The moment Jiang Yuxi stepped into Gu Corporation, she knew something was wrong.
The usual buzz of morning conversations had been replaced by an eerie, unnatural silence. Conversations died the second she walked past. Eyes followed her every move, some filled with amusement, others with barely concealed contempt.
She felt it—a thick, suffocating tension hanging in the air.
Something had happened.
Her stomach churned with unease as she made her way to her desk, her ears catching the faintest murmurs behind her.
"So shameless…""I knew she was like that.""No wonder she suddenly wanted to work here.""Does the CEO know?"
The last sentence made her grip on her bag tighten.
Did Gu Zeyan know?
She hadn't seen him that morning.
His silence from the night before had already left her restless, but now… now she feared the worst.
With slightly trembling hands, she pulled out her phone and opened the company's internal chat group. A cold dread settled in her chest as she scrolled.
The chat was buzzing with messages—hundreds of them.
"CEO Gu's wife caught alone in a private room with another man? How embarrassing.""She's not even that pretty. What do men see in her?""Did she think no one would find out?"
And then she saw it.
A photo.
Blurry, but unmistakable.
It was her—inside the private meeting room at the corporate event.
The angle made it look damning as if she had willingly gone in with the man, as if she had something to hide.
Yuxi's breath caught.
Who had taken this?
She knew the truth.
She knew she had been lured into a trap.
She knew Gu Zeyan had walked in just in time to stop it.
But to everyone else… the image told a different story.
And then, below the photo, was the final message that sealed it all.
Meng Yiran: "People like her don't belong here."
Of course.
That snake.
Yuxi clenched her jaw.
Zhao Liying had set the trap.
Meng Yiran had spread the poison.
And now, she was the one suffering for it.
She exhaled slowly, forcing herself to stay calm.
Her instincts told her to confront Meng Yiran immediately, but what would that accomplish?
She needed to be smart.
She needed proof.
Most of all, she needed to survive this.
But first, there was another question lingering at the back of her mind.
Her gaze flickered toward the CEO's office, where Gu Zeyan was.
He had seen this too.
And yet… he had done nothing.
Not a single statement to deny it.
Not a single order to shut down the rumors.
Did he believe them?
Yuxi's heart twisted painfully at the thought.
She wanted to tell herself it didn't matter, that she didn't care what he thought.
But she did.
She hated that she did.
Taking a deep breath, she forced her emotions down.
She couldn't let this be the thing that broke her.
Just as she was trying to collect herself, a sharp voice cut through the tense air.
"Jiang Yuxi."
She turned.
Liu Wen, the head of the Public Relations Department, stood there, his arms crossed, a chilling smirk on his lips.
"If you have time to check your phone," Liu Wen said coolly, "you have time to work."
Yuxi quickly locked her screen, standing.
Liu Wen didn't look satisfied.
He was enjoying this—this moment of power, of humiliation.
And then, with an almost mocking tone, He added, "Since you seem to attract so much public attention, let's see if you can handle it professionally."
Yuxi frowned. "What do you mean?"
Liu Wen smirked and dropped a thick file onto her desk.
"Gu Corporation is facing a PR crisis," she explained. "A major investor's product launch was a disaster, and the media is tearing them apart. They're blaming our company for poor PR management."
Yuxi's brows furrowed as she flipped through the file.
This was serious.
This kind of damage control was usually handled by senior-level employees.
She looked up. "You want me to…?"
"Fix it," Liu Wen said smoothly.
Yuxi froze.
Her colleagues exchanged knowing looks.
They knew what this was.
A setup.
A test she was meant to fail.
If she messed up, the consequences wouldn't just be peapersonall embarrassment—it would be a public failure.
A disaster.
And she would have no choice but to resign.
Her pulse pounded.
Liu Wen was waiting for her to back down.
Waiting for her to crack under the pressure.
Waiting for her to quit.
But Yuxi wouldn't give her that satisfaction.
She inhaled deeply, then closed the file with a decisive snap.
"Fine," she said steadily. "I'll handle it."
The office fell silent.
Liu Wen's smirk faltered, just slightly.
It was clear he hadn't expected Yuxi to accept so easily.
But Yuxi wasn't done.
She lifted her chin, her voice firm.
"And when I fix this," she added, "I expect the respect I deserve."
A challenge.
The air shifted.
Liu Wen's eyes narrowed slightly.
But then, with an amused scoff, he turned away.
"Let's see if you survive first," she murmured before walking off.
Yuxi watched her go, determination burning in her chest.
She knew the entire office was watching her.
Waiting for her to fail.
Waiting for her to be humiliated again.
But they would be disappointed.
Because Jiang Yuxi wasn't going down that easily.