Chapter 277: Rejected

Chapter 277: Chapter 277: Rejected

#PeiXianjueBackstabsFengLing#

When Pei Xianjue saw this trending topic, she almost fainted from anger.

She had always worked hard to climb toward her goals. She considered her Cards, her style, the latest trends, and what kind of public image she should project to win over the masses. The one thing she hadn’t considered was her own mother’s mouth.

She was furious, speechless, and found the whole thing utterly ridiculous. And yet, she also felt a profound sense of sorrow.

The crisis management team suggested she contact Feng Ling, saying it would be best if the two of them interacted online. Compared to paying influential users to post in her favor, Feng Ling’s personal attitude would be far more convincing.

But Feng Ling didn’t have any social media accounts.

If Feng Ling had an account, Pei Xianjue would only need to @ her. She believed that given their friendship, Feng Ling would respond. But Feng Ling didn’t have an account...

This meant Feng Ling would have to download an app, register for an account, and then follow her as a friend—

Pei Xianjue found such a deliberate request too awkward to even voice.

Although she hadn’t known Feng Ling for long, she could tell that Feng Ling wouldn’t waste a single second on anything that didn’t interest her.

As Pei Xianjue mulled over other solutions in her office, her two bodyguards saw her distress and couldn’t help but offer a few words of comfort.

"Trending topics change every day. In a couple of days, no one will be talking about this anymore."

"Yeah, this has nothing to do with you, Young Miss. Any discerning person can see that it’s just some marketing accounts stirring up trouble. The next time you perform a great service, those people online will shut their mouths."

Pei Xianjue sighed, her head aching. She glanced at them. "You don’t understand."

Da Xiong looked at Baozi in confusion. He really didn’t get it. How could such a small matter cause the young miss of the Pei Group so much trouble? It was just a trending topic. There were new ones every day, and people would forget about this one soon enough.

Baozi said to Pei Xianjue, "This kind of situation is actually quite normal. Even athletes on the same team have a relationship that’s both cooperative and competitive. There were posts online before comparing the strength of Inspectors from different cities, and that caused a huge argument, but it all blew over, didn’t it? We don’t need to be so tense about this incident..."

Pei Xianjue lowered her head, resting her forehead on her hand. "That’s different," she said in a low voice.

The two bodyguards exchanged a look.

Pei Xianjue let out a long, wistful sigh. "...People love to watch the drama of males competing with spirit and pride. But for females, they prefer to see mutual appreciation and support. Since I’ve built this stage for myself, I have to consider what the audience wants to see. Otherwise, I’m just tearing down my own work."

After sighing, she continued in a low voice, "The economy is tight right now, and resources are almost entirely concentrated in a few big cities. People already resent the wealthy. With that one sentence, my mother has destroyed everything I’ve worked for. Just great."

Baozi and Da Xiong fell silent. They couldn’t exactly join their boss in cursing out her mother.

Just then, Pei Xianjue’s phone rang. She answered it casually. "Dad."

Baozi and Da Xiong grew even more silent.

It was unclear what President Pei said on the other end, but the frustration on Pei Xianjue’s face deepened, and her expression grew even uglier.

"Dad, you don’t need to explain. I don’t think Mom is stupid or clueless. In fact, she’s not clueless at all. She just doesn’t care." Pei Xianjue gave a self-deprecating laugh. "Because she doesn’t care, she says whatever she wants online, without a single thought for the consequences it might have for me. In her eyes, all my accomplishments are worthless, just little trinkets to be treated carelessly..."

Listening to the placating words from her phone, Pei Xianjue stood up and walked to the window, gazing at the sky outside in an attempt to relieve the tightness in her chest.

"...Yes, I’m sure she thinks she just misspoke, that she’s the innocent party and I’m overreacting. Dad, would she misspeak in front of my brother’s business partners? Would she misspeak in front of the parents of my younger brother’s classmates?" Pei Xianjue took a deep breath, her tone sharpening. "Among all the Inspectors, my foundation is the weakest. Even if I train every single day, every single day! I can’t compare to the elites selected from the military and the police force! Mom doesn’t understand how difficult my situation is, but you, Dad, you of all people should understand it best! Now, I finally managed to gain a little bit of prestige, and it’s all ruined!"

She stood by the window, her voice a mixture of anger and grievance, her shoulders trembling slightly.

Baozi and Da Xiong felt a bit awkward. They wondered if they should step outside the office to avoid embarrassing Pei Xianjue.

But Pei Xianjue’s voice quickly calmed, sounding a bit like she was forcing herself to be strong. "Thank you, Dad, but you don’t need to step in," she said coolly into the phone. "I don’t want to use personal connections for something like this. I’ll figure out how to solve it myself... Yes, don’t worry, Dad. I’m your daughter, after all. I won’t let anyone look down on me."

The call ended.

Baozi and Da Xiong secretly breathed a sigh of relief. They had almost thought the father and daughter would start arguing over the phone. Thankfully, it sounded amicable.

Pei Xianjue turned, put down her phone, and slowly exhaled. When she looked up and saw her two bodyguards watching her, she couldn’t help but smile.

"Don’t worry, I’m fine. My dad just offered to have Captain Huang Yi and Minister Mei from the Inspection Bureau speak up for me online, but I refused. This will get resolved eventually. If I can’t solve it, then I’ll ask my dad for help."

Baozi nodded. "Huang Yi, like Ye Zheng, was one of the first-generation Inspectors and is very popular. Minister Mei also holds a great deal of prestige in the Inspection Bureau. If those two were to say a word or two for you, Young Miss, it would definitely turn the tide of online opinion."

Da Xiong chimed in with some flattery, "President Pei is so thoughtful. You and him have such a great relationship, Young Miss."

The corners of Pei Xianjue’s mouth lifted into a smile.

However, there was a faint hint of ridicule in it.

"You two go get changed. We’re heading to the training grounds in a bit to practice together," Pei Xianjue said.

The two bodyguards exited the office, one after the other.

Pei Xianjue watched the door close and said to herself with a self-deprecating laugh, ’He’s the chairman of the Pei Group. How could our relationship *not* be good?’

She could be at odds with her mother, but she couldn’t afford to have a falling-out with her father. He held an immeasurable amount of resources in his hands.

It was like in ancient times—what princess would be foolish enough to pick a fight with the emperor?

Pei Xianjue sighed and rubbed her temples.

Even though she didn’t think it was the right time, in order to combat the negative online sentiment against her, she finally braced herself and called Feng Ling.

"Feng Ling, congratulations on clearing another Maze!" Pei Xianjue said with a cheerful laugh. "Are you free anytime soon? I’d like to treat you to a meal to celebrate!"

The background noise on the other end was loud, like the sound of wind, with people laughing and joking around.

Feng Ling’s voice came through. "Soon? Ah... I’m not free for the next few days. Let’s reschedule for another time~"

Pei Xianjue’s heart sank, and the smile froze on her lips.

’What now?’

’I’ve been rejected.’