"Hey, Jianhuan, your outfit looks a bit like Su Mo's rumored girlfriend's," another colleague, who was carrying a cup and heading to the break room, said, squinting at her.
"Hey, now that you mention it, their body types do seem a bit similar, and they both have long, straight black hair."
"What rumored girlfriend??" Jiang Jianhuan was completely confused. She had been in a bad mood last night and had taken two sleeping pills before going to bed early. She hadn't checked her phone since.
"Don't you know? That Su Mo, her gossip has been exposed. It seems to have been secretly taken on Christmas Day. Go check it out."
As soon as Jiang Jianhuan sat down, she turned on her computer and quickly logged onto the webpage. Her heart jumped into her throat the moment she saw the photo. She zoomed in on the picture carefully and finally breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that she couldn't see her face clearly.
As soon as her fingers relaxed from the mouse, she remembered something else. She quickly took off the beige coat she had worn for Christmas and stuffed it into a drawer. After a while, feeling a little guilty, she tied up her loose hair.
Just as she finished tidying up, her phone rang in her bag. It sounded like a death knell, and Jiang Jianhuan tensed up without realizing it. She took it out and found that it was Li Sa calling.
"Ms. Jiang, are you at work now? Have you been watching the news?"
"I've seen it." Jiang Jianhuan took a deep breath to suppress her anxiety.
"Would it be convenient for you to come over? Let's discuss a solution together."
Chapter 13
As Jiang Jianhuan left the company with her bag, she felt a little guilty. It was the first time she had taken up work time for personal matters. Fortunately, since she was going to Su Mo's studio, no one suspected anything.
Because of the collaboration some time ago, Jiang Jianhuan went there a few times, and others assumed that they still had some things to take care of.
Upon arriving at the studio, Jiang Jianhuan put on her coat because of the low outdoor temperature. Just as she closed the taxi door, she bumped into someone she never expected.
“Jian Huan, you…” Chi Lan was wearing a large black hat, sunglasses, and a scarf, looking fully armed, and she was also carrying a small bag in her hand.
Her gaze fell on Jiang Jianhuan's coat, and she seemed to confirm something in her eyes.
"Is that you in the photo?"
"Yes," Jiang Jianhuan explained, "I happened to be delivering clothes to him that day."
Chi Lan didn't say anything more, she just stood there with a slightly complicated expression. Jiang Jianhuan didn't care what she was thinking.
"I have something to do, I'll go upstairs first." She pointed to the studio behind her and said goodbye politely. Chi Lan was stunned for a moment, then agreed. Jiang Jianhuan nodded slightly to her, wrapped her coat tighter, and walked past her.
There was no movement behind her. Jiang Jianhuan wondered if Chi Lan had deliberately not come in because she had seen her. She cleared her mind of all distractions, greeted Li Sa who came to greet her, and the two of them entered Su Mo's workspace together.
When Jiang Jianhuan saw him again, he was calmer than ever before. The three of them sat down on chairs by the coffee table, adopting a business negotiation posture.
“Ms. Jiang, the news about you and Su Mo being photographed hasn’t died down yet; it’s still trending on social media, and several major websites have already reposted it,” Li Sa said first, her usual casual demeanor replaced by a more formal one.
"First of all, I'm very sorry for the inconvenience caused." He paused for a moment after saying that, and then continued.
“Our team usually ignores these false rumors and lets the news die down over time, but since you are involved this time, we would like to ask for your thoughts.”
Jiang Jianhuan thought for a moment.
"You can't tell it's me in the photo unless it's someone you know very well, so it doesn't really affect me much. Just handle it the way you normally would."
Li Sa visibly breathed a sigh of relief. If she were to issue a statement now, compared to Su Mo's previous indifference to the rumors, it would seem like a cover-up, and would likely only fuel further speculation.
“Since that’s the case…” Before he could finish speaking, Su Mo, who hadn’t said a word from beginning to end, suddenly spoke up.
"Won't your boyfriend mind?"
?
Jiang Jianhuan and Li Sa were both taken aback and stared at each other with wide eyes.
In a short while.
"Boss, Miss Jiang doesn't have a boyfriend." Li Sa couldn't help but raise her voice and exclaim, as if she had heard something unbelievable. Su Mo was also stunned.
"How did you know?" He asked, his face grim, staring at Li Sa. Li Sa gave an innocent explanation.
“I knew about it the first day Miss Jiang came to the studio.”
It was strange that the usually aloof boss would suddenly ask one of Iro's assistants to bring him a suit. When Li Sa met Jiang Jianhuan, he specifically asked her to chat. Although he didn't find out anything about the two of them, Li Sa felt that there was something odd about the atmosphere between them.
Based on his intuition, which allowed him to stay by Su Mo's side for so many years, he noticed it immediately.
Su Mo's later actions further confirmed his suspicions.
Someone who dislikes trouble actually agreed to collaborate with iro, but specified a designer and forbade anyone to know about it.
Otherwise, how could Li Sa allow an ordinary work partner to freely enter and leave Su Mo's home?
"Yes, Li Sa is right, I don't have a boyfriend yet." Jiang Jianhuan realized what was happening and spoke calmly, maintaining a polite smile on her face.
"So it's okay, no one will care."
Su Mo sat there, her lips pressed tightly together, staring straight at her, her hand under the table unconsciously clenching into a fist.
"If there's nothing else, I'll head back now. I still have work to take care of at the company," Jiang Jianhuan said goodbye, her eyes calm and indifferent, not even sparing him a glance.
"Okay, Miss Jiang, I'll see you out." Li Sa glanced at Su Mo with concern, then quickly got up to see her out. Su Mo remained motionless, watching the two figures disappear through the door.
When the room returned to silence, Su Mo suddenly lost her strength, her back slumped down, she supported her forehead with her hands, and stared down at the table.
He heard about Jiang Jianhuan going abroad from elsewhere. At that time, the two had not been in contact for more than half a month. Su Mo gritted his teeth and persevered, locking himself in his room every day and writing songs like crazy.
When Jiang Jianhuan still hadn't appeared when school started, he finally realized something was wrong. When he asked, he learned that she had gone abroad.
At that moment, I felt as if all my strength had been drained, and I no longer had the strength to even stand.