When Huo Shenyan called, Ni Jingxi was reading an internal email from the editor-in-chief, hoping that all his colleagues would keep their mission in mind and not be blinded by so-called popularity.
When Ni Jingxi spoke to him, the joy in her voice was so obvious that even Huo Shenyan could hear it.
He asked, "Are you happy today?"
Ni Jingxi knew he was flying to New Zealand that afternoon, so she asked, "Have you arrived at the airport yet?"
"Just arrived." He was sitting by the window in the VIP lounge, looking outside, and hearing her clearly happy voice, he couldn't help but feel happy for her too.
Ni Jingxi told him about the newspaper's disciplinary regulations, and her happiness was not because Wen Tang was punished.
She wasn't that naive; she was simply delighted that everything was moving in the right direction. The newspaper didn't just value sensationalism; it also had the courage to take responsibility for its mistakes.
Huo Shenyan listened to her voice but didn't mention what he had done at all.
He did not mention anything about Shangrui Group.
After Ni Jingxi's accident, Huo Shenyan learned about her work at the newspaper and discovered that she had been deliberately harassed by Wen Tang in the past.
He was very protective of Ni Jingxi, and he rarely dared to move himself.
Since he married Ni Jingxi, Huo Shenyan has never even raised his voice at her, let alone touched her with a single finger.
While it's partly due to his restrained and calm personality, it's mostly because he couldn't bear to part with it.
The girl he cherished so dearly was being bullied by someone else.
He had kept quiet about it all along, but that doesn't mean he hadn't remembered it.
Huo Shenyan was never a petty person; on the contrary, he had encountered people who were unreasonable towards him before, but he didn't care at all.
But when it comes to Ni Jingxi, he becomes so petty and narrow-minded.
When he heard her say she envied others who had fathers to protect them, Huo Shenyan felt genuinely sorry for her.
That's why he disregarded his status and made things difficult for a woman.
This wasn't exactly the kind of thing a great man would do, but Huo Shenyan acted with integrity because no one was allowed to touch Ni Jingxi.
She was his Achilles' heel.
Author's Note:
Shenyan, you've done so many things, you really can tell your wife?
Chapter 48
That evening, Ni Jingxi and Hua Zheng were caught by Tang Mi, who insisted on treating them to dinner.
Hua Zheng asked curiously, "Did you strike it rich?"
Tang Mi coughed lightly before slowly saying, "I've resigned."
The two people opposite each other fell silent.
Tang Mi said, "When I told you I resigned, weren't you all even a little happy for me?"
"Is being fired from a company something to celebrate with a meal these days?" Hua Zheng asked Ni Jingxi in a low voice.
Ni Jingxi sighed.
Finally, Tang Mi couldn't take it anymore. She was, after all, a well-known film critic; even outside, people would call her Teacher Tang. Yet these two actually felt like they'd been fired?
"What a joke! I resigned! I want the boss to fire me!" Tang Mi's face showed a gleeful expression. After all, she had wanted to resign and start her own studio for a long time.
However, it was just talk before, but this time it's really being implemented completely.
Ni Jingxi and Hua Zheng exchanged another glance, and this time both of them smiled at the same time. Hua Zheng put her arm around Tang Mi's shoulder and said, "I was just teasing you earlier. Congratulations on escaping your corporate life and becoming your own boss."
This era is full of opportunities, but few dare to step out.
Tang Mi casually put his arm around her waist, a smile spreading across his face: "I told you before, let's partner up. I'll resign first, and if I get the studio up and running, you and Master Ni can both come and partner with me."
The three of them finally decided to go to a Japanese restaurant, an all-you-can-eat restaurant that cost 380 yuan per person. Luckily, Tang Mi had made a reservation in advance, and the three of them were led directly to a table when they arrived.
When Hua Zheng sat down, she looked excited; "I've wanted to eat at this restaurant for a long time, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Thank you, Sister Mi."
Tang Mi is a media professional in the entertainment industry. Whenever a movie is released and someone wants to ask her to write a movie review, she often encounters producers who are particularly good at interpersonal relationships. They treat her to a meal at a restaurant where the average cost is over a thousand yuan. Even the most hard-hearted person would feel a little embarrassed to criticize too harshly.
Tang Mi has been to many of the top restaurants in Shanghai and Beijing.
"Eat more today, the sashimi here is especially good."
Tang Mi had eaten here with others before, so she had a pretty good impression of this Japanese restaurant.
Hua Zheng, feeling obligated to help, said in a particularly sweet tone, "I wish you all the best in your business venture, Sister Mi. May your studio be a huge success. I'm really looking forward to getting on your good side."
Tang Mi was quite happy to hear this, but when she heard about sucking up to someone's leg, she glanced at Ni Jingxi and said, "Speaking of sucking up to someone's leg, you should suck up to our Lord Ni's leg. Her leg is thick and strong enough."
Ni Jingxi gave her a cold look.
"Okay, okay, it's me who's annoying." Tang Mi quickly surrendered, no matter what, she was always quite afraid of Ni Jingxi.
Soon the waiter started serving them food. As they ate and chatted, Ni Jingxi asked her, "Since you're starting a business, is anyone investing in you right now?"
“I run my own media studio. I found someone similar to me; she also runs a marketing account. I knew an investor who promised to invest three million in me.”
Tang Mi is not the kind of person who is overly ambitious. When she first started her business, she knew that she couldn't expand her business too quickly.
Fortunately, she had built up some connections in the industry before, and three million was not a lot, so it was easy to find investors.
Moreover, she herself already has some fame.
Ni Jingxi nodded: "If anything comes up, just let me know."
Tang Mi's eyes widened, then she blinked: "Why don't you write me a viral article for WeChat? You have no idea how much money a well-run WeChat official account can make these days..."
Ni Jingxi: "..."
Should she sever ties with this person who's obsessed with business?
However, Ni Jingxi admired Tang Mi's choice, because stepping out of one's comfort zone was something no one had ever considered. As for herself, she had previously been troubled by personnel issues at the newspaper, but now the atmosphere at the newspaper had improved considerably thanks to the editor-in-chief's actions, so she had no intention of changing jobs.
On the contrary, Wen Tang finally resigned after taking three consecutive days of leave.
She was already quite well-known in Shanghai's news circles; not only was she beautiful, but she was also very good at interpersonal relationships, and her family background was also quite good. This time, her father had tried many connections to suppress the matter, but the editor-in-chief wasn't having any of it.
How could someone as proud and arrogant as Wen Tang possibly tolerate such a humiliation?
So she decided to resign.
This incident wasn't surprising to anyone; it simply provided fodder for conversation in the break room.
"Is Wen Tang really going to resign?"
"She used to be so glamorous. She always got the best deals from our newspaper first, and then everyone else would have a turn. Now that she's fallen to this state, if she doesn't leave now, she'll really be kicked out."
"You guys are saying that even someone as famous and well-connected as Wen Tang has been ousted by Ni Jingxi, so our newspaper won't be hers alone in the future, will it?"
Relationships between women are so unpredictable. When Wen Tang was around, she was always talked about as arrogant and haughty. Now that Wen Tang is resigning, people only feel regret when they mention her.
These rumors started circulating in the newspaper office.
Ni Jingxi had never been involved in the gossip at the newspaper, so she was unaware of what others were saying about her behind her back. Hua Zheng had heard some of it, but didn't want to tell her and affect her mood.
Wen Tang didn't come over until she came back in the evening to pack her things. She deliberately chose to come over when other people were getting off work.
But to my surprise, the entire office was empty except for the light on Ni Jingxi's desk.
Wen Tang was surprised to find Ni Jingxi still there, and the atmosphere immediately became a little awkward.
Ni Jingxi glanced at her and continued with her own work. She was used to working overtime, especially since Huo Shenyan had been away on business abroad these past few days, and she didn't want to go home too early.
As Wen Tang packed her things, she could hear the occasional clatter of keyboards being typed in the office.
She resisted the urge to turn around.
Even after she had packed all her belongings and was ready to leave, she couldn't help but turn to look at Ni Jingxi, who was engrossed in her work: "Ni Jingxi."
Suddenly called out like that, Ni Jingxi frowned slightly and looked up.
She looked at Wen Tang and saw that the other woman was staring at her with an unusually resentful gaze. Although Wen Tang had never considered the Shanghai Daily as the end of her career, and had long considered resigning from it, she never imagined that her departure would be in such a humiliating way.
She was convinced that all of this was brought to her by Ni Jingxi.
So before leaving, she couldn't help but say to herself, "Don't be too smug. Even if I'm gone, do you think you can do what I did?"
Like her?
Ni Jingxi was slightly taken aback, then found it laughable. Could someone really fabricate fake news like her?
"Don't worry, I will never be like you," Ni Jingxi said calmly.
Wen Tang was annoyed and wanted to speak again, but Ni Jingxi leaned back slightly in her chair, raised her chin and looked at the cardboard box in her hands, and said softly, "Since you're leaving, don't play the tough talk game before you go."
"I wish the new company a bright future."
Ni Jingxi wanted to lower her head, but then looked up as if she suddenly remembered something and said seriously, "But don't play the fake news game anymore. It's not pleasant to be sued."
She wasn't usually the type to be verbally aggressive, but Wen Tang didn't seem to understand the importance of leaving room for maneuver in her actions.
Ni Jingxi wasn't the type to bottle things up and let herself suffer. She had neither the obligation nor the interest to listen to Wen Tang's sarcastic remarks.
Wen Tang originally wanted to regain some face before leaving, but Ni Jingxi's few words made her so angry that she couldn't utter a single word.
As for saying things like "You just wait, I won't let you get away with this," even she herself was ashamed to say it.
In the end, Wen Tang left the newspaper office without saying anything.
*
Huo Shenyan's trip abroad this time was quite long; he hadn't returned for a week yet. Shanghai's winter was particularly damp and cold, with continuous rain and overcast skies. Even though it was already damp and chilly enough, every time he went out, it was either gloomy or drizzling.
These past few days, whenever Ni Jingxi went out for interviews, she could feel the cold wind creeping up her neck.
"Lord Ni, have you contacted Tang Mi these past few days?" Hua Zheng suddenly came over and asked her as she returned from outside and was organizing her interview materials.
Ni Jingxi shook her head: "I've been too busy these past few days, we haven't talked. What's wrong?"
Hua Zheng said in a low voice, "She doesn't seem to be doing very well."
Ni Jingxi immediately stopped what she was doing and turned to look at her: "What's wrong?"
"It seems that the investment she had previously negotiated and the business partner she was supposed to start a business with have both fallen through." Hua Zheng sighed. She knew about this because she happened to need to talk to Tang Mi, so she called her.