Before Ruan Yu could even enter Jiayue’s conference room, she heard the sound of cups being smashed inside.
“What kind of top host is this? Old Huang! I trusted your recommendation and hired her, but look at this mess! I spent so much money just to build our reputation and expand Jiayue’s flower market, and what does she do? She even misreads the ordering number! This is sabotaging my business!” Jiayue’s CEO Yang Hong was furious.
“I’m truly sorry, CEO Yang. Xiao Ruan is currently our station’s most popular and successful host. I thought she was reliable—who could have expected this to happen? I’m so sorry!”
Ruan Yu knocked and entered the room.
Inside the conference room were Yang Hong, Huang Ge, and Shan Anxin.
“CEO Yang, Deputy Director…”
“You dare to speak!” Huang Ge’s sharp rebuke cut off Ruan Yu’s words. “Ruan Yu, look at the mess you’ve created! Haven’t you learned Arabic numerals? Can’t you tell the difference between six and nine? Have all your years of education gone to waste? Do you know how much CEO Yang will lose because of your tiny verbal slip?”
“I…”
“Sister Ruan, this isn’t the time to defend yourself,” Shan Anxin fanned the flames from the side. “I just warned you earlier that you’re handling too many important matters and should be more careful. Before those words could even settle, you’ve created such a disaster. Of all things to misread, you had to mistake the most important string of numbers.”
Ignoring Shan Anxin, Ruan Yu looked directly at Yang Hong and Huang Ge.
“CEO Yang, Deputy Director, I’m completely bewildered right now, but since everyone says I made a mistake, I must have truly done something wrong. Since the error has occurred, rather than assigning blame, the most important thing now is to find a solution, even if just to minimize losses. Rest assured, once this is resolved, I will take whatever responsibility I should bear.”
“Solution? You make it sound so simple. The wrong number has already been broadcast through major TV stations and online platforms. Tell me, what solution could there be?” Yang Hong slammed the table.
Ruan Yu fell silent.
Everything had happened too suddenly, too quickly. This was her first time encountering such a major live broadcast incident, and she had no idea how to handle it. She could only hope for help from Huang Ge, who had worked in television for many years and seen all sorts of storms—he must have a way to resolve this.
“Deputy Director…”
“I have an idea.”
Before Huang Ge could speak, Shan Anxin spoke up.
Everyone turned to look at her.
“What’s your idea?” Yang Hong asked urgently.
“Sacrifice the chariot to save the king,” Shan Anxin slowly pronounced these four words.
“Don’t keep us in suspense. Quickly, what do you mean by sacrifice? How do we save?” Huang Ge urged.
Shan Anxin pursed her red lips, her gaze falling on Ruan Yu.
“My solution might require Sister Ruan to make some sacrifices.”
“At this point, who cares about sacrifice? She caused this mess—should we suffer the consequences instead of her?” Yang Hong had lost all semblance of courtesy in his anger.
“CEO Yang is right. I made the mistake, so I should bear the consequences. Anxin, whatever your solution is, just say it,” Ruan Yu said.
“Alright, I’ll tell you. Since what’s done is done and we can’t take it back, why don’t we use Sister Ruan’s current popularity to our advantage and deliberately amplify this incident?”
In just one night, the incident of TG Broadcasting’s famous host Ruan Yu misreading the organizer’s important phone number at the Hai City International Flower Art Festival spawned various topics. Stories circulated about how Ruan Yu’s one wrong word cost Jiayue millions in losses; how TG’s upper management was enraged and demanded Ruan Yu leave TG; and how Ruan Yu was so ashamed she cried all night in her hotel… Public accounts were spreading articles everywhere, attracting spectators who originally had no interest in the flower art festival to gather around for the gossip.
Shan Anxin’s “sacrifice the chariot to save the king” crisis marketing strategy reversed the situation overnight. It not only helped Jiayue correct the error but also created buzz and attracted attention—perfect public relations.
In this battle, everyone was a winner except Ruan Yu.
The reputation she had built through her efforts, the professional capability that had finally earned recognition—all of it vanished overnight.
Ruan Yu lay on the hotel’s large bed, eyes open all night. Media reporters from various outlets tried to call her to investigate the incident. Only when her phone died from constant vibrating did things finally quiet down.
She wanted to cry but couldn’t, wanted to sleep but couldn’t. Her heart felt like it was being carved up piece by piece.
The next morning, just as she had finally fallen asleep for a bit, her assistant Xiuxiu came knocking.
Ruan Yu opened the door to find Xiuxiu standing outside with a worried expression.
“Sister Ruan, your phone was unreachable all night, I thought, I thought…”
“Thought what? Don’t worry, I wouldn’t do anything foolish over this.”
Xiuxiu quickly agreed: “Right, right, right, you absolutely mustn’t do anything foolish. Even the biggest problems will pass. Once this blows over, everything will be fine.”
Ruan Yu forced a smile at Xiuxiu and nodded.
“Sister Ruan, are you hungry? You haven’t eaten anything all day yesterday, and it’s almost noon now. Think about what you’d like to eat, I’ll go buy it for you.”
“No need, I’m not hungry. Go eat yourself, I’ll sleep a bit more.”
“How can that be?”
“I’m not hungry.”
“Sister Ruan…”
“Enough, Xiuxiu, don’t worry about me. Consider these few days as your vacation. I’ll contact you when there’s work to do. Go rest.” Ruan Yu closed the door.
After sending Xiuxiu away, Ruan Yu originally wanted to sleep more, but after lying back down, she couldn’t sleep at all.
She got up to shower, wash her hair, and change clothes. After making herself clean and presentable, she realized she could only stay in her room with nowhere to go.
Just past one in the afternoon, there was another knock at the door.
Ruan Yu thought it was Xiuxiu again, but when she opened the door, she found Teng Yi standing outside.
He was wearing the clothes Ruan Yu had chosen for him on the day they recorded “Ta Says,” looking refined and elegant. Just standing there quietly, he stirred her heart.
“Why did you come to Hai City?” Ruan Yu asked.
It was a three-hour flight from Liao City to Hai City.
“You made headline news and your phone was unreachable. Why do you think I came?” Though his tone was impatient, his eyes were gentle as they examined her.
Ruan Yu lowered her head: “I used to joke with you all the time, deliberately saying wrong things. Now, I’ve made a mistake, such a ridiculous and outrageous one.”
Teng Yi looked at her small face which had grown thinner and took a deep breath.
“Have you eaten lunch?” he asked.
Ruan Yu shook her head.
“Then let’s go.” Teng Yi suddenly reached out and took her hand. “Let’s eat.”
Ruan Yu stared at him as he turned, thinking she was dreaming, but the sensation on the back of her hand felt so real.
She followed him for a few steps, looking again at his hand holding hers, and couldn’t help but laugh bitterly.
“Teng Yi, did it have to come to this for you to admit you have feelings for me?”
Teng Yi didn’t respond, only gripped her hand tighter.
“You can’t stand to see me doing well!” Ruan Yu glared at the back of his head, stopping in place, refusing to move.
“Yes, I can’t stand to see you doing well,” Teng Yi said without turning around, his voice deep and low. “You’re so good, so good that it makes me feel inferior and hesitant. But when you’re not doing well, I worry like crazy. What am I supposed to do with you?”
The tears Ruan Yu had held back all night fell chaotically in an instant.
She pulled her hand from his, stepped forward, and hugged him tightly from behind.
Teng Yi’s whole body stiffened, then gradually relaxed in her embrace.
“Host Ruan, you’re a public figure. Shouldn’t you be mindful of your public image?” He turned his head to look at her.
Ruan Yu rubbed her face against his back, leaving his back wet with tears: “I don’t care, I don’t care!”
He seemed to smile.
After a while, he suddenly turned around and pulled her into his arms.
“Fine, then I won’t care either.”
With those words, his kiss pressed against her lips.