After I Was Gone, Mr. Song Said He Loved Me

I adjusted my posture, putting on a serious demeanor as I said, “As for surgery, I definitely haven’t touched my face. Makeup, well, if you must know, there is one thing.”

The high ponytail’s eyes lit up immediately, “Quick, tell us what makeup product it is!”

I smirked slightly and sighed, “Even if I told you, you wouldn’t be able to get it.”

The big waves raised her phoenix eyes in mockery, “What kind of makeup can’t you get if you have money?”

I glanced around, feigning mystery as I leaned forward. The two female colleagues, puzzled, leaned in as well, waiting for me to reveal this so-called miraculous product.

I curved my lips into a smile and whispered, “This stuff needs to be used early, used while it’s hot. In the morning, it’s most nutritious, and when it’s warm, it’s sticky and easy to apply, good for absorption. Once it cools, it turns into a dry layer.”

“The most important thing is, I produce and sell it myself, and you two don’t have that capability.”

The two colleagues mulled over the elements I mentioned, trying hard to guess what it was. Suddenly, they exchanged a glance, and their expressions changed instantly.

“Bai Yu, are you messing with us?!” The big waves raised her semi-permanent Korean eyebrows, questioning sharply.

“Heh, truly a seasoned personal public relations expert, saying such things without even blushing,” the high ponytail sneered, showing a look of disdain.

I had no intention of wasting more words with them. Since I had already gained the upper hand, there was no need to escalate the conflict.

I stood up to leave, but the big waves, in her high heels, stomped around to block my path, and the high ponytail joined her, forming a wall in front of me.

Clearly, they were looking for trouble.

I frowned, my tone unfriendly, “What do you want?”

The big waves crossed her arms, speaking aggressively, “Disgusting people and then just leaving? Don’t think you can do whatever you want just because someone has your back. This is a company, even Mr. Chi has to listen…”

Her words abruptly stopped, her eyes fixed on something behind me. Her tone suddenly shifted, her expression brightening as she smiled more radiantly than a flower, “President Song, President Xu?”

This wasn’t directed at me. I turned to see Song Yu entering the employee cafeteria with several company executives, including the big waves’ paramour, President Xu.

In Huanya, President Xu was considered a veteran executive. Although Song Yu was the CEO, internal company matters and personnel arrangements still required President Xu’s cooperation.

Perhaps our presence in the middle of the room was too conspicuous. Song Yu quickly noticed us and began walking in our direction.

I hurriedly turned my back, my breath quickening.

Seeing them approach, the big waves immediately changed her expression, smiling broadly as she pushed past me to greet them, ignoring the department managers following behind as mere background.

Song Yu acknowledged her with a nod and walked straight past her towards me. I could clearly hear the footsteps growing closer behind me.

My throat went dry, and my muscles tensed up. The increasing pressure made me want to flee, but my feet felt rooted to the spot.

I glanced at the people around me; everyone was calmly eating, as if nothing was happening.

After all, who dares to watch the boss’s drama?

Until the footsteps behind me came to a halt, I could no longer pretend to be indifferent. I took a deep breath, turned around with a gentle smile, and feigned surprise, saying, “President Song, you’re here for lunch too?”

Song Yu ignored my insincere greeting and directly asked, “What are you doing here with them?”

It was obvious that “them” referred to the big waves and the high ponytail. Not wanting to escalate the situation, I casually replied, “Oh, nothing, just chatting.”

I thought that would be the end of it, but the big waves jumped in, acting all superior, “Oh, just chatting? Why don’t you tell President Song what you were chatting about? Is that something a person should say?”

“Exactly, are you brave enough to share what you said with everyone?” the high ponytail chimed in.

I shot them a cold glance. Clearly, they were the ones who provoked me first. I had merely thrown out a few sarcastic remarks to vent my frustration, and now it was being turned against me.

Seeing my silence, Song Yu pressed, “What did you say?”

I bit my lip, refusing to speak.

Those words were fine for venting, but to say them in front of so many people? Absolutely not.

The big waves and the high ponytail stood with their arms crossed, enjoying the spectacle, their faces smug.

Suddenly, I felt something was amiss. In normal circumstances, who would dare to keep pushing such trivial matters in front of the boss?

These two women clearly wanted to blow things out of proportion.

President Xu, who had been standing behind Song Yu, interjected with a stern face, “Yanting, enough. It’s almost the New Year, and it’s not a big deal. Don’t stir up trouble in the company.”

Yanting was the big waves.

The big waves glanced at President Xu, and said indignantly, “I’m not the one causing trouble. Bai Yu is spreading rumors that you lost millions gambling and secretly moved company funds to cover the losses.”

“I’m from the Finance Department. Can I just sit by when I hear such rumors?”

After the big waves finished speaking, I was completely stunned.

What… what is going on?

When did I ever say such things?

“You’re talking nonsense,” I said, my eyes wide, my voice slightly altered.

At this point, curious glances were cast my way. Initially, everyone thought it was a private matter between me and Song Yu, and no one dared to look too closely. But now that it involved President Xu allegedly misappropriating company funds, it had become a company issue, immediately drawing attention.

“I never said those things. Don’t falsely accuse me,” I pleaded, scanning the crowd, trying to explain. Accusing a company executive could have serious consequences, and I certainly didn’t want to get into trouble right before the New Year.

President Xu’s face turned a mix of blue and purple, glaring at me fiercely, yet he said nothing. Instead, he comforted the big waves, “Alright, alright, Yanting, baseless rumors aren’t worth believing. Just ignore them.”

At this point, a couple of people in the crowd started voicing doubts. Some accused me of slandering company executives, while others suggested that if there were suspicions of embezzlement, the Administration Department should investigate.

“When I was on maternity leave, I went to the finance department to collect my paycheck, and they treated me like I was extorting money from the company. Now, people can casually move millions around, really… Are we just insignificant employees?”

“Exactly, the finance folks always judge people by their status. When I apply for funds, they act all high and mighty, delaying it for two or three days. I have to beg like a dog every time. But now, they’re embezzling funds themselves, tsk tsk tsk…”

“That’s right, President Xu is always close to Mr. Chi, so Mr. Chi must know about this. Bai Yu is Mr. Chi’s girlfriend, so what she says can’t be false. I’m siding with Bai Yu this time.”

“I’m with Bai Yu too.”

“Me too!”

Somehow, the public opinion suddenly shifted entirely in my favor.

President Xu was sweating profusely, trying to brush the matter aside, but he couldn’t stop the gossiping nature of the employees. The rumor was spreading uncontrollably among the crowd.

I was increasingly feeling that something was off.

Song Yu had no choice but to calm everyone down, “Whether this matter is true or not, I will have the Administration Department conduct a public investigation. We won’t falsely accuse any executives, but if someone has embezzled funds, I won’t let it slide. After all, Huanya’s success is the result of collaboration across all departments. We can’t let personal power and greed go against our corporate spirit.”

As Song Yu finished speaking, the crowd erupted into applause.

“With just a few days until the New Year, I hope everyone completes their tasks and hands them over properly. I also wish you all a Happy New Year in advance.” After saying this, Song Yu left the employee cafeteria with President Xu and the others.

The big waves and the high ponytail quietly disappeared into the crowd.

Others might not know the full story, but as someone involved, I was acutely aware of how absurd and ridiculous the scene just now was.

My intuition told me that Song Yu was behind all this.

I pushed through the crowd and followed him to the president’s office.

It was as if Song Yu knew I would come looking for him; he didn’t close the office door, so I walked right in without hesitation.

“Close the door,” Song Yu said, brewing tea without even looking at me.

I took a deep breath, closed the door behind me, and stood at the entrance, coldly staring at Song Yu. “You planned all of this, didn’t you?”

Song Yu’s lips curled into a faint smile as he took a sip of tea, speaking softly, “You’re getting smarter.”

I stepped forward, staring directly at Song Yu, “So Sun Yanting was deliberately sent by you to cause trouble for me. Then, when you brought President Xu and the others to the cafeteria, you framed me for saying President Xu embezzled funds, intending to make a public scene.”

“Go on,” Song Yu encouraged with a smile.

“You’ve known about President Xu’s embezzlement for a while. Since he’s a veteran at Huanya, it wouldn’t be easy for you to deal with him privately. So you wanted to use my words to expose it in front of everyone.”

Song Yu nodded, clearly agreeing with my deduction.

“Because I’m Mr. Chi’s nominal girlfriend, and Mr. Chi is close to President Xu, using my words to reveal this matter would make people believe Mr. Chi told me, and it would be highly credible. Your plan kills two birds with one stone, not only investigating President Xu but also damaging the relationship between Mr. Chi and President Xu.”

“And I was the perfect pawn in your scheme, taking the fall while you benefited and walked away unscathed.”

Song Yu put down his teacup and applauded me with a smile, “You’re becoming quite the public relations expert.”

Looking at Song Yu’s smiling face, I suddenly found it frighteningly unfamiliar…