Chapter 353: The Heartache Was Greater Than The Headache
Now that Xia Jiang had made his stand, no one could defame Su Yan on this matter. After all, Xia Jiang, a big shot in the business world, had to applaud his son for being able to woo Su Yan. This was enough to prove that Su Yan was a very outstanding woman. She was a woman that even wealthy families would fight over.
Of course, Xia Jiang's words made some people happy, and also made some people depressed. Originally, Chu Beibei had already found a few big marketing accounts and was ready to defame Su Yan, but after seeing Xia Jiang's speech, she immediately had people cancel it. Even though the Chu family was very powerful, it still depended on who they were compared to. The Xia family wasn't people the Chu family could offend. The two families were on completely different levels.
... ..
Excellent Era Corporation's CEO's office.
Secretary Li Rong stood in front of her desk with her head lowered. She held her breath. Wei Zhou, who was sitting in the boss's chair, was emitting a terrifying chill. When he woke up this morning, the entire internet was filled with the scenes of him and Xia Zijian arguing at the banquet. When Xia Zijian actually admitted that he liked Su Yan, Wei Zhou felt dejected.
He, as the CEO, felt dejected. Li Rong, who was the secretary, was no better. She was supposed to sleep last night, but just as she lay in bed, someone called her and told her to look at a trending search. Then, she started looking for people to delete trending search. However, no matter how many times she deleted it, there would be more new posts about Wei Zhou that would appear on the trending searches. The online comments became one-sided after Xia Jiang also expressed his stance. Everyone sympathized with and supported Su Yan while praising the father and son of the Xia family, then started to scold Wei Zhou, the ex-husband.
What gave Li Rong the biggest headache was that Xia Jiang's words seemed to have confirmed Su Yan's relationship with Xia Zijian. It even gave people the illusion that Su Yan was the Xia family's "soon-to-be daughter-in-law." At least half of the netizens expressed that they were optimistic about Xia Zijian and Su Yan. They were a perfect couple, and they would definitely be happy together.
During this period of time, Wei Zhou had put in a lot of effort to win back Su Yan. He had even pushed a lot of his work to the back. He even left his family to accompany Su Yan in Feng City during the New Year. Li Rong had witnessed all of this with her own eyes. Li Rong felt incredulous when she saw the scene of Su Yan reprimanding Wei Zhou in the online video. Was this still the Su Yan she knew? However, she felt even more pity for her boss!
It had been two hours since she came in to report on her work. However, Wei Zhou sat in his chair and didn't say a word. He only watched the online video over and over again. Li Rong secretly rejoiced. Fortunately, she had gone to the bathroom before she came in. Otherwise, she would have been suffocated. The entire office was like an ice cellar. It was cold and depressing at the same time. It was very compatible with the weather outside.
"When did Xia Zijian and Su Yan meet?" Suddenly, Wei Zhou, who looked like a statue, moved. His eyes stared at Li Rong.
This question was a little personal. Li Rong glanced at Wei Zhou and her heart suddenly skipped a beat. "I will arrange for someone to investigate it now."
In fact, when he bumped into Xia Zijian and Su Yan on the street, Wei Zhou had ordered Li Rong to investigate it once. It was just that Li Rong had too much work and was too heavy, causing her to neglect this matter. Now that she was suddenly asked about it, it made her heart skip a beat. As a secretary, this was her negligence. She thought that Wei Zhou would scold her because of this matter, but Wei Zhou didn't say anything. He just waved his hand to signal for her to leave.
Li Rong secretly heaved a sigh of relief. She was so touched that she was about to cry. It was unbelievable that she wasn't reprimanded. She immediately left, as if she had been pardoned.
Seeing Li Rong leave, Wei Zhou retracted his gaze. If he remembered correctly, this was the first time that Li Rong had made a mistake as a secretary. He naturally wouldn't blame her. After all, it was human nature. Listening to the interview about Xia Jiang on the tablet, Wei Zhou focused his attention on this. Seeing Xia Jiang smile slyly, Wei Zhou knew that Xia Jiang wasn't joking.
Excellent Era Corporation and North Stream Real Estate Group were both top 100 companies in the country. The two companies had worked together several times in the past few years. North Stream Real Estate Group had built quite a number of dormitories and a large industrial park for Excellent Era Corporation. For such a large project, naturally, he and Xia Jiang had to meet and talk. The two of them had even had dinner together. Wei Zhou knew this, so he knew about Xia Jiang's temper quite clearly.
He had insomnia last night, so his head was hurting right now. But when he thought about Su Yan's attitude at the banquet yesterday, he felt like his heart was hurting even more than his head. Su Yan's calm and cold gaze made him feel like he was suffocating.
Chapter 354: Counter Every Move
The more Wei Zhou thought about Su Yan's indifferent gaze, the more his heart ached. He even felt a sense of despair. He had confessed to Su Yan in front of so many people last night, but she had remained indifferent to him. Not only was she not touched at all, instead, she had expressed her impatience to him. He felt as if he was really going to lose Su Yan.
The phone on the table vibrated. Wei Zhou took a look and his expression immediately turned cold. The call was from Mrs. Wei, Zhong Cuiping. He didn't need to ask to know what the other party wanted to say.
..
Floral Villa.
After lunch, Su Yan lay on the bed and prepared to take a nap. However, Xia Zijian called her. Su Yan picked up the phone. "Young Master Xia?"
Xia Zijian's voice sounded, "You saw the trending search, right?"
Su Yan said, "Yes, I've troubled you, Young Master Xia."
Xia Zijian smiled and said, "It's not troublesome at all. I just told my dad to speak up for you. No one expected him to say that. Now that this matter has gone viral and has exceeded expectations, my dad felt that it was a little inappropriate. He accidentally caused this matter, so he wanted me to treat you to a meal as an apology."
Su Yan smiled and said, "There's no need to treat me to a meal. Help me tell President Xia that these matters have no effect on me. Tell him not to worry too much and do whatever he wants on the internet. It doesn't have any effect on me anyway."
It was just momentary. Anyway, most of the comments were positive towards her. Seeing that Su Yan was in a pretty good mood, Xia Zijian said, "That won't do. My dad has given the order. I don't dare to disobey him. When you have time, feel free to tell me what you want to eat."
Su Yan said in a low voice, "Young Master Xia, I appreciate your and President Xia's kind intentions, but I really can't dine with you. We've just been on the trending search together. If we eat together at this juncture, what if we reappear on the trending search?"
Xia Zijian said straightforwardly, "Don't you want to anger Wei Zhou?"
Hearing this, Su Yan was amused. She felt that Xia Zijian was really like a child. "Young Master Xia, you've misunderstood. Wei Zhou and I broke up peacefully. There's no resentment between us, so I don't need to anger him, because there's no point in doing that."
If she had to admit it, then there was only unwillingness and helplessness in her heart. Three years of marriage was so peaceful that it was like the surface of a still lake without the slightest ripple. She and Wei Zhou hadn't even had a proper fight. The one who couldn't let go of this relationship was the real loser. She had been the loser for three years and now, she wanted to be the winner. Therefore, she moved on from this relationship from the bottom of her heart. The one who had been pestering her was always Wei Zhou.
"If that's the case, then I respect your choice. But my dad really seems to admire you. It's his birthday next week. I wonder if he can have the honor to invite you to Hong Kong to attend? If my dad sees you, he will definitely be very happy. President Su, would you be willing to give him this honor?" Xia Zijian tried again and again. It seemed that he wouldn't stop until Su Yan relented.
"President Xia's birthday?" Su Yan raised her eyebrows.
"That's right. It happens to be his sixty-sixth birthday. A person can only celebrate it once in their lifetime," Xia Zijian replied.
"No problem. Since President Xia is celebrating his birthday, I will go." Su Yan thought for a moment and finally agreed. She had no choice but to agree. Xia Jiang was celebrating his sixty-sixth birthday, and Xia Zijian had already said so. If she didn't go, it would be too disrespectful.
"Then it's a deal. I'll get someone to book the tickets in a while." Xia Zijian was obviously much happier.
"Young Master Xia, there's no need. I can..." before Su Yan could finish her sentence, Xia Zijian interrupted her.
"You don't have to be so polite. I want to buy the tickets anyway. Why don't we book them together? Alright, I won't bother you with anything else. Bye!" After saying that, Xia Zijian hung up the phone without any hesitation.
Looking at the phone screen, Su Yan didn't know how to react. As a person who started from scratch, she had experienced countless things and seen countless people. People like Wei Zhou were cold and aloof, and people like Xia Jiang were sly foxes. She could deal with any kind of person, but she was inexperienced with people like Xia Zijian, who didn't follow the normal routine. Since she knew that Xia Zijian had a good impression of her, she felt as if all her resistance had become pointless. No matter what method she used, Xia Zijian would be able to counter every move.
..
On this day, Tang Yitong returned by plane. The drizzle that had been falling for four consecutive days finally stopped. The clear and refreshing air after the rain made her mood better.
Chapter 355: Empathy
At the exit of the airport, Su Yan saw Tang Yitong from afar. Although Tang Yitong had wrapped herself up tightly, Su Yan still managed to spot her with just a glance.
Tang Yitong ran all the way into Su Yan's arms and said excitedly, "I've missed you to death."
Su Yan was almost knocked down by her. She forced herself to hug her and said with a smile, "I wish you a happy wrap up. This drama has become a big hit."
After saying that, she took out the gift that she had prepared. "This is a gift that I specially prepared for you. It's a reward for your hard work."
Seeing that there was a gift, Tang Yitong was overjoyed. "That's great! There's actually a gift. As expected, Little Yan Yan dotes on me the most. Quick, let me give you a kiss."
Su Yan used her hand to cover Tang Yitong's pink lips. "Go, go, go. I'm not gay."
..
At the True Dragon Barbecue restaurant.
After leaving the airport, Su Yan and Tang Yitong came here to eat. It wasn't to deliberately torture Tang Yitong, but Su Yan had been craving for barbecue recently. Today, she happened to come. Because the food on set was too good, Tang Yitong seemed to have gained two kilograms recently. She was even reprimanded by her manager, Shen Ling, and was ordered not to eat any meat for half a month.
Looking at Su Yan and Shen Ling each carrying three plates of meat, Tang Yitong said pitifully, "Yan Yan..."
Su Yan glanced at her, picked up the barbecue tongs and a plate of meat, and handed it to her. Tang Yitong's eyes immediately lit up, and her saliva almost flowed out. "Haha, you're the best. Don't worry, I'll only eat three pieces of meat."
Before she finished speaking, Su Yan said, "Who let you eat meat? I asked you to help me and Sister Ling roast meat. Anyway, you won't eat it, so you have nothing to do."
Tang Yitong was speechless.
Her eyes rolled. She stretched out three fingers and continued to pretend to be pitiful. "One piece of meat, just one piece, okay?"
Su Yan snorted. "Don't think about it. You can't eat anyone."
Tang Yitong pouted and said with a wronged expression, "Hmph, you two are too bad. It's fine if you don't let them eat, but you even make me serve you. I don't want to talk to you anymore."
After saying this, she looked at Su Yan and said, "I suddenly feel that I'm in the same boat as Wei Zhou."
Su Yan raised her eyebrows. Tang Yitong's words reminded her of Wei Zhou. Ever since the incident at the banquet, they hadn't seen each other for six days. It seemed that the man had been hurt quite badly by her last time. However, this man was really too fragile. He couldn't even bear such a small grievance?
"Have you thought it through? Do you want us to hurt each other?" Su Yan curled the corners of her lips and asked with a dangerous look.
Tang Yitong was intimidated by the look, so she quickly admitted her mistake. "It's my fault. About that, I'm going to the bathroom. You can just order a fruit salad for me. Since I'm a celebrity, I don't deserve to eat such delicious roasted meat."
Seeing her unhappy expression, Su Yan burst into laughter. She felt that with this clown by her side, her mood would improve. However, when she saw her smile, Tang Yitong was so angry that she pouted. "Not letting me eat meat is too outrageous. It's simply inhumane!"
Just as Su Yan started eating, Lan Jian, who had disappeared for a few days, actually came to eat here. Even Lan Jian himself didn't expect that he would meet Tang Yitong, the starlet who was popular all over the country and was Su Yan's best friend, just by randomly finding a barbecue shop by the roadside to satisfy his craving.
Initially, he didn't want to cause any unnecessary trouble. He only wanted to quietly accompany Wei Zhou to have a meal and console him. However, after thinking for a moment, he still walked over to Tang Yitong. Ever since he was reprimanded by Su Yan at the banquet, Wei Zhou had changed. His condition was really terrible. However, after coaxing for an entire morning, he finally managed to drag Wei Zhou out of the office with much difficulty. At this moment, Wei Zhou was sitting in the car smoking while he came in to order dishes. Now that he saw Tang Yitong, he guessed that Su Yan might also be there. He thought about whether he should let Wei Zhou meet Su Yan. With Wei Zhou's current condition, Su Yan was probably the only one who could make him "come back to life."
Lan Jian secretly followed behind Tang Yitong. Although this was a little perverted, for the sake of his buddy, even if he was misunderstood as a pervert or a stalker, he would still endure it. There was no other way. It was his fault for not having other abilities but being loyal!
Tang Yitong's footsteps were very fast. In the blink of an eye, she went up to the second floor from the first floor. After years of being followed and secretly photographed by the paparazzi, her sixth sense was very strong. As long as someone came from behind and approached a certain area, or if someone was secretly watching her, she would be able to detect it.
Chapter 356: Perverted Stalker?
In fact, after she came out of the bathroom, she had already noticed that someone was secretly watching her. At first, she thought that some fan had recognized her, so she hurried back to the second floor. However, after walking for a while, she felt that she was being followed again, which made her vigilant. She turned around, but she didn't see anyone following her.
Recently, the outside world hadn't been very peaceful. When she was filming at the film and television base, she had heard from her colleagues that there were many bad people in society who specialized in stalking, kidnapping, robbery, and extortion. The more Tang Yitong thought about it, the more afraid she became. Thus, she ran up to the second floor.
Seeing her flustered appearance, Su Yan asked, "Look at you. You act crazy when you smell like roasted meat. It's useless even if you run back. Don't even think about eating a piece."
Tang Yitong picked up the water on the table and took a sip. "I, I think I was followed. I felt someone following me when I went to the bathroom just now, but I never found out who it was. When I was filming, the crew told me that there are people in society who specialize in stalking and extortion."
Hearing this, Lan Jian, who was about to knock on the door, was speechless. What the was going on? Didn't he just come over to say hello? How did it become stalking and extortion?
The three women in the room were already nervous about Tang Yitong being stalked, but the sudden knock on the door gave Tang Yitong and Shen Ling a shock, especially Tang Yitong, who threw herself into Su Yan's arms. Su Yan was completely speechless when she saw her best friend in her arms. Why was she cowardly at such a critical moment?
Su Yan and Shen Ling looked at each other and looked at the door. "Who is it?"
The door was pushed open a little and Lan Jian's smiling little face appeared. "Hehe, Su Yan, Miss Tang, what a coincidence. I didn't expect you guys to eat here too."
Su Yan was slightly stunned. She didn't expect it to be Lan Jian. She thought of Tang Yitong's words and Lan Jian's obnoxious and wretched look. Could it be that Lan Jian was that pervert who liked to follow and extort people?
Lan Jian walked into the room and smiled. "Hey, don't look at me like that. I only saw Miss Tang downstairs, so I guessed that you would be here, so I followed you here. I'm not some perverted stalker. Moreover, is there a need for me to do this?"
After he finished speaking, he sat down opposite Su Yan, which was beside Shen Ling. He even showed Shen Ling his white teeth. Shen Ling, on the other hand, rolled her eyes at him. What kind of person was this? Who asked him to come over and sit?
Tang Yitong was instantly emboldened. She got out of Su Yan's arms as she looked at Lan Jian angrily and said, "I knew it. I felt that someone had been following me. Why didn't you call me? Why did you have to follow me secretly? You're such a stalker. Young Master Lan, your hobby is really perverted!"
Lan Jian didn't respond to her, instead, he looked at Su Yan and said, "This barbeque shop seems to have just opened. Recently, many influencers have come here. I heard that the business is very popular. Unfortunately, when I arrived here, all the private rooms were occupied. I originally planned to change to another shop. I didn't expect to meet you here. We are old acquaintances. It's not a problem for us to eat together, right? Don't worry, I'll pay for this meal. Order whatever you want."
After saying that, he didn't care whether Su Yan and the other two agreed or not and directly pressed the service bell. Then, a female waitress walked in and asked, "May I know if you want to add more dishes?"
Lan Jian smiled and said, "Of course I want to add more dishes. But first, give us two more sets of cutlery and wine glasses. In a while, someone else will come to eat. Sorry for the trouble."
The waiter responded and quickly placed two sets of unopened cutlery on the table. Then, she recorded Lan Jian's order and left.
It was only then that Lan Jian looked at Su Yan and smiled. "I still have a friend coming later. Is that okay?"
Tang Yitong took advantage of the fact that Su Yan and Shen Ling weren't paying attention and stole a piece of roasted lean meat from Su Yan's plate and stuffed it into her mouth. While chewing, she chided, "Young Master Lan, why are you so thick-skinned? The three of us are having a good meal. Who allowed you to join in on the fun? Don't you feel like you're disturbing others? Also, we can still afford a meal, so there's no need for you to pay for it!"
Lan Jian rubbed his nose awkwardly, "Su Yan and I are good friends, so isn't it normal for good friends to eat together?"
Su Yan gave Tang Yitong a look and said generously, "Since Young Master Lan likes to eat with us, then let's eat together. There's no need to be petty."