IJLHTW - 73

Huo Ci stared at Yongshi’s Weibo post, momentarily stunned. As she was looking at it, Mo Xingchen’s call came through.

As soon as she answered, Mo Xingchen immediately asked, “What’s going on with Yongshi Jewelry’s Weibo? And is the T&A ad leak true?”

Such a big blunder with the T&A advertisement couldn’t be kept under wraps; someone was bound to let it slip. Mo Xingchen was also an insider in the fashion industry. She had a good relationship with Huo Ci, and people often tried to subtly inquire about Huo Ci through her. This time was no exception; as soon as rumors about T&A circulated, countless people came asking for information.

Mo Xingchen hadn’t called Huo Ci earlier because she didn’t want to bother her.

Tonight, she was at home watching the live stream, and after being fed a mouthful of dog food, she was just about to call and “condemn” Huo Ci’s actions.

Who knew she would then see Yongshi Jewelry’s statement on Weibo? If it was just a rumor before, it had now become a fact. No one had expected Yongshi Jewelry to issue such a statement, which practically put Yongshi on the hot seat.

Not to mention Nan Wan; everyone could see that Yongshi was sacrificing a pawn to save the king, throwing Nan Wan out as a scapegoat.

To say that stealing ad concepts was solely Nan Wan’s doing was certainly not true, but now all the responsibility was shifted onto Nan Wan. It had to be said that just the group of righteous netizens online could practically flay Nan Wan alive.

“I just saw the Weibo post myself, so I don’t know the full situation, but the T&A jewelry leak is indeed true. I plan to explain this to T&A,” Huo Ci pinched the bridge of her nose. She was still wearing that expensive and exquisite long gown, her high heels already kicked off.

In such public settings, she had to maintain her demeanor, even sitting upright, as cameras were always ready to capture her most awkward moments.

Mo Xingchen caught her unspoken meaning and said in surprise, “It really was a leak from the studio?”

Huo Ci felt ashamed, nodding to confirm: “Indeed, it was an internal staff member.” She was also trying to save Bai Yu some face, not mentioning it was Aili.

“But it’s good that Yongshi admitted it themselves this time; otherwise, this would have been really difficult. I was worried T&A would come after you,” Mo Xingchen breathed a sigh of relief.

They talked for a few more minutes, then Huo Ci hung up.

Indeed, the internet was in an uproar at that moment, as discussions about the advertisement had already been rampant. A photographer’s style doesn’t just change abruptly; Nan Wan’s style was inherently different from Huo Ci’s. Yet, she suddenly produced a Huo Ci-esque ad. At the time, some of Huo Ci’s fans jumped out, accusing her of plagiarism.

But T&A’s advertisement hadn’t been released, so Huo Ci’s fans had no evidence and were mocked for trying to steal the spotlight and deliberately cause trouble.

No one expected such an outcome in the end.

This left netizens shocked. Some even commented directly under Yongshi Jewelry’s official Weibo, saying it was the first time they had seen such a straightforward admission of plagiarism. Previously, in anti-plagiarism cases, plagiarizers would always deny it to the death, and only grudgingly admit their mistakes after being slapped with evidence.

Huo Ci watched for a while before realizing that Yi Zechen hadn’t returned from making a call in the study.

She couldn’t help but stand up and quietly walk to the study door, hearing a muffled voice inside. She gently knocked, and a smiling voice from within said, “Come in.”

“Am I disturbing you?” Huo Ci pushed the door open.

Yi Zechen shook his head, beckoning her over. Huo Ci then walked to his side, where he immediately took her hand and gently pulled her to sit on his lap. Actually, this study was originally Huo Ci’s, but ever since he moved in, it had become Yi Zechen’s exclusive space.

He was on the phone, likely with an international friend, as he was speaking in English.

Huo Ci gathered the general gist; it seemed to be about Doctors Without Borders. She couldn’t help but become mischievous, reaching out to untie the bow tie on his formal suit. The dark red bow tie was casually tugged twice, then she reached out again to undo the top button of his white shirt.

As his collar was unbuttoned while he was on the phone, his Adam’s apple subtly moved up and down as he spoke.

That most flexible bone in a man’s body, like it had tiny claws, kept captivating her eyes.

It wasn’t until Huo Ci lowered her head and couldn’t resist gently biting his Adam’s apple.

Yi Zechen reached out and wrapped his arm around her waist, looking down at her, a hint of warning in his gaze, as if telling her not to cause trouble. But when someone’s in a good mood, like Huo Ci was tonight after winning the big award and Yongshi admitting to plagiarism, she just wanted to tease him.

So after biting his Adam’s apple, she reached out and unbuttoned his shirt, going down to the third button, when her hand was caught again.

The call wasn’t over yet. Yi Zechen shook his head at her, but she still continued to do as she pleased.

It wasn’t until she reached out to unbuckle his belt, about to pull it out, that she heard a clatter. His phone had fallen onto the desk, and above her, the man’s dangerous voice said, “You’re looking for trouble, aren’t you?”

“No,” she jumped up, wanting to run, but she had already stirred up his desire, and he wouldn’t let go of her so easily.

Yi Zechen held her waist with both hands, looking down at her, his eyes narrowed as he surveyed her collarbone, whispering, “Guess what I wanted to do the moment I opened the car door and saw you?”

Huo Ci immediately declared, “I don’t want to guess.” Because she knew it wouldn’t be anything good.

Sure enough, Yi Zechen raised one hand, gently stroking the edge of her strapless gown’s bust line twice, then smiled faintly: “I wanted to peel it off.”

Huo Ci’s neck was naturally long and slender, making her perfectly suited for strapless gowns like this. Her tall stature also allowed her to carry the gown’s imposing presence.

“Don’t ruin this. It’s borrowed, and very expensive,” Huo Ci was genuinely worried. But just as she finished speaking, she heard the sound of fabric tearing.

He nuzzled her earlobe and simply said, “If it’s ruined, I’ll buy it.”

But Huo Ci genuinely couldn’t bear it. A high-fashion evening gown would cost at least hundreds of thousands. She immediately shouted, “Don’t tear it! I really like this dress!”

“Really like it?” Yi Zechen looked at her. Huo Ci nodded.

Yi Zechen whispered a few words into Huo Ci’s ear. She looked a little annoyed, her cheeks beginning to flush. But thinking of the potential fate of the dress, she gritted her teeth and nodded.

Then she lifted her skirt and sat on his lap.

Behind him was the study window, and outside, the sky was full of stars.

Until ambiguous sounds came from the study. She held his shoulders, her toes straight, her body unconsciously shrinking back. Yi Zechen timely clamped her waist, leaning in to kiss her lips. In front of her was his solid chest, behind her, the edge of the desk.

The vibrant red skirt spread over her legs, covering their intimate contact. They were fully clothed, yet doing the most intimate thing in the world.

She couldn’t help but lean against his chest, her cheek pressed against his hot skin, listening to his heart beating strong and powerful.

Huo Ci didn’t even know how she was carried to bed that night.

When she woke up in the morning, she realized how many calls Bai Yu had made to her yesterday. She glared at Yi Zechen somewhat angrily, asking him, “Did you mute my phone?”

“You were too tired,” Yi Zechen poured her a glass of milk and said softly.

Huo Ci thought about why she was tired last night, glared at him, and then called Bai Yu back.

“Well-rested?” Bai Yu answered the phone, his first question being this.

Huo Ci glared at Yi Zechen again, wondering what he had told Bai Yu last night. But she cleared her throat and asked, “What exactly happened with Yongshi’s statement yesterday?”

“You still don’t know?” Bai Yu was taken aback and countered, “Didn’t Mr. Yi tell you?”

Huo Ci sneered and asked him, “Is there anything between you two that I don’t know about?”

After Bai Yu explained, Huo Ci finally understood why Yongshi had given in so easily this time. It turned out that Bai Yu had always registered Huo Ci’s works through a specialized copyright company. This was precisely because Huo Ci’s works had been repeatedly plagiarized before, so he decided to spend money to register them.

However, he hadn’t expected that because he had taken precautionary measures, this incident could be resolved so smoothly.

Regarding Aili stealing the work, he knew Aili deserved it, but Aili was, after all, his cousin’s daughter, and she was also used by others. Even if she really had to go to jail, at least the masterminds behind it should be caught.

So Bai Yu directly contacted Yi Zechen. He wasn’t afraid that Huo Ci would find out and stop him, but rather he felt that to deal with a large company like Yongshi, they needed someone with more deterrent power than themselves.

After Yi Zechen learned about the matter, he immediately sent his legal team to Yongshi Jewelry, telling them that if they didn’t issue a statement, he would sue them. They had evidence of Huo Ci’s ad shoot time, copyright registration, and witnesses. If it came to a lawsuit, they would drag it out and win.

He knew that Yongshi Jewelry was undergoing an IPO, and if all went well, they could be listed in Hong Kong by the end of the year at the latest.

If they were to go to court, it would inevitably derail their IPO.

Yi Zechen knew this, and the people at Yongshi naturally knew it too.

So, from their contact to Yongshi Jewelry issuing the statement, it was only a matter of two days.

Huo Ci hadn’t realized there was so much involved. She hung up the phone, looked at Yi Zechen, who was calmly eating breakfast, and couldn’t help but ask, “How long were you planning to keep this from me?”

“I wasn’t planning to keep it from you,” Yi Zechen put down his cup and said seriously.

“I just didn’t want such small matters to keep bothering you,” he smiled.

Huo Ci listened to his understated manner and couldn’t help but say, “Mr. Yi, do you know how difficult it is to enforce copyright in China?”

“So you have a pretty good agent, who at least knows how to get things done,” Yi Zechen complimented Bai Yu for the first time.

However, Yi Zechen reminded her, “Yongshi has been dealt with. The problem now is T&A. The leak originated from your studio. The responsibility for this lies with you.”

See, that’s Mr. Yi. When helping you deal with others, he’s ruthless, wanting to eliminate the opponent in one fell swoop. But when analyzing the cause, he’s also very serious: if it’s your fault, don’t try to shift the blame to others.

Huo Ci decided to take full responsibility. She nodded and said, “Don’t worry, I’ll handle T&A.”

She always handled her own affairs, but since having Mr. Yi, it seemed she had been overly protected.

After they left home, Yi Zechen went to the company, and Huo Ci drove to the hospital.

She had only seen Huo Mingzhou once in the morning yesterday because she had to attend the ceremony. So she came again today, bringing her award with her, wanting him to see it.

At the hospital, the caregiver was massaging Huo Mingzhou.

“Miss Huo is here,” the caregiver nodded at her. Huo Ci smiled and told him to go out and rest for a while.

She sat by the bed for a while, talking to Huo Mingzhou, when she suddenly felt severe pain in her lower abdomen. She clutched her stomach, but the bloating and pain kept coming. It just so happened that the doctor came for rounds. Huo Mingzhou was injured in the line of duty, so the hospital had always taken his condition seriously.

When the doctor came in, Huo Ci stood up to greet them. It was the head nurse who followed them in who noticed her complexion and asked with concern, “Miss Huo, are you feeling unwell? You look a bit pale.”

“It’s nothing, just some abdominal pain,” Huo Ci waved her hand.

But cold sweat kept trickling down her forehead. Not only did the head nurse notice something was off, but even the doctor did. So the attending physician had her sit down and quickly listened to her lower abdomen.

After listening, he said somewhat uncertainly, “Miss Huo, you should go downstairs for an ultrasound and a blood test.”

“Is the problem serious?” Huo Ci thought, her period should be coming these two days, but her periods were always irregular.

“Head Nurse Huang, please take Miss Huo downstairs to register and get checked,” the attending physician didn’t say much, but turned to the nurse.

The head nurse heard this and came over to persuade her, “Miss Huo, an ultrasound only takes a moment. Just come with me, at least for your peace of mind.”

Huo Ci was indeed feeling a bit uncomfortable, so she followed her.

By the time she got the ultrasound results, the head nurse had already gone back to work. She went to find the gynecologist she had registered with earlier.

The doctor took the film out of the bag, glanced at her, and said calmly, “Congratulations, Miss, you’re pregnant.”

Huo Ci looked at the doctor’s indifferent expression, momentarily unable to react. After a long pause, she asked blankly, “What do you mean?”

Seeing her expression, the doctor’s indifferent face showed a hint of a smile: “It means, congratulations, you’re going to be a mother.”

Huo Ci: “You’re not joking with me?”

The doctor’s face turned cold again, but Huo Ci herself could read ultrasound images; after all, she had studied medicine for a year. At this moment, on the film displayed on the machine, she could even see the tiny embryo without the doctor’s guidance.

Her and Yi Zechen’s child?

Oh my god, her and Yi Zechen’s child.

Suddenly, she smiled. It was almost instantaneous, a blossoming smile on her face.