Chapter 5
That same evening, after the project meeting concluded, rumors began circulating about the shortlisted companies, with the Zhuang family being the first among them.
But in just two hours, all the news and information changed dramatically because of a set of intimate photos, spreading like wildfire and topping the trending searches throughout Haicheng. Not only Haicheng, but also several surrounding cities were in an uproar.
In the photos, Zhuang Yazhi and Shen Yiheng are seen embracing intimately on the rooftop. One of the photos, taken from a peculiar angle, makes it appear as if the two have already kissed.
"The eldest daughter of the Zhuang family flirted with him and tried to seduce him with a kiss. Lost in her passion, she disregarded worldly opinions and planned to offer herself to him on the rooftop."
"The eldest son of the Shen family is a womanizer who doesn't accept anyone. Flies don't land on eggs without cracks. Men are all the same."
The trending news shifted almost instantly. One second it was the couple's relationship trending, and the next second, everyone's casual remarks pushed the Zhuang family to the top of the trending list.
"Miss Zhuang deserves much credit for the Zhuang family's qualification to bid for the sinking project."
"Having connections is great, unlike us who can only earn tens of thousands of yuan a day."
"Let's just decide on it directly, so we don't have to be runners-up for the young lady."
Online opinion was overwhelmingly negative, with almost everyone saying that Zhuang's family was able to win the bid for the project because Zhuang Yazhi used her beauty to seduce him. They used all sorts of disgusting and offensive language.
Gradually, even people within the company started discussing and speculating privately, and the news in the gossip groups was even more exciting than what was said online.
22nd floor, large conference room
The board of directors held an emergency meeting.
The directors at the table exchanged glances, each with a grim expression.
They had only secured the bidding spot for two hours when a sudden trending news story left them completely bewildered.
Although the Zhuang family's strength is undeniable, the Shenhai project is currently at a critical juncture, and no unexpected events can be tolerated. They have no choice but to place their hopes on Zhuang Haiming.
In the center position, Zhuang Haiming was also looking at the trending news, but his emotions were a bit too calm, even indifferent, as if the person on the phone was not his daughter, but a stranger.
The doubt in his eyes gradually eased, even mixed with a hint of joy. The trending topic caught him off guard. As a father, he was more curious about his daughter's love life than anyone else.
He noticed that everyone on the board was staring at him, and replied indifferently with a hint of pride, "Don't your daughters date?"
After asking the question, Zhuang Haiming felt a little regretful. He actually wanted to say: "None of your daughters have ever dated such an excellent boyfriend."
His only daughter.
This little trending topic alone helped Zhuang's stock price soar; Zhuang Haiming, the son-in-law, is certainly delighted.
That evening, he brought home a bottle of fine wine, claiming that Zhuang Yazhi had been busy that day and the two of them hadn't had a proper meal together yet. He also took the opportunity to ask how Zhuang Yazhi's life abroad had been these past few years.
"By the way, how did you and President Shen, Shen Yiheng, meet?"
Zhuang Yazhi took a slow, deliberate sip of red wine. Her father, though smiling on the surface, gave her an unsettlingly cold and indifferent look that quickly followed.
How did you meet?
I slept with him.
But that's hard to say.
"Car rear-end collision."
Zhuang Haiming had an honest face, but he was shrewd and calculating. Zhuang Yazhi saw all of this.
Although it is still unclear who released these photos, Zhuang Yazhi has placed all the blame on Shen Yiheng.
"Oh dear, I've never heard you mention this before." Only after getting the answer he wanted did Zhuang Haiming feign concern about whether Zhuang Yazhi was injured at the time.
He wanted to get more information, but seeing that Zhuang Yazhi was in a bad mood, he didn't continue asking.
"You've only been back for a few days and you're already back at work. You must be exhausted. Take a rest at home for a couple of days. Dad will handle things outside."
Zhuang Yazhi nodded slightly in response, letting him be, since she didn't really want to interfere anyway.
The matter continued to escalate online, with every version of the gossip about the two being incredibly outrageous.
"Even three years after we broke up, I still couldn't forget my ex-boyfriend. When we met again, he gave me a choking kiss."
"After I bought an exorbitantly priced insurance policy, my boyfriend treated me to a romantic rooftop date."
Zhou Ying acted as the broadcaster, reading each sentence aloud and automatically skipping over the vivid descriptions of colors in the text.
"This person has excellent writing skills." He got a little carried away while reading it.
Shen Yiheng sat at his desk reviewing documents. He was extremely serious when he worked, spending half an hour looking at just one page, carefully considering it over and over.
The boss didn't tell Zhou Ying to stop, so Zhou Ying continued reading until Shen Yiheng finished reading the last document.
He thought Shen Yiheng looked especially handsome when he signed autographs today, comparable to a book signing event.
"Have you found out who took the photos secretly?"
Zhou Ying sighed and shook his head, unable to find a single clue or even begin to investigate.
Night had fallen, but the city outside the floor-to-ceiling windows was still brightly lit, so beautiful, just like that unexpected night a year ago.
"You must clear my name," so that someone won't try to pin the blame on him again.
Shen Yiheng still looked somewhat innocent, but his raised eyebrows revealed a smug expression. Unexpected surprises are a rare spice in ordinary days.
Despite the gossip flying around, Zhuang Yazhi arrived at the company on time the next morning as usual, busily handling affairs.
"Manager, this is the preparation information about the sinking project that the deputy manager gave me this morning."
Zhuang Yazhi gestured to Li Si to put it aside for now, not paying much attention to it.
"Any new developments regarding the construction of city parks?"
Li Si presented the latest report. At this time, the entire company was busy with the sinking project and there was no shortage of people, which gave her more time to learn about the city park construction project.
"There will be a completion press conference on the 15th, and people from the Haicheng Construction Publicity Office will also be there."
What makes this city park special is that it was spearheaded by Haicheng Construction and built to 5A standards. Once completed, it will become a landmark scenic spot in Haicheng, having a far-reaching and significant impact on cultural development and urban economic growth.
As a newly appointed official, Zhuang Yazhi planned to start his work here.
Outside the manager's room, Zeiss Yue was furtively eavesdropping over the wall.
When she came back in the morning, she paid special attention to Zhuang Yazhi's reaction. He was calm and composed, automatically blocking out all the negative noises from the outside world, and seemed to be doing nothing wrong.
She was neither dismissed nor spoken to by company executives.
What's worse is that online opinion has completely changed. People are inexplicably starting to ship couples, and fanfiction is being hyped up like crazy.
I recently read a fanfiction by Zeiss Moon, and to be honest, it was quite well-written.
"Wait, is this the key point?!"
I almost got caught up in it.
What she needs is a dismissal notice for the public relations manager position.
Zeiss had nowhere to vent her anger, so she ran to her father's office to vent her frustration.
"Right now, there's a huge uproar online. Everyone's saying that Zhuang Yazhi got the bidding qualification by sleeping with Shen Yiheng. How can such a morally corrupt person still be sitting in the position of public relations manager!"
Cai Xincheng thought about it carefully and realized that the only reason he was in this situation was that things hadn't gotten serious enough.
He calculated the time; the project bidding meeting was in five days, and a wicked idea quietly began to form in his mind.
"Don't worry, Yueyue, Daddy will definitely get you what you want."
Cai Xincheng was certain that his daughter would get the position of public relations manager.
At 3:30 p.m., the high-level meeting was held again.
At the meeting, Zhuang Haiming displayed a strong protective stance, stating: "The Zhuang family is powerful and has an excellent reputation. No matter what kind of project it is, we have won it through our own hard work. I don't care what the outside world says, I have no regrets."
The chairman has already spoken, so the people in the audience can only talk about it themselves and dare not openly complain.
The meeting had barely ended when the words reached Zhuang Yazhi's ears. She simply smiled and let it go without offering any comment. To her surprise, her father actually defended her in front of everyone, something that had never happened before.
On city roads, traffic is congested like a torrent during rush hour.
Zhuang Yazhi was sitting in the back seat. She had just put down her computer and was about to look out the window when a black Maybach drove by and blocked her view.
The car window rolled down, and a nightmarish, indifferent profile shot towards her like a stormy cloud. Zhuang Yazhi felt her vision go black, and she quickly rolled up the window a second before their eyes met.
Shen Yiheng's right hand, which was about to greet someone, froze in mid-air. He couldn't even catch a glimpse of Zhuang Yazhi's hair out of the corner of his eye. A shadow from the car window fell on his side, making his brows look even darker.
The car radio announced: "An accident has occurred 2 kilometers ahead. Please pay attention to traffic flow and change lanes in time to prevent further accidents and congestion."
Zhou Ying's palms were sweating as she gripped the steering wheel. Oh dear, misfortune never comes singly.
The car stopped and started, and it took almost twenty minutes to leave the congested area. The atmosphere inside the small car was quite subtle; Shen Yiheng didn't speak, and Zhou Ying didn't dare to breathe.
To ease the unpleasant atmosphere, Zhou Ying turned on the radio. Coincidentally, she happened to be on the entertainment gossip channel, which was reporting on the two of them trending on social media.
"Death!" Zhou Ying pressed the button without hesitation.
The person in question completely ignored him, no matter how much gossip circulated.
Shen Yiheng remained silent, his gaze fixed straight ahead without any deviation, never looking out the left window.
Her hands were clasped tightly together, and her lips were pursed into a thin line, making it hard to tell that she was sulking.
"Haicheng Radio needs to be upgraded and restructured."
“Yes, I think so too.” Zhou Ying quickly turned it off.
"The sound quality is terrible, the anchor is terrible, and the content isn't as good as last night's gossip news."
Zhou Ying glanced at Shen Yiheng out of the corner of his eye through the rearview mirror. He was still a little shaken. The car became quiet again, but at least he could feel that Shen Yiheng's emotions were obviously calm at this moment.
Like a child, they need to be coaxed.
Inside the other car, Zhuang Yazhi rubbed his forehead in thought.
Shen Yiheng's car drove away before them. She stared at the rear of the car for a long, long time, and a very immature idea suddenly popped into her mind.
I wanted to hit him.
In her past life, Shen Yiheng killed her in a car accident. In this life, she's going to run over Shen Yiheng once. That shouldn't be too much to ask, right?
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