IJLHTW - 61

Although the paparazzi photos were sensational and the title was alarming, netizens weren’t fools and wouldn’t believe it outright. After all, there are many unmarried men and women these days. What truly made people believe it was a long Weibo post, filled with various Instagram proofs. These were all dug out from Lu Yongxin’s Instagram, showing that she and Shen Suian had known each other since 2014 and then started dating.

This indicated that the man in the photos indeed had a girlfriend.

Huo Ci had previously caused a scene at someone else’s wedding because her friend was cheated on. At that time, public opinion was mixed, but most netizens felt she did a good job.

Some even called her a heroine.

Someone sarcastically remarked, “This is probably the annual face-slapping drama. She jumped up and down for her friend, attacking scumbags and mistresses, trampling on other people’s dignity. But when it’s her turn, she’s strict with others and lenient with herself.”

This sarcastic Weibo post received over ten thousand likes.

That’s how passersby are: when they think you’re good, they’ll praise you to the heavens. But once there’s a bad rumor, the same people will be the ones to trample on you.

Huo Ci didn’t care about these online comments, but she couldn’t let herself be made a fool of.

She immediately called Bai Yu and instructed him, “Go to the studio where the photos were taken that day. There must be surveillance footage around. The reason the paparazzi only released blurry photos to create a buzz is because only that angle looks problematic. As soon as the video is released, everyone will know that I only spoke a few words with Shen Suian at the time.”

Bai Yu had been racking his brains trying to figure out how to handle the public relations, but he didn’t expect Huo Ci to call and show him the way.

He was overjoyed and immediately said, “I’ll drive there myself to get it.”

“Don’t release a statement for now,” Huo Ci said with a cold laugh.

Bai Yu was surprised by her words and immediately became anxious, “The internet is already full of criticism. Although we all know this is definitely fake, those netizens don’t. This is already a scandal and should be clarified as soon as possible.”

“There’s still a day, what are you afraid of?” Huo Ci remained calm. This was her personality; the bigger the crisis, the calmer and more composed she became.

She naturally understood the golden time for public relations. It had only been half an hour, so she wasn’t in a hurry.

The matter between her and Shen Suian could be cleared up in a few words. She just wanted to see who was trying so hard to ruin her. People in the industry could basically be ruled out because this person must be very familiar with Shen Suian.

Otherwise, they wouldn’t have called him that day and asked him to go to the place where she was filming.

She quickly locked onto two people in her mind.

Although she had some fame, it wasn’t enough to make paparazzi specially stake her out. They must have been paid by someone to do this.

Huo Ci got up to wash up, brushing her teeth while looking at herself in the mirror, her expression blank, her eyes cold.

________________________________________

Meanwhile

Mingsheng Group successfully secured the clinical results for liver cancer in the United States. Cancer has now become the biggest threat to human health. As the largest private pharmaceutical group in China, Mingsheng invests a huge amount of money in pharmaceutical research and development every year. Moreover, Mingsheng not only has its own specialized research laboratories but also spends huge sums of money to introduce clinical research results from abroad.

Since Yi Zechen took over Mingsheng a year ago, he has been low-key but has brought about significant changes with every move.

He planned to split the industrial structure under Mingsheng and carry out major reforms in the parts that dragged down the group’s performance. However, Mingsheng Group has been established for over 30 years since his grandfather founded it. Once there is any movement, it will definitely weaken the interests of some people, and these people were the ones who followed Old Master Yi when he built the empire.

So, recently, people have been coming to Yi Zechen. He didn’t like this kind of mixing of public and private matters.

However, out of respect for the elders, he wasn’t overly cold.

He had just sent away a group of people and immediately summoned people to Conference Room No. 1 for a meeting. The secretary nodded and immediately went out to notify the department directors he had named.

Yang Ming took the opportunity to step forward and whispered, “Mr. Yi, there’s something I think you need to know.”

As soon as the online rumors came out, Yang Ming knew about it, but Yi Zechen was entertaining guests, so he couldn’t go in and disturb him.

So, as soon as Yi Zechen finished, he immediately came in. Although the Weibo rumors seemed convincing, Yang Ming didn’t believe them. After all, a person with a brain wouldn’t cheat on someone after having their own boss, right?

He handed the iPad to Yi Zechen, and the page was already Huo Ci’s trending topic.

Yi Zechen looked down for a few seconds, then sneered, “Absurd, a complete fabrication.”

He then threw the iPad directly onto the nearby table with a loud thud, and the tablet bounced several times on the table. He said with a cold expression, “Contact the law firm our company works with and have them send a lawyer’s letter to this informant.”

Seeing his anger, Yang Ming whispered, “Shouldn’t the lawyer’s letter be issued by Ms. Huo’s studio? Or I can contact her agent.”

At this time, Yi Zechen was already in a state of anger. He rarely lost his temper, but this time, after only a few glances, he wanted to smash the entire tablet.

Garbage, he exhaled a deep breath.

He could see through this kind of trick at a glance. Very well, this kind of mutual entrapment in the entertainment industry actually came to her.

Yang Ming cautiously glanced at his boss and then called Bai Yu. Fortunately, it connected quickly.

Bai Yu was already overwhelmed dealing with the media and didn’t expect Yang Ming to call as well. When he heard that Yang Ming was calling to help him send a lawyer’s letter, he cautiously took a breath and whispered, “Hasn’t Mr. Yi called Huo Ci yet?”

Yang Ming was a little stunned by his rhetorical question. He said, “Is there a problem?”

“Huo Ci’s intention is not to release a statement for now,” and if no statement was released, a lawyer’s letter was naturally not needed.

Bai Yu didn’t rush him and told him about Huo Ci asking him to get the surveillance video. At the very least, getting the video could prove that Huo Ci had indeed only exchanged a few words with Shen Suian that day. Later, she left in Bai Yu’s car. This way, the paparazzi’s alleged kissing photo could not be used as evidence.

When Yang Ming finished explaining this, Yi Zechen listened and still dialed Huo Ci’s number.

At this time, Huo Ci was changing clothes at home. After the initial annoyance faded, she still had the leisure to choose clothes in her walk-in closet. As she picked out a choker and was about to put it on, her phone rang.

“Are you up?” Yi Zechen knew she didn’t have to go to the studio this morning, and his voice was still gentle when he spoke.

It was as if the person who had been furious earlier wasn’t him.

Huo Ci chuckled softly, clutching the phone between her shoulder and ear, and reached out to put the choker around her neck. She had specially chosen a black T-shirt with a slightly open neckline today, and black ripped denim jeans, a cool and edgy all-black outfit.

However, the expression on her face wasn’t cold, “I’m already up, now I’m getting ready to go to the studio.”

“Still going today?” Yi Zechen frowned. At a time like this, if Huo Ci went to the studio, she would definitely be blocked by the paparazzi.

Huo Ci heard him ask this, knowing he must have seen the online rumors as well. Although his tone was normal now, she could probably imagine his cold, furrowed brows, so she smiled and asked, “Are you angry?”

“Hmm?” Yi Zechen asked back.

Huo Ci said, “This incident was intentional. I’ll handle it, don’t worry.”

Hearing her lightly say she would handle it herself, Yi Zechen’s face became even more terrifying than before. He frowned, his voice even colder, “If you handle everything yourself, what’s the point of me being your man?”

Huo Ci: “...”

She chuckled softly; “Mr. Yi, if someone else heard that, they’d call you a male chauvinist.”

“That’s their business, I only care about you,” Yi Zechen said indifferently.

Huo Ci had always liked his indifferent yet proud and arrogant tone. At this moment, she leaned against the cabinet wall, and when she looked up, she saw her upturned lips in the full-length mirror opposite her.

The person I like cares about me so much.

“I just feel that the other party won’t be that simple, and there might be a follow-up. Besides, Bai Yu is going to get the surveillance video. If he gets it, I’ll have them issue a statement and a lawyer’s letter tonight.”

Huo Ci said softly. Yi Zechen saw that she had indeed made proper arrangements and felt a little helpless.

“You should have told me about this immediately.”

Huo Ci sweetly said, “But even if I didn’t say anything, you would know.”

In the afternoon, Yi Zechen’s phone on the table rang. He had just finished signing his name on a document and looked over to see a rarely seen name.

“My flight arrives in Beijing at 5, come pick me up,” the other side said immediately after the call connected.

Yi Zechen reached out and pinched his brow, but a smile had already appeared on his face. It was only after a long while that he cursed softly, “You still know how to come back? Did you lose an arm or a leg, or were you kicked out?”

These words were uncharacteristically harsh, which truly showed how close their relationship was.

“Come pick me up, and you’ll know,” the man on the other end chuckled.

Yi Zechen also scoffed, “Then I’ll call Jingyang and Han Yao to come too.”

“No need, I’ll call them all back,” there was a natural air of nonchalance from the other side, and unconcealed laughter.

But it made Yi Zechen laugh along, “You rascal, you’re back, that’s good.”

Hanging up the phone, he looked down at his watch; it was already almost two. Fortunately, there were no urgent matters to deal with today. He called Yang Ming and told him he would be leaving early today.

However, he asked Yang Ming to stay in touch with the lawyers, and if anything happened on Huo Ci’s side, it should be handled immediately.

Yang Ming also started to investigate who was behind this. There’s no such thing as a watertight secret in this world. If you dare to do it, don’t expect others not to find out.

The driver took Yi Zechen to the airport, arriving at 4:30.

Han Jingyang and the others were still stuck in traffic but were almost there.

After they arrived, they went directly to the customs clearance area to wait. It was already five o’clock, and a wave of passengers was walking out. The three stood quietly on the periphery, waiting.

Finally, a tall man in a black flight jacket walked out. He was carrying a huge army-green backpack, and his tall, straight figure stood out in the crowd, immediately attracting attention.

Han Yao was the most excited and immediately waved, “Brother Xiao Cheng, over here.”

As the person walked towards them, the three examined him carefully. He was indeed conspicuous, standing at a full 1.87 meters, with a tall and strong build, dressed in an all-black outfit, and his hair was cut extremely short, a standard military length. However, his face had deeply chiseled, handsome features, with sword-like eyebrows and a prominent nose.

As he walked by, the young girls around him couldn’t help but turn their heads to look at him.

Such a heroic and imposing man was a sight to behold wherever he went.

A captivating sight.

Jiang Jingcheng strode over with his bag, looking at his childhood friends in front of him, and a smile suddenly appeared at the corner of his mouth, a bit of a dissolute, rogue-like grin.

“I was thinking, if anyone didn’t come today, how would I kill them.”

Han Jingyang couldn’t bear it anymore and immediately cursed, “Are you the emperor? You finally returned to the capital, and you have to announce it to the world, and be welcomed by an eight-man sedan chair, right?”

Jiang Jingcheng ignored him and embraced Yi Zechen, who was closest to him.

This hug made Han Jingyang swallow his complaints. How long had these brothers not seen each other?

Their friendship was formed since childhood, and most of them were only children, so they were brothers without blood ties. With just a word, they would go through fire and water for each other.

Jiang Jingcheng hugged them one by one. When this group of people stood together, they were truly remarkable.

There were already many young girls watching them, and now some had secretly taken out their phones to snap photos.

They didn’t say much and quickly headed to the parking lot. Once they got into the car, it finally quieted down a bit. Since Jiang Jingcheng’s call was sudden, they hadn’t even started asking anything, so Han Jingyang spoke first, “Are you back this time for a family visit or have you been transferred back?”

Jiang Jingcheng sat in the back, with Yi Zechen beside him. Han Yao was driving, and Han Jingyang sat in the passenger seat, the car just fitting them all.

“I heard our thousand-year iron tree [metaphor for a long-time bachelor] finally bloomed,” Jiang Jingcheng said with a hooked smile, then asked.

Han Jingyang hadn’t thought of this yet, but now he immediately asked, “Zechen, was your girlfriend slandered online today? I saw it caused quite a stir. Did you get someone to handle it?”

These were true brothers. When their brother’s girlfriend had an issue, their first reaction was that she was slandered, absolutely not believing that the girl cheated. After all, he didn’t believe the girl, but he believed his brother’s judgment.

Yi Zechen hummed in agreement, which piqued Jiang Jingcheng’s interest. He immediately asked, “What happened?”

After Han Jingyang finished explaining, even Han Yao, who was driving, got angry and cursed, “People are too vicious these days, trying to label a good girl as a mistress. And those netizens, they just believe anything they hear, without any judgment of their own.”

“The title was quite sensational, and even the photos were taken from a specific angle,” Han Jingyang usually used Weibo, although not often, but he happened to see it today. After all, Huo Ci was trending first, so it was impossible not to see it.

Jiang Jingcheng chuckled after hearing this, “Isn’t this bullying?”

“Who said it isn’t? Zechen, what do you plan to do? Or should I help you find out who’s so despicable?” Han Jingyang genuinely couldn’t stand this kind of blatant slander. He probably didn’t know that Huo Ci already had a boyfriend.

“I’ve already had the lawyers draft a letter, and I’ll sue the paparazzi and those who clearly spread rumors.”

Unexpectedly, Jiang Jingcheng’s hand was already on his shoulder, and he chuckled softly, “This kind of thing isn’t hard to solve.”

Yi Zechen turned his head to look at him, a man who had just come down from the mountain, quite boastful. Unexpectedly, Jiang Jingcheng said, “Tell everyone, she’s your wife.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Yi Zechen said indifferently.

Unexpectedly, Han Jingyang, who was sitting in front, echoed, “I think Xiao Cheng’s suggestion is good.”

Regarding making it public, Yi Zechen had thought about it before. However, neither he nor Huo Ci were high-profile people. They didn’t intentionally hide their relationship, but they wouldn’t shout to the whole world that they were together either.

“Have you met his girlfriend?” Jiang Jingcheng asked.

Han Jingyang and Han Yao said in unison, “No.”

“Then what are you waiting for, let’s go now,” Jiang Jingcheng had always been this kind of person: once he made up his mind, he acted immediately; procrastination was not his style.

So the car sped directly towards Huo Ci’s studio. Although Yi Zechen didn’t tell them the address, it was easy for these guys to find out if they wanted to.

Beijing’s traffic wasn’t great, and by the time they reached the studio, it was almost eight o’clock.

Yi Zechen didn’t stop their mischief. These were his best brothers, and he had long intended to introduce Huo Ci to them. He just hadn’t found the right opportunity before, so he let them do as they pleased this time.

However, what he didn’t expect was that he would be the one to make the biggest scene in the end.

When the SUV stopped downstairs, seeing the lights still on on the third floor, Yi Zechen said, “I’ll call her first to ask if she’s still there.”

“Why call?” Jiang Jingcheng scoffed and immediately rolled down the car window.

They were truly brothers of many years; without even exchanging glances, as soon as he counted “one, two, three,” the three men collectively shouted upwards, “Huo Ci!”

This shout was like they were back in their youth, half-grown boys, fearless, and if they liked a girl, a group of brothers would embolden them to stand downstairs at her building and start shouting her name.

It would cause the whole building to open their windows and curse, but the group wouldn’t get angry, just smilingly waiting for the girl to come down.

“One, two, three,” Jiang Jingcheng led the rhythm, and the three of them shouted towards the brightly lit third floor.

At this moment, Huo Ci was talking to Bai Yu when the assistant came in, still a little scared, “Boss, did you hear someone calling your name?”

No sooner had she spoken than the men’s roaring shouts clearly reached them.

Not only were the people in Huo Ci’s studio shocked, but even the people from other companies upstairs and downstairs in the building were standing by the windows watching the commotion, and some had even started taking videos of downstairs.

Huo Ci went out and looked down from the window. She saw a black SUV parked in the driveway, and then a person pushed the door open and got out of the car. He stood tall and slender, his imposing figure undeterred by the dark night.

Until he looked up at the third-floor window, where many people were crowded. But even with a blurry view, without seeing her, Yi Zechen knew that she was looking down at him at that moment.

Behind him were his brothers shouting her name, and above, it was her.

At this moment, an indescribable emotion surged in his heart. As that bursting emotion filled his chest, he suddenly looked up and shouted, “Huo Ci, if you’re willing to marry me, come down now!”

Holy cow! The people watching the show upstairs went crazy first. This was a proposal!

Holy cow!! The three people in the car also went crazy. No one expected Yi Zechen to do something like this.

Huo Ci, who was originally leaning out the window, was still wondering whether to wave at him, but when she clearly heard his words, she turned and pushed through the crowd, rushing downstairs without looking back.

She didn’t even wait for the elevator and rushed down the stairs.

When she ran in front of Yi Zechen, her long hair was flying, and she was panting. She stood a few steps away from him, suddenly a little afraid to go closer.

“Huo Ci,” he looked at her and called out, his voice not as clear and cold as usual, but even with an unspeakable tremor.

The person opposite him was even more nervous and said after a long while, “Do your words still count?”

I’ve come down.

When Yi Zechen heard this, he couldn’t hold back anymore. He stepped forward and embraced her, whispering in her ear, “Are you willing to marry me?”

“I do.”