Chapter 57

"Mr. Song, the weather is not great today. How about you come inside and sit for a while?"

The staff at the station had already recognized Song Chao's identity. Not wanting to disturb his confession, they hadn't arranged for anyone to greet him. However, seeing that he had been standing outside for an hour and the person he was confessing to still hadn't appeared, they decided to send someone to attend to him. The situation was awkward, so they needed to find a way to ease things for this important client.

"It's fine," Song Chao said with a gentle smile to the staff. "I'll wait for her here. It will show more sincerity."

The staff thought to themselves that if she were going to show up, she would have by now. But, in situations like this, it's important to play dumb. Since the person wasn't leaving, they wouldn't force the issue.

However, the staff couldn't help but wonder: which girl had the guts to remain unmoved in the face of Song Chao, such an influential figure, and his confession?

Lost in thought, they accidentally bumped into a colleague coming towards them. "Sorry."

"No problem."

The voice was pleasant—was it a host from the station? The staff looked up, only catching a glimpse of the woman's back. As the woman moved closer to Song Chao, their eyes suddenly widened. Could this be the person Song Chao was confessing to?

"You finally came down to see me," Song Chao pulled out a blue velvet box, opened it, and presented it to Yan Xi. "This necklace was specially designed for you by a designer. I hope you like it."

The perfectly cut ruby on the necklace caused a stir among the onlookers. Such a large gemstone, how much must it be worth?

"I appreciate your affection, Mr. Song," Yan Xi took a step back, her face full of anger at being disturbed and offended. "But I've already told you, I have a boyfriend. Please stop bothering me. These flowers and the beautiful gemstone are just material things. Please respect me, and respect my boyfriend."

Aren't you good at pretending to be deeply in love?

Let's see who can act better without embarrassing themselves.

As expected, as soon as Yan Xi spoke these words, the expressions of the onlookers changed. It turned out the rich guy wanted to steal someone else's girlfriend, no matter how sincere his gestures seemed, he was just the "third party."

No wonder the girl didn't want to come downstairs. Who would want to be bothered like this?

Song Chao had expected Yan Xi to reject him, but he didn't expect her not only to refuse but also to say such things. When had she told him she had a boyfriend?

"Mr. Song, you have wealth and status, but that doesn't mean every woman in the world will fall for you," she pointed at the flowers scattered on the ground. "By laying out so many flowers and attracting so many people, are you trying to make people think I'm ungrateful or cold-hearted?"

"Miss Yan, I just like you..."

"I appreciate your feelings, but I must emphasize again, I really have a boyfriend. Please don't disturb my life anymore," Yan Xi took a few more steps back. "Sorry, I can't accept your confession. Please understand."

"Also, please take these flowers away. The cleaners have a hard job. Don't make it harder for them."

At this moment, the comments on the live stream were flooding in. Netizens were reacting strongly, and discussions on Weibo had also heated up.

Netizen 1: "I don't know why, but I suddenly feel so relieved, hahahaha!"

Netizen 2: "I bet the rich, handsome guy's heart is shattered now..."

Netizen 3: "Isn't the point that the girl has a boyfriend? A rich man trying to be the third party is still the third party. Well done rejecting him!"

Netizen 4: "Hahahaha, I think the highlight is when the girl emphasized telling the confessing guy to clean up the roses. That was such a genius line. I'm kind of in love with her."

Netizen 5: "I think she'll regret it. Love can't be eaten like food, and affection can't quench your thirst. Ten or twenty years from now, when she's worrying about mortgage and car loans, I wonder how she'll feel when she thinks back to today?"

Netizen 6: "Some netizens are just meddling. This girl is a host at the Imperial TV station. The dress and shoes she's wearing are from the latest high-end brands, and the watch on her wrist could buy half a house in the capital. I have relatives who work at Imperial TV, and they say she's a nice person and even a second-generation rich kid. She doesn't need to sacrifice herself for a man she doesn't like. Plus, maybe her boyfriend is just as impressive as this confessing guy, maybe even more so. Stop worrying about her!"

Netizen 7: "So in the end, it's all about money. Otherwise, even rejecting a rich third party would be mocked by some netizens."

The online discussions were of little concern to the people involved. Song Chao wasn't stupid. He quickly realized that Yan Xi was deliberately trying to embarrass him by saying she had a boyfriend and asking him not to disturb her anymore.

"Sorry, Miss Yan, I've never seen any close male friends around you. I thought this was just an excuse to reject me," Song Chao closed the velvet box. "Although you don't like me, this necklace was specially made for you. I hope you'll accept it."

"Sorry, I don't want to accept a gift that might make my boyfriend misunderstand," Yan Xi, looking every bit the perfect girlfriend who cared deeply for her boyfriend, said. "Please take it back."

Refusing someone's confession and accepting their gift would either be greedy or foolish—she wasn't going to do that.

Song Chao gave a bitter smile. "You're not even willing to leave me this little token of affection?"

Yan Xi felt like Song Chao had switched from a palace drama to a melodrama. Although her face matched the role of the melodrama heroine, she really didn't enjoy melodramas at all, okay?

"What relationship do you have with my girlfriend?"

As soon as the crowd heard this, they knew the drama was reaching its peak. Phones were raised, and everyone turned to look at the man in the neatly tied suit and tidy hair, clearly not someone to mess with.

"I heard Mr. Song is confessing to my girlfriend?" Yuan Yi walked over to Yan Xi, pulling her behind him and emphasizing "my girlfriend."

The onlookers: Let the fight begin!

"Mr. Song is really something, he's seen me with Xiao Xi countless times, but he says he's never seen any close male friends around her," Yuan Yi sneered. "Now you want to be the third party, and you're this shameless?"

Yan Xi whispered in Yuan Yi's ear, "How did you know he said that?"

"Someone's live streaming online. I saw it from the car," Yuan Yi gently placed his hand on her shoulder, leaning in to whisper in her ear. "You don't need to do anything, just cooperate with me, and I'll help you save face."

Yan Xi leaned even closer to Yuan Yi, like a frightened bird finally finding a strong tree to lean on.

Just a few minutes ago, she had used her acting skills to subtly mock Song Chao.

Before Song Chao came, he had specifically had people investigate. Yuan Yi and Yan Xi weren't in a romantic relationship, but Yuan Yi likely had feelings for her. If he couldn't have her, how could he let her live happily with another man? From what he knew about Yuan Yi, he was a bit of a chauvinist. The more the situation with Yan Xi escalated, the less Yuan Yi wanted anyone to know he had feelings for her.

But he hadn't expected Yuan Yi to step up at this point. Yuan Yi wasn't highly regarded in the Yuan family. If this incident got out, Yuan Yasen would only look down on him more. Could a woman really be more important than family wealth?

"Boss," a burly man in a black suit pushed through the crowd of onlookers and handed Yuan Yi a red velvet box.

Yuan Yi opened the box to reveal a diamond necklace. He put it around Yan Xi's neck and turned to Song Chao, saying, "Sorry, my Xiao Xi likes diamond necklaces."

The onlookers couldn't help but admire the dazzling diamond necklace on Yan Xi's neck. It was so big and sparkling—how much must it be worth?

Seeing that her boyfriend was just as rich, the onlookers were reassured.

Song Chao's smile remained, but his gaze became sharp as he looked at Yan Xi. He suddenly leaned in and whispered, "Yan Xi, I'll be waiting for the day you marry into a wealthy family."

Yan Xi blinked and showed a look of fear, appearing pitiful.

The onlookers didn't hear what Song Chao said, but seeing Yan Xi's expression of shock, they assumed he was threatening the poor girl after his confession was rejected. An elderly woman couldn't stand it and said, "Hey, young man, the girl doesn't like you. Why are you saying such harsh words? That's too much! We're in a law-abiding society now, not the old feudal days."

Once someone spoke up, others followed suit.

"Exactly, look how scared the girl looks. The couple has a good relationship, and you want to interfere—that's unreasonable!"

Song Chao glanced back at the person who spoke, an elderly man with graying hair.

"What are you staring at? Are you trying to hit an old man?" The elderly man was startled by Song Chao's sharp gaze and then raised his voice, "Young man, don't blame this old head for speaking harshly. Matters of the heart should be mutual, but you look so refined, yet you're hard to deal with. Want to hit an old man? Do you even know what it means to respect the elderly?"

Song Chao was taken aback, and in the eyes of others, he went from someone who was trying to be the third party in a love affair to a jerk who was ready to hit an elderly person after being scolded.

Song Chao: ...

Having been abroad for so long, Song Chao didn't know that in the imperial capital, these elderly people not only loved dancing in the square and watching the commotion, but they also had sharp eyes for spotting the truth, and a magical skill of making anyone who offended them regret it.

Society is the best teacher, and today, Song Chao was about to learn a meaningful lesson from society.

In the face of these passionate and justice-driven elderly people, identity, status, and wealth were nothing but clouds.

Song Chao's refined and handsome appearance was usually liked by older folks, but unfortunately, his opponent was Yan Xi, a woman who appeared pitiful and was particularly favored by the elderly. When the elderly saw Yan Xi's delicate and innocent look, they naturally took her side, as if she were their own little granddaughter.

In his life, Song Chao had never been surrounded by so many people gossiping about him. The elegant smile on his face almost disappeared as he turned and squeezed through the crowd to leave.

"Hey, young man, take your flowers away."

"Whoever pollutes it, whoever fixes it."

"Some young people nowadays really have no public morals."

As they muttered, the crowd bent down to pick up a few roses. Truth be told, the flowers were pretty, and they wouldn't mind taking them home and putting them in a vase.

Yuan Yi stood there, stunned, watching the situation unfold. He then turned to Yan Xi with a somewhat subtle expression, wondering if she was naturally liked by strangers, always finding people to stand up for her. Thinking back to his own experience of being lectured by strangers, he realized that the arm draped over Yan Xi's shoulder seemed even heavier than it appeared.

"Young man, treat your girlfriend well, she's a good woman."

"The little lady is sincere with you, don't let her down."

"Thank you, sir, ma'am, for the reminder. I'll treat her well and not let her suffer any grievances."

"Yes, she is the best and most beautiful in my heart."

"Alright then, take care."

Watching Yuan Yi promise a bunch of strangers with various commitments while bowing repeatedly, Yan Xi couldn't help but laugh. There was something irresistibly charming about him in that moment.

Unable to resist, she patted the back of his head. His hair wasn't as stiff as she imagined, but it was smooth and refreshing.

Noticing that the crowd hadn't dispersed yet, she grabbed Yuan Yi's hand and led him into the television station building.

In the lobby of the building, there were still people watching the commotion. When they saw Yan Xi pulling Yuan Yi in, they moved aside to give them space and watched as the two squeezed into the elevator. It wasn't until the elevator doors closed that they began gossiping.

"Still working this afternoon?" There were only the two of them in the elevator, and the quiet space made Yuan Yi feel a little uncomfortable. Looking at their hands intertwined, his ears turned red. "Maybe we shouldn't go, I'll take you out to eat to calm down."

"I'm just going upstairs to grab a bag and leave." Yan Xi smiled at Yuan Yi, "You looked so cool earlier, like a knight on horseback coming to rescue the queen."

"What nonsense, stop reading fairy tales," Yuan Yi scoffed, "Besides, it should be the princess waiting to be saved, with the prince coming on horseback."

Yan Xi giggled, not bothering to argue with him.

When the elevator arrived, as soon as they stepped out, a round of applause erupted.

"Teacher Yan, you turned him down beautifully just now."

"Teacher Yan, treat us, hiding your boyfriend for so long, that's not nice."

Chen Pei and others recognized Yuan Yi as the man who had arranged a luxury hospital room for Yan Xi after she was injured by a light, and had taken care of her. At that time, Yan Xi had said they were just friends. People thought it was strange, given how attentive a "friend" was, which didn't seem to follow the rules of opposite-sex friendships.

"Little Yan, introduce us to this handsome guy." Chen Pei joked when she heard Yan Xi was asking for leave, "If you don't introduce him properly, we won't let you leave."

Given how big the situation was today, after Yan Xi clarified her boyfriend's identity, the rumors would sound more acceptable. The TV station was crowded with people, and gossip could easily turn ugly, so it was better to clarify things upfront to avoid trouble.

Yan Xi nearly gave Chen Pei a hug—what a great assist!

"This is my boyfriend, Yuan Yi." Yan Xi didn't try to flaunt Yuan Yi's identity; she just wanted to keep him close to herself, not wanting to make his identity the center of attention.

"Hello," Yuan Yi pulled out a business card holder, took out a few cards, and handed them to those closer to him, like Chen Pei. "Xiao Xi often talks about you all, thanks for your help with her work."

"Mr. Yuan, you're too polite. Teacher Yan's show is very popular with the audience, and we've received a lot of praise from higher-ups thanks to her," Chen Pei said after reading the business card. She nearly thought she had misread it—Yuan Yi was the chairman of Hengtai Group and the manager of Changfeng Group, and he also had the same surname as the Yuan family. Could he be the second young master of the Yuan family?

No wonder the show "Things Around Me" had been trending since it aired; with such an impressive boyfriend, it was no surprise.

Yan Xi took out her bag, and she and Yuan Yi left, leaving a bunch of stunned colleagues behind.

"Director Chen, wasn't that Song Chao, the most outstanding young member of the Song family? Is Teacher Yan's boyfriend really the second young master of the Yuan family?"

"My gosh, even TV dramas wouldn't dare to write this. It really happened!"

"No wonder Teacher Yan never said she had a boyfriend. If I were her, I wouldn't tell anyone either."

"Give me your hand," Yuan Yi walked into the elevator, sneaking several glances at Yan Xi. Seeing that she was ignoring him, he extended his hand in front of her. "We're officially a couple now. There are people outside, so we should hold hands while walking. Otherwise, people will start to doubt us."

"Okay." Yan Xi looked at him with innocent, pure eyes and placed her hand in his palm.

Yuan Yi tightly wrapped her hand in his.

At that moment, someone online posted a thread titled: "Eighteen-line Host, Life is Not a Brain-Dead Soap Opera, Why the Effort to Hype Up a Confession?"