When the situation reached its peak, Hengya Group's official Weibo account stepped in to make an announcement. This not only reduced the spread of rumors about him and Su Yiheng but also drew everyone's attention to him and Emma. He wouldn't allow his name to be side by side with another woman's; if there could only be one person, it must be Emma.
Tang Mian once again marveled that his boss was indeed cold on the outside and ruthless on the inside.
Shen Qiqi was sold out and still helped him count the money, but after he left Jason's office and checked the internet again, he found that Shen Qiqi had indeed posted on Instagram.
"In my trip to Tongli, not only did Sister Jingxi personally row the boat for me, but I also had fish caught by Brother Shenyan."
Shen Qiqi also posted a picture, with Emma sitting opposite her, indeed rowing the boat diligently. That day, when she was on the boat, she took a selfie for a while and found that Emma, even without makeup and with some scars on her face, was shining like she was glowing in the sunlight.
As soon as this Instagram post came out, Tang Mian instructed the PR department to spread it widely. Not only entertainment media but also mainstream media started to retweet it. For a while, everyone knew that this trip to Tongli was actually taken by Jason and Emma together.
Su Yiheng might have gone as well, but she was just one of the many friends who went together.
Seeing the public opinion about to ferment again, Su Yiheng suddenly posted on Weibo.
Su Yiheng: "I have a shoot today and just learned about this rumor. This trip to Tongli was just my private trip, and the people who went with me were all my childhood friends. I deeply apologize to the friends who were involved. As for the stalking behavior of some media, I will not only condemn it this time but also take legal measures to protect myself."
"Wow, you just found out about such big news. Wasn't your shooting site in a desert where there's no signal?"
"This statement is really white lotus. Why didn't you clarify earlier?"
"Wow, Su Yiheng is so embarrassing."
"Seriously, didn't Su Yiheng plan this rumor herself? It was clearly a trip with the couple, but it was falsely rumored to be with Su Yiheng."
However, the netizens below didn't buy her account, especially after Shen Qiqi just provided clarifying evidence, and she posted such a message. Nowadays, netizens are not easy to fool, and they all know that these stars dare to do anything for heat.
Black red is also red. Maybe Su Yiheng just wants to be black and red.
All the turmoil and entanglement online are nothing compared to Jason's final WeChat moment.
That rarely posts private dynamics and only occasionally forwards news about Hengya Group finally updated his first private dynamic.
Jason: My only star @Emma.
If there were still people debating whether the profile lying in Jason's arms was Emma, a freshly baked screenshot of the WeChat moment completely confirmed everything.
Although Jason's WeChat friends are not many, the WeChat moment still 'coincidentally' leaked out and was quickly retweeted by major official accounts.
The traffic of the day was too large, and there were countless melons to keep up with.
However, as soon as Jason's WeChat moment was posted, it also exploded. Jason's WeChat actually doesn't have many friends, and now all the friends under it are crazy.
Xiao Yichen was the first to comment: "Congratulations, you have finally successfully obtained the name."
Jason's secret marriage was something Xiao Yichen didn't laugh at him less.
Xiao Yichen always said that he finally found a daughter-in-law, but he couldn't announce it to the world, and he was still hidden by his daughter-in-law. After all, Xiao Yichen knows their marital relationship very well and knows that it is Emma who doesn't want to be exposed, not Jason.
Now, the good friend has successfully exposed the wedding news because of a muddled scandal, which is really a cause for celebration.
Shen Qiqi also left a message below: "Wow, so sweet, I envy."
At this time, Emma, who had been back in the office for half an hour, felt that there were always eyes on her. When she raised her head, everyone seemed to be working hard, and no one was looking at her.
Until a girl from the entertainment group, under the gaze and encouragement of the whole group, timidly stood up from her chair.
She walked with small steps, and then not only the people from the entertainment group but almost everyone in the big office were watching her.
Emma was looking at the computer at the time. She had to hand in this manuscript before five o'clock in the afternoon, or it would be too late. Today's work efficiency has been reduced a lot, and gossip really wastes time.
Then she glanced and saw the girl from the entertainment group standing next to her.
Emma: "What's the matter?"
Her face was calm, just asking as usual.
But the girl from the entertainment group was still startled, and after a few seconds, she finally gathered the courage to say, "Jingxi."
Emma looked at her.
She heard her ask very seriously, "Can you give me a piece of your vitamin C effervescent tablet?"
Emma: "…"
It wasn't just Emma who was stunned; it seemed the entire office was on the verge of fainting from the anticlimactic request amidst such high drama. Here was the first person, other than Hua Zheng, who dared to approach Emma, and all she wanted was a vitamin C effervescent tablet?
If she really wanted to write, they would have given her a whole box without hesitation.
Emma handed over the long tube from her desk, "Here, take it. I don't drink it much."
The effervescent tablets were given to her by Tang Mi before, but she usually only drank plain water and rarely used them. Occasionally, Hua Zheng would ask her for one.
Now, she was being generous, giving away most of the tube directly to the girl.
"Thank you," the girl said, receiving the tube with both hands. After taking it, she half-turned as if to leave, but at the last second, she spun around and asked in a voice so loud it echoed through the office: "Jingxi, did you really marry Jason?"
The girl, either out of nervousness or fear, spoke so loudly that almost everyone in the office could hear her. Of course, while others didn't speak, they were all listening intently.
Many industry journalists were seeking information from them, and as Emma was from Shanghai Daily, they had the advantage of proximity.
Emma looked at her, her expression still composed.
In fact, from the moment the false rumor appeared in the morning, she knew some things couldn't be hidden any longer. Or perhaps, she had been avoiding it from the start, realizing that some things are indeed inescapable.
She stood up from her chair, her tall figure looming over the girl who was half a head shorter.
The girl, seeing her suddenly stand up, took a few steps back, either out of fear or instinct.
Emma thought for a moment, preparing for what she was about to say, and after a while, she finally spoke her first words: "Jason is my husband."
Her statement silenced the room.
Emma paused, intending to answer the question properly, but she couldn't help but feel a sense of pride in her voice.
So she cleared her throat and continued: "I know everyone is curious about our marriage. There's not much to it; our marriage is like that of all the married colleagues here, meeting the right person and wanting to spend a lifetime together."
Even the colleagues who were pretending to be busy looked up, as Emma's voice, still calm and unhurried, was clear and pleasant, her words like a spring striking rocks.
Although every sentence seemed to invite trouble, when spoken by her, they carried a quiet and indifferent power.
She said, "The reason for hiding our marriage is that I knew once it was public, I would face an immense attention that ordinary people cannot fathom. As media professionals, I believe we all understand the immense pressure that such attention brings. So I hope that in the future at the newspaper, everyone will still see me as Emma, not some Cinderella who married into a wealthy family, nor a wealthy daughter-in-law."
Her voice paused, then rang out more firmly.
"Simply a news reporter named Emma."
After saying this, Emma bowed deeply to everyone in front of her. A few seconds later, she raised her head and said earnestly, "Please continue to take care of me in the future."
Her words were sincere, and her attitude was earnest, not only making it impossible for anyone to find fault but also making them feel truly understood.
As everyone was still immersed in her words, a round of applause suddenly broke out. When everyone turned to look, they saw the editor-in-chief standing there, clapping for her speech.
The editor-in-chief's leading action startled everyone into following suit with applause.
The office was filled with thunderous applause, as if Emma had just won some grand award and given a touching acceptance speech.
Emma looked at the scene before her, feeling a tingling sensation on her scalp.
The reason she said those words was that she didn't want everyone to look at her differently. She hoped that in the future at the newspaper, even if it was impossible to be exactly the same as before, at least they could leave each other alone.
But the editor-in-chief's action...
After the editor-in-chief finished clapping, the applause in the office gradually subsided, and he stood there looking around kindly: "I don't care what your identities are or what family backgrounds you have, but as long as you are in the newspaper office, you have only one identity."
"That is the news reporter, the one who conveys the truth and facts to the public."
The editor-in-chief: "Alright, let's all get back to work."
After the editor-in-chief left, the atmosphere in the office finally lost its previous strangeness, no longer overly quiet, with occasional discussions about drafts and reminders about deadlines.
Emma sat back and took a deep breath in her heart.
Next to her, Hua Zheng gave her a thumbs-up. When Emma was speaking, Hua Zheng wanted to applaud for her; really.
Emma always seemed to have an unflustered aura about her, a presence that could command any situation. It was truly admirable.
However, not long after she returned to work, Emma felt her phone vibrating. In fact, ever since the announcement, her phone had been non-stop with messages from classmates she barely kept in touch with and fellow journalists she'd exchanged contact information with.
Emma had planned to turn off her phone and ignore all of it. Until she saw a group chat initiated by Yan Han, she thought for a moment, then got up to take the call.
"Congratulations, congratulations, congratulations to you," she heard a sweet singing voice the moment she answered, followed by a burst of laughter.
Even though they had all graduated from university and gone their separate ways, every chat always had a certain intimacy that others couldn't understand.
Yan Han: "Congratulations to our Emma."
Emma had thought they would scold her for keeping such a big event like her marriage a secret. But these lovely girls, whom she had known since she was eighteen, were full of blessings for her.
"Thank you," Emma said softly after a few seconds of silence.
Ai Ya Ya hummed, "Don't think we'll let this go just like that. When you have your wedding, don't expect me to go easy on the red envelope for the gate-crashing."
Emma: "..."
At that moment, Chen Chen, who was in the UK and had just been woken up from her sleep by the call, yawned heavily and said helplessly, "I was sleeping soundly, and then I got a call that woke me up, and then I found out about Emma's marriage. I thought Yan Yan was joking with me."
Emma: "It's not a joke, I really got married."
Chen Chen whimpered, "I just saw your marriage announcement. It's so romantic. Honestly, I find many of the old British traditions quite rigid, but this one is really romantic."
Emma chuckled, thinking that the story was quite endearing.
After they only got their certificate in Shanghai, they decided not to have a wedding or make it public for the time being. Until Jason had to go to the UK for work, and Emma happened to be on vacation.
So she followed him to the UK.
He was quite busy with work, and although it was Emma's first time in the UK, she had done her research and visited the places she wanted to see. Until Jason had a bit of free time.
He took Emma out for a walk along the Thames River, with no particular destination, just enjoying the scenery around them.
Until he turned to Emma and said, "Actually, there's something I've always wanted to do."
Emma asked curiously, "What is it?"
Jason took her hand and led her into a shop, where they bought a freshly printed copy of The Times. Emma looked at his serious expression with a mix of amusement and helplessness.
So the thing he had always wanted to do but hadn't was to buy a copy of the day's newspaper?
But when Jason scanned through the newspaper, he curled the corners of his mouth into a silent smile, spread the newspaper in front of her, and Emma followed suit, looking down at the content.
Until she saw the marriage announcement in the newspaper's notice column, and she was stunned.
She stood on the street corner, looking at the newspaper in his hand, feeling as if she was stepping on cotton, light and dreamy, not quite real.
Jason: "The British tradition used to be to announce engagements and marriages in the newspaper. Actually, there was such a tradition during the Republic of China era as well."
"Although we didn't have a wedding or make it public," Jason curled his lips again, this time with a broader smile.
Jason leaned in, placing his hand on her shoulder, his lips close to her ear, and whispered, "I just can't help but want to tell everyone."
He couldn't help but show off to the whole world that Emma was his.
Even Emma, who had always been rather insensitive to romance, felt her ear near his lips begin to tingle slightly, and this heat began to slowly spread, from her earlobes down, until it covered her entire body.
At that moment, even in Emma's usually slow-to-react mind, a thought popped up.
This man, Jason, was here to steal her heart away.
At that moment, the chatter of the other three still echoed in her ear. Chen Chen said, "When I get married, I also want to announce it in the newspaper."
"I'll talk to my uncle about this," Yan Han leisurely remarked.
Chen Chen immediately made the kind of shy, girlish sound: "Oh, Yan Yan, why are you so annoying?"
Ai Ya Ya quickly chimed in: "Yan Yan, you don't have to bother with this, Chen Chen thinks you're annoying."
Yan Han sighed dramatically: "Alright."
Just as she finished speaking, Chen Chen said, "You two..."
Another round of clear, crisp laughter filled the air. Perhaps after entering society, the leisurely and carefree days of school were gone, but only when they were together could they feel that once worry-free gaze.
"By the way, I want to reserve one of Emma's bridesmaid spots," Yan Han said with a smile.
"Me too."
"I definitely have to be one."
The other two immediately followed suit, acting no different from elementary school students.
Ai Ya Ya asked, "What about the bridesmaid dresses, do you guys want to choose Dior or Chanel?"
"I prefer something ethereal," Chen Chen thoughtfully said, "How about Zuhair Murad?"
"I like that too," Yan Han mischievously remarked.
Emma listened as they decided on the bridesmaid dresses and then started discussing what shoes to wear, and finally sighed, "You three, that's enough."
After hanging up the phone, Emma didn't leave right away; instead, she gazed into the distant, azure sky.
Today, Shanghai's skyline was a rare sight, cloudless and stretching for miles. Even the afternoon in Shanghai had a lazy, contented feel to it.
A wedding...
She thought of this, shook her head slightly, and in the end, she smiled.
*
Jason's work was unaffected, as no one dared to approach the president's office to inquire about his marital status. At most, there were occasional vibrations on WeChat, likely congratulations from others.
When his office door was knocked on, Jason said, "Come in."
"Something up?" Jason thought it was Tang Mian coming in to consult on work matters.
He didn't expect to look up and see Xiao Yichen standing there. Although Xiao Yichen had been to his office countless times, he was still interestedly looking around the office.
Jason leaned back in his chair as if letting his guard down: "What brings you here?"
"To see the groom," Xiao Yichen approached his desk, casually leaning against it, and picked up a piece of material on his desk, which was entirely in German.
Xiao Yichen shook his head: "You're just too abnormal."
Having learned German for only two years, he could already communicate without any barriers.
Xiao Yichen felt that in terms of work, he indeed wasn't as hardworking as Jason, but it was also because the Xiao family's responsibilities didn't fall on him. He had more leisure and freedom, playing in the world.
"The incident in Tongli, I really didn't expect paparazzi to follow and take photos," Xiao Yichen felt that the trip to Tongli was arranged by him, and the resulting scandal was quite embarrassing.
He said, "I've talked to the person in charge of that paparazzi studio. They've been following Su Yiheng for a while, just trying to catch her in a scandal. They happened to catch you two coming out together, so they made up a rumor."
Jason looked up, a wry smile on his face as he looked at him: "Are you trying to tell me that this has nothing to do with Su Yiheng?"
"No, I just want to say that this wasn't instigated by her, but she knew she was being followed and deliberately led the paparazzi to Tongli, still aiming at you," Xiao Yichen, though fond of fun, was very smart and quickly understood the ins and outs of this situation.
However, speaking of this, he sighed. After all, Su Yiheng had grown up playing with them.
Now, seeing her go astray, Xiao Yichen felt helpless and pained, but he wouldn't plead for her in front of Jason. Everyone has their choices, and since she made hers, she must take responsibility.
This is a universal truth.
So he asked, "What are you going to do in the future?"
Jason: "I will try to avoid any occasions where she is present."
Not even private ones.
Xiao Yichen sighed again. It had come to this point, and he felt helpless, but he supported Jason's choice. Because compared to Su Yiheng, a childhood friend, Jason had someone he wanted to protect more.
Xiao Yichen hung out for a while and invited him: "Let's have dinner together tonight."
"No," Jason refused without hesitation.
Xiao Yichen was surprised: "Do you have plans for the evening?"
"No."
Xiao Yichen: "Then why not come?"
"I'm going to pick up my wife from work," Jason glanced at him indifferently.
Xiao Yichen: "…" He shouldn't have asked.
As her colleagues began to leave for the day, Emma finished reviewing her draft one last time and confirmed the photos she intended to use, finally preparing to shut down her computer.
Her phone rang again, and Emma's brow furrowed initially, but upon seeing the name displayed on her screen, her expression softened into a smile. She answered the call while still seated in her chair: "Hello."
"Are you off work?" Jason's voice came through the phone, rich and deep, like a fine wine that has been aged to perfection, and just hearing it was enough to make one feel slightly intoxicated.
Sometimes it felt like the universe played favorites, as some people seemed to possess everything.
Emma nodded, "Yes, I'm off. Do you have any social engagements tonight?"
"Come down now," Jason said with a low chuckle.
Emma was momentarily confused, then realized what he meant, "Are you downstairs?"
"Come down."
Emma responded with an "Okay," and her previously idle hand began to move as well. She closed the documents on her computer one by one, clicked shut down, and turned off her computer.
"I'm coming right down."
After ending the call, Emma heard Hua Zheng mysteriously lean in. Hua Zheng had already packed up and even had her bag slung over her shoulder: "Was that a call from your significant other?"
Your, significant, other.
Such an ambiguous and intimate phrase. Emma had never heard anyone describe Jason in such terms before, and for a moment, she was taken aback, feeling her cheeks flush slightly.
She had always thought of herself as unflappable, capable of handling anything.
Yet, those four words from Hua Zheng made her ears tingle and her cheeks redden. Emma felt this was a bit uncharacteristic for her.
Emma looked up at Hua Zheng and nodded, countering with a question: "Want to join us?"
Hua Zheng was petrified.
Emma looked at her with a teasing smile: "Didn't I say I'd introduce you two? How about we do it today instead of another day?"
"I just remembered I have something to do today, I have to rush back, so I won't wait for you."
Hua Zheng turned and left, her movements fluid and swift.
In the blink of an eye, she had vanished from the office.
Emma chuckled, not out of arrogance, but because she felt this was more like her normal self.
Three minutes later, Emma stepped into the elevator with her bag.
Soon, the elevator reached the ground floor, and she was about to head to the street where he usually parked, but when she got downstairs, she saw the Bentley parked in a temporary spot outside the building.
Many people leaving the building noticed the conspicuous Bentley.
Emma even heard a girl passing by exclaim: "There's a Bentley parked under our shabby company building."
"Stay away from it, I'm terrified just walking next to a car like that," another girl joked.
Emma stood in place and smiled, but eventually, she quickly made her way over, opened the door, and got into the car.
After getting in, Emma turned her head and saw the man sitting there with a clear smile on his face.
She rarely saw him so openly pleased and couldn't help but ask: "What's so happy?"
"Want to know?" Jason looked at her directly.
Emma had an uneasy feeling, and sure enough, Jason reached out, pinched her earlobe, and said in a lowered voice: "For something so important, you have to give a little, don't you?"
Emma: "..."
What kind of secret was this?
Emma coughed lightly and changed the subject: "Never mind, you should keep such an important secret to yourself."
But Jason really didn't say anything more.
Soon the car started moving slowly, and the cabin fell into a quietness. Jason was looking down at his phone; it was already dark outside at this time of early winter after work.
Only the neon lights and the orange streetlights faintly shone on the car windows with tinted film.
Emma gently turned her head and looked at the man beside her; he had a faint fragrance on him, the same as the scent in the car, not strong but somewhat elusive.
Finally, her fingers touched the leather of the back seat and slowly moved to the side.
Eventually, they reached his thigh.
Then her fingers, like climbing a mountain, slowly moved up from the side of his thigh, one by one, until they touched his palm. His palm was warm.
Emma looked at him and whispered: "Why don't you tell me something so important?"
She thought he was upset and was trying to coax him.
Jason lifted his eyes from his phone, first looking at her hand on the edge of his palm, then turning to look at her.
"Please," Emma said before he could speak, blinking her eyes.
The slight flutter of her eyelashes was captured by him at such a close distance.
Jason silently hooked the corner of his mouth, leaned closer with a hint of temptation in his voice: "What should you call me?"
Emma was stunned.
She saw him leaning towards her so slowly, until he was at an impossibly close distance, almost touching the tip of her nose.
Emma struggled to close her eyes, and when she opened them again, her white teeth unconsciously bit her lips.
Finally, she spoke: "Husband."
When this word came out, it was soft and charming, even surprising Emma.
She was really embarrassed and a bit desperate; this was definitely not her voice.
She couldn't possibly make such a soft sound!!!
But Jason leaned back in his seat, laughing softly, and his laughter didn't stop.
"You..."