She didn't finish her sentence, but she conveyed the gist of it.
Lin Qinglang was genuinely taken aback by these words. To be honest, the man he saw yesterday looked familiar. Later, when his friend came to pick him up, on the way home, he suddenly slapped his thigh and finally remembered who that person was.
Huo Shenyan, CEO of Hengya, is considered a role model among the second generation.
After all, he is the first second-generation leader in China to take charge of a giant like Hengya Group right after turning thirty.
Even the media doesn't call him a "second-generation"; he's a "young marshal."
Lin Qinglang really didn't expect that Ni Jingxi's husband was him, but the more he thought about it, the more something seemed wrong, because there was no information that Huo Shenyan was married.
Last night, when his friends dragged him out to play, Lin Qinglang kept thinking, "Is Ni Jingxi lying to me?"
When Ni Jingxi said those words, his expression immediately turned sour.
Lin Qinglang frowned and said, "Teacher, is it because the Huo family is treating you badly? Is it because they don't allow you to reveal your marriage? I was wondering why I hadn't heard anything about Hengya CEO's marriage."
Lin Qinglang himself came from such a family, and he had seen quite a few dramas of parents forcing couples to break up.
In an instant, he pictured the miserable life of a mistress in a wealthy family who was mistreated.
Not even being able to reveal that you're getting married, isn't that miserable enough?
Looking at his indignant expression, Ni Jingxi felt a headache coming on, but also found it amusing.
She said softly, "It's not as much as you think. I just didn't want to make it public."
The elders of the Huo family are all people who value their reputation very much. If Huo Shenyan were to date Ni Jingxi, Zhong Lan might actually show up and try to stop it.
However, the two acted too quickly, getting their marriage certificate right away without giving their elders any time to react.
So much so that when Zhong Lan met Ni Jingxi, she was already the rightful Mrs. Huo and the daughter-in-law of the Huo family.
What could Zhong Lan do at this point? Should she force her son to divorce immediately, or make things difficult for her daughter-in-law by making Ni Jingxi mop the floor eight hundred times a day?
This is too undignified for Zhong Lan to do; she can't bring herself to do it.
She never even spoke harshly to Ni Jingxi, so the image of a submissive young wife in a wealthy family that Lin Qinglang imagined simply didn't exist in her.
The reason for not announcing the marriage was actually for Ni Jingxi's sake.
If she still wants to work at this newspaper and continue to live an undisturbed life, then a secret marriage is the best solution for her.
After all, once her marriage to Huo Shenyan is exposed, she will no longer be Ni Jingxi.
When people describe her, they will only use one title: Mrs. Huo.
Ni Jingxi actually liked the title of Mrs. Huo. She just wanted to keep her life as normal as possible and not be disturbed or affected by the outside world's gaze.
Besides, she and Huo Shenyan don't need that kind of fake attention.
Does she not want to be unhappy if the world doesn't know she's Mrs. Fok?
Lin Qinglang's expression returned to normal. He probably also thought of Ni Jingxi's reason. After all, she was already Mrs. Huo, yet she was still working here, which clearly showed that she wanted to have her own career and life.
Even so, Lin Qinglang still didn't feel happy.
Because he still couldn't accept that his first love had gotten married long ago.
"What if I accidentally say it?" Lin Qinglang snorted.
Ni Jingxi smiled and looked at him: "So you think I can't handle you now?"
Her smile was gentle and serene, but it sent chills down Lin Qinglang's spine, because he remembered how Ni Jingxi had subdued him when she was his tutor.
Lin Qinglang quickly said, "I won't."
He was just teasing her on purpose, but he still felt a deep sense of resentment.
*
In the afternoon, Tang Mian entered the office, handed the documents to Huo Shenyan, and said, "President Qiao's secretary just called to say that Madam's matter has been resolved, so please rest assured."
Huo Shenyan lowered his head and quickly signed his name on the document.
He then raised his head, hesitated for a moment, and asked, "Call Mr. Qiao's secretary again and see if Mr. Qiao is available now. I would like to speak to him in person to express my gratitude."
Tang Mian nodded to indicate that he understood, took out his phone, and immediately made a call.
After a few words were exchanged, Tang Mian gently covered the phone and whispered, "President Huo, President Qiao is right next to his secretary. He said there's no need to bother making another call."
Huo Shenyan reached out and took the phone from him, and greeted him politely, "Uncle Qiao, this is Shenyan."
Huo Shenyan was not bad at small talk and socializing. He had been raised with this kind of education and was always very courteous to his elders.
Editor-in-Chief Qiao said that he and his father were old acquaintances, so it was not an exaggeration for Huo Shenyan to call him Uncle Qiao.
At this moment, Editor-in-Chief Qiao chuckled and said, "If it weren't for this matter, I'm afraid you would still be keeping such a big thing as your marriage a secret from us."
Not only did he keep it a secret, but Chief Editor Qiao only found out today that his wife worked at his newspaper.
Huo Shenyan chuckled softly and said calmly, "It's not that I intentionally kept it from you, but there's a reason for it. Jingxi doesn't want to be too special at the newspaper; she really likes this job."
Editor-in-Chief Qiao nodded and said directly, "Don't think that I didn't punish Ni Jingxi this time because of you. We're not some shady operation where right and wrong are indiscriminate. I reward her when she does right and punish her when she does wrong. Although her actions this time were somewhat impulsive, her intentions were indeed good."
Although he did pay attention to this matter because of Huo Shenyan's phone call, he did not deal with the problem because of Huo Shenyan.
Journalists do have a bad reputation these days, but it's not just public slander; some media reporters do deliberately create news to attract attention and generate buzz.
Young people like Ni Jingxi, who are driven and have ideals, deserve encouragement.
Huo Shenyan listened quietly, and only after the other party finished speaking did he say in a low voice, "I understand your good intentions."
A moment later, just as the call was about to end, Editor-in-Chief Qiao suddenly asked, "When will I be able to drink your wedding wine?"
Huo Shenyan paused for a moment, then chuckled and said, "It will be soon. I will personally deliver the invitation."
*
In the afternoon, Ni Jingxi finished proofreading the manuscript and prepared to hand it over to Lao Zhang.
Hua Zheng, who was standing next to her, exclaimed in surprise: "What happened to my Shenyan brother?"
Ni Jingxi turned her head sharply and saw a post open on Hua Zheng's computer. The photo on it was indeed Huo Shenyan, and there was a bright police badge in the background around him.
Hengya CEO makes a surprise appearance at Shanghai police station: What's the matter? Official business? Or personal matters?
The title is extremely sensational and thought-provoking.
Author's Note: Shenyan Brother: Oh, I'm going to pick up my wife.
Mr. Ni, are you ready for the exposure?
Chapter 23
Hua Zheng was still muttering to herself, "Why would our handsome brother go to the police station? There must be something wrong, right?"
As a big fan of Huo Shenyan, Hua Zheng did her duty and immediately contacted a reporter she knew to inquire about the news. However, since the matter had just been exposed, not many people knew about it.
Ni Jingxi couldn't help but pick up her water glass and take a sip, but after thinking for a moment, she stood up with her phone in hand.
She walked to a corner and stood still before dialing Huo Shenyan's number, but all she heard was a long busy tone. She couldn't help but bite her lip, then made another call.
Still no one answered.
Ni Jingxi spun around in place, couldn't help biting her nail, and then dialed Tang Mian's number again.
Unexpectedly, no one answered the phone again.
Ni Jingxi suddenly became a little anxious.
The things that happen to Huo Shenyan are not trivial matters, because he is the CEO of Hengya, and everything that happens to him will affect the stock price of Hengya.
Especially since this whole thing started because of her, Ni Jingxi felt even more nervous.
She felt a pang of guilt; if he hadn't gone to pick her up, he wouldn't have been photographed like that. As a journalist, Ni Jingxi knew all too well the skill some media people had in deliberately distorting the facts for sensationalism.
Just as she was standing in the corner taking deep breaths, her phone suddenly rang.
Ni Jingxi raised her hand and glanced at the screen; the three words 'Mr. Huo' were flashing frantically.
She answered the call immediately, and Huo Shenyan's deep voice came through first: "Xingxing."
He simply called her name, but the gentle warmth in his voice instantly calmed Ni Jingxi's anxious heart.
She rarely had such volatile emotions, but when it came to things related to him, all the calmness in her heart vanished.
Ni Jingxi bit her fingertip; it hurt a little, but at least it helped her voice not tremble so much when she spoke: "Did you see the post online?"
Although he's busy with work and probably doesn't have time to go online and follow these things, Hengya is a large company, so it must have a public relations team. It's impossible that they wouldn't see all the leaks about their own boss.
"You called me just because of this?" Huo Shenyan chuckled lightly, his tone calm and confident.
Ni Jingxi said softly, "Isn't that important enough?"
"Not enough." Huo Shenyan chuckled.
Ni Jingxi originally wanted to discuss the post with him, but he led her astray and she subconsciously asked, "Then what is important?"
"You said you missed me, that's what's important."
When Huo Shenyan spoke these words, his voice was deep and his tone was calm yet captivating, as if each word was striking Ni Jingxi's heart.
She was the kind of person who rarely watched idol dramas, and she never knew that when a man said sweet words, it could really touch her heartstrings and make her feel her heart skip a beat for no reason.
She remained silent for a long time.
Until the man on the other end whispered again, "Don't worry, I'll take care of it."
His deliberate change of topic and unusually attempts to coax her were simply an attempt to distract her. The first thing she thought of when she got into trouble was to call Tang Mian for help; although she didn't call him directly, it was still progress.
Huo Shenyan didn't want this inexplicably appearing post to scare her or make her think she had caused him trouble.
Ni Jingxi seemed to be carrying an extremely heavy and sturdy shell, which would not be easily opened.
Now, he patiently and gently pried open her heart, letting her understand that she could rely on him. This was what Huo Shenyan wanted to see, because sometimes her strength and independence made his heart ache.
Therefore, he hoped that she could be so willful as to rely on him without needing any reason.
When Ni Jingxi returned to her desk, Hua Zheng was still studying the post.
Seeing Ni Jingxi come over, Hua Zheng quickly pulled her aside and said, "Lord Ni, can you help me analyze this? Look, from the photo, Brother Shenyan is dressed in a formal suit, looking very smart. The young and talented man next to him must be his secretary, right?"
Hua Zheng slapped her thigh and turned to stare at Ni Jingxi.