Chapter 5

Ji Yinfeng's scandal caused a huge stir online, and the Ji Group quickly organized a press conference to address this issue. During the press conference, Ji Yinfeng admitted that he was indeed the person in those photographs but the woman in those photographs was not a woman from a nightclub. Instead, she was his fiancée, and he also announced that they would be married soon. His announcement instantly caused a huge uproar. Tang Ruochu looked on detachedly but she felt very conflicted. This was the man who had once promised to announce to the world that she was his wife. Yet, he was now directing these promises at another woman. She closed the tab of the news clip on her computer and automatically shut out everything that was related to Ji Yinfeng. However, she didn't expect Ji Yinfeng to get back at her after he had clarified news of his scandal. Tang Ruochu immediately noticed that the weird looks that her colleagues were giving her not long after the Ji Group's press conference came to a close. Her colleagues looked at her with a mixture of derision and contempt. She was puzzling over their strange reactions when she heard her female colleagues say contemptuously, "I knew it. My hero would never do something so disgraceful. It turned out that the woman in the photograph was his fiancée." "Haha, don't you think that whoever leaked this news to the press had been too despicable?" "I heard that the person deliberately did this to smear her sister's reputation because she had set her sights on her sister's fiancé." "I can't believe she had designs on her own prospective brother-in-law. How shameless could she be? I'm so disgusted when I think of the innocent act she puts on in the office." These women looked meaningfully at Tang Ruochu as they spoke. No matter how slow on the uptake she might have been, their barbed words made it easy for Tang Ruochu to realize what must have happened. Ji Yinfeng's words before he cut the line earlier that afternoon returned to haunt her: "Ruochu, you will regret this!" She didn't expect Ji Yinfeng to act so quickly and smear her reputation at her workplace! She was so furious that she started trembling in rage. It's said that people show the most heartless side of their personality when they fall out with others. She didn't do anything to them but Ji Yinfeng and Gu Ruoruo tried their best to smear her reputation and make life difficult for her. How much did they want her to suffer before they would stop trying to sabotage her? "You don't even know what is going on, so how dare you spout such nonsense?" Song Anyi admonished those female colleagues when she saw how upset Tang Ruochu was. ... "Haha, there's no smoke without fire. Would these rumors exist if she didn't do it?" "Exactly. Young Master Ji seems like he would be a devoted boyfriend. I'm pretty sure Tang Ruochu felt offended after her botched attempt at seducing him and resorted to such underhanded means to smear his name." "She's really something else. I truly pity her elder sister for having to deal with such a spiteful younger sister." People would inevitably gossip but their words were very brutal. They worked in a very competitive environment and there were some colleagues who resented how Tang Ruochu's outstanding performance at work overshadowed theirs. They wouldn't give up on this rare opportunity to bring her down, so they spoke very critically about her. Their words were like arrows that charged at her from all directions, and they were exceptionally harsh. "Shut up, or I'll make sure that you regret your actions," Song Anyi said angrily. She always had a quick temper, so when she saw how the other colleagues were hurling abuse at her friend, she immediately rolled up her sleeves and charged at these colleagues. "Song Anyi, what do you think you're doing?" These women were not to be trifled with either and they quickly banded together as Song Anyi charged at them. Song Anyi said boldly, "I'd like to show you how a proper human should behave." She charged at them like a train that had gone off the rails. No one could stop her, and she soon got caught in a tussle with the female colleagues. Tang Ruochu was shocked and she hurriedly tried to pull Song Anyi away from the fray when she saw how quickly things had escalated. Someone pushed her in the melee so she stumbled and immediately started to fall toward the sharp edge of the table. She would probably be seriously injured if she landed on it. "Ruochu—" Song Anyi shrieked in horror along with some other colleagues. ... Tang Ruochu was about to land when suddenly a figure shot out from nowhere and caught her in time. The man in black easily leveraged the momentum to pull her into his arms. He held her waist with her one hand and used his other hand to shield her head as he held her tightly in his arms. His protective stance made him seem like a guardian angel who was born to protect her. Silence fell upon the office. The man's appearance had been so sudden that no one knew how to react. Tang Ruochu was equally stunned. She had already mentally steeled herself for the fall earlier but she found herself in this man's warm embrace before she even knew it. As she rested in his embrace, she could clearly hear his heart beating powerfully. She smelled his cologne and the scent seemed vaguely familiar. It was a faint but refreshing scent. She calmed herself down and looked up at the man who held her. She saw his handsome face close up. He was extremely tall and had a dignified aura. His features were extremely well-defined and his expression was cold and detached. His sexy and thin lips added to his aloof demeanor, while his black eyes were so bright that they immediately commanded respect. He appeared like a powerful storm. He was so outstanding and domineering that everything seemed to pale in comparison to him. It was none other than Lu Shijin. "You..." Tang Ruochu's eyes widened as she stared at him in shock. ... Everyone around them exclaimed in surprise as well. "Isn't... isn't that Lu Shijin, the Chief Executive Officer of the Thunderbolt Entertainment Group?" "I must be seeing things, right? How is it possible for a man like Mr. Lu to show up at our office?" "You're not seeing things. It is him! It truly is!" "Look, he's still holding Tang Ruochu in his arms..." Lu Shijin's appearance had created a stir in the office, and everyone who recognized him looked very excited. The female colleagues who had been engaged in a tussle with Song Anyi couldn't help looking at him as well. Lu Shijin was a legendary figure! He controlled the fate of more than 70% of the things within the entertainment circle, so all the celebrities who were signed to his company were all extremely popular. The Thunderbolt Entertainment Group was known as the leading management firm within the industry, and countless celebrities would try their best to wrangle a contract with the Thunderbolt Entertainment Group each year. Everyone's perception of Lu Shijin was that he was an imposing and unapproachable man but there were still many women who wanted to marry him. If Ji Yinfeng was regarded as the husband of their dreams amongst the socialites of Beining City, then Lu Shijin was a far-flung fantasy. He was a very meticulous man who kept a low profile with an air of mystery, so all these women's fantasies were nipped in the bud. No one expected Lu Shijin to show up in a small firm like Times Entertainment News. They were even more surprised by how he had helped Tang Ruochu. Everyone suddenly felt very envious of her when they noticed how calm she seemed to be in his embrace.