Sending you to the trending topics

The incident wasn't that big—it didn't even make it to trending topics. If Lin He hadn't deliberately searched for the keywords, she wouldn't have known about it. 

Furthermore, North Star reacted swiftly to the PR crisis, issuing apologies and compensations, which diminished much of the online backlash. People didn't spread the controversy everywhere.

However, the issue couldn't just be swept under the rug, and all the discontent ended up falling on Lin He.

The netizens didn't know who the other partner was, but they managed to dig up Lin He's account. 

Years ago, Hu Die had tagged Lin He in a Weibo post, and every year Hu Die left a comment on Lin He's birthday post generated automatically by the account, so it was easy for the netizens to dig it up.

The account ID "禾苗青青" was the "useless" partner!

Hu Die had been doing well these years, rising as a successful, inspirational businesswoman, which made the fans admire her even more.

These fans, eager to clear Hu Die's name, shifted the blame for the product failure onto Lin He and directed their anger at her, hoping to wash away Hu Die's involvement in the scandal.

As they saw Lin He's Weibo filled with Hu Die's birthday wishes over the years, they started to believe the leaked information, cursing Lin He as someone with a heart as black as coal before moving on.

At first, it seemed like the situation would settle down, but then the twist came.

Fans of celebrities usually have an app that shows updates about the idols they follow, including when they log into Weibo, leave comments, or like posts.

One fan was shocked to discover that Lin He's Weibo account had just gone online!

And it had been online for a while!

So, who was logging into the account if the original partner had passed away? The account had been dormant for fifteen years, only to be accessed today!

[Emm… Is it too unfair? So, is the ghost haunting the account? /s]

[If someone's logging in, then the excuse that Hu Die's fans gave doesn't hold up anymore!]

[You're all too naive; it's just a PR stunt. No matter what, the product failure falls on the CEO, and she can't escape responsibility!]

...

The previously calm situation now erupted once again.

Lin He: ...

She hadn't anticipated how quickly things had spiraled out of control.

What role did Hu Die play in all of this?

Lin He sneered to herself, trying to accept that her world had changed so much.

Co-founding North Star Cosmetics with Hu Die was never Lin He's main focus.

At the time, she was a somewhat well-known comic artist, and even now, she still receives messages from fans on her comic account, asking why she suddenly withdrew from the scene.

It wasn't just a broken family—her career had been completely derailed after fifteen years of "stagnation."

As Lin He reflected, her phone beeped twice, signaling a new message.

[Mr. Jiang, did you log into Hehe's Weibo? Don't worry about what's online; I'll take care of it. The PR manager acted on their own and dragged Hehe into it. I apologize for this.]

[North Star is Hehe's hard work, and I failed to manage it well. I'm sorry for causing trouble to Hehe. /cry]

[There's so much going on with the overseas agents, and Pier is particularly difficult. We didn't handle it well here, and this happened. Sigh!]

As Lin He read through the messages, something felt off.

Had Hu Die been trying to gain something from Jiang Qiao?

She called North Star her "heart's blood," and then went on to mention her recent troubles and even named a particularly difficult person…

Lin He began to suspect that the PR team might be deliberately shifting the blame onto her to open a conversation with Jiang Qiao.

The Hu Die she remembered was once a naive big-sister figure. But now, she had even dared to say such things about North Star being her "heart's blood."

In terms of management, Hu Die had been the one who handled the bulk of it, while Lin He was mostly responsible for the financial backing.

If anything, North Star wasn't her "heart's blood"—it was more like Hu Die adding drama to the situation!

Lin He didn't reply. She tossed the phone aside and lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

After a long while, she sighed deeply.

Life after fifteen years really was a mess—her home was no longer a home, and friends weren't friends anymore.

—At least, Jiang Qiao hadn't changed.

Lin He turned over and picked up her phone to send Jiang Qiao a message: "What are you doing?"

At Jiang's Group building, the meeting room was filled with people.

The atmosphere was tense and silent, with only the sound of the man at the head of the table flipping through documents.

Jiang Qiao closed the folder with a snap and threw it onto the middle of the table. His cold gaze swept over the middle-aged man in the blue suit on his left. "Is this your emergency plan?"

The man, sweating nervously, opened his mouth to explain, but knowing that Jiang Qiao disliked excuses, he swallowed his words and said, "Mr. Jiang, give me two more hours, and I'll submit a plan that will satisfy you."

"No need. Limon, you take over."

"Okay, Mr. Jiang."

The man in the blue suit went pale at once.

As Jiang Qiao was about to speak again, his phone pinged with a message.

Everyone froze at that moment, all hoping the sound wasn't coming from their own phones.

At this crucial moment, it was like trying to pull a tooth from a tiger!

Then, everyone saw Jiang Qiao open his phone.

What could be said about his expression?

It was like a sudden spring breeze blowing through the room!

The face that had been filled with frost just a second ago now softened, and the corners of his lips turned up slightly—was that... a smile?

A young manager, newly promoted and a bit bolder, stole a glance and caught that subtle smile.

[In a meeting, will be done soon and heading home. Miss you~]

Of course, Jiang Qiao was happy. The message from Lin He was clearly her way of telling him she missed him!

"Meeting adjourned."

Jiang Qiao closed his phone decisively. The business was done, and there was no need for further reprimands—there was someone waiting for him at home!

As Jiang Qiao left the meeting room and turned the corner into the hallway, the others finally started talking.

Vice President Hu, dressed in the blue suit, looked like he had survived a near-death experience.

He had no idea who had sent that message, but he was eternally grateful! He wished them good fortune and long life!

Vice President Hu pressed his palms together in thanks.

After leaving the meeting room, Jiang Qiao took the elevator straight to the underground garage and drove home.

A simple three-word message—"What are you doing?"—had made Jiang Qiao eager to get back.

On the way home, his assistant reported the online situation. Jiang Qiao had been thoroughly investigating Lin He's disappearance for the past fifteen years—not only focusing on the small island in the Pacific but also on any online traces.

Whenever anything potentially related to Lin He came up, he made sure not to miss it.

When Jiang Qiao got home, he told Lin He about the situation and, more importantly, about Hu Die.