Feng Yan habitually went to fetch a glass of water first before pulling out his chair and sitting down. He leisurely began reviewing the messages on his phone.
Fang Assistant: [President Feng! President Feng! You spoke!????]
Doctor Ji: [President Feng, congratulations! During my last visit for your treatment, I had a faint sense that you would soon overcome your emotional barriers, but I didn’t expect it to happen even faster than I anticipated.]
The news of Feng Yan speaking in front of the executives at Qilan the previous day had caused an uproar overnight.
By morning, Feng Corporation’s phone lines were flooded.
Media outlets scrambled to be the first to secure an interview with Feng Yan.
Feng Yan’s fingers scrolled through the messages, his expression cold and indifferent.
He knew well that he still couldn’t speak freely in front of everyone.
Without hesitation, he replied to Fang Assistant: [Reject all interview requests.]
Fang Assistant responded instantly: [Understood, President Feng!]
Just as Feng Yan set down his phone and took a sip of water, it vibrated again.
Frowning, he tapped to open it.
Fang Assistant: [President Feng, several gossip accounts on Weibo have posted unauthorized news about you. Should we handle this with PR?]
Fang Assistant: [Reposted Weibo: [1818 Entertainment Eye: The real reason Feng Corporation’s president spoke…]]
Feng Yan’s brows furrowed, his expression icy as if coated with frost.
He clicked into the news page.
A photo appeared before his eyes—a candid shot taken by a Qilan customer from a passerby’s perspective.
Under the dense shade of towering trees, he stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Sang Lu, their half-profile faces vaguely captured.
His finger swiped down.
The comment section already had hundreds of replies.
—"All you detectives out there, I need the full scoop on this gossip in five minutes."
—"Breaking news!!! The woman next to President Feng appeared in Xie Sinan’s airport photos recently."
—"Wait, so she’s Xie Sinan’s rumored girlfriend?"
—"Connected to Xie Sinan? The entertainment industry? Then what’s her relationship with President Feng?"
—"Reward for more intel. Keep digging."
—"Update!!!!! I have a ‘little insider’—according to an elderly man from a certain neighborhood in Jing City, the woman in the photo is President Feng’s wife!"
—"What???? I gasped so loud I sounded like a goose."
—"President Feng found his voice for love? Oh my god!"
—"Such a touching high-society love story!"
Just reading the comments made Feng Yan’s head throb.
His temples pulsed with irritation.
He disliked being the subject of idle gossip and scrutiny.
Just as he was about to exit and instruct Fang Assistant to have the posts removed, his finger froze mid-air.
A new comment popped up in the feed:
—"Aaaah, this woman and President Feng look so perfect together, way more compatible than when she was in the frame with Xie Sinan! The tree-lined path, the fading twilight, the atmosphere—I’m shipping them so hard (disclaimer: no shade to Xie Sinan’s fans, sorry!)."
Within seconds, the comment was upvoted to the top.
Among the upvotes were fans of Xie Sinan’s rivals, eager to subtly drag him down—whether the comment was accurate or not, they tapped ‘like’ without hesitation.
Five minutes later…
Fang Assistant received instructions from the boss:
[Arrange for the news to be deleted this afternoon.]
Fang Assistant blinked in confusion: ?
This afternoon?
Something like this could be resolved with a single phone call in minutes.
Why wait until the afternoon?
Fang Assistant scratched his head.
He didn’t understand, but if President Feng said so, there must be a reason.
Maybe he wanted to let the news simmer for a while? A bit of entertainment buzz could be good for the company’s stock price?
Fang Assistant’s eyes suddenly gleamed with conviction as he nodded.
Yes!
Another day of learning from President Feng’s wisdom.
The learning never ends.
……
Nanfeng District.
A subsidiary of Feng Corporation.
"Hey, have you heard the big news today? Our top boss, President Feng, actually spoke!"
"Huh? I thought President Feng couldn’t speak. Fake news, right?"
"It’s real! So many people heard it firsthand last night at Qilan Resort."
A few employees from the secretarial department chatted in the breakroom, discussing the most sensational gossip in Jing City’s elite circles.
"Wow, I’m so jealous of the people who were there. I’d kill to know what kind of voice matches that ridiculously handsome face—it must be dreamy…"
"The real envy should be for President Feng’s wife. The internet’s buzzing that he spoke because of his mysterious spouse."
"Whoa~~~ This is some real-life Mary Sue plot. I’m a sucker for this kind of drama~~~"
The employee’s eyes sparkled with excitement.
Suddenly, the click of high heels echoed from the breakroom entrance.
A woman walked in, and the conversation instantly hushed.
Once she left, the two colleagues eyed her retreating figure before resuming their chatter:
"Wasn’t Guan Shiqing transferred here from the headquarters?"
"Yeah, she’s been here for months. Never really fits in—always keeps to herself, acting like she’s too good for a subsidiary."
"Can you blame her for being bitter? I heard she messed up at headquarters and got banished here."
"Oh? What did she do?"
"Unconfirmed rumors, but… apparently, she tried to get close to President Feng and got caught. That’s why she was kicked out."
"Pfft—" A colleague snorted. "She really dared to dream."
"No kidding."
"President Feng’s coming to Nanfeng for a meeting and inspection next week. You think she’ll try to cozy up to him again?"
"Who knows…"
As the gossip faded behind her, Guan Shiqing clenched her jaw, her face alternating between flushed and pale.
She had seen the viral news that morning.
Never in her wildest dreams did she expect President Feng to start speaking just months after she left headquarters.
Her expression hardened.
If she were still at the main office…
If she had the chance to speak with President Feng…
Would things have been different?
Wait—President Feng was coming here for a meeting next week?
Did that mean…?
Against her will, the hopes she had forcibly suppressed—the ones she could never voice aloud—began to resurface, strand by strand.
……
Sang Lu had originally planned to stay at Qilan for two days, but since the shooting location was confirmed, she decided to return early.
On the way back, Feng Yan drove.
As Sang Lu settled into the passenger seat, she stole a glance at the man beside her, whose very presence exuded a cool, detached aura.
Suddenly, the memory of him locking her in a headlock that morning resurfaced.
A faint trace of resentment flickered in her eyes.
Should she just tell him outright?
Was it appropriate?
If she didn’t…
He worked out regularly and was strong. What if he accidentally strangled her next time?
While her mind raced, Feng Yan turned his head toward her.
Noticing his movement from the corner of her eye, Sang Lu pretended to adjust the strap of her small crossbody bag before reaching for the seatbelt.
Feng Yan’s gaze darkened.
He realized the jacket she wore today was the same one from the photo taken at Nanfeng Airport—the one where she had been pictured with that man.
His brows knitted together instinctively, his eyes lingering on her arm, the exact spot where the other man had touched her.
For some reason, an indescribable emotion flickered through his chest.
Abruptly, he leaned over, pulling the seatbelt out before she could.
His other hand moved toward her arm.
In the next second, a broad palm enveloped and claimed the space over that patch of fabric on her.
With a slight tug, a click sounded—the seatbelt fastened securely.
Sang Lu held her breath, pinned against the passenger seat, shoulders tense.
Utterly bewildered.
Sang Lu: ???
What was that about?
Why suddenly buckle her seatbelt for her?
Was he… trying to apologize for locking her in a chokehold this morning?
