At 11:30 a.m., inside the office, He Jian Shan stood with his back to Lin Hui, suppressing his restless emotions, while Lin Hui calmly observed his silhouette. After a long while, He Jian Shan turned around and said to Lin Hui, “We need to talk.”
During the just-concluded internal meeting, there was a lengthy discussion about who should take over as the new head of the Ninghai project. They debated whether to recruit externally or appoint someone from within. The project was unique, requiring not just industry experience but also a deep understanding of the project background, industry environment, and even governmental relations. Trusting it to just anyone was not reassuring, yet there was really no one available internally.
Near the end of the meeting, Lin Hui, who had remained silent throughout, suddenly spoke up: “I have the most suitable candidate for this project.” All eyes turned to him as he looked seriously at He Jian Shan and declared, “Me.”
“Tell me what you’re thinking.” When Lin Hui said “me” during the meeting, He Jian Shan was completely taken aback. Until then, Lin Hui had never shared any thoughts about this project with him.
Lin Hui lowered his eyes and said softly, “You know, this is the best plan.”
“I’m not against you taking on the project, but not now. Wait a bit longer.”
“I’ve been involved from the start for two years, no one knows it better than I do, I am the most suitable candidate.”
“Listen to me, Lin Hui, just wait a bit longer. I’ll find someone for you, and then—”
“You’ve already picked Zhao Xiao Xiao for me.” Lin Hui interrupted him. “She was placed by He Zhao, but in front of her father, you credited all the achievements to me and then arranged for her to work directly under me. Her father is retired from the government but still has connections, which might be useful…”
Lin Hui paused, then continued, “In two years, when you send me to the project and I show results, you’ll call me back to the group. With the project in my hands, there will be no objections to my advancement within the company…”
He Jian Shan fell silent for a moment. “You clearly know—”
“Yes, I know, that’s why I have to go.”
“Not now.”
“Now is actually the best time.” Lin Hui’s voice grew firm. “Moreover, I not only need to go, but I must also resign to do so.”
He Jian Shan looked at him sharply.
Lin Hui met his gaze earnestly: “I can’t be a weapon for the shareholders to control you.”
“I will tell everyone that I resigned so that the shareholders can’t use me to interfere with you, and you can do what you want to do. The Ninghai project will be my way out.”
“Absolutely not!” He Jian Shan immediately understood his intention. The reason he had been eager to announce their relationship was to prevent things from escalating. If Lin Hui announced his resignation now, the backlash would surely follow, and Lin Hui would face all sorts of inexplicable malice again—he could not tolerate Lin Hui being hurt under his watch, even temporarily.
Lin Hui looked at him steadily and asked an unrelated question, “He Jian Shan, have you ever been afraid, annoyed, or bored by the online comments about you, whether good, bad, real, or speculative? Over the years, have you cared about online public opinion?”
He Jian Shan didn’t respond.
Due to his relationship with Yao Qianyi, he had been in the public eye from a young age and was used to it. No matter how exaggerated or bizarre the gossip about the He family was online, it never affected him, and his concern this time was solely because—
“Because of me, you had to be drawn into this vortex. I believe it started with unintended attention from ordinary netizens, but the turmoil that erupted after our intimate photos were exposed was surely fueled by others.”
“He Jian Shan, I’ve become your weakness. You have to spend more effort to mitigate the negative impact of these events—you might not care about the internet, but you’re forced to deal with some real issues.”
He Jian Shan clenched his hands tightly, his breathing growing rapid: “I can’t accept you getting hurt again, do you understand?”
He knew that Lin Hui was the best choice for the Ninghai project, and his first thought upon learning of the vacancy was that Lin Hui was perfect for the role.
But ever since their relationship had been exposed, he had dismissed this possibility.
As Lin Hui said, the shareholders indeed insisted that all his public relations actions were driven by personal feelings, not Lin Hui’s own merit. If He Jian Shan acted unilaterally, he would have to bear the consequences of the negative impact this event caused. He was indeed in a passive position, but not without solutions—rather than seeing Lin Hui hurt, he would prefer to handle everything alone.
Lin Hui shook his head, “It’s not four years ago anymore. Online public opinion can’t hurt me much anymore, and you, you are not alone.”
“And you know, even if all the public opinion calms down now, tomorrow, the day after, or any day as long as it exists, it will be dug up again by those with intentions,” Lin Hui’s voice softened, “and I can’t always stand behind you.”
Since the incident, Lin Hui had been thinking, what had all his efforts over the years been for? If it was for He Jian Shan, they were already together now, so why wasn’t he satisfied? Yes, he was dissatisfied because, more than the nebulous malice from the other end of the computer, he cared more that he had suddenly become a pawn—a pawn some Wan Zhu shareholders used to control He Jian Shan. Everyone could use him to stab at He Jian Shan, and yet he could only leave everything to He Jian Shan.
How was this different from four years ago?
“Leaving is only temporary. After resigning, I can come back to the group through the Ninghai project, and then the shareholders won’t have anything to say.”
“It’s the same as what you planned for me. Now, we’re just speeding up this process a bit, and the minor side effects that result from this can be ignored.”
“Once the internal issues are resolved, the outside rumors will also fall apart.”
“I trust you, He Jian Shan.”
Lin Hui paused, then asked a question, “Why did you have Annie stop me from entering that day?”
He Jian Shan looked at Lin Hui, speechless for a long time. That day, he had urgently convened a team meeting, and the first thing he instructed Annie was to keep Lin Hui out of the conference room if he came. Because he knew better than anyone that no matter how outrageous the public relations suggestions were, as long as they benefited him and Wan Zhu, Lin Hui would definitely accept them.
“Our feelings are the same,” Lin Hui said firmly, “No one can use me to hurt you.”
Even if He Jian Shan wouldn’t be affected at all, it still wasn’t acceptable—Lin Hui couldn’t bear being He Jian Shan’s weakness. Online, people made jokes mocking He Jian Shan, calling him the dazed king of Wan Zhu, saying Lin Hui was a maid who climbed into bed to become queen. If queen it must be, then so be it, but besides being a queen, he could also be a knight—long ago, He Jian Shan had already armored him.
He Jian Shan’s throat moved slightly, his lips twitched as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, only four words reached his lips: “I don’t agree.”
“He Jian Shan, you said that I would be in charge of this relationship.”
“That’s about love. You can’t mix personal and public matters.”
“I can. In this office, you’ve taught me countless things, but it’s also here that we’ve hugged, kissed, and loved.” Lin Hui looked intently at him, “From the moment we got together, our work and life have been inseparable.”
“Assistant Lin, I can’t leave your side.”
He Jian Shan’s voice became a bit hoarse, his eyes filled with an unspeakable softness. Lin Hui rarely saw him show weakness, and a sharp pang of pain surged in his heart, a feeling he hadn’t experienced in a long time. Lin Hui clenched his hand tightly and after a long while, he said softly, “I can’t leave you more than anyone else.”
He Jian Shan closed his eyes and then opened them: “No, I—”
“I love you, He Jian Shan.”
“I know, but—”
“No, you don’t know.” Lin Hui’s eyes reddened, “When I secretly had a crush on you, you didn’t know what it felt like for me to stand behind you every time; you didn’t know the pain of missing you so much that I couldn’t sleep at night; you also didn’t know how many times I wanted to leave this building immediately because of you but stayed because of you—”
During those sleepless nights, Lin Hui had thought countless times: What is love? Why does it make one so painfully yet willingly suffer? Why does it make one incredibly vulnerable yet also instantly filled with strength? Even now, Lin Hui didn’t know the answer. Perhaps some questions don’t need answers.
“We must continuously arm ourselves to have the confidence to reject all malice.”
He Jian Shan stared at Lin Hui, stunned.
“That’s what you taught me, He Jian Shan, you gave me the courage.”
He Jian Shan was silent for a long time before saying, “It’s now 12 o’clock, Wan Zhu’s official announcement about our relationship has already been made. Even if I retract it now, it’s too—”
He Jian Shan paused, suddenly realizing something, and looked incredulously at the person in front of him: “Lin Hui!”
Lin Hui finally smiled.
—
One day earlier, in the PR director’s office.
Fan Yu looked at the calm Lin Hui in front of him and could think of only two words: Crazy.
He took a deep breath and firmly refused, “No! Definitely not!”
“It’s possible.”
“You’re crazy, Assistant Lin, the boss will kill me!”
Lin Hui was very calm, “He won’t, murder is illegal.”
“The procedure alone won’t allow it!”
“The procedure is legitimate. I am the vice president of Wan Zhu, and the final approval for using the seal is with me.” Lin Hui looked intently at Fan Yu, “This statement is personally confirmed and sealed by the vice president.”
“If I release this tomorrow, President He will have me out of here within a minute.”
“I guarantee he won’t, I’ll explain to him personally, and I won’t let you take the blame.”
“Assistant Lin, listen to me, all the press releases are ready, by noon tomorrow, just by sending out this Weibo post, we can control public opinion, there’s really no need, truly no need.”
“As long as there’s any disturbance at Wan Zhu, this matter will be brought up again and again. I can’t become He Jian Shan’s weakness, I need to give the shareholders an explanation, do you understand?”
“I don’t understand, boss lady, no, really no, I’m begging you.” Fan Yu also broke down, even shouting “boss lady” in desperation.
“Let me handle all the operations, you can record a video for proof. If it really comes to it, you can say I kidnapped you.”
“Why not leave everything to President He?” Seeing Lin Hui still joking, Fan Yu became frantic, he couldn’t understand why Lin Hui had to do this when He Jian Shan would surely resolve everything.
Lin Hui fell silent for a moment, “Four years ago, I stood behind him, I can’t always stand behind him.”
Fan Yu was speechless.
Honestly, when the news of the company’s top two executives dating first broke, his wife had eagerly approached him for gossip. But after thinking about it, aside from the initial shock, he felt that aside from their gender, the two really matched well. He believed the thoughts of his colleagues at Wan Zhu were the same, so everyone gossiped privately for a few days, but interest in the matter gradually waned, and by now, even discussions about the company’s holiday schedule were more lively.
“This is against the rules,” Fan Yu struggled desperately.
“The only thing against the rules is me, I took the official account and password without authorization.”
“Should I update my resume now?”
“You just need to act as if you don’t know about this, trust me, I definitely won’t implicate you.”
“I have elderly parents and young children at home, I have a family to support, President Lin!”
Lin Hui laughed softly, “I have a family to support too.”
Fan Yu stared angrily at Lin Hui, and finally, painfully closed his eyes and compromised.
—
Lin Hui looked seriously at He Jian Shan in front of him, he had never been so clear-headed, his gaze flickering with firm and passionate light. He Jian Shan hadn’t recovered from his shock yet, he moved his lips, wanting to say something, but Lin Hui spoke first:
“Do you remember what you told me? You said if one day I wanted to leave Wan Zhu, to just say it outright, not to write a resignation letter.” Lin Hui took a deep breath, “So, President He—”
“I formally submit my resignation to you.”
At 11:45 a.m.
Wan Zhu Group’s official Weibo posted a statement with the company seal. The statement completely reviewed the online public opinion incident involving He Jian Shan and Lin Hui, addressing many rumors with clarification and evidence, and announcing follow-up actions. The official statement declared no further responses would be made regarding He Lin’s personal relationship issues. This detailed statement was so comprehensive it couldn’t fit in a single nine-grid post, and it included the line:
For their better development, the company has approved the resignation application of Wan Zhu Group’s Vice President Lin Hui.
Extra 2 releases for the month of Nov complimentary event @ my Discord
