Chapter 64 My Wife's Precious Time This is a wedding ring, I don't...
"Peng Ran, come to my office now."
Peng Ran was discussing the release date of the New Year poster with the planning department when she was interrupted by a phone call from Yang Qing.
She had just given Zhu Qingzhi a little hard time when Yang Qing, who had disappeared for more than half a month, appeared in Chaoxing and specifically asked her to come over. He must have tattled on her.
She snorted coldly, gave the planning director a meaningful look, and then slowly walked out.
As they passed the chaotic lounge area, Mu Shuangqing, with her sharp eyes, immediately handed over a cup of coffee: "Sister Ran, I ordered afternoon tea, please add an extra shot of espresso to your cup."
She didn't refuse, and casually asked as she took it, "Have you finished shooting your solo poster?"
"It'll be my turn after Teacher Zhou finishes taking pictures." Mu Shuangqing has a sweet appearance, and her big, watery eyes make people feel sweet inside.
"Looking forward to your performance. Thank you for the coffee, Shuangqing." Peng Ran nodded, patted her shoulder, and headed towards the elevator.
Upon seeing Yang Qing, Peng Ran first pushed the coffee over and said with a smile, "Mr. Yang, this is the coffee Shuangqing ordered for you."
Yang Qing raised his eyes, glanced at the coffee expressionlessly, and looked at her: "Using connections and abusing your power for personal gain, and now you think you can just fob me off with a cup of coffee?"
"Mr. Yang, you flatter me. It's just a slight adjustment to the positions, and if anyone is not satisfied, we can make further adjustments."
Throughout the entire conversation, whether it was with Dani or now facing Yang Qing's questioning, Peng Ran's words were impeccable, at least in terms of phrasing.
"If you can't even handle something as small as the placement of a New Year's poster, then you shouldn't be doing this job as the director of the publicity department."
Yang Qing was genuinely annoyed. There were still a lot of things to deal with at the Wen family's place, and now Chaoxing was having problems too, and such basic ones at that.
“Mr. Yang, Chaoxing has never shot group portrait posters in previous years. We just cut out images, splice them together, and release them. This year, we suddenly want to shoot group portraits. According to your requirements, we can only guarantee Zhu Qingzhi's position, which is not appropriate.”
"Everyone has seen how Kiyoe is being treated in Asahi. The unpleasant rumors have already spread like wildfire. If it weren't for the fact that the artist contracts are still in place and the subsequent resources have been allocated, things would have been in complete chaos long ago."
“If the New Year’s poster still only features her, it will definitely cause trouble.” Peng Ran wasn’t intimidated. After a moment of thought, she added, “I’ve discussed this with the HR and planning departments.”
She spoke with righteous indignation, her words implying that she was considering Zhu Qingzhi's interests and the company's internal stability. She even dragged the HR planning team into the mess to vouch for her.
Yang Qing swallowed back the words she had brought to her lips: "Is this the result you came up with? You dare say you didn't have any selfish motives for Mu Shuangqing's position?"
However, some things don't need too much explanation, so I'll cut to the chase: "I'll just say one thing: Zhu Qingzhi's position will not be changed; you can coordinate the rest yourself."
Peng Ran didn't confront them directly; she knew when to stop.
When it came time to shoot the group poster, Zhou Qifeng cheerfully stood to the side, seemingly unaware of any assigned positions. The other artists also jokingly declined, leaving the empty middle space large enough for four or five people to stand.
Zhu Qingzhi had just finished her hair and makeup and came out of the dressing room. Looking at the crowd of people "coming and going" in front of the light-colored background wall, she sighed.
The bright red, one-shoulder, fitted dress she wore today wasn't particularly eye-catching compared to the gowns worn by the other celebrities. Mu Shuangqing's dress, on the other hand, featured a red and gold color scheme and a substantial A-line cloud-patterned skirt, making her the center of attention wherever she stood.
So even if she changed her position, she couldn't solve the problem of being the visual center. Zhu Qingzhi withdrew her gaze with interest, and then, without waiting for anyone to guide her, she went forward.
She greeted Zhou Qifeng and then stopped walking: "Teacher Zhou, I'll stand with you."
Zhou Qifeng is a well-known veteran artist in the industry, and even Director Xu has praised his good character. The two had previously worked together on a TV series, so their relationship wasn't too distant.
"Qingzhi and Teacher Zhou, please move to the middle." The photographer, holding the newly confirmed positioning diagram, began to instruct. "Shuangqing, move over there too, stand next to Qingzhi. Yizhao, move to the left..."
He gave instructions for a long time but was still not satisfied. He looked up and down and repeated the instructions dozens of times before leaning close to Peng Ran's ear and whispering, "Director Peng, how about we change Shuang Qing's clothes? The way she is now is a bit too much of a distraction."
"Have the person next to you tuck her skirt in."
“It’s not about the hem of the skirt…” The photographer thought Peng Ran didn’t understand what he meant, so he kindly explained, “A red and gold dress in a sea of red is too abrupt, and usually this kind of dress is for a C cup, so it’s not appropriate for Shuangqing to wear it like this.”
Peng Ran did not back down: "The dress she wore for her solo poster shoot that was stained with coffee is the only alternative dress we have. Let's shoot it like this for now."
"Should we let her switch places with Qingzhi?"
“This dress is by Petrichor, and it’s inappropriate since Kiyoshi Tsuyoshi is the spokesperson for Katrina.” Peng Ran shook her head, still refusing.
Actually, regarding the group poster shooting, her reasons weren't just personal—wanting to give Mu Shuangqing more preferential treatment. She was also worried that other artists might be dissatisfied, causing trouble within the company.
However, Yang Qing's words were quite blunt, so she couldn't completely ignore them. "Just make sure to touch up the gold trim on her dress during post-production."
The photographer had no choice but to comply.
In the chaos, someone said, "Qingzhi, take off the ring on your left hand."
"I will not remove my wedding ring."
......
There was a deathly silence, as if even breathing had stopped. If vision could be transformed into rays, Zhu Qingzhi would have already disappeared.
Dani sighed, utterly exasperated. She said going public was just a momentary outburst, and even if she were to go public, it shouldn't be done this way.
"A handmade ring, just something I made for fun," she replied with a smile.
Zhu Qingzhi winked at her, her relaxed expression suggesting she understood: "My husband made it himself."
Dani: "......"
Did she mean that? Did she say that to make Zhu Qingzhi emphasize that her husband made it himself?!
Lu Yizhao was completely dumbfounded. She looked at Zhu Qingzhi, who was showing off her wedding ring from every angle with her left hand on her cheek, and began to expand her dramatic route. Her lips twitched.
Isn't Zhu Qingzhi a rich heiress? How could her wedding ring be so hastily chosen? She treasures such a haphazardly chosen ring; is she love-struck? Or is her family so wealthy that she only cares about emotional value? No wonder people say rich people are easy to fool; isn't this a living example?
Peng Ran paused for only a moment before clapping to break the silence, urging the photographer to get started: "Shoot first, shoot first!" Then she went to the outer room to call Yang Qing, "Mr. Yang, is Zhu Qingzhi married?"
Yang Qing was visibly taken aback and didn't respond immediately, indicating that he hadn't known about this beforehand. How exactly did the HR department conduct their background check? They unearthed such a huge bombshell and now they have to treat him like a saint.
Peng Ran was furious. "President Yang, this is a serious breach of contract! We must hold her accountable! Our leading lady is married, and Chaoxing's resources are all being poured into her..."
Suddenly, Yang Qing interrupted her, his tone unbelievably calm: "Peng Ran, do you know who you're working for?"
Peng Ran paused in surprise, not expecting Yang Qing to doubt her sense of responsibility: "President Yang, I am absolutely devoted to Chaoxing, but this..."
Yang Qing's deep voice pierced through, almost every word catching Peng Ran off guard: "Without her, there would be no Chaoxing; without Chaoxing, you wouldn't have this job. Do you understand what I mean?"
The work in the photography studio was proceeding smoothly, while the company group chat had already exploded with activity.
Married?! What did I just hear? Could it be related to yesterday's proposal?
Could yesterday's commotion be related to handmade wedding rings?
[A top female celebrity's wedding ring is silver; isn't that a bit tacky? She's probably a bit too love-struck.]
[Forget about "public relations" or not, the key point is that she's married, okay? If this gets out, what will happen to public opinion?]
Am I the only one curious about what her husband looks like?
Yang Qing asked Chen Wang to keep an eye on the group chat activity while he edited a text message to report the news that "the wife has revealed that she is married."
Less than ten minutes after the message was sent, Wen Qi arrived at his office and the first thing he said was, "It's open."
Yang Qing: "......"
He hasn't yet realized that his wife is love-struck, but the fact that she managed to sneak out of the new energy investment conference definitely confirms that she is.
Yang Qing had intended to use phrases like "a long-time employee" and "even if he hasn't made any great contributions, he has still put in a lot of effort" to persuade Wen Qi, but seeing Wen Qi's expression, he told the truth: "I'm afraid that firing him now would be bad for my wife."
Wen Qi frowned and compromised: "Transfer to another position."
"Received. I have also notified the other senior executives. This news will not be leaked out of Chaoxing for the time being."
After Yang Qing finished speaking, seeing that Wen Qi did not intend to sit down, he added, "Madam is in the conference room on the eighth floor."
[I think I just saw the big boss come by? He seems to be heading up to the eighth floor now.]
[He's barely shown up in the three years since the business opened, but he's been coming every few days since he signed Zhu Qingzhi. There's something fishy going on here.]
[I already knew! But Zhu Qingzhi is married, she can't really be the boss's wife, can she?]
Didn't the big boss go to the eighth floor? Did the two meet? Does anyone have any firsthand information?
Zhu Qingzhi, who was lurking and watching the screen, saw this message, turned off her phone, and leaned back in her chair.
The executives exchanged bewildered glances. They had convened an emergency meeting to investigate Zhu Qingzhi's responsibility for concealing her marital status. No sooner had everyone arrived than the tea in the meeting room wasn't even fully served, and they began receiving messages from Yang Qing.
The woman in front of them was the boss's wife, the proprietress of Chaoxing. How could they hold her accountable? So, they were momentarily at a loss.
Director Xu from the planning department spoke up: "Madam, would you like to attend to something else?"
"Didn't you call me about something? About the background check? Director Liu from HR isn't here? I mentioned it to him before."
Background check? Who would dare bring up a background check now? And Liu Ming made excuses for not participating, so it seems he already knew about it.
"No, no, it's all a misunderstanding," Director Xu laughed it off. "We won't take up any more of your precious time, Madam."
He was packing his things as he spoke, and the others followed suit. When he finished speaking, they all disappeared.
Zhu Qingzhi raised an eyebrow. There were over 99 unread messages on her phone, most of which were from Wen Qi. She didn't open them, but instead replied to other people's messages.
Dani saw it too, but judging from her normal expression and her behavior just now, it didn't seem like they had a fight. She glanced at her watch and was about to ask Zhu Qingzhi if she wanted to go home when the meeting room door was pushed open.
"Oh, she should go by herself," Dani smiled and nodded as she said goodbye to Wen Qi.
The huge conference room was now empty except for the two of them.
Wen Qi walked over to her, pressed down on her chair to turn her around and face him: "Have you been wronged?"
Zhu Qingzhi replied to his message but ignored him.
Wen Qi squatted down and looked up at her: "Are you angry?"
Zhu Qingzhi still didn't look at him, stubbornly saying, "No."
"You only come to Yang Qing when something happens, and you call that not being angry?" Wen Qi sighed and pressed her hand down. "Can I talk less from now on?"
"No." Zhu Qingzhi slowly withdrew her hand, looked at him and said, word by word, "Just don't spread rumors."
She has a quick temper, but it also subsides quickly. Besides, today she was mainly embarrassed, not angry.
He's spreading rumors? What rumors has he spread? But it's inappropriate to keep dwelling on this now. Besides, if we put it into practice again, Zhu Qingzhi will know whether he's spreading rumors or not.
"Okay, I won't spread rumors anymore." He nodded in assurance, reached out and pinched her angry cheek, then suddenly said, "I need your help with something. Give me an invitation from Katrina."
Zhu Qingzhi, who had originally intended to continue acting, was utterly shocked by these words. Damn it, Ji Cen had just taken the remaining two cards.
"Oh, sure, I'll give it to you tomorrow. Is one enough? Do you want me to give you a few more?" Zhu Qingzhi relied entirely on her acting skills to keep up the act. "I'll tell Dani."
She leaned back, openly pulling out her phone to secretly chat with Dani: [SOS! I need an invitation from Katrina immediately!!!]
Someone previously said they wouldn't use six cards. Anyone else want them? I'll try to negotiate, but it might not be in time.
[Wen Qi (crying face).]
【......?】【You're really something!】【I'll definitely get it done for you!】
Zhu Qingzhi put away her phone and said seriously, "I'll give it to you tomorrow morning."
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Author's Note: Kiyoshi: [Cracked open]
Wen Qi: [Poor thing]
Ah Mei: I forgot to schedule the sending... [Cracking][Cracking][Cracking]
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