I have to say, Xia Shang’s weekly boxing sessions weren’t for nothing. At the very least, the muscles in her arms weren’t just for show—they had real strength behind them, something Jiang Zhou had experienced firsthand.
As for what Xia Shang’s abs felt like, Jiang Zhou had discovered the answer during their “mysterious exercise” the previous night.
They were a bit firm, especially when they were tense. However, the lines were very well-defined and quite addictive to the touch.
After a night of indulgence, Jiang Zhou was granted a half-day’s leave, staying in bed until nearly noon. She fished out her phone and saw several WeChat messages from Xia Shang asking how she was doing.
What’s the point of sending WeChats? If you liked me, shouldn’t you have stayed home to keep me company!
Jiang Zhou stretched and planned to crawl out of bed to see if there was anything to eat in the kitchen. Just as she had changed and gotten up, the bedroom door opened, and Xia Shang walked in.
“You’re awake. How are you feeling?” Xia Shang walked over and casually straightened Jiang Zhou’s collar.
“So-so. Are you off work?” Seeing Xia Shang return, Jiang Zhou’s mood brightened slightly.
“Mhm. What do you want for lunch?” Xia Shang had timed her arrival perfectly; since they had fallen asleep around 2:00 AM, sleeping for ten hours meant she should be waking up right about now.
“Whatever. I want meat—ribs, crab, lobster, or BBQ would all be good,” Jiang Zhou listed off several ingredients randomly.
“Alright. Bring your phone.”
Since she said “whatever” but wanted a bit of everything, a buffet was the perfect choice.
Once in the car, Jiang Zhou acted as if she were bone-less, willfully leaning against Xia Shang and using her as a human cushion.
Since Xia Shang had made her stance clear the night before, the two were now officially dating. In Xia Shang’s view, a girlfriend should be pampered, so she let Jiang Zhou be touchy-feely until Jiang Zhou eventually dozed off in her arms.
“If you’re still sleepy, you can sleep in my lounge this afternoon,” Xia Shang whispered, leaning down to catch the scent of Jiang Zhou’s hair. It was familiar; Jiang Zhou had used her shampoo.
“Why can’t I just sleep at home?” Jiang Zhou mumbled. “This is capitalist exploitation of the workers!”
“I’m not doing that.” Xia Shang tucked a stray hair behind Jiang Zhou’s ear. “I’m just not worried leaving you at home alone.”
The corners of Jiang Zhou’s mouth began to curl up. “Is your villa not secure enough?”
“The villa has the highest security configuration,” Xia Shang paused, “but I feel more at ease when you’re by my side.”
“Then… did you miss me this morning?” The arc of Jiang Zhou’s smile widened. Xia Shang was actually quite good at being in a relationship—much better than she had anticipated.
“I did,” Xia Shang replied, adding, “Many times.”
Jiang Zhou was in good health; despite the wild night, she wasn’t so fragile that she needed to sleep the whole day away. After filling her stomach at the buffet, she headed to the company with Xia Shang to start work as usual.
Ever since Zhou Bai had taken the initiative to visit, Jiang Zhou noticed that Lu Shen was coming to the office more frequently as well. Although the Marketing Manager had been replaced, Lu Shen was still in charge of the department, and the deputy manager and several team leaders were still his people.
“President Xia, this workload is a bit too much; we need to expand our headcount.” Perhaps because his new company’s development was underwhelming, Lu Shen had begun interfering in the management of Xia Shang’s company again.
“Do you have the data?” Xia Shang asked flatly. “If we are to add staff, then prepare a clear task distribution sheet. I want to see everyone’s workload and exactly where the manpower is needed.”
She wouldn’t mind hiring for other departments, but if it was the Marketing Department, it was highly likely Lu Shen was trying to plant his own people.
Out of respect for Lu Shen’s father and the shares he held, Xia Shang hadn’t kicked him out yet, but that didn’t mean she would tolerate his meddling.
“Of course. Here is the compiled data for your review, President Xia.” Lu Shen smiled and pushed a file forward with an air of ease.
Xia Shang took the file and flipped through it, a mocking curve appearing on her lips. “Liu Chen, take a look at this arrangement and see if there are any issues.”
“Yes, President Xia.” Liu Chen was the HR Director. After scanning a page or two, her brows furrowed. “President Xia, Vice President Lu, there seems to be a slight problem with this schedule.”
The smile vanished from Lu Shen’s face, clearly displeased with Liu Chen’s response. “What’s the problem?”
“The task distribution is uneven. There are individual role conflicts and a certain amount of overlap.” Liu Chen wasn’t a shareholder, so she kept her tone diplomatic.
“So, according to you, I have enough people?” Lu Shen pressed.
“If appropriate adjustments are made and the responsibilities for each post are clearly defined, there shouldn’t be an issue of excessive workload,” Liu Chen answered, implying that hiring wasn’t necessary.
Lu Shen let out a cold snort upon hearing her answer. “I wonder what President Xia thinks? Do you want me to reassign the staff duties?”
“Professional matters should be handled by professional people.” Since HR said the distribution was uneven, a reassignment was naturally the way to go.
“It seems I was negligent. I’ll leave this matter to President Xia to handle properly then.” Lu Shen didn’t dig his heels in; after a few sarcastic remarks, he let the matter drop.
Listening to this, Jiang Zhou felt something was off, though she couldn’t pinpoint exactly what.
During the meeting, it was obvious Lu Shen wanted to use hiring as a pretext to plant people, and he was easily brushed off by Xia Shang.
But that didn’t make sense. If Lu Shen really wanted to install moles, why would he give up so easily? His goal couldn’t be that simple.
“Jiang Zhou? Jiang Zhou?” Seeing Jiang Zhou dazing off, Xia Shang called her twice.
“Huh?” Jiang Zhou snapped back to reality. “What is it?”
“I have an appointment tonight. You go home first,” Xia Shang said.
Jiang Zhou flipped through her little notebook to check Xia Shang’s schedule. “Are you going to dinner with Zhou Bai?”
“Yes,” Xia Shang nodded.
Jiang Zhou frowned. “I’ll go with you.”
“The Chairman of Chuanbai Corporation will be there too. If you go, you’ll have to drink.” Chuanbai’s current scale was similar to Xia Shang’s company, and a meeting like this would inevitably involve the drinking table.
Jiang Zhou huffed, “So what if I drink? It’s not like I can’t handle it.”
“Too much alcohol is bad for your health,” Xia Shang paused. “Your tolerance is average; it’s not suitable for you to go.”
Jiang Zhou wrinkled her nose. “Then who are you talking to?”
“I’ll go with the Marketing Manager,” Xia Shang promised. “I’ll definitely be back before 11:00 PM.”
Jiang Zhou isn’t the “richest person” yet, so those future events shouldn’t be happening just yet.
“Fine, I’ll wait for you at home.” Jiang Zhou’s tolerance was indeed mediocre; if she really started drinking, she’d probably be down after just a few glasses.
“Mhm. I’ll have someone deliver dinner to you.” Xia Shang raised her hand, hesitating for a moment before letting it rest on top of Jiang Zhou’s head. “Be good at home.”
“Don’t worry, I’m not a kid.” Jiang Zhou didn’t pull away, allowing Xia Shang to pat her head.
Having grown used to commuting and eating together, the sudden shift to being alone made Jiang Zhou feel quite out of sorts.
On the table was the meal Xia Shang had ordered for her—food from a famous private kitchen nearby. The dishes were delicious and suited Jiang Zhou’s palate perfectly.
However, Jiang Zhou didn’t have much of an appetite. After a few bites, she stopped eating and leaned on the table, staring blankly.
“System, can you monitor the situation on Xia Shang’s end?” Jiang Zhou tried to communicate with the system.
【Host’s authority is insufficient. Function not yet unlocked.】
“Insufficient authority? Wasn’t my authority fixed from the start?” Jiang Zhou found it strange. “How do I upgrade my authority level?”
【The Host needs to complete tasks issued by the system. Completing two tasks will unlock the Mall function, which contains various props the Host may need.】
“You’re messing with me. You’ve only given me two tasks in total. If I finish them both, what do I need the authority for!” Jiang Zhou complained about the system and didn’t give it further thought. Realizing she wouldn’t get any useful info from the system, she went to the study and started tinkering with her computer.
Better to rely on herself than others; she’d do it manually.
Jiang Zhou’s hacking skills were decent—decent enough to easily break into hotel surveillance.
Knowing the location of Xia Shang’s dinner, she navigated through the hotel’s website into their server. After a flurry of complex operations, she gained access to the hotel’s security cameras.
Based on the start time of the banquet, Jiang Zhou soon saw Xia Shang entering with the Marketing Manager. After meeting Zhou Bai, they headed into a private room.
For customer privacy, there were no cameras inside the rooms. All Jiang Zhou could do was keep the feed in the hallway and play mini-games on her phone to pass the time.
Around 10:00 PM, a new image appeared on the hallway monitor.
Zhou Bai pushed the door open, and Xia Shang walked out with the Marketing Manager.
“President Xia, I very much look forward to our future cooperation.” Zhou Bai’s expression seemed sober enough, but his eyes couldn’t help but drift toward Xia Shang.
“Likewise.” Xia Shang noticed Zhou Bai’s gaze and frowned slightly. Considering they were now partners, she didn’t say anything.
“President Xia, why don’t we go to KTV together to celebrate the deal?” Zhou Bai withdrew his gaze and spoke with a smile.
“No, someone is waiting for me at home.” Xia Shang glanced at her watch; if she lingered any longer, she wouldn’t be able to make it home on time.
“That’s a pity then.” Zhou Bai stepped back, clearing the way. “Safe travels, President Xia. I won’t see you out.”
After a polite farewell, Xia Shang left the hotel.
About a minute later, Zhou Bai also followed her out.
Jiang Zhou habitually switched the camera feed. From the hotel’s main entrance, she could see that after Xia Shang’s car departed, a vehicle of the same model followed her out.
Jiang Zhou instinctively saved the frame and then clarified and enlarged the image.
When she finally saw the license plate on the car, her face turned pale instantly.