Chapter 37: The Dispute

Yu Zhi’s words left Jiang Weicheng in complete silence on the other end of the line. After a long while, he stammered, "Y-you’re serious? With the president of Xingyue? When did this happen? How is it that there wasn’t even a whisper of this?"

Jiang Weicheng’s voice was filled with shock and disbelief. He had already been tearing his hair out over the trending search results, and this new revelation made his head spin.

Yu Zhi gave Jiang Weicheng a brief account of the marriage, deliberately omitting the complex emotional entanglements and sticking strictly to the facts.

After listening, Jiang Weicheng rubbed his temples, feeling the situation becoming increasingly thorny. "Yu Zhi, this is no time for jokes. Your trending topic issue hasn't been resolved yet, and now this news of your marriage has broken. Once this public opinion starts to ferment, the consequences will be unimaginable. You need to come up with a strategy immediately, or your career will be ruined."

Yu Zhi leaned against the headboard, her expression calm. She was not indifferent to Jiang Weicheng’s anxiety, but she had always been free-spirited and was not accustomed to being swayed by such external disturbances. "Let nature take its course. What’s meant to happen will happen. Besides, it’s already done; there’s no point in hiding."

Jiang Weicheng nearly jumped up. "You make it sound so easy! Do you have any idea how people are talking about you online?"

He was pacing frantically on the other end of the line, shouting at her, "You’re being torn to shreds online! They’re calling you a social climber, saying you’re manipulative and will stop at nothing to get famous. People have even dug up clips from the first episode of the dating show, edited them maliciously, and now you’re practically the poster child for a villain in the public eye!"

Yu Zhi frowned slightly. After a moment of thought, she said, "First, contact the media outlets we’ve worked with previously. Leak some of the truth to them—say that my relationship with Assistant Fang is strictly professional and that we were only together that day due to an urgent work matter. As for my marriage… don’t mention it for now. Let me discuss it with Ning Qier first."

After hanging up, Yu Zhi rose and walked to the window, drawing the curtains to let the sunlight stream in. She gazed at the neatly trimmed greenery in the Ning family garden, contemplating how to handle the situation ahead.

Just then, there was a knock at the door, and Ning Qier pushed it open. He had already received the news and understood that Yu Zhi being photographed was entirely his doing, which left him feeling somewhat guilty.

He rubbed the bridge of his nose and said bluntly, "If you need my help with anything, just say the word."

Instead of answering, Yu Zhi suddenly stepped toward him, reached out to grab the light green tie around his neck, and began to toy with it, rubbing the fabric between her fingers.

Ning Qier’s pupils contracted sharply. Confused, he stared at the exquisite face inches from his own, his tightened Adam’s apple bobbing slightly.

He chuckled, "Would you like to be gentle with me, sister