Long Time No See (GL) - Chapter 32

Gu Weiran felt as if the wind was beneath her feet as she sprinted toward where Yun Shu was.

She recalled the terrifying moment at the airport in City A, remembering how a construction worker’s sledgehammer had nearly dealt Yun Shu a fatal blow. The magnified consequence of that thought sent a cold sweat down her spine.

The surrounding commotion and the people coming and going became background noise. She frantically searched for Yun Shu’s figure, but the area was already completely blocked by a human wall formed by security guards. Just as Gu Weiran was filled with extreme anxiety, several security guards escorted two people out through a side passage—it was exactly Yun Shu and Miss Ling Er.

Yun Shu’s face was solemn, and Miss Ling Er’s face was equally frosty.

The sudden turn of events, the unexpected accident, caused chaos at the venue, leading to the event’s failure.

Gu Weiran rubbed her eyes, confirming it was Yun Shu!

She was safe and sound, that was great!

She involuntarily rushed toward Yun Shu. The wind whipped up dust, seemingly blowing into her eyes. In her blurred vision, there was only Yun Shu’s figure. Yun Shu caught a glimpse of someone ahead in her peripheral vision. Just as she looked up, Gu Weiran had already leaped into her arms, her hands tightly wrapping around her.

Time seemed to stand still. Yun Shu instinctively placed her hands on Gu Weiran’s back, holding the person who was trembling in her embrace. At this moment, the anxiety and anger slowly subsided. All emotions were temporarily cast aside.

Gu Weiran hugged her very tightly, wanting to use force but not daring to, carefully controlling the intensity, strongly suppressing the released emotions, turning her worry and concern into endless warmth that enveloped Yun Shu.

“It’s great that you’re okay, so great,” Gu Weiran’s eyes were already moist as she spoke. Because of Yun Shu, she seemed to have turned into a crybaby.

But she was very clear that her state of mind was changing, or perhaps it had never changed, but she just hadn’t been aware of it.

Instinct was more real than any words. The last time in City A, she charged forward without regard for herself, and she didn’t know why. Now, she was very clear: it was the fear of losing her.

She could be fearless of everything and dare to bet on anything, but only Yun Shu had become a pain too unbearable for her life.

Gu Weiran’s trembling voice was slightly hoarse, as if she had been overly shocked, and carried a hint of a sob.

“Weiran…”

Before Yun Shu could offer any comfort, Gu Weiran released her embrace. She lowered her head and wiped her eyes, clearing a path for Yun Shu and the others, “You deal with the situation first.”

She didn’t even dare to meet Yun Shu’s gaze, afraid that one look would cause her emotions to collapse.

Yun Shu moved her lips but didn’t speak, only smiling as she patted Gu Weiran’s shoulder, then proceeded to the office area. Gu Weiran let out a long breath, looked up, slowly regaining her composure bit by bit, and started to focus on the whole incident.

Whether intentional or accidental, many fans chasing celebrities were live-streaming the event with their phones, and the good or bad reactions were already out.

The fastest way to salvage the situation was to suppress the media. The most suitable method was to create a topic and control the narrative. Mingde Group would definitely suppress the trending topics, and Yun Shu would arrange it, but creating a topic and controlling the narrative was something she could contribute to.

This was the maximum she could do.

Thinking of this, she immediately rushed back to the office area, listed the media contacts, and quickly handed the list to Lu Xin. Several responsible personnel successively entered the office and were scolded. Even through the wall, one could feel Yun Shu’s furious thunder.

Gu Weiran immediately assigned tasks: “Yang Ou, Xiaoya, prepare three draft topics. First, from the perspective of the entertainment industry, spread the topic, centering on the chaos being caused by someone jealous of Teacher Lu’s return to the entertainment circle. Second, from Mingde’s perspective, release a topic questioning whether there was malicious competition from a rival. Third, do the opposite and launch a wave of topic speculation: was Mingde directing and performing a play themselves? I need to see the drafts within one hour. Write them short. I will write the last one, you two split the other two. Be fast!”

Timeliness demanded speed. The public relations strategy adopted after an incident determined the extent and effect of the fermentation.

Yun Shu was the person in charge of this matter. The outcome could no longer be changed, but they could try to salvage as much as possible. Gu Weiran was worried that her mistakes would be magnified. Would someone inside Mingde use this incident against her and punish her?

She was young and accomplished, and it was inevitable that she had made enemies within the group, and that person behind Wang Sen, the Chairman’s wife, was likely not to be trifled with.

Gu Weiran pushed those thoughts aside and focused entirely on the screen, beginning to write a self-media article. At the same time, she asked Yang Ou to contact friends in the industry to prepare for publication. The door to Yun Shu’s office was tightly closed. The heads of the Planning and Security Departments emerged looking utterly dejected after being severely reprimanded.

“I still have many things to deal with. I won’t see you out today.”

Yun Shu’s voice seemed to have a certain magnetic field. No matter how focused Gu Weiran was, she could hear it deeply in her heart. She looked up, her gaze slowly moving with Yun Shu, the reflection in her eyes completely filled by her.

It was wonderful, she was safe.

Perhaps nothing in this world was as important as Yun Shu being well.

Yun Shu walked Miss Ling Er to the entrance, then turned back. As she passed the office area, she met Gu Weiran’s gaze and gave a faint, subtle smile. This smile made Gu Weiran fearless and was enough to heal everything.

About an hour later, Gu Weiran led her team to complete all three articles. The Fengqi team’s efficiency was astonishing. Gu Weiran printed out the three articles, gathered the current media data, and walked towards the office.

Yun Shu was on a conference call. She had just finished and was exhausted, slumping in her chair.

Gu Weiran carefully knocked and opened the door, finding Yun Shu pressing the space between her eyebrows.

Lu Xin stood to the side, not daring to speak. Seeing Gu Weiran enter, she quietly said, “General Manager Yun, Weiran is here.” Yun Shu sat up straight, forced a spirit, and offered a weary smile: “Something wrong?”

“We just wrote three articles from different perspectives, hoping to place them with the media to control the narrative. I wanted you to see if they’re useful. Also, we did a rough statistical analysis of the current forwarding and reading volume on live broadcast platforms and several self-media accounts.”

“Your speed is truly fast.” Lu Xin took the documents and placed them on the desk. Yun Shu lowered her head and read them carefully, particularly studying the three articles. Gu Weiran surprised her again.

She had only thought of suppressing the media and having PR issue a public statement, forgetting the need to take the initiative in controlling the topic’s narrative, just like in City A, maximizing the fermentation with one core article.

Gu Weiran’s thinking was meticulous. She had created three different waves of topics, covering all bases. Next, as long as they were gradually pushed out, they might achieve a surprising victory.

“Xiaolu, give this article about Jingyan to her studio as the first wave of topic guidance. Give the one about Mingde being subject to malicious competition to Miss Ling Er, and have her spread it extensively. As for this last article about self-directed acting,” Yun Shu looked at Gu Weiran, smiling with appreciation, “Arrange for several major self-media accounts to publish it immediately.”

“Yes, General Manager Yun, I’ll get right on it.” Lu Xin hurried out. Gu Weiran looked at Yun Shu in surprise, unable to help but admire her strategic planning. She had initially intended to give her choices from multiple perspectives, but Yun Shu saw how each article could be utilized.

She hoped that the influence of Lu Jingyan and the malicious speculation could divert the public’s attention away from the failure of the Mingde event. In marketing incidents, there is no true good or bad, only whether the awareness was successfully built and whether the negative outcome was turned into a positive one.

Gu Weiran hoped this matter could reduce Yun Shu’s liability and, through expanding the momentum, feed back into the promotion of the Mingde project, boosting sales. “Which one did you write?” Yun Shu asked playfully.

“How do you know there’s one I wrote?”

“Your writing habits haven’t changed in years.” Yun Shu raised her hand, signaling for her to sit down.

“It sounds like you’ve seen my writing before.” Gu Weiran didn’t sit but walked to her side and asked, “Do you want me to help you massage your shoulders?”

“Can you?”

“A little. I feel like you’ve been very tired lately, and after what happened today, I don’t know what will happen next.”

Yun Shu didn’t refuse, she just adjusted the angle of her chair, closed her eyes, and leaned back, “What’s coming will come. We’ll deal with it as it happens.” “Will someone use this incident to make trouble for you?” Gu Weiran gently tapped the space between Yun Shu’s eyebrows and slowly massaged it.

Yun Shu’s tense nerves slowly relaxed, and she answered faintly, “It doesn’t matter. You have already done what you can. Don’t worry about me.” “How can I not worry? My courage was shattered just now. I’m really afraid…” Gu Weiran didn’t dare to finish her sentence. Remembering what happened in City A, she was still terrified. Yun Shu lightly curved her lips, “Small breezes and ripples won’t cause any major waves.”

Gu Weiran’s hand slid down from her neck to her shoulder, gently kneading up and down. Yun Shu’s body and mind relaxed, enjoying the massage. “I said, next time, can you take me everywhere you go? Just like Su Su accompanied Teacher Lu today.” “Their relationship…” Yun Shu opened her eyes, hesitating to speak.

“You know what their relationship is?” Gu Weiran cautiously probed. She always felt Yun Shu seemed to know something. “They are partners. Su Qing is a devoted fan of Jingyan, and only through her efforts did she stand alongside her today.” Gu Weiran stopped massaging, squatted by the chair, and looked up at her: “What about us? Can I always stand by your side?” Yun Shu’s gaze lingered on her face for a moment, then she smiled: “Aren’t you by my side right now?”

The ambiguous answer did not give her the information she wanted, and Gu Weiran was a little disappointed.

She knew about the complicated feelings between Su Qing and Lu Jingyan, but did Yun Shu understand the emotions between women? Ming Yan had been so openly clear about liking her; did she get a response?

Gu Weiran didn’t dare to act rashly. Many times, her instinctive reactions were already expressing her feelings. Yun Shu was so meticulous, could she grasp it? Since Ming Yan had dinner with her that day, the two hadn’t been so close. What exactly happened?

Just as she was thinking, the office door was knocked open, and the person who entered was Ming Yan.

As soon as she walked in, she noticed Gu Weiran leaning next to Yun Shu, and jealousy flared up. “It’s chaos outside, and you two are quite leisurely.” Gu Weiran stood up and gave a formal greeting, “General Manager Ming.”

“Why did you come?” Yun Shu’s reaction was flat, showing no strong emotion or a smile. The deliberate distance made Ming Yan feel hurt in her heart. Could they really not go back to how they were?

“Something so major happened. How could I ignore it when I’m in Xuan’an?”

Ming Yan walked closer to Yun Shu, examining her up and down, “Sister Yun, you’re not hurt, are you?”

“No. Fortunately, no one was injured.”

“That’s good, that’s good.” Ming Yan glanced at Gu Weiran, then spoke seriously: “I’m here to inform you on behalf of the headquarters that the board requires you to return and report on this matter. It’s best to leave today.”

“So fast?” Gu Weiran looked at Yun Shu worriedly. She simply rose calmly, “I expected it. I’ll leave tonight.”

“Sister Yun, I’ve booked your flight. Let’s go together. I need to go back too. With me there, those old fogeys won’t dare to make things difficult for you.”

“I want to go too,” Gu Weiran insisted on going along no matter what.

Ming Yan frowned: “What business is it of yours?”

“I am General Manager Yun’s assistant. Can’t I go to the headquarters for such a big event? I’ll be useful somewhere.”

“With Sister Xin there, you probably won’t be needed.”

Having finally returned to her own territory, Ming Yan didn’t want Gu Weiran following along and getting in the way. In a moment of urgency, Gu Weiran grabbed Yun Shu’s sleeve and pleaded, “Take me with you.”

Ming Yan pulled Yun Shu’s other sleeve, saying, “Sister Yun, don’t take her. She can’t get into the board meeting and won’t be able to do anything. This time is different from before.”

Yun Shu’s sleeves were being held up by the two of them, with important people on both sides, like a multiple-choice question. Gu Weiran was terrified. Who would she choose?

Yun Shu was unmoved, giving no reaction.

Gu Weiran gripped her wrist, her tone bordering on pleading: “Don’t leave me behind.”

She should have said those words five years ago. Gu Weiran regretted it. Clearly, she needed Yun Shu so much.

Yun Shu felt a pang in her heart. Looking at her slightly furrowed brow, was Weiran already so afraid of losing her?

Seeing Yun Shu soften a little, Ming Yan could only use a tough tone: “Gu Weiran, I am commanding you as a leader: you are not allowed to return to the headquarters.”

Ming Yan had the authority to stop her, even to fire her. What could she do?

Gu Weiran’s hand dropped powerlessly, but before it fell, Yun Shu grasped it. She took Gu Weiran’s hand and turned to Ming Yan, saying, “What if I insist on bringing her?”