Almost Lover

Chapter 124 Resignation

Ruan Yu had initially thought that the news of Yun Shen's engagement would leave Teng Hao depressed for a while longer. Fortunately, he showed no signs of it. He still came to and left the office on time every day, chatting and laughing with everyone. Apart from that one drunken night, he never lost his composure again.

Perhaps this was what growing up meant—not that one’s tolerance for pain increased, but that one learned to conceal wounds with effortless grace.

After two days of consideration, Ruan Yu decided to resign.

When she joined TG, she had signed a five-year contract. There was still over a year left, but she no longer wanted to stay. It wasn’t because she was overly sensitive and couldn’t endure the slightest grievance, nor was it to make a statement to anyone. She simply felt that this incident hadn’t been resolved perfectly despite her concessions.

Afterward, Ying Wen harbored resentment over Shan Anxin’s betrayal, while Shan Anxin went around lamenting that Ying Wen had led her astray. The two had completely turned against each other, reaching a point of irreconcilable hostility. If this continued, their covert and overt conflicts would only escalate. As one of the parties involved in the incident, Ruan Yu could neither coexist harmoniously with them nor remain unaffected.

If she stayed at TG, she would inevitably be dragged into their disputes again and again. By then, the deputy director would side with his own people, while the director would only prioritize maintaining appearances and smoothing things over. Wouldn’t that drive her mad?

After Ruan Yu submitted her resignation, the director repeatedly tried to persuade her to stay.

"Xiao Ruan, if you feel I didn’t handle the previous matter well, you can speak up. We can discuss anything. Why resign so abruptly?"

"What’s done is done. My resignation is based on my own considerations, not entirely because of that incident."

"What considerations? Tell me."

"..."

"Speak freely!" the director encouraged.

"Then I’ll say it. I believe that no matter which industry one works in, professional competence should always come first. As a host and a public figure, one should especially cherish their reputation. Though I’ve been in this industry for several years, there’s still much for me to learn. I don’t want to waste my time entangled in these scheming, gossip-fueled conflicts—it not only tarnishes my reputation but also squanders my time."

A train derails and crashes toward a child. After narrowly escaping, the child would surely gain some insight.

For example, never play in dangerous places again. Or never associate with dangerous people.

Even a child could understand such principles—she should naturally understand them even better.

"Xiao Ruan, competition exists everywhere you go."

"I’m not afraid of healthy competition. Healthy competition drives progress."

The director fell silent for a long moment. After some thought, he smiled at Ruan Yu.

"It seems TG truly can’t keep you anymore. You’ve contributed a lot during your time here. Then I wish you greater success in the future. TG will always be your home—come back and visit often."

"Thank you, Director."

As Ruan Yu left the director’s office, she ran into Ying Wen.

After the scandal broke, Ying Wen had sent Ruan Yu an apology text, but Ruan Yu hadn’t known how to respond and left it unanswered. Now, meeting so abruptly, both felt awkward.

"Xiao Ruan, I heard you’re resigning?"

Ruan Yu nodded."I'm really sorry about what happened before, I..." Ying Wen sighed. "After losing my child and my family, I felt so insecure... I truly apologize. You know, all these years, you've been the person I admire most."

But this admiration was both her making and her undoing.

After returning to TG following her miscarriage, Ying Wen found everyone praising Ruan Yu's hosting skills, everyone believing Ruan Yu was better than her. She grew jealous, she grew fearful, and with Shan Anxin repeatedly sowing discord, she developed the mistaken belief that if she didn't act soon, Ruan Yu would surpass her. That's why she resorted to such underhanded tactics. The terrifying part was that this incident drove someone as kind-natured as Ruan Yu to leave TG, leaving Ying Wen surrounded only by scheming people. From then on, she'd have to fight fire with fire—a thought that made her life seem unbearably oppressive.

Karma, it was all karma.

"Ying Wen, no matter what, I'll always be grateful for your care and mentorship in the past. I don't blame you for what happened this time, but from now on, I owe you nothing. We're still colleagues in the same industry, and we'll cross paths again. I hope next time we meet, we can both be more open and honest."

Although Ruan Yu had submitted her resignation, she still had to wrap up her remaining work.

The station planned to hand over [the show] to Ying Wen and return the second season of [another show] to Shan Anxin. To ease the transition for viewers, the deputy station head proposed having Ruan Yu and Shan Anxin co-host the final episode of the first season together.

Left with no choice, Ruan Yu had to travel to Xiancheng with the production team and Shan Anxin for filming.

Xiancheng was a city of mountains and rivers. To capture the best scenery, the entire crew stayed in the mountains. In late spring and early summer, the mountains were teeming with mosquitoes.

On her very first day there, Ruan Yu's legs were covered in mosquito bites. For the sake of work and maintaining a semblance of goodwill, she could endure and make do. But Shan Anxin, with her delicate constitution, couldn't tolerate it at all.

She threw tantrums, crying and demanding to change accommodations, nearly driving the production team to exhaustion.

The director was so furious he couldn't even eat dinner.

He complained to Ruan Yu, "Xiao Ruan, you're lucky—you can just walk away after this. But what about me? The deputy station head is killing me here. I went through so much trouble to get rid of that diva, and now he's sending her right back to me. Ugh, maybe we should just end the show after this season!"

Listening to the director's grievances, Ruan Yu couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt.

That night, while chatting with Teng Yi, she mentioned the situation offhandedly, just venting her frustrations. To her surprise, the very next day, Teng Yi showed up in Xiancheng.

He arrived impeccably dressed, stepping out of his car to the wide-eyed stares of the female crew members. The poor Mercedes, however, was splattered with mud after the long drive.

"Isn't that Mr. Teng?" Assistant Xiu Xiu nudged Ruan Yu with a teasing look.

Ruan Yu turned around to see Teng Yi shaking hands with the show's director.

Whatever he said made the director beam with delight. The two walked to the back of the car and opened the trunk—the spacious trunk of the Mercedes was packed to the brim with food, drinks, and boxes of mosquito repellent and itch-relief balm.

Instantly, the entire crew rushed excitedly toward the car.

Ruan Yu stood there in a daze as Teng Yi, standing amid the crowd, turned back and flashed her a smile.Her heart instantly felt as if it had been coated in honey, so sweet it was almost overwhelming.

Shan Anxin beside her was green with envy.

"Oh, so this is why Sister Ruan was willing to give up her cushy job at TG Station—she's latched onto a tall, rich, and handsome man," she said sourly.

"Anxin, you really overestimate me. But then again, even if I had latched onto a tall, rich, and handsome man, when it comes to work, I’d never slack off. I’d always do my job properly and not cause trouble for others."