With the dust settled, Jiang Shen left first. As his figure disappeared at the doorway, Fu Cheng said in a deep voice, “Keep your eyes to yourself.”
Zhao Louyue glared at him.
Fu Cheng didn’t mind and asked, “Jiang Shen doesn’t know?”
“He doesn’t know,” Zhao Louyue replied. “And you better keep your mouth shut too.”
“Of course,” Fu Cheng said, showing rare interest beyond work. “What’s the point of telling Jiang Shen? That guy is not easy to deal with. Back then, the Yu family used benefits to coerce him into dating Yu Bai. And how long has it been? The Jiang family’s power has already surpassed the Yu family. Zhao Louyue, you really don’t speak often, but when you do, you go for the toughest challenge.”
“Tough challenge?” Zhao Louyue said, “I don’t think so.”
“I think he was just so-so with Yu Bai,” Fu Cheng said. “It’s tough for you, having to lower yourself to get involved with Yu Bai a few months ago.”
“Did I beg Yu Bai to break up?” Zhao Louyue snorted coldly. “If Jiang Shen is doing well, it has nothing to do with me.”
Fu Cheng sensed something and was a bit surprised, “You, a wild rascal, want to be a protector?”
Zhao Louyue said seriously, “Let’s go boxing later.”
Fu Cheng immediately made a quick escape.
After handling the most important matters, Jiang Shen slept at home for two days, dealing with as much work as he could when he was awake.
During dinner, Tian Lu served Jiang Shen a bowl of chicken soup, “You’ve been sick for a few days, have some to nourish yourself.”
Jiang Shen paused with his chopsticks, politely accepted it, and said, “Thank you, Mom.”
Jiang Mao’s gaze swept over the two of them, sensing that things were not simple.
Sure enough, the next second, Tian Lu changed the topic, “Xiao Shen, since the ‘Mingxi’ project is already set in stone, the follow-up should go smoothly, right?”
Jiang Shen replied, “Depends on the specific follow-up.”
“Here’s the thing,” Tian Lu said, “Your cousin just graduated from college and wants to learn something. He’s been dissatisfied with many companies. My suggestion is, why don’t you take him under your wing?”
Jiang Shen finally lifted his eyelids, “What major?”
“I can’t quite remember… seems like computer science.”
“Not the right field,” Jiang Shen said bluntly. “Mom, this project is very important. If any part goes wrong, it will take a hundred times the effort to fix it afterward. The team currently assembled is made up of the company’s elites, and you want me to squeeze a newcomer in?”
Tian Lu blinked, “Is it that serious?”
But she didn’t mention dropping it.
Finally, Jiang Wenze spoke up to stop it, “Stop messing around. I know your nephew well. He spent his college days clubbing and almost failed to graduate. Wouldn’t he just be a burden on the project?”
Tian Lu threw down her chopsticks and went upstairs.
The atmosphere at the dining table became awkward.
Of course, it was only Jiang Shen and Jiang Mao who felt uncomfortable. Jiang Wenze continued flipping through a magazine, his expression unchanged.
After Jiang Wenze left, Jiang Mao breathed a sigh of relief.
“I see your complexion is better, but your voice is hoarse,” Jiang Mao said.
Jiang Shen replied, “Yeah, thanks for your concern.”
Jiang Shen thought the matter of squeezing someone into the project was over, but two days later, Jiang Zaifeng from the branch company came to report to him, and Jiang Wenze called.
“Your cousin is different from your mom’s nephew. He has real skills, and you’ve seen his performance at the branch company. Take him on.”
Jiang Wenze hung up after saying that.
Jiang Shen pressed his temples hard. On the surface, Jiang Wenze and Tian Lu seemed to be in harmony, but the Jiang family’s early industry was supported by the Tian family, who considered themselves benefactors. Jiang Wenze was always on edge about the Tian family wanting to enter the company. Even if Tian Lu didn’t succeed, he had to comfort himself by squeezing in Jiang Zaifeng.
As for Jiang Zaifeng’s performance… it was indeed outstanding at the branch company, but Jiang Shen thought it was somewhat related to his identity, with people supporting and accommodating him, diluting his abilities.
But who could argue with the fact that he was the deputy general manager?
Fortunately, Jiang Zaifeng was more reliable than Tian Lu’s nephew, at least in the right field and with some brains.
When Jiang Shen announced his inclusion, there was no stir in the group, just a uniform “Received.”
Jiang Zaifeng was indeed good at handling things, giving Jiang Shen some gifts. Jiang Shen couldn’t refuse, so he just threw them all into the storage room.
In case Jiang Zaifeng caused trouble, he could just open the storage room and let Jiang Wenze see for himself.
Jiang Zaifeng stuck close to Jiang Shen, recently attending negotiation occasions, always offering cigarettes and drinks, unable to hide his eagerness.
Of course, Jiang Shen could also sense his outward respect but inward competitiveness.
Today, after finishing a discussion with an important partner in the meeting room, the other party invited them to dinner. Before Jiang Shen could speak, Jiang Zaifeng eagerly agreed.
The partner glanced at Jiang Zaifeng, didn’t respond, and then looked at Jiang Shen for confirmation.
Jiang Shen nodded.
Jiang Zaifeng felt embarrassed.
The partner left first, and when the meeting room was empty, Jiang Shen slowly spoke to Jiang Zaifeng, who was looking nervous, “If you do this again, you can go back.”
Jiang Zaifeng’s face turned ugly, but he quickly adjusted and very submissively apologized to Jiang Shen, “Sorry, Deputy General Manager Jiang, I overstepped.”
Jiang Shen ignored the underlying sarcasm in his use of “Deputy General Manager.”
Everyone thought he was just the deputy, and the final decision was Jiang Wenze’s. What, did they think he had been working for nothing these past two years?
The restaurant was booked, and besides Jiang Zaifeng, Jiang Shen brought along two other team leaders.
These two were personally promoted by Jiang Shen, their abilities far surpassing Jiang Zaifeng’s. They didn’t bother with Jiang Zaifeng’s overt and covert sense of superiority.
Today, there was a heavy rainstorm, and the dinner was lively.
There were only a few top luxury hotels in Lin Du, and with a big project, they were bound to run into acquaintances.
When Zhao Louyue saw Jiang Shen in the hallway, he was quite surprised.
“I just saw Xu Bo. Are you with him?”
“Yes,” Jiang Shen nodded.
Zhao Louyue said, “Then you probably can’t escape, because our two tables are in the same social circle, and we’ll probably end up meeting.”
Jiang Shen didn’t mind, “I’ll go check if there’s a bigger private room.”
“I’ll ask,” Zhao Louyue said, taking out his phone.
Jiang Shen waited beside him.
While typing, Zhao Louyue turned to look at him, “Feeling better from the cold?”
“Yeah, it wasn’t that serious to begin with.”
Zhao Louyue said, “Don’t be stubborn just because you’re young.”
Jiang Shen replied, “Next time you catch a cold, I’ll be sure to return the favor.”
“You’re overthinking it,” Zhao Louyue chuckled. “My constitution is better than you can imagine. I haven’t taken a single pill in the past three years.”
Jiang Shen: “…”
After a couple of minutes, Zhao Louyue put away his phone, “Let’s go, we’re moving to ‘Chun Ting’ upstairs.”
Zhao Louyue’s group hadn’t been there long, and when they heard Jiang Shen’s group was also there, they naturally shouted, “Let’s join together.”
The seating was arranged by Zhao Louyue, and Jiang Shen chatted with the partner beside him, feeling there was no problem. After making a round, he ended up sitting next to Zhao Louyue.
Well, Jiang Shen thought, now they’re not exactly strangers.