Chapter 51: Heartbeat 51, Be proactive
The ending tone is light, as if the four words are being pronounced between the lips and teeth without being willing to be broken.
The voice is clear, warm and magnetic, and particularly pleasant to listen to.
Wen Huai put down his phone and looked at the person in the main seat.
"You listened to Wen Huai?" Sui Jianwen asked in disbelief. "Why?"
Xu Youjing raised his wrist to check the time. "I've already explained the reason."
"Are you so sure that Qiao Mian is innocent?"
Seeing the tense atmosphere, Jiang Kai from the Legal Department spoke up and pointed out the key point: "Qiao Mian's party is currently unreachable. The first hour after the incident is still the golden window. We still have more than ten minutes left. We might as well wait and see."
Li Qicheng said, "Prepare statements for both scenarios, just in case."
Jiang Kai agreed, and for a moment the only sound in the conference room was the sound of typing on the keyboard.
Not long after, Jiang Han whispered something to Xu Youjing. He nodded and Jiang Han walked behind the long table.
He connected the data cable to the computer, and then the video was connected, and David Jing appeared in the conference room.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Xu. Our phone has been ringing off the hook since this happened. It's our fault that we didn't communicate with you right away."
Sui Jianwen immediately put pressure on him: "We've been working together with you to warm up, but now that this has happened, what are you going to do? Who will bear the losses?"
Dave Jing: "Of course we will bear the responsibility! I can assure you that our Qiao Mian has absolutely never done anything to interfere with other people's relationships. We only have a working relationship with Wan Yanshi, and we have no personal connection!"
Jiang Kai continued, "You've released a clarification statement, but it's still at the top of the trending search list, showing no sign of falling. It's clear the public isn't buying it. Regarding the video where Ms. Qiao made disrespectful remarks about Peak New Products, do you have any video or surveillance footage to prove her innocence?"
Dai Weijing was a bit embarrassed. "That video was recorded in the dressing room. The conversation was about Wan Yanshi giving Qiao Mian a brand-name bag, and Qiao Mian complaining about the awful color and old-fashioned style. I don't know how it got edited like this... But I've already reported it to the police and sent the video for appraisal, but the results won't be out for another few hours."
Jiang Kai: "An open dressing room? With Qiao Mian's status, wouldn't you have cleared the area for your private chat?"
"I'm sorry, that day was arranged by the brand, and Qiao Qiao was easy to talk to, so we didn't pursue it. But there was no third person present when we were chatting, so we don't know what happened."
Jiang Kai frowned and crossed out the paper. "Perhaps, let Qiao Mian personally give a live broadcast to explain it?"
Dave Jing hesitated: "This..."
Jiang Kai asked what his boss meant.
After thinking for a moment, Li Qicheng asked Xu Youjing what she meant, then said, "Does Mr. Dai have any concerns? Or is it inconvenient for Miss Qiao?"
"Joe..."
"Oh no, Qiao Mian is trending again!"
Someone in the conference room said something, and Jiang Han immediately switched pages and found the latest trending search:
#Qiao Mian is married#
Following closely, the number of hot search terms related to Wan Yanshi was visibly decreasing. Within three minutes, fourteen of the top fifteen hot searches were about Qiao Mian.
#Qiao Mian was surrounded by reporters#
#Qiao Mian leaves in a luxury car#
#京A888Rolls-Royce#
#Qiao Mian: My husband is here to pick me up#
#Qiao Mian's husband#
......
Li Qicheng almost didn't recognize the word "Qiao Mian". "What's going on?"
Dawei Jing also looked confused.
On the screen, Jiang Han clicked on the reporter's live video.
In the video, a crowd of reporters surrounded the door of a luxury house. The woman in the middle of the circle was not wearing any makeup, was dressed casually, and even her hair was a little messy, but it did not affect her beauty at all.
Qiao Mian held a tripod in his hand, so he had room to move.
The video audio can be heard from the scene full of sharp questions from reporters, and Qiao Mian's voice was drowned out. She seemed to have compromised and no longer wasted words with them. She just held the tripod tightly to separate those who wanted to move forward.
At this moment, the sound of a car horn was heard from the off-screen. The camera looked over in a panic and saw the car with consecutive license plates behind a person.
At this moment, a pink figure suddenly flashed across the screen. Before anyone could react, the door of the Rolls-Royce, which had just opened, was closed. Qiao Mian was already sitting in the car, lowered the window, and waved at the camera: "My husband is here to pick me up. See you all again!"
The luxury car drives away and the video ends.
Sui Jianwen said angrily: "No, how can he be my husband just after the news of his involvement? Mr. Dai, can you give me a detailed explanation?"
Dave Jing was completely clueless at this point. "I don't know the details, but the studio is trying to contact her."
"Hurry up! What's going on?"
The video call hadn't ended yet, and the conference room was filled with the sounds of phone calls and keyboard tapping, making it noisy for a while.
Li Qicheng said, "Boss Sui, let's go out and get some fresh air. Let the legal department contact the other party. There's no rush for this."
Sui Jianwen was about to say something when Li Qicheng pulled him up and said, "Let's go."
Wen Huai looked at Xu Youjing.
Without waiting for her to speak, he said, "It's Xie Songbai's car."
Touched by his expression, Wen Huai asked tentatively: "Are they married?"
“I don’t know.”
Xu Youjing put his unlocked phone on the table and casually pushed it towards her.
Wen Huai saw the chat history between Xu Youjing and the person with the note "Alba":
J: [Is Qiao Mian with you?]
Alba: [Yeah.]
J: [Have you thought about it?]
Alba: [Yeah.]
She raised her eyes, and Xu Youjing added: "He has a crush on Qiao Mian."
Although Wen Huai had a rough guess, she was slightly surprised when it was confirmed. She guessed Qiao Mian didn't like Xie Songbai, and that today's incident was just verbal coercion. She said that to clear herself of any involvement with Wan Yanshi.
Wen Huai unlocked his phone and swiped through the comments to show him: "Right now, the majority of comments are positive, and the situation is still under control. But it's only temporary. If the hype subsides and we can't find evidence of video manipulation, I'm afraid not only Qiao Mian but also Peak will be affected."
"don’t worry."
Wen Huai was delighted: "Have you thought of a solution?"
He shook his head, leaned away from the chair, and found her hand accurately under the table and held it.
Wen Huai seemed to be struck by an electric current and subconsciously wanted to retract it, but he was held tightly.
She looked around, making sure no one was paying attention, then frowned and looked at him.
Xu Youjing was not as nervous as her. He sat on the chair with his chin supported, looking leisurely like an outsider.
"Why aren't you worried at all?"
“I was quite worried before.”
He gestured to the phone on the table: "Now Xie Songbai is here, he will take care of it."
Wen Huai sighed. Now he could only wait. There was no point in being anxious.
Her palm was pinched, and she raised her eyelids, a look of worry on her face.
"Don't worry either."
Wen Huai nodded.
He raised an eyebrow and separated her fingers, interlocking them.
Wen Huai was still a little nervous and looked around like a thief, but was pulled back by Xu Youjing with a smile.
“Very impressive.”
"What?" she asked absentmindedly.
“I was able to sort out the pros and cons of both situations in great detail at the first opportunity, and they were all key points.”
Xu Youjing suppressed his emotions and looked at her: "Super impressive."
The warmth of the palms came through the clasped hands, and Wen Huai's cold fingertips gradually became warm.
Feeling a pulse different from her own, she gradually took in the words just said and lowered her eyes unnaturally.
"This is my job, it's what I'm supposed to do."
Xu Youjing curled his lips: "Then it's my duty to praise my wife."
"you......"
Wen Huai didn't respond for a long time. He didn't dare to look at Xu Youjing again. He just let him work and pulled his hand back.
She sat down and tried to keep herself occupied, but the next second she picked up the cover of her cowhide notebook and started fanning herself.
I think the central air conditioning is broken. I will report it to the logistics department after the meeting.
-
David Jing's video conference will be held in thirty minutes.
In order to avoid irrelevant personnel disrupting the process, only Xu Youjing, the legal department, the marketing department, the secretariat, and Li Qicheng were present in the meeting room.
Compared to the first time, David Jing was obviously more confident this time.
"The restored video is here, please take a look."
She clicked the play button, and the audio content was exactly as it had been originally said. The person who tampered with the video also twisted Qiao Mian's coquettish words into something malicious, resulting in the final presentation.
"The original video is ready to be released along with the related trending search terms and the studio's Weibo. I wonder if there are any adjustments that need to be made, Mr. Xu and Mr. Li? If so, let's discuss it. If not, we'll release it right away."
Jiang Kai said it was OK, and Li Qicheng also thought it was okay. He asked, "Have you found the person who modified the video?"
Dave Jing shook his head helplessly. "Time is too tight. On the one hand, we have to interfere with public opinion, and on the other hand, we have to consider the interests of the brand. There's only so much we can do in such a short period of time. But I will definitely get to the bottom of this and won't let this happen again."
Li Qicheng nodded, but didn't know what to say.
"Mr. Xu," he asked, "what do you think?"
Xu Youjing nodded, "Okay."
Li Qicheng: “…”
Xu Youjing hadn't said a word since the meeting began. Or rather, from the first meeting until now, he'd been like an outsider, watching the fire from the other side of the river. Even the key directions were given by Wen Huai, and he was merely the decision-maker who implemented the final direction.
Li Qicheng couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
In the past, he was grateful that he had his old club in charge at the peak of his career, and he was sure to move forward. But today, Xu Youjing seemed a little abnormal.
He was probably dissatisfied with the board's arrangements, feeling that Peak was inferior to headquarters, which was why he was so negligent. Even up to this point, there wasn't even a decent plan, even worse than Wen Huai...
When Wen Huai was mentioned, Li Qicheng looked over and happened to meet Wen Huai's gaze.
"Mr. Li, I have something to say."
"Tell me what you want to say." Compared to Xu Youjing's silence, he wanted to hear Wen Huai's thoughts more.
After Wen Huai nodded and thanked him, he suggested to Dave Jing and Jiang Kai, "We also have an official Weibo account on Peak. We can repost it together after the studio's announcement. The copy should mention 'wings' and include a link to the live broadcast reservation for the new product launch."
"Besides, we haven't announced the exact date and time of our press conference yet. Perhaps we can take this opportunity to make it public?"
"Sure!" Li Qicheng's eyes lit up. He asked Jiang Kai, "It was originally scheduled to be released in two days, right?"
"Yes, the time poster is ready, and we're just waiting for the release date." However, Wen Huai's words just now made sense, and Jiang Kai was also hesitant. "Right now, there is a lot of talk about Qiao Mian, and she is now our spokesperson. Fixing the time now will help us better grasp the traffic pool and show off our goodwill in front of fans, which will achieve twice the result with half the effort."
Li Qicheng said: "Didn't you just say that the poster was ready? Why change it now-"
Jiang Kai couldn't wait to interrupt him and looked at Wen Huai and Xu Youjing, "It's just a small matter of changing the copy and the time. I really think this is the right time to post it, especially right before lunch break!"
Dai Weijing stated: "There's no problem on my end. To make up for the comments that brought me to the peak this time, the studio was originally scheduled to repost the live broadcast on Weibo, and Qiao Qiao himself is also willing to personally post a Weibo to cue the new product."
"OK."
Xu Youjing moved his legs and said to Jiang Kai and Li Qicheng, "President Li should be in charge of the new product launch."
Li Qicheng never expected: "Why is this?"
Xu Youjing said confidently, "I have a cold and a sore throat."
After saying that, he left the meeting room without giving anyone else any room, followed closely by the secretariat.
Outside the elevator, the others left first, and Wen Huai was called away by Xu Youjing.
Xu Youjing was still on the phone. The few words he occasionally said in German let Wen Huai know that he was dealing with work over there, so he didn't disturb him.
She wanted to press the floor number of the office, but Xu Youjing held her hand when she touched the button.
He still kept the motion of making the call, only touching it briefly before moving away and pressing the button.
After a few minutes of waiting, the elevator arrived at the floor.
The two came out one after the other and met Dong Chen and others going to the cafeteria for dinner. Wen Huai was invited but was stopped by the people behind him.
"You guys go, I have something to talk to Secretary Wen about."
During lunch break, he was left alone by the boss to work overtime. Several people couldn't help but feel that Heo Yujing was considerate of his subordinates, and the filtered image of Hyeri and Hyeun was shattered, and they cast sympathetic glances at him.
Wen Huai smiled and said, "You guys go first, no need to wait for me."
"Okay, then remember to eat. If you don't have time, we can bring it to you."
"Okay, I'll send you a message then."
After sending them to the elevator, Wen Huai realized that Xu Youjing had not returned to the office and was still waiting there.
Just standing in front of her workstation.
There was no one on the floor at this time, and the impulse that had been suppressed in his heart surged up, but Wen Huai did not let it go completely, and walked towards him with caution.
"Walk."
He took her wrist and led her to the office.
The door was closed, and Xu Youjing said a few more words to the person on the other end before finally hanging up.
He threw his phone aside and with a flick of his finger, the door was locked.
In the quiet and spacious office, the sound of the lock wheel turning and engaging was undoubtedly the only trigger that ignited the throbbing.
Holding her in his arms, he skillfully followed her lips and kissed her slightly hurriedly.
Wen Huai avoided him without hesitation, not expecting him to do this.
Her breath and sanity were robbed, and the hand that had been pushing him away stopped when it touched him, and even her fingertips went numb.
The kiss was more powerful than the previous ones, and the breathing was more rapid on the side of his face. Wen Huai felt the temperature rising and could hardly bear it.
She closed her eyes and hugged him.
Until she sat down on the desk, the coldness made her eyelashes lift slightly. Wen Huai saw the environment he was in and regained consciousness.
Xu Youjing was concerned that she couldn't breathe, so he took extra care of her and gave her time.
The lips parted, the hot breath between the two people still lingered.
Their foreheads touched, and they saw that they both felt a throbbing that did not belong to the daytime.
When Xu Youjing spoke, his voice was hoarse, but very pleasant.
"Ahuai."
As he said this, he was about to lower his head, but Wen Huai dodged him.
He regained consciousness and didn't continue: "What's wrong?"
Wen Huai lowered his head: "Don't be like this."
Xu Youjing thought he was too impatient and immediately moved away. Jun Leng's face was full of disappointment and sadness.
"I was too anxious."
Noticing the lipstick stained by the kiss, Xu Youjing took a tissue and wanted to wipe it off, but he was afraid that she would not like it, so he withdrew his hand.
"Shall I help you wipe it?"
Wen Huai nodded.
With gentle movements like feathers, Xu Youjing wiped the red that had run out, seriously but clumsily.
Little by little, no bother.
Wen Huai glanced at him.
She called it a halt just now because she couldn't get over it in her heart. Feeling nervous, she felt that being with Xu Youjing was nothing.
But why did he stop after she rejected him?
"This is my first time in a relationship. If there's anything that makes you uncomfortable, tell me."
He caught her peeking.
Xu Youjing retracted his fingertips, looked at his lips that had been wiped clean, pursed his lips and looked at her:
"Just now, were you disgusted?"
A tone that is almost extremely gentle.
Wen Huai's heart was in a mess and he was about to lose control.
The fingers supporting the table behind him curled up, and the joints were almost white from the force.
The person in front of her didn't show any impatience and waited for her answer.
It seemed that as long as Wen Huai said he hated it, he would take it seriously and not offend again.
She had a wrong idea...
She thought Xu Youjing was in the office...it turned out that she was overthinking it.
Realizing that his thoughts were too terrible, Wen Huai was afraid of being discovered by Xu Youjing, so he lowered his eyes in panic, not daring to look into his burning eyes.
After taking a few breaths, she finally lifted her numb lips:
"I don't really hate this."
Xu Youjing didn't react for a moment and looked at her with irregular breathing.
Wen Huai still didn't raise his eyes. His hand behind him reached around to the front and pinched the thin fabric of his clothes at his waist. His voice was so soft that it was almost drowned out by his panting.
"Can you take the initiative? Or—"
Her swollen lips were held, the hand behind her waist became stronger, and her words were drowned in her breath.
Wen Huai was almost pressed in his arms and forced to keep up with his breathing.
They exchanged positions, Xu Youjing held her in his arms, doing nothing, but his breathing became heavier.
The emotional eyes focused on the swollen lips, and the gaze lingered, with some emotions stirring.
He turned his eyes away, even his breathing was suppressed.
"Wait until I get home."
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