The next day, the internet was flooded with news that Qin Tianyi's marriage was in trouble and that he was facing a divorce with his current wife.
Photos of Susu and Yang Sijie together were also published. Although some parts were pixelated, powerful netizens still managed to dig up some information about Yang Sijie.
He was once a mysterious wealthy man who appeared in Lancheng, but he had long since ended all his businesses and left Lancheng. However, he had been in a relationship with Susu.
Some netizens also pointed out that the background in the photos was in a high-end apartment abroad, and even the specific location of the apartment was found.
They fabricated a love story between her and Yang Sijie, like a dream on a covered bridge, describing it as a poignant regret and something to be yearned for.
There were few comments online criticizing Susu for marital infidelity; most were expressions of envy.
"A woman who can win the love of two rich and devoted men is truly blessed! Mrs. Qin won't lose out no matter which one she chooses."
"Envy, jealousy, and hatred. This world is too fair. The well-fed don't know the hunger of the starving. Those without men are parched to death, while those with men are never satisfied!"
...
Susu browsed these comments, her heart filled with a complex mix of emotions.
Sometimes, there was a reason for the saying "one lifetime, one couple." Being loved madly by someone you don't love is a disaster for the person involved, not as wonderful as others imagine.
She didn't want to look any further, so she closed the laptop. She hadn't eaten breakfast since she woke up, but she didn't feel hungry.
After they said goodnight last night, Tianyi still hadn't returned, nor had he sent her any messages or called.
She was worried if Tianyi had seen the online comments; if he had, he must be feeling terrible.
Susu, feeling exhausted, lay back down on the bed, not wanting to do anything.
Last night, Tianyi had agreed with her to pretend to be in a cold war. In that sudden situation, he probably just wanted to comfort her first. Once she calmed down and came to her senses, he truly didn't want to bother with her anymore.
Just then, her phone rang. She thought it was Tianyi calling and quickly got up to grab her phone. To her disappointment, it wasn't Tianyi's call; it was Shishi.
"Sister Gu, are you okay? That Sophie still has the nerve to come to work today, but why aren't you here?" Shishi said indignantly.
Susu replied listlessly, "Oh, I'm not feeling well today, so I won't be going to the studio."
Shishi said, "Sister Gu, then please rest well. Don't worry, we won't pay any attention to Sophie anymore. She's gone too far, using your and the studio's fame to boost herself, and even trying to set you up at her own press conference..."
"It's still unclear how the photos in the slideshow were obtained. Please don't blame Sophie for now. This matter will be clarified, so everyone should work with peace of mind," Susu reminded her. "You were one of the earliest employees to follow me when the studio was first established. You must pay attention to uniting everyone and prevent any further problems in the studio."
"Okay, I understand." Shishi remembered that Huo Zheng had also reminded her last night not to be too impulsive in seeking justice for others. Her tone softened as she agreed with Susu.
After she finished talking with Susu and came out of the office, she saw Sophie had arrived early and had been busy greeting guests and seeing them off.
Companies and celebrities seeking design services from Sophie were coming in an endless stream. Sophie had a smile on her face, showing no concern for Sister Gu or any apology for what happened at the press conference.
Shishi thought that since Sophie was so capable now, it would be best if she left the studio soon and started her own business, so she wouldn't have to see her and be annoyed.
She never disliked people who were openly ambitious and liked to fight for fame and profit. What she hated most were people who clearly benefited from stepping on others but were also hypocritical.
Sophie was one such person, and her father's second wife was also like that.
She had experienced the hypocrisy of that woman in her father's new home, which was why she couldn't stand such insidious people.
But now, for Sister Gu and for the peace of the studio, she could only endure it silently, as she had done in her childhood, telling herself to just ignore Sophie.
...
Meanwhile, Tianyi had gone to the group from the boxing club early in the morning. He had briefly scanned the gossip news online and didn't take it seriously.
Only an article in the financial column, predicting and analyzing the impact of his and Susu's divorce on Aoxiang Group and even Shu's Group, made him read it twice from beginning to end.
Compared to the gossip that fabricated emotional stories, this article was the most damaging. He stared at the reporter's byline and directly dialed Xiao Anjing's extension.
Before he could speak, An Jing broke the ice with a joke, "My goodness, the nonsense online could be made into a triangle love movie. It has all the melodramatic elements and would definitely be a box office hit."
"Stop messing around. The people behind this are not only trying to break up my marriage with Susu but also want to bring down Aoxiang and Shu's," Tianyi said seriously.
Xiao Anjing was momentarily stunned into silence.
"I've just sent you a financial section article to your phone. Read it yourself," Tianyi said. "After you've read it, find out who wrote this article, and Susu and I need to hold a press conference as soon as possible to clarify the rumors."
While Tianyi was speaking, An Jing immediately clicked on the stock chart on his computer and stared at Aoxiang's stock price, saying, "It's dropped. Aoxiang's stock price is indeed falling."
"We've underestimated the consequences of this matter. I'll have my secretary draft a statement, and you should also have the legal department take legal action to have certain websites and platforms remove articles that defame our group," Tianyi decisively made his response.
An Jing could no longer smile and said, "Okay," then began to busy himself.
...
Susu was not idle at home all morning, constantly answering phone calls.
Friends, clients, and companies with business ties to her studio were all calling or sending messages to inquire about her situation.
She also realized that if her marriage with Tianyi had problems, it would not only affect their own relationship but also the groups and studios they respectively owned, as well as various interests.
Just as she was about to charge her phone and turn it off, Uncle Xu from Shu's Group also called her.
"Young lady, is your marriage with President Qin breaking down?" Uncle Xu asked worriedly.
Susu had already repeated the explanation for this question many times. She said it again, "Don't believe what's online; it's all nonsense. I haven't done anything to betray Tianyi. Those photos are from several years ago and don't prove anything."
Uncle Xu breathed a sigh of relief and said, "That's good. But you need to find a way to make the outside world believe that your marriage is stable, otherwise, Shu's will have big problems."
"Is something wrong with Shu's?" Susu asked, sensing from Uncle Xu's tone that some people in Shu's were getting restless again.
Uncle Xu had intended to wait and see the situation, but now that Susu had asked, he felt he should tell her.