At the moment, Su Yiheng was on a filming set, having just received a new endorsement that hadn't been officially announced yet. Today was her first day shooting promotional photos, and the atmosphere on set was initially harmonious.
Su Yiheng always had a good impression among the crew, being very cooperative during shoots. Moreover, her studio staff had bought plenty of food and drinks for the set, which, whether sincere or a bid to win people over, made everyone quite happy.
That was until her agent abruptly halted the shoot, claiming she was tired and needed a break.
The advertising director, though aware of the tight schedule, also knew something was up and didn't dare to stop her, allowing Su Yiheng to retreat to her dressing room.
"The outside world is in an uproar, and my phone has been going off non-stop since this news broke," her agent, Xu Jing, said as she placed her phone on the table.
Su Yiheng extended her delicate hand and calmly said, "Let me take a look."
Her assistant quickly brought over a tablet, and Su Yiheng glanced at the paparazzi studio's Weibo post and then checked the trending searches.
Not bad, just the kind of heat she expected. Jason's and her names were not only trending side by side but had also exploded in popularity.
Su Yiheng clicked on the trending topic, scrolled for a while, and chuckled, "Not bad, this is the kind of heat you've always wanted."
She had been filming in seclusion for the past few months, and her exposure had indeed decreased compared to before. Moreover, fans were extremely vigilant these days, with not only her own fans paying attention but also those from rival camps.
If she were to attend any events during the filming, she would undoubtedly be labeled as unprofessional.
Xu Jing had been worried that her heat for the second half of the year would not be able to keep up.
Xu Jing said helplessly, "But this kind of scandal, if the other party denies it, how embarrassing would that be for you?"
Moreover, as someone who worked closely with Su Yiheng, Xu Jing was all too aware of the entanglement between her and Jason. When Jason was not married, she was quite pleased with the situation.
But now that he was married and so attentive to his wife, how could he let this kind of news continue to ferment?
They were aware that the paparazzi studio was following Su Yiheng, and they even knew that the other day in Tongli, she had spotted them.
But Su Yiheng still went to the villa, allowing them to take stealth photos.
At this moment, Xu Jing made an excuse to send the assistant out to get something and asked in a low voice, "What are you really thinking?"
They not only knew they were being photographed, but the paparazzi had even hinted that money could solve the problem.
But Su Yiheng only told her to ignore it.
Xu Jing originally thought that Su Yiheng had communicated with Jason's side; even if money had to be paid, it should be the wealthy family's responsibility. But it turned out not to be the case, and today the other party wore a ring, and the scandal hit the streets.
"You always say I need topics, I need exposure?" Su Yiheng chuckled, her picturesque eyebrows and eyes softened.
Xu Jing: "But this kind of heat will only make you controversial, right?"
Su Yiheng glanced at her: "Who says so?"
At this moment, her smile disappeared, and she snorted coldly: "So what if he denies it, I will deny it too. But then I will tell everyone that Jason and I are childhood friends. He can't deny this relationship, can he?"
Xu Jing was taken aback.
Su Yiheng continued: "What kind of background he has, who doesn't know. But being childhood friends with such a Jason, do you think the public won't be interested in my family?"
Although they had always promoted Su Yiheng's image as a highly educated individual, they hadn't really publicized her family background.
After all, the Su family, while not as prominent as Jason's, could still be considered a wealthy family.
If she and Jason were childhood friends, her family background would indeed give fans infinite imagination.
These days, celebrity personas are becoming richer. The old narrative of a poor family background, dropping out of school to enter the entertainment industry to support the family, is no longer fresh. In recent years, not only in China but also abroad, a large number of star二代 and rich second generations have entered the entertainment and modeling industries, all with their own resources, overshadowing others as soon as they make their debut.
Fans are human too; they love to see satisfying narratives but don't want to see the narrative of a poor, bullied white flower.
Xu Jing looked at Su Yiheng, a bit at a loss for words.
Instead, Su Yiheng smiled calmly and said, "And even if Jason really clarifies the scandal between us, so what? No matter what news he has in the future, many people will remember that his childhood friend is me."
Xu Jing thought it over and realized it made sense, but she also felt something was off.
Because Su Yiheng was essentially trying to smear Jason, of course, she didn't dare to say that out loud. Although Su Yiheng appeared gentle and generous on the surface, she actually had a bit of a diva temperament.
On the contrary, Su Yiheng looked at the other party and sneered, "I know what you're thinking."
"Nowadays, everyone loves the independent, strong, feminist persona. As the eldest miss of the Su family, with a man like Jason by my side, yet I'm committed to my career. Do you think there's anyone more suitable for this persona than me?"
Su Yiheng smiled slightly.
This time, Xu Jing was truly stunned. She finally understood that Su Yiheng was going to use Jason to boost her own popularity, whether he liked it or not.
She was going to treat him as a stepping stone.
Xu Jing thought about how she used to like him so much, but now...
When a woman becomes ruthless, she's really something.
When Emma received Jason's call, the heat on Weibo was visibly starting to drop, but it still ranked in the top few, as the scandal's wouldn't easily subside, and too obvious PR could backfire and cause a public outcry.
She took her phone to an unoccupied area outside and when she answered, Jason's voice came through first: "Jingxi, I will resolve this nonsensical scandal as soon as possible. You don't need to pay attention to it, and don't look at it."
His voice wasn't particularly hurried, but there was still a hint of displeasure in his words.
Emma leaned on the balcony, looking at the traffic below, her mood was relaxed and peaceful as she chuckled, "When we were in Tongli, you were with me the entire time, how could I not trust you?"
Even if he hadn't made this call, Emma would have believed in him as steadfastly as she trusted herself never to betray him.
"I won't let you be wronged," Jason said with determination after hearing her words.
In the afternoon, the trending topic still hadn't dropped, but suddenly a social media account with a huge following posted a scoop on Weibo.
"I know today's scandal about Hengya Group's CEO Jason must have broken many fans' hearts. But hold on, because I have a significant discovery. After the scandal spread today, I quickly went through Su Yiheng's Instagram and saw her close contacts. Guess what significant discovery I made?"
Below was a screenshot from Instagram.
It was an Instagram user named shen-qiqi, who had posted a picture of a British newspaper's marriage announcement column a year ago.
It was a marriage notice for a Mr. FokSY and a Ms. NiJX.
She also commented: "A childhood friend got married, and he even used the ancient British ritual of newspaper marriage announcements. I'm so envious. I hope my future marriage can be as romantic."
The blogger also posted another screenshot, which was a dynamic of them riding horses. Although the camera was aimed at the horses in the distance, it accidentally captured Jason in the frame.
"Based on the judgment, this girl's Chinese name should be Shen Qiqi, who not only knows Su Yiheng but is also familiar with Jason and should be someone in the same circle. Therefore, she refers to Jason as a childhood friend."
This scoop was almost instantly reposted by various social media accounts.
"Impressive, you guys can dig this up, I really admire you gossip bloggers."
"Wow, newspaper marriage announcements are too romantic. I'm sour today, I'm the sour spirit under the lemon mountain."
"So the question comes again, NiJX should be his real wife, right? Who can dig this person up, and I will be completely convinced."
Hua Zheng, who was always paying attention to the news, of course, saw it again, because even if she didn't see it, the people from the entertainment group next door would tell her.
Hua Zheng howled, "Damn it, who is this NiJX?"
But Hua Zheng stared at the abbreviation and felt familiar but couldn't remember it. She held her cheek with her palm: "JX, what kind of name is this? Surprise? Which brain-dead person would call themselves Surprise?"
Hua Zheng wasn't satisfied with muttering to herself and had to pull Emma to look at it together.
She said, "Emma, help me think about it, what could JX be the abbreviation for?"
Emma: "..."
At this moment, she didn't know whether to strangle Hua Zheng or tell the truth and let Hua Zheng strangle her.
But Emma really didn't know what to do at this moment because she didn't know that Shen Qiqi had exposed their marriage announcement on Instagram.
At this moment, it was too late to strangle Shen Qiqi.
"Quick, quick, the official Weibo of Hengya Group has officially released a statement, go check it out," someone from the entertainment group next door shouted, and the whole group was focused.
Hua Zheng quickly searched for Hengya Group on her phone.
Then she saw the latest announcement posted on the top Weibo.
"Today's online gossip about Mr. Jason is false news. Our company will reserve all legal rights to pursue those who spread rumors. And on behalf of Mr. Jason, we hereby issue the following statement."
"Jason did register for marriage with his wife a year ago, and now his marriage is happy, and his wife also accompanied him on this trip to Tongli."
"Here, all the employees of Hengya Group want to send a belated blessing to Mr. Jason, happy marriage!"
Below was indeed a picture of Emma wrapped in Jason's coat, and Jason's extremely gentle smile.
At this moment, everyone who saw this picture had the same thought.
He, who was as cold as him, could also smile so gently.
In the large office area of Shanghai Daily, the entertainment team was initially focused on keeping up with the gossip. Until someone opened the photo posted on Hengya Group's official Weibo.
"This, this..." The person who opened it first was stunned.
The person next to them refreshed several times, only to encounter a network failure, and quickly asked the person next to them, "Did you guys get it?"
Weibo has experienced slowdowns due to high traffic in the past.
Everyone didn't expect that this time Jason's announcement of his marriage would also cause such a situation.
"It's not that I got it." The person who hadn't seen it yet took a look at the colleague next to them who was the first to see it and excitedly said, "Let me have a look, I have to see who this Emma is."
However, this glance also left them completely stunned.
The entertainment team was like a contagion, and those who saw it were all silent.
Perhaps netizens might not recognize this girl at first glance, but they were in the same office with Emma all day, and they were too familiar with this face.
No one expected her to appear in the same frame with Jason, the CEO of Hengya Group.
And listen, what does the announcement say, Mr. Jason registered for marriage with his wife a year ago...
Emma had also seen the announcement, her phone did refresh, and she saw the picture.
She even took a close look at this photo, of course, she remembered that this photo was taken when they first went to the UK.
"Ah..." Finally, an inappropriate scream broke the silence of half the office.
Actually, many colleagues were gossiping at this time, after all, this kind of news is basically a national gossip, Hengya Group's young master is married, how many girls' dreams of a wealthy family are shattered.
As for ordinary people, they are more curious about what kind of extraordinary abilities this top wealthy family's daughter-in-law has.
But...
No one thought, they all thought that the three-headed and six-armed miss they thought, is now sitting in the same office with them.
Hua Zheng was stunned for a long time before she suddenly screamed, but after she screamed, she realized she was in the office and quickly shut her mouth. But she turned her head and stared at Emma's face, if her eyes could shoot knives, Emma would have been pierced by thousands of arrows.
Finally, Hua Zheng couldn't hold back, holding her mobile phone in front of Emma: "Emma, you..."
Before she could say the next word, Emma suddenly stood up, grabbed her wrist, and smiled, "Let's go, go to the restroom together."
So she forcibly pulled Hua Zheng and left the office first.
As soon as she left, the entire open office area exploded, the entertainment team looked at each other like this for a long time, and finally, someone asked in a very small voice, "So... is that Emma?"
"I think it is."
"Is Emma's family also a wealthy family?" Someone who didn't understand asked doubtfully.
But another person with a bit more seniority and who was familiar with the newspaper's personnel relations said in a low voice, "That should not be the case, I have seen Emma's information, the address she left at the newspaper is an old community."
That place is located in the city center, but it is indeed too old.
"Cinderella marrying into a wealthy family?" Until a small voice spoke.
Everyone looked at each other, after all, this is too much of a fairy tale.
I have only heard of this kind of story before, even after being a reporter for so long, I have never seen it happen in real life around me.
Finally, someone sighed, "Are we witnessing a fairy tale?"
Emma led Hua Zheng outside, where Hua Zheng's eyes were still fixed on her.
Emma sighed and whispered, "The reason I didn't tell you is because I've kept this from everyone, not just you."
Hua Zheng blinked, seeming to finally come to her senses: "So, you really married Jason?"
"Yes, we got married a year ago," Emma replied honestly.
Hua Zheng felt like she was about to explode; she truly experienced the feeling of having so much to say but being unable to utter a word.
Her eyes still stared at Emma, and after a while, Hua Zheng's eyes suddenly turned a little red. Emma was startled and immediately comforted, "Don't, don't do that."
She really didn't expect Hua Zheng's emotions to fluctuate so much.
Hua Zheng: "Are you happy marrying Jason?"
Emma didn't expect her to ask such a question and was taken aback, then after a while, she whispered, "Of course, every day with him is happy."
"That's really great," Hua Zheng noticeably choked up, and she said, "Then why did you two get married in secret? Did his family not agree to go public?"
Emma: "..."
Hua Zheng knew Emma's family was ordinary, which was why she asked like that.
Actually, there were many more questions she wanted to ask, such as how they met and why they got married. But compared to these questions, when she opened her mouth, the first sentence that came out was whether Emma felt happy or not.
Emma looked at the girl in front of her; even though she was always bold and sometimes spoke without thinking.
But she was really a warm-hearted girl, always caring whether she was happy or not.
Emma reached out and patted her head: "It was my decision not to go public because I knew once it was, my life would change completely."
Just like today, when her colleagues saw that photo, their gaze towards her would never be the same as before.
Hua Zheng nodded in understanding: "If you go public, everyone will pry into your life."
"So you can understand me, and you're not angry, right?" Emma sighed and said softly.
Hua Zheng suddenly widened her eyes, shook her head vigorously, and said, "Of course, I can't forgive you so easily."
"Unless you treat me to ten crayfish meals," Hua Zheng huffed, speaking indignantly.
Emma helplessly said, "It's almost winter now."
"Then treat me to hot pot, barbecue, whatever, just ten meals in total," Hua Zheng wiped her tears dramatically and said pitifully, "I even praised Jason for being so handsome every day in front of you..."
Thinking of this, Hua Zheng's sense of shame surged, and she still called him 'Shen Yan brother' every day.
Hua Zheng covered her blushing cheeks, feeling an urge to bang her head against the wall.
"Isn't it 'Shen Yan brother'? Why are you calling him Jason now, so distant?" Emma said deliberately.
Hua Zheng felt like she didn't want to live, and then she wanted to take Emma with her. But before her hands could reach out, Emma's eyes slightly lifted, and with a glance, Hua Zheng dared not move.
Emma said indifferently, "By the way, I just remembered something."
Hua Zheng looked at the expression on her face and had a bad feeling.
Then she heard Emma say, "I just heard someone say, who would be brain-dead to call themselves JX, right?"
"No, I didn't mean it like that," Hua Zheng denied.
Now, even if she was beaten to death, she would never admit that she said that.
Emma patted her head again and smiled, "Be good."
Hua Zheng suddenly felt that Emma's queen aura was too strong. At this moment, her palm was virtually on her head, and Hua Zheng felt that if she said the wrong thing, her head might not be safe.
But in the end, Hua Zheng still couldn't hold back and said in a very small but very curious voice, "Emma, is Shen Yan brother really that handsome in person?"
Emma: "..."
Finally, in front of Hua Zheng's expectant little eyes, she nodded slowly, "He is really handsome, and I will take you to meet him next time."
Hua Zheng suddenly felt that she might have used up all her good luck in her life just by meeting Emma.
Too happy, it hit her head.
The announcement didn't take long to spread, and soon it was not only reposted by major financial websites but also by entertainment Weibo accounts. This day turned out to be a feast for onlookers who love gossip.
No one expected the twists and turns of the story to end up like this. First, Jason was spotted wearing a wedding ring, then he was for entering and leaving a mountain villa with Su Yiheng, sparking rumors of them being together. Before these rumors could even settle, a clarification came.
He did get married, but not to Su Yiheng.
However, many netizens started to feel something was off as they read the comments.
The top comment on the hot list was: "I feel like I've seen this girl before, can't remember where though?"
"Damn, I think I'm not hallucinating, but isn't that Emma in Jason's arms?"
"Don't leave, big bro, I also think it's Emma. This girl is so my type, I still have her ID photo saved on my phone."
This comment came with a picture.
Originally, everyone was curious about this newly revealed Emma and what kind of background she might have.
But soon, everyone started to feel something was amiss because this girl was indeed familiar.
"No way, right? Emma married Jason? But she was beaten up in her last news report. If she had such a big background, would she have been beaten?"
"Why is my male god married? I don't believe it!!!!"
However, the release of this photo also made many girls' envy explode.
"Could any PS god please help me make a picture where Jason is holding me in his arms!!!!!!!!!"
Someone posted this comment under the announcement Weibo, and surprisingly, someone really helped with the photo editing.
So for a while, everyone started to play with this picture, and it seemed to be developing into a trend.
For a time, the online world was filled with diverse opinions, making for quite a spectacle.
What really pushed this incident into the spotlight was a Weibo post forwarded by Shanghai Daily.
Shanghai Daily: ???
The three question marks were too succinct, causing countless netizens to explode with comments.
"Hahahahahaha, I'm going to die of laughter. The official account must be so confused right now, eating melon and finding out the melon is in their own house."
"Congratulations to the 'mother's family'."
"Congratulations to the 'mother's family'."
Below was a row of uniformly posted 'congratulations to the mother's family'. Who knew the official account would be particularly playful, even replying 'same joy, same joy' under the top 'congratulations to the mother's family' comment.
Shen Qiqi was truly frightened. In the morning, she was quite angry, thinking how could the paparazzi be so bad, spreading such rumors. But she didn't expect that someone would dig into her Instagram and post her activity from a year ago.
Shen Qiqi covered her face, exclaiming that she would sue the blogger who exposed her. If she were to be beaten to death by Jason, she would definitely take these people down with her. However, in the end, she still made a timid call to Jason, hoping to salvage the situation.
Shen Qiqi held her phone tightly, carefully dialed Jason's number, and made the call. She was so nervous that she didn't dare to hold the phone to her ear, instead placing it on the sofa and biting her finger with one hand.
Nervous indeed.
"Hello," Jason's indifferent voice came through the phone, and Shen Qiqi felt her heart rate increase.
Shen Qiqi made a wry face and cautiously said, "Brother Shenyan, it's Qiqi here."
"I know, what's the matter with the call?" Jason, not one for small talk, got straight to the point.
Shen Qiqi felt she didn't need to be so proud; she immediately said, "Brother Shenyan, I really didn't mean it. I posted that status because I felt particularly envious and thought you were so romantic with Sister Jingxi."
Jason chuckled lowly; the little girl was quite clever, knowing what to say to please him.
Shen Qiqi immediately said, "I didn't expect those gossip accounts to be so powerful, finding my Instagram from Yiheng's and then seeing that picture."
"I'm aware of the situation," Jason's voice was cold.
Upon hearing this, Shen Qiqi felt like her mentality was about to explode; Brother Shenyan must be angry, definitely angry.
"Brother Shenyan, don't be angry. Really, from now on, I will do whatever you say, and I will turn over a new leaf," Shen Qiqi's attitude in admitting her mistake was genuinely good.
Jason was amused and laughed, then he said, "There happens to be something you can help me with."
"You say it, you say it," Shen Qiqi was already using honorifics.
Jason sighed slightly; although he didn't speak, his attitude already showed a hint of difficulty.
Shen Qiqi widened her eyes, "Brother Shenyan, whatever you say, I will definitely do it."
"This time the entertainment reporters only took pictures of me and Su Yiheng. Even though I've announced my marriage to Jingxi now, the rumors haven't been cleared up. So I hope you can help post an Instagram of you and Jingxi together. I remember you took pictures when you went boating together that day, right?"
Shen Qiqi listened and immediately nodded vigorously like a chicken pecking at rice.
She said, "Yes, I've seen the comments too. Those netizens really have too much imagination, how could they suspect you and Sister Yiheng?"
"I will post on Instagram right now to help you clear up the rumors," Shen Qiqi promised.
Jason's voice carried a bit of laughter, "Thank you, Qiqi."
This sentence made Shen Qiqi particularly flustered. Although she usually interacted with Jason, he was much older than her, and in her eyes, Jason was like an elder. Moreover, his personality was cold, seeming to keep a distance from everyone.
Now, hearing him say this, Shen Qiqi was particularly moved and said, "Brother Shenyan, I've always felt that since you married Sister Jingxi, you've become more human."
"Really," the girl added with particular certainty.
Jason: "…"
After hanging up the phone, Tang Mian knocked on the door and walked in, holding a computer which he directly placed in front of Jason.
"President Jason, the PR department has sent a message that the rumors about you and Su Yiheng have started to be completely withdrawn, and the heat on various platforms has been greatly reduced. However, some marketing accounts are still deliberately releasing messages to pursue heat."
What messages, it's nothing more than that Jason announced his marriage to Emma at this time to cover up his affair with Su Yiheng during his marriage.
"Let the legal department take action, sue them all, and I want them all to be banned," Jason's face was cold, showing no mercy.
Everyone has to pay for their choices. These rumor-mongering marketing accounts want heat, so they must face the risk of being banned.
Tang Mian asked in a low voice, "Do we still need to make clarifications here?"
Jason said lightly, "No, someone will do it for us."
Tang Mian was a bit surprised, but to maintain his understanding of the matter, he asked again, "Which department is it?"
"It's Shen Qiqi," Jason couldn't help but laugh.
Seeing Tang Mian's confusion, Jason took the initiative to solve his doubts: "The little girl said it was her fault that Jingxi and I were exposed, so she will help post on Instagram to clarify the trip to Tongli."
Tang Mian: "…"
He thought back to when the rumors just came out, and Jason decided to announce the marriage news. Originally, Tang Mian's idea was to announce it directly. But he didn't expect Jason to throw an account at him and let him send the photo from Shen Qiqi's account to the marketing accounts, starting from the marketing accounts.