Chapter 20

Chapter 20

“I’m sorry.

“I’m sorry.”

Shen Sui apologized to me over and over, his voice trembling.

“There’s no need to apologize. I learned a lot from you during our time together.

“If you truly want to make amends, then stop bothering me.

“Honestly, you’re making me feel disgusted.”

I caught a glimpse of his fingertips twitching.

“Don’t be like this,” he pleaded in a low voice. “I’m begging you.

“I’m begging you.”

“Then I’m begging you, too-don’t show your face in front of me again.”

Ignoring him, I turned to the segment director.

“I’m so sorry, but this episode can’t be aired. We’ll have to reshoot it. I’ll do my best to accommodate your schedule.”

Shen Sui stood frozen, covering his face with trembling hands. It looked like he was crying.

How embarrassing.

Even I hadn’t cried. If we had to reshoot an episode, my vacation time would be gone.

The director looked at Shen Sui with a hint of fear in his eyes.

“This episode… at President Shen’s request…” He paused, swallowing hard before continuing, “was a live broadcast.”

My head throbbed with a sudden buzz.

After returning home, I opened my phone.

#Shen Sui Jiang Zhi#

#Shen Sui We Were Engaged#

#Eight Years It’s Been Eight Years#

#What Is Your Most Regrettable Near Miss#

#Lu Li#

…

The trending topics were almost entirely dominated by this episode.

I scrolled through the comments in silence.

[I knew it! I knew she wasn’t that kind of person. The Jiang Zhi I like is a talented and wonderful person. I love you so much, sob sob sob.]

[Oh my god, when I heard Jiang Zhi say it had been eight years, even as a non-fan, my heart broke. Sister, don’t limit yourself to men. You’re young, beautiful, rich, and have a great personality. I’m online all day, I play on my phone while eating, I reply to messages in seconds, and I can shower in five minutes. Look at me!]

[Uh, I don’t really get what you guys like about her? Isn’t this just being a total masochist? So pathetic.]

[I used to speak up for Lu Li and called Jiang Zhi a bitch. Now I really want to go back in time and give myself a slap. I’m never jumping into a hate train again.]

[Some people are hilarious. Are you deaf or just brain-dead? She said she never stalked him. She just liked someone-liked him for eight years, worked hard for eight years. Does she deserve to be insulted like this? Does attacking a girl’s capacity to love give you that much of a sense of achievement?]

[Watching that clip made me empathize so hard. I had a crush on a guy back in school, the really brilliant type, though he probably doesn’t even remember who I am. Haha, it’s kind of funny; I’m in my thirties now and I still have that crush. When you like someone when you’re young, you really remember it for a long time.]

[You guys are all focused on her love life, but am I the only one who thinks she’s incredible? She gives her all to everything she wants to do. She loves openly and honestly, and when she stops, she cuts ties cleanly. She never used the fact that she was hurt to gain sympathy. I can’t imagine how strong her mental fortitude must be.]

…

Following my usual routine of posting every Thursday, I put out a Weibo post and then turned off my phone.

I began preparing to push forward with my company’s next project. The salary and benefits I offered were highly competitive within the industry, allowing me to recruit many talented individuals.

Despite the recent turbulence, things were generally going smoothly.

For the next project, I would be going head-to-head with Shen Sui.

I knew him very well, but he knew nothing about me. He didn’t even know that the person who had been snatching resources from him these past few days was me.

It wasn’t intentional; it was simply what the company needed to grow, and competition was unavoidable.