At the entrance of the pantry, a young woman dressed in black professional attire bent down to pick up a document from the floor. She sneered without hesitation, “If you have the time to gossip like this, you’d be better off putting that energy into your work. That way, you might actually make it to a supervisor position instead of remaining a team leader after two years.”
“You… Zhang Xiaomei, what are you so proud of? Everyone in the Finance Department knows you got in through the back door! Is it your place to tell us what we can or can’t say?”
The girl in the floral dress reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on; she was so furious that she struck directly at the other’s weak point.
Zhang Xiaomei gripped her documents tightly, her voice trembling slightly at the end: “The employee handbook clearly states that you cannot privately discuss your superiors. You think you’re in the right?”
Seeing her companion on the verge of tears, the other girl frowned and opened her mouth to argue, but she was interrupted by the sudden appearance of Jiang Lingyue: “If you’ve said enough, go downstairs and eat lunch.”
They were at the entrance of the Chief Financial Officer’s office.
Jiang Lingyue’s voice was crisp and brook no argument. The tense, oppressive atmosphere in the pantry dissipated instantly. The three girls lowered their heads like quailing sparrows and scurried away from the scene.
She made a “please enter” gesture to Lu Yanqing, who was standing by the elevator: “I thought President Lu would come looking for me the very next day after her return.”
Lu Yanqing smiled faintly: “It’s not too late to come now.”
Both she and Jiang Lingyue had graduated from University A in Kyoto. This woman was four years her senior, and in private, she addressed her as “Senior.”
Years ago, Jiang Lingyue had entered the Lu Group by chance. Her outstanding professional skills led the Old Master to entrust her with great responsibilities.
Jiang Lingyue followed Lu Yanqing into the office and closed the door. The Venetian blinds were precisely tilted to 45 degrees shielding them from prying eyes while still allowing light through.
Handing over the prepared materials to Lu Yanqing, Jiang Lingyue turned on the projector while speaking: “Back then, when you entered a marriage alliance with President Xie, the two families reached a long-term cooperation agreement. For the past three years, on the surface, President Xie directed the best resources in the mall toward Elis, but in reality…”
She paused there, then quickly added, “Of course, these are President Xie’s private affairs, which I have no right to question. Even Old Mr. Lu turns a blind eye to it.”
Lu Yanqing sat at the desk, looking down at the documents. She understood perfectly what Jiang Lingyue left unsaid; after all, not long ago, Xie Siyu had asked her to shut down five Elis stores.
Jiang Lingyue tapped the projector remote, and three sets of data models appeared on the screen: “The first project President Xie took over after becoming the President of Lu Group was the site selection for the West Suburb warehouse.”
“She directly chose the storage land for Elis, which was nearing the end of its lease. This met with strong opposition from Director Lu and Director Liu.”
As she spoke, she pulled up a screenshot of an encrypted email: “To maintain balance, President Xie had to agree to let Director Lu’s old classmate handle the warehouse renovations. However, after the construction team had been working for half a month, a scandal broke out regarding the quality of the project. According to the contract, the party had to pay triple the liquidated damages.”
Lu Yanqing raised an eyebrow. She remembered her second uncle getting tipsy at last night’s family dinner, grumbling about an old matter where the West Suburb warehouse renovation had cost him millions for nothing. So, that was it?
“On the eve of Children’s Day last year, the ‘Youtongle’ children’s clothing brand was found to have excessive formaldehyde levels.”
Jiang Lingyue pushed a quality inspection report across the desk. “Director Lu wanted to suppress the news until the promotion season ended, but President Xie cleared out three floors of merchandise overnight.”
She pulled up surveillance footage from 2:00 AM: Xie Siyu, wrapped in an oatmeal-colored trench coat, was directing an emergency response team. Behind her, an electronic screen scrolled with a compensation plan.
“Triple compensation with a shopping receipt, plus a 50% discount coupon for #Little Deer Parent-Child#.”
“Little Deer Parent-Child is a local brand introduced by President Xie.” Jiang Lingyue clicked on an equity structure diagram. “She used a crisis management maneuver to divert traffic, converting 20% of Youtongle’s customer base into Little Deer members.”
Jiang Lingyue turned off the projector and sighed lightly: “I’ve only listed a few examples. Over these three years, President Xie had to prevent Director Lu from dismantling the Lu Group’s foundation while also appearing to give ‘leeches’ like Elis some benefits.”
In short, it had been very difficult.
As for what Lu Yanqing’s brother, Lu Yanzhao, had been up to over these three years, Jiang Lingyue didn’t even want to voice it; she simply pulled up a PPT for Lu Yanqing to read herself.
Twenty minutes later.
Lu Yanqing returned to the 32nd floor. In the President’s office, Xie Siyu was waiting for her for lunch. Today, Liu Yao had ordered several signature dishes from a private kitchen.
“Why is there chili?”
After Lu Yanqing sat down, Xie Siyu handed her a pair of chopsticks and explained softly, “I can’t always make you eat bland food. Don’t worry, there’s only a tiny bit in the poached lettuce. I can eat it.”
“It doesn’t matter to me, but you don’t force yourself.”
Lu Yanqing wasn’t that picky about food and could handle a light diet. Calculating the time, it had been over a week since Xie Siyu’s last gastroscopy follow-up. Her stomach should be feeling better, right?
Xie Siyu wore a gentle smile: “I’m not forcing myself.” As she spoke, she placed a piece of king oyster mushroom in Lu Yanqing’s bowl. She didn’t ask why Lu Yanqing had gone downstairs to see Jiang Lingyue; instead, she proactively brought up her relationship with Shen Yanqing.
“Yanqing and I were university roommates and are good friends. When Grandpa Lu wanted me to take the position of Group President, I… needed someone I could trust.”
“Mhm, I understand.”
Lu Yanqing didn’t look up as she spoke. Today’s broccoli with shrimp was quite good light, fresh, and tender.
However, just as she was about to pick up a third shrimp, she finally noticed Xie Siyu watching her. After a moment, she realized what was happening, and a tender smile spread in her eyes: “Did you think I was just humoring you?”
Xie Siyu smiled without saying a word.
Lu Yanqing put down her chopsticks, took a sip of the fresh orange juice beside her, and explained unhurriedly: “If it were me, suddenly taking over such a large group with wolves in front and tigers behind, I would certainly cultivate my own people as well.”
The implication was clear: I understand and approve of you hiring Shen Yanqing and appointing her as the HR Director.
Dealing with smart people only required a small hint for them to understand your meaning.
Lu Yanqing served Xie Siyu a bowl of fresh bamboo shoot soup: “So, President Xie, eat in peace. I said I would believe you.”
“Even if problems really arise in the future, I will listen to your explanation first. Okay?”
Let alone couples in love, even married wives need communication and exchange when encountering problems or conflicts. And Lu Yanqing happened to be the type who proactively communicated when things happened.
In the evening after work, Lu Yanqing originally wanted to take Xie Siyu to a Korean restaurant in the suburbs. However, just as they reached the B2 parking garage, Zhong Wanyi called: “7:00 PM, waiting for you at the old place for dinner. Bring Siyu-jie along.”
“Wanyi is inviting us to a Western restaurant. Do you want to go?”
In the driver’s seat, Lu Yanqing buckled her seatbelt while asking for Xie Siyu’s opinion. The faint scent of orange blossom from the car diffuser swirled around her nose exactly the same as the perfume on the woman beside her making her breathing a bit unsteady.
After starting the engine, she inconspicuously lowered the left window by a crack to let the cold outside air in. She needed to keep her cool and stop her thoughts from wandering.
“Sure.”
Xie Siyu nodded gently. Once the car slowly pulled out of the garage, she took her phone out of her bag, unlocked it, and canceled the reservation at the Korean restaurant.
As the sun set, the orange light slanted through the car window, reflecting in tiny glints off Xie Siyu’s pearl earrings. The corners of her lips were slightly curled, and her clear, bright eyes held a smile as tender as water.
Clearly, she was very happy that Lu Yanqing was taking her to meet friends.
Meanwhile, at a Western restaurant named Halo in Rongcheng’s Second Ring Road.
This was the “old place” Zhong Wanyi had mentioned.
In private room 202 on the second floor.
There was a rectangular dining table near the floor-to-ceiling window. The interior of the window was draped with curtains, creating a private and stylish atmosphere. A prism-shaped crystal vase sat in the center of the table.
Zhong Wanyi had shoulder-length hair and wore a white knit top under a short denim jacket paired with a black straight skirt looking both cool and edgy.
The woman beside her had a delicate and elegant appearance, wearing a long-sleeved lotus-leaf collar dress. Anyone who frequently browsed Weibo would recognize her immediately: she was the actress Song Wei.
Zhong Wanyi’s family was in the building materials business. She had two older sisters, and her lifelong ambition was to live a comfortable life of leisure. Her parents’ expectations for her were low as long as she didn’t break the law, she could do as she pleased.
Thus, she held a nominal position at the company, but in reality, she was a “data worker” for the entertainment industry. Her large Weibo account, “Just Loves Eating Bunnies,” was the head of the fan club for the third-tier actress Song Wei.
Today was also their first time meeting “offline.”
Zhong Wanyi was incredibly excited and insisted on fighting for an opportunity for her idol. Mainly, Song Wei had recently failed an audition for the third female lead in the drama The Fall of the Nine Heavens.
“Weiwei, don’t be nervous. My friends are very easy to get along with; they don’t have any of that wealthy heiress arrogance. You’ll see when you meet them later.”
Zhong Wanyi picked up the teapot and refilled Song Wei’s cup with Roselle tea. Noticing her nervousness, she offered more comfort.
“Thank you.”
Song Wei was indeed overwhelmed by the favor. How could she have imagined that her fan club president was the young miss of the Zhong family in Rongcheng?
Upon meeting, Zhong Wanyi had been extremely warm, not only inviting her to dinner but also offering to introduce her to endorsements. One must know that endorsements for the Lu Group were not something an actress of her level could typically touch.
On the table, the phone screen lit up and dimmed. The lock screen was a passage from the original novel of The Fall of the Nine Heavens.
She remembered the day of the audition; the casting director had only looked at her for thirty seconds before looking down at his tablet and telling her to send the next person in. She hadn’t filmed anything in six months.
Driven by a touch of selfishness, she had stayed.
“Thank you, Miss Zhong.”
Zhong Wanyi was a little unhappy: “Why are you calling me Miss Zhong again? We’ve had each other on WeChat for a year, Weiwei. That’s not how you used to call me.”
Song Wei held her teacup, biting her lip shyly: “Yiyi.”
Zhong Wanyi: “That’s better.”
She glanced toward the door for the third time and muttered, “Why aren’t those two here yet?”
They wouldn’t stand her up, would they?
Ordinarily, it wouldn’t matter if Lu Yanqing stood her up, but today, in front of her idol, it would be quite embarrassing if they didn’t show.
Just as she was about to call and rush them, the door was pushed open. Who else could it be but Lu Yanqing?
However, when Song Wei saw the woman behind Lu Yanqing, her pupils constricted violently. She stood up so abruptly that she accidentally knocked over her teacup. The Roselle tea spilled out, and her skirt did not escape the stain.
“I’m sorry, Yiyi, I… I have an urgent matter, I have to leave first.”
Zhong Wanyi knelt down to wipe the tea from Song Wei’s skirt: “Huh? What is it? Is it that urgent? I’ll drive you back.”
Concern breeds confusion that was Lu Yanqing’s assessment of Zhong Wanyi at this moment. Clearly, this Miss Song was lying.