Chapter 236: A knife with sharp edges on both sides.
"Have you?" Gu Ting words spiked Jing Tian's interest. Her dampened spirits lifted considerably.
"Yes," laughed Gu Ting. "Do you remember Mr. Ji? The high-profile person who walked to us to offer his congratulations back at our engagement party."
"Yes, I do. What about him?" asked Jing Tian curiously.
"Your sister had been chatting around with him. I had caught her being flattering towards him." Jing Lihua was only being professionally polite. However, in Gu Ting eyes that politeness was automatically translated into shameless fawning. Thinking about that, disgust emerged in his eyes. "Thus I asked around and turned out she had him invited as a guest of honor in an event."
Knowing him well and fully aware of the hatred she had inspired in his heart for her sister, Jing Tian had already guessed what Gu Ting must have wanted to do. Thus, she couldn't stop herself from sharing her concerns. "But...my elder sister is pretty powerful. Would that person be willing to get a stand against her?" She sighed and revealed her obligatory reluctance. "I don't really think it's a good idea..."
"Hush it," Gu Ting pulled her to him. "I'm doing this for myself and not for you. Okay? I don't want you to feel guilty." Gu Ting conveyed the usual words he had to whenever his Tian'er appeared to feel down because of her soft personality. "And as whether that person would appear, let's see for ourselves." Gu Ting changed the channel to the one portraying the live opening ceremony of the Mall in the middle of the city.
Jing Tian's gasped. To appear in a mainstream media channel, it certainly gave the event nice publicity. Now, if Gu Ting managed to ruin everything, it would be pleasantly devastating for her sister. The resentment in her heart... could finally be dissipated then. "What would become of this?"
"As I had said," laughed Gu Ting descendingly. "Let's see for oversleeves."
Encouraged at Gu Ting confidence, Jing Tian nodded and collected herself to watch the media portrayal with a look of anticipation and some deliberate desolation.
That Jing Lihua was really stupid, thought Gu Ting.
She was really stupid to have contacted someone in his family's friend circle to host her event. More than that, she was stupid to give him further clues by engaging with Mr. Ji at his own engagement party and right in front of his eyes.
And with everything, she went further and threatened him?
Seriously, did she not expect him to retaliate?
Was her head emptied out of common sense due to her arrogance?
But he could not have expected anything
better. As expected of a woman. If you give them power, it gets to their head-turning them empty-headed and vain.
That was why arrogance didn't suit women well. They should work on maintaining their kind, gentle, and forbearing nature. Just as Jing Tian did. At that particular thought, he glanced down at the woman in his arms who looked fairly desponded after hearing out that he was going to make a move against her sister.
He sighed. As expected of her. She had a soft heart, Gu Ting was certain of the fact. A quality of her he admired and hated at the same time. As much as he looked up to her for her character, he could not help but feel incensed when people like her elder sister took advantage of her naivety.
That's why she needed protection, his protection.
That was the character that suited women best. Being tolerant and submissive to men. To stay back at home and listen to the men who provide for them and protect them.
Looking back at the screen, he spotted those aloof green eyes; they contained an indescribable amount of arrogance. The character of Jing Lihua was the one Gu Ting inherently despised.
On the other side, Mei Xiu whispered close to Jing Lihua in a fairly urgent tone. "President, time is pressing. Reporters have started questioning. Should we give an excuse and postpone the event?"
"Postpone the event?" Jing Lihua's eyebrow furrowed. Her green eyes looked cold. "That's not an option. After all the hype, that would mark out failure." She stated the fact. If thy postponed the event now, the effects would be damaging beyond redemption.
"But then, are we going to proceed without a host?" asked Mei Xiu looking fairly concerned.
"Let's address the reporters first. They are getting restless. Mr. Ji is not going to appear. We need to make that clear to them at first." Jing Lihua said quietly and walked forward towards the crowd. The way she carried herself, there wasn't the slightest ripple in her gait. Her appearance depicted absolute confidence and control of the situation.
So immaculate that like a sudden blow, it proved to be fairly displeasing to many pairs of eyes hidden in the crows who secretly wished for her fall.
Once the reporters witnessed Jing Lihua coming around, they immediately readied themselves to bomb a myriad of questions. Most of them were critical and difficult to address. Mei Xiu immediately pushed forward to put them in line. "Please, one by one. We will address all of your questions." Her words were acutely weighted. A single word said out of carelessness could prove fatal in their situation.
"President Jing, our sources reveal that
Mr. Ji had to fly abroad to attend to an important official matter. Is this true?"
"Yes,"
Her admittance followed a hum of whispers from their side. They all looked at each other. Another question arose, a bolder one this time.
"We can't deny it was so sudden. Do you think the reason is valid or just an excuse?" The answer to that question was what every one of them had wanted to ask. Thus they raised their cameras ready to record Jing Lihua's answer.
The question appeared to be innocuous but was a knife with sharp edges on both sides. How the rumored President Jing would address the situation solely depended on her ability.