the cup of tea to show that she was willing to reconcile. The general manager’s judgment was proven right and she turned out to be a clever girl who understood the bigger picture.

The general manager filled her teacup again and said, “Harmony’s victory in this competition doesn’t reflect the truth. We’ve decided to disqualify her as the champion. The victory and the glory that comes with it are rightfully yours. If you’re willing to accept this victory, we’ll present the award once more to you. At the same time, we’ll also make a sincere invitation for you to join us in Lychee TV and become one of us.

“What do you think about that?”

Samantha was really disappointed with Lychee TV because of Walter’s approach, but the general manager’s stance came as a relief.

One rotten apple might spoil the whole barrel, but if that apple could be removed before the rot spread, all the other apples inside that barrel might still remain fresh and delicious.

Lychee TV stood tall for many years and had become a benchmark for industry players. She could not refuse her dream of working in Lychee TV because of Walter alone.

Moreover, the victory and glory that came with it were hers to begin with.

She accepted the explanation as well as the way in which the situation had been handled.

Samantha smiled and said, “Alright. I accept it.”

“Very well! Lychee TV welcomes you!”

The general manager got up and stretched out his hand toward her. Samantha got up as well and reached out to shake his hand.

…

At the apartment hotel, Harmony had a gloomy expression after answering the call from Lychee TV. She clenched her phone tightly until blue veins popped out from the back of her hand.

She closed her eyes, took a few deep breaths, then picked up the phone again and gave the ‘1’ shortcut a long press.

The name ‘Tim’ was displayed on the cell phone screen..