Buzz—Buzz
[Senior Brother Bai] “Junior Sister, may I invite you to dinner tonight?” — WeChat message from Senior Brother Bai.
Jiang Shu carefully set down the jade bracelet in her hand and replied: “Sorry, Senior Brother Bai, I have some matters to attend to tonight.”
After a while, the next message came through:
[Senior Brother Bai] “No problem, you go ahead with your work (head pat)”
Bai Shuxi stroked his phone screen, his interest growing even stronger: Jiang Shu, intriguing…
“Young Master, this year’s batch of new employees are all quite outstanding, graduates from prestigious universities,” the deputy director outside the glass window noticed Bai Shuxi smiling while watching inside and added a few flattering remarks.
“Quite good,” Bai Shuxi said. After a long while with no new messages on his phone, the corner of his mouth lifted as he watched Jiang Shu inside. Under the fluorescent light, her skin appeared as fair as snow, her features as exquisite as a painting, with an added touch of stunning allure—the kind of appearance all men would adore, and he was no exception. It’s truly quite interesting; using such a girl as a substitute would be a pity.
While several people were talking outside, the director came over for inspection. At a glance, he scanned everyone’s workstations.
The other employees still had numerous items on their workstations, even Yu Meng with the lightest workload still had some left. Only Jiang Shu’s surface was completely clean, with everything already boxed and packaged.
“Is this your work attitude?! Did you even examine them carefully?!”The director pulled a long face and scolded, clearly not believing that a fresh graduate could work faster than experienced staff.” Even he himself might not be able to complete the work this quickly.
“I examined them,” Jiang Shu said. “The unqualified ones have been set aside, and the counterfeits have been separated.”
Unconvinced, the director picked up a jade bracelet Jiang Shu had just packed, remeasured its inner diameter with a ruler, and carefully examined it under the instrument. He found that all the data matched what Jiang Shu had recorded.
Ahem, be more patient. Don’t be so eager for quick results. If there’s anything you don’t understand, you should ask for guidance.” In front of so many employees and leadership, the director felt embarrassed and deliberately maintained a stern expression.
The inspection room door opened as Bai Shuxi and the deputy director entered.
The director immediately put on a smile and hurried over: “What brings the Young Master here today?”
“Good day, Young Master.” “Good day, Deputy Director.” “Good day, Director.”…
The deputy director remained silent, nodding to everyone. Bai Shuxi picked up the jade bracelet the director had just re-examined: “What’s the matter? Is there something wrong with this piece?”
The director forced a dry laugh: “Ah… ha, no, no. It’s just that Xiao Jiang is new here and inevitably somewhat impatient. I was reminding her to be more careful in the future.”
Everyone felt somewhat disdainful—clearly he hadn’t trusted her abilities, and now after being proven wrong, he was trying to save face.
The deputy director smiled and said: “Xiao Jiang has quite a talent for appraisal. Data that others need tools to measure, she can determine just by touch. She’s naturally suited for this work.”
Bai Shuxi nodded in agreement, a slight smile appearing on his face: “So far, our teacher has only accepted two students—me and my junior sister. That alone speaks to her excellence.”Upon hearing this, the department head broke out in a cold sweat and dared not say another word. So this Vixen was actually the young master’s junior sister?! He had assumed Jiang Shu had only gotten the opportunity to join Baili because Bai Shuxi favored her. Now, to deny Jiang Shu’s capabilities would be to deny the young master’s judgment. The middle-aged department head could only nod repeatedly in agreement.
“Haha, young master, perhaps we should take a look at other departments,” someone chimed in to smooth things over. “Yes, yes, let’s not disturb the young employees at work. Let’s go check out other areas.” “Hahaha, right, right!”
The other employees watched as the superiors left. Before departing, Bai Shuxi personally took the jade bracelet the department head had presented, placed it back into its case with a smile, and handed it to Jiang Shu.
Jiang Shu thanked him calmly, her expression composed from start to finish, as if the minor commotion had nothing to do with her.
Yu Meng tightened her grip on the measuring tape, the sour bubbles in her heart swelling ever since Bai Shuxi entered and now bursting into a flood of bitterness. She didn’t believe Jiang Shu was all that capable—she was just using her looks to show off in front of the young master.
Amid the sarcastic remarks, Jiang Shu hadn’t even clearly heard what the department head said. She hadn’t eaten lunch, and her nerves had been stretched taut all along. Now she was starting to feel unwell.
With her work completed, Jiang Shu ignored the mix of puzzled, admiring, and awestruck glances from others. She changed out of her work clothes, returned to her desk, and began packing up to leave.
Just as she was tidying up, Lin Miaomiao sent a message:
【Lin Miaomiao】：Shu Shu-jie? Are you off work? I’ll come pick you up!
【Lin Miaomiao】：kitten rolling around jpg.
Jiang Shu glanced at the sky; it wasn’t too late yet, and taking a taxi should be quite fast.
【Shu Shu-jie】：Send me the route. I can take a taxi there.
Buzz—buzz—a new message arrived.
【Lin Miaomiao】：Route…
Lin Miaomiao had chosen a highly-rated hot pot restaurant, located quite close to Baili.
After a pause, Jiang Shu sent another message.
【Xiao Shu】：What time will you be back for dinner tonight?
In the CEO’s office at Cheng Corporation…
Cheng Xiyu was handling matters related to the bidding for the land in the northern part of the city. Several senior executives were locked in a heated debate over the issue.
“Cheng Corporation’s capabilities are undeniable! As long as we’re willing to invest, the government will surely award this project to us!”
“True, but how much should we invest? The company just closed a major deal—don’t we need funds for that? Where will the money come from?!”
“If we secure this project, won’t money follow?! You… you’re just short-sighted!”
“I’m short-sighted?! What if we can’t secure follow-up funding? Can you take responsibility? Can I?! Not to mention, we have the Xiang family as competitors!”
“That’s why we have President Cheng here! Plus, with the shares we hold, would a company as large as Cheng Corporation really face such a situation?!”
“Shares?! Xiang Jiamu holds absolute controlling shares in the Xiang family! Didn’t Old Cheng President already transfer his 10% to… ahem…”
“……”
………………………
The air seemed to freeze. The previously arguing group fell into an awkward, tense silence.
The divisional leader who had spoken out of turn didn’t dare to breathe heavily.
In the vast conference room, only the sound of Cheng Xiyu’s fingers tapping on the table could be heard.
Tap—tap—tap—, each knock striking the taut nerves of everyone present.
Cheng Xiyu: “The Cheng Corporation will participate in the bidding. Any shortfall will be covered from my personal account.” “Everyone may leave now.”
“Understood, President Cheng. We’ll begin preparations immediately.”
“With President Cheng’s assurance, we have no further concerns. We’ll take our leave now, haha.”
The attendees discreetly wiped cold sweat from their foreheads, laughing nervously as they hurried out of the conference room.
Wang Ye: “Team… President Cheng, I’ll go organize the documents.”
“Mhm.”
Wang Ye glanced at his team leader—now President Cheng—who remained seated with downcast eyes, emanating a palpable low pressure. After exiting, Wang quietly closed the door behind him.