Just as everyone in [Fuyun Studio] was singing high praises for Qin Mu, on the other side, in Qin Mu's car, his assistant couldn't help speaking up when he saw his boss staring at the phone screen.
"Brother Mu, the statement has been drafted. If you think it's okay, I'll post it right now."
Qin Mu carefully read through the content of the statement his assistant sent.
It clearly stated that the meeting with Meng Ruozhao was for "negotiations on a new Chinese-style dress cooperation".
It also mentioned that [Fuyun Studio] would participate in the program "National Elegance Collection - Beautiful Clothes", and at the same time denied the "romance rumor".
Finally, it thanked netizens for their attention and hoped that everyone would focus on the works and traditional culture.
"Okay, post it."
Qin Mu nodded and forwarded a copy of the statement content to Meng Ruozhao.
After sending it, he didn't directly exit. His finger unconsciously stayed on Meng Ruozhao's WeChat avatar on the screen.
It was a photo of the window of [Fuyun Studio]. Hanging in the window was a Song-style beizi she designed, a delicate cyan color embroidered with tiny plum blossoms.
The assistant watched his boss's little action and the doubts that had arisen before resurfaced in his mind.
Brother Mu really seemed to be different towards Boss Meng.
If it had been before, when encountering such a hot search, he would only have asked his agent to issue a statement according to the procedure.
He would never have specifically instructed what content to mention, let alone stared blankly at someone's WeChat avatar after issuing the statement.
However, the assistant only dared to think these words in his mind and didn't dare to say them out.
He quickly edited the text. After clicking "Send", the official account of Qin Mu's studio instantly posted the clarification statement.
Immediately afterwards, the official account of "National Elegance Collection - Beautiful Clothes" also posted a poster, officially announcing that Qin Mu would participate in the program recording as a special guest.
At this moment, the wind direction on the Internet immediately changed.
The originally excited fans gradually calmed down when they saw the keywords such as "cooperation" and "National Elegance Collection".
After all, "National Elegance Collection - Beautiful Clothes" was a highly anticipated national-style variety show recently.
No one expected that Qin Mu, who never participated in variety shows, would join as a special guest.
He was very serious about everything he did. It was indeed reasonable for him to meet and negotiate with the designer who would also participate in the program before the show.
"So it's just a cooperation. False alarm!"
"I knew my brother wouldn't fall in love casually! He's really career-driven."
"[Fuyun Studio]? Is it the studio that designs traditional clothing? I seem to have seen their works online before. They're quite nice!"
"So the beauty is a designer. No wonder she has such good temperament. I'm looking forward to their collaborative works."
"Those who scolded the beauty before, shouldn't you apologize now?"
"I find that some people are just prone to be relationship-obsessed. As soon as they see a man and a woman together, they think they're in a relationship."
"Exactly. Those who spread rumors about their relationship, don't you have opposite-sex colleagues? I'm really speechless."
The wind direction in the comment section gradually improved. Many netizens even started to search for the works of [Fuyun Studio] and became interested in Meng Ruozhao's designs.
The number of followers of the official account of [Fuyun Studio] also increased by several thousand within just one hour.
Meng Ruozhao was swiping her phone and finally breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the gradually improving public opinion.
She didn't expect that after the clarification, this sudden hot search storm would unexpectedly bring a wave of popularity to [Fuyun Studio]. She sent a message of thanks to Qin Mu, but there was no reply. He should have already boarded the plane.
She didn't mind. After posting a message on the [Fuyun Studio] account saying that they were about to participate in the program, this matter was already over in her mind.
After all, it was just a misunderstanding from beginning to end. But it had brought a wave of traffic to the store, so it could be considered a blessing in disguise.
In the evening, when she got home and opened the door, what greeted her was an unexpectedly dark and silent environment.
Was Pei Jiangmu still not back?
It shouldn't be. He had said this morning that he didn't have much to do today and would come back early.
"Jiangmu?"
She softly called out as she changed her shoes, but didn't get the usual response.
She turned on the light and walked in curiously. Only then did she see Pei Jiangmu sitting alone on the sofa in the living room.
Maybe because he had his head down, his figure seemed a bit inexplicably lonely.
She got closer and noticed a faint smell of alcohol in the air.
"Why didn't you turn on the light at home?"
She said as she turned on the floor lamp in the living room.
The moment the light came on, she saw Pei Jiangmu's appearance clearly—
His eye circles were an abnormal shade of red, and there were several empty beer cans on the coffee table in front of him.
He was sitting there in a daze, as if he hadn't noticed her return, or as if he was immersed in his own world and couldn't extricate himself.
Meng Ruozhao's heart tightened. She quickly walked over, squatted in front of him, and held his hand worriedly.
"Jiangmu? What's wrong with you? What happened?"
When her hand touched his skin, it felt ice-cold.
Pei Jiangmu seemed to come back to his senses at this moment. He slowly shook his head and his voice was a bit hoarse: "It's okay."
Saying that, he tried to stand up, but his body swayed slightly.
"You're back... Are you thirsty? I'll go pour you a glass of water."
He avoided her gaze and insisted on walking towards the kitchen.
Meng Ruozhao quickly supported him: "I'm not thirsty. Don't bother."
She pulled him down forcefully, but he still turned his head away and refused to look her in the eye.
This obvious avoidance made Meng Ruozhao even more suspicious. She held his face and forced him to turn towards her, softening her voice even more.
"Pei Jiangmu, what on earth is wrong with you? Are you avoiding me?"
Pei Jiangmu's body stiffened slightly when his face was held in place and he could no longer avoid her.
His long eyelashes trembled and drooped, covering the surging emotions in his eyes. After a long silence, he denied it in a voice that was almost inaudible: "No..."
"Then why won't you look at me?"
Meng Ruozhao pressed on. Her fingers gently stroked the red corner of his eye. The touch was damp and cool, making her heart sink suddenly.
"Have you... been crying?"
This sentence seemed to suddenly pierce through the calm he had been trying to maintain.
Pei Jiangmu suddenly looked up and stared at her. His beautiful peach blossom eyes were now filled with tears. Grief and hurt were almost overflowing.
The corners of his eyes were even redder, as if they were stained with rouge.
He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but choked first. With great difficulty, he made a sound, with a strong nasal tone.
"I saw... the hot search."
Meng Ruozhao instantly understood.
It was because of the scandal between her and Qin Mu.
"It was a misunderstanding!"
She quickly explained.
"We were just discussing work and the program. The assistant was there at the time! He has already issued a statement to clarify!"
Pei Jiangmu watched her anxious look, and the tears in his eyes became even more evident.
But soon, he blinked hard, trying to force back the embarrassing wetness. His voice, however, trembled imperceptibly.
"I know... I know it might be just work."
"I also know that you're so good, and many people will like you... People like Qin Mu are so dazzling..."