Hu Lei did not continue making a fuss about the tea. She allowed the lounge manager to leave on shaking legs and settled in the couch. Once she was comfortable, she looked at her phone with nonchalance. She had not yet sunken into the abyss of social media. However, she still found it interesting to check out the mindlessness of the ma.s.ses on occasion.She browsed the trending topics and found that the Murong scandal had not died. She smiled a little as she looked at the vicious comments. Everyone thought that Murong Hong should be lynched or burned at the stake.
The self-righteousness of the people was more than a little amusing. People often judged those who were in the limelight without a second thought. They ignored the fact that if their own secrets were laid bare, they would not have the face to look at the morning sun.
Hu Lei did not support cheating. However, it was stupid to take up a pitchfork based on a story told by an uninvolved party. Perhaps, she was also a little biased because she knew that this entire scandal had been revealed through the machinations of her mother.
As she continued to read, she became a little angry when she realised that people were supporting Murong Cheng and his perfect little family. Everyone said that they were the ideal model of a modern family. Even if Lu Liang was not his first wife or his daughters" mother, they had an understanding that came with maturity.
Peh! Hu Lei felt disgusted in her heart. Unfortunately, she could not comment on these discussions. First, she was using her Little Ninja Cat verified account. Even if she had not posted anything, her following was quite large. Moreover, anyone who fought with keyboard warriors was an idiot. She was not.
"Miss Hu, Little Ninja Cat, I am sorry for keeping you waiting." A friendly male voice broke through her thoughts.
Hu Lei looked up and realised that Bo Qian had finally made an appearance. She did not blame him for his lateness. As chief editor, he had a lot of responsibilities. However, she had not been willing to change editors after resuming her life as an author. Therefore, she felt that she had to be patient instead of making things difficult for him.
"It is no trouble. Actually, it was quite an enlightening experience." Hu Lei stretched lazily.
Bo Qian detected the sarcasm in her voice. He could not help feeling that unwelcome sense of apprehension that he always had in relation to Hu Lei. He was not afraid of Hu Lei herself. However, how could he forget the looming shadow of that powerful man?
He also understood clearly that Sonata Publishing and even his position were things that had come because of Hu Lei. He did not doubt that Zhong Feng would destroy everything if she was dissatisfied.
"What do you mean?" He asked with an unusual sharp look in his eyes.
Hu Lei looked squarely at Bo Qian and smiled coldly, though not at him. She was thinking about the woman who had tampered with her tea. However, before she could respond, Good Samaritan Bei Gong Jiu chimed in.
"Chief editor Bo, Miss Hu is convinced that the lounge manager poisoned her tea. I have drunk the same tea, but I feel fine. Even though we are at a higher position, I don"t believe that we should bully workers in the office." She preached righteously.
Bo Qian immediately felt annoyed because he did not like Bei Gong Jiu. It was not for a personal reason. He just thought that her books were poor quality material, and they seemed to have been written by a pre-teenage child. Unfortunately, she capitalised on her family and her brother"s fame. So, even he could not do anything.
"I did not ask you Miss Bei Gong." He responded coldly.
Bei Gong Jiu felt surprised and wronged when she discovered that Bo Qian"s att.i.tude was outside her expectations. Everyone, including those above Bo Qian, always acted courteously towards her. However, it seemed that he did not think that she was worth a polite word.
"Chief editor Bo, Jiu is only trying to help. I also drank the tea. I am sure that you understand that even though Jiu is polite, her position is special." Bei Gong Jiu"s a.s.sistant added angrily.
It could be said that this girl was her boss" diehard fan. She trusted in the pure personality portrayed by Bei Gong Jiu. Her boss had never broken her white image in front of her. Moreover, she did not know that her Jiu was not the future Zhong mistress. Therefore, when she saw Bo Qian"s rude behaviour, she could not help speaking up.
"I understand her position very well." Bo Qian"s eyes seemed to penetrate through Bei Gong Jiu, letting her know that he knew everything.
She felt a cold sliver of fear penetrate her body.
"Don"t be rude. Mr Bo is only doing what is right." She quickly rebuked her a.s.sistant.
Beatrice got tired of all this roundabout talk and decided to speak up. She was also better versed with dealing with things and wanted to help Hu Lei get justice without affecting her name.
"Mr Bo Qian, I discovered that the lounge manager tampered with my boss" tea when I went to ensure that she was making the tea correctly. I thought I would offer her guidance to avoid wasting time." She declared simply and clearly.
Hu Lei looked at her in surprise. It seemed that Beatrice was quite gifted in spinning tales. The a.s.sistant smiled at her, letting her know that she would handle things on her behalf.
"You can"t accuse people without evidence." Bei Gong Jiu"s a.s.sistant spoke out.
This foolish person had gotten too invested in the quarrel.
"Who said that I did not have evidence of this? I was disgusted, so I did not enter the kitchen. However, I took a video to ensure that this matter was dealt with correctly." Beatrice continued in her clear and nondramatic voice.
She offered her phone to Bo Qian and played the video. There was no clear sound, but her phone could capture images pretty clearly. After all, it was a special device that she had gotten from her family when she had decided to take on the a.s.sistant job. The phone was evidence of their reluctant support.
Bo Qian"s face became dark as he saw the images in the phone. He could not believe that there was someone with this type of unpleasant bearing in his workplace. He suddenly decided that he would make his own lunch and prepare his own coffee.
"I apologise deeply, Miss Hu. I will ensure that these people are appropriately punished." He responded with anger.
If Beatrice had not discovered this issue earlier, what would have become of everyone involved? He did not dare to think about it. He immediately called the security personnel for Sonata. The unfortunate lounge manager came into the room once again with fresh tea for Bei Gong Jiu. She felt that she should make up for the incident, even if no one knew about it.
"Put that tray down immediately." Bo Qian barked.
The lounge manager looked at Hu Lei who smiled coldly.
"Chief Editor, I have been wrongly accused." She said in an angry voice.
Bo Qian lifted the phone and showed her the looped video.
"Do you still dare speak?" he asked.
She was so frightened that she dropped the tray. Bo Qian stepped back in a timely manner, so she only burnt herself. Without pausing, she immediately kneeled on the broken ceramic on the floor and cried pitifully.
"I really did not mean anything. I am a good person. Please give another chance." She cried. "Miss Bei Gong, you know I would never hurt you."
Bei Gong Jiu and her a.s.sistant had become pale with fear. Could it be that she had really poisoned the tea? For some reason, they felt their bodies become weak and hot. They also felt shortness of breath afflicting them.
Seeing their sick faces, Beatrice rolled her eyes and turned the phone which was back in her hand to them.
"Do not worry. You have not been poisoned." She said lightly.
The video caused the pair to feel even worse. If they had been poisoned, they could simply purchase an antidote or get their stomachs pumped. However, they now had to live knowing that they had drunk someone"s saliva and phlegm.
They did not even pause to look at anyone else. They rushed to the bathroom as if demons were chasing them. Their ridiculous figures caused Hu Lei to laugh. That should teach them to stop interfering with other people"s business.
Soon after, bulky guards came and hauled away the lounge manager, covering her still shouting mouth.
"Do not worry. I will make sure that she pays along with her accomplice, and there will be no repeat incident." Bo Qian promised.
Hu Lei nodded, accepting his arrangements. There was no need to get personally involved.