novelraw Chapter 0153 I Won't Hide Behind You
Chapter 0153 I Won't Hide Behind You
The CEO's office.
The blinds were tightly closed, shutting out outside prying eyes and noise.
The air conditioning was blasting indoors, but it couldn't suppress the palpable tension in the air, a tension that seemed ready to explode.
Jiang Ci sat behind his desk, holding a phone in one hand and typing rapidly on the keyboard with the other.
His face was terribly gloomy, and his eyes were filled with a fierce rage.
"Remove it."
His voice on the other end of the phone was cold and ruthless, leaving no room for negotiation.
"I'll pay any price. I want the trending topic to disappear within ten minutes."
"And that so-called 'artist A'."
Jiang Ci's eyes were as sharp as a knife.
"Check his IP address and send him a lawyer's letter. If he dares to delete his account and run away, use all means to sue him for spreading rumors, defamation, and infringing on trade secrets."
The public relations manager on the other end of the phone said nervously, "President Jiang, the public backlash is very strong right now. If we forcibly remove the trending topic, we might be accused of 'silencing the capitalists'..."
"I don't care."
Jiang Ci interrupted him, her tone chilling.
"A bad reputation can be repaired, and a company that loses money can be earned back."
"But I will not allow that dirty water to be splashed on her."
"Contact the platform."
He even entertained more extreme ideas.
"If they don't withdraw, I'll acquire that sector. Or I'll simply cripple their servers for half an hour to buy me time to clean up the data."
This is Jiang Ci.
Simple, brutal, and extremely biased.
In his eyes, nothing was more important than Wen Ning being unharmed.
Even if it's the most irrational and domineering way, we must protect her under our wings and shield her from all the storms.
Wen Ning sat on the sofa next to her.
She was holding the hot water that Jiang Ci had just poured for her.
She listened to Jiang Ci's chilling commands and watched him risk going against the entire world for her sake.
Moved?
Of course I was moved.
But more than anything, I am clear-headed.
She knew that if she did that, Limitless's reputation would be ruined.
Once the accusations of "capital covering its mouth," "guilty conscience," and "bullying others" are leveled against Jiang Ci, the business reputation he has painstakingly built up over the past few years will collapse.
She will forever bear the stigma of being a "femme fatale," spending her life hiding behind him, a parasite dependent on him.
This is not what she wanted.
That's not the point of her coming back.
"Aci".
Wen Ning put down her water glass.
The bottom of the cup tapped on the coffee table with a crisp sound.
She stood up and walked to her desk.
He reached out and pressed down on Jiang Ci's hand, which was about to make the next call.
Jiang Ci was stunned for a moment.
He looked up, the fierceness in his eyes still lingering, but the moment he met Wen Ning's gaze, it instantly turned into worry.
"What's wrong?"
He took her hand in his own, his palm burning hot.
"Don't be afraid. It will be dealt with soon. Those sounds will disappear quickly."
"Hang up."
Wen Ning looked into his eyes, her voice calm yet firm.
"Don't remove the trending topics. And don't do anything like that."
Why?
Jiang Ci frowned, puzzled, and even a little impatient.
"Didn't you see how awful those comments were? They don't care about the truth at all; they're just having a party! They're trying to crush you to death!"
"I know."
Wen Ning nodded.
She had seen all those words: "plagiarist," "academic bastard," and "get out of the design industry."
Every word is like a knife.
"But, Jiang Ci."
Wen Ning pressed down slightly on the back of his hand with her fingers.
"What silences the public is never capital, but the truth."
"If you remove the trending topic now, even if you clarify it later, people will only remember that Limitless was guilty and removed the topic."
"This stain will stay with the company for life, and it will stay with me for life."
Jiang Ci fell silent.
Of course he understands this principle.
But he's a madman. He has no reason when it comes to her.
"I don't care about the stain."
Jiang Ci looked at her with a stubborn gaze.
"I only care whether you've been wronged."
"But I care."
Wen Ning took a deep breath.
She let go of his hand, walked around the desk, and went to his side.
Then, he squatted down and looked up at Jiang Ci, who was sitting in the chair.
"Aci".
Three years ago, I was a coward who only knew how to run away.
"When faced with problems, I either hide away or resort to hurting you to resolve them."
"But now."
"I want to live a different way."
Her eyes shone with an astonishing brightness, a light honed by the trials and tribulations of life.
"Since they say I plagiarized."
"Since they say I can't draw it."
Wen Ning stood up and pointed to the easel that was always kept on standby next to her.
That was her battlefield.
"Then let them watch."
"Let them see with their own eyes how I drew it stroke by stroke."
"I'm going to start a live stream."
She looked at Jiang Ci and said, word by word.
"Right here. Right here in this office."
"I want to paint on the spot."
"I want to recreate 'Vitality' in front of millions of people."
Jiang Ci's pupils suddenly contracted.
Painting on the spot?
In that kind of extremely high-pressure environment of widespread online violence?
"no."
He refused almost instinctively.
He suddenly stood up, causing the chair to slide back half a meter.
"Absolutely not."
Jiang Ci gripped her shoulders, his tone urgent and anxious.
"Ningning, do you know what this means?"
"Hundreds of thousands of people will curse at you in the live stream, and the comments will be dumped on your face like garbage."
"Your mental state..."
He didn't continue.
But he remembers.
He remembered how she looked when she fainted due to psychogenics three years ago.
I remember she suffered from mild depression while in Paris.
I remember that she would tremble even when she saw thunder.
Should we leave her to face that torrent of malice alone?
What if her hands tremble? What if she breaks down?
That was a live broadcast; there was no going back. Once you made a mistake, it was a disaster.
I disagree.
Jiang Ci turned away, not daring to look into her resolute eyes.
"That's too risky. I'd rather pay to settle it than let you gamble."
"I'm not afraid."
Wen Ning walked around to face him, forcing him to look at her.
"Jiang Ci, I'm not afraid."
"I've drawn portraits on the streets of Paris and been chased away by the city management officers."
"What kind of attitude haven't I shown just to survive, for those few euros for a meal?"
She smiled, a smile tinged with a bittersweet composure, yet one that exuded even greater strength.
"Compared to that, what are a few insults online?"
She reached out her hand.
Gently cupping Jiang Ci's tense cheeks.
"You used to protect me."
"You carried me on your back, you sheltered me from the wind and rain."
"this time."
"Let me protect you."
"It's my turn to protect Limitless's reputation."
"I am your advisor and your girlfriend."
"I don't want to hide behind you forever, to be a vase that you can only keep in a greenhouse."
"I want to fight alongside you."
"Believe me."
She stood on tiptoe, her forehead touching his.
Her voice was gentle, yet possessed immense power.
"My hands are very steady."
"My paintings are real."
"Since it's true, I have nothing to fear."
Jiang Ci looked at her.
Looking into those clear, watery eyes so close to my face.
There was not a trace of retreat in it, only a solitary courage to prove himself and to protect him.
His heart felt as if it had been struck hard by something.
Sour and astringent.
Distending pain.
Yet it was also filled with pride.
His little girl has really grown up.
It grew into a big tree that could withstand wind and rain with him.
a long time.
Jiang Ci closed his eyes.
That tense, world-destroying aura finally dissipated little by little.
He raised his hand.
It was placed on the back of her hand.
He turned his head and kissed her palm.
"it is good."
His voice was hoarse, carrying a sense of compromise.
"As you wish."
"Do whatever you want."
Wen Ning breathed a sigh of relief and flashed a bright smile.
"but--"
Jiang Ci did not let go of her.
He pulled her into his arms and held her tightly.
"I have one condition."
"What?"
"I'll stay with you."
Jiang Ci rested his chin on the top of her head, looking out at the gloomy sky.
His eyes became incredibly determined.
"I was sitting right next to you during the live stream."
"If you get tired of drawing, I'll bring you some water."
"If your hand shakes, I'll turn off the live stream for you."
"If the world still criticizes you..."
He paused.
His voice was as cold as ice, yet as passionate as fire.
"Then let them curse me too."
Even if it means losing all reputation.
"I'll stay with you too."
Wen Ning nestled in his arms.
Tears finally streamed down my face.
It wasn't that I felt wronged, it was that I was moved.
"it is good."
She nodded vigorously.
"Let's do it together."
"Go fight this battle."