“Wanyin? What are you doing here?”
Just as Jiang Wanyin walked into Tiandu Tower that day, she ran into an unexpected person.
Chen Lin, her high school classmate—the girl who had a crush on the boy Jiang Wanyin liked in sophomore year, and had been passive-aggressive toward her ever since.
Jiang Wanyin remembered that Chen Lin had only gotten into an ordinary vocational college up north.
Looking at her high school classmate, now dressed in designer labels and looking glamorous, Jiang Wanyin recovered her composure after a brief moment of surprise. “Chen Lin? I’m here to see a client upstairs.”
“Oh? Which floor? I got married—my husband is the owner of Mufeng Construction on the second floor.”
Chen Lin smiled and pulled a business card from her bag. As she handed it over, the large diamond ring on her finger sparkled dazzlingly.
“Congratulations, congratulations.”
Jiang Wanyin took the card and glanced at it—Deputy Manager of Mufeng Construction. Wasn’t this the company that her four bosses had dismissed as overreaching?
“Which company upstairs is your client?”
Noticing Chen Lin’s subtle appraisal, Jiang Wanyin guessed she was just trying to show off.
In the past, this might have made her feel uneasy, but after working in the bustling, extravagant metropolis for over half a year, she had long since faced reality and grown much more tactful.
Jiang Wanyin smiled openly. “Longye Construction. Their boss commissioned our company to design a villa renovation. I’m currently working as an interior designer at an architecture firm too.”
Chen Lin’s gaze swept over her old classmate’s clothes and handbag with a hint of disdain, though her words remained polite: “Looks like we’ll be in the same industry now. We should keep in touch.”
“Mm, we’ll connect on Cloud Message. I’ll head up first.”
Mufeng and Longye were competitors, and Jiang Wanyin felt that Longye was probably the stronger company.
Shen Ci went without saying—he was planning to open banks in China, at least twenty branches at once. A true big capitalist.
Pei Zhou’s family ran Yimei Entertainment, one of the top three entertainment companies in the country.
Most of Chen Li’s business was overseas—something to do with mining, she’d heard.
Feng Ziyan might be too young; she hadn’t been able to find out much about him yet.
None of these four were ordinary rich kids. Their net worth was in the billions, yet they kept a low profile.
Jiang Wanyin had to dig around for ages just to find a scrap of information.
Recalling President Pei’s contemptuous tone, she had a feeling that Chen Lin’s company would eventually be crushed by Longye.
Upstairs, the moment she stepped into the lobby, Jiang Wanyin was captivated by Longye Construction’s grand interior design.
This must be the work of a master designer. She instinctively pulled out her phone to take photos.
“Miss, photography isn’t allowed here.” The receptionist approached.
Jiang Wanyin snapped back to reality and apologized sheepishly: “Ah, I’m sorry. I just saw how exquisite the design is and couldn’t help wanting to save it for study.”
The receptionist smiled. “Miss, do you have an appointment?”
“Appointment?”
Shen Ci had only told her on Cloud Message to come to Longye Construction—nothing else. She honestly didn’t know whether she was registered for an appointment.
The big boss probably wouldn’t have personally arranged it, right?
“I don’t think I have an appointment, but—”
Just as Jiang Wanyin pulled out her phone, a cold, haughty female voice came from behind her: “If she has no appointment, don’t let her in.”
The receptionist bowed slightly. “President Hu.”
Jiang Wanyin turned around to see a stylish woman in a bright yellow business suit walking past her.
She gave Jiang Wanyin a casual glance before striding inside.
Chen Lin’s disdain was crude and obvious, but this President Hu’s look was one of lofty condescension—as if Jiang Wanyin were dirt beneath her feet. It made her deeply uncomfortable.
Just then, a tall, imposing figure emerged from inside. Hu Xin had barely started to speak—”Lucien, you—”
The golden-haired man brushed past her: “Lisa, I figured you’d be arriving about now.”
In that simple greeting, Hu Xin detected a hint of excitement.
She turned around and saw Shen Ci gazing at the woman with gentle eyes as he reached out to take her briefcase.
“This laptop of yours is too heavy. I’ll have a word with Zhou Hai later to get you a lighter one.”
Jiang Wanyin had just parted her lips to speak when the receptionist cut in: “President Shen.”
Shen Ci’s eyes sharpened slightly. The man, having dropped his polite smile, radiated an overwhelming presence: “This is Designer Jiang from Jiamu Architecture. From now on, if she comes to Longye to see me, no appointment is needed.”
The receptionist nodded nervously: “Yes, yes, of course. I’ll remember that.”
“Let’s go—Chen Li’s here too.”
Shen Ci lightly guided Jiang Wanyin’s back with his hand. Her brow twitched slightly, but she held back from dodging.
The two walked on, passing by Hu Xin without Shen Ci pausing to greet her. Jiang Wanyin naturally followed along.
Once their figures disappeared, Hu Xin’s composed smile instantly vanished, her fists clenched tightly.
She said to the receptionist, “From now on, when this Designer Jiang comes to Longye, notify me privately.”
After giving the instruction, Hu Xin lifted her chin slightly, straightened her back, and walked away.
The receptionist returned to her post and let out a quiet tsk.
Good thing she hadn’t said anything rude to that Designer Jiang earlier—given how much President Shen valued her, she’d probably be packing her things and out the door by now.
Hu Xin was a returnee from a prestigious overseas university, and her family supposedly ran a large company too. She was also President Shen’s classmate.
And even she hadn’t earned much favor from President Shen.
Just who was this Designer Jiang, to have the always aloof President Shen come out to receive her in person?
From all the gossip the receptionist had witnessed over the years, President Shen’s look at Designer Jiang was definitely not innocent.
But she couldn’t figure out how President Shen could fancy a woman of such ordinary looks—one whose only notable qualities were a simple, clean elegance.