12
The last time the original host had gone to the Yan Corporation building, she had been completely ignored. Without Yan Zhao’s approval, no one had paid her any attention. In the end, she had stormed off in a rage, kicking the front door on her way out.
This time, however, she got out of the car with Chen Yujin. When they entered the Yan Corporation building, the receptionist hesitated for a moment, momentarily unsure of how to address her.
Chen Yujin shot her a glance.
Gu Xueyi rarely came by—she probably hadn’t been recognized.
Chen Yujin said quietly, “This is Madam.”
The receptionist’s eyes lit up with understanding, and she quickly greeted her, “Madam Yan.”
Gu Xueyi gave a slight nod and entered the elevator with Chen Yujin.
As the elevator doors closed, their figures quickly disappeared from the lobby, but the receptionist still hadn’t fully collected herself.
…Was this the same person? Had that Miss Gu been replaced by someone else?
Jian Changming sat in the small reception room on the tenth floor.
Anything above the tenth floor involved more confidential matters. Even though everyone at Yan Corporation knew Jian Changming was Yan Zhao’s close friend, they wouldn’t dare invite him upstairs.
At that moment, another secretary of Yan Zhao’s was also sitting in the small reception room, keeping him company with casual conversation.
“Executive Chen is already downstairs,” the secretary said, turning back with a smile.
Jian Changming nodded.
No sooner had he completed the motion than he heard soft footsteps in the hallway outside, followed by the murmur of voices.
Then the door pushed open.
“Mr. Jian,” Chen Yujin’s voice preceded him.
Right behind it came Gu Xueyi’s calm greeting: “Mr. Jian.”
As her words faded, she lifted her gaze to size up the man in the small reception room.
Every corner of this building left Gu Xueyi in quiet awe.
The “technology” of this era was truly remarkable. Compared to the Western-style decor in the Yan residence, which had struck her as somewhat “cheap,” everything here commanded her genuine admiration from the inside out.
By contrast, the man sitting on the sofa was not particularly eye-catching.
He wore a gray suit of this era, paired with an old-fashioned pair of silver-rimmed glasses. A fountain pen was clipped to the pocket on his chest. His posture was straight, his seat upright. His features were refined and handsome, and he appeared to be around thirty-five or thirty-six.
Not much older than Jian Rui.
He must simply hold a higher position in the family hierarchy.
“Executive Chen,” Jian Changming said, slowly rising to his feet. He extended a hand and shook Chen Yujin’s, then spared a sliver of attention for Gu Xueyi.
“And this is?”
“Gu Xueyi,” she answered directly, introducing herself.
Jian Changming was surprised for a moment.
But only for a moment. After all, he had seen plenty in his time. He quickly regained his composure.
“And my niece?” Jian Changming asked.
“Yan Wenjia is entertaining Ms. Jian.”
Jian Changming nodded and asked no further questions.
The three of them soon took their seats around a small round table. Someone from the secretarial office brought in coffee and tea, then closed the door to the small meeting room.
Silence immediately fell inside.
Jian Changming glanced at Chen Yujin. Chen Yujin’s expression was neutral, and he made no other move. Jian Changming understood at once that Gu Xueyi was allowed to stay.
Since that was the case, Jian Changming didn’t waste any more time and got straight to the point. “My people have arrived in Niger. That area has had terrorist activities all year round. They couldn’t find President Yan. They only found a few clues—it’s very likely President Yan has moved on to Mali.”
“Thank you for your efforts, Mr. Jian,” Chen Yujin replied. His expression remained unchanged throughout.
“It’s the least I could do,” Jian Changming said. At this point, he suddenly turned his gaze toward Gu Xueyi, his look brushing past her with neither warmth nor coldness.
“I owe President Yan,” Jian Changming said.
Gu Xueyi: ?
What did any of this have to do with her?
Hearing such a remark, Chen Yujin showed no sign of curiosity or confusion, maintaining his professional composure as a secretary throughout.
“The Yan family’s search and rescue team and mercenaries are still continuing their search within Africa. Given President Yan’s capabilities, I’m sure he will come through safely. All we can do now is hold the line domestically,” Chen Yujin said calmly and steadily.
Search and rescue teams, mercenaries… These were people the Yan family kept themselves, likely equivalent to the privately maintained soldiers of an ancient noble household?
It seemed the Yan family’s enterprise was even more vast than she had imagined.
Her choice to remain a quiet listener for now had clearly been the right one.
Jian Changming asked in return, “You’re referring to Yan Corporation’s stock price?”
He gave a faint, shallow smile. “Yan Corporation has deep foundations. The drop is only temporary. Soon enough, people will realize that even with President Yan abroad, Yan Corporation can still function normally. By then, the stock price will rebound. Executive Chen has plenty of experience handling these matters. Even in Haishi, I’ve heard that some attempts at hostile takeovers have been shut down.”
Stock prices. The stock market.
Gu Xueyi silently absorbed these new terms.
Chen Yujin said evenly, “Yan Corporation’s stock price won’t fluctuate. The broader market won’t fluctuate either. So, there’s nothing to worry about.”
“You mean Baoxin?” Jian Changming seemed to perk up with interest at this.
Chen Yujin nodded.
“A complete mess,” Jian Changming said, pausing briefly. “Cleaning this up will stretch you thin, Executive Chen.”
Baoxin…
That must be the name of a company.
Gu Xueyi noted silently.
Was it a subsidiary of Yan Corporation? The concept of a “subsidiary” was something she had just read about in a book.
Jian Changming continued, “And in this mess, I can only play a very small role. The best approach is to spread the risk…”
Chen Yujin gave a slight nod. “Baoxin’s losses are not a significant amount for Yan Corporation. But the hidden risks it brings are considerable. It would be best to share the risk with another enterprise of comparable scale.”
“Then that would have to be… the Jiang family? The Song family?” Jian Changming rattled off a few family names.
Their expressions remained natural, with no intention of shielding Gu Xueyi from the conversation. They probably assumed that even if she heard them, she wouldn’t understand a word of it anyway.
“After all, the Yan family’s foundation is still overseas,” Chen Yujin said, a hint of helplessness finally surfacing on his face.
Jian Changming nodded and commented, “Now is not the right time to bring in overseas enterprises. But Jiang Er of the Jiang family, Song Jing of the Song family… none of them seem to get along with President Yan, do they?”
Not getting along was an understatement.
Chen Yujin thought to himself. If Jiang Er really had cuckolded President Yan, then things were seriously fucking adversarial!
With that thought, Chen Yujin couldn’t help but turn his head to look at Gu Xueyi.
But this Madam Yan had a composed expression, her head slightly bowed, deep in thought about who knew what. The way she stayed silent was, admittedly, rather striking.
“So, what exactly is Executive Chen suggesting?” Jian Changming prompted.
“Ask Mr. Jian to mediate and buy us some time… at least until President Yan returns.”
Jian Changming glanced at Gu Xueyi again.
“I’ll do my best.”
By this point, Gu Xueyi had already pieced together the nature of the trouble from their conversation.
She had done some preliminary homework on “Jian Changming” beforehand. The abundant information on the internet about him was sparse, but she had still managed to pick up on a few key words. The Jian family had certain ties to Huaguo’s political sphere.
The Huaguo political sphere was essentially the equivalent of the imperial court in her past life.
In short, the Jian family had connections with the officials.
In Chen Yujin’s remarks, he had mentioned that the losses from “Baoxin” were insignificant to Yan Corporation, but carried much greater hidden risks—risks that couldn’t even be shared with overseas enterprises.
That meant the losses at “Baoxin” were surely connected to the political sphere.
That was why Chen Yujin had suggested involving the Jian family as mediators.
Because in this situation, the Jian family could actually make a difference.
But the Jiang family Chen Yujin mentioned—were they really that powerful too?
If so, she might have been a bit heavy-handed when she beat up Jiang Er.
And then there was the Song family, with whom she’d had no contact yet… though she would probably meet them soon enough.
The words “political sphere” might terrify others and weigh heavily on them.
But to Gu Xueyi, they didn’t feel like much.
In her past life, she had dealt with countless nobles and royalty… and there was certainly a skill to navigating those circles.
A thought was gradually taking shape in Gu Xueyi’s mind. Hmm… why not give it a try?
From ancient times to the present, not everything was meant only for men.
“Madam Yan, is there anything you’d like to ask?” Jian Changming’s voice suddenly broke in.
Gu Xueyi snapped out of her thoughts and lifted her gaze to Jian Changming. She shook her head.
“Nothing about President Yan’s situation that you want to ask?”
Another shake of the head.
Even Chen Yujin could sense a touch of coldness in that.
Now Jian Changming, too, couldn’t help but question his own perception.
Back then, Gu Xueyi had been so desperate to marry Yan Zhao that she was more obsessive than a star’s most rabid fan—times three thousand. How had she suddenly turned as if she had not only dropped that obsession but turned against it?
Even though he knew perfectly well that the marriage had been a transaction of favors, Jian Changming still felt a faint, subtle sense of guilt.
Yan Zhao’s fate was unknown, yet even his own wife—who ought to be closest to him—didn’t seem to care in the least whether he lived or died. The thought was rather sad, really.
“I’ll have someone take Madam home,” Chen Yujin said, rising to his feet.
Gu Xueyi nodded and stood up.
The two of them walked side by side toward the door.
Just as they reached the door, Gu Xueyi seemed to remember something. She turned her head back slightly and said evenly, “I believe he will come back alive.” This was only the second sentence she had spoken since entering.
Of course, it was just a polite platitude—crudely put, empty talk.
But Jian Changming’s expression shifted slightly.
Chen Yujin’s steps also faltered for a moment.
That sentence carried far more weight than any tearful outcry or anxious shouting…
Once they stepped outside the small meeting room, Gu Xueyi suddenly called out to a young secretary and pulled a sticky note and a pen from her hand.
She turned, pressed the paper against the wall, and quickly wrote a line.
She returned the pen and the rest of the sticky notes to the young secretary.
Then she folded the note and pressed it into Chen Yujin’s palm.
Chen Yujin’s heart gave a violent, sudden pound.
Thump, thump, thump.
His entire body went stiff.
The warmth of her fingertips seemed to linger…
Jian Changming’s eyes narrowed abruptly.
The people in the hallway were also startled.
Chen Yujin then remembered that before coming, he had instructed Gu Xueyi—”Don’t speak.”
And indeed, she had barely opened her mouth the whole time.
But that didn’t mean she couldn’t speak at all! And now she was passing him a note? It made it look like they had some kind of illicit relationship, or worse, like some sort of seduction or flirtation…
Chen Yujin unfolded the note with a wooden expression.
[Secretary Chen, your pants are wet. You spilled tea on them.]
The handwriting was strong and elegant, strikingly beautiful.
Chen Yujin: “……”
Gu Xueyi’s expression remained composed as she strode briskly toward the elevator.
Behind her, Jian Changming frowned deeply, his eyelids twitching uncontrollably.
Gu Xueyi and Chen Yujin?
Meanwhile.
Over on the other side, Jiang Er examined himself in the mirror. The marks on his face had almost completely faded.
Jiang Jing had recently been grounded at home and was bored out of his mind. Coming downstairs, he happened to see his second brother’s actions and couldn’t help but ask, “Did you get through to Gu Xueyi?”
Jiang Yue paused for a moment. “Yan Wenjia should have made it home safely.”
The implication was clear: Gu Xueyi hadn’t answered his call.
Impressive!
Jiang Jing thought to himself.
This really was the first time he had ever seen anyone not answer Jiang Er’s call.
Then, thinking of how terrifying his second brother usually looked with that dark scowl of his, and how much psychological damage it had caused him, Jiang Jing felt a tiny bubble of satisfaction—a little sense of schadenfreude rise in his heart.
The next moment, Jiang Yue’s phone suddenly rang.
Jiang Yue picked it up and answered. The voice on the other end came through—the voice of the person whose line had been busy all along: “Are Mr. Jiang and Mr. Jiang’s family free on the 17th?”
What? Was she planning to host a banquet and invite him to dinner?
Jiang Yue pressed his lips together. His cheek still ached faintly.
He smiled. “Yes, we’re free.”
Across from him, Jiang Jing shuddered at the sight of that smile.
**
Everyone is eagerly placing hats on President Yan’s head.
President Yan, far away in Africa: ? Thank you, I guess?