CH 123

Chapter 123 – Changfeng Group’s Morning Meeting

“Hey, come on, don’t be so heartless, will you?” For the umpteenth time, Wei Hua had been asked to leave by Cookie, but he no longer felt anything. He was still sticking around Cookie at the moment, refusing to leave.

“I’m off work.” Cookie put away the computer and went about his own business, not even sparing a glance at Wei Hua.

However, Wei Hua didn’t feel a thing. After pursuing Cookie for some time, he had become thick-skinned and resilient. No matter what Cookie said, he remained steadfast.

Of course, Wei Hua still paid attention to Cookie’s mood. He acted this way because he felt that Cookie wasn’t really angry with him; his cold demeanor was just a facade Cookie put up.

“I’ll walk you home.” Wei Hua saw Cookie tidying up the bar counter, so he quickly went in and took over the task with a grin.

Wei Hua’s movements were skillful and efficient, unlike someone who had just done chores. During the years he lived abroad, he learned to rely on himself for everything, so these tasks were simple for him.

Wei Hua worked swiftly, and within a few minutes, the bar counter looked fresh and clean. He turned to look at Cookie and noticed that Cookie was looking back at him. Though Cookie quickly averted his gaze when he realized Wei Hua was looking, Wei Hua had already caught it.

But Wei Hua didn’t point it out; instead, he felt delighted in his heart while saying, “Let’s go, I’ll walk you home.”

“No need.” Cookie declined directly and went to the door, pretending to turn off the lights. However, he waited until Wei Hua was almost at the door before actually switching off the lights.

“I heard the capital is very unsafe these days.” Wei Hua started to scare him in order to have an excuse to walk Cookie home.

Cookie gave Wei Hua a disdainful look and said, “I haven’t heard anything.” With that, he locked the café’s door with a clatter and started walking, though not too quickly.

“It’s really unsafe. Let me walk you home; otherwise, I won’t feel at ease,” Wei Hua hurriedly caught up and said sincerely.

“I’m a man; I drove here myself.” Cookie continued to refuse.

Hearing this, Wei Hua immediately smiled and said, “That’s perfect! I didn’t drive today. How about you give me a ride home then?”

Their voices gradually faded away as they walked together, their silhouettes side by side, overlapping under the lights.

*

The next day, the controversy about the Dream Cup’s gold-winning work being plagiarized had completely blown up on the internet, with endless debates and arguments.

Some believed it was a hoax, while others were firmly convinced that “Light” was not plagiarized.

Before the press conference for the Dream Cup was held and the truth was revealed to the public, the online discussions would undoubtedly continue.

Meanwhile, in Changfeng Group, Wei Chen was implicated due to the voice evidence posted by the PO of that exposé thread on the Haijiao forum.

Perhaps the onlookers were doubtful about whether the voice came from the family of the original creator of the painting “Light,” and they couldn’t confirm if the person making threats was indeed Wei Chen, the Marketing Director of Changfeng Group, who had appeared on the cover of a business magazine.

However, the people from Changfeng Group were different. As soon as they heard the voice in the recording, they immediately concluded that it was Wei Chen’s voice.

Therefore, during today’s morning meeting, someone proposed to dismiss and fire Wei Chen. The reason given was Wei Chen’s inappropriate behavior, disregard for laws and regulations, and severe damage to the image of Changfeng Group.

This person spoke earnestly and passionately, appearing genuinely concerned about the interests of Changfeng Group. It was as if he was telling everyone that he valued the honor of Changfeng Group more than his own life!

Of course, what this person said was not wrong. Last night, Changfeng Group’s official account was seized by countless angry netizens, demanding punishment for Wei Chen.

If words were knives, Wei Chen would be covered in wounds by now. During the morning meeting, this person’s questions seemed to reflect the thoughts of those keyboard warriors on Weibo.

“What? Do you already know the truth before Dream Cup makes a statement?” Zhuge Feng, the first to stand up in opposition, raised a faint smile and let his gaze fall on Zhou Tongpeng.

Without this person’s signal, his subordinates would not have dared to speak out against Zhuge Feng, who was the General Manager. One of them retorted directly, “General Manager Zhuge, the audio on the internet is the most direct evidence. I know you value Director Wei’s talent, but you also need to consider his conduct. Can someone who threatens others so recklessly become the Director of our Changfeng Group? Everyone knows about it now, and how many people are waiting to see a joke of our Changfeng Group, do you know?”

Sheng Jiaqi sat there, smiling slightly, not saying anything. It was hard to figure out what he was thinking. He knew that these people, knowing Wei Chen was under his protection, dared to come forward to attack Wei Chen right after the incident occurred, relying on his love for art.

Sheng Jiaqi’s passion for collecting art was well-known. Though he couldn’t paint, it was a sacred place in his heart. They thought Wei Chen’s actions insulted his sacred place, so they assumed he wouldn’t support Wei Chen and were thus eager to bring him down. But did they really understand Wei Chen? Sheng Jiaqi had known him since he was just a graduate with only a few diplomas. Did they really know Wei Chen’s character? Perhaps Wei Chen wasn’t kind-hearted, but he had his principles, Wei Chen couldn’t do such a thing.

Moreover, any discerning eye could see the tricks behind the so-called evidence on the internet. But these people, full of anxiety and panic due to Wei Chen’s recent behavior, jumped on a slight opportunity to bring him down.

Zhuge Feng also understood this point, so when this high-level figure passionately talked about how to deal with Wei Chen, Zhuge Feng remained silent.

Wei Chen seemed to have anticipated this result as he unexpectedly took a week off, not knowing where he went with his husband.

Seeing that Sheng Jiaqi and Zhuge Feng didn’t respond, the person felt a little uneasy. After glancing at Zhou Tongpeng, he straightened up and continued to condemn Wei Chen passionately.

Before the meeting, Zhou Tongpeng might have made some arrangements, as everyone in this camp agreed with the speaker’s opinions. However, the intense debate they had imagined did not occur. Both Sheng Jiaqi and Zhuge Feng calmly watched them, as if they were watching a drama.

Finally, Zhou Tongpeng’s supporters couldn’t keep up the act any longer, and their eyes turned to Zhou Tongpeng.

Zhou Tongpeng smiled and looked at Sheng Jiaqi. “Chairman, what do you think?”

The ball came back, and naturally, Sheng Jiaqi had to act like he was catching it. He smiled and said, “No rush, no rush. Let’s talk about it after the Dream Cup press conference at noon.” He skillfully kicked the ball back into the goal.

The people under Zhou Tongpeng wanted to say something more, but Zhou Tongpeng gave them a look to stop them. Seeing Sheng Jiaqi’s demeanor, they realized that he didn’t take this incident seriously. If they kept pressing on this matter, it would likely displease Sheng Jiaqi. So they decided to drop the matter for now.

Moreover, Zhou Tongpeng’s actions today were only a test of Sheng Jiaqi’s tolerance and trust towards Wei Chen. He wasn’t foolish enough to believe that he could bring Wei Chen down from within the organization based on such a trivial matter.

Sometimes, external forces could be much stronger than internal ones, especially in the age of public opinion. Once the public opinion took over, even if Sheng Jiaqi didn’t want to punish Wei Chen, he would be left with no choice. After all, Changfeng Group was a state-owned enterprise, not Sheng Jiaqi’s absolute monarchy! So, they let the matter pass.

The incident might have been resolved, but both Sheng Jiaqi and Zhuge Feng knew that Zhou Tongpeng wouldn’t just let it go. After all, it was hard for Zhou Tongpeng to catch Wei Chen’s “tail,” and he wouldn’t miss this opportunity to make a big fuss about it.

However, Wei Chen had always been meticulous. Even though Zhuge Feng and Sheng Jiaqi didn’t know what plan Wei Chen had in mind, they believed that he had already anticipated what would happen next and prepared countermeasures. If Zhou Tongpeng wanted to keep on tugging at this “tail,” he would not end up with a good result.

Wei Chen had this special trait. At only twenty-four years old, he seemed unusually steady, as if he had been through countless battles. His maturity was surprising, making people feel like he was filled with worldly experience, even though he was so young.

It was subtle, and even Sheng Jiaqi sometimes wondered why Wei Chen had such a quality. When he first met Wei Chen, he thought of him as a mature and intelligent young person with great potential.

But after not seeing Wei Chen for a month and then meeting him again, Sheng Jiaqi sensed that something had changed in him. The previous traits were still there, but Sheng Jiaqi knew that something had shifted, as if Wei Chen had experienced a huge disaster.

Sheng Jiaqi didn’t delve into what caused this change in Wei Chen. He didn’t know if this change was good or bad for himself, but at least the current Wei Chen was outstanding, trustworthy enough for him to believe in. Moreover, Wei Chen had Chen Li by his side, someone who could evoke emotions and tears in Wei Chen, not just an exceptionally capable but emotionless machine in the eyes of others.