"I have some exclusive news for you," she murmured, her voice dripping with satisfaction, "Chen Yiran is at Energy Hospital right now for her daughter's clinic." with a smirk, "Thought you might want to know."
With that, she ended the call, slipping her phone back into her bag just as a maid returned with her drink. She accepted the glass with a bright smile, with an innocent facade, as if she had done nothing at all, as if she hadn't just set off a chain reaction.
Mo Yeji took a few sips of the juice, anticipation thrumming through her veins. There was a specific moment about to happen that she wouldn't want to miss for the world. She grabbed her bag and left.
Chen Yiran after moments of trying to soothe Azalea, she finally stepped out of Dr. Xu's office. She let out a soft sigh. Azalea had already dozed off in her arms, exhausted from the tiny ordeal.
"First battle down! Thank heavens no one said newborn parenting was easy." she murmured, gently brushing a hand over her daughter's soft curls.
As soon as she got outside the office, Myles was there waiting. They walked towards the elevator.
"Myles, are you married?" Chen Yiran asked him abruptly, glancing at him.
"Not yet," one word answer! Typical!
He reached for her bag, "Let me help you with that, Miss Chen."
Chen Yiran passed the bag to him but suddenly froze. Her phone. She had left it on Dr. Xu's desk.
"I forgot my phone."
"I'll get it" Myles suggested before swiftly heading back toward the office.
"Wait," she called after him, "Can you ask the driver to bring the car to the entrance?"
He nodded, pulled out his phone to make a call, then disappeared down the hall.
Instead of waiting for Myles, Chen Yiran decided to head down and wait in the car. If Azalea woke up and started crying, she didn't want to deal with that while standing in the hallway, she'd rather be in the car. Holding her daughter close, she stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for the ground floor.
As the door slid open and she walked towards the exit past the reception, she adjusted her hold on Azalea and started toward the exit. But just as she was about to step outside, chaos erupted.
Flashes exploded in her face, bright and relentless. A swarm of reporters and paparazzi surged forward, microphones and cameras thrust in her direction. The noise hit her all at once, an overwhelming wave of questions fired from every direction.
'When are you going to post the birth video?'
'What's the reason behind deleting your Memento and Lumeo accounts?'
'Is this your daughter? What's her name?'
'Is it true that you're quitting?'
'Did you appoint Mo Yeji as the CEO of Chassy Miss?'
The voices overlapped, each one louder than the last, pressing in on her with suffocating intensity. Chen Yiran barely had time to register what was happening before Azalea stirred in her arms, letting out a small, restless whimper. She had just received her vaccines, she didn't need this. The noise, the flashing lights - it was too much.
Chen Yiran's heart pounded, 'What is this? I thought it was illegal to take pictures and videos of the Wang family members!'
The questions came from all directions. Not even a chance to answer them.
She hadn't expected this, nor had she prepared for it.
Myles stepped into the lobby, phone in hand, only to be met with chaos. With a glance, he knew he was in so much trouble. A thick crowd of reporters with cameras flashing in rapid succession and their microphones, lapel mics, phones, recording pens. He immediately moved forward, trying to reach her. He attempted to push through together with the three security guards who had arrived.
'That big hospital had only three guards? Why would they even allow reporters inside the hospital? What happened to patient's confidentiality?'
More forcefully, they didn't budge at all. If anything, they were pressing in even closer, their desperation to get a reaction, an answer from Chen Yiran only growing stronger.
Chen Yiran stood frozen, holding Azalea close, her expression a mix of shock, frustration and impatience. The baby started to fuss, shifting restlessly in her arms, her small whimpers began.
Azalea's cries pierced through the chaos, her tiny body trembling in her arms. The crowd was too suffocating.
Chen Yiran tightened her hold, gently bouncing her daughter in an attempt to soothe her, "It's okay, sweetheart. Mommy's here," she whispered, but her voice was lost in the sea of shouting reporters. She continued to rock her gently but how could Azalea calm down when the chaos around them only grew louder.
She thought the reporters would at least show some restraint now that a baby was crying, expecting them to back off, even just a little. They didn't.
These heartless quacks!
Azalea wailed louder, her tiny hands clinging to Chen Yiran's shirt.
Suddenly, the crowd lurched forward, as if someone had pushed them from behind. Chen Yiran instinctively tightened her grip on Azalea. The chaos was spiraling out of control, reporters shoving against one another, desperate for a better angle. Now that Azalea's face wasn't so much hidden, they had to take her face's photo.
Then - thud!
A phone slipped from a reporter's grasp, tumbling through the air before landing right on Azalea's tiny thigh.
Azalea's wails tore through the air like a siren, a pained cry, her little face scrunching up as fresh tears streamed down her cheeks. Her little body jerked in pain, her freshly injected leg throbbing from the sudden impact.
Azalea's cries only fueled the fire inside her. She was already mad and angry as it is. Chen Yiran was done being polite. Done standing there, helpless. If they wouldn't back off, she'd make them!
"ENOUGH!!"