When the director and his assistant learned that Yuan Meng had finally agreed to participate in the reality show, they were overjoyed.
The director, in particular, a man whose face had been mellowed by time, was beaming from ear to ear.
"If Yuan Meng agrees to join our show, the publicity and ratings will be off the charts... This is fantastic!"
"True. It's been quite a wait for her to say yes. But we shouldn't get too carried away, Director," the deputy director cautioned. "After all, we were the ones who broke the rules first, and since we haven't signed a contract yet, I'm worried..."
Yuan Meng had the full backing of the Yuan family. If they found out how the show's crew had schemed against her, the consequences would be too much for them to bear.
The deputy director's concerns were valid, and the director didn't argue.
At this point, the only thing they could do was to treat Yuan Meng well when she joined the show, hoping to ease her anger over the scheme.
The show's crew had come too far to turn back. Knowing that Yuan Meng was a huge draw, the director didn't dare to be careless when it came to choosing her "ex" partner.
So, as soon as the news broke, the crew started making calls late into the night, trying to invite well - known guests who could boost the show's popularity.
Meanwhile,
Ling Qianchen had just finished a meeting when he saw a trending topic pop up on his phone.
Before, he would never have paid attention to such things. But after suspecting and confirming Yuan Meng's identity, he had become extremely sensitive to news in the entertainment industry.
Now, seeing that Yuan Meng had agreed to participate in the "Ex" reality show, his heart skipped a beat.
Why did Mengmeng agree to this kind of show? Did she really want to use this opportunity to tell the world that she had cut all ties with him?
The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed. This thought made him feel as if he couldn't breathe, and his handsome face paled.
Since the network security system was about to enter the trial phase, and Yuan Meng was one of the project's partners, she had to visit Ling's Group.
After handling some matters, Yuan Meng drove straight to her destination.
Jake had heard that Yuan Meng was coming, so he rushed to finish the difficult tasks on his hands as fast as he could.
The assistant assigned to supervise Jake felt like crying inside but still had to maintain a calm facade and prepare to assign Jake new tasks.
However, Jake had already figured out this routine. Without even saying goodbye, he slipped away, leaving the assistant looking utterly defeated.
This high - paying job was just too, too hard!
"Meng!"
As soon as Jake stepped out of his office, he spotted Yuan Meng getting out of the elevator.
Hearing the familiar voice, Yuan Meng was both annoyed and helpless, but to avoid making it too obvious, she stopped.
"Jake, what are you doing here?"
Jake smiled and pointed to the office not far away. "My office is on this floor. Want to come in and have a seat?"
"No, I have something important to do."
Jake immediately put his hand on his heart, looking and acting as if Yuan Meng was the "heartless one" who had wronged him.
"Meng, you don't love me anymore."
"Did I ever love you?"
Jake was so playful that Yuan Meng was willing to play along.
After all, setting aside Jake's feelings for her, it wouldn't be so bad if they could be friends.
When Yuan Meng arrived, Ling Qianchen was stopped by a company executive to discuss some business matters, so he missed Yuan Meng's first glance at him.
That was bad enough. But when he finally found Yuan Meng, he saw Jake, that annoying guy who just wouldn't go away. His handsome face darkened instantly.
Feeling the sharp look from across, Jake wasn't one to back down either. He gave a taunting smile.
This just made Ling Qianchen angrier.
Yuan Meng also sensed the strange atmosphere. She turned around and met Ling Qianchen's eyes, which had quickly softened into a look of tenderness and adoration.
"Yueyue, you're here."
Yuan Meng nodded indifferently, not understanding why he was so excited.
"Yueyue, this isn't a good place to talk. How about we go to my office?"
Yuan Meng thought it didn't really matter where they went and was about to nod in agreement when Jake cut in with a smile.
"I think so too, Mr. Ling."
Ling Qianchen was about to retort with a "It's none of your business" when he remembered that Jake was also involved in this project. He did have the right to be part of the discussion.
Knowing he couldn't avoid it, Ling Qianchen simply looked away and walked ahead.
This round, Jake won.
Seeing Jake grinning, Yuan Meng was just speechless.
When would these two men stop bickering?
The three of them entered the office one after another. As soon as they sat down, Ling Qianchen started his probe.
"Yueyue, have you seen the news that Yuan Meng is going to participate in the reality show?"
"Yeah, I saw it."
"What's your opinion on this?"
As if trying to confirm something, Ling Qianchen asked directly this time, staring into her eyes intently, afraid of missing any details.
Yuan Meng had already figured out what was on his mind. When his words faded, she sneered. "Don't you think that's a funny question, Mr. Ling? Isn't Miss Yuan your ex - wife? Does my opinion really matter?"
Ling Qianchen was taken aback and realized he had been too impatient. Just as he was about to make an excuse, Jake started to gloat.
"Meng, Mr. Ling has always been quite a character, especially when it comes to his ex - wife."
Yuan Meng curled her lips, and Ling Qianchen's face darkened even more.
Jake didn't seem to want to stop. He started another round of sarcasm, basically saying that Ling Qianchen was greedy, still thinking about his ex - wife while having other things on his plate.
Ling Qianchen was angry, but he knew that Ai Yue was Yuan Meng, the woman he wanted to win back!
"Yueyue, there's only you in my heart, always."
They say a man's words can be deceiving. Yuan Meng had been hurt so much that she wouldn't be swayed by just a few sweet words.
Seeing that she really didn't want to respond, Ling Qianchen felt disappointed but quickly got back to the main topic, afraid of making her angry.
Half an hour later, when they were in the middle of discussing the project, Yuan Meng started to point out some obvious flaws. Taking this opportunity, Ling Qianchen slipped out of the office.
As soon as he stepped out, he saw his assistant waiting outside. Still a bit worried, Ling Qianchen took the assistant to a quiet emergency exit.
"Call the 'Ex' reality show and tell them I agree to participate."
Before Yuan Meng announced it online, the show's director had also called Ling Qianchen to invite him, but Ling Qianchen had coldly declined.
Thankfully, the director was persistent and still made a call or two to invite him. So, even if he agreed now, it wouldn't be too embarrassing.
Ling Qianchen's decision was expected by the assistant.
Just as the assistant was about to nod, Ling Qianchen added another instruction.
"I'll participate, but I have a condition. Unless it's officially announced, don't disclose my participation easily."
"Sure, President!"
After giving these instructions, Ling Qianchen returned to the office. By then, Yuan Meng had already circled the problematic parts and told Ling Qianchen to have someone fix them.
Ling Qianchen treated Yuan Meng's words like orders. After confirming the problems, he immediately sent someone to make the necessary changes.