C14 The News Was too Explosive

This is all a bit baffling. That's what Wanwan was thinking now. After being teased by Pei Chenglin yesterday, she thought she'd find a hotel to rest and get herself together before meeting Yanting today. She felt a bit guilty since she was supposed to pick him up yesterday. Now, getting a call from Yanting left her with mixed feelings.

After a moment of silence, Wanwan composed herself and finally spoke, "What's going on?"

To her surprise, Yanting asked the same question at the same time. Realizing her question was out of place, she remembered it was Yanting who called to ask her.

"Is this a bad time to talk?" Yanting continued, sounding like he was sure she was with Chenglin.

"No, I'm at a hotel... alone. I booked the room by myself," she replied, feeling more awkward with each word.

Everything was fine until Chenglin got involved, which always seemed to add a layer of suspicion. She knew Yanting was prone to misunderstandings.

"There are a bunch of reporters at the door. Can you come pick me up?" The situation was urgent, and she couldn't think too much about it.

Yanting's voice came through calmly, "Where are you?"

After giving the address, Wanwan hung up the phone. The gentle, slightly husky voice of Yan Tine still echoed in her ears, inexplicably comforting her. In contrast, the reporters gathered at the room's entrance were no longer a concern.

The room was well-insulated, and after a while, aside from feeling a bit hungry, it was quite peaceful. She freshened up and looked in the mirror, finding it hard to face her reflection.

"Oh..."

Wanwan touched the area around her eyes and quickly pulled her fingers away, regretting it. Despite receiving treatment yesterday, the skin around her eyes was still a bit red. It didn't hurt unless touched, but when it was, a burning sensation flared up. She had hoped to cover it with concealer, but that seemed impossible now.

"Pei Chenglin..." she muttered his name while sinking into the armchair. Pulling back the curtains, she glanced outside, feeling like a caged bird. She recalled her plan to prank Pei Chenglin yesterday, which backfired spectacularly, making her feel like a particularly foolish bird.

"If you didn't keep threatening to put me on the front page, I wouldn't let you push me around," she said, her voice tinged with frustration.

After speaking, a sense of alarm struck her. She quickly grabbed her phone, opened the browser, and searched for the Nian Family. Her brows furrowed tighter and tighter. She should have realized that the swarm of reporters at the door couldn't mean anything good.

She never expected Pei Chenglin would actually put her in the headlines. The title was naturally eye-catching, followed by ambiguous, suggestive content, and a few clear photos. In the pictures, she lay weakly in bed while Pei Chenglin fed her soup. The next photo showed Pei Chenglin kissing her right there on the hospital bed.

The angle of the photos must have been from outside the balcony of that VIP hospital room. Thinking of this, Wanwan couldn't help but find it laughable, though her heart was filled with coldness. In such a VIP room, who could have managed to take those photos without Pei Chenglin's permission?

Wanwan was fuming, contemplating how to call Pei Chenglin and confront him, when she heard a commotion at the door. Voices calling "Director Qin, Director Qin" rose and fell. Grabbing her bag, she quickly stepped forward and opened the door.

Outside, Qin Yanting's assistant was being cornered by reporters. As she opened the door, he stumbled slightly into the room, the flashlights flickering away. With Wanwan's appearance, the reporters became even more aggressive. Qin Yanting hadn't come; the reporters were just pressing the assistant for Qin Yanting's stance on the matter.

"Chief Inspector Nian, the situation is urgent. Let's get you out of here," the assistant quickly said, reaching out to grab Wanwan and trying to push through the crowd. He politely addressed the reporters, "Please make way, please make way, everyone. Thank you for your hard work."

Nian Wanwan was fuming, but seeing her assistant's calm demeanor, she took charge and hurriedly led them away from the scene. As they reached the elevator, someone was already waiting. Once Wanwan stepped inside, the doors promptly closed.

Finally, there was silence. They were on a high floor, and any reporters trying to catch up would have to wait for the next elevator, giving Wanwan a moment to breathe. She leaned against the elevator wall, looking at the two young people inside with her. One was the assistant who had just helped her, Qin, who was Qin Yanting's personal aide. The other was the company driver.

"Thank you for your help."

Despite the whirlwind of thoughts in her mind, she knew it wasn't appropriate to share them with colleagues.

"Chief Inspector Nian, it's nothing. I'm sorry you had to go through that," Qin replied, looking like he was in his twenties.

As they exited the elevator, the three of them quickened their pace toward the parking lot. Seeing the car that had been brought around, Wanwan's curiosity grew. It was the company's business vehicle, typically used by the higher-ups for official trips, seemingly unrelated to Qin Yanting.

"Qin," she called out once the car was smoothly on the road, unable to hold back any longer.

"Yes, Chief Inspector Nian, what is it?" Qin, always humble, responded. His calm demeanor was reminiscent of Qin Yanting, likely a result of working closely with him for so long.

"Did Director Qin ask you to come over? Did he give any instructions?"

After a piece of gossip about her and Pei Chenglin surfaced, it was normal for Qin Yanting not to approach her directly. Still, she had a nagging feeling—a bad one.

"Director Qin didn't mention anything else. He's not at the office; he just sent me a text message," Qin replied dutifully. To ensure Wanwan understood, he quickly pulled out his phone and showed her the message Qin Yanting had sent.

Wanwan glanced at the phone Qin held out. The message simply instructed him to pick someone up from her hotel, with no additional details.

"Got it, Qin. Just park nearby. It's not convenient for me to go to the office right now," Wanwan said as she unbuckled her seatbelt.

Her immediate concern wasn't Qin Yanting or Pei Chenglin. With that in mind, she quickly hailed a cab and simultaneously dialed her father's number.

"Where to, miss?" the driver asked kindly, turning down the radio.

"Nian Enterprises."

She couldn't get through to her father; his line was busy. She called the company directly, but no one answered.

"Miss, are you heading there to collect a debt too?"