Leap Forward Comics: Watch How I Become a Villainess

Chapter 47 A New Romance

The first thing Xu Chen did after taking office was to streamline the reimbursement process and the approval process, and at the same time cancel weekly reports and weekly training sessions.

These actions suddenly made his employees, who were initially skeptical of him, willing to support him.

Even the rumors and gossip that were unfavorable to him gradually faded away.

However, Xia Lan didn't have such a good reputation because of Xu Chen's reforms to streamline processes and simplify tasks.

This has led to the need to merge many departments.

Staffing needs to be optimized.

Therefore, as the HR director, all everyone could see was Xia Lan laying off staff and downsizing as soon as she took office, causing widespread discontent.

At the foot of the Wen Group building, many people held up banners demanding that Xia Lan come out and give an explanation.

The banners were mostly insulting her by name.

In her office, Lu He watched the footage of the building below on the security camera. She pressed the assistant call button on her desk: "Mina, tell Xia Lan to stay at her post and not go out!"

After saying that, she felt it was inappropriate and pressed the button again: "Mina, tell Xia Lan to come up and see me!"

A minute later, Mina rushed into the office in a panic. "President Wen! Director Xia has gone out!"

Lu He's expression changed: "What do you mean? Where did she go?"

"She went downstairs to comfort the unemployed workers!"

"What? This is ridiculous! Quickly call some security guards to protect Director Xia!"

Lu He immediately became anxious. She stood up and prepared to rush downstairs.

Suddenly noticing the surveillance footage on the monitor, Xia Lan appeared in front of the crowd downstairs.

Lu He stopped what she was doing. Perhaps this was not the right time for her to step in and help?

"It's Xia Lan! It's her!" Someone in the crowd recognized her at a glance and shouted angrily.

"Trash! Using your position for personal revenge! Bah!"

"It's this woman, she's no good! She climbed up the social ladder by sleeping with people!" someone in the crowd cursed.

Xia Lan silently watched the group of people, letting them hurl insults, hoping to wait until they calmed down.

The insults gradually subsided, probably because she hadn't responded.

Just as she was about to find an opportunity to comfort Xia Lan, a fresh egg hit her on the head.

Suddenly, Xiao Mi burst out of the crowd, carrying a basket of eggs, and led several people to start throwing them at Xia Lan.

"It's this woman who abuses her position for personal gain! She arbitrarily fires employees!" Xiaomi loudly accused the crowd.

Security guards immediately surrounded Xia Lan, separating her from the crowd and blocking the onslaught of eggs.

But suddenly, lots of vegetables, fruits, and empty mineral water bottles flew over from all directions.

It was as if, in an instant, an organized conspiracy was orchestrated, and someone handed over a lot of so-called "weapons" that could be thrown.

The crowd was enraged when the security guards tried to stop them, and they threw things at the guards without any mercy.

"How could this have happened?" Mina exclaimed, looking at Lu He in front of the monitor.

Lu He narrowed her eyes; she had clearly realized that this was a deliberate attack on Xia Lan: "This Xiaomi is suspicious. Investigate who she has been in contact with recently!"

Wen Yiming arrived at the entrance of the Wen Group building very quickly.

When he received Lu He's call, he was still on fieldwork. As soon as he heard that Xia Lan was in danger, he rushed back without hesitation.

He led a group of media reporters through the crowd, grabbed Xia Lan's hand, and shielded her behind him.

"Why are you here?" Xia Lan was a little surprised to see Wen Yiming. "Weren't you supposed to be out of the company today?"

"Xiaoyu called and asked me to come back," Wen Yiming explained in a low voice to Xia Lan.

"Why..." Why doesn't she come out herself? Xia Lan really wanted to ask that.

Wen Yiming knew exactly what she wanted to ask: "Xiaoyu said that the current rumors are very bad for you. If she intervenes again, it will only confirm the rumors. So, the best thing to do now is..."

As he spoke, his eyes suddenly hardened, he gripped Xia Lan's hand tightly, their fingers intertwined, and loudly announced to the media present: "Xia Lan is my girlfriend!"

This sudden situation stunned Xia Lan.

Wen Yiming held her hand tightly, telling her not to resist, and whispered, "This is Xiaoyu's wish."

Wen Yiming put his arm around Xia Lan's shoulder: "As for the employees' accusations, let me explain. I am actually in control of the layoffs. Although Xia Lan is the HR director, I am the one making the decisions behind the scenes. Xia Lan is just an executor."

The media reporters, arranged by Wen Yiming, immediately and tactfully asked, "So, are the rumors about Wen Shiyu and Xu Chen true?"

"You shouldn't be meddling in my sister's private life!" Wen Yiming pretended to be angry.

The reporter understood the exchange: "But isn't President Wen the face of the Wen Group? Did she really abuse her power to help her lover rise to power?"

"I'm sorry, I can't answer that question!" Wen Yiming said, then pulled Xia Lan back into the building. At the same time, security guards began to disperse the crowd, while reporters began to interview the rioters.

Once inside the building, Xia Lan forcefully shook off Wen Yiming's hand and loudly demanded, "Why didn't you explain for Xiaoyu?"

Wen Yiming's silence was tantamount to tacit approval, pushing Lu He and Xu Chen into the center of public opinion.

“Because this is what Xiaoyu meant…” Wen Yiming repeated this sentence again.

"Why?" Xia Lan's eyes were already filled with tears.

“To protect you from public opinion…” Wen Yiming’s eyes revealed sorrow.