"Compared to trusting him, it's definitely not as much as you. But this isn't about trust. If something goes wrong, you both bear responsibility. Don't tell me you can shoulder all the responsibility alone." Qin Tianyi spoke with a blank expression, but his presence was already palpable.
Gu Susu wanted to step back, but he had hooked his arm around her waist, making her unable to move. Her heart raced as she said, "Did you see something wrong? Will the press conference have problems?"
"No, I just feel your approach is a bit risky."
"You're afraid of taking risks? If you didn't take risks, how could you have brought down Qin Shi so swiftly and acquired Ai Group?"
Qin Tianyi's expression sharpened. "Mishang is different. I won't allow this company to take any risks or encounter any problems."
Gu Susu looked up at him, remembering how much Mishang meant to him. It was a company his mother had founded herself, and it was her legacy to him.
"Alright, there won't be any mistakes then. You asked me to be a designer at Mishang to compensate for the shortcomings in our women's wear. I will make Mishang's women's wear lead the fashion forefront."
Qin Tianyi seemed somewhat satisfied with her answer, lowering his head further. His lips were almost touching hers.
Gu Susu quickly put up a hand to block him, flustered. "This is the company, Mr. Qin. Please mind the boundaries."
Qin Tianyi's lips curved upwards, as if his mood had improved. He released her and said, "As soon as the press conference ends, we'll sign the divorce agreement."
"Okay." Gu Susu felt her cheeks flush. She lowered her head, not looking at him, and answered before fleeing the conference room as if escaping.
Qin Tianyi sat back down, took a sip of coffee from the table, and watched Gu Susu's retreating figure with a look of absolute certainty.
...
This year's press conference for a nationally renowned brand was held at the most upscale hotel in Lancheng.
Giants of the fashion industry, supermodels, and famous celebrities... all sorts of reporters also rushed to the scene, flocking to the hotel entrance to grab headlines.
Gu Susu had been busy at the company all day, making final preparations for the press conference. It wasn't until seven in the evening that she, along with Chang Qingchuan and a few colleagues from the design department, boarded the same van to the press conference venue.
Sitting in the back of the van, clutching her briefcase, she saw the red carpet laid out at the hotel entrance through the car window. Handsome and beautiful people emerged from one luxury car after another.
Just as the van they were in was about to drive towards the hotel's side entrance, Gu Susu spotted Xiao Anjing stepping out of an incredibly flashy, top-tier luxury car.
Xiao Anjing was wearing a white suit that evening, with a roguish expression. A scantily clad beauty was by his side.
Gu Susu found her familiar; she should be a female celebrity.
As Xiao Anjing emerged from the car, a hotel security guard opened the rear door of the luxury car, and Qin Tianyi, in a dark gray formal suit, stepped out. His aura far surpassed Xiao Anjing's.
At that moment, another security guard opened another rear door, and a beauty in a sapphire blue sequined gown alighted. She naturally walked to Qin Tianyi's side and linked her arm with his.
"Wait, stop for a moment," Gu Susu suddenly said loudly to the driver in front.
The driver slammed on the brakes and looked back at her inexplicably, wondering why she had suddenly asked him to stop.
Chang Qingchuan, sitting in the passenger seat, also signaled the driver to halt the car.
Gu Susu stared intently at the woman in the sapphire blue gown. Could she be the Shu family's daughter?
This beauty wasn't like those heavily made-up celebrities and models, nor was she wearing a very avant-garde and eye-catching gown. Instead, she exuded a gentle and understated beauty.
The cameras and video recorders in the reporters' hands were all focused on Qin Tianyi and this woman.
"Wow, the most well-matched couple tonight!"
"Who are they? Celebrities or models?"
"Are you new to this? The one in the dark gray suit is the second young master of the Qin family."
"The Qin family? Didn't Qin Shi go bankrupt?"
"Do you really not know, or are you pretending? Qin Shi did go bankrupt, but he's the only member of the Qin family who wasn't affected by the bankruptcy."
"Why?"
"He was a simpleton before and never participated in any of Qin Shi Group's operations. When the bankruptcy was investigated, everything was unrelated to him. He was like a clean slate."
"He doesn't look like a simpleton at all?"
"He's normal now. Perhaps the bankruptcy of Qin Shi Group was a shock that made him recover his senses, and he even became the boss of Aoxiang Group."
"Oh, so who is the beauty beside this second young master? I haven't seen her in any entertainment magazines."
"What entertainment magazines? She's a wealthy heiress..."
Gu Susu listened in stunned silence to the discussion of two peripheral reporters not far from their van. It seemed the woman accompanying Qin Tianyi to such a grand event was indeed the Shu family's daughter.
"Drive."
The driver hit the accelerator, speeding the van towards a more secluded side entrance of the hotel.
As part of the backstage crew for this press conference, their design department didn't need to walk the red carpet. They had to quickly get to the backstage area to prepare costumes and props for the models.
When the car stopped in the hotel's underground parking lot, everyone had gotten out.
Gu Susu remained dejected, her head resting against the car window, showing no intention of getting out. Her mood had plummeted, and she was lost in thought.
Chang Qingchuan had also seen Qin Tianyi enter the venue hand-in-hand with Shu Yan. To outsiders, they appeared to be a perfect couple.
But he knew it probably wasn't the case. The Shu family, a giant in retail department stores, wanted their brands to be stocked in their nationwide high-end department store counters. Qin Tianyi had to maintain a good cooperative relationship with the Shu family.
Furthermore, for such a grand event, the Shu family had to have a representative attend. Shu Yan was likely representing the Shu family.
He got out of the car, took the car keys from the driver, and seeing that everyone else had entered the parking elevator, he said to Gu Susu, "Susu, I think Mr. Qin attending with the Shu family's daughter is just a coincidence. There shouldn't be anything else..."
"You don't need to comfort me, I'm fine. Who he is with is his business." Before Chang Qingchuan could finish, Gu Susu gave a casual smile and perked up. "Let's not worry about this. We need to get to work. This press conference tonight cannot have any mistakes. From now on, I'm just an employee."
Chang Qingchuan found her words strange and wanted to ask what she meant, but she had already jumped out of the van. Noticing that her colleagues had disappeared, she quickened her pace.
Chang Qingchuan had no choice but to close the car door and walk behind Gu Susu.
Upon arriving at the designated area for Mishang Company backstage, everyone quickly got to work, busy with their tasks and having no time to chat.
Everyone from the design department who had come to the venue knew that they could only truly relax after the press conference concluded that night.
Without giving them much time, the press conference officially began.
Their Mishang Company's segment was scheduled to be the fifth to appear, not too early, but in the middle.
Gu Susu, still uneasy, repeatedly checked the models who had already been dressed, looking for any overlooked details, hoping her designs would be displayed in the most perfect way.
"Chief Chang, something terrible has happened!" A colleague observing the audience at the front rushed backstage, showing Chang Qingchuan a video on their phone.