Тhе аrеа оutside Fu Mingуu's оffiсе hаd been eхрanded bу over twеntу squаrе mеtеrs to aсcommodate his assistаnts' wоrkspаcе, dividеd intо twо rows with thrее dеsks еаch, flаnking a centrаl аisle.
Whеn Ruan Sixian wаlked in, the siх assistants аbruрtlу stорреd their work аnd lоokеd uр аt her in unisоn.
Thе fеmale аssistаnts, having just lеarned what hаd happеnеd, рrojеcted their оwn fееlings ontо hеr, sеnsing аn unsеttling аura in Ruаn Siхian's fоotstеps.
Thе sound есhоed thrоugh thе vаst оffice spаce, as if foretеlling something significаnt.
Bai Yаng, who hаd rushеd ovеr upon hearing the news, found himself face-to-face with Ruan Sixian right there.
One look at her eyes, and he knew things were bad. His legs instinctively quickened their pace—racing against time was racing for survival.
There was only one door, and both stood by its edge.
When their eyes met, Ruan Sixian detected a nervous "tip-off" expression on his face.
"Move aside."
"Wait, Miss Ruan..."
Before Bai Yang could finish, the two glass doors slid open automatically.
Ruan Sixian looked up to see the manager of the Flight Planning Department standing before Fu Mingyu's desk, speaking with him.
Hearing the commotion at the door, both turned to look.
Ruan Sixian raised an eyebrow, and Fu Mingyu nodded to the manager.
Understanding the cue, the manager turned and walked out. As the automatic door closed behind him, Fu Mingyu shut his laptop and stood up. "What's wrong?"
Fu Mingyu genuinely had no idea what was happening.
This incident wasn't driven by entertainment media; the original poster was indeed just an ordinary person.
It took time for the post to gain traction, spark discussions, and be picked up by marketing accounts on Weibo.
Half an hour—Bai Yang had only just received the news.
"You're asking me what's wrong?" Ruan Sixian threw the tie at him. "You'd better give me a reasonable explanation, or I'll be bringing chrysanthemums to you this time next year."
Fu Mingyu stood still, letting the tie hit him before it fell limply onto the desk.
He glanced sideways at Bai Yang.
Bai Yang pressed his lips together and stepped forward, showing Fu Mingyu the entertainment news on the iPad.
With just a couple of seconds of scanning, Fu Mingyu grasped the gist of the situation.
After setting the iPad down, Fu Mingyu said calmly, "She and I are just ordinary friends."
Here it comes!
The classic playboy's universal excuse!
Ruan Sixian gritted her teeth. "Then you and I are just ordinary friends too."
Fu Mingyu walked from behind his desk toward Ruan Sixian. As he reached out to approach her, she took a step back.
"Explain yourself clearly first. No evasive tactics."
He opened his mouth to speak, but the phone on the side rang.
Bai Yang instinctively answered it, responded a few times, then covered the receiver and looked up at Fu Mingyu. "President Fu, it's a call from Miss Li's agency."
A hint of impatience flashed across Fu Mingyu's face. He withdrew his hand and nodded to Bai Yang.
Bai Yang immediately pressed the speakerphone button, and a mature woman's voice came through.
"Hello, President Fu. This is Zhang Ying from Xuanxin Media, in charge of Li Zhihuai's management. Regarding today's news, we sincerely apologize. The location was remote, and it was early in the morning, so we didn't pay attention to avoiding attention. We never expected to be photographed like this."
What she said was indeed the truth, and her wording sounded fine to Fu Mingyu, but to another person's ears, it was entirely different.Fu Mingyu glanced at Ruan Sixian. She stood with her arms crossed, eyes narrowed, emanating a dangerous aura as if watching a pair of adulterers, her face clearly saying, "Let's see what else you have to say."
Fu Mingyu gave a noncommittal "Hmm" and said nothing more. A brief silence fell on the other end of the line before the agent quickly added, "We'll handle this promptly. Is there anything specific you'd like us to emphasize?"
"Contact the PR department."
With that instruction from Fu Mingyu, Bai Yang ended the speakerphone call and transferred it to the PR department.
At the same time, Fu Mingyu's phone on the desk rang again.
Bai Yang glanced at it and said, "Mr. Fu, it's Miss Li."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Fu Mingyu looked at Ruan Sixian. Sure enough, she was on the verge of exploding, her lips pressed tightly together, her entire body bristling like a hedgehog ready to pounce and stab him to death.
Fu Mingyu stared directly at her and ordered, "Silence."
Bai Yang nodded, muted his phone, and left the office.
Only Fu Mingyu and Ruan Sixian remained in the room.
He strode over in a few steps, loosened the collar of his shirt to relieve some tension, and stood facing Ruan Sixian. "She's a high school classmate of mine. I ran into her at the reception yesterday. Her father was my homeroom teacher in high school. He suffered a cerebral hemorrhage last year and has been hospitalized since then, with no signs of improvement. So I went to visit him."
After listening to his calm and measured explanation, Ruan Sixian blinked, teetering between belief and skepticism. After a long pause, she uttered, "Oh?"
"Hmm?" Fu Mingyu asked. "Don't believe me?"
Ruan Sixian narrowed her eyes, maintaining a half-meter safe distance from him. She felt as though she had caught a loophole in his words, instantly shattering the delicate balance in her mind. "Does visiting an elderly person take an entire night?"
Fu Mingyu replied, "My flight back was scheduled for nine this morning. Originally, I didn't have time to visit, but elderly people wake up early, and six or seven in the morning is when they're most alert. So after finishing the meeting with the North Africa operations department last night, I didn't sleep and went directly to her father's house. I chatted for a bit and then headed straight to the airport. If you don't believe me, I can have Bai Yang show you the meeting records from last night's all-nighter, which ended at six this morning."
That explanation was somewhat acceptable.
The fire in Ruan Sixian's eyes slowly dimmed. She pressed her tongue against her cheek, unsure of what to say.
Fu Mingyu pressed, "Still don't believe me?"
He pressed a button on the phone, and soon Bai Yang returned with an iPad displaying the previous night's meeting records.
After setting it down, he left the room again.
Ruan Sixian only glanced at it briefly, not bothering to examine the details.
Since things had come to this, she knew it was a misunderstanding.
The problem now was finding a graceful way to back down.
Seeing her remain silent, Fu Mingyu leaned closer and said in a low voice, "Do you really think that between finishing a meeting at six and leaving at seven-thirty, I had time for anything else?"
Truly someone capable of conversing with Einstein—how could he be so adept at dissecting logical loopholes?
Ruan Sixian subtly took a step back, forcing a cold smile she believed matched his intensity. "Who knows? Maybe that little bit of time even included you, a neat freak, taking two showers."
"Then why don't you test it out?"
"..."
Fu Mingyu said this with a straight face, yet it had a way of making one's heart race and cheeks flush.Well, there's nothing to be done about it. After all, given his current status, he has every right to say such things.
Unfortunately, Ruan Sixian was all talk and little action. Pretending not to understand what he meant, she casually smoothed her hair and said, "You go ahead and keep busy. I won’t disturb you anymore. I’ll go back and wash the dishes."
As she turned to leave, she caught Fu Mingyu smiling in that moment.
Still smiling?
Ruan Sixian felt he was laughing at her earlier defeat, so she reached out and pinched his chin. "What are you laughing at?"
Only when her fingertips touched his skin did she sense something off.
It felt slightly rough.
It seemed he really had been up all night, not even having time to shave. A faint stubble had already appeared.
Looking more closely at Fu Mingyu, the smile at the corner of his mouth didn’t seem happy at all—it even carried a hint of displeasure.
He raised his hand, gently pulling her fingers away, and said, "Getting so worked up over such a small matter—are you too worried about me, or do you not trust me enough?"
Ruan Sixian felt a pang of guilt at his words and didn’t know how to respond. Glancing around, she noticed something and withdrew her hand, stomping over to the desk to grab the tie.
"President Fu, mind your appearance. Don’t go around looking disheveled."
Fu Mingyu stood still, not taking the tie even when she handed it to him.
Meeting his gaze, Ruan Sixian understood what he meant.
Fine.
She lifted the tie and tried to loop it around Fu Mingyu’s collar, but after struggling for a while, she couldn’t get it right. With his presence looming over her, she grew even more flustered and simply gave it a few haphazard tugs.
"There, fix it yourself."
Fu Mingyu leisurely adjusted his tie, glanced down at the crumpled end where Ruan Sixian had gripped it, and decided to take it off and toss it aside.
"Why are you still angry?"
"You go and stir up gossip, and I’m not allowed to be upset?" Ruan Sixian crossed her arms and glared at him. "Let’s see how you’d feel if I were the one caught up in a scandal."
Fu Mingyu fell silent. His phone screen lit up again on the other side, and he glanced at it, noticing Ruan Sixian craning her neck to look as well.
It was Li Zhihuai calling again.
"Go ahead and answer it," Ruan Sixian said. "I understand the situation, but that doesn’t mean I’m not angry."
Who wouldn’t be upset when their boyfriend suddenly becomes the subject of widespread rumors linking him to another woman?
Fu Mingyu answered the call, putting it on speaker. A soft voice came through: "Mingyu."
An alarm suddenly went off in his head. He looked up at Ruan Sixian, who appeared calm on the surface, but the flicker of anger in her eyes seemed to reignite at the sound of "Mingyu."
"Yes, Miss Li," Fu Mingyu said. "What is it?"
Ruan Sixian silently turned away and sat on the nearby sofa, fiddling with the tie in her hands.
"My manager should have called you already, right?"
"Yes."
"I’m really sorry. I truly didn’t expect to be photographed. It was careless of me—I only thought my father would be more alert in the morning, but I didn’t consider how easily this timing could be misunderstood. We’re already handling it on our end, but I’m afraid it’s affected you. I feel terrible about it."
Fu Mingyu looked at Ruan Sixian again, his gaze darkening.
"It’s nothing. Just an honest mistake.""Even so, I still feel very sorry," Li Zhihuai said. "When I come to Jiangcheng in a couple of days, I'll personally treat you to a meal to make it up to you."
Several soft pats echoed in the spacious conference room.
Ruan Sixian held a tie in one hand, idly tapping it against her other palm as she slowly walked over to his desk.
"No need," Fu Mingyu said calmly.
Li Zhihuai spoke again, "What about that matter I mentioned to you last night?"
"Contact the branding department," Fu Mingyu replied. "I've already coordinated with Time Film Studio. I'll only listen to the final report; I won't get involved in the specifics."
Ruan Sixian perked up at the mention of "film studio." "What's that?" she asked.
Her voice wasn't particularly loud, but it carried clearly to the other end of the call.
Li Zhihuai asked, "Are you busy right now?"
Fu Mingyu replied, "My girlfriend is here with me."
"Oh, I see. Then I won't keep you."
Li Zhihuai hurriedly hung up.
Fu Mingyu stood up, tugged the tie from her hand, and pulled her into his arms, leaning against the desk as he held her.
Ruan Sixian struggled briefly, but then he said, "I'm tired. Don't move. Just let me hold you for a moment."
She gradually stilled, nestled against his chest, her gaze falling on the phone on the desk.
"What film studio? Are you making a movie?"
"Yes, an aviation-themed film. She's the lead actress. The investors approached us, hoping for a collaboration."
"Oh."
"You don't need to worry about such speculative matters."
Ruan Sixian froze for a second before straightening up abruptly. "The news has already broken, President Fu. Should I wait until you're in bed with someone else before realizing I've been cheated on?"
Fu Mingyu chuckled. "In bed with someone else?"
He lowered his head slightly, his fingers brushing against Ruan Sixian's chin. "Don't you know who I want to sleep with?"
"..."
"Sleep, sleep, sleep—that's all you ever talk about. If you love sleeping so much, why not just lie down for an eternal rest?"
A loud crash echoed from Fu Mingyu's office. Those who worked there regularly could tell it was the sound of a large stack of documents hitting the floor.
Several assistants sat in the outer area, exchanging uneasy glances, unsure what to do.
However, the expected sounds of an argument never came. Just as everyone thought things had calmed down, another sound followed—the sharp, ear-splitting shatter of a glass ashtray being smashed.
Clear, startling, and after that, silence.
The assistants frowned, their hearts pounding, uncertain whether they should knock and enter to help clean up.
Not going in might seem negligent, but going in and witnessing the boss and his girlfriend in a heated confrontation could be even worse.
As they exchanged glances, each hoping someone else would bravely step forward, the LED screen on the door lit up, displaying "Unlocked." Immediately after, Ruan Sixian walked out of Fu Mingyu's office.
Twelve pairs of eyes turned to look at her.
Ruan Sixian's expression seemed off. Her chin was buried in her scarf, revealing only the upper half of her flushed face. Her steps were quick, as if she couldn't wait to leave the place.
Shortly after, the bell on the desk rang—Fu Mingyu was summoning someone inside.
The assistants nudged each other, one saying, "I covered your overtime last time," another replying, "I brought you lunch yesterday..." Their minds worked quickly, and within three seconds, they settled the dispute and pushed one unfortunate soul inside.
Yet, the atmosphere inside seemed different from what they had imagined—Even after getting into the car, Ruan Sixian still hadn’t shaken off that feeling of awkwardness and tension.
Earlier, in a moment of passion, she had shot off her mouth. Fu Mingyu, whether out of anger or simply running out of patience, had responded in the same way as he had that morning—by scooping her up, setting her on the desk, and kissing her forcefully.
At first, remembering they were in an office, she struggled, but after accidentally knocking a pile of documents off the desk, she surrendered and slowly softened.
But some people just like to push their luck.
Just as her mind grew hazy and her breathing became completely erratic, she suddenly felt a chill at her waist as a draft swept in, followed by his hand pressing against her skin, with an upward tendency.
His palm was too hot, startling Ruan Sixian into stiffening. Her hands, braced against the edge of the desk, suddenly weakened, accidentally brushing against an ashtray that was already teetering on the edge.
With a thud, the ashtray hit the floor. At the same time, Ruan Sixian tensed up and bit him.
The movement stopped instantly.
Fu Mingyu hissed, releasing her and pressing his fingers to his lips as he frowned at her.
His expression looked… a little wounded.
Ruan Sixian had also been startled by the noise and stared blankly at Fu Mingyu, the faint taste of blood lingering in her mouth.
No… let me explain…
“Sorry.” Fu Mingyu took a step back, straightened her clothes, and said softly, “Go back and rest for now.”
That “sorry” made Ruan Sixian feel as though, in Fu Mingyu’s eyes, she was now the image of a chaste martyr who would smash glass and bite someone’s mouth at the slightest touch to defend her purity.
It wasn’t that extreme.
But there was no way to explain.
She couldn’t exactly throw her arms open and say, “Come on, keep going.”
Forget it.
She adjusted her scarf, stood up, and walked out, feeling utterly awkward.
Not long after getting into the car, Ruan Sixian’s phone buzzed repeatedly with messages.
First, Bian Xuan and Si Xiaozhen cautiously checked in on her, followed by several missed calls from Dong Xian. Finally, she received a friend request from Zheng You’an.
As soon as she accepted, Zheng You’an sent a series of mocking messages.
[Zheng You’an]: See, now you’re paying the price.
[Zheng You’an]: I told you this man was no good, but you just had to throw yourself at him.
[Zheng You’an]: Are you regretting it now?
But before Ruan Sixian could reply, Zheng You’an deleted each of those messages one by one.
Then, as if nothing had happened, she sent another message.
[Zheng You’an]: I still have a few unused photos from the last time I took pictures for you. I’ll send you some later [cute]
Ruan Sixian: “…?”
Si Xiaozhen, who was always on the front lines of gossip, promptly came to clear things up, sending her a screenshot of Li Zhihuai’s Weibo post.
“She’s my high school classmate, here on a business trip and took some time to visit my dad. We’ve been friends for over ten years, so don’t read too much into it~”
After reading this post, Ruan Sixian sent a voice message explaining what had happened today.
[Si Xiaozhen]: So, what do you think about this Weibo post?
[Bian Xuan]: Same question.
[Si Xiaozhen]: I mean, why say she’s here on a business trip and took some time to visit? Why not mention that her dad is the homeroom teacher?
[Bian Xuan]: If she’s just a high school classmate, why emphasize they’ve been friends for over ten years?
At first, Ruan Sixian hadn’t thought much of it, but after hearing their comments, she did feel something was a little off.
She opened Weibo, found the post, and scrolled through the comments.Aside from marketing accounts reposting, some major fans also helped with forwarding, using very rational language, but some fans started to stir up trouble without reason.
The top comment with the most likes read—"Seeing this clarification, I actually feel a bit disappointed..."
Replies within the thread:
"Me too, I was actually quite excited when I saw the news."
"Sister should start dating, right? This high school classmate is so handsome, not a bad deal at all."
"Didn’t someone dig up that he’s the youngest son of World Airlines’ chairman and the current director? They’re a perfect match!"
"Sister, go for it! I want to see the storyline of a domineering CEO and a glamorous female celebrity!"
Further down, the comments were largely the same.
After someone dug up Fu Mingyu’s identity and learned about his wealth, coupled with the fact that he had never been involved in any gossip, and the clear photo on World Airlines’ official website was very pleasing to the eye, fans expressed their support for this match.
However, Li Zhihuai’s statement had already clarified the other party’s identity and the origins of the misunderstanding. There was no need to overanalyze it, and there was no way to control how fans might interpret things.
More importantly—
Ruan Sixian : He explained everything to me clearly. That’s really how it happened, and I believe him.
After replying to the message, Dong Xian called.
Ruan Sixian roughly knew what she wanted to say, so she answered.
"Ruan Ruan, what’s going on with Fu Mingyu?"
Ruan Sixian: "It was a misunderstanding, and it’s already been clarified."
Dong Xian: "Huh?"
Ruan Sixian: "Just a high school classmate. Her father was his homeroom teacher, and he’s not in good health. He went to visit him in the morning, that’s all."
Dong Xian fell silent for a moment before saying, "Is that really it?"
"Otherwise?" Ruan Sixian said, "Don’t you believe it?"
"It’s not that I don’t believe it, but he’s the kind of person..."
"What about him?"
"Actually, I’m not surprised something like this happened to him. I’ve heard before that he’s not as clean-living as the rumors say."
"I’ve never heard that," Ruan Sixian found it amusing. "You’d better not say things like that to me. I know my own boyfriend."
Dong Xian sighed. "Suit yourself. I’ll just say one thing: always stay clear-headed."
"Okay."
On the other side, Fu Mingyu’s phone wasn’t idle either.
His social circle didn’t have many idle people, so not many had seen the gossip or the clarification. Only Yan An, who had just seen the gossip and hadn’t yet read the clarification, eagerly came to mock him.
Yan An : Damn, what a move. Are you trying to join me in ruining the aviation industry’s reputation?
Yan An : Are you trying to piss off Wu Yin or Ruan Sixian?
Yan An : After knowing you for over twenty years, I have to say this: cheating is one thing, but knowing Wu Yin used to like you and still going after her best friend? How can you live with yourself?
Yan An : I really feel sorry for Ruan Sixian too. How could you betray such a great girl? Is she crying?
Fu Mingyu hadn’t planned to respond, but seeing how concerned he was about his girlfriend, he casually replied.
[Fu Mingyu]: She didn’t cry. She bit me instead, and my mouth is still bleeding. Want to see?
A few minutes later.
OpenNovel