In the restaurant downstairs from the newspaper office, two trays filled with burgers and drinks sat on the table. Emma hadn't touched the burger in front of her. The young boy, after swallowing the last bite of his, couldn't help but glance at Emma's burger.
Emma pushed her Spicy Chicken Burger towards him, "Go ahead and eat it."
"No, I'm full. You should eat, sister," he replied.
Emma, being called "sister" by him, said, "You should be in school today, right? Your parents and teachers will worry if you don't go to school like this."
"What's there to worry about? My dad's been arrested; he's got his own problems. Who's worried about me?" The boy spoke with a nonchalant attitude.
Emma frowned, "Where do you live? I'll take you home."
"Sister, do you think my dad will go to jail?" Suddenly, a hint of vulnerability appeared on the boy's face.
In reality, the boy didn't know Emma at all, but when the reporter this afternoon threatened to call the police on him, it was impossible for a kid his age not to be scared. Plus, he knew hitting someone was wrong.
So when Emma told him to run, the boy was grateful and somewhat touched.
Despite only having met once, he trusted her immensely, and asked questions he wouldn't dare ask others.
Emma thought for a moment and said seriously, "Creating and spreading false images to frame a school, if it's shared more than five hundred times, they'll get arrested. How many times do you think it's been shared since it was exposed?"
Most people would comfort the boy at this point, saying everything would be fine, that his dad would be okay.
But Emma didn't. After all, this incident had caused such a bad impact.
Sure enough, the boy's mouth twitched, and now he really wanted to cry.
Emma asked, "What's your name?"
"Lu Xuecheng," the boy said with a slightly choked voice.
Emma nodded, "So, can you tell me why your dad did this?"
After listening to Lu Xuecheng explain the whole story, Emma was at a loss for words. Shanghai Jia Rui Middle School was a place where students had to eat in the school cafeteria at noon. Although there were snack shops outside, the school was concerned about students getting sick from eating off-campus.
Lu Xuecheng never liked the cafeteria food, but his father wouldn't let him eat outside the school.
There was an agreement between the school and parents that if some parents allowed their children to eat off-campus, the school wouldn't be responsible if the child got sick.
So, students who didn't get the consent letter were envious of those who didn't.
Finally, Lu Xuecheng lied to his father, saying that he always had a stomachache and diarrhea when eating at school, and it wasn't just him, several other students were like this too.
His real intention was just to get his father's consent to eat off-campus.
When he got to this point, Lu Xuecheng looked up at Emma with guilt, "I never thought my dad would make such a big deal out of it, and believe that damn reporter, actually making fake photos."
After hearing this, Emma was silent for a long time.
It wasn't until much later that she looked at the boy across from her and softly asked, "Do you think your dad was tempted to make fake photos because he wanted fame for himself?"
Lu Xuecheng was stunned.
Emma wasn't an emotional person, but at this moment, even knowing that the father had done something wrong, she couldn't help but say, "Because he thought you really got sick from eating at school, thought the school was irresponsible for your health. So he wanted to protect you, deliberately made those photos to draw everyone's attention, wanting the school to reform the cafeteria issues."
Fathers are like that – they may not be good with words, but when their children are in trouble, they will do everything they can to protect them.
Even if he used the wrong method, it all started with such feelings.
Lu Xuecheng hung his head. Boys his age were just entering their rebellious phase, thinking that parents were stubborn and old-fashioned, secretly wanting to oppose them, trying to use their youthful recklessness to defeat their parents.
But they would never know how much their parents had done for them.
After a long while, Lu Xuecheng's voice really choked, "I'm sorry, I didn't know."
Seeing the boy about to cry, Emma said indifferently, "Isn't it said that boys your age would rather bleed than shed tears?"
This sentence really stopped Lu Xuecheng, the bright teardrops in his eyes circled several times without falling: "Sister, it hurts to bleed."
"..."
Emma continued, "And no matter how touched you are, I just want you to understand your father's good intentions. But his behavior of faking was absolutely unacceptable, so he's now learning a lesson from the law."
Lu Xuecheng was really taken aback by her words.
When he thought Emma was going the emotional route, she dropped two realistic and blunt sentences that made him realize his father's current predicament was entirely self-inflicted.
"What a cold-hearted sister you are," Lu Xuecheng remarked.
But he continued, "Sister, I thought all journalists were like that bad woman, deceiving people. I didn't expect there to be good people like you."
Emma sighed inwardly.
Look at how easily fooled these kids are nowadays, a couple of burgers and she's a good person.
With a calm expression, Emma looked at him and said, "How do you know I'm a good person? What if I just have a grudge against the person you hit, and I'm happy because you hit her, and then I helped you run away?"
Lu Xuecheng was speechless.
Why did she have to be so realistic?
So the boy took a sip of cola, slightly easing his complex emotions: "I still think you're a good person."
Emma leaned back in her chair and let out a faint, nonchalant laugh.
Once the boy had his fill, she said, "Let's go, I'll take you home."
"No need, sister, I have a bus card and can go home by myself," Lu Xuecheng replied, knowing that Emma had already done him a favor by treating him to burgers and didn't want to trouble her further.
Although just a young boy, he understood the principle of not imposing on others lightly.
"Let's go," Emma said, standing up directly.
Lu Xuecheng didn't argue and followed her out.
Emma pushed open the glass door and stepped out of the restaurant, feeling her phone vibrate in her bag. She took it out; it was Jason calling.
"Are you off work now?" Emma was surprised. He had been extremely busy lately, often getting home at eight or nine and working in his study for a long time afterwards.
She didn't expect him to call before eight today.
When Jason asked her when she would be back, Emma thought for a moment, "I have a few things to take care of later, so I'll probably be home around nine."
"Alright, I'll hang up then," Jason said.
So Emma hung up the phone, but as soon as she did, Lu Xuecheng said cautiously, "Sister, let me tell you something, don't get too excited, okay?"
Emma looked at his mysterious expression and chuckled, "Go ahead."
"Earlier, when you were on the phone, there was a super handsome guy behind you staring at you the whole time. Do you have a boyfriend? How about I get that handsome guy's number for you?"
Lu Xuecheng felt that he and Emma had just met by chance, and he had eaten two burger sets from her for no reason.
It was a bit too much.
So he planned to repay Emma with actual action.
Emma was amused, wondering what kids these days were thinking.
But as she turned her head, she saw Jason standing in the distance, quietly watching her.
In that moment of surprise, it really felt like he was there in the dimly lit night.
Jason, seeing that she had finally noticed him, walked over with satisfaction, looked down at the boy, and asked in a light voice, "Is this the thing you need to take care of?"
Lu Xuecheng was speechless.
"Let's handle it together," Jason said, placing his hand on Emma's shoulder and pulling her close.
After getting home, Emma recounted the story of Lu Xuecheng to Jason; they hadn't had the chance to discuss it in the car when she dropped the boy off.
Jason was taken aback upon hearing it. "His father is the one who made the fake photos?"
Emma nodded.
Her impression of Lu Xuecheng's father was only from that urgent phone call, demanding she immediately expose the school's behavior. She hadn't expected him to get involved with Wantong.
At KFC, Emma had asked Lu Xuecheng if he had any evidence that Wantong had instigated his father to deliberately make fake photos. Lu Xuecheng shook his head, indicating he had none.
Wantong wasn't stupid; on the contrary, as a media professional, she was all too aware of the legal boundaries. Making fake photos to create rumors would lead to arrest if evidence was found. She might only casually suggest during conversations that the canteen photos weren't striking enough, or that such images wouldn't cause much impact even if published.
Parents who felt they were protecting their children and wanted to make a scene would inevitably be swayed. Although the school's fees were high and most families who sent their children there were middle class, not all middle-class parents were well-versed in law. Some might have only completed middle or high school but, through hard work, provided a good education for their children. Faced with such issues, they relied more on instinct than the correct approach.
"Will Shang Rui Group sue them?" Emma asked.
The incident had caused an enormous impact, with Shang Rui Group's stock price plummeting and its market value reportedly evaporating by over a billion since the incident.
Such a massive loss couldn't be compensated with just an apology.
Jason didn't answer but instead reached for her hand, pulling it towards him. They sat side by side on the couch. Her hands weren't petite for a woman; they appeared somewhat large due to her slender, long fingers. Yet Jason's palm could envelop hers completely.
He slowly massaged her hand from her fingertips, applying just the right amount of pressure to soothe her mood.
Jason laid her down on his lap, looking down at her. "Do you want to get involved in this matter?"
"I'm just envious," Emma replied with a smile, a hint of shyness in her clear eyes.
After a while, she whispered, "I'm envious that he has a father looking out for him."
Emma understood the principle that one must own up to their mistakes and face the consequences. She also knew that Lu's father's actions were entirely unacceptable because he had hurt others. Yet, she couldn't help but feel envious, especially when she heard Lu Xuecheng frown and complain about his father's ignorance of the law.
Because, having a father is truly wonderful.
At this moment, she suddenly thought of Ni PingSen; she rarely thought of her father these days. The past, like a cage, had imprisoned her, but now she was slowly learning to let go.
The longer she was with Jason, the more peaceful her heart became, no longer so obsessive.
She used to be so stubborn that even the mere thought of her father's death would make her slap herself harshly.
Emma might never have truly moved on from the afternoon when she learned of Ni PingSen's disappearance.
Now, recalling that hot summer day when she felt a chill down her spine and trembled all over, the sense of despair seemed vividly present.
It was also from that day on that she grew to dislike summer.
Previously, she would never voluntarily share such thoughts with Jason, but now she was willing to tell him, revealing the tenderest parts of her heart.
Even if these feelings were childish and somewhat ridiculous.
But for a person with her character, it was an unprecedented thing.
No mussel would willingly open its shell to show the softest part of its heart to others.
But now, she was willing.
She wanted to share her joys and sorrows with Jason, to complain when tired, and to express envy when she felt it.
Jason gave her a sense of security, allowing her to have expectations and fantasies, making her willing to step out and believe that the place she stepped into would not be an abyss.
Jason leaned down and gently placed a kiss on her eyelid, his voice soft and tender as he said, "Your dad must have loved you very much."
"It's a real shame you never met my dad," Emma replied with a touch of regret in her smile. "Truly, he was the kind of dad who was exceptionally gentle and considerate."
Jason's eyes narrowed slightly.
It was rare for Emma to speak so much at once. Perhaps it was because fathers inherently have a soft spot for their daughters. Although she didn't think of him often, each memory was tender and sweet.
Noticing that Jason had been silent, Emma looked up at him. "Are you daydreaming?"
Jason was pulled back to the present by her voice, reaching out to touch the small strands of hair by her ear. "No, I'm listening."
"What did I just say?"
"..."
Until Jason repeated her words one by one, Emma felt a flush of embarrassment as each word she had spoken came out of his mouth. When she had said them, it hadn't felt awkward, but hearing them from him was a different story.
"Alright, stop," she quickly interjected.
But she hadn't expected that Jason could not only multitask but also had an eidetic memory; he truly remembered every word she had said.
Finally, Emma reached out and covered his mouth with her hand.
Unexpectedly, Jason didn't indulge her this time. He lifted his hand and pressed her down onto the sofa, looking down at Emma with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Don't want to listen here anymore?"
Emma was taken aback.
Jason leaned in close, his breath warm against her ear as he spoke in a voice slightly husky with promise. "How about we move to the bed, and I'll repeat each sentence to you?"
Instantly, Emma's body stiffened.
Blood rushed to her head, leaving her with a single thought.
Jason, this man, was lethal.
The incident with Wantong was not easily settled. The newspaper office had two incidents of people causing trouble, both directly or indirectly related to Wantong.
Editor Yao didn't cover for her either. When the editor-in-chief inquired about the matter, he told the truth.
As a result, Wantong and Emma, as the parties involved, were both called into the editor-in-chief's office. Emma had been present when the incident happened yesterday.
After a night of rest and the magic of concealer makeup, Wantong's face was once again beautiful, with no trace of the embarrassment from the slap marks yesterday.
Although Lu Xuecheng had previously accused Wantong of being the one who suggested his father create fake photos, as a child with no evidence, the newspaper's leadership couldn't make a direct judgment.
However, the editor-in-chief asked directly, "Wantong, is this incident related to you?"
"Of course not," Wantong denied vehemently. "I understand the child's feelings, which is why, even though I know which school he's from, I haven't called the police. But he can't just blame me for his father's forgery. I'm a journalist, and I have my own ethical standards for news."
Wantong argued her case, feigning complete ignorance.
The editor-in-chief frowned at her, his gaze sharp behind his glasses, as if trying to see into her soul.
No one reached the position of editor-in-chief without being a formidable character.
Even as composed as Wantong was, her eyes flickered after she finished speaking.
The editor-in-chief then said, "But I heard from your Editor Yao that you guaranteed the authenticity of the materials you obtained with your journalistic career."
Wantong shuddered.
Emma, listening quietly on the side, had also heard this statement.
The editor-in-chief continued, "And now, how can you guarantee? Look at the online abuse directed at journalists, calling us 'prostitutes', a swarm of flies that only chase heat without any professional ethics or boundaries. Listen to these words, really listen. If you're not ashamed, I am."
Although the editor-in-chief seemed to be scolding everyone in the office, everyone knew who had caused the trouble.
Wantong had never been scolded so harshly since graduating from school. Both her parents were in the media industry, and her father was quite well-known. She had joined the Hu Min Daily because the former editor-in-chief was a friend of her father's.
However, last year, the former editor-in-chief retired and was replaced by the current one. But Wantong had already leveraged the protection of the former editor-in-chief to become the newspaper's leading reporter.
Any activities within the newspaper that had any benefits, she was always included. After all, she had the strength and the background, so she thrived at the newspaper.
But this year, she has not only encountered setbacks one after another but has also been outperformed by Emma. Perhaps without the pressure from Emma, she wouldn't have been so desperate to regain the upper hand.
Wantong couldn't help but want to howl in her heart: when Emma wrote the article about Da Di Kang, you leaders gave her all kinds of green lights, but when it came to her, it was all kinds of difficulties.
But she still had some rationality left, and in the end, she held back.
Just as the editor-in-chief was about to announce the punishment for Wantong, there was a sudden knock on the door. The editor-in-chief frowned but called out, "Come in."
"Editor-in-chief, Shang Rui Group has sent a lawyer's letter," Old Zhang rushed in, anxiously saying.
It turned out that just one minute ago, Shang Rui Group had issued a statement on its official website and Weibo, pursuing the person who spread rumors.
But in the statement, Shang Rui Group mentioned that the three parents involved have been detained by the public security organs, but as an educational institution, they failed to reassure parents about placing their children in school, and they will review their own actions and will formulate a series of new ways to help parents better supervise the school.
As for those parents involved, they have already been punished by the public security organs, and the group will not continue to pursue them.
This decision won the praise of most netizens, who also praised Shang Rui Group for its tolerance and magnanimity.
But along with this statement came a lawyer's letter, addressed to Hu Min Daily and Wantong.
Because the newspaper did not conduct a thorough investigation and wrote an article that seriously deviated from the facts, causing great damage to the school and Shang Rui Group, Shang Rui Group demanded that Hu Min Daily apologize in print.
Shang Rui Group suffered heavy losses this time, but parents are absolutely not to be targeted.
As a result, the newspaper became the target of their anger.
Editor Yao frowned and said, "Editor-in-chief, what do you think about this..."
"What else can I think? The fake photos have already been confirmed by the public security organs. Even if you take the lawsuit to the Supreme Court, you will lose. What else can we do, apologize!"
Although the editor-in-chief is in his fifties, he is still vigorous, and the office door is not closed tightly.
The sound of the scolding has already spread out.
So when Emma returned to her desk, Hua Zheng couldn't help asking, "Did the editor-in-chief scold someone?"
"Did you all hear it?" Emma looked at her.
Hua Zheng nodded with some sympathy, "I think even the people downstairs can hear it, the voice is particularly loud."
"Wantong is really in trouble this time," Hua Zheng's tone was not gloating, quite calm, because this time the entire Hu Min Daily lost face along with her.
The good will that Emma's article had brought to Hu Min Daily was almost completely undermined by Wantong this time.
According to the new media editor in charge of the public account, the comments these days have all been scolding them for being irresponsible, and the number of people unfollowing is countless.
Today, there is another lawyer's letter.
After Wantong came out of the editor-in-chief's office, she started making calls, trying to use her connections to contact Shang Rui Group.
Until a reporter who was very connected and familiar with her asked helplessly, "What exactly did you do? Why is Shang Rui Group so focused on you?"
Wantong didn't know what was wrong with the company.
As for Cheng Rui, the young master of Shang Rui Group, he was beaming today. Although he has been in the company for more than a year, he has been idle all day. Although the company encountered such a big problem this time, although the police cleared their name, the follow-up crisis public relations still need to be done.
Just now, the two ideas he proposed at the meeting were adopted, and even his father, who has always been unhappy with him, praised him a few times.
So as soon as Cheng Rui came out of his father's office, he immediately called Jason.
"Brother, how should I thank you this time," Cheng Rui said with a laugh, "The two handling plans you told me about last night, to let go of the parents and sue the newspaper, I proposed them at the meeting this morning, and everyone agreed. Now, the lawyer's letter has been sent."
Jason has a meeting in half an hour, so he still has some time to listen to his nonsense.
"Is the lawyer's letter to the reporter?" he asked.
Cheng Rui laughed, "Of course it is. I saw that female reporter's Weibo, to be honest, she is a very beautiful woman, but she doesn't do the right thing."
After the incident, netizens once again became detective Sherlock Holmes and directly exposed Wantong's Weibo.
Some people still remember that she was the one who took advantage of Emma's heat last time.
But Cheng Rui doesn't know about this, he is a young master who usually eats, drinks, and has fun, and he is particularly curious to ask, "Did this female reporter offend you?"
Jason didn't say it outright, but the way he asked that question just now implied that he wanted Wantong to be unable to continue in this industry.
Jason, of course, didn't say anything to Cheng Rui and hung up the phone soon after.
As for the Hu Min Daily, after receiving the lawyer's letter from Shang Rui Group, they responded quickly by directly publishing an apology letter on their public account and official Weibo.
They apologized for the lack of rigor in this news report to Shang Rui Group and the general public, and pledged to remember this lesson and adhere to the authenticity of news and the bottom line of journalism in every report in the future.
As for Wantong's internal punishment, it was announced throughout the newspaper.
Wantong was penalized for violating the newspaper's regulations by publishing false news without investigation, forfeiting her fourth-quarter bonus and revoking her position as deputy head of the economics team.
After this incident, Wantong left the office without asking for leave.
No one expected the newspaper to be so decisive this time, but Emma had an indescribable feeling. She wasn't targeting Wantong; she just saw a sense of social responsibility and mission in the old journalists like the editor-in-chief.
Their concepts might be a bit outdated, but they were brave enough to take responsibility and admit their mistakes.
The reason why Editor Yao agreed to publish Wantong's article was because it involved student food safety. Now that they were wrong, no one shirked responsibility.
Even the editor-in-chief took responsibility and, like Wantong, forfeited his fourth-quarter bonus.
*
When Jason called, Emma was reading the internal email sent by the editor-in-chief, hoping that all colleagues could remember their mission and not be blinded by so-called heat.
The pleasure in Emma's voice was evident, and Jason noticed it too.
He asked, "Are you happy today?"
Emma knew he was flying to New Zealand in the afternoon, so she asked, "Have you arrived at the airport?"
"Just arrived." At the moment, he was sitting by the window in the VIP lounge, looking outside, listening to her obviously happy voice, and couldn't help but feel happy with her.
Emma told him about the newspaper's punishment, and her happiness was not because Wantong was punished.
She wasn't that childish; she was just delighted that everything was moving in the right direction. The newspaper didn't just focus on so-called heat but also had the courage to admit its mistakes.
Jason listened to her voice but didn't mention what he had done.
He didn't mention the matter of Shang Rui Group.
After Emma's incident, Jason had into her affairs at the newspaper and found out that she had been deliberately bullied by Wantong before.
He cherished Emma so much that he was reluctant to let anyone else touch her.
Since he married Emma, he had never even raised a finger to her, let alone speak to her loudly.
Although it had something to do with his restrained and calm personality, it was more that he was reluctant to do so.
The girl he held in his hands was actually bullied by others.
He had been forbearing before, but that didn't mean he had forgotten.
Jason has never been a stingy person; on the contrary, he has never cared about people who are unreasonable towards him.
But when it came to Emma's matters, he was just so narrow-minded.
When he heard her say that she envied others for having a father to protect them, Jason really felt heartache.
So he would disregard his status and make things difficult for a woman.
It's not an act of a great man, but Jason did it openly because no one could touch Emma.
She is his Achilles' heel.