Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
However, the truth was as Cheng Dongge was dropping Qi Chengyue off, and the whole Qi family was waiting for her inside the manor.
There was another photo of a brightly-lit corridor. Qi Chengyue recognized it as the corridor in Dynasty. It was Wei Minghao’s birthday celebration the other day.
Cheng Dongge had realized that there was an eyelash on her cheek and proceeded to remove it. It was an innocent gesture but from the static photo, it seemed flirtatious as if Cheng Dongge was stroking her cheek.
The angle looked like the photo was taken from outside the window at the end of the corridor. It captured their side profiles.
Another photo was when Huang Ziyue went to Cheng Dongge’s house to get the clothes she left there. Qi Chengyue accidentally bumped into a suit-cladded Cheng Dongge.
From the photo, the scene was made to look like they were hugging each other. Cheng Dongge had his hand on the bump on her forehead. Another photo showed him feeding her water while patting her back in a steamboat shop. Out of context, it really looked as if something was going on between the two of them.
Qi Chengyue was as mad as a bull. Her left arm was trapped by Zhou Mingyan. Her other hand gripped Zhou Mingyan’s wrist and tried to dislodge her.
“Zhou Mingyan, you and your son are vile! Cheng Dongge treats me just as a colleague. These photos were taken out of context! To target me is one thing, but to drag an innocent bystander down? Whatever your problems, just come at me. You guys are b*stards for accusing an innocent man!” Qi Chengyue was mad beyond words.
The slap from Zhou Mingyan was nothing compared to the false accusation that was thrown at Cheng Dongge. She was so angry that tears started falling.
“What right do you have to drag others into this? This issue is between Jian Yi and I. Our marriage has nothing to do with anyone else. Cheng Dongge has nothing to do with this. You had no right to accuse an innocent person!”
“Stop taking photos!” The male employees who were helping the guards had their hands up to block the cameras. The reporters were taking photos as if their lives depended on it. No one could stop the horde of reporters.
The female employees ran forward to restrain Zhou Mingyan but they could not overpower her.
Even if they got more people to restrain Zhou Mingyan, there was limited space. They would need three people at most to hold Zhou Mingyan—two from the sides and one from the back. Any additional people would not be able to squeeze in.
“Let go of me! Qi Chengyue, you’re guilty and you know it! What? Just because this is your turf and you have more people, you want to bully an old lady!” Zhou Mingyan shrieked at the top of her lungs.
The three female employees were sweating from the engagement. Three youths could not even hold an old lady back.
“I want everyone to know what kind of woman you are! You are the one who cheated on my son and now you want to accuse him! Just because the Qi family has money and power, you want to bully us commoners. Qi Chengyue, I know you’ve never respected me, probably because we’re poor right? That’s why you’re always picking on Jian Yi. Such disrespect to our family, when have you ever done your duty as a good wife and daughter-in-law?”
“Shut your mouth! Shut up!” Qi Chengyue was fuming. Zhou Mingyan spoke without taking a breath—her mouth fired like a machine gun with baseless accusations as the bullets. She had already pinned the crime on Qi Chengyue. There was no opportunity for Qi Chengyue to explain herself.
“I am not keeping quiet! I want the whole world to know the truth! If it weren’t for your family background, who would want you with that personality. I’m not shutting my mouth just because you said so. Everyone should know the truth. Qi Chengyue, you’re being a bully!” Zhou Mingyan violently shook off the hands that were restraining her.
“Who is the bully here?” A loud and angry voice echoed through the room. In the commotion, Zhou Mingyan was shoved aside and she fell backward. If it were not for the female employees, she would have fallen to the ground.
As the voice echoed, a tall and strong body sheltered Qi Chengyue. Through her blurred, teary eyes, she could make out the figure to be Cheng Dongge’s back.
A survey of the scene had Qi Chengzhi leading the security guards. These men were rushing out from the security room.
“Dongge, you bring Chengyue upstairs,” Qi Chengzhi said in a deep voice.
Cheng Dongge nodded and guided Qi Chengyue away silently.
“Don’t you dare leave! You’re guilty! If you’re not guilty, you wouldn’t leave!” Zhou Mingyan shrieked from behind. “You dare to leave with your lover in front of everyone, you have no respect for us! You dare to do this in front of me, I cannot imagine how cruel you were to Jian Yi! Look at her! That man is an adulterer and she’s in his embrace! Shameless! What did we do to deserve such an embarrassment? Bullies! All of you!”
The female employees stood aside to let the security guards pass. The guards surrounded Zhou Mingyan and caught her by her arms.
“What are you doing? A bunch of men bullying an old grandmother! Have you no shame?” Zhou Mingyan immediately became unreasonable. She took a step and sat her body down on the ground, unwilling to budge. “Come see, come see! The Qi family is bullying people! Such a powerful family with money and fame, bullying a commoner like me! I have no chance! Come see!”
“The Qi family princess had an affair and doesn’t want to admit it. Now they send out these goons to bully an old lady. Such heartless people!” Zhou Mingyan cried out. Snot and tears were running down her face as she said, “They want to shut me up with coercion!”
Qi Chengzhi stared nonchalantly at the old woman making a scene on the floor. The security guards did not know what to do.
“What are you guys standing there for? Others, get the reporters out of here. Anyone who doesn’t want to leave, you’re allowed to use force. If anyone sues, Qilin will handle it. If any of you get hurt, the company will pay triple for the work injury. You two, take this lady out of my company. If she doesn’t get up, just drag her.” Qi Chengzhi’s eyes were cold as ice as he looked upon the Zhou Mingyan’s tantrum. He had no sympathy for her.
Qi Chengzhi lowered his head. The pair of merciless eyes fixed on Zhou Mingyan. “Let me show you how the Qi family wields its power. Drag her out of here!”
…
…
Cheng Dongge took Qi Chengyue into the elevator specially reserved for Qi Chengzhi. Once in the elevator, he pressed the button for the top floor.
The tears streamed down Qi Chengzhi’s face and gave her a dull look.
She rubbed at her face. The tears flowed down between her fingers and ran across the pale skin of the back of her hand. “Embarrassing… How embarrassing…”
Cheng Dongge watched her tremble. There was a bitter taste in his throat.
During lunch hour, Cheng Dongge had some unfinished business that he had to attend to. Hence, he was still in the office. Not long after, he heard one of the secretary staff rush in. He told Qi Chengzhi that Zhou Mingyan was in a heated argument with Qi Chengyue on the first floor and even brought photos of Cheng Dongge and Qi Chengyue.
Cheng Dongge understood the situation immediately. He and Qi Chengyue were innocent of the alleged crime. He had some feelings for Qi Chengyue but he knew that her situation was tenuous. He could not overstep his boundaries as anyone with ulterior motives could easily spin a false story from photos taken without context.
Even if he wanted to distance himself from Qi Chengyue, they worked in the same company. There was no avoiding each other. He was just worried that a passing greeting could be misconstrued as a lover’s tryst.
If not him, they might still target another man and Qi Chengzhi.
Anything was falsifiable if one was determined.
At that moment, Cheng Dongge quickly abandoned his work and went down with Qi Chengzhi.
He spotted Qi Chengyue’s small, fragile body in the middle of a crowd, the focus of Zhou Mingyan’s verbal assault. His heart ached for her.
Now, they were in the personal elevator reserved for Qi Chengzhi and Song Yu. Qi Chengzhi had handed Cheng Dongge the elevator key. The elevator granted privacy—there were no surveillance cameras.
Cheng Dongge took a step forward. He placed his hands on her shoulders and guided her into his embrace. Qi Chengyue felt a warm hand on the back of her head coaxing her to rest her head on Cheng Dongge’s chest.
“You were not embarrassing. Zhou Mingyan was the shameless one,” Cheng Dongge spoke softly into her ear, his lips felt like they were kissing her ear.
“I’m sorry you got dragged into this thing. Sorry…” Qi Chengyue sobbed. “This is all my fault. Now you’re being accused and you need to deal with all this slander.”
“I am a man. Those accusations will not hurt me.” Cheng Dongge’s voice was low and gentle as if he was serenading her. “It’s just rumors. Just some words that people say. Words won’t hurt me.”
Qi Chengyue knew it was not going to be as easy as he said. She knew Cheng Dongge was a self-made man. He had taken each step with integrity and did not rely on any family or female companions, as shown by Huang Ziyue. He was not someone who would take advantage of women.
On this path, he had sacrificed his time and effort to be where he was today.
Yet, after today’s commotion with Zhou Mingyan, there would always be doubts about his capabilities. Once the news broke out, there would always be a group of people who felt that Cheng Dongge’s climb up the ranks was influenced by Qi Chengyue. All his hard work would be undermined by this one incident.
As if Cheng Dongge had always been using underhand tactics—taking advantage of Qi Chengyue or some other woman—to get to where he was now.
“It’s unfair to you! I’m sorry. It’s all my fault…” Qi Chengyue sobbed. “You don’t deserve this. Those conniving people who use dirty tactics get to leave a good name yet a hardworking person like you has to bear such a ridiculous crime. It’s unfair… I’m sorry…”
“I don’t mind, really.” Cheng Dongge cupped her face. Her doll-like face looked so small in his hands.
Cheng Dongge’s thumb swiped away the tears on her face. Her lips were especially pouty due to the crying and he had to hold himself back from kissing her.
“It’s nothing. It’s really nothing,” Cheng Dongge whispered. “I hear the case will be up for court on Thursday. The decision will be made soon. Two more days and it will be over. After that, we won’t have to deal with this anymore. No words will hurt us.”
Qi Chengyue sniffled and thought, ‘Two more days. Just two days and I will be free.’
“I don’t know…” Qi Chengyue mumbled. “If word got out, I’m worried that the court will rule against me. Else, why would Jian Yi’s family suddenly come out and make such a scene.”
Cheng Dongge looked intently at her face. Her eyes and lips were red from crying, her whole face was puffy and swollen.
“They won’t.” He stared into her eyes. “It will go smoothly, trust me. Everything will be fine.”
Qi Chengyue gave him a quizzical look. She did not know why Cheng Dongge was so confident. She was stunned by his stoic expression.
…
…
Song Yu waited at the elevator door. She initially wanted to follow Qi Chengzhi down but he stopped her. He was worried that the chaos downstairs could lead to her being injured. Cheng Dongge would bring Qi Chengyue up to the office.
Song Yu was still concerned and could not sit still in the office, hence she waited at the elevator door. Her eyes watched as the elevator climbed through twenty-four floors. It was almost here.
When the elevator reached the twenty-fifth floor, the door opened silently. Song Yu’s eyes widened. Cheng Dongge was cupping Qi Chengyue’s face with a tender expression while she was looking at him with so much trust.
The couple was so focused on each other that they did not notice that they had arrived and the elevator door had opened with Song Yu standing there.
Song Yu hastily hid aside. Without any further instructions, the elevator door closed automatically, sealing the two inside.
As this elevator was reserved for only her and Qi Chengzhi, no one else was using it. The elevator just remained on the top floor.
Song Yu dialed for Qi Chengzhi. Qi Chengzhi was overseeing the aftermath of the situation as the guards dragged Zhou Mingyan out. The reporters have been pushed back beyond the company doors but their noisy shouts could still be heard. “Mr. Qi! Mr. Qi!”
Realizing that they would never get a reply from Qi Chengzhi, the reporters rushed to Zhou Mingyan.
After being thrown out of the building, Zhou Mingyan did not leave. She was waiting for the reporters to interview her.
After noticing the reporters, Zhou Mingyan sat down on the floor and started wailing about the injustice.
“Director, they’re making a scene in front of the company. This-” The head of security did not know how to ask the question. The area beyond the main door was not Qilin’s jurisdiction. Whatever people wanted to do outside, the security could not police them.
‘Are we gonna stand aside and let Zhou Mingyan run the show?’ the head of security thought.
“It doesn’t matter since they already got their story. Let the old lady rant all she wants, she can’t pull out any new stuff from her sleeve.”
Qi Chengzhi took out his phone. It was Song Yu calling. He picked up the call. “Is everything settled?”
“Almost,” Qi Chengzhi said as he walked back to the office.
“When you’re coming up, don’t take the personal elevator. Use the common elevator,” Song Yu said.
She hung up the phone right after finishing her sentence.
“…” Qi Chengzhi glanced at his personal elevator. It had stopped on the twenty-fifth floor.
He turned away and walked toward the common elevator. He pushed the ascending button.
As Qi Chengzhi waited for the elevator to come down from the eighth floor, Luo Yushu and some department managers walked over. Luo Yushu was curious as to why Qi Chengzhi was standing in front of the public elevator. He looked at the lit button on the panel and was surprised. ‘Why was the director taking the common elevator?’ Luo Yushu thought to himself.
“Director,” Luo Yushu and the other managers greeted.
There was a lot of traffic in the office building. Qi Chengzhi nodded in acknowledgment and proceeded to frown at the elevator that was stuck on the sixth floor.
Luo Yushu and the others did not bother Qi Chengzhi any further. After the commotion just now, the director was most definitely in a bad mood. They stood obediently behind Qi Chengzhi.
The fact that the director had forgone his personal elevator to come ride with the employees made it incredibly awkward. They felt nervous and anxious.
Luo Yushu turned back to his colleagues. He curled his lip and gestured with his chin, meaning to say, ‘Why aren’t y’all asking?’
This led to the two men behind showing off their fists. Luo Yushu’s eyes narrowed. He and the manager beside him pulled out their fists.
Rock-paper-scissors!
Tragically, Luo Yushu ended up losing. He quietly crept up and asked, “Director, may I know why you are taking the common elevator today?”
“For the commoner experience,” Qi Chengzhi replied with a cool stare.
The managers fell silent.
…
…
As Qi Chengzhi walked out of the elevator, Song Yu was already waiting for him by the door. He took her hand and gently squeezed it. “Why did you tell me to take the public elevator?”
“Let’s go back into the office first.” Song Yu pulled on his hand. Her face had a soft blush.
“Cheng Dongge and Qi Chengyue are in the office?” Qi Chengzhi asked. Qi Chenglin was out of office but he would be back before Thursday to attend court. The legal matters here would be assigned to him.
“They’re… still in the elevator,” Song Yu whispered. She was worried that others might overhear. It would be detrimental to them after today’s incident.
Qi Chengzhi turned back and looked at the elevator. Without saying a word, he followed Song Yu back into the office.
Not long after they entered the office, Cheng Dongge came in with Qi Chengyue in tow. They walked in with some space between them. Whatever intimacy Song Yu had witnessed was gone.
Cheng Dongge and Qi Chengyue sat down. Her phone vibrated suddenly. It was a text from Jian Yi.
The hard-earned calm was broken by the text. The hand that was holding the phone trembled slightly. Qi Chengyue opened the message. “Saw my mom? The news will not reflect well on you in court. My demands have not changed. Call me if you change your mind.”
Qi Chengyue wanted to smash the phone into pieces. Her body shook with anger.
“What’s wrong?” Song Yu asked, noticing the change in Qi Chengyue’s mood. Song Yu handed Qi Chengyue the hot cocoa that she had the secretary make while waiting for them to come up.
