Within less than three months of the launch, profits for World had already exceeded 100 million, and it was racing toward the 200 million goal.
Upon hearing the news, Lu Shen grew increasingly unstable. Even though he had just obtained information on the new project through his insider, what was the use! Shangzhou could complete the bet based on World alone!
“This is the data for the new project. Take it to the Kyushu team for development. The promotion must be faster than the Shangzhou Games.” Lu Shen couldn’t simply sit by and watch Shangzhou Games profit. Recalling the words his father had said to him, he finally made up his mind.
“If I remember correctly, is that Liu Tao’s mother lying in the ICU?” Lu Shen asked his assistant. This was a man his father had assigned to him; he was absolutely reliable.
“Liu Tao’s mother has cancer. She had her first surgery a month ago. According to the treatment plan, she needs about 1.5 million more,” the assistant provided the detailed info instantly.
Lu Shen looked out the window with narrowed eyes. Through the floor-to-ceiling glass, the people walking on the street below looked as small as ants, appearing as though they could be crushed with the slightest effort.
“I’ll transfer five million to your account in a moment. Go tell Liu Tao that I need him to do one thing for me. As long as he does it obediently, give him the five million,” Lu Shen said.
“What does Director Lu want Liu Tao to do?” the assistant asked.
Lu Shen smiled. “I want him to write a suicide note, stating that due to excessive overtime and too much pressure, he eventually reached a dead end and chose to jump from the roof of the Shangzhou Games building.”
“Understood, Director Lu.” The assistant showed no surprise, as if he had long expected such a move.
This five million was essentially buying Liu Tao’s life.
Would he choose to trade his own life for his mother’s?
The answer to that question was currently unknown. The only thing certain was that the moment Lu Shen made a move, Jiang Zhou received a notification and saw the fund movement in his account.
A payout of five million? And transferred to a personal account?
Jiang Zhou turned her head to look to her left. Xia Shang was staring intently at her computer screen, unclear if she was reviewing documents, asking questions online, or reading those strange forum posts.
Better safe than sorry. Jiang Zhou spent some time tracing this private account, intending to see where the money would eventually end up.
What she found was shocking. After the five million reached the so-called personal account, it stayed for less than ten minutes before being transferred to an overseas account. Following a series of jumps, it was deposited into a virtual account.
This situation was very wrong. If Jiang Zhou hadn’t discovered it early, the trail of this five million would have been nearly impossible to trace after a few rounds of “tumbling.” It was clearly meant for something shady.
Although Jiang Zhou tracked the funds, since they didn’t have a clear target, she couldn’t guess what petty move Lu Shen was planning. She could only send a message to the HR of Shangzhou Games, telling her to pay close attention to employee dynamics.
…
In the same office, Xia Shang stared at her screen with a serious expression, quickly browsing the posts she had recently found, while simultaneously creating a new document to record the key points.
Before proposing, the preparation of the diamond ring is crucial.
If you want to declare ownership, you can propose publicly. If funds allow, you can hire many actors, each holding a bunch of flowers to give out one by one, finally forming a bouquet of ninety-nine roses.
While this method was old-fashioned, it was classic. According to online feedback, girlfriends were basically moved to tears.
If the relationship is very good, a private proposal is also a great choice. A romantic candlelit dinner allows everything to happen naturally.
Xia Shang’s notes were meticulous, even more detailed than her work on official documents. She had logically planned out three scenarios.
All three scenarios had one prerequisite: buying the diamond ring.
So the problem was, for the ring intended for Jiang Zhou, how should she choose one?
Having just solved one problem, Xia Shang quickly fell into another dilemma and began searching for “how to choose a diamond ring.”
Xia Shang was so focused on her search that she didn’t realize Jiang Zhou had walked up behind her and was browsing through official photos.
“You’re going to give me a ring?” Jiang Zhou spoke suddenly, startling Xia Shang into clicking the mouse, which opened a high-resolution image of a product.
Turning to look at Jiang Zhou, who had arrived at some unknown moment, Xia Shang cleared her throat. “So… Do you like any of these?”
“Just looking at pictures is too dull.” Jiang Zhou rested her arms on the back of the chair, leaning forward slightly. “What made you think of buying me a diamond ring?”
Because I’m going to propose to you, Xia Shang thought instinctively. But then she remembered a tip from the forum: Never mention the word ‘proposal’ casually before you are fully prepared.
“I just felt like giving you something,” Xia Shang swallowed her words just in time. “The information in pictures is limited. If we have time, let’s go to the mall and take a look.”
Jiang Zhou saw through her but didn’t say anything. Considering Xia Shang’s “progress” over the past month, she agreed immediately.
Jiang Zhou felt that if she didn’t take some initiative, Xia Shang could spend half a year just hesitating over a ring!
…
Come the weekend, Xia Shang took Jiang Zhou straight to a flagship store. The rings in the display case started at one carat, with prices followed by a long string of zeros.
“Hello, ladies. Which one of you is looking for a diamond ring?” a shop assistant greeted them with a smile.
“Where are the highest quality rings in your shop?” Xia Shang asked.
“How may I address you, ma’am?” The assistant glanced at Xia Shang’s hands, estimating the size in her mind.
“My surname is Xia.”
“Ms. Xia, these pieces are designed by top designers and are completely handcrafted. Please see if any catch your eye.” Since Xia Shang and Jiang Zhou were both dressed in luxury brands, the assistant led them directly to the center counter.
Xia Shang leaned over, squinting through the glass at the rings inside. “Jiang Zhou, is there anything you like?”
Jiang Zhou squeezed Xia Shang’s palm, playing with Xia Shang’s right fingers. “Shouldn’t you be the one choosing?”
“I’m buying it for you to wear.” Xia Shang gripped Jiang Zhou’s hand back and lifted it to her eyes, inspecting it carefully for a moment.
“Take all of these out. I want to try them,” Xia Shang said to the assistant.
“Oh, certainly. Please wait a moment.” The assistant was stunned for a second. So Ms. Xia was buying a ring for her female partner? Then the two were in that kind of relationship?
Though surprised, her professional training took over quickly, and she didn’t ask a single question.
“This ring is called ‘Eternity.’ It features a natural diamond of the highest quality, weighing exactly 5.2 carats. It was designed by a top French designer, and there are only two in the world,” the assistant explained while taking the ring out.
“Would you like me to put it on for you?” she asked.
“No.” Xia Shang supported Jiang Zhou’s wrist with her left hand, picked up the ring with her right, and carefully slid it onto Jiang Zhou’s ring finger.
Soon, Jiang Zhou’s ring finger was adorned with a sparkling ornament.
The diamond was brilliant, making Jiang Zhou’s already fair hand look even more exquisite.
“It looks beautiful.” Xia Shang resisted the urge to kiss the back of Jiang Zhou’s hand. “I’ll take this. How much?”
“Each ring is priced at 5.2 million, so the pair is 10.4 million,” the assistant stated. “These two rings came from the same source. We also have a necklace from the same series in the shop, priced at 3.8 million. If purchased together, we can offer a discount, bringing the total to 13.14 million.”
“This quote… your designer is quite interesting,” Jiang Zhou laughed. “Let me see the other ring.”
The assistant complied and took out the second ring.
“Gifts should be mutual. I’ll consider this ring a gift from me to you.” Jiang Zhou took the ring and repeated Xia Shang’s previous actions.
Unlike the restrained Xia Shang, Jiang Zhou was much more direct. Having felt the urge to kiss, she simply kissed her, several times.
Seeing this, the assistant silently retreated a few steps to avoid disturbing them.
Jiang Zhou looked at her masterpiece with satisfaction and met Xia Shang’s gaze. “Xia Shang, do you know what a diamond ring represents?”
“I do.” Xia Shang nodded. “It means I want to be with you for a lifetime.”
“And?” Jiang Zhou asked suggestively.
“It represents…” Xia Shang paused. The setting seemed a bit off—no candlelit dinner, no pre-arranged actors or audience.
After a mental brainstorm, Xia Shang chose to follow her intuition. She held Jiang Zhou’s wrist and dropped to one knee. “It represents my love. I want to marry you.”
“Jiang Zhou, will you marry me?” Xia Shang blurted out the proposal in one breath.
Jiang Zhou looked down, ignoring the surprised looks of the surrounding staff and customers. The smile on her face grew wider.
“Alright.”
It’s not that I’m in a hurry, Jiang Zhou thought. What’s wrong with Xia Shang taking some time to research? Even if the progress is painfully slow, it’s not like I can’t wait!
She definitely wasn’t impatient. This time, Xia Shang had brought her here, and it was Xia Shang who proposed!
“Why don’t we find some time to register for marriage?” Jiang Zhou thought for a moment and added, “Actually, I’m not in a rush, it’s just that I happen to be free these next few days, so we could just go and get it done.”
Xia Shang looked at the ring on Jiang Zhou’s hand, then at the one on her own, and nodded heavily.
“Okay. I’ll go home to get my documents. Let’s go right now!”