Jason nodded, and the boss hurriedly led them in with a smile.
Soon after, the boss brought them the menu. The menu at this kind of roadside stall was practical and simple—a single A4 sheet with ingredients listed and a box for customers to fill in numbers.
Emma looked down and studied it carefully, murmuring to herself, "A plate of clams with vermicelli, ten skewers of lamb…" She held a ballpoint pen with her delicate, fair fingers, muttering and jotting down on the paper. Jason, on the other hand, stopped looking at the menu and instead, slightly lifted his eyelids to look at her. The light in the shed wasn't very bright; Emma's eyes were slightly lowered, her long eyelashes thick and fluffy, casting a shadow on her eyelids. There was a unique cuteness to her.
When Emma called the boss over to collect the menu, she casually asked, "Boss, is your wife's porridge shop still open?"
The boss took a look and realized she was a regular customer. He smiled and said, "It's open. What would you like to eat?"
"Him," Emma pointed at Jason across from her, "The doctor advised him to eat something light."
The boss looked at Jason with concern and asked, "Oh, what's wrong?"
"It's been raining in Shanghai for the past few days, and the humidity is heavy. He's a bit allergic to it," Emma explained.
The boss immediately nodded and suggested, "Why not try something that nourishes the stomach and dispels dampness? Sir, do you prefer sweet or savory? For sweet, we have red bean and barley porridge; for savory, there's pork rib and Chinese yam porridge."
Jason, who actually had the same taste preferences as Emma and favored sweets, directly ordered the red bean and barley porridge.
After the order was placed, the boss looked at Emma and smiled, "Miss, you're quite attentive as a girlfriend."
Both Emma and Jason were taken aback. When Jason looked over, Emma was already looking up at the boss and said, "Boss, I'm not his girlfriend."
The boss was stunned, thinking he had made a mistake with his compliment.
But then the girl raised her eyebrows and corners of her mouth, her voice particularly soft and sweet: "I'm his wife."
The boss laughed, feeling that there was a special pride in the girl's words.
Soon, the barbecue was served.
As soon as Jason's gaze fell on the aluminum plate that was brought over, Emma quickly pulled the plate towards herself and said, "These are all mine; you can't eat them."
Jason: "…" He was just looking and had no intention of reaching for them.
Fortunately, the porridge from the shop was served shortly after. The freshly cooked porridge was packed in a dark small pot, exuding a simple and rustic charm.
During the meal, both of them spoke very little. Compared to the noisy and lively atmosphere at the surrounding tables, their table was particularly quiet. It was Jason who looked around and then at the quiet Emma, asking, "Did something happen today?"
Emma's chopsticks were picking up vermicelli from the aluminum plate. She had ordered the clams with vermicelli with medium spiciness, which was indeed quite hot. At the moment, not only were her cheeks rosy, but her lips were also red and vibrant.
She hesitated for a moment but still asked, "If someone is working in a company and is preparing to break the company's rice bowl, would that be too much?"
Jason looked at her seriously and said, "Whose rice bowl are you preparing to break?"
Ni Jing looked at him in shock, obviously not expecting Jason to guess it was her so quickly.
However, Jason didn't wait for her to ask and said directly, "You never discuss other people's right or wrong."
Emma was such a character; even in a place like the newspaper office, where rumors and gossip were rampant, she was not one to talk behind others' backs. She hardly mentioned her colleagues to Jason, at most occasionally talking about Huàzhēng.
Today, when Emma went to the health product company, especially seeing the elderly people coming and going with white hair, she really couldn't bear it.
The company was indeed a client of the newspaper, but if her articles helped the company gain more fame, thereby deceiving more elderly people, she couldn't stand it.
She chose journalism because she loves it, pursuing truth and upholding social welfare. Perhaps these words sound too idealistic, and countless seniors have told her that the truth isn't that important and that social justice can't be maintained by the might of her pen alone. Maybe in this era, where money is king and profit reigns supreme, ideals and responsibilities seem so laughable. But if she could turn a blind eye to such things, why did she choose to become a journalist in the first place?
Jason saw that she hadn't spoken for a while, clearly struggling inside. The word "struggle" didn't really suit Emma. From the moment he met her, he knew her character; she has always been forthright, doing whatever she believes is right without hesitation.
Jason: "If you're feeling conflicted, then listen carefully to your own heart, choose the outcome you will never regret. As for the consequences..."
He paused briefly.
Emma looked up and saw the burning light in his dark eyes: "If the sky falls, your husband will hold it up for you."
Jason's words gave Emma strength. Perhaps she might act immaturely at times. But she couldn't ignore such blatant deception of the elderly. She had seen her grandmother's despair and didn't want to see that on the faces of other elderly people.
Emma is not an indifferent person; on the contrary, her heart is extremely soft. She just习惯了carrying everything on her own shoulders.
Jason is steady and magnanimous, and he is good at understanding people's hearts. After all, as the president of a company, whether it's routine meetings with executives or negotiations with opponents, these all require careful thought.
His reticence is also due to the teachings of the elder in his family since childhood: the more you say, the more mistakes you make. Even his name fits this meaning: speak cautiously and act prudently.
But when he comforts someone, the effect is immediate, so much so that Emma's floodgates of conversation opened.
Emma tilted her head and looked at him, speaking softly: "What about you, do you encounter any frustrations at work?"
Jason was slightly taken aback. He sat on the plastic stool, his suit buttons already undone, the tie at the collar of his shirt long gone, and the top button undone, revealing a slender and attractive neck line. His usually tight and restrained ascetic temperament seemed to have a small gap, showing a bit of free and easy spirit.
He chuckled lightly: "All the time."
Hengya Group is too huge, with investments in many places around the world, like a giant aircraft carrier. Hengya alone employs more than 30,000 people worldwide.
Now he is the helmsman of this giant aircraft carrier. Even as excellent as he is, he must make unimaginable efforts to lead the carrier forward, carrying the hopes of countless employees and shareholders on his back, and he must be responsible for so many families.
As for the frustrations at work, as he said, they can appear at any time.
They rarely discuss each other's work because they are not in the same field and seem to have nothing to do with each other. He is the president of a multinational corporation, and she is just a small journalist at a Shanghai newspaper.
But in this shed, they gently and calmly talk about their work, about those frustrations.
Perhaps the other party can't solve it, but at least there is someone willing to listen carefully.
Emma seemed to feel a bit unsatisfied and slapped the table: "Boss, two cans of beer, please."
Jason looked surprised, and Emma stared at him and said, "You're not allowed to drink."
This sentence was quite powerful.
"Control me? Hmm?" Jason's eyes and brows were filled with a soft smile, and even the tail sound was full of sweet thickness.
Emma looked at him and blinked lightly, and her long, curly, and thick eyelashes couldn't block the light at the bottom of her eyes.
"Of course, I have the right to control you."
A wife controlling her husband is a matter of course.
Jason finally laughed loudly, and his facial features all showed an upward trend, nodding and saying, "Well, I only let you control me."
Emma lowered her eyes, and Jason rarely said such words.
But every time he said it, her heart would beat like a deer, and all her imagination about love was not as good as the one in front of her.
She whispered, "Then I have to control you for a lifetime."
After a weekend of rest, instead of showing up to work with renewed energy, everyone seemed to have been drained of their vitality, sitting listlessly at their desks early in the morning.
Fortunately, Emma didn't do much over the weekend, just spent time with her grandmother and cooked with Jason at home. He has been in Shanghai for almost the entire month, which is rare as he usually travels around the world.
In the morning, when everyone was lacking the spirit to work, the urge to chat was still strong. When Emma went to the pantry to pour water, Wu Mengni was chatting with two female colleagues from another team. The two female colleagues stood on either side of her, holding Wu Mengni's wrist.
"The Cartier bracelet with four diamonds, I tried it on in Hong Kong before, it costs hundreds of thousands," the female colleague on the left exclaimed, her eyes filled with envy.
The colleague on the right, who wasn't aware of the price, was taken aback: "It's actually that expensive? Just a bracelet costs hundreds of thousands?"
This colleague, from an ordinary family and not very familiar with luxury goods, never expected a bracelet worn on the wrist to be as expensive as a car.
"You, Sister Mengni, have such fair skin, this bracelet really suits you," one complimented.
"Right, this kind of gold bracelet looks best on someone with such fair skin," the other agreed.
These two were full of admiration and envy, and although Wu Mengni was trying to suppress her smile, her pride was unmistakable. Especially when she was making tea, Emma couldn't help but boast: "It's okay, my boyfriend is quite doting on me, he bought it for me because he thinks I work hard."
What an exceptional boyfriend, the two female colleagues could hardly praise enough.
When Emma left the pantry and returned to her desk, Huàzhēng, who was sitting next to her, glanced at the pantry, pulled her chair closer, and whispered, "Did you see that bracelet worth hundreds of thousands?"
Emma smiled and replied, "You saw it too."
"Almost everyone in the newspaper office knows by now. No wonder she hasn't been following behind Wen Tang lately, the little follower is trying to rise above her station," Huàzhēng said in a very low voice.
Huàzhēng didn't like either Wu Mengni or Wen Tang, but her dislike for Wu Mengni was greater because she was the one who directly made things difficult for Emma.
Before long, Wu Mengni walked out of the pantry and directly approached Emma's desk. She dropped her wrist on Emma's desk and tapped it twice, making the gold bracelet sway on her wrist.
"Your interview manuscript needs to be submitted as soon as possible. Group Leader Wen is out on an assignment today, so don't be lazy and submit it quickly. The advertising department has urged it several times," Wu Mengni said, rolling her eyes and adjusting a strand of hair by her ear.
After she finished speaking, she turned and swayed away.
Huàzhēng was so angry that she slammed her folder on the desk, whispering, "You say, is there no justice in the world? Why is there no one to teach this woman a lesson?"
Emma looked up and sneered, "Who says there isn't..."
Before she could finish, the large glass door of the open office was suddenly pushed open.
A woman with yellow hair, accompanied by several men, rushed in and shouted across the entire office hall, "Wu Mengni, where is that bitch Wu Mengni?"
This loud and forceful shout startled everyone in the large office area.
At that moment, Wu Mengni happened to be standing in the aisle, quite conspicuous compared to her seated colleagues. The yellow-haired woman scanned the area, and her eyes fell on her.
This was like poking a hornet's nest.
The woman rushed to Wu Mengni in a few quick strides, grabbed her hair directly, and shouted, "You little slut, you're the one seducing other people's husbands, right? You've been enjoying using my husband, haven't you?"
Before the surrounding colleagues could react to what was happening, a barrage of foul language erupted in the office area.
The scene at the office was chaotic as the yellow-haired woman assaulted Wu Mengni, while the men accompanying her scattered what seemed like hundreds of A4 sheets across the workspace, like snowflakes falling from the sky. Emma happened to have one on her desk and glanced down to see it was a chat log and a photo. "Damn," Huàzhēng exclaimed, biting her hand in shock as she saw the vulgar and explicit chat messages that were nothing short of sordid and distasteful. The photo was a selfie nude of Wu Mengni, posing seductively in front of a mirror, her hands cupping her breasts and her teeth lightly biting her lips.
At this moment, the yellow-haired woman had the upper hand, pinning Wu Mengni against the table, her collar torn. She shouted, "You little slut, you love to show off, don't you? Now I'll show you off enough." However, her moment of dominance didn't last long as the building's security quickly arrived, and male colleagues from the office stepped in to help. The security guards attempted to remove the intruders, but the yellow-haired woman was extremely aggressive, and the men with her protected her, making it impossible for the guards to take any action.
The woman yelled, "Where is your leader? I want to ask the leader of your newspaper if they still allow subordinates who seduce others' husbands!" There had indeed been many instances of wives causing scenes at their husbands' mistresses' workplaces, and their newspaper's lifestyle section had covered more than a few of these domestic disputes. But no one expected that one day, an employee of their own newspaper would become the main character in such a drama.
Word spread quickly up and down the floors, and by now, a crowd of employees from other companies had gathered at the door to watch the spectacle. The yellow-haired woman seemed unfazed by the growing crowd, even more excited because she had come to cause a scene.
"You're all journalists, educated people. I can't compare with you; I've had a tough life without much education. But let me ask you all, this little slut here even wanted my husband to divorce me and marry her." "I've been with him since we started selling seafood wholesale. Now that we have money, these little tramps are all over him, and they even want to take my place." She spat on Wu Mengni without any hesitation.
In fact, several leaders of the newspaper were present that day, and by this point, everyone was clear about what had happened. However, no one stepped forward; it was just too embarrassing.
Eventually, it was the police who came to the company and took the intruders away. But before leaving, the yellow-haired woman produced many receipts, claiming they were items her husband had bought for Wu Mengni, worth hundreds of thousands. She argued that since her husband had spent their marital assets on these purchases, she had every right to reclaim them.
The police ended up taking Wu Mengni as well, as she indeed had received gifts from the woman's husband, with the bracelet still on her wrist. After the police took them away, the entire office fell into a deathly silence, with not even the sound of keyboard typing to be heard. Everyone was still in shock from the drama that had just unfolded.
It was only when Huàzhēng whispered, "Jǐngxī, have you had your mouth blessed or something?" that Emma responded with a silent "..."
Tang Mian's car was parked across the street. He had seen the yellow-haired woman go up and watched as the police took everyone down and away. Only then did he drive back to the company.
Before entering, he lightly knocked on the door twice and then pushed it open. Jason, wearing only a waistcoat and shirt, looked up and asked, "Is everything taken care of?"
Tang Mian nodded, "I didn't follow to see, but the police took everyone away. The scene must have been quite something."
Jason had instructed Tang Mian to handle this matter. Initially, he had only asked Tang Mian to inquire about how Emma was doing at the newspaper. After all, when they had barbecued together, she had mentioned her dissatisfaction with the newspaper.
The information Tang Mian brought back made Jason's expression darken immediately. It was Tang Mian who found out about Wu Mengni being a mistress and reported it to Jason. Carefully observing his boss's face, Tang Mian asked in a low voice, "President Jason, what are your plans..."
Jason curved his finger and lightly tapped the desktop, indifferently saying, "Help Mrs. Wang. Someone is eyeing her position."
Thus, the drama of today unfolded.
The scandal involving Wu Mengni has caused quite a stir, and to make matters worse, a video was uploaded online the next day.
The headline alone, "Wife Beats Up Mistress, Who Also Happens to Be a Journalist," is sensational enough to grab attention without the need for any news department介入. The topic immediately went viral, and the news quickly shot to the top ten trending topics on Weibo.
Soon, Wu Mengni's name was exposed by netizens, and her Weibo account was discovered. She was never one to be discreet, showing off her Chanel and Cartier possessions. In a photo taken in a café, as she gently lifted a white porcelain cup, her wrist adorned with a four-diamond Cartier bracelet was captured, and the Chanel bag beside her table was also in the frame.
Her Weibo was filled with locations, ranging from top-tier restaurants in Shanghai with an average cost of two to three thousand per person to five-star hotels. After netizens did some digging, some couldn't help but marvel that through Wu Mengni's Weibo, one could trace the timeline of her affair with the wealthy man, down to the restaurants they dined at and the hotels they visited.
"Has the leading lady from your newspaper resigned yet?" Tang Mi asked with a sip of water, a smile on her face.
Emma didn't respond, but Huàzhēng, sitting opposite, immediately said, "No, but she hasn't been to work for several days."
Ever since Wu Mengni was taken to the police station by the police to deal with the issue, she indeed hadn't shown up for work. It's unclear whether the management wanted her to lay low for a while, or if she was too embarrassed to face her colleagues at the newspaper.
Tang Mi remarked, "Even in my WeChat Moments, people are asking about it, knowing that our company is in the same building as your newspaper."
There are no shortage of gossips in the entertainment industry.
Huàzhēng sighed, "Don't even mention it. People in our group have been too embarrassed to raise their heads these past few days."
Because of Emma, Tang Mi and Huàzhēng got to know each other. They were all young women of similar age with pleasant personalities, making it easy for them to become acquainted.
Tang Mi found it strange and asked, "What does it have to do with you guys?"
"Our group is the economics team, which often interacts with these corporations. Wu Mengni got involved with this person through such interactions. You can imagine what other teams must think of us. The single girls in our group have really caught a bad break," Huàzhēng said with a tone of helplessness.
Even Wen Tang hadn't been spared from the gossip, with some suggesting that her reason for not having a boyfriend was that she was waiting to catch a big fish.
What infuriated Huàzhēng the most was that some even speculated that Emma, who usually keeps to herself, might be hiding some big news.
Tang Mi looked at her sympathetically, then turned to Emma and said with a grin, "You're in trouble, but Jing Xi is fine..."
Since she's not single...
Before she could finish her sentence, Tang Mi felt a sharp pain on the top of her foot as the person beside her didn't hesitate to kick her.
Huàzhēng, on the other hand, looked up with curiosity and asked, "Why is Jing Xi fine?"
Emma, still holding her chopsticks and eating calmly, had a cold smile playing on her lips, which made Tang Mi, who was watching her, feel a shiver of fear, as her expression seemed to say: "Better explain yourself, or else you're dead."
"Jing Xi doesn't care about rumors like that," Tang Mi quickly came up with an excuse, managing to pull her own life back from the brink.
Huàzhēng nodded foolishly, convinced by the explanation, and said, "Right, I really admire Jing Xi." Her character is really cool, not the kind that's put on, but the kind that genuinely commands respect.
Tang Mi nodded in agreement, "Of course, she's our Emma after all."
Huàzhēng, as if remembering something, asked curiously, "Sis Mi, why do you always call Jing Xi Emma?"
She had wanted to ask this for a long time but was too shy when they first met. Today, she finally mustered the courage to ask.
Tang Mi was taken aback because, to be honest, she had been calling Emma by that name for so long that she almost forgot why everyone started calling Emma, Emma.
But she remembered later, especially after attending the wedding of a pair of high school classmates.
Tang Mi recalled the story with a chuckle and said, "It's because back in high school, there was a girl who sat in front of Jing Xi and me who had a crush on a guy in our class. This girl was a bit shy and too embarrassed to confess, but she was always kind to the guy, so the other boys in our class kept teasing them."
High school life was quite monotonous, filled with exams and studies. The ambiguities between boys and girls were like spices in a dull life, making it more than just bitter and astringent.
However, the boys in their teenage years joked without any boundaries. It started with subtle teasing, but eventually, it got out of hand. It was so bad that it made the girl cry throughout an entire physical education class, and no amount of comfort from other girls could soothe her.
The boys didn't stop; after PE, they kept laughing and asking the guy why his "little wife" didn't come to bring him water that day.
Finally, Emma, who had been quietly reading at her seat, suddenly stood up, walked over to where the boys were gathered, and looked at them one by one with a cold gaze. She said indifferently, "Is it shameful to like someone?"
This question silenced the entire class.
"Moreover, has she even said she likes him? There should be a limit to your jokes. You can't just apologize later to make up for the hurt you've caused others."
The boys, who had been making a racket, fell completely silent.
Emma ended with a sneer, "Also, being liked isn't a disgraceful thing. You don't have to mock him for it. After all, being liked means he has some virtues. Unlike some people who only know how to ridicule others, they are truly worthless."
The boys were left speechless and dared not retort.
After Emma finished speaking, she returned to her seat and continued reading. The girl in front stopped crying, and the boys behind no longer dared to loudly joke about her.
When the girls in the class gathered together, they admired Emma immensely.
Some girls said that she stood up for the girl and taught the boys a lesson, like a just and powerful leader.
At first, everyone called her "Emma Lord," but it sounded too awkward, so it gradually became just "Emma." Over the years, it became a habit.
Hua Zhen listened, once again stunned.
She felt like she had used up all her surprise and shock in her life, and it was all used on one person.
"Emma is so cool," Hua Zhen said, cupping her cheeks with both hands, looking like a lovestruck fan.
She suddenly felt like she wanted to marry Emma, to be protected by her felt so good.
Tang Mi was not surprised by Hua Zhen's attitude. To be honest, when they graduated from high school, many girls cried, hugging Emma, not wanting to part with her.
Tang Mi laughed and said, "And you know what's funniest?"
"What, what?" Hua Zhen's eyes were filled with excitement and curiosity, eagerly asking for more.
Tang Mi: "It's that these two classmates eventually got married and invited us to the wedding. The guy kept thanking Emma, saying that he was particularly immature at the time and actually liked that female classmate, but he was too embarrassed to respond to her because of the other boys' teasing. In the end, our Jing Xi scolded him to his senses and won over his future wife."
Hua Zhen: "Wow, that's so sweet."
The two continued chatting, while Emma looked at Tang Mi helplessly, "I feel like you're portraying me as a tigress?"
Tang Mi innocently batted her eyes and asked, "Am I?"
"Yes," Emma nodded, shaking her head with a smile.
At that moment, her phone on the table vibrated slightly. It was a WeChat message from Jason, telling her that he was about to have lunch.
Today, without any social engagements, Jason was having lunch at the company. Hengy Group had a staff canteen, but considering the taste buds of many employees, he rarely dined there.