Chapter Twelve: A Slap in the Face

Scorching breaths brushed against her ear, and Jiang Yunzhu unconsciously bit her lip.

Thump, thump—

Her heartbeat seemed to quicken, growing louder in her chest.

Just as their lips were about to meet, she turned her head away.

“I will no longer handle Miss Zhou’s work,” she said.

At her words, Shen Ruizhang’s brows knitted. “Reason.”

Jiang Yunzhu’s face remained cold, her tone strictly professional. “My abilities are nothing exceptional. Miss Zhou’s fans are displeased with me. If I remain on her team, it will only bring her negative repercussions.”

With that, she forwarded a set of data to Shen Ruizhang. “This is my report on Miss Zhou’s fans. At present, their dissatisfaction with me is quite evident.”

Just then, a news alert flashed onto the screen.

[Zhou Qingfei’s fans doxxed her team; young lady struck, narrowly escapes fatal car crash.]

That car…

He remembered Jiang Yunzhu also owned a similar BMW.

He snatched her phone and opened the news, stunned by what he saw.

Jiang Yunzhu quickly retrieved her phone. “I’ll send the data to your email. If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave.”

With those words, Jiang Yunzhu turned to go.

“Wait.” Shen Ruizhang stopped her.

His lips pressed into a fine line, and his dark eyes fixed on Jiang Yunzhu, depths unreadable.

Seeing this, she let out a self-deprecating laugh.

Surely he wouldn’t feel guilty, would he?

He caught the mockery in her eyes, his own expression growing tense and solemn. “Who was the driver?”

She found the question almost laughable.

Calmly, she looked at him. “Didn’t you just read the news? I thought you’d paid attention—wasn’t it clear whose fans they were?”

Unease pricked Shen Ruizhang’s chest. “Who?”

“Miss Zhou’s agent.” Jiang Yunzhu uttered the name without emotion.

Shen Ruizhang immediately objected. “Qingfei is kind—she would never let her fans do such a thing.”

His faith in Zhou Qingfei only deepened Jiang Yunzhu’s amusement.

“You’d best ask Miss Zhou, or her agent.”

Shen Ruizhang frowned, as if weighing the credibility of her words.

At this, Jiang Yunzhu laughed at herself.

She’d never expected to hear the answers she wanted.

Creak—

The tense silence was broken as the door swung open.

Zhou Qingfei entered. Spotting Jiang Yunzhu, surprise flickered in her gaze.

“Yunzhu, you’re here too. I heard my fans hurt you today. I’m so sorry. But, Yunzhu, could you forgive them? They’re just two young girls. If they end up with a criminal record, they’ll regret it their whole lives.”

Jiang Yunzhu was unsurprised by her plea—she even smiled.

She glanced at Shen Ruizhang, who stood with his head bowed, lost in thought, then turned to Zhou Qingfei. “Miss Zhou, do you realize? Had the traffic officer arrived a minute later, in ten months’ time, I too would have been nothing but a child.”

Zhou Qingfei looked genuinely taken aback, as though she had not anticipated this response.

Then Zhou Qingfei looked to Shen Ruizhang, panic rapidly clouding her eyes.

She forced a stiff smile. “But you’re alright now, aren’t you, Yunzhu? Please, just forgive them.”

“And if I don’t?” Jiang Yunzhu’s laugh was cold.

Tears instantly welled up in Zhou Qingfei’s eyes.

“That’s enough!” Shen Ruizhang’s face darkened as he barked the words, casting Jiang Yunzhu a guilty look.

Zhou Qingfei’s eyes instantly brightened, a breath of relief escaping her.

She’d known Ah Rui would take her side.

With renewed boldness, she pressed on, “Yunzhu, you’re not really mad at my fans, are you? You’re angry with me. How about I post an apology to you right now?”

“By all means.” Jiang Yunzhu agreed at once.

Zhou Qingfei instinctively glanced at Shen Ruizhang.

He remained silent, head still lowered. Panic flashed across Zhou Qingfei’s face, quickly replaced by a pitiful smile.

“They didn’t mean any harm,” she whispered.

Jiang Yunzhu let out a contemptuous laugh, then unlocked her phone and brought up a screenshot, handing it over.

“Does this look familiar, Miss Zhou?”

Panic only grew more pronounced on Zhou Qingfei’s face. She shook her head instinctively. “I didn’t post that.”

Amused, Jiang Yunzhu smiled.

“Didn’t you? Someone asked if Feifei was feeling wronged, and you replied, ‘Suffering a little grievance is nothing.’ Isn’t that a hint? Inciting others to commit a crime, Miss Zhou—how long does one serve for that?”

“I… They…”

For a moment, Zhou Qingfei was utterly at a loss for words.

Not knowing what else to say, Zhou Qingfei turned helplessly to Shen Ruizhang. “Ah Rui, it really wasn’t me.”

Shen Ruizhang looked up, his dark eyes now carrying a depth that unsettled Zhou Qingfei.

“Ah Rui, you believe me, don’t you? I didn’t post that,” she pleaded, anxiety tightening her voice. “Ah Rui…”

Shen Ruizhang quickly averted his gaze. “Go home for now—get some rest in the coming days.”

“But…” Zhou Qingfei protested, unwilling, glancing toward Jiang Yunzhu.

Jiang Yunzhu watched her performance with a quiet, smiling gaze.

Unwilling to show any sign of distress in front of Jiang Yunzhu, Zhou Qingfei spun around and left without a backward glance.

Yet, as she reached the doorway, she couldn’t help but look back at Shen Ruizhang. Seeing he paid her no mind, Zhou Qingfei’s eyes dimmed.

She turned away, leaving only a lonely silhouette behind.

Within the office, Shen Ruizhang’s face grew colder as he stared at Jiang Yunzhu. “Is this outcome satisfactory to you?”

She hesitated, then realized he was taking Zhou Qingfei’s side.

Jiang Yunzhu smiled and shook her head. “I almost died.”

With that, she excused herself. “I have work to handle. I’ll take my leave.”

She didn’t look at Shen Ruizhang again, nor did she wait for him to speak. She left at once, never glancing back.

Watching her slender figure recede, Shen Ruizhang pressed his lips tightly together, the emotions he’d been suppressing now surging tumultuously in his eyes.

After returning to the villa, Jiang Yunzhu wiped away every trace of her previous work. What had once been a warm and comfortable study now felt rigid and cold.

With just ten days left on the countdown, Jiang Yunzhu found another job for Sang Bai.

Coincidentally, the job was at the hotel owned by her childhood friend, Song Shuheng.

Hearing she’d arrived, Song Shuheng immediately led her off for a meal.

The two had just entered the restaurant when the elevator doors slid open. Surrounded by a group of business executives, Shen Ruizhang stepped out, heading for a private dining room.

Suddenly, Shen Ruizhang paused, his icy gaze fixed in the direction where Jiang Yunzhu and her companion were departing.

“President Shen?” Mr. Liu beside him called softly.

Shen Ruizhang snapped back to himself, his eyes flashing with a chill as he glanced at Mr. Liu. “I have other matters today. Please excuse me.”

With that, he strode toward the private room Jiang Yunzhu had just entered.

Inside, Song Shuheng was piling food onto Jiang Yunzhu’s plate, his gaze full of concern.

“I really don’t see what’s so special about Shen Ruizhang. Look at you—you’re skin and bones now. I’ll have to feed you a mountain to get you back to normal.”

Unable to resist, Song Shuheng pinched her cheek.

Bang—

The door was suddenly kicked open, and Shen Ruizhang appeared in the doorway, his face thunderous.