Ye Zhongjue lowered his eyes. It was difficult to know what he was thinking.
Lin Ran lamented inwardly. My god! His mood is really bad.
After a while, Ye Zhongjue finally looked up. His expression was still grim. He would probably never lay eyes on his entertainment company if it was not for Mo Suqing, he thought.
âTell Linda to make Guan Zixuan explain to the press that it is all but a mistake. If he doesnât do as told, blacklist him!â Ye Zhongjue said in a chilling voice.
Lin Ran was aghast. He had just blurted out âBig Broâ¦â before he realized he had said the wrong word.
It was a taboo to call Ye Zhongjue âBig Broâ in the company.
He quickly corrected himself and said, âBoss! Guan Zixuan is the reputation of our entertainment company, an internationally-acclaimed actor! We canât afford to blacklist him!â
Ye Zhongjue snapped his head up and gave Lin Ran a hard look. Lin Ran shut his mouth in apprehension.
âWhy not? I donât believe an entertainment company under Mighty Empire wonât survive without him!â
Ye Zhongjueâs face was steely when he said coldly, âEven if it wonât survive, I will blacklist him if needed!â
Lin Ran begged fearfully, âBoss, everything is going to be fine! Linda and Guan Zixuan are wise people. Iâm sure theyâll do whatever you ask them to. We donât have to take extreme measures!â
âGive me the newspaper!â Ye Zhongjue said sternly.
Lin Ran quickly handed the paper to him. No sooner did Ye Zhongjue cast his glance at the picture than the temperature plummeted further in his immediate proximity.
Lin Ran was wailing inwardly now. He desperately needed to tell Linda to stop Guan Zixuanâs unbridled behavior. Otherwise, he could get into serious trouble if Ye Zhongjue decided he was pissed.
âAnyway, suppress the news so that it wonât spread further.â
Ye Zhongjue said, throwing the paper away.
Lin Ran nodded yes and left the office as quickly as possible. Dealing with a raging Ye Zhongjue had always been no easy task. He did not want to be a victim of his if he could help it.
â¦â¦
Guan Zixuanâs face darkened when he received the order.
In Mighty Empire, he was the only actor who had made his way into Hollywood. He couldnât believe the head would give him such an order.
Linda, seeing that the prince was getting upset, quickly said, âI think you already know that this morning, Mo Suqing warned the gossip journalists to stay away from her or she would call the police and sue them. She is not a celebrity and you really donât have to do this to her. The superior gave you the order for your own interest, you know. After all, although setting yourself up in a scandal with a gossip journalist makes you feel better, it isnât good for your reputation. I think you should step forward and clarify things up.â
Out of the blue, an image of Mo Suqingâs calm pretty face popped into Guan Zixuanâs mind.
He admitted that the woman was prettier than most female celebrities in the entertainment industry. The most unforgettable trait would be her?calm attitude. He didnât believe there was another woman who could ask him to buy sanitary napkins for her with her composure like the other day in the airport.
Nevertheless, he could not have just let her go when she had lied to him and published the picture of his.
Thinking of her injured arm from yesterday, Guan Zixuan turned his head away uneasily.
âFine. Hold a press conference. Iâll clear things up.â
Relief washed over Linda. She had feared the prince would not accept it, putting her in a quandary.
In the afternoon when it was about time to get off work, Mo Suqing saw the news about Guan Zixuanâs press conference where he told the public he did not like the gossip journalist from yesterday and that he hoped they could stop making wild guesses, lest the girl he liked should have the wrong idea.
The incident thus reached a not-entirely-happy ending.
However, Mo Suqing still felt relieved, given that the situation had not worsened. Hopefully, Ye Zhongjue didn't find out.
After work, Leng Xiyao and Mo Suqing left the building together.
She teased Mo Suqing, âAre you sure you donât want to give Zhang Yubin a chance? He was quite a man today, wasnât he? And so protective of you, too! You have no idea what those people said aboutâ¦â
Leng Xiyao stopped short, as if remembering something. She laughed nervously, turned her head away, and did not continue.
This piqued Mo Suqingâs curiosity. âWhat are you talking about? Iâm married and you know it. And what did they say about me? Why did you stop talking? Are you afraid I might take revenge on them?â
Leng Xiyao smiled embarrassedly. âThatâs not it. My Suqing would never do something like that!â
âBut I will,â Mo Suqing said expressionlessly.
Leng Xiyao looked at her closely. âNo, you are messing with me.â
âWhy would I mess with you? Itâs no fun!â
Leng Xiyao shrugged. Yeah, this is not funny.
She pursed her lips and conceded. âWell, it was nothing, really. That gossip monger Bai Tingnan said that you, a married woman, did not care about your reputation and was being fickle and unfaithful, so I slapped her and almost got into a fight with her.â
Mo Suqingâs expressionless face wavered. She turned toward Leng Xiyao and asked, âWhat? Are you alright? You didnât get the short end of the stick, did you?â
Leng Xiyao patted her chest, laughing. âCome on! Leng Xiyao never gets the short end of the stick! Besides, Zhang Yubin showed up and held back that crazy woman, so I slipped away.â
Leng Xiyao grinned triumphantly. Mo Suqing shook her head; the lass always risked herself standing up for her. Come to think of it, she remembered now that she had noticed some swelling on Bai Tingnanâs cheek earlier. That explained it.
Leng Xiyao elbowed her and asked in a low voice, âSuqing, has Ye Zhongjue called?â
Mo Suqing replied, âHe is always busy working, I donât think he has any idea about it. He is not interested in the world of celebrities, either.â
Leng Xiyao rolled her eyes this way and that and then shook her head with her lips pursed.
âNah, I still think he knows. The news was all over the city. Everyone knows by now. It is unlikely he hasnât got any wind of it.â
âA person aloof and distant like him does not pay attention to these things, usually. Even if every single person in A?City?will come to know about it, he will be the last one.â
Thinking of Ye Zhongjueâs poker face, Leng Xiyao shivered. Maybe Suqing is right. He truly doesnât?seem?like someone who would notice these things.
She looked at Mo Suqing. âSo you are not going to tell him?â
âWhy should I when he doesnât even know?â Mo Suqing glanced at her in puzzlement.
âBut,â she added, âof course I will tell him if he asks.â
Leng Xiyao looked at the woman who was utterly unruffled and shook her head. Alright then! You blew me away!
Ye Zhongjue came to pick her up later than usual.
Just when he had parked his car across from the magazine headquarters, he saw a man pull Mo Suqing by the arm, obviously trying to give her a ride in his car.
His face darkened. It was the latest BMW.
He was a distance away, so he couldnât hear what they were talking about. He only saw that Mo Suqing kept talking and the man kept pulling her toward the car, a courteous smile on his face.
It was difficult to hurt someone who was being nice. Besides, Zhang Yubin did help her a lot today. Mo Suqing felt rather apologetic for him.
He had said he would like to take her to dinner, but she told him she was waiting for her husband. Zhang Yubin did not believe her; he thought she was lying. Now, he was pulling her toward his car.
Mo Suqing looked up and saw the man across the street.
Ye Zhongjue looked even more handsome, taller and fitter in a black suit.
He watched Mo Suqing and Zhang Yubin without any expression while walking straight toward them.
Mo Suqing felt somewhat guilty and pushed Zhang Yubin away, as if trying not?to?arouse Ye Zhongjueâs suspicion.
Zhang Yubin did not know why she suddenly and frantically brushed his hand away. He looked at her in bewilderment and saw that she was fixing her eyes elsewhere.
He looked to the direction where her gaze turned to and saw a man coming toward them.
He had to admit he felt dwarfed beside this man.
His gait was unhurried, his expression unruffled. It was as if nothing could possibly shake him.
Whatâs more, his appearance was strikingly handsome. The suit totally matched his perfect body. His whole person emanated coldness, elegance and aloofness. It was impossible not to notice him.
Zhang Yubin had never seen Ye Zhongjue before. Last time when he saw him drop Mo Suqing off in front of the company, he only saw his car.
Therefore, he thought Mo Suqing was just gazing at a random man who was very good-looking.
Everyone loved beautiful things. He understood why Mo Suqing could not take her eyes off the man; he was outstanding in regard to physical appearance.
He grabbed Mo Suqingâs arm again and said, âStop looking! He is just a handsome stranger. Come on, have dinner with me today, okay?â
Little did he expect that Mo Suqing would toss his hand away fiercely and walk a few steps away from him, as if he had contracted some kind of infectious disease.
Zhang Yubin was baffled.
Then, a voice that chilled him to the bone said, âLet go of her!â
His tone was dictatorial and cold, daring anyone to refute.
Zhang Yubin turned his eyes to Ye Zhongjueâs direction again.
Ye Zhongjue had stridden over and blocked Mo Suqing from Zhang Yubin with his hand. Now, he was glaring at him.
If a look could kill, Zhang Yubin?would have?probably died?countless?times, Mo Suqing thought.
She hastened to explain, âHe is my colleague! He helped me a lot today, actually. He was just inviting me to dinner. I said I was waiting for you, but he thought I was kidding.â
Ye Zhongjue kept glaring at Zhang Yubin without softening.
He was familiar with that look Zhang Yubin was giving Mo Suqing. It was zealous admiration, ardent love, hidden passion.
As a man, he could see it very clearly.