It was only afterward that Wang Cheng learned what lay behind the gossip about Yu Jing and Sun Chu.
Yu Jing was a wealthy young woman who loved having a good time, rather like Zhao Chenlin. Before she met Wang Ning’an, her private life had been chaotic. She often visited nightclubs and bars with her friends, and because her family was rich, she was usually the center of attention. Then she met Wang Ning’an, fell for him at first sight, and immediately began pursuing him.
As the saying went, when a woman pursued a man, only a thin veil stood between them. That was particularly true for someone with Yu Jing’s advantages. Many men would come running as soon as she crooked a finger. She had assumed Wang Ning’an would be like all those other men: show him a little favor, and he would fall at her feet. This time, however, she had miscalculated.
Wang Ning’an’s very existence seemed designed to teach her that not every man was greedy for wealth or status, and not every man would indulge her.
Yu Jing refused to believe it at first. After being rebuffed time and again, however, she finally lost patience and slipped back into her old habits. This time she did not become entangled with another rich young heir. She turned to the entertainment industry instead. The first celebrity rumored to be involved with her was not Sun Chu, but a relatively well-known star.
That relationship did not last long. In less than a month, Yu Jing dumped him. Afterward, someone photographed Sun Chu eating a late-night meal with a woman at midnight. A clear frontal shot established that the woman was Yu Jing.
From then on, rumors about the two appeared frequently.
Someone dug up Yu Jing’s family background, and people who disliked Sun Chu seized the opportunity to smear him. But all their efforts were no match for the couple’s public displays of affection.
If Bei Size had not monopolized the headlines, the romance rumors about Sun Chu and Yu Jing would have been much more widely known, and Wang Cheng would not have discovered them only now.
Recently, an odd atmosphere had settled around Wang Ning’an. It had begun when Yu Jing started appearing in gossip stories with entertainment celebrities.
Everyone at the company knew that Yu Jing had been pursuing Wang Ning’an, and to their surprise she had persisted for several months. Just when people began to believe the young heiress had found her true love, however, she suddenly stopped.
Those who envied Wang Ning’an took the opportunity to gloat. Others felt sorry for him. Fortunately, Vice President Wang had never accepted Yu Jing; given her personality, she might have tired of him within two months, and that would have been awkward.
Wang Ning’an showed no reaction whatsoever, disappointing those who hoped to see him regret his decision. Some even began to wonder whether their earlier assumptions had been wrong. Perhaps his refusal of Yu Jing had not been a strategy to make her chase him harder. Perhaps he genuinely felt nothing for her.
Meanwhile, Yu Jing’s behavior became increasingly conspicuous.
Early one morning, a commotion suddenly broke out at the entrance to the company. Employees coming and going stopped in their tracks, looking both astonished and delighted. The men were relatively composed, but the women were practically swooning.
“Oh my god! Is that really Sun Chu? I can’t believe I’m seeing him here! Somebody pinch me!”
Someone standing nearby promptly pinched her. The woman yelped, realized she was not dreaming, and immediately took out her phone to take pictures.
Everyone else followed suit. Sun Chu might have arrived with Yu Jing, but he was still an enormously popular superstar and the winner of several major awards. His stature was far above that of the celebrity previously linked with her. A crowd of reporters was already gathered outside the doors, trying to get in.
The commotion followed them all the way upstairs. It would have been impossible for anyone in the company not to hear about it.
When Peng Yang learned what was happening, he hesitated briefly before knocking on Wang Ning’an’s office door. After receiving permission from inside, he went in.
“What is it?”
The man behind the desk merely glanced up at him, then lowered his head again to continue reading the proposal in his hands.
Peng Yang knew that, as an assistant, he should not pay attention to such gossip. Given the vice president’s serious, meticulous work ethic, he was unlikely to care anyway. But Peng Yang decided he ought to mention it.
“Vice President, I just heard that Miss Yu has brought her rumored celebrity boyfriend upstairs. I think they may come to see you in a little while.”
As soon as he finished, Peng Yang saw the vice president frown, just as he had expected.
“Understood. If they want to see me, let them in. There’s no need to stop them.”
“Yes, Vice President. I’ll get back to work, then.”
Peng Yang carefully closed the door. He had known the vice president would not care. Miss Yu had probably made a bad move this time. Not only that, whatever she hoped to achieve would likely become even harder. He had barely returned to his desk when Yu Jing arrived with her famous boyfriend, just as expected.
The surrounding office fell silent for a moment before hushed conversations sprang up again. There was no denying that Sun Chu was a dazzling presence. Had Yu Jing not been with him, quite a few employees would probably have rushed forward to ask for photographs and autographs.
“Peng Yang, is your vice president here?” Yu Jing deliberately led Sun Chu up to his desk. Like a proud peacock, she clung arrogantly to his arm, making her desire to show him off obvious in every gesture.
Sun Chu knew perfectly well that he might be being used, yet he maintained a flawless smile from beginning to end. He played the role of Yu Jing’s rumored boyfriend with complete sincerity. Even though his position as a public figure made such exposure undesirable, he had agreed when Yu Jing asked him.
Peng Yang stood. “Yes, he is. If you wish to see the vice president, Miss Yu, you can go straight in.”
Yu Jing had already prepared an excuse, but Peng Yang was unexpectedly cooperative this time, so she said no more. Turning to Sun Chu, she said, “Brother Sun, come with me. I’ll introduce you to the employee my father values most. Shenghui is also investing in the entertainment business this year. You might work together someday.”
“All right.” Sun Chu looked at her with warm indulgence. Yu Jing was very pleased. They reached Wang Ning’an’s office. Yu Jing knocked, but opened the door before receiving permission. Sun Chu already knew that any man who caught Yu Jing’s eye was unlikely to be ordinary, yet the sight of Wang Ning’an still sent a flash of surprise and admiration through his eyes.
The man sat with his back to a huge floor-to-ceiling window. His handsome features were cast in a faint shadow, leaving a pair of eyes that seemed to glow in the dark, cool and quietly brilliant. The scene had the striking quality of a film image that had been polished in postproduction, and for an instant it was breathtaking.
Sun Chu could understand why Yu Jing remained so obsessed with this man. Yet he had a feeling she had chosen the wrong approach. She would probably never win this man’s heart in her lifetime.
“Miss Yu, if you have nothing to discuss, I need to get back to work.” Wang Ning’an noticed Yu Jing staring at him and broke the silence with a frown.
Yu Jing’s face immediately darkened. Whether it was because of his cold tone or because she had been caught staring at him again, she refused to admit defeat. “Of course I have business here. I assume you know the company intends to enter the entertainment industry. I brought this up with my father, and he asked me to prepare a proposal for you. I came to tell you that it’s finished and that I sent it to your email this morning.”
Wang Ning’an acknowledged it. “Is there anything else?”
Yu Jing suppressed her anger and drew Sun Chu closer. “There’s someone else I want to introduce. This is Sun Chu, one of Yaxing’s top male stars. I’m sure Vice President Wang has heard his name. He’ll be handling endorsement work for our company’s products. I’ve already discussed it with my father, and he has agreed. Oh, and one more thing: he’s my boyfriend now. I hope Vice President Wang will look after him during the collaboration.”
Sun Chu chuckled and stepped forward, politely extending his hand. “A pleasure to meet you. I look forward to working together.”
“I wouldn’t presume to instruct you,” Wang Ning’an replied, shaking his hand.
Once they had shaken hands, the atmosphere in the office grew cold again. Yu Jing could not think of anything else to say, and she was close to losing her composure. Sun Chu was considering suggesting they leave when a sudden, urgent ringtone broke the silence. It came from Wang Ning’an’s phone, lying at one corner of his desk.
Wang Ning’an picked up his phone and checked the screen, then said to the two visitors, “Is there anything else?” It was an unmistakable dismissal.
“No, that’s everything. Vice President Wang, please get back to your work. We’ll be going,” Sun Chu replied tactfully. He led Yu Jing, whose pride had been bruised, toward the door. As he closed it, he saw Wang Ning’an answer the call, the hard lines of his face softening instantly. Who could possibly make that man look like that?
Outside the company, dark clouds seemed to hang over Yu Jing’s face. She had deliberately brought Sun Chu to meet Wang Ning’an because she wanted to prove she did not have to have him.
Yu Jing’s pursuit of Wang Ning’an was no secret. Even many of her friends knew. But her friends insisted that Wang Ning’an was playing hard to get. She had not believed them at first, but after hearing it over and over again, she had begun to believe it. When she first became involved in gossip with that lesser-known celebrity, Wang Ning’an had actually called her of his own accord.
Yu Jing had been thrilled at first, but her friends had pointed out that Wang Ning’an must be afraid of losing her interest. The explanation had seemed reasonable, which only made her angrier. To test whether Wang Ning’an had truly been playing hard to get all along, she started rumors with Sun Chu as well. This time it was more than gossip: she deliberately let everyone know they were dating. But she was not certain whether Wang Ning’an followed entertainment news, so she had arranged today’s encounter. His reaction was nothing like what she had imagined.
“Yu Jing, are you in love with Vice President Wang?” Sun Chu suddenly asked.
“No. Maybe I used to be. He is quite good-looking, after all. But now he’s only one of my father’s employees. Don’t tell me you’re jealous. There’s no need. I, Yu Jing, never go back to an old flame.” Yu Jing denied it instinctively. Her words carried the same arrogance and contempt she usually displayed toward men. In her eyes, men were nothing more than playthings to relieve her boredom.
Sun Chu smiled without answering. He had heard plenty about Miss Yu’s spoiled temperament, and there were rumors about her in entertainment circles too. She really was not suited to someone like Vice President Wang.
After reassuring his younger brother on the phone, Wang Ning’an found himself unable to concentrate on the proposal before him. Yu Jing’s intentions were not difficult to guess. Even when she first became involved with the lesser-known celebrity, he had known she was testing him and trying to warn him.
But so what? If this had happened before, it might genuinely have troubled him. He had originally approached Yu Jing because of her shares, but later events had changed his mind. He no longer needed her shares, so the heiress had lost all importance to him. Only one matter continued to bother him. When Wang Cheng first told him that someone had hired a private investigator to follow him, Yu Jing had been the first person Wang Ning’an suspected.
Yu Jing was not clever enough to cover every trace of her actions. When Wang Ning’an learned that the person behind the surveillance could not be identified, he concluded that it was not her, nor could it be Yu Hongzhi. Yu Hongzhi had targeted him because he, too, coveted the shares in his sister’s hands. Now that Wang Ning’an had shown no interest in those shares, Yu Hongzhi had no reason to arrange surveillance. Nor was he sufficiently capable of doing so without leaving a trace. But if it was not someone in the Yu family, who could it be?
Wang Ning’an worried that the unknown person intended to harm him. With his enemy hidden while he remained in plain sight, the situation was decidedly unfavorable.
Meanwhile, Wang Ning’an and his two siblings knew nothing of the major event unfolding back in their hometown.