Li Man: "Hmm."
"I'm hanging up now, I'm going to make a phone call."
The car was driving fast when Xie Wang dialed a cell phone number: "Contact the head of the publicity department and ask him to give me the phone number of He Chun's domestic board of directors."
"As soon as possible, I'm in a hurry."
After hanging up the phone, Xie Wang stared blankly at the traffic light in front of him, his grip on the steering wheel tightening slightly.
On set, Ling Shuangjiang stood beneath the backdrop, completing the final take. Although his expression remained impeccable, his lips were deathly pale, almost the same color as his skin, giving him a sickly appearance.
Shang Qi, holding a hot coffee, crossed his legs and said, "Director, this take was good, but the lip color isn't quite right. Should we touch up the makeup and reshoot?"
The director looked troubled and said to him, "If this continues, the artists will get sick. It's very cold today."
Everyone present was shrewd; who couldn't see that Shang Qi was deliberately making things difficult for Ling Shuangjiang?
Everyone just kept quiet about it.
It's a personal grudge, there's no need to get involved.
"Stop filming, we'll talk about it tomorrow."
Just then, a voice rang out from behind.
Shang Qi immediately frowned, turned around and looked back. When he realized that the person speaking was the vice chairman of He Chun's China region, he immediately stood up to greet him.
"Uncle Liu, what brings you here?"
Chairman Liu looked displeased and ignored his pleasantries, instructing the staff: "Tell the artist to rest quickly and prepare some hot coffee to warm them up."
The director nodded: "Cut."
Li Man draped a thick blanket over Ling Shuangjiang, frowning as she looked at Chairman Liu and Shang Qi. "Are you still cold? I'll get you some more clothes."
Ling Shuangjiang comforted her, "I'm not cold, I'm fine."
"Uncle Liu, do you know him?" Shang Qi asked curiously.
Chairman Liu: "The chairman already knows about this. Think about how to explain it to him."
Shang Qi's expression changed slightly: "Why does the chairman know about this? Isn't he attending a meeting in England?"
Chairman Liu looked at him expressionlessly: "I've been informed that if I don't show up here, in three minutes, all advertisements for Hechun's entire product line will be removed from major real estate developments, shopping malls, CBDs, and office buildings across the country, and we will never cooperate again. Do you think the chairman doesn't need to know about this?"
As his arrogance gradually faded, Shang Qi asked with a hint of panic, "But why did this happen?"
"Then you should be asked—why are you using your power to bully your representatives?"
Xie Wang's deep, powerful voice appeared behind the two of them, accompanied by hurried footsteps.
When Chairman Liu saw Xie Wang, he quickly went over and said, "I'm sorry, Mr. Xie. I've already sent someone to take the artist to the dressing room. This was indeed our fault."
Xie Wang's attitude was indifferent: "Is an apology enough? Now, I want to see every single unusable clip he shot today. You must give me a reasonable explanation for why you've repeatedly refused to approve them. Otherwise, all your goods will be adrift at sea tonight, and don't even think about coming ashore from any of our ports."
Chairman Liu's tone suddenly became anxious: "President Xie, we can talk things over. I'll have Xiao Shang apologize to the artist."
After saying that, Chairman Liu gestured for Shang Qi to come over and apologize.
Only now did Shang Qi realize that the person in front of him was backing up Ling Shuangjiang.
The nature of their relationship is self-evident.
Shang Qi was not intimidated and walked up to Xie Wang with a sincere attitude: "Sir, I admit that I deliberately made things difficult for Ling Shuangjiang during today's advertisement shoot. If you knew about our personal grudges, you might be angry for me."
Li Man, who was just coming out to get hot milk tea, happened to hear this.
Xie Wang looked him straight in the eye: "No matter the reason, work is work, and grudges are right and wrong. If you insist on mixing them up, it only proves that the person who appointed you to this position has a problem with their judgment, because you are not qualified."
Shang Qi was speechless and completely humiliated.
He had only been in office for a few days when he was publicly criticized for being unworthy of his position. How could he possibly manage others in the company in the future?
Shang Qi chuckled softly: "What are you to Ling Shuangjiang? My personal grudges with Ling Shuangjiang can no longer separate public and private matters. Back in college, he repeatedly seduced my boyfriend and led a promiscuous private life. I must settle this score with him."
Upon hearing this, everyone present was shocked.
A "thump" was heard.
Shang Qi was kicked to the ground, clutching his stomach and groaning in pain.
Xie Wang hadn't been this angry in a long time, and a hint of rage flickered between his brows.
He walked up to Shang Qi, his voice icy: "Since you've already said these things, you need to take responsibility for them. I'll give you one day to provide evidence of these fabrications, or I will sue you."
Shang Qi gasped in pain: "Ling Shuangjiang is a shameless mistress, do we even need to find evidence?"
Xie Wang's expression changed instantly, becoming even more gloomy.
He stepped forward, but Shang Qi quickly rolled away to avoid it, and Chairman Liu immediately stopped him.
The security guards standing nearby didn't dare to step forward, fearing they might offend the person in front of them.
"Mr. Xie, if you really want to teach him a lesson, don't do it here. There are so many people watching."
Xie Wang suppressed his anger and asked, "What's his name?"
Chairman Liu: "Shang Qi."
Xie Wang glanced coldly at Shang Qi: "Given the current situation, what are your company's plans for dealing with him?"
Chairman Liu: "Suspended from duty pending investigation."
Before leaving, Xie Wang said to Shang Qi, "This matter is not over."
Inside the lounge, Ling Shuangjiang had changed into dry clothes and was leaning back on the sofa drinking hot coffee.
Li Man rushed over to tell him about what Shang Qi had told Xie Wang, but before she could finish, Xie Wang arrived.
"How are you?" Xie Wang came to him, squatted down gently, and tentatively touched his forehead with his fingers: "Do you have a fever?"
Ling Shuangjiang, holding the cup in a daze, asked, "Why are you here?"
Xie Wang replied, "I called you, and Li Man answered. She told me about your situation here."
Hearing this, a barely perceptible hint of unease flashed in Ling Shuangjiang's eyes: "When...did you arrive? Did you say anything to them outside?"
"I had a brief chat with some senior executives at Hechun." Xie Wang sat down next to him, reaching out to touch his coffee cup. "The coffee's cold, bring me a cup of hot milk."
Li Man nodded, closed the door, and left.
Xie Wang took the blanket and draped it over Ling Shuangjiang, holding his right hand: "It's still so cold."
Ling Shuangjiang: "Much better, I'm not cold anymore."
Xie Wang asked, "Have you had any conflicts with Shang Qi?"
Ling Shuangjiang's eyelashes trembled slightly: "Mmm."
Xie Wang looked into his eyes: "What's the conflict? Can you tell me?"
Ling Shuangjiang slowly stroked the blanket with her fingertips, lowering her eyes and remaining silent.
Xie Wang: "It's okay, you don't have to say if you don't want to. I just want to know the specifics."
"The boy he had a crush on since high school went to the same university as us and pursued me when I was a freshman. Later they got together, and he never really got along with me."
Xie Wang was the person he trusted most, and he decided to tell Xie Wang so as not to disappoint him.
Xie Wang: "When you were in England, did he always bully you?"
Ling Shuangjiang didn't expect Xie Wang to ask that directly. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Yes, he's always bullied me. Luckily, Jia Yi protects me. Jia Yi's uncle is the vice president of our university."
Hearing Lin Jiayi's name at this moment, Xie Wang no longer felt jealous; instead, he felt even more heartache. Without Lin Jiayi, given Shang Qi's domineering personality, how badly would Ling Shuangjiang be bullied, all alone and helpless abroad?
"I should thank him for taking the time."
Xie Wang reached out and ruffled Ling Shuangjiang's hair: "The filming ends here for today. I'll take you home to rest. Don't think about him for now."
Ling Shuangjiang looked at him obediently, then suddenly lowered her eyes and said in a pleading tone, "Xie Wang, I want you to hug me."
Xie Wang paused, a hint of awkwardness flashing across his face. His earlobes were red, and his hand slowly moved down, gently stroking Ling Shuangjiang's neck, pulling him into his arms.
Ling Shuangjiang wrapped her arms around him, rested her head on Xie Wang's chest, and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Xie Wang had a refreshing scent that Ling Shuangjiang liked very much. She hugged him tighter, like a lazy kitten snuggling in its owner's arms.
A warm touch came through the fabric. Xie Wang hugged his shoulders, his arms moving very gently, afraid of pressing down on him.
At that moment, the door was pushed open.
Seeing their movements, Li Man suddenly stepped back and quickly closed the door gently.
Ling Shuangjiang ignored him and continued to rest in Xie Wang's arms. About half an hour later, Xie Wang took him home.
In just one week, Ling Shuangjiang's new home became much more vibrant, with every corner reflecting her personal style: the sunflower oil painting under the bookshelf, the minimalist color scheme of the bed sheets, the mug on the glass cabinet, and even the vase Xie Wang gave Ling Shuangjiang, all painted with vivid portraits.
"Would you like something to drink?" Ling Shuangjiang asked, standing in front of Xie Wang as he curiously examined everything.
"No need, you should rest first." Xie Wang raised his wristwatch. "I have something to do, I need to go to the company."
Ling Shuangjiang: "Alright, go ahead and do your thing."
Before leaving, Xie Wang's eyes were glued to Ling Shuangjiang. Only after confirming several times that Ling Shuangjiang's emotions were normal did he reluctantly leave.
As he drove, he recalled Ling Shuangjiang's smile before she saw him off; upon closer inspection, it seemed somewhat forced. It was probably still because of the bullying he'd experienced earlier that day, which had affected her emotions.
Just before driving off, Xie Wang had sent Shang Qi's name to Assistant Jin, instructing him to investigate thoroughly and uncover all of this man's scandals.
Seeing how angry he was, and having just heard about Xie Wang's confrontation with He Chun at the cost of alarming all of Xie's private ports, Assistant Jin dared not be frivolous. He promised to find out all of Shang Qi's ancestral information within two days and not let any illegal or disorderly conduct go unpunished.
"Hey, Si Qi."
"I've already asked my assistant to investigate the background of a man named Shang Qi. I heard that his family works in the UK. I'm thinking, maybe we can start the acquisition project that our two groups were planning a few days ago."
"Between France and Britain, I choose Britain."
—
After seeing Xie Wang off, Ling Shuangjiang took a hot bath, feeling much better. Today's events had left him in a bad mood, constantly reliving that painful time.
Fortunately, Xie Wang was there, which saved his mood.
Sitting at her desk, Ling Shuangjiang opened her email and downloaded some files to her desktop.
On the eve of graduation, he reported to the school the evidence that Shang Qi had bribed his mentor, fabricated manuscripts, and bought off group members to produce presentation reports over the past four years.
Although he knew the school would likely not accept the case, he couldn't think of any other way.