Su Ying had been drinking all night and received a call from Jiang Nan Zhi the next day, inviting her for a meal.
But upon arriving at the He Family residence, she slept like a log. If not for He Yuan, she would probably still be asleep.
He Yuan looked at Su Ying—face unwashed, hair uncombed, eyes red and swollen—not a trace of the glamorous female star remained.
“Auntie Yingying, you’re going to lose fans like this.”
“Haha.” Su Ying pinched He Lin’s cheek and tugged.
He Yuan grabbed He Lin, who was about to retaliate, and said, “Stop fooling around, you two. Let’s talk business. What did your manager say?”
Su Ying replied listlessly, “She wants me to go back to the company first. Before clarifying this matter, I’ll let you review the draft, okay?”
Jiang Nan Zhi chimed in, “If we really clarify this, your relationship with us probably won’t remain hidden. All these years, you’ve never wanted to be associated with us in public.”
Su Ying said, “I was lucky to meet your family. Mrs. Jiang treats me like her own daughter. How could I have the nerve to use your influence to rise rapidly?”
Jiang Nan Zhi patted her hand and said, “If you need help, just say so. Don’t carry everything alone.”
Even now, they hadn’t asked who the man caught in the photo was, and Su Ying was deeply grateful.
Zhong Mu’s family came from generations of scholars, and now, every member contributed to the country. How could they accept a female star like her with all sorts of negative news?
Both she and Zhong Mu understood this well. Besides, Zhong Mu was immature, so Su Ying had always avoided the topic. No one except He Yuan and the others knew they were dating.
He Yuan was now the man on the hot searches. To avoid being photographed again, he and Su Ying left the He Family villa one after the other after dinner.
The next day at 10 a.m., Su Ying’s studio directly released a clarification statement, which read as follows:
“My fans all know that I’ve been sponsored since high school. After becoming famous, I joined this charitable path. Thanks to the favor of Mr. Jiang Tao and his wife, I am who I am today.
Therefore, I share a sisterly bond with Mr. He Yuan’s mother. He is technically my nephew, though he refuses to call me aunt, and we are not related by blood. But we are indeed family. I hope those spreading rumors will stop.”
At the same time, Stellar Group’s official blog posted a statement announcing that lawyers had filed lawsuits.
Stellar will not tolerate rumor-mongers. Additionally: Our President He already has someone he favors.
As soon as the two statements were released, those who had just started shipping the couple were shattered.
—No way, no way, I just started shipping them!
—CEO and female star, help! I really want to ship this.
—Some people in the comments are ridiculous. The statement is out, what’s there to ship?
—Never expected it to be Auntie?
—Let’s disperse, let’s disperse. Our Yingying shines alone.
—Is no one curious about who President He favors? Sob, I’m so envious.
—Me, me, me! I’m curious too.
—With that kind of family background, he must like some wealthy young lady around him anyway. Definitely not one of us.
—I want to stan President He, anyone with me?
—Come, come, let’s stan him together. I love this statement.
Since He Yuan wasn’t in the entertainment industry, his statement didn’t cause much stir. Instead, Su Ying’s side attracted considerable attention due to the exposure of her relationship with the He Family.
However, with no work scheduled recently, she had locked herself at home, completely cutting off all outside news.
In contrast, He Yuan’s statement had caused an uproar within Stellar, becoming nothing short of a nightmare for all unmarried women.
Their President He had someone he liked?
So when Lin Yue stepped out of the break room, she was immediately pulled aside by Zhou Yun Ce’s two secretaries, one named Yao Xing and the other Xiao Yun.
“Secretary Lin, Secretary Lin, does President He really have someone he likes?”
Lin Yue forced a fake smile. “I’m not sure.”
Help! She had been probed indirectly multiple times all morning—why did everyone come to her? She didn’t know either! Who would have thought the boss’s statement could cause such a stir?
That final line in the statement—if He Yuan hadn’t authorized it, the PR department wouldn’t have dared to publish it, right?
Even the PR director had been startled by He Yuan at the time. She was dying to gossip about it but didn’t dare, so she resorted to beating around the bush with Lin Yue. The key point was, Lin Yue didn’t know either.
And now these two were starting too. Save me!
Xiao Yun said, “But you’re with President He every day. You’d know best who he interacts with, right?”
Lin Yue actually thought about it for a moment but ultimately shook her head. “I really don’t know. When I’m with President He, it’s always about work. Why would he share his private matters with me?”
Yao Xing chimed in, “Are you dumb? Has he ever asked you to order flowers or book a restaurant or anything like that?”
Lin Yue shook her head. “No.”
The two found it strange.
Xiao Yun remarked, “That doesn’t make sense. Unless President He doesn’t actually like anyone, and this is just a tactic to avoid trouble.”
Yao Xing suddenly lowered her voice mysteriously. “I think there’s another possibility.”
“What? Tell us, quick!”
Yao Xing looked at Lin Yue’s curious expression and joked, “That would be President He liking Secretary Lin… mmm—”
Lin Yue clamped a hand over her mouth. “Sis, I’m begging you—you can eat whatever, but you can’t say whatever!”
Yao Xing nodded repeatedly, and only then did Lin Yue release her.
Xiao Yun nudged Lin Yue’s shoulder suggestively, whispering at a volume only the three could hear, “Actually, I think it’s possible too.”
Lin Yue looked exasperated. “How could that be? Although I’m not bad-looking, I still have self-awareness.”
Yao Xing said, “I’ve been here the longest. Initially, I applied to be President He’s secretary too, but I couldn’t keep up with his pace, so I transferred under Assistant Zhou. Once, I made a mistake in a meeting, and he criticized me so harshly I was trembling. Ever since you arrived, I feel like President He’s mood has improved every day. And don’t you notice? I think he’s so patient and considerate with you. What boss treats a subordinate like that? He even wore that childish band-aid you gave him.”
“Stop right there. I’ve already restocked those supplies.”
Lin Yue didn’t believe a word of it. She nodded dismissively and said, “Alright, alright, we’re still on company time, gossiping about the boss. I’ve got things to do—I’m heading back in now.”
Xiao Yun watched Lin Yue’s retreating figure with starry eyes and sighed, “Secretary Lin has such a great figure. How does she maintain it?”
Yao Xing agreed, “Yeah, and she’s so pretty. Why do I feel like she and President He would make such a good match?”
Xiao Yun hummed in agreement. “I didn’t think so at first, but after hearing your analysis just now, I actually can’t refute it.”
“If you can’t refute it, then don’t. Let’s just ship them!”
“Hehehe, you’re right. Let’s keep it between us—who’s gonna know?”
“Actually, I’ve already been shipping them. Every time I see those two, I have to hold back my laughter—they’re just too perfect together.”