Chapter 67: Official Announcement

Ruan Li barely got a glimpse of the meeting feed before stumbling off Fu Huaizhou’s lap in a fluster.

“Slow down,” Fu Huaizhou’s lips curved up, clearly in a good mood.

Once out of the camera’s view, Ruan Li shot him a glare before quickly ducking into the office’s private lounge. She couldn’t even begin to imagine how that group of people must have reacted to what she just said especially when she had been sitting on Fu Huaizhou’s lap.

“Let’s continue,” Fu Huaizhou said, turning back to the meeting participants once Ruan Li had closed the lounge door behind her.

The people in that meeting were the heavyweights who frequently appeared in financial newspapers, and even the host was stunned. This was no ordinary meeting it was a financial interview streamed live to the public.

Given that these top figures were scattered around the globe with no time to gather in a studio, they had opted for this public livestream. Financial topics don’t usually draw much attention, so many people didn’t even realize Fu Huaizhou was part of the event.

Ruan Li lay face down on the bed in the lounge, her face burning red. She was about to check the time on her phone to see when Fu Huaizhou would finish and take her home, but she was greeted by a news alert instead.

“Financial Heavyweights Discuss the Second Half of the Year’s Economic Landscape.”

Ruan Li didn’t think much of it at first. Because of Fu Huaizhou, she occasionally browsed financial news. But when she opened Weibo, she was devastated to see a trending topic shooting straight to the top.

“Fu Corporation’s Mysterious CEO Finally Revealed!”

She clicked on the topic and saw that the online discussion was already blowing up.

“Nobody said the CEO was this handsome! And who says he’s thin-skinned?”

“How did he get revealed so quietly? I thought it’d be a rare press conference or something.”

“Whoa! Go watch the livestream replay; it’s a massive scoop Ruan Li appeared on Fu Corporation’s stream, and she even sat on the CEO’s lap…”

“My jaw dropped when I saw the livestream. Total CEO spoiling his delicate wife vibes… Who’s saying Ruan Li is the one chasing him? He’s clearly the dad type boyfriend.”

“Did Ruan Li barge in on purpose to climb the social ladder?”

Ruan Li was fuming at this comment. If anyone had done it intentionally, it was definitely Fu Huaizhou, not her.

That comment was already getting trashed on the trending page, with someone responding, “Clearly you didn’t watch the stream. Anyone who saw Fu’s eyes looking at her can tell she wasn’t making the first move. Anyway, I’m jealous.”

As Ruan Li scrolled, the lounge door opened. Fu Huaizhou walked in, sat on the edge of the bed, and gently pulled her out of the covers.

“Hiding again?” He smoothed down her messy hair.

Seeing his calm demeanor made her even more irritated, and she tossed her phone into his lap. “You did that on purpose! Why didn’t you warn me that you were in a meeting, and a live one at that?”

“Now the whole world knows I barged in on your stream and sat on your lap. It’s so embarrassing!”

Fu Huaizhou glanced at the trending topics and comments, stroking her back to calm her down. “I didn’t expect you to visit. You never come to Fu Corporation, and I wasn’t prepared for your surprise visit.”

“So, what do we do now?” Ruan Li’s face was still flushed as she recalled the things she had said.

Fu Huaizhou, seeing the way her eyes were brimming as if she might cry, spoke gently, “I’ll have the PR department issue a statement.”

“What will it say?” Ruan Li looked at him with hope. During the engagement party, she had only wanted to tease everyone, and nobody dared to publicize Fu Huaizhou’s private matters.

But now, it was as if they had announced it live to the world.

He stroked the corner of her eye with his finger and softly reassured her, “You said it yourself you already put yourself out there. I’ll make sure the PR statement clears things up. It won’t be embarrassing.”

Ruan Li nodded. There was no way to deny it with the livestream still out there it was better to face it openly.

“So why did you come looking for me today?” Fu Huaizhou held her in his arms, leading her out of the lounge. It was a dimly lit room meant for his brief rests, and staying there too long wasn’t comfortable.

Sitting on his lap, Ruan Li pointed to a cake on the coffee table and said pitifully, “I had an ad shoot today, and I brought you a cake.”

“You even thought of me?” Fu Huaizhou’s eyebrows raised in surprise as they moved together toward the sofa. He unwrapped the cake and took a bite.

Immediately, his brows furrowed as he looked at her.

“It’s so sweet! Did you do that on purpose?”

“Of course not,” Ruan Li huffed. “I ate it today too. I thought since you’ve been working hard, I’d bring you a treat.”

Fu Huaizhou let out a low chuckle, pulling her closer.

“Got it. I appreciate the kindness.”

As Ruan Li lounged on the sofa, resting, her phone buzzed with a call from Chen Jing. She picked up, only to be greeted by a squeal that nearly deafened her.

“My god, you’re incredible! You can dominate not just the entertainment industry but the whole world now!”

Ruan Li thought Chen Jing was talking about the livestream incident and weakly responded, “If I had the guts and luck, I guess I could…”

“What are you talking about? I meant the announcement from Fu Corporation!”

Ruan Li was confused. Wasn’t it just a normal relationship announcement? She opened Weibo and found the PR statement from Fu Corporation’s account, posted by the same PR team that had handled her last TV show appearance.

“Our company, after confirming with Mr. Fu Huaizhou himself, can state that after a long period of pursuit by Mr. Fu, he and Ms. Ruan Li are now in a relationship. The entire Fu Corporation team extends their warm congratulations.”

The words “long period of pursuit” were highlighted in bold, and the top comment underneath the post dove straight to the point:

“He chased after her? Seriously?”

Uncharacteristically, the official PR account replied, “That was the boss’s specific request to emphasize~”

Ruan Li stared at the statement in a daze. Fu Huaizhou, who had just handed her a glass of water, noticed her expression and chuckled. He glanced at the screen.

“Still feel embarrassed now?”

With that statement out there, she felt reassured that the livestream moment would soon fade from memory. She looked up at him. “When did you ever ‘pursue’ me? I don’t remember that happening!”