Obviously, Bureau Chief Liu had his own driver, so making a request like that meant he clearly had other motives!
Song Xi wasn’t angry; in fact, she was rather excited.
Because she had already hatched a plan to send Bureau Chief Liu straight to the cemetery.
The moment President Jiang gave the nod of approval, she would be ready to set off.
Meeting his gaze four eyes to four eyes, Jiang Yanzhou didn’t see a shred of fear in Song Xi’s eyes—only delight and excitement.
His dark eyes dipped lower. His Secretary Song was practically aching to send Bureau Chief Liu home!
Turning his head to look at Bureau Chief Liu, Jiang Yanzhou offered a roguish, devil-may-care smile.
“My apologies, Bureau Chief, but Secretary Song has to drive me back.”
Bureau Chief Liu’s expression turned rather unpleasant. It wasn’t often he encountered a woman who actually piqued his interest.
This Jiang Yanzhou was utterly lacking in tact. Instead of waiting for him to ask, the man should have proactively volunteered Song Xi to drive him home.
Now that he had actually deigned to ask, Jiang Yanzhou dared to refuse him!
Still far too young and naive; Haicheng wasn’t run by the Jiang Corporation alone.
As a clear-headed bystander, CEO Lu’s brows were practically fused together. This particular project was so massive that it required a joint venture between the Jiang Group and the Lu Group.
Though Jiang Yanzhou’s mouth was as toxic as poison, his vision was razor-sharp and his professional competence was top-notch, making Lu Han Cheng feel completely at ease collaborating with him.
And so, Lu Han Cheng decided to step in and try to salvage the situation.
“Bureau Chief, let me send you back this time. We’ll have Secretary Song and President Jiang escort you next time instead.”
Lu Han Cheng knew that expecting Song Xi to drive Bureau Chief Liu home alone was an absolute impossibility.
Because he understood Jiang Yanzhou, knowing full well he wasn’t the type of man to “sacrifice” his own secretary just to bag a project.
Bureau Chief Liu glanced at Song Xi once more, deciding to grant Jiang Yanzhou one final chance.
If Jiang Yanzhou showed a bit more sense next time, the project would stay with the Jiang Corporation.
Giving Jiang Yanzhou a meaningful look, Lu Han Cheng opened the rear door. Once Bureau Chief Liu settled inside, Lu climbed in right beside him.
The moment the car pulled away, Jiang Yanzhou reached out, pulled Song Xi into his arms, and walked her over toward their own vehicle.
Lu Han Cheng: “…”
He had a solid string of profanities he desperately wanted to unleash. No way—is Jiang Yanzhou actually a hopeless romantic?
With a dark face, Bureau Chief Liu muttered, “Little Lu, what do you think of the He Group?”
Lu Han Cheng was naturally familiar with the He Group. Just two days prior, thanks to family arrangements, he had gone on a blind date with the head of the He family.
Don’t get any wrong ideas—the current CEO of the He Group was a woman, and quite a young one at that.
He’s second young miss, He Mingshu, was three years younger than Lu Han Cheng, but her business acumen was every bit as formidable as his own.
With a polite yet awkward smile, Lu Han Cheng replied, “Bureau Chief, I think the He Group is great, but this project has always been spearheaded by the Jiang Group. If we suddenly swap it over to the He Group, it might throw off our timeline.”
After a brief silence, Bureau Chief Liu asked Lu Han Cheng, “What is the relationship between Little Song and Little Jiang?”
With deadpan earnestness, Lu Han Cheng answered, “They spend day and night together; their relationship is deeply extraordinary.”
Indeed, their relationship was extraordinarily close—so close that the waist Jiang Yanzhou was currently caging in still ached with soreness!
However, since Jiang Yanzhou had consumed alcohol earlier, Song Xi was forced to take the wheel.
Fortunately, this was the drive back, so taking it slow wouldn’t be an issue.
Seeing Jiang Yanzhou slide into the front passenger seat, Song Xi gave a light, dismissive curl of her lip. Rest assured, she was going to drive very slowly.
Once her seatbelt was securely fastened, Song Xi immediately turned her gaze toward the man beside her.
Sure enough, His Excellency was just as “lazy” as ever, sitting there waiting for her to help him buckle up.
Recalling that one-sided, retaliatory “kiss,” Song Xi put on a mask of absolute defense and declared,
“President, the moment you buckle your seatbelt is the exact moment I start the car!”
Showing not the slightest intention of fastening his seatbelt, Jiang Yanzhou fixed Song Xi with a gaze that felt as chilling and terrifying as a sheet of glacial ice.
“Secretary Song, are you threatening me?”
Subconsciously shrinking her neck back, Song Xi refused to back down.
“President, I’m simply asking you to buckle your seatbelt. How on earth does that count as a threat?”
“If it isn’t a threat, then why aren’t you helping me do it?” The President fired back as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Song Xi was utterly speechless, but her time was precious, and she refused to waste it on such childish games.
“Fine, I’ll buckle it for you right now.”
However, the moment she leaned in close, the man’s long, powerful hand shot out and clamped firmly around her delicate chin.
Immediately afterward, his cold, crisp voice sounded right beside her ear.
“Secretary Song, were you really that eager to send Bureau Chief Liu home just now?”
Without a trace of fear, Song Xi retorted, “That’s right! I was going to drive him straight to the cemetery and treat him to an exhilarating, unforgettable night.”
Jiang Yanzhou: “…”
That was certainly an entertaining answer, and his Secretary Song was quite an entertaining woman.
Withdrawing his hand, the President buckled his own seatbelt and said, “Secretary Song, I need to make a stop at the supermarket.”
Song Xi blinked in surprise. Having served as his secretary for three years, this was the absolute first time she had ever heard him express a desire to go to a supermarket.
Starting the engine, she asked respectfully, “President, what is it you need to buy? Shall I just pick it up for you?”
She had zero desire to accompany the high-and-mighty, sharp-tongued President on a supermarket run. Just imagining the scene made her feel exhausted.
A wicked, bewitching smile played on the President’s lips. “Secretary Song, are you certain you want to buy it for me?”
Giving it a hasty once-over, Song Xi instantly raised her guard. “Not certain. You better spell out what it is first.”
Song Xi had turned her internal radar on full blast; the moment the President flashed a smile like that, she knew she had to exercise caution upon caution.
Unflustered, the President replied, “Only after Secretary Song confirms she’s willing to buy it for me will I tell you what it is.”
Song Xi: “…”
Though the President looked like a young man, he was truly an old, cunning fox!
Driving smoothly down the road, Song Xi decided she would just let the President buy it himself.
If he ended up purchasing something weird or inappropriate, she would simply distance herself and pretend she didn’t know him at all.
Clearing her throat, Song Xi probed, “President, by rejecting Bureau Chief Liu like that just now, aren’t you worried this project might fall through?”
With absolute nonchalance, the President replied, “If this project falls through, the company won’t go under. But if he falls through, he’ll never be able to climb back up.”
Song Xi understood instantly. The “he” in the President’s sentence referred to Bureau Chief Liu.
That was an undisguised, bare-faced threat. Song Xi knew all too well that Jiang Yanzhou was a man of his word—and a ruthlessly ruthless one at that.
Otherwise, given his background as an illegitimate son, he never would have clawed his way to the CEO’s chair.
According to rumors, the reason the eldest young master of the Jiang family had ended up in a vegetative state was entirely the handiwork of her own President.
Daring not to pry any further, Song Xi obediently kept her eyes on the road.
Fearing that the small neighborhood convenience stores wouldn’t carry whatever the President was looking for, she drove straight to the entrance of a massive, hyper-scale supermarket and brought the car to a smooth stop.
True to form, the second they stepped foot inside the supermarket, Song Xi and Jiang Yanzhou became the absolute center of attention.
That face of the President’s wasn’t just good-looking—it was strikingly, uniquely handsome, largely thanks to his pair of striking blue eyes.
Standing right beside Jiang Yanzhou without her “heavy makeup,” Song Xi was a match for him every step of the way.
To the casual onlooker, they looked like a match made in heaven.
Leaning in close to her ear, Jiang Yanzhou murmured,
“Secretary Song, grab whatever you like—it’s my treat.”
In an instant, the look Song Xi gave the President lit up as if a million stars were twinkling inside her eyes.
“President, there are so many things I want to buy, you know!”
With a soft, indifferent “mhm,” the President reached out and took the shopping cart right out of Song Xi’s hands.
Like a wild horse let loose from its reins, Song Xi began grabbing all the high-end snacks and items she had previously wanted to try but deemed too expensive.
Had the shopping cart not been piled to absolute capacity, she probably would have kept going.
Feeling a sudden twinge of embarrassment, Song Xi asked, “President, did you grab the things you came here for?”
Shaking his head slightly, Jiang Yanzhou didn’t pick up his items until they reached the checkout counter.
The moment she caught a clear look at what Jiang Yanzhou had placed on the belt, Song Xi’s entire face flushed violently red.