After the Fake Heiress Died, She Was Filled with Regret - Chapter 123

Chapter 123: It’s All My Fault, Not Hers…

“That’s all for today. The finance department will bring over the reports for the last few months later. I need to see the final complete plan from the planning department tomorrow morning. The project team, submit your recent work report before clocking out today. Meeting adjourned.”

The conference room was dead silent. Only after Tang Yin left did the lifeless room finally regain a semblance of life, and everyone began to sigh mournfully.

“CEO Tang is terrifying. Three days of consecutive meetings. I can’t take it anymore. I’d rather be fired than have another meeting!”

“Tell me about it… She had a comfortable rest, and now she’s back to enslaving us. Capitalists and workhorses really have a severe distinction.”

“No, I heard CEO Tang was in a car accident and was in the ICU… Luckily, she survived the danger. Look at her walking just now; her right leg still seems a bit uncoordinated. I heard it was broken.”

“Huh? That terrible? Then I’d rather work than get hurt.”

“Stop talking and hurry up and work. At least we had the meeting early in the morning. CEO Tang didn’t make us meet after work. If we push ourselves, we can still finish before clocking out.”

“You’re right. Let’s go, let’s work.”

“CEO Ming?!”

Ming Jing was passing the conference room and couldn’t help but smile, hearing the group’s whispers. She nodded to them. “Hurry up and get busy.”

The few people nervously scurried away, and Ming Jing headed straight to Tang Yin’s office.

Inside the room, Tang Yin had a cigarette in her mouth but hadn’t lit it. She had promised Xia Shinan she wouldn’t smoke anymore, but when work made her anxious, she still couldn’t resist, so she just chewed on it to satisfy her craving.

“The whole company feels resentment the moment you return to work. If this continues, don’t you think half the company will resign next month?” Ming Jing teased.

“They won’t,” Tang Yin said, flipping through documents in her hand. “I never make employees work for nothing. With generous salaries and benefits, they naturally have to do what needs to be done.”

“Mhm… yes, yes, yes. I know you’re like this when you work, but you need to balance work and rest. Don’t exhaust yourself, or your Shinan will come looking for me.”

The four words “your Shinan” were genuinely pleasant to hear. Tang Yin’s frown instantly smoothed out, and a smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.

“Didn’t we agree that you’d relax once I returned to work? Why are you suddenly telling me to rest?” Tang Yin leaned back in her chair and looked at Ming Jing. “What, don’t you want to go out and have fun with Qian Yu?”

This hit a sore spot for Ming Jing. Qian Yu had somehow started hanging out with Mu Ziyu recently, even sharing their favorite clothes and planning to invest in Mu Ziyu’s newly established clothing brand.

She was so busy lately she didn’t have time to pay attention to Ming Jing.

“Ahem, I was just worried, since you just returned to the company, if there was anything I could help you with.”

Tang Yin looked at Ming Jing with a hint of disbelief. “No need. You rest when you should. Everything is going smoothly with my work here.”

Ming Jing clicked her tongue. “Fine, I know you’re amazing. I’m going to get busy now. Call me if you need anything.”

Ming Jing closed the door, and the office fell silent, broken only by the occasional sound of the keyboard. Tang Yin looked at the computer screen, but her thoughts kept drifting to the phone beside her.

It had been almost a full 24 hours, and Xia Shinan still hadn’t replied to her message. She heard Xia Shinan was filming a night scene, and she certainly wouldn’t have time to look at her phone when busy.

Tang Yin kept resisting the urge to call Tao Yi for an update on Xia Shinan. After all, similar actions had upset Xia Shinan before, and she didn’t want to make the same mistake.

But… she truly missed her. They had been separated for two weeks, half a month… Tang Yin had already planned countless times in her mind how she would be Xia Shinan’s little follower and accompany her on set next time.

Tang Yin tapped the screen, opened the album, and meticulously looked at every photo. They were all selfies she had insisted on taking with Xia Shinan before she left.

They were just a little too intimate to be set as a screensaver.

After looking at them for a while, Tang Yin felt energized and ready to continue working. But just as she put her phone down, it rang. She saw it was Wen Juan calling.

Frowning deeply, what happened that Wen Juan would call her directly?

“CEO Tang, this is bad,” Sure enough, as soon as the call connected, Wen Juan anxiously said, “Someone has posted Xia Shinan’s five-year-old issues online. It’s already caused a huge stir.”

Five-year-old issues? Tang Yin’s body stiffened. “What five-year-old issues?”

Wen Juan: “A lot of things. It seems to involve you too. I’ve already contacted PR to handle it, but the other party is aggressive and seems to have been prepared for a long time…”

Tang Yin hung up the phone and immediately opened Weibo. She saw the trending topics and keywords related to Xia Shinan. Her expression grew colder the more she read. Finally, she called Zou Yue:

“Call the PR department. Come to the office now.”

The hot search topped the charts an hour ago, leading to many derivative keywords.

#XiaShinanDiedFiveYearsAgo?#

#XiaShinanandXiaGroup#

#TheRealFakeHeiress#

#XiaShinan’sGirlfriendAtTheTime#

Netizens lamented that this year was truly a year for gossip. So much excitement in just a few months, especially in the last few days.

“I’m late to the gossip. Can someone kindly give me a brief summary?”

“Simply put, Xia Shinan was once the daughter of the Xia Group, but it was later discovered she was swapped at birth. A few days later, she went to the U.S. but was involved in a plane crash. Yes, the one five years ago! Everyone thought Xia Shinan died, but unexpectedly, she’s alive and thriving now.”

“I always thought this woman was complicated. I never expected her identity to be this?!”

“A netizen dug up screenshots of a forum post from five years ago. Xia Shinan was engaged to a man at the time but was secretly dating a girlfriend. What a mess! Link here →”

“My cousin was on that flight and left us forever. Why didn’t Xia Shinan die? She must give an explanation!”

“Are you sick in the head? What explanation do you need from her? Is she the one who caused the plane crash? Besides, the authenticity of these claims still needs to be confirmed!”

“She’s famous, so there’s bound to be drama. Some people can’t stand to see Xia Shinan getting better and are spreading rumors here. I’m waiting for Sister’s response!”

“Sister Shinan, don’t look,” Tao Yi brought the clothes for the next scene into the room and saw Xia Shinan looking at her tablet with a heavy expression. “I already communicated with Sister Juan. She said PR is already handling it, and CEO Tang will also help. The issue will calm down soon, and then we’ll sue everyone who spread rumors!”

Sue? Xia Shinan smiled helplessly, looking up at the furious Tao Yi. “Xiao Yi, at least what I’m seeing now is not a rumor.”

“Huh?” Tao Yi froze. The prop in her hand even dropped to the floor, and she quickly picked it up.

She had secretly read a lot, even arguing with netizens using a burner account, but now her artist was telling her that all of this was true…

“Am I… a big disappointment to you?” Xia Shinan’s eyes were full of fatigue and apology. Perhaps someone with so much controversy should not be in this line of work.

“How could you be…” Tao Yi quickly said. “Everyone liked you initially because of your work! And there’s nothing wrong with your character. Those things weren’t your fault!”

“Sister Shinan, don’t overthink it. People who like you will like you no matter what. People who don’t like you will hate you more just because you like blue and not pink!”

The analogy made Xia Shinan couldn’t help but smile. “Thank you, Xiao Yi.” She stood up and took the clothes and props from Tao Yi’s hands. “Hurry and help me change. Tonight’s scene is very critical.”

“Okay!” Tao Yi’s emotions were complex, but with work at hand, Xia Shinan’s most important task was filming, regardless of the external rumors.

After changing clothes, Xia Shinan put aside all her emotions and focused on her work. But Tao Yi, standing beside her, could already hear the surrounding crew members whispering.

“She’s so composed. Acting like nothing happened.”

“Do you think it’s true or false? I saw someone online also expose that she had a girlfriend before, but the photo of the girlfriend is blurred. I wonder if she’ll come out and say something.”

Tao Yi felt suffocated but didn’t want to start an argument with anyone. She glared at the gossiper, then found a quiet spot to wait.

Her phone vibrated at that moment. She looked at it and quickly answered.

“CEO Tang!”

“Is Shinan doing okay?” Tang Yin looked at the moon obscured by thick fog in the sky, her face full of worry.

“She’s filming… but I don’t think she’s doing too well.” Although Xia Shinan hadn’t cried or become dejected, Tao Yi could feel that Xia Shinan’s heart was still troubled.

Tang Yin pinched the bridge of her nose. “Okay, I understand. Call me if anything happens. Don’t hide anything.”

“Understood.” Tao Yi hesitated for a moment. “CEO Tang, Sister Shinan said those things online are true…”

“Yes,” Tang Yin sighed. “It’s all my fault, not hers.”

CEO Tang’s fault? Tao Yi wondered. Could it be… that the secret girlfriend of Xia Shinan five years ago was CEO Tang?! The more she thought about it, the more likely it seemed. For some reason, Tao Yi felt much more confident. This matter would definitely blow over!

She believed in Xia Shinan’s character and CEO Tang’s ability.

“Cut! Done!” When the director shouted, everyone cheered. After two days of non-stop filming, the scene was finally completed.

“Everyone go back to the hotel and rest well. We’ll continue tomorrow afternoon!”

“Thank you, Director! Director, you’ve worked hard!”

“Thank you, Director,” Xia Shinan said and was about to leave to call Tang Yin to tell her she was safe, but she was stopped by Lin Sha, who played the female lead.

“Shinan, are you okay?”

Xia Shinan smiled faintly at her. “I’m fine, thank you for your concern.”

Lin Sha nodded. “Oh… that’s good. I was worried the hot search would affect your work.”

“Our Shinan is no ordinary person. She has a huge background. What is this little thing to her? Maybe when we wake up tomorrow, the hot search will be gone, and everything will be calm, right, Shinan?”

The speaker was another supporting actress, Shu Qing, who was also from Shiheng.

Xia Shinan knew that Shu Qing already had animosity toward her and would naturally gloat at a time like this. She gave Shu Qing no warm expression. “Perhaps. Since I’m on set, my job is to focus on filming. However, Sister Shu Qing, your lines were incorrect just now. I can consider helping you with your lines if you need me to.”

Shu Qing’s face instantly turned pale. She was already the leading actress in the entertainment industry but was only cast as the third female lead, which was already very frustrating. Yet, this Xia Shinan dared to mock her competence?!

“Hmph, we’ll see!”

Shu Qing glared at her and stormed off angrily.

Xia Shinan ignored her, exchanged a few polite words with Lin Sha, and headed back to the nearby hotel.

These events seemed planned, timed to strike when she joined the film crew, consolidating all the major and minor issues together… Xia Shinan couldn’t help but think of Xia Tong.

Logically, she was still under police investigation. How could she have time to pull off something like this? Xia Shinan didn’t understand and decided to discuss it thoroughly with Tang Yin when she got back.

Preoccupied with her thoughts, she reached her room door and stood there for a while before realizing the room card and her phone were with Tao Yi. She sighed, planning to go look for Tao Yi, but found that her door was unlocked, slightly ajar.

Xia Shinan paused. After a few seconds of thought, she gently pushed the door open, and her heart pounded rapidly.

A person was standing by the window, their back to her, seemingly looking at the view outside. The figure was slender. Xia Shinan only needed one glance to strongly want to step forward and ask if the person hadn’t been eating properly recently.

But the day’s suppressed discomfort and grievances burst out at this moment. She walked into the room, closed the door, and rushed over to hug the person, her tears preceding her words.

“Why are you here?” Xia Shinan held the woman’s slender waist tightly, her voice laced with a sob.

“I was worried about you,” Tang Yin reached out to hold Xia Shinan’s hands. “And I missed you.”