A slightly naive voice echoed in my ears.
"My name is Bai Xue. I was born on the day of the heaviest snowfall seen in Jin City in sixty years, so my mother named me 'Bai Xue', which means 'White Snow' in English. I'll be there to protect you in the future!"
She, true to her name, was a pure and good-hearted person.
She had been his motivation to fight on all these years, but by the time he had reached a position worthy of her, she already belonged to someone else.
If she was happy, his heart could have felt better, he could have blessed her and moved on... but how could he let go when she was suffering?
The world was always so unfair. What you cherished and yearned for, others would discard like worn-out shoes.
It was beyond frustrating!
Bai Xue thought that the news about her and Su Yan's scandal would soon be replaced, but recently, the media seemed relentless. Not only did they persistently report on their affair, but they also depicted them as mortal enemies.
"Have our lawyers send cease-and-desist letters to these media outlets." She wrote down the names of a few media houses for Xu Qiming.
Xu Qiming took the list.
"Tell them - any outlets that don't wish to face a lawsuit should provide information on who's pulling their strings."
Xu Qiming paused, "CEO Bai, do you think someone is manipulating this?"
"There has to be," she replied. The reports on Su Yan and her should've died down by now. The fact that coverage remained feverish showed that someone was stirring the pot.
Before Bai Xue could unveil the instigator, the Su Group announced a significant piece of news.
Su Dongkun declared his official retirement, transferring all his shares to Su Yan, who became the new head of the Su Group, transitioning from "President Su" to "Director Su".
Bai Xue found it surprising - she thought the old man would want to hold onto power for a few more years.
During his inaugural shareholder meeting, Su Yan outlined the future strategy of Su's, emphasizing on the development of its department store business.
He hinted that in the coming years, Su's would heavily develop its department store business aiming to monopolize the sector in Asia.
Among all the businesses under the Su Group, their department store was the least profitable. Yet, he wanted to aggressively develop this sector, which naturally reminded people of his discord with Bai Xue.
Everyone knew that department stores were the biggest money-makers for the Bai Group.
If Su Yan wanted to develop Su's department stores, wouldn't that make him an enemy to Bai Xue in the business world? Wouldn't he be forcing her into a corner?
This move threw Su Yan and Bai Xue back into the media's unrelenting spotlight once again.
Every time Bai Xue stepped out, she was surrounded by reporters, which upset her. Was there nothing else happening in the world? Why were they so focused on their marital relationship?!
Adding to her annoyance, it was the first day of her menstrual cycle. The physical discomfort put her in an even worse mood. She didn't have the patience to deal with these pesky reporters, thus, maintained a cold face.
"CEO Bai, is Director Su declaring war on you again? Has your relationship deteriorated to the point of moving from your marriage to your businesses?"
"CEO Bai, if Su's really are moving into the department store business, how long do you think the Bai Group can hold on?"
"CEO Bai..."
The cries of "CEO Bai" and the flurry of probing questions were making her irritable.
Xu Qiming, aware of her frustration, attempted to shield her, "Sorry everyone, please step aside."
"CEO Bai, we need your response!"
"CEO Bai!" The more Xu Qiming tried to create space, the more aggressive the reporters became, pushing forward. Bai Xue's icy demeanor led them to believe that things were as bad as they were speculating - that Su's were indeed trying to take down the Bai Group. Like sharks that had just smelled blood, they refused to let go of Bai Xue.
"CEO Bai, can you please respond..."