At the heart of H. City, inside GL Holdings' towering headquarters, chaos swept across the office floors. Employees rushed between desks as phones rang nonstop.
"What's happening?" one employee muttered after ending another call.
"Check online," another replied tensely. "News about us using substandard materials is spreading everywhere."
"They're saying a worker got injured too," someone added grimly.
Just then, the head of Public Relations strode into the room.
"Everyone!" His sharp voice cut through the noise.
The room fell silent.
"Do not answer media inquiries," he ordered. "Assure clients the matter is under investigation. Until further notice, contain this news as much as possible."
Everyone nodded and immediately returned to the barrage of calls and notifications.
Without another word, he turned toward the conference room, his assistant following close behind. Wang Jing Feng had called for an emergency meeting.
…
Meanwhile, inside Grande Hall…
"Don't touch it!" the man snapped.
The sharp outburst startled both the manager and Song Meiqi.
A flicker of instability crossed the man's face, and Song Meiqi reacted immediately, reaching out to stop the manager's hand before he could take the stuffed animal away.
"It's alright," she said softly, meeting the manager's eyes in a quiet attempt to calm the situation.
The manager hesitated before slowly withdrawing his hand. The last thing he wanted was unnecessary trouble, especially during a brand promotion event.
The tension eased slightly.
Song Meiqi accepted the gift and placed it carefully beside the table before lowering her head to sign a promotional photo.
Across from her, the man remained unusually quiet, his gaze fixed on her every movement.
A smile gradually formed on his lips at her simple act of kindness, yet something deeper lingered in his eyes — an intensity difficult to place.
After finishing her signature, Song Meiqi looked up and handed him the signed photocard.
"Thank you for coming today," she said with a gentle smile. "Hope to see you again."
The fan accepted it with a shy nod. Holding the photocard close to his chest, he turned and slowly limped back into the crowd.
"He's really weird," Si Yu muttered suddenly from beside her.
Song Meiqi turned toward her, curiosity flickering across her face.
"Well…" Si Yu lowered her voice slightly. "When he sat in front of us, he didn't say a single word. He didn't even look at us."
She paused before adding,
"And he skipped Yaoyao too."
Song Meiqi blinked in mild surprise.
"He must be a hardcore fan of yours." Si Yu added
…
In the meantime, inside GL Headquarters' conference room, tension hung thick in the air.
"Insider Claims Expose Alleged Use of Substandard Materials and Safety Cover-Up in GL Holdings and Green Corporation's New Resort Project."
Wang Jing Feng's cold voice echoed through the silence as he read aloud the headline dominating the trending news. When he looked up again, the temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees.
"Can someone from Project Development explain exactly what's going on?"
His icy gaze swept across the executives and board members present.
One after another, all eyes shifted toward Director Fan — Senior Manager of the Project Development Department and the executive in charge of the project.
Under the weight of the room's attention, Director Fan rose slowly from his seat.
"President Wang, it's all fabricated," he said firmly, confidence threaded through his tone. "This project has been underway for two years. Everything is fully under control."
"If there's no issue, why is there a whistleblower report?" Wang Jing Feng shot back coldly.
Director Fan froze for a brief moment, taken aback, before hesitantly responding. "President Wang, give me some time. I'll identify this whistleblower immediately."
Wang Jing Feng's expression darkened with impatience.
"Director Fan, is this your first day on the job?" His voice sharpened, "Who the whistleblower is doesn't matter. What matters is that the project meets every safety standard."
The atmosphere gradually grew heavier.
A thin sheen of sweat surfaced along Director Fan's temples. Almost instinctively, his gaze shifted toward the man seated beside Wang Jing Feng — Wang Jing Yuan, the company's Chief Financial Officer and Wang Jing Feng's half-brother.
The moment their eyes met, Wang Jing Yuan's expression darkened, though his composed demeanor never faltered.
Director Fan's throat bobbed. Drawing a tight breath, he forced himself to face Wang Jing Feng once more.
"U-Understood, President Wang." His voice emerged tighter than intended. "I'll contact Internal Audit immediately and launch a full investigation."
Just then—
The conference room doors swung open.
Wang Zi Rui strode inside, his steps calm yet commanding. Si Qi followed closely behind, a thick stack of documents secured in his arms.
"Director Fan," Wang Zi Rui said evenly, breaking the suffocating silence. "Allow me."
Without missing a beat, Si Qi stepped forward and distributed the documents around the conference table. Thick files landed one by one before startled executives.
Wang Zi Rui remained standing, his expression unreadable.
"The documents before you contain evidence linking Green Corporation—" He paused, his gaze settling coldly on Director Fan. "—and Director Fan to the siphoning of company funds through Solid Construction Ltd."
Silence crashed over the room.
For a second, no one moved.
Then, almost in unison, eyes dropped to the files. The soft rustle of turning pages filled the silence as disbelief slowly spread across several faces.
…
Later that afternoon, every major news platform carried the same headline:
"Green Corporation and GL Holdings' New Resort Project Under Investigation Amid Allegations of Substandard Materials."
Meanwhile, after finishing her meal with Glamor's executives and the rest of Everbloom, Song Meiqi returned to her hotel room to prepare for their scheduled 8:00 PM flight.
But the moment her eyes landed on the inviting queen-sized bed, she changed her mind.
Tossing her coat aside, she collapsed onto the mattress and pulled out her phone, idly scrolling through the internet.
Unsurprisingly, the same headline soon appeared on her screen. Her gaze lingered on the article for a moment before a familiar face surfaced in her mind.
Wang Zi Rui.
He had only been sick yesterday… and now this. With a scandal of this scale breaking out, would he even have time to rest?
Just then, a knock cut through the quiet.
"Room service."
Song Meiqi paused mid-scroll and frowned, sitting upright as she glanced toward the door.
Room service?
She hadn't ordered anything.
Walking over, she peered through the peephole. A hotel attendant stood outside beside a service cart.
"I didn't order room service," she said cautiously through the door. "You may have the wrong room."
"Ah… room service, ma'am. Delivery from the event organizers."
The explanation eased her suspicion slightly. Assuming it was a routine courtesy delivery, she unlocked the door.
The attendant entered, dressed neatly in a hotel uniform, his head lowered as he pushed the cart inside. Arranged meticulously atop it were pastries, a bottle of alcohol, and a souvenir gift package.
She couldn't see his face clearly at all, and just as she was about to take a closer look, her phone vibrated.
She glanced down and swiped the screen open.
Manager Li: Gather at the lobby at 6:00 PM.
Thirty minutes left.
Song Meiqi exhaled softly. She needed to hurry.
But the moment she turned—
A white cloth suddenly clamped over her nose and mouth.
Song Meiqi's eyes widened in shock. Caught completely off guard, she struggled violently, instinctively trying to pry the hand away. But the man behind her held her in an iron grip, his arm locked tightly around her body, crushingly tight, as though he meant to snap her bones in half.
Panic exploded through her chest. Her movements grew frantic… then weaker.
The room began to tilt.
Her vision blurred around the edges. Her eyelids grew heavier with each passing second.
The last thing she saw was the blurred outline of the service cart before darkness swallowed her whole.