Huàzhēng was on the verge of tears when the Editor-in-Chief suddenly arrived in the main office area, followed by Chief Editor Yao and the Advertising Department Manager. The Editor-in-Chief had asked Emma to step out earlier, and they had stayed behind to discuss matters further.
At this moment, the Editor-in-Chief stopped and looked at everyone, saying, "I assume you all have heard about yesterday's incident."
This referred to the events that occurred during Emma's interview.
Everyone stopped their work and looked at the Editor-in-Chief, clearly indicating that there was a decision regarding the matter. Some also looked towards Emma, as most felt the outcome would not be positive.
"News workers are meant to convey truth and reality to the public. Our job has the power to guide society and have a significant impact on the entire nation. Since the Republic of China era, pioneers in the newspaper industry have inspired the country and the nation time and again."
Everyone listened in confusion, wondering what the Editor-in-Chief was getting at.
"But in today's society, where materialism runs rampant, many news workers only see the immediate benefits and do not consider their responsibilities and burdens. Emma is a newcomer, yet she was not afraid to stand up against interests, boldly exposing the scam and helping the innocent elderly."
"This kind of spirit is a model for our entire newspaper and an example for you all to learn from."
At this moment, the entire office area fell silent.
Then, applause came from somewhere, growing louder and louder until everyone in the office area stood up and clapped for Emma.
Emma smiled at everyone, nodding and bowing in response.
When she finished and stood still, she suddenly turned slightly towards Wen Tang beside her and whispered, "Deputy Group Leader Wen, it seems you don't need to organize a farewell dinner for me."
Wen Tang still looked incredulous.
Emma smiled faintly and looked straight at her, her voice very clear, "And from now on, you will have to learn from me."
After the Editor-in-Chief left, the office gradually quieted down, but many eyes still turned towards Emma.
Yesterday, when she was out and didn't return, the entire office had gone wild with discussion, as no one expected such a quiet-looking girl to actually fight.
Moreover, it happened at the interviewee's company, which must have driven the Advertising Department crazy.
Many people thought Emma wouldn't come out of this unscathed; even if she wasn't fired, she would definitely be disciplined.
Unexpectedly, the situation took a turn, with the Editor-in-Chief personally speaking for her and affirming that she upheld the integrity of being a media professional.
Huàzhēng was still in a state of disbelief, wondering where she was and what she had just heard.
When she came to her senses, she stammered, "Jing Xi, you're not fired?"
Emma, hearing her tone, laughed out loud and asked with amusement, "Are you disappointed?"
"Of course not, how could I be..." Huàzhēng quickly denied it. She covered her cheeks with both hands; her face was still burning hot.
This was just too exciting; one moment she thought Emma was really going to be fired, and the next, the Editor-in-Chief spoke, not only was Emma fine, but she was also praised in public, becoming a model for all the newspaper's journalists.
Huàzhēng patted her chest and said, "I was so worried, and you scared me."
"Alright, to make up for the hurt to your heart, I'll treat you to lunch," Emma said with a light smile, seeing her dramatic expression.
She knew Huàzhēng genuinely cared about her. Although it's often said that relationships among classmates are deeper than those among colleagues, when you meet someone who always cares about you, they become your friend.
Huàzhēng: "I want to eat Spicy Aroma Pot."
"Okay, Spicy Aroma Pot," Emma nodded agreeably.
It was shaping up to be a quiet morning, but around ten, Old Zhang unexpectedly brought someone over. He strode into the economics team's office area and cleared his throat: "I've got an announcement."
Emma was prepping a piece on a health supplement company, aiming to expose the scam rather than hype it up. It's a common tale these days: retirees spending their pensions on health products. Whether in newspapers or on the latest viral short videos, this issue is frequently covered.
She was frowning, listening to a recording from yesterday's interview. Jin Haiyang had a flair for the dramatic, but he wasn't exaggerating about the many elderly people who were practically bankrupt from buying his company's products.
At Old Zhang's shout, everyone looked up. First, they noticed the tall young man by his side. His height was impressive, but it was his face that really stood out—handsome and captivating.
He was dressed in a simple shirt and trousers, not particularly trendy, but neat and clean. His charm wasn't about his attire; it was his features and demeanor that made him undeniably good-looking.
"Wow, a hottie," Hu Zhen gasped, her eyes wide with admiration.
Emma, who had just raised her head, was also stunned. She hadn't expected to see Lin Qinglang again after yesterday.
Lin Qinglang stood beside Old Zhang, smiling as he met everyone's gazes. He had matured a lot and stood there, smiling, even as people scrutinized him. His smile faded when his eyes fell on the last person to look up.
Her face had been hidden behind her computer, partially obscured. When she lifted her head, her dark, large eyes were filled with surprise.
Lin Qinglang was just as surprised to see Emma again so easily. He had been considering asking a friend to help find her last night. Knowing she was in Shanghai, it should have been easy to find her.
But now, upon finding her, Lin Qinglang felt a sense of loss. He hadn't expected to see her again, and she was already married.
He couldn't help but stare at Emma, but she quickly averted her gaze to Old Zhang beside him.
Old Zhang cleared his throat again and said, "This is our new videography intern."
Without further ado, he turned to Lin Qinglang and said, "Introduce yourself to everyone."
"Hello everyone, I'm Lin Qinglang. I hope you'll all look out for me," he said. His good looks were disarming, the kind that naturally drew people in, especially when he smiled, exuding a sunny and energetic charm.
Everyone clapped in welcome.
"You're new here, so for now, you'll learn from our seasoned journalists," Old Zhang said, looking around.
Wen Tang casually played with his hair. Lin Qinglang's good looks were one thing, but his sharp eyes spotted the Breguet watch on Lin's wrist, worth no less than a million.
A young man casually wearing a million-dollar watch—saying he was a rich second-generation was an understatement. This had to be the confidence and wealth of a noble family's heir.
Wen Tang cleared his throat, about to speak, but Lin Qinglang turned to Old Zhang and asked, "Chief, can I work with Emma?"
This caught everyone off guard, their eyes scanning between the two like searchlights.
After a moment of surprise, Old Zhang asked, puzzled, "Do you know Jing Xi?"
"We're alumni, and she's my senior. I didn't expect to meet her here at our newspaper," Lin Qinglang said openly.
Emma was both annoyed and amused by his brazen lie; she and Lin Qinglang had never been alumni for even a day, yet he made it sound like the truth.
Old Zhang smiled and said, "You should learn from your senior; she's been praised by our editor-in-chief. Alright, you'll be with Jing Xi."
This version of the story has been adjusted to fit an American style, with more direct dialogue and a focus on individual actions and reactions, which is common in American storytelling.
There happened to be an empty seat next to Emma, so it was decided that Lin Qinglang would sit there.
However, there was no computer at the desk. Without troubling anyone else, Lin Qinglang asked where the logistics department was and went to pick up a computer himself.
Emma overheard and calmly stood up from her chair, "I'll show you the way."
She led Lin Qinglang to get a phone, but on their way out of the office area, Emma made a detour and took him to the small balcony of the newspaper office.
The space was open on all sides, and if anyone approached, she could see them immediately. It was also a place where they could talk without being overheard.
Lin Qinglang didn't ask any questions and followed her.
Once they stopped, he immediately raised his hands in a gesture of surrender and said, "I swear, I didn't know you worked here."
It was a real coincidence, an especially fortunate one.
Emma believed him because she saw the same surprise in his eyes when she looked up, and it wasn't faked.
But then he chuckled and said, "Professor, don't you think this is fate?"
Emma looked at him indifferently, but when she saw him winking at her desperately, she couldn't help but smile. Her usual calm demeanor softened instantly, and even though it was autumn, it felt like a warm breeze was brushing against her face.
"Professor, you should smile more. You have no idea how beautiful you are when you smile," Lin Qinglang said with a playful grin.
In reality, he was only a year younger than Emma. She had tutored him when she was a freshman, and he was a senior in high school. But growing up in a well-off family and being a late bloomer, he often gave off an immature vibe.
Emma coughed lightly and finally spoke, "The people at the newspaper don't know about my marriage, so you..."
She didn't finish, but the message was clear.
Lin Qinglang was taken aback. Honestly, he had seen that man yesterday and thought he looked familiar. It wasn't until his friend picked him up and they were on their way back that it hit him.
Jason, the CEO of Hengyia, was considered a model among the second generation. After all, he was the first among the second generation to take the helm of a giant like Hengyia at just over thirty.
Even the media didn't call him a second-generation; they called him the "Young Commander."
Lin Qinglang hadn't expected Emma's husband to be him, but the more he thought about it, the stranger it seemed because there had been no news about Jason being married.
Last night, while out with friends, Lin Qinglang had wondered if Emma was deceiving himself.
When Emma said this, his expression darkened.
Lin Qinglang frowned and said, "Professor, is it because Jason treats you badly, and his family doesn't allow you to reveal your marriage, right? That's why I haven't heard any news about the Hengyia CEO's marriage."
Lin Qinglang himself came from such a family and had seen many couples being torn apart by their parents' objections.
In an instant, he imagined the miserable life of a young bride in a wealthy family, not even allowed to reveal her marriage. Wasn't that bad enough?
Emma looked at his indignant expression, feeling both annoyed and amused.
She said softly, "It's not as complicated as you think. I don't want to announce it."
Jason's family elders were very face-conscious. If Jason had been dating Emma, maybe Zhong Lan would have tried to intervene.
But the two of them had been too clever, getting married right away without giving the elders any time to react.
By the time Zhong Lan met Emma, she was already the legitimate Emma, the daughter-in-law of Jason's family.
What could Zhong Lan do then? Beat up the couple and make her son divorce immediately? Or make life difficult for her daughter-in-law, making Emma mop the floors eight hundred times a day?
All of these were too beneath their dignity, and Zhong Lan couldn't bring herself to do it.
She had never even spoken harshly to Emma, so all the imagined suffering that Lin Qinglang had in mind didn't apply to her at all.
The reason for not announcing the wedding was actually for Emma's sake.
If she wanted to continue working at the newspaper and live an undisturbed life, keeping her marriage a secret was the best option.
After all, once her marriage to Jason was exposed, she would no longer be just Emma.
Everyone's description of her would be reduced to one title: Emma's wife.
Emma actually liked being called Emma; she just wanted to keep her life as normal as possible, free from the disturbances and influences of outside attention. Besides, she and Jason didn't need that kind of hypocritical attention. Did it mean she wasn't happy just because she wasn't publicly known as Emma's wife?
Lin Qinglang's expression returned to normal; he probably understood Emma's reasons. After all, she was already married and still working here, clearly wanting to have her own career and life.
But even so, Lin Qinglang wasn't feeling happy. He still couldn't accept that his first love had already gotten married.
"What if I accidentally let it slip?" Lin Qinglang hummed.
Emma smiled at him, "So you think I can't handle you now?"
Her smile was gentle and serene, but it sent a chill down Lin Qinglang's spine because he remembered how Emma had tamed him when she was his tutor.
Lin Qinglang quickly said, "I won't."
He was just teasing her on purpose, but deep down, he still felt uneasy.
In the afternoon, Tang Mian entered the office, handed over the documents to Jason, and said, "Just now, Secretary Qiao called and said that the issue with your wife has been resolved, so you can rest assured."
Jason quickly signed the documents and then looked up, pondering for a moment before asking, "Call Secretary Qiao again and see if Mr. Qiao is available. I'd like to thank him personally."
Tang Mian nodded in understanding, took out his phone, and made a call.
But after a few words on the other end, Tang Mian covered the phone softly and whispered, "President Jason, Mr. Qiao is right next to the secretary, and he says there's no need to call; it's not that troublesome."
Jason took his phone and greeted, "Uncle Qiao, this is Shen Yan."
Jason was not bad at small talk and socializing. He had been raised with such education, always polite and considerate towards his elders.
Mr. Qiao, the editor-in-chief, was an old acquaintance of his father's, so it was appropriate for Jason to call him Uncle Qiao.
At this moment, Mr. Qiao chuckled, "If it weren't for this matter, I'm afraid we would still be in the dark about your marriage."
Not only was he kept in the dark about the marriage, but he also just found out today that Jason's wife worked at his newspaper.
Jason chuckled and said softly, "It's not that we intended to hide it from you, but there were reasons. Jing Xi doesn't want to be too special at the newspaper; she really loves her job."
Mr. Qiao nodded directly and said, "Don't think I didn't punish Emma because of your face. We are not a place that doesn't distinguish right from wrong. I reward when she does well and punish when she does wrong. Although her actions were impulsive this time, her intentions were indeed good."
Although he paid attention to this matter because of Jason's call, he dealt with the issue not because of Jason.
The reputation of journalists nowadays isn't very good, and it's not entirely unfounded. There are indeed some media reporters who, to attract attention and create hype, deliberately fabricate news.
Young people with drive and ideals like Emma are worth encouraging.
Jason listened quietly and, after the other party finished speaking, said softly, "I understand your good intentions."
As the call was about to end, Mr. Qiao suddenly asked, "When can I drink the celebratory wine at your wedding?"
Jason was slightly stunned, and after a few seconds, he chuckled, "Soon, and I will personally deliver the invitation."
In the afternoon, Emma finished proofreading the manuscript and was about to hand it over to Old Zhang.
Next to her, Hu Zhen exclaimed, "What happened to my handsome brother?"
Emma turned her head abruptly to see a post open on Hu Zhen's computer, and the photo was indeed Jason, with a bright police badge visible in the background.
Hu Zhen was still muttering to herself, "Why would our handsome brother go to the police station? There must be a reason, right?"
As a dedicated fan of Jason, Hu Zhen took her role seriously and immediately contacted a journalist she knew to inquire about the news. However, the incident had just begun to spread, and not many people were aware of it.
Emma couldn't help but take a sip from her water cup, but after thinking for a moment, she stood up with her phone in hand.
She walked to a corner, dialed Jason's number, but all she got was a long busy signal. She couldn't help but bite her lip and tried calling again.
Still, no one answered.
Emma paced in place, biting her nails, and decided to call Tang Mian's number as well.
To her surprise, there was no answer this time either.
Emma started to get really anxious.
Anything that happened to Jason was never a small matter because as the CEO of Hengyia, every event in his life could affect the company's stock prices.
Especially since this incident involved her, Emma felt even more nervous.
She felt a bit guilty; if it weren't for picking her up, he wouldn't have been photographed like that. As a journalist, Emma was all too aware of how some media people would deliberately distort facts for sensationalism.
As she stood in the corner, taking deep breaths over and over, the phone in her hand suddenly rang.
Emma glanced at the screen, and the name 'Jason' was flashing urgently.
She answered immediately, and Jason's deep voice came through first; "Xingxing."
It was just a simple call of her name, but the warmth in his voice instantly soothed Emma's anxious mood.
She rarely felt so restless, but when it came to matters concerning him, her usual composure vanished.
Emma bit her fingertip, feeling a bit of pain, but it helped steady her voice when she spoke: "Have you seen the post online?"
He was busy with work and probably didn't have time to check the internet, but a big company like Hengyia definitely had a PR team. They couldn't have missed the various exposes about their boss.
"Is that why you called me?" Jason chuckled lightly, his tone full of calm certainty.
Emma whispered, "Isn't that important enough?"
"Not enough," Jason snorted with a smile.
Emma had intended to discuss the post with him, but she was led off track and subconsciously asked, "Then what is important?"
"You saying you miss me, that's what's important," Jason said in a deep voice. Although his tone was steady, it was touching, as if each word struck Emma's heart.
She was the type who rarely watched idol dramas and never knew that a man's sweet talk could really pluck at her heartstrings, making her feel her heartbeat skip a beat.
For a long time, she remained silent.
Until the man on the other end spoke softly again, "Don't worry, I'll take care of it."
His deliberate change of subject and his rare use of such words to comfort her were just attempts to distract her.
This time, when she got into trouble, her first thought was to call Tang Mian for help, which was progress, even though she didn't call him directly.
Jason didn't want this inexplicable post to frighten her or make her think she had caused him trouble.
Emma was like a turtle with a very heavy and solid shell that didn't easily open.
Now he was patiently and gently tapping it open, making her understand that she could rely on him. This was what Jason wanted to see because sometimes she was so strong and independent that it made him feel heartache.
So he wished she could be willful enough to rely on him without any reason.
When Emma returned to her desk, Hu Zhen was still analyzing the post.
Seeing Emma approach, Hu Zhen quickly pulled her aside and said, "Emma, help me analyze this. Look, in the photo, our handsome brother is dressed in a sharp suit, and the young and talented-looking guy next to him must be his secretary, right?"
Hu Zhen slapped her thigh and turned to stare at Emma.
Emma's heart almost skipped a beat under her gaze, and she instinctively looked at the photo in the post. The angle seemed to be from when Jason was coming to pick her up and was caught off guard.
She hoped she wasn't captured in the shot.
Hu Zhen: "Emma, do you think good-looking people hang out together? Look at the secretary next to our handsome brother; he's also a handsome guy. Check out those legs, that waist..."
Emma suddenly laughed.
She blinked her eyes, and the tension she felt earlier seemed to dissipate instantly, and in the next few minutes, she listened to Hu Zhen's praise for Tang Mian.
So much so, that in the end, she couldn't help but want to call Tang Mian and introduce him to Hu Zhen.
Of course, in the end, Hu Zhen summarized, "Ah, good-looking people really do hang out together."
She nodded, her eyes a little eager as she looked at Emma, and said with a grin, "Like me and you, Emma."
Emma couldn't help but reach out and touch Hu Zhen's forehead with the back of her hand.
Hu Zhen asked curiously, "What's wrong?"
Emma looked at her seriously and said, "I want to see if you have a fever because you're starting to talk nonsense."
Hu Zhen: "…"
Zhong Lan looked at the items on the table and helplessly looked at Su Yiheng, saying softly, "You child, why are you always so polite with me? You should just come over without bringing anything."
Su Yiheng had a gentle expression, and even her makeup today was light and elegant.
At this moment, she was sitting on the sofa next to Zhong Lan, her back slightly straight, the kind of posture that elders really liked.
"I'm often filming outside and don't come to see you. These are just local specialties I brought back from my trip abroad," Su Yiheng said with a light smile, her voice slow and steady.
Zhong Lan indeed liked her, as she had known her since she was a child and was well aware of her character.
At this time, the housekeeper brought up tea and snacks, and Su Yiheng picked up the cup and examined it for a while before she couldn't help but say, "Auntie, this cup is so beautiful."
Zhong Lan loved black tea and was fond of collecting tea sets and cups.
On her 50th birthday, Jason had bought her a million-dollar tea set, which had caused quite a stir. However, Jason was a low-key person, and the news was suppressed before it even came out.
Su Yiheng was also aware of her preference, and as she spoke, Zhong Lan became more talkative.
But then, Zhong Lan looked at Su Yiheng and asked with a faint smile, "Yiheng, do you have a boyfriend now?"
Su Yiheng was taken aback; she really didn't expect Zhong Lan to ask that.
She instinctively lowered her head, but the bitterness on her face was more than the shyness, and Zhong Lan seemed not to notice, still smiling lightly and saying, "I know you young people these days think marriage is a shackle. If I say too much, I'll annoy you."
"No, Auntie," Su Yiheng's smile was about to fade, but she forced it to stay and said.
Zhong Lan nodded again and said softly, "Auntie really hopes you can be happy."
How could Zhong Lan not understand Su Yiheng's thoughts? But precisely because she liked her, she didn't want her to be delayed. Jason is already married, and as an elder, even if she has dissatisfaction with Emma, she has never thought about asking them to divorce.
As long as Jason doesn't divorce, Su Yiheng has no chance.
Some things are most feared when one gets into a rut; once in, one can't get out.
Zhong Lan didn't want Su Yiheng to be the one to break up Jason's marriage, so she would rather Su Yiheng focus her eyes elsewhere and find someone who likes her, which is the right choice.