Chapter 10: A Complete Break

When the North City Business Daily saw their newly published sensational news, they were scared out of their wits. During the initial interview, Lou Xizhou had explicitly stated that he would not discuss private matters, yet his personal life had been splashed across the headlines, with the veracity of the claims remaining unknown.

Editor-in-Chief Li, furious, issued an order to pull the piece and personally called Lou Xizhou to apologize. He then summoned Yu Shuang and the editorial staff to his office, leaving the door wide open, and proceeded to scold Yu Shuang mercilessly in front of everyone.

"Go and apologize to Mr. Lou immediately! If he bans our paper from all future coverage of his company, you can pack your things and leave!"

Yu Shuang emerged from the office in tears, utterly humiliated. When she returned to her desk, her colleagues watched her with varied expressions. Tang Yu was not out on assignment that day and sat at the adjacent desk, but she did not even glance at her.

In Yu Shuang's eyes, this was a clear display of contempt, which infuriated her enough to lash out at Tang Yu.

"What are you so smug about?! Isn't it just because you get the best resources from Editor-in-Chief Li? Do you think no one knows he plays favorites with you? Everything you have today is because of the resources and connections he hands you! Otherwise, how could someone who has only been working for three years achieve such success?"

"What are you showing off for every day? Without help, you, Tang Yu, would be nothing! Who believes this exclusive interview went so smoothly on its own? Even with Editor-in-Chief Li's backing, Lou Xizhou wouldn't necessarily have found time for you. You must have used dirty tricks to secure this interview!"

"You have no idea what that interview was actually like!" Yu Shuang looked at the colleagues who were now focused on her. "It was supposed to be a competition between the two of us; she was the one who proposed that whoever arrived first would get the story! And guess what happened?"

The curiosity of the colleagues was piqued, as they had been unaware of any internal drama.

"The interview was in the Peony Room at the Xiangjiang Building, and it was a banquet hosted by Mr. Lou himself. With such high-status treatment, why would she—a nobody in the industry compared to the veterans—be worthy of it? I arrived there first, and she came later, yet Mr. Lou wouldn't even let me in. The moment she arrived, he called her inside! You tell me why!"

"The way Mr. Lou looked at her, pouring her tea and handing her pastries—who could believe there wasn't something going on between them?"

*Slap!*

Upon hearing this, Tang Yu stood up in a rage and slapped Yu Shuang across the face. She could tolerate the insults, but she would not allow her character to be slandered.

"I’ve tolerated you for a long time! You brought this on yourself today, so blame no one but yourself for pushing me too far! Don't you feel aggrieved? I’ll give you a reason to be truly aggrieved today!"

Tang Yu turned to face all her colleagues, her expression stern and severe. "I will clarify the details of this interview now, so that no one can twist the truth or throw mud at me!"

"Mr. Lou and I had dealings before we even competed for this interview. His nephew hit my car, and we both ended up at the police station. Mr. Lou came to pick up his nephew, and we negotiated the damages; we exchanged contact information then. That is the only reason why Mr. Lou chose me for the interview."

"As for why my car was hit, you should ask Yu Shuang herself. That day was my second scheduled engagement party, and my boyfriend cancelled it again because of her. Not only that, but almost all the work she has completed—if not all of it—was achieved because my boyfriend used his resources and money to pave the way for her. My boyfriend even forced me to help her!"

"She has the audacity to say I rely on Editor-in-Chief Li for resources! She ignores my hard work but turns green with envy the moment I produce results! The Shacheng New Business Industry Integration Summit was a golden opportunity; what kind of trash did she turn in after Editor-in-Chief Li handed it to her?"

Tang Yu turned back to look at the pale-faced Yu Shuang, her gaze cold and her words ringing with authority.

"Do I need to sacrifice my integrity to get anything? I have professional skills, I have the ability to earn my own way, and I don't need a man to give me money, nor do I spend a man's money! You can keep Zhou Ruancheng’s money for yourself! Are you satisfied now, Yu Shuang?"

After saying this, she spoke loudly to all the colleagues watching them: "Let me make one thing clear: that boyfriend who cancelled our engagement twice is now my ex-boyfriend, and he has nothing to do with me!"

Tang Yu finished speaking, cast a cold glance at Yu Shuang, who stood frozen in place, and sat back down at her desk.

Yu Shuang could feel the way her colleagues' gazes toward her had changed. A heavy, suffocating sense of shame made it hard for her to breathe. Tang Yu had gone too far! She was clearly trying to force her out of the company.

Yu Shuang took a sharp breath, her eyes reddening as she glared at Tang Yu, who was sitting calmly at her desk. She hated her with every fiber of her being.

"Tang Yu, from this day forward, we are enemies!"

*Clack!*

Yu Shuang tore off her staff badge, threw it onto the desk, and grabbed her phone and bag, storming out of the office. If this place couldn't contain her, she would find her own way elsewhere!

Tang Yu gave a faint, indifferent glance at the discarded badge and let out a cold, internal laugh. She had been too kind.

The day after Yu Shuang left for Shacheng, Tang Yu discovered that her computer had been tampered with. Fortunately, she had installed a hidden camera, and she was always careful enough never to keep important drafts on the company computer. The camera captured the footage of that night: Yu Shuang, who was supposed to be in Shacheng, had sneaked into the office, attempting to crack her password to steal the interview draft. Whether she intended to sell it or destroy it, it was a criminal act.

When the colleagues discussed Yu Shuang, they were filled with nothing but contempt. Li Jie, who was close to Tang Yu, came over to advise her not to pay any mind to someone like Yu Shuang, who was fueled purely by jealousy.

"Little Tang, when you interviewed Mr. Lou, did you ask him if he was married?" a colleague asked, gossiping.

Tang Yu knew immediately that this colleague was part of the online rumor mill, and she didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"How would I know? Mr. Lou stated beforehand that he would only discuss business, not private matters."

The colleagues, disappointed that they couldn't get the gossip they wanted, eventually dispersed.

When it was time to get off work, Tang Yu received a message from Lou Xizhou: "What is your newspaper's stance on handling reporters who spread baseless rumors about my private life?"

Tang Yu wasn't sure, so she called Editor-in-Chief Li. The Editor's reply was that Yu Shuang had resigned voluntarily, which they were treating as a termination. Tang Yu relayed this to Lou Xizhou.

"There are rumors all over the internet that I am married. Isn't your paper going to take responsibility and handle this?"

Tang Yu decided to call him directly.

"Yes, speak," Lou Xizhou said upon answering.

"Mr. Lou, our newspaper has already handled the situation urgently, but the internet is too vast—we can't stop it completely. Do you have a suggestion, Mr. Lou? Do you require compensation?"

Lou Xizhou pondered for a moment and then said, "Are you off work?"

"I was just about to head home," Tang Yu said, letting her guard down.

"My car has broken down. Perhaps you could trouble yourself to come pick me up and take me home."

It was Tang Yu's turn to be silent; she couldn't tell if this was a private or public matter.

"Are you counting this as compensation for the incident?"

"You could interpret it that way."

Tang Yu readily agreed, unaware that Zhou Ruancheng was tailing her.