The conference hall smelled faintly of polished wood and expensive coffee—clean, controlled, intimidating. Xiaoyu noticed it the moment she stepped inside, as if her senses had sharpened in self-defense. Rows of chairs stretched toward a raised platform at the front, already half-filled with reporters clutching notepads, phones, and recorders. Camera operators adjusted tripods, their lenses swinging like watchful eyes that never blinked.
This was real.
Her heels echoed too loudly against the marble floor, each step a reminder that she could no longer turn back.
"Just breathe," she whispered to herself, fingers tightening around the edge of the folder she'd been given. It was empty—purely symbolic—but holding it gave her something to anchor herself to.
Beside her, he walked with the same measured pace he always did. Calm. Unhurried. As if this weren't an emergency press conference called to extinguish a scandal that had exploded overnight. As if dozens of headlines hadn't already torn through his name—and now hers—like wildfire.
The CEO didn't look at the reporters. He didn't need to. His attention was fixed forward, posture straight, shoulders squared beneath a perfectly tailored suit. He radiated authority so effortlessly that the noise in the room seemed to dim around him.
Xiaoyu envied that.
"Remember," he said quietly, his voice low enough that only she could hear. "You don't answer unless I signal you. If you feel overwhelmed, look at me."
She nodded, though her throat felt tight.
The stage lights flared on as they ascended the steps. Heat brushed against her skin. Cameras snapped instantly, a staccato rhythm that made her heart race.
Click. Click. Click.
They took their seats behind the long table, microphones already positioned in front of them. A large screen behind displayed the company logo—sleek, powerful, unyielding.
The room fell into an expectant hush.
The CEO leaned forward slightly, fingers interlaced, expression composed. When he spoke, his voice carried effortlessly, deep and steady.
"Thank you all for coming on such short notice," he began. "We understand the public interest surrounding recent events, and we are here to clarify the situation."
Clarify. Not apologize. Not explain. Clarify.
Xiaoyu swallowed.
Hands shot up immediately.
"Mr. Lin!" a reporter called out. "Is it true that the woman beside you was involved in a physical altercation with you at a bar two nights ago?"
Another voice cut in. "Are you confirming that the two of you are in a romantic relationship?"
"Was alcohol involved?"
"Was this an abuse of power?"
The questions collided, overlapping, sharp and relentless.
Xiaoyu's chest tightened. Her instinct was to shrink, to disappear into the chair, but the CEO lifted one hand calmly.
The room quieted.
"Yes," he said evenly. "Ms. Xiaoyu and I are in a relationship."
A ripple of shock moved through the crowd.
Xiaoyu's breath caught.
He continued without pause. "What occurred at the bar was a private disagreement between a couple. No violence took place. No laws were broken."
"But witnesses reported shouting," a journalist pressed.
"Couples argue," he replied coolly. "That does not make it a scandal."
His gaze swept the room—slow, deliberate. Dominant.
"And for clarity," he added, "Ms. Xiaoyu is my girlfriend, this has nothing to do with our professional relationship at work, she doesn't report to me directly."
That was their agreed narrative. Clean. Logical. Protective.
Still, Xiaoyu felt dozens of eyes drilling into her, dissecting her posture, her expression, the way her hands trembled faintly in her lap.
"Ms. Xiaoyu," someone called. "How long have you been together?"
Her pulse spiked.
She looked at him.
Just as he'd said, his eyes met hers—steady, grounding. A subtle nod.
"We've known each other for some time," she said, forcing her voice not to waver. "Our relationship is… private. We didn't anticipate it becoming public this way."
A camera zoomed in. She resisted the urge to flinch.
"Are you engaged?" another reporter asked sharply.
The CEO smiled then—not warmth, but strategy.
"We are considering marriage," he said.
The room erupted.
Xiaoyu froze.
Considering marriage?
Her head turned toward him instinctively, but he remained composed, gaze forward, as if he hadn't just detonated a bomb.
"Is this a contractual arrangement?" a journalist shouted. "Is this damage control?"
His expression hardened.
"I don't enter contracts involving my personal life," he said flatly. "Any suggestion otherwise is insulting."
His tone ended the line of questioning like a slammed door.
Xiaoyu realized something then.
He wasn't just defending the narrative.
He was shielding her.
Another reporter leaned forward. "Ms. Xiaoyu, do you feel pressured to be here today?"
Her fingers curled tighter.
Before she could answer, he spoke.
"She's here because she chooses to be," he said, voice calm but unyielding. "And because I asked her to stand beside me."
Stand beside me.
Not behind.
The lights burned hotter. Sweat gathered at the nape of Xiaoyu's neck, but beneath the fear, something else stirred—an unfamiliar sense of safety.
No matter how sharp the questions became, he absorbed them. Redirected them. Controlled the room like a chessboard.
When the conference finally ended, it was on his terms.
"Thank you," he said, rising smoothly. "That will be all."
Security moved in immediately, creating a barrier as the reporters surged forward, shouting last questions that dissolved into noise.
As they were escorted offstage, Xiaoyu's legs trembled so badly she wasn't sure how she was still walking.
Once the doors closed behind them, the noise cut off abruptly.
Silence.
She exhaled shakily, shoulders sagging.
"You did well," he said.
She let out a short, breathless laugh. "You announced our possible marriage."
"I did."
"That wasn't in the plan."
"No," he agreed. "But it was necessary."
She looked at him then—really looked.
Still calm. Still controlled. But there was something in his eyes she hadn't seen before. Resolve. And something dangerously close to protectiveness.
"This isn't over, is it?" she asked quietly.
"No," he said honestly. "But today, we survived the first wave."
The light from the hallway spilled over them, stark and bright.
And Xiaoyu realized that stepping into it with him had changed everything.
Whether she was ready or not.