The president's wife wants to run away

Chapter 17 An unexpected blow

Yuxuan took a deep breath, and his tone was as heavy as a boulder pressing on my chest: "An important project of Zhong Group suddenly had serious quality problems..."

My smile froze on my face, and my heart felt like it was being squeezed tightly, making it difficult to breathe. "What project? Why is this happening?"

He rubbed his brows and handed me the document tiredly: "You will know after you take a look."

I took the document and quickly read it. This was a report on the latest smart home system developed by Zhong's Group. The system was originally planned to be officially launched next month, but in the final testing phase, it was unexpectedly found to have serious security vulnerabilities. Once hacked, the privacy and property safety of users will be seriously threatened.

My hands couldn't help shaking, and every word in this report was like a sharp knife, stabbing my nerves. I know what the failure of a major project means to a large enterprise like the Zhong Group.

"How could this happen? Wasn't everything going smoothly before?" I raised my head and looked at Yuxuan uneasily.

"I just received the news as well. The details are still under investigation." His face was terribly gloomy, and his eyes flashed with a cold light. "I have asked the technical department to investigate the problem overnight. At the same time, the legal department will also intervene to investigate to see if someone deliberately sabotaged it."

I knew a storm was coming. The air was filled with tension and anxiety, and my heart was hanging in the air, up and down. I had never seen Yuxuan look so serious, his brows were furrowed, his lips were tightly pursed, as if he was suppressing a huge anger.

In the next few days, the company was in turmoil, everyone was in a hurry, and the atmosphere was so depressing that it was hard to breathe. The news media reported it everywhere, and negative public opinion came like a tide, causing the stock price of Zhong Group to plummet.

Yuxuan was so busy every day that he almost locked himself in the office, working day and night, trying to find the root cause of the problem and recover the company's losses. Although I couldn't help much, I still prepared some food and drinks for him every day and accompanied him silently.

I looked at his back and felt so distressed. He was like a lone wolf, bearing all the pressure and responsibilities alone, making people want to get close to him and give him some warmth and comfort.

However, I know that now is not the time for me to be willful. Zhong Group is facing an unprecedented crisis, and I cannot add to the chaos. Seeing Yuxuan so exhausted, my heart seemed to be tightly grasped by an invisible hand, and the heartache and anxiety were like vines entwining my thoughts. I can no longer sit idly by, I must do something, even if it is just a little bit of insignificant help. The next morning, I suppressed my inner uneasiness and came to the company with the breakfast I prepared by myself.

The atmosphere in the company was worse than I had imagined. Everyone's face was filled with anxiety and uneasiness, and the footsteps coming and going seemed to be carrying a heavy burden. I tried to keep myself calm and walked all the way to the door of Yuxuan's office, but I heard a fierce quarrel coming from inside.

"Yuxuan, now is not the time to act on your emotions. If you hesitate to make a decision, you will suffer the consequences!" A deep and majestic voice sounded. It was Yuxuan's father, Zhong Shuhao.

"Dad, this matter has nothing to do with Luo Xue, please don't put the blame on her!" There was a barely perceptible hint of fatigue and helplessness in Yuxuan's voice.

"Nothing to do with it? Why did she, a woman with no background, marry into our Zhong family? Now that such a big thing has happened in the company, who knows if it was she who brought the misfortune?!" Zhong Shuhao's tone was full of disdain and doubt.

My heart suddenly sank, and a chill ran from the soles of my feet straight into my heart. I didn't expect that in the face of this crisis, I would become the culprit in the eyes of others.

I took a deep breath, pushed open the door of the office, held back the tears in my eyes, and tried to make myself look calm and firm: "Uncle Zhong, I will investigate this matter and give Yuxuan justice."

When Zhong Shuhao saw me, his brows furrowed even tighter, his eyes filled with disgust and contempt: "What can you find out? Who do you think you are?"

I bit my lip and ignored his sarcasm. I turned to look at Yuxuan and said firmly, "Yuxuan, I believe in you and myself. We can definitely get through this."

Yuxuan looked at me, with a complex emotion flashing in his eyes. He opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but was interrupted by Zhong Shuhao's cold snort.

"Enough! Now is not the time to talk about this, break up your relationship with her immediately! Otherwise, don't blame me as your father for being rude!" Zhong Shuhao pointed at me, his tone cold and resolute, leaving no room for negotiation.

My heart seemed to be squeezed by an invisible hand, and I could hardly breathe. I raised my head and looked at the man in front of me who had once cared about me but now had a hideous face. My heart was filled with bitterness and despair.

Am I really the scapegoat for this disaster? Is the trust and relationship that Yuxuan and I have worked so hard to build really going to be destroyed?

The atmosphere in the office seemed to freeze. Uncle Zhong's words were like thunder in my ears, making my head numb. I stood there in a daze, watching him leave angrily, and Yuxuan just closed his eyes tiredly and waved his hand weakly, motioning me to leave.

I walked out of the office in a daze. The employees who were originally busy in the corridor stopped and looked at me with strange eyes. The whispers were like fine needles, pricking my nerves.

"See, I said this woman is not simple. She must have bewitched Yuxuan so much that the company has become what it is now."

"Who says it's not true? A woman with unknown origins suddenly became Mrs. Zhong. There is no such a good thing in the world. Who knows..."

I bit my lips hard, trying to hold back the tears that were about to burst out, and hurried away from this hostile place. I hid in the bathroom, locked myself in the cubicle, and finally couldn't help sobbing.

Grievances, anger, helplessness, all kinds of emotions intertwined, surrounded me tightly, making it almost impossible for me to breathe. I never thought that one day I would become the target of public criticism, accused and suspected by everyone.

I asked myself over and over again, am I really doing something wrong? I just fell in love with a man and wanted to spend my life with him, is this also a sin?

I leaned weakly against the cold wall, Yuxuan's exhausted expression and Uncle Zhong's resolute words replaying in my mind. My heart felt like it was torn into pieces and it hurt so much that I couldn't breathe.

I know that the company is in a bad situation and Yuxuan must be under a lot of pressure. He needs my support and company. However, I can't even take care of myself, so how can I help him?

I took a deep breath and tried to calm my chaotic emotions. I couldn't be defeated like this, I had to cheer up, for Yuxuan and for myself.

I turned on the tap and washed my face with cold water. Looking at myself in the mirror with red and swollen eyes, I secretly made up my mind that I would not give up. I would find out everything, prove my innocence, and protect the love between Yuxuan and me. I walked on the street in a daze, letting the cold wind mess up my hair. The hustle and bustle of the street seemed to be separated by a layer of mist and could not be heard clearly. I didn't know where I should go or what I should do. I just felt empty inside, as if I had been hollowed out.

"Luo Xue! What's wrong with you?" A familiar voice came from behind me. I turned around and saw Qin Xue running towards me with an anxious look on her face.

"Why are you here?" I tried hard to force a smile, not wanting her to worry about me.

"I heard from people in the company that something happened at the Zhong Group. You look so bad, what happened?" Qin Xue grabbed my hand and looked at me worriedly.

I couldn't help it any longer and told her the whole story. After listening to it, Qin Xue stamped her feet in anger: "These people are too much! How can they put all the responsibility on you? Don't worry, I will definitely help you!"

Qin Xue's comfort was like a warm current that warmed my cold heart. I held her hand tightly and said gratefully, "Thank you, Xiaoxue, I'm glad to have you by my side."

"We are best friends, there is no need to say thank you." Qin Xue patted my hands and said firmly, "Luo Xue, I believe in you, and you can't give up. Let's find out the truth together and prove your innocence!"

Qin Xue's words gave me great encouragement. I took a deep breath, nodded and said, "Well, let's face it together!"

However, we didn’t know that on the other side of the city, Li Luoyao was sitting in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, holding a glass of red wine in her hand, with a sinister smile on her lips.

"Zhong Group, humph, let's see how you can turn things around this time!" Li Luoyao looked at the bustling night view outside the window, her eyes full of resentment, "Li Luoxue, you took away everything from me, I will never let you off easily!"

She picked up her phone, dialed a number, and said coldly: "The plan can begin now. I want to make Li Luoxue lose her reputation and disappear from my sight forever!"

Qin Xue and I started to investigate the company's affairs. We looked through a lot of documents and materials, trying to find the root of the problem. However, things seemed to be more complicated than we imagined. Every time we were about to find a key clue, the clue would suddenly be interrupted, as if someone was secretly obstructing us.

At this time, I accidentally found a document about the quality of the project. The content of this document was shocking. If it was exposed, it would bring a devastating blow to the Zhong Group. I was shocked. Could this be the real reason why the Zhong Group fell into crisis?

I was about to take a closer look at the contents of the document when suddenly a hand reached out from behind me and snatched the document from my hand. I screamed and turned around suddenly, only to see a dark shadow quickly disappearing at the end of the corridor.

Who was it? Why did he take the document? Did he know something? My mind was full of questions, and an ominous premonition came over me...

After the files were stolen, I was in a state of confusion. Who took the files? What did he/she want to do? Was there really something else behind the company's crisis?

I returned to the office in a daze. Qin Xue saw that I looked pale and asked me what happened. I told her that the files had been stolen. She was also shocked and immediately went to retrieve the surveillance video in the corridor.

In the surveillance video, a figure wearing a black sweatshirt, a mask and a baseball cap hurried past, and his/her face could not be seen clearly. He/she quickly took the document from my hand and then quickly left the corridor. The whole process took less than ten seconds.

"This person is clearly well prepared." Qin Xue pointed at the blurry figure in black on the screen, frowning, "Judging from his figure, he should be a man, but we can't rule out the possibility that he is a woman in disguise. He/she has a clear grasp of your whereabouts, and knows that you have this document. It seems that there is a traitor among us!"

My heart sank, and a chill ran from my feet to my head. A traitor? Who could it be? Could it be that someone in the company had deliberately leaked the project secrets and wanted to kill people to silence them?

Thinking of this, I couldn't help but shudder. Qin Xue held my hand and comforted me, "Don't be afraid, Luo Xue, we will find out everything and find out who is behind this!"

In the next few days, Qin Xue and I worked overtime to check for suspicious people, but we never found any valuable clues. The atmosphere in the company became more and more weird. Everyone seemed to be wearing a mask, making it difficult to see their true faces.

To make matters worse, the crisis of Zhong Group continued to ferment. Someone leaked the documents about the project quality problems to the media. All of a sudden, all kinds of negative reports came in overwhelmingly, and the stock price of Zhong Group began to plummet.

I looked at the red number on my phone, and I was very anxious. I couldn't contact Yuxuan these days. It was as if he had disappeared from the face of the earth. I couldn't get through to him on the phone, and he didn't reply to my messages. I didn't know how he was doing now. Was he also worried about the company's affairs?

How I wish he could stay with me, even just give me a hug or a word of comfort. But now, I am like a lonely boat, struggling in the storm, but I can't see a glimmer of hope...