Chapter 116 I'm Not a Greenhouse Flower
The plane landed smoothly at the airport.
The sky outside the porthole was a familiar gray-blue, lacking the clear, translucent quality of Moonlight Island.
Ruan Yao was still immersed in the afterglow of the holiday, holding her left hand, unable to get enough of looking at it.
Back at the familiar villa, the housekeeper had already prepared a table of light, home-style dishes.
After a long day of running around, Ruan Yao was indeed a little hungry, but she had more important things on her mind, so she pulled Huo Yanzhi and wanted to go upstairs.
"I'll put the seashell ring away first; it's a blessing from the sea god." She smiled, her eyes crinkling like a child who had just received a beloved toy.
"No rush." Huo Yanzhi pulled her along and led her to sit down on the sofa in the living room. "Let's look at something first."
"No rush." Huo Yanzhi pulled her along and led her to sit down on the sofa in the living room. "Let's look at something first."
He picked up the tablet computer from the coffee table, unlocked it, and handed it to her.
"Take a look at the report sent by the company."
Ruan Yao took it, somewhat puzzled.
She thought it was some kind of project team handover, but when she saw the document on the screen titled "Review Report on the Malicious Infringement of the 'Summer Wonderland' Project," she was completely stunned.
She opened the file and swiped her fingers across it quickly.
Creative Toys released its plagiarized new product an hour early.
A deluge of smear articles and online attacks.
The official website server was maliciously attacked and rendered unusable.
The hashtag #LexingdaoGetOutOfTheTrendyToyCircle# trended at number one on Weibo.
...
The shocking headlines, accompanied by screenshots of vile and abusive language from the internet, made Ruan Yao's mind go blank for a moment.
While she leisurely enjoys a spa treatment, strolls on the beach, or even watches the sunrise from the edge of a cliff, the projects she has poured countless efforts into, and her name, are being mercilessly strangled by a war without gunpowder.
Her hands began to tremble, and she could barely hold the cold tablet.
She continued scrolling down and saw Huo Jing's emergency press conference, the video she recorded herself explaining her situation, the complete chain of evidence that cemented Zhao Yan's place on the pillar of shame, and the stunning reversal of public opinion at the end...
"Summer Wonderland" soared from hell back to the clouds, and she, the person in charge, knew nothing about it.
Ruan Yao felt like she had been on a thrilling roller coaster, her heart pounding and her mind blank.
She slowly raised her head and looked at Huo Yanzhi sitting beside her.
Huo Yanzhi was quietly watching her. He didn't explain or say anything; he just looked at her.
“This…” Ruan Yao’s lips moved, but no sound came out.
“As you can see,” Huo Yanzhi finally spoke, his voice calm, “Creative Toys stole your design, tried to release it first, and then turned around and tried to smear Lexing Island and you.”
He recounted it casually, "My aunt and the company team handled it very well, delivering a fatal blow when they were at their most triumphant."
He took all the blame onto Huo Jing and the company, as if he were just an observer who only found out about the situation afterward.
"Why..." Ruan Yao finally found her voice, her voice filled with confusion, "Why didn't you tell me?"
Huo Yanzhi met her reddened eyes without flinching.
He took the tablet from her hand, put it aside, and then held her cold hand.
"sorry."
He spoke, his voice as gentle as ever, his posture very humble, "I told my aunt not to contact you."
Ruan Yao's lips moved, but she couldn't utter a single word.
"I just..." Huo Yanzhi cupped her hand in his palm and gently stroked the back of her hand with his fingertips, "I don't want anything to disturb our trip."
His voice carried a hint of guilt, "That was the trip I prepared for you, and I wanted it to be perfect. I didn't want you to see those foul words, and I didn't want you to be bothered by these things."
These words instantly extinguished the spark that had just ignited in Ruan Yao's heart, like a bucket of warm water.
What could she say?
Can she blame him?
Is it his fault for bearing all the storms alone just to make her happy?
Ruan Yao felt a mix of emotions—bitterness, tenderness, and a touch of indescribable helplessness.
She was cherished and protected by him.
But she didn't want it to be like this.
She knew that some things needed to be made clear.
Ruan Yao pulled away from his embrace a little, cupped his face in her hands, and looked at him intently.
"Yanzhi, I am very happy and touched that you have done so much for me and tried so hard to protect me."
Her tone was very gentle.
"But I am not a flower in a greenhouse, and I don't need to be kept in a glass case."
She gently stroked his cheek with her fingertips.
“That’s my life’s work, my battlefield, and I should be on the front line. Those colleagues are my comrades-in-arms. While they are fighting for me, I’m enjoying a vacation on a calm island… Do you understand how I feel?”
She leaned closer, her nose almost touching his, and her usually bright, doe-like eyes were now so clear they reflected his entire figure.
"I want to be a partner who can fight alongside you, instead of always being protected behind you, knowing nothing of the storms we face, only able to see your back, do you understand?"
Huo Yanzhi listened to her quietly.
He looked into the girl's clear and earnest eyes, which held no blame, only honesty and expectation.
After a long while, he slowly nodded.
"good."
He made a promise.
"This will not be repeated."
With his assurance, Ruan Yao finally smiled with relief.
She leaned in and kissed him on the lips.
"That's more like it."
The knot in her heart was completely untied, and she felt much more relaxed.
She picked up the tablet again, scrolled to the last page of the report, and asked curiously, "So... what happened to that traitor named Zhao Yan, and Creative Toys?"
Huo Yanzhi looked at her face, which had regained its brightness, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.
He pushed the tablet back in front of her.
"It's your decision."
*
on Monday.
When Ruan Yao stepped into the gates of Lexingdao Company, she received a warm welcome as if she were a triumphant hero.
"Team Leader Ruan! You're finally back!"
"Team leader! My God! You have no idea how much people online feel for you!"
"Team Leader Ruan, thank goodness you had a backup plan! We won so beautifully this time!"
Colleagues crowded around, chattering excitedly, their faces beaming with admiration.
Li Si rushed out of the office, hugged Ruan Yao tightly, and was so excited that she couldn't speak coherently.
"My God! Yaoyao, you're my idol! That B version plan was a stroke of genius! How did you come up with such a backup plan?"
Before this, although Li Si cooperated with Ruan Yao's work, she still felt to some extent that her work was just a part of the rich man's play.
But after completing this thrilling project, she was completely convinced of Ruan Yao's abilities.
This seemingly delicate girl is actually very capable, meticulous, and has such foresight when facing a crisis.
Ruan Yao was a little embarrassed by everyone's enthusiasm and said with a smile, "It's all thanks to Director Huo and the team. I'm just a hands-off manager."
"Don't be modest!" Li Si pulled her towards the conference room, looking mysterious. "Quick, let's not talk about anything else yet, guess how much our 'Summer Wonderland' sold in the first three days?"
Ruan Yao's heart jumped up, feeling both nervous and expectant.
She remembered what she had told Huo Yanzhi before: if the product became a hit, she would give Li Si a big red envelope.
She cautiously held up three fingers, tentatively asking, "Three million?"
In her opinion, for a brand new IP to achieve this result in just three days is already an amazing hit.
This was the most optimistic figure she could think of.
Everyone in the conference room laughed.
Li Si looked at her, shook her head, and her smile grew even brighter.
"No, guess again."
"Five million?" Ruan Yao's heart beat faster.
Li Si shook her head again, then held up a finger and waved it in front of Ruan Yao.
“Ten...ten million?” Ruan Yao’s voice was somewhat uncertain.
"It's 18 million!" Li Si almost shouted. "And this is just the sales from the first batch of stock! In less than 24 hours after we went online, the first batch of 100,000 blind boxes sold out completely! Now the pre-orders on the official website are already booked for three months from now!"
"This time, we didn't just explode, we blew it up!"
Ruan Yao's brain buzzed, completely stunned by this number.
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