Chapter 119: Sacrificing the Pawn to Save the King
Ruan Yu rushed to the conference room at Jiayue. Before even entering, she could hear the sound of shattering glassware inside.
"What kind of 'best host' is this? Old Huang! I trusted your recommendation and hired her, but look what happened! I spent so much money to boost our reputation and expand Jiayue's flower market, and what does she do? She even read the wrong order number on air! Is she trying to sabotage me?" Yang Hong, the CEO of Jiayue, was furious.
"My sincerest apologies, Mr. Yang. Xiao Ruan is currently our station's most popular and sought-after host. I truly thought she was reliable—I never expected something like this to happen. I'm so sorry!"
Ruan Yu knocked and entered the room.
Inside the conference room, aside from Yang Hong and Huang Ge, Shan Anxin was also present.
"Mr. Yang, Deputy Director..."
"How dare you even speak!" Huang Ge cut her off sharply. "Ruan Yu, Ruan Yu, look at the mess you've made! Didn't you learn Arabic numerals? Can't you even tell the difference between six and nine? What was all that education for? Do you have any idea how much this little slip-up is going to cost Mr. Yang?"
"I—"
"Ruan-jie, this really isn’t the time to defend yourself. I just reminded you earlier that since you're so busy these days, you should be extra careful. And before the words even left my mouth, you went and made such a huge mistake. Of all the things you could’ve misread, it had to be the most important string of numbers," Shan Anxin fanned the flames from the side.
Ignoring Shan Anxin, Ruan Yu turned directly to Yang Hong and Huang Ge.
"Mr. Yang, Deputy Director, I’m completely in the dark right now, but if everyone says I made a mistake, then I must have. Since the error has already happened, instead of assigning blame, the priority now should be finding a solution—minimizing the losses. Rest assured, once this is resolved, I’ll take full responsibility for whatever consequences I deserve."
"A solution? You make it sound so easy. The wrong number has already been broadcast live across major radio stations and online platforms. Tell me, what solution could there possibly be?" Yang Hong slammed the table.
Ruan Yu fell silent.
The incident had happened too quickly, too suddenly. This was her first time facing such a major live broadcast mishap, and she had no idea how to handle it. Her only hope was Huang Ge—with his years of experience at the TV station, he must have weathered countless storms. Surely, he had a way to fix this.
"Deputy Director..."
"I might have a solution."
Before Huang Ge could speak, Shan Anxin interjected.
All eyes turned to her.
"What solution?" Yang Hong pressed urgently.
"Sacrificing the pawn to save the king," Shan Anxin slowly uttered the four words.
"Stop being cryptic—out with it! What pawn? What king?" Huang Ge urged impatiently.
Shan Anxin pursed her red lips slightly, her gaze settling on Ruan Yu.
"The solution I have in mind... might require Ruan-jie to endure some hardship."
"At a time like this, who cares about hardship? She caused this mess—if she doesn’t suffer for it, who will? Should we suffer for her instead?" Yang Hong’s anger had stripped away any semblance of decorum.
"Mr. Yang is right. Since it was my mistake, I should bear the consequences. Anxin, whatever your idea is, just say it," Ruan Yu said."Alright, then I'll speak my mind. Since the incident has already happened and we can't undo it, why don't we take advantage of Anchor Ruan Yu's current popularity and blow this up completely?"
--?--
In just one night, the incident where Ruan Yu, the renowned host of TG Broadcasting, misread an important phone number at the Haicheng International Floral Art Festival spawned countless sensational topics. Headlines like "Ruan Yu's Slip of the Tongue Costs Jiayue Millions," "TG Executives Furious, Demand Ruan Yu's Dismissal," and "Ruan Yu Ashamed, Cries All Night in Hotel" flooded major public accounts. These stories attracted swarms of gossip-hungry netizens who originally had no interest in the floral festival.
Shan Anxin's crisis management strategy of "sacrificing the pawn to save the king" turned the situation around overnight. Not only did it help Jiayue correct their mistake, but it also generated buzz and attention—a perfect PR move.
In this battle, everyone came out a winner—except Ruan Yu, the sole loser.
The reputation she had built through hard work, the professional competence she had finally earned recognition for—all of it was effortlessly destroyed in a single night.
Ruan Yu lay on the hotel bed, staring wide-eyed through the night. Countless reporters tried calling her for comments until her phone finally died from the constant vibrations, bringing a semblance of quiet.
She wanted to cry but couldn't; she wanted to sleep but found no rest. Her heart ached as if being sliced open repeatedly.
She finally managed to doze off in the early morning, only to be woken by her assistant Xiu Xiu knocking at the door.
Ruan Yu opened it to find Xiu Xiu standing outside, her face full of worry.
"Ruan-jie, your phone was off all night. I thought... I thought—"
"Thought what? Don't worry, I'm not so fragile as to do anything drastic over this."
Xiu Xiu quickly agreed, "Right, right! You mustn't think like that. No matter how big the problem, it'll pass. Once this blows over, everything will be fine."
Ruan Yu forced a smile and nodded.
"Ruan-jie, are you hungry? You haven't eaten since yesterday. It's almost noon—what would you like? I'll get it for you."
"No need. I'm not hungry. Go eat by yourself. I'll sleep a bit more."
"But how can that be?"
"Really, I'm not hungry."
"Ruan-jie..."
"Alright, Xiu Xiu, don't worry about me. Consider the next few days your vacation. I'll contact you if anything comes up. Go rest." With that, Ruan Yu closed the door.
After sending Xiu Xiu away, Ruan Yu tried to sleep again but found herself wide awake. She got up, showered, washed her hair, changed into fresh clothes, and tidied herself up—only to realize she had nowhere to go but stay confined to her room.
Just past 1 p.m., another knock came at the door.
Assuming it was Xiu Xiu again, Ruan Yu opened it—only to find Teng Yi standing outside.
He was wearing the outfit she had picked for him on the day of the recording, looking every bit the refined and gentle figure he was. His mere presence was enough to stir her heart.
"What are you doing in Haicheng?" Ruan Yu asked.
From Liaocheng to Haicheng, it was a three-hour flight.
"You made front-page headlines, your phone was off—why do you think I'm here?" Though his tone was exasperated, his gaze as he studied her was tender.Ruan Yu lowered her head. "I used to joke around with you all the time, deliberately saying the wrong things. But now, I was truly wrong—so laughably, ridiculously wrong."
Teng Yi looked at her face, which had grown noticeably thinner, and took a deep breath.
"Did you eat lunch?" he asked.
Ruan Yu shook her head.
"Then let's go." Teng Yi suddenly reached out and took her hand. "To eat."
Ruan Yu watched him turn away, stunned, as if it were a dream—yet the warmth of his touch on her hand felt undeniably real.
She followed him for a few steps, then glanced down at their joined hands, unable to suppress a bitter smile.
"Teng Yi, is this the only way you'll admit that I mean something to you?"
Teng Yi didn’t answer, only tightened his grip on her hand.
"You can't stand to see me happy!" Ruan Yu glared at the back of his head, stopping in her tracks and refusing to move.
"That’s right. I can’t stand to see you happy." His back still turned to her, his voice was low and rough. "You’re so good—so good it makes me feel unworthy, like I should step back. But when you’re not okay, I worry myself sick. Tell me, what am I supposed to do with you?"
The tears Ruan Yu had been holding back all night suddenly spilled over, uncontrollable.
She pulled her hand free, stepped forward, and wrapped her arms tightly around him from behind.
Teng Yi stiffened for a moment before gradually relaxing in her embrace.
"Miss Ruan, you’re a public figure. Shouldn’t you be more mindful of your image?" He turned his head slightly to look at her.
Ruan Yu buried her face against his back, her tears soaking his shirt. "I don’t care! I don’t care!"
He seemed to smile.
A moment later, he suddenly turned around and pulled her into his arms.
"Fine. Then I don’t care either."
With those words, his lips came down on hers.
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