Evelyn feigned helplessness, letting out a sigh of melancholy. "After lunch, I went home to get the outfit for the revival race, and just as I got out of the car, I was hit. That car scraped past my leg and wrecked my vehicle."

"Is it that serious?" Director Logan sounded uneasy. "How are you doing now? If you're sure you're okay, I can send someone to pick you up and bring you back to the station."

"I fell when I was hit, and my head has been buzzing since then. I’m still in line waiting for a CT scan." She sent the location of People's Hospital that Jean had shared to Director Logan's phone.

"You were the one who eliminated Jenny. If you don't show up at the revival race, it won't be convincing," Director Logan pondered for a moment. "Never mind, I’ll have Nessa take your place."

Nessa Quinn had joined the station four or five years before Evelyn. She was beautiful, with a versatile hosting style, and had long been a pillar of the station. However, over the past two years, she had become increasingly opportunistic, taking on any advertisement that paid well.

Last year, when a new real estate company launched in Riverton, Nessa stood on stage for three days for three million dollars, and her status as a major host helped sell the new development out.

But six months later, that development was exposed for having incomplete permits, making it impossible to issue property deeds, and Nessa found herself a target of the angry homeowners.

"Thank you for understanding, Director Logan. I probably won't be able to work tomorrow either," she said, suppressing the exhilaration bubbling within her, trying to sound pitiful.

Director Logan paused for a moment. "We'll see how things go. Tomorrow morning, SinoContinental Group has a new product launch. I had arranged for you to cover it."

"SinoContinental?" She was surprised. "You mean that ultra-low-profile SinoContinental?"

"Of course, it’s the SinoContinental owned by Henry and his son. Their new energy company has released several new cars, and this time they want to change their low-key marketing approach to take advantage of media publicity. Although they haven't worked with us before, they're very sincere and offering a pretty high advertising fee."

Director Logan's tone suddenly turned meaningful. "I had arranged for three female hosts for SinoContinental to choose from. Guess what? Junior Mr. Leighton personally chose you."

"Mm." She sensed that it was William's guilt playing a role here. After hitting her car and continuously postponing her interview, he could only offer her some financial compensation from another angle.

"Evelyn, a woman's youth lasts only a few short years. If you make good use of it, you can earn enough money to last several lifetimes and bring economic benefits to the station at the same time. It's a win-win situation; you should seize it."

Every time Director Logan hinted at her, she felt like he was pushing her into a corner.

To avoid running into anyone from the station, she decided not to go out in the afternoon. Instead, she took out some alcohol wipes to clean the blood stains off her calf.

Suddenly, she heard the door unlock. Before she could hide the remaining blood plasma and stained gauze, Jason walked in.

Panic flashed in her eyes as they met Jason's sharp gaze.

His eyes traveled from her face to her freshly cleaned calf and the blood-stained gauze.

He stepped closer and picked up the opened blood plasma bag. "What's going on here?"

"I didn't want to go to the event this afternoon, so I bought some props at the pharmacy to fake an injury. I sent the photo to Director Logan and managed to get out of it," she explained, knowing she couldn't hide the truth from him, and added a disclaimer about Jean.

"Which pharmacy sells fresh blood plasma? Tell me, I’ll go buy some too." Jason tossed the blood plasma bag into the trash. "Jean is helping you with your deceit again. She really never learns."

She realized she had misspoken.

Of course, pharmacies wouldn’t sell blood plasma!

To obtain it at a hospital, one must have a doctor's prescription.

The more anxious she was to explain herself to Jason, the more holes her story had.

"Maybe it’s me who never learns. Jean is in a difficult position this time too." She frowned, trying to defend herself. "The last time she issued a fake nodule test report, it was only after I begged her multiple times that she did it."

"You're deceiving Director Logan this time. Next time, am I next?" Jason threw his jacket onto the sofa and loosened his tie.

She bent down to toss the blood-stained gauze and used wipes into the trash, complaining in a playful tone, "I've told you the truth, yet you're still nitpicking."

The metallic scent of blood in the room made Jason feel uncomfortable. He reached for a window and opened it before heading to the bathroom.

Evelyn let out a sigh of relief as she put the remaining clean gauze into the first-aid kit. As long as she didn’t argue with Jason and he didn’t pick a fight, their time alone together was quite harmonious.

She had already planned to attend the SinoContinental Group’s product launch the next morning and hoped to arrange an interview with William.

SinoContinental was an industrial giant, with several publicly listed companies under its umbrella. Their new energy vehicle project had only been in investment for five years but had already secured a top-five position in the global new energy market.

In fact, the Stark Group’s executives had identified the gap in the domestic new energy market many years ago. Three years ago, when Jason invested over a hundred million in the Lycheeville new energy project, the elder Mr. Stark had high hopes for it. But the Lycheeville project had faced numerous setbacks and had yet to turn a profit.

Evelyn sat on the sofa with her laptop, diving into all the information related to SinoContinental’s new energy initiatives.

When Jason emerged from the bathroom and saw her intently focused on the screen, he leaned over for a look. “Did you manage to get an interview with Henry and his son?”

“No,” she shook her head. “I’m hosting the launch event tomorrow morning.”

“Henry seems unambitious and low-key, but he’s actually quite cunning and profit-driven. William is cut from the same cloth; his seeming modesty is just a façade. He’s thirty and has never had a close romantic relationship—what’s up with that?”

“I’m just focused on hosting tomorrow’s launch and ensuring I get my payment,” she replied, choosing her words carefully.

It was clear Jason had a strong opinion about William, and defending him would only put her at odds with Jason.

“Stay away from him.” Jason’s tone was firm and brooked no argument.

Evelyn caught a whiff of jealousy in his voice and found it amusing.

“Don’t worry. Our production team has tried to arrange interviews with the Leightons seven or eight times, and they've all been turned down. Tomorrow, they probably won’t even glance my way.”

“William loves to play hard to get,” Jason scoffed. “He’s always low-key in business, and that tactic has never failed him.”

Curious about Jason’s deep-seated animosity towards William, she asked, “Did you have a bad experience with him in business?”

“I have more than one unpleasant memory with William,” Jason replied suddenly. He leaned in, wrapping his fingers around the ends of her hair and twirling them, while his other hand closed her laptop, pulling her closer.

With them so near, their breaths mingled in the air.

When Jason’s kiss fell on her lips, she found it hard to engage, her mind wandering to whether Cecilia had faced any consequences.

“Why are you back at this hour?”

After being worn out by Jason’s antics the night before, the lingering pain made her uninterested in sex at the moment.