"Do you want to take advantage of this opportunity to smear Chen Siqi with scandals?"
The temperature in the office had almost dropped to freezing point.
She had hit the nail on the head.
Actually, Chen Siqi had a fairly good reputation in the industry. He was polite and meticulous. In the past two years, the competition between his company and Jiangyu Entertainment had been getting fiercer.
If this scandal broke out, his influence would decline significantly.
Maybe he would have to give up a large amount of resources.
Xiao Yanzhi raised his eyebrows and said casually, "Since you know all these things, stop throwing tantrums like a child."
"You're not a newbie in the industry. Don't be so impulsive."
Jiang Li dug her fingernails into her palms.
"So you mean I should go down with him?"
Jiang Li closed her eyes. She felt a dull pain in her chest as she breathed. "Once this incident is exposed, my career..."
"Wasn't it your own carelessness that got you filmed in that video?"
Xiao Yanzhi finally looked up and said indifferently, "If it really comes to that, you can terminate your contract. This would be a perfect opportunity for you to sign with the Chen Corporation."
Before this, Jiang Li had never known that a person could be so heartless while speaking so calmly.
He was really ready to abandon her.
He was going to dump her.
Seeing Jiang Li with her head down, silent, Xiao Yanzhi thought she was weighing her options, so he continued, "Looking around, no other company can offer you the status you have in Jiangyu Entertainment, let alone secure the resources you want."
Xiao Yanzhi had long guessed her purpose for coming here. "If it weren't for Jiangyu Entertainment being able to borrow the high - end limited - edition VASA evening dress for you to walk on the red carpet, you wouldn't be here today."
His expression remained calm as he said, "If you want to get something, you have to pay the corresponding price."
Jiang Li lowered her eyes and couldn't help laughing bitterly. The bitterness spread from her lips to the tip of her tongue.
He really had her wrapped around his finger.
"Jiang Li, to Jiangyu Entertainment, you're an excellent product we've created."
Xiao Yanzhi's voice was soft and his tone extremely slow. He casually punctured her self - esteem and pride. "As an excellent product, you should know how much value this scandal can bring."
Somehow, Jiang Li couldn't hear a single word he said anymore. Her head was dizzy, not clear - minded, and she felt like she was floating.
In Xiao Yanzhi's eyes, she was clearly absent - minded.
"Jiang Li?" Xiao Yanzhi stared at her silently for a moment. "Do you have any objections to what I said?"
"No." Jiang Li took a deep breath and bit her lower lip tightly. Her tone was as calm as usual. "You're right. For the sake of the company's benefits, I shouldn't care too much."
She spoke word by word, as if trying to convince herself.
Convince herself to accept this result.
This was the fate she had foreseen, but she found it much harder to accept than she had expected.
For a moment, Xiao Yanzhi suspected that she was crying, but her face was so calm that he thought he must have been mistaken.
"Since you understand all these things, stop being unreasonable."
Xiao Yanzhi still spoke indifferently. "Depending on your performance, I'll have the public relations department stop the negative publicity in time to salvage some of your damaged reputation."
In other words, it still depended on how well she pleased him.
The room was silent for a long time.
So long that Xiao Yanzhi thought Jiang Li had fallen asleep. He impatiently tapped on the desktop.
"Thank you, Mr. Xiao." Her mechanical voice sounded lifeless. "I'm grateful for the company's and Mr. Xiao's favor and care. I'll always remember it."
...
The moment Jiang Li walked out of Jiangyu Entertainment, she felt completely drained of energy.
Her legs were weak. When she looked up, all she saw was emptiness. Everything in front of her was swaying, and she couldn't even distinguish people's faces.
It was all a blur.
Just then, her phone rang. Jiang Li's eyes were filled with tears. She couldn't see the name on the screen clearly, only a "Qiao".
...
In Qiao Jinrun's clinic.
It had been over an hour since Jiang Li sat down, and her tears had been flowing non - stop, like a raging sea wave.
Qiao Jinrun was a bit annoyed by her crying. He couldn't help pressing his temples and regretted making that phone call to her. "Miss Jiang, we can talk things through slowly. There's no problem that can't be solved."
"Are you crying so hard because you've been diagnosed with an incurable disease?"
He rarely made a joke, but she didn't appreciate it. Instead, she cried even louder.
Qiao Jinrun: ...
He only knew how to treat diseases, not how to comfort girls.
"Aren't you able to treat diseases?" Jiang Li sobbed with a runny nose. She sniffled, and her eyes were all red.
Qiao Jinrun: "I'm a doctor. Of course I can treat diseases."
"Can you cure all diseases?" Jiang Li choked. "Can you cure a broken heart?"
Her heart ached badly, and it urgently needed to be rescued.
Qiao Jinrun didn't answer.
He could tell that Jiang Li was in a very bad mood. She seemed to have lost her sparkle and was extremely listless.
She desperately needed an outlet to vent.
In Qiao Jinrun's opinion, she must have been hurt in her relationship.
When Jiang Li's sobs gradually subsided, he said casually, "Although I can treat diseases, I must remind you that I'm not a psychologist."
"If you need one, I can help you make an appointment with a psychologist."
After saying that, he glanced at her and was about to get up in his white coat when Jiang Li grabbed him. "I'm not going."
"Why?"
"I'm not sick." She said firmly.
Jiang Li said stubbornly, with a hint of defiance. "I'm perfectly healthy. I don't need to see a doctor."
At this moment, she took off her previous disguise and seemed like a little girl.
Watching her throw a tantrum recklessly, Qiao Jinrun pushed his glasses on the bridge of his nose and looked down at her. "Aren't you afraid of me now?"
He remembered that the last time she came, she said she was afraid of doctors.
Jiang Li's eyes were already swollen from crying. When she blinked, her eyeballs hurt.
Her mood was slightly lifted. Her voice was soft, and her crying - hoarse voice was quite charming. "I'm still a bit scared, but you look better than before."
She was quite honest.
Actually, according to Jiang Li's usual behavior, she would never have come to Qiao Jinrun's place for no reason and cried like a child.
But it was just that when she almost wanted to end her own life, Qiao Jinrun made that phone call to her.
It was like a life - saving straw.
Seeing that her mood had improved a bit, Qiao Jinrun poured a glass of warm salt water and put it in front of her. "Drink some salt water to reduce the swelling."
Jiang Li stared at the water in the glass. It was a long time before she looked up at Qiao Jinrun.
"Doctor Qiao, if a person saves your life and then stabs you in the back when you're fully recovered, saying it's the favor you owe, what would you do?"