Chapter 1068 |
Meanwhile, in various corners of Jin Corporation, the newest episode of A Closer Look with Feng Jiu had become an unspoken office epidemic.
It wasn't being watched openly, of course.
No one in Jin Corporation was brave enough to blatantly watch a celebrity interview during working hours, not when the company's reputation was built on discipline and terrifying efficiency. But like water seeping through cracks, the gossip still found its way.
It began the moment the show flashed that photo on screen.
Two cats.
And the vague figure of a man.
In the marketing department pantry, a young associate froze mid-sip of her coffee, eyes glued to her phone screen.
"Eh?" she whispered. "Is it just me, or do those cats look like…Young Miss Ice Cream and Young Master Popcorn? And that man… doesn't he look like President Jin?"
Her flatmates, who also worked at Jin Corporation, leaned closer, their expressions shifting from casual curiosity into alarmed fascination.
"No," their third flatmate snapped immediately, voice loud with denial. "That's definitely not the President and those are definitely not his cats! Are you both out of your minds? President Jin and Elena Zhang are engaged? No way! There is absolutely no way that's true!"
She practically shoved her phone into their faces as if she were presenting evidence in court.
"Look at that grey cat. It's fatter than Young Miss Ice Cream! And the orange cat, look closely. The stripes are wrong! Young Master Popcorn's stripes go to the left, but this one goes to the right!"
Her friends stared, their expressions turning blank.
"That… doesn't even make sense," one of them murmured.
"And the collars!" the girl continued, unstoppable. "Young Miss and Young Master wear silver collars. These cats are wearing gold collars! And the man… President Jin would never sit on the floor like that. He's taller, more dignified. He radiates executive terror even when he breathes!"
Her flatmates exchanged a glance, the kind that said she's losing it but let's not poke the unstable beehive.
"Yeah…" one of them said weakly. "I think you're right."
But another flatmate hesitated, lowering her voice. "Still… if, and I'm only saying if, it's really President Jin and Elena Zhang… they'd actually look good together."
The girl snapped her head around. "What?"
"Well," the flatmate continued carefully, "President Jin is handsome. Elena Zhang is beautiful. They're both… ridiculously attractive."
The third flatmate nodded thoughtfully. "I didn't like Elena Zhang back when she was still a spoiled teenager, but ever since her comeback… she's different. She's talented. She's hardworking. She has a backbone. Honestly, I'd rather have her as our future lady boss than some snobbish heiress who only knows how to spend money and insult employees."
"Noooo!" the crush-stricken girl wailed, as if they had just declared the collapse of civilization. "I refuse to believe this!"
She looked genuinely distressed.
For her, it wasn't just gossip.
It was heartbreak.
She had worked herself to exhaustion to enter Jin Corporation, not because she loved business, but because she loved one terrifying ice sculpture of a man who ruled the corporate world like a cold god.
Her other flatmate sighed and patted her shoulder. "Whether it's true or not is none of our business. It's best to keep these speculations to ourselves."
She lowered her voice further, almost whispering.
"You know the rumours about what happens to employees who offend President Jin. I don't know if they're true, but it's better to be safe than sorry."
The other two nodded immediately.
In Jin Corporation, people didn't gossip recklessly.
Not because they were virtuous.
But because they valued survival.
Similar conversations played out in other departments, other floors, other branches.
The same careful speculation.
The same uneasy fascination.
And the same unanimous decision to keep their mouths shut.
Because Jin Corporation employees were proud. They wore the company name like armor. They weren't about to ruin their career prospects for quick gossip-money by leaking rumours to the media.
Besides, none of them was certain.
If they were wrong, it would be libel.
If they were right… then it was even worse.
They would be stepping on the personal life of the most powerful man in the country.
It was like voluntarily poking a sleeping tiger and then complaining about being eaten.
So the employees only whispered among themselves, careful, quiet, cautious.
And yet, the more they whispered, the more the conclusion seemed inevitable.
If President Jin Di truly was engaged to Elena Zhang…
Then Elena Zhang was terrifyingly impressive.
She succeeded where countless women had failed, not ninety-nine percent of the time, but one hundred percent of the time.
She melted an ice block.
A living ice block.
Then, in a bar after work, a junior financial analyst suddenly slapped the counter with drunken inspiration.
"Wait!"
His colleagues flinched.
"What if President Jin is just using her to cover up that he's gay?!"
The entire table froze.
Someone almost choked on their drink.
A senior analyst's face turned pale as he looked around the bar, paranoia practically dripping from his pores.
"Sssh! Not so loud! Are you insane? What if someone hears you?!"
The junior analyst didn't care. He buried his face into the counter and began to sob dramatically.
"Nooo! Poor Elena!" he wailed. "She deserves better than that unfeeling King Yama! Boss Elena, find someone who can actually smile! Even Jin Yang is better than President Jin!"
The senior analyst grabbed his shoulder. "You're drunk. Shut up before you ruin all our lives. Let's go home."
Among the employees gossiping, some were secretly Black Stars.
And if they were forced to choose between their two "bosses", President Jin Di or Boss Elena…
They would choose Elena without hesitation.
After all, President Jin might control their salaries.
But Elena controlled their souls.
*
Jin Family's Old House
While Jin Corporation was buzzing quietly like a disturbed beehive, the Jin family's old house was buzzing loudly like a battlefield of domestic chaos.
The grand estate, usually dignified and serene, was now full of movement.
Housekeepers rushed back and forth. Servants carried trays. Cooks shouted instructions. The air smelled of tea, spices, and expensive ingredients.
At the center of it all was Huang Yuyan.
The Jin family's matriarch in practice, if not in title.
She was everywhere at once.
She inspected the dining table settings with hawk-like focus, adjusting the chopsticks by a fraction of an inch. She marched into the kitchen and personally tasted the soup, her brows furrowing as she demanded more salt, less salt, more sweetness, less sweetness.
She turned in the foyer and stared at the curtains like they had personally offended her.
"Maybe we should change the curtains to bright red," she suggested, voice filled with urgency.
Grandma Li, seated calmly like a Buddha who had seen too many storms to be impressed, sighed.
"Yuyan, my dear," Grandma Li said with mild exasperation, "the curtains are fine. You already had them changed six times today. Why don't you relax?"
Huang Yuyan spun around, clutching her phone like it was a weapon.
"Mother, this is a special day!" she insisted. "My son is bringing Xiulan and the Zhang family later. They are more important than royalty! We need to present a good image to the Zhangs so they can feel at ease when Xiulan marries into our Jin family!"
Grandma Li chuckled, amused by her daughter-in-law's frantic energy.
"Alright, alright," she said. "You seem to have everything under control. I'll leave it to you. I'm already old. I don't have the energy for this kind of preparation."
"Don't worry, Mother." Huang Yuyan immediately softened, her tone respectful. "I'll take care of everything. Please rest."
Then she glanced at the time.
Her expression sharpened.
She lifted her phone and dialed.
"Hello, son?" she said briskly. "Where are you? Are you on your way here?"
A pause.
Then her eyes widened.
"What? You're still at home? I already told you that you need to be here! Your brother is bringing your future sister-in-law and her family today!"
She practically roared into the phone.
"What are you waiting for? Hurry up, get ready and come here!"
She ended the call with a huff.
Grandma Li raised an eyebrow. "Is Jin Yang coming?"
"Yes, Mother," Huang Yuyan replied, forcing a smile. "He said he's going to get ready."
Grandma Li's expression remained calm, but her words were sharp as a blade.
"Well, if he doesn't arrive in an hour, I'll send my assistant to drag him here."
Huang Yuyan's smile became sheepish. She sighed, her earlier frenzy briefly replaced by worry.
"I'm glad he took a break from showbiz," she murmured. "He needs rest. He worked nonstop while he was engaged to…"
Her voice faltered.
Her lips pressed together as if she had bitten into something bitter.
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