Part 65:Is it already twelve? So late?
Zheng had no key to Zoe's apartment and could only knock on the door.
After knocking for about five minutes, there was finally some noise from inside.
The door opened, revealing Zoe's slightly swollen face.
"Zheng?" Zoe leaned against the doorframe, her eyelids drooping drowsily. "Is it already twelve? So late?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Zoe yawned.
Looking at Zoe, who was stunningly beautiful even without makeup, Zheng hesitated, unsure of how to start.
"Come in." Zoe opened the door and walked inside.
"Zoe." Zheng stepped into the entryway but didn't switch to indoor slippers or move further in.
"Come on in." Zoe yawned again. "Take a seat."
Zheng mustered her courage and said, "Zoe, something happened."
Zoe turned to look at her.
Thirty minutes later, Zoe was in the car, heading to the company.
She hadn't put on makeup, just a baseball cap and sunglasses.
She could already imagine the throng of reporters waiting with their cameras at the company's entrance.
For a moment, Zoe considered doing her makeup in the car but decided against it.
She just applied some sunscreen and a touch of lipstick to avoid looking too drained—good enough.
On the way to the company, Zoe tried calling Song, but he didn't answer.
Her phone was flooded with missed calls and unread messages, too many for her to bother checking.
She closed her eyes in silence, her mind spinning over the sudden crisis.
Zoe had already read the report by that entertainment journalist, Lin. It was about what happened the previous night.
She hadn't expected to have been tailed the entire time.
And now, even she felt the article's insinuations were compelling enough to seem plausible.
The photos were perfectly timed—whether it was the gaze Song gave her when steadying her, or him grabbing her wrist in the KTV hallway. In those pictures, the way Song looked at her was far from casual.
Zoe rubbed her temple, feeling drained.
This time, it wasn't like the previous rumor of them leaving the same hotel. This was practically evidence.
How was she supposed to explain?
How could she clear things up?
Just then, Song's call came in.
"You… know already?" Zoe hesitated.
"Obviously."
Zoe sighed and said, "We were tailed."
Song responded, "Your team is in touch with mine right now to discuss a response."
"Oh, I'm still on my way to the office. I haven't met with them yet."
"Figured. Just woke up?"
"Yeah."
Song let out a long yawn. "Me too. Got woken up early by Liu's call asking if I needed him to step up and clear the air."
"Liu?"
Zoe thought about Lin's clever article. It never explicitly stated she and Song went on a date alone. Even if Liu testified, he could only confirm his presence, not disprove the romance angle.
"I turned him down, though. No need to drag him into this mess over something so trivial."
"What's your company's plan?" Zoe asked.
"No idea. They're working on it. I'll look it over once they have a proposal."
Zoe thought, He really is top-tier.
"Honestly," Song chuckled. "Why even bother responding? Whether we're dating or not is none of their business."
"You can't seriously say that in a statement, can you? Like, post on social media: 'Mind your own business.'" Zoe laughed. "I don't know about you, but if I posted that, I'd never recover."
"It's fine. Being linked to me doesn't hurt your reputation."
"But it's messy." Zoe glanced out the car window. "Anyway, I'll stop talking. I'm at the office. Time to get out."
"Why can't we keep talking after you get out?" Song asked.
With reporters everywhere? Was he serious?
"Hanging up."
Song hung up immediately.
Zoe chuckled softly.
The company's security team had been notified and was waiting in the underground parking lot.
As soon as Zoe arrived, the guards immediately held back the reporters, creating a clear path for her.
Zoe got out of the car, maintaining a stoic expression as she walked into the elevator under Zheng's protection. It wasn't until the elevator doors closed, muffling the reporters' chaotic voices, that Zoe finally found some peace.
It was Zheng's first time witnessing such a scene. Her hands were trembling from nerves.
Zoe patted Zheng's shoulder.
"Zoe, what's going on?" Zheng asked, still dazed.
Zoe said, "Take me to the thirteenth floor."
Zheng finally snapped out of it, blushing as she quickly pressed the button for the thirteenth floor.
Lan was waiting by the elevator doors on the thirteenth floor.
When the doors opened, Lan said to Zoe, "Mr. He wants to see you in his office first."
Zoe nodded. "Okay."
She rarely saw Mr. He and had never entered his office.
That space was usually reserved for stars like Ruoxue.
The last time they met hadn't gone well, and Zoe couldn't predict what Mr. He wanted to say. The unresolved issue of the beauty device endorsement loomed between them.
To her surprise, Mr. He greeted her with a smile as soon as she entered.
"Take a seat."
His attitude was much friendlier than she'd expected.
But Zoe knew, where there's smoke, there's fire. She kept her guard up.