She would never have told Huo Shenyan these things before, but now she was willing to tell him, to tell him all the tender little thoughts she kept hidden deep inside.
Even if these little feelings are childish and a little ridiculous.
But for someone with her personality, this is absolutely unique.
Because no clam would ever willingly open its shell and reveal its most tender part to another.
But now she's willing.
She wanted to share her joys and sorrows with Huo Shenyan; she would complain when she was tired, and she would also express her envy.
Huo Shenyan gave her all the security she needed, gave her expectations and fantasies, and made her willing to step out and believe that the place she stepped out of would never be a bottomless cliff.
Huo Shenyan lowered his head and gently kissed her eyelids, saying in a very gentle voice, "Your father must love you very much."
“It’s a pity you’ve never met my dad.” Ni Jingxi smiled with a hint of regret. “Really, he was such a gentle and caring father.”
Huo Shenyan's eyes narrowed slightly.
It was rare for Ni Jingxi to say so much at once. Perhaps it was because her father had a naturally tender heart towards his daughter. Although he didn't think of her very often, every time he did, it was with such gentleness and sweetness.
Ni Jingxi noticed that Huo Shenyan hadn't spoken, so she looked up at him and asked, "Are you spacing out?"
Huo Shenyan was pulled back to his senses by her voice, and reached out to touch the stray hairs by her ear: "No, I'm listening."
"So what did I just say?"
"..."
It wasn't until Huo Shenyan repeated her original words, one by one, that Ni Jingxi listened to every word she had uttered coming out of his mouth. She didn't think there was anything wrong with what she had said.
When he said it, Ni Jingxi felt embarrassed and blushed.
"Okay, stop talking," she said immediately.
But she didn't expect that Huo Shenyan could not only multitask, but also had a photographic memory. He actually remembered everything she said.
Finally, Ni Jingxi suddenly reached out and covered his mouth with her other hand.
Unexpectedly, Huo Shenyan didn't indulge her this time. He actually raised his hand and pressed her down on the sofa. He looked down at Ni Jingxi with a smile in his eyes: "Don't you want to listen here anymore?"
Ni Jingxi was slightly taken aback.
Huo Shenyan leaned closer, tilting his head slightly to whisper in her ear, his voice low and husky: "How about we go to bed, and I'll tell you everything, one sentence at a time?"
Instantly, Ni Jingxi's body stiffened.
Blood rushed to the top of my head until only one thought remained.
Huo Shenyan is a deadly man.
The matter concerning Wen Tang did not end easily. In the past few months, there have been two incidents where people came to the newspaper office to cause trouble, and both of these incidents were directly or indirectly related to Wen Tang.
Editor-in-Chief Yao didn't cover for her either; when the editor-in-chief asked about the matter, she told him the truth directly.
As a result, Wen Tang and Ni Jingxi, as the parties involved, were both called into the editor-in-chief's office. When the incident happened yesterday, Ni Jingxi was also there, in addition to Wen Tang.
After a night of rest and with the help of concealer, Wen Tang's face is as beautiful as ever again.
There was no trace of the disheveled state he was in yesterday, despite the two handprints on his face.
Although Lu Xuecheng had previously accused Wen Tang of suggesting that the fake photos were his father's idea, Lu Xuecheng, being just a child, had not provided any evidence, so the newspaper's leaders were hesitant to make a direct judgment.
But the editor-in-chief still asked directly, "Wen Tang, does this have anything to do with you?"
"Of course not," Wen Tang denied outright. She said, "I understand how that child feels, so even though I know which school he attends, I haven't called the police yet. But he can't frame me just because his father fabricated something. I'm a journalist, and I have my own journalistic bottom line."
Wen Tang argued her case forcefully, pretending that she really didn't know anything about it.
The editor-in-chief frowned as he watched her. Although her glasses obscured her face, his gaze was still sharp, as if he could see into her heart.
No one who can reach the position of editor-in-chief is an ordinary person.
Even though Wen Tang was very calm, her eyes still wandered after she finished speaking.
So the editor-in-chief said, "But I heard from your editor-in-chief Yao that you used your previous journalistic career to guarantee that the materials you obtained were all true."
Wen Tang trembled all over.
Ni Jingxi listened quietly from the side; she had heard this phrase before.
The editor-in-chief said, "Now, how can you guarantee anything? Look at the things people are saying about journalists online, calling us 'journalists' a bunch of flies that only chase after trending topics, completely lacking professional ethics and bottom lines. Listen to these words, listen carefully. If you're not ashamed, I'm ashamed for you."
Although the editor-in-chief seemed to have scolded everyone in the office at that moment.
But everyone knows who started this mess.
Wen Tang had never been criticized so harshly since graduating from school. Both her parents worked in the media industry, and her father was quite well-known. She joined the Shanghai People's Daily because the former editor-in-chief was a friend of her father.
Last year, the former editor-in-chief retired and the current editor-in-chief took over.
However, thanks to the patronage of the former editor-in-chief, Wen Tang had already become the newspaper's top reporter.
She was involved in almost every lucrative activity at the newspaper. After all, she was capable and had connections, making her thrive at the newspaper.
But this year, she not only suffered repeated setbacks, but was also outshone by Ni Jingxi.
Perhaps if it weren't for the pressure Ni Jingxi put on her, she wouldn't be in such a hurry to turn the tide.
Wen Tang couldn't help but want to shout in her heart, "When Ni Jingxi wrote that article about Dadi Kang, you leaders gave her all sorts of green lights, so why are you making things difficult for me?"
But she still retained some rationality and ultimately held back.
Just as the editor-in-chief was about to announce the punishment for Wen Tang, someone knocked on the door. The editor-in-chief frowned but still called out, "Come in."
"Editor-in-chief, Shangrui Group has sent a lawyer's letter," Old Zhang said anxiously as he rushed in.
Just one minute earlier, Shangrui Group issued a statement on its official website and Weibo account, stating that it would pursue the person who spread the rumors.
However, in its statement, Shangrui Group said that the three parents involved have now been detained by the public security authorities. As Shangrui Group is engaged in the education industry, it failed to reassure parents about leaving their children at school. The group will reflect on its actions and will develop a series of new ways to help parents better supervise the school.
As for the parents involved, they have already been punished by the public security authorities, and the group will not pursue further action against them.
This decision won praise from most netizens, who also commended Shangrui Group for its tolerance and magnanimity.
However, accompanying this statement was a lawyer's letter, sent to the Shanghai Daily and Wen Tang.
Because the newspaper did not conduct a thorough investigation and wrote an article that was seriously inconsistent with the facts, it caused great harm to both the school and Shangrui Group. Therefore, Shangrui Group demands that the Shanghai People's Daily publish an apology.
Shangrui Group suffered heavy losses this time, but parents are absolutely not to be taken advantage of.
Therefore, the newspaper became their target.
Editor-in-Chief Yao frowned: "Editor-in-Chief, what do you think about this matter..."
"What else can I say? The police have already officially confirmed that the photos are fake. Even if you take this case all the way to the Supreme Court, you'll still lose. What else can I do but apologize!"
Although the editor-in-chief was over fifty years old, he had a strong voice, even though the office door wasn't closed properly.
The shouts and curses from this side had already carried far.
When Ni Jingxi returned to her desk, Hua Zheng couldn't help but ask, "Did the editor-in-chief swear?"
"Did you all hear that?" Ni Jingxi looked at her.
Hua Zheng nodded with a hint of sympathy: "I bet even the people downstairs can hear it; it's really loud."
"Wen Tang is really going to get what's coming to her this time." Hua Zheng's tone was quite calm, without any gloating, because the entire Shanghai People's Daily was also losing face this time.
The goodwill that Ni Jingxi's article previously brought to the Shanghai People's Daily has been almost completely ruined by Wen Tang this time.
According to the new media editor who manages the official WeChat account, the comments in the past few days have all been criticizing their newspaper for being irresponsible, and countless people have unfollowed them.
Another lawyer's letter today.
After leaving the editor-in-chief's office, Wen Tang started making phone calls everywhere, trying to find connections to contact Shangrui Group.
It wasn't until a well-connected reporter, who knew her quite well, asked her helplessly, "What exactly did you do? Why is Shangrui Group keeping such a close eye on you?"
Wen Tang had no idea what was wrong with this company.
As for Cheng Rui, the young master of Shangrui Group, he was all smiles today. Although he had been with the company for over a year, he had been doing nothing all day. Even though the police had spoken up for them in this difficult situation, crisis management still needed to be done.
The two ideas he mentioned at the meeting just now were adopted, and even his biological father, who has always disliked him, praised him several times.
So Cheng Ruigang immediately called Huo Shenyan as soon as he came out of his father's office.
"Brother, how can I thank you enough this time?" Cheng Rui said with a grin. "The two solutions you mentioned to me last night—letting the parents sue the newspaper—were agreed to by everyone when I brought them up in the meeting this morning. And just now, we even sent out a lawyer's letter."
Huo Shenyan's meeting wasn't until half an hour later, so there was still some time to listen to his rambling.
"Was the lawyer's letter sent to that reporter?" he asked.
Cheng Rui laughed and said, "That's for sure. I saw that female reporter's Weibo. To be honest, she's a pretty woman, but she doesn't do anything right."
After the incident, netizens automatically transformed into detectives like Sherlock Holmes, digging up Wen Tang's Weibo account again.
Some people do remember that she was the one who tried to ride on Ni Jingxi's popularity last time.
However, Cheng Rui was unaware of this. He was just a spoiled rich kid who spent his days eating, drinking, and having fun. He asked with particular curiosity, "Did this female reporter offend you?"
Although Huo Shenyan didn't say it explicitly, just listen to the question he just asked.
This means they want to make it impossible for Wen Tang to make a living in this industry.
Huo Shenyan naturally wouldn't say anything to Cheng Rui, and hung up the phone after a short while.
As for the Shanghai People's Daily, it responded quickly upon receiving the lawyer's letter from Shangrui Group, issuing an apology letter directly on its official WeChat account and Weibo.
We apologize to Shangrui Group and the public for the lack of rigor in this news report.
We will remember this lesson and adhere to journalistic truthfulness and ethical standards in every future report.
As for Wen Tang's internal punishment, it was even announced to the entire newspaper.
Wen Tang was punished for violating newspaper regulations by publishing false news without investigation. His fourth-quarter bonus was deducted, and he was dismissed from his position as deputy head of the economics group.
After this incident, Wen Tang left the office without asking for leave.
No one expected the newspaper to act so swiftly this time, and Ni Jingxi had an indescribable feeling. She wasn't targeting Wen Tang, but she genuinely saw a sense of social responsibility and mission in the editor-in-chief and other veteran journalists.
They may have some outdated ideas, but they are willing to take responsibility and admit their mistakes.
The reason Editor-in-Chief Yao agreed to publish Wen Tang's article was because the matter involved student food safety. Now they are wrong, and no one is shirking their responsibilities.
Even the editor-in-chief took responsibility, having his fourth-quarter bonus deducted just like Wen Tang's.
*