“Why the sudden need to publicize the job adjustment document?” Once Liu Chen left, Xia Shang voiced the doubt lingering in her mind.
“On the surface, isn’t the Marketing Department managed by Lu Shen? I don’t think he’d hand over the task of role distribution for no reason; he’s definitely up to no good.” Jiang Zhou found lying in Xia Shang’s arms quite comfortable, so she simply relaxed her body and leaned entirely against her.
Xia Shang quite enjoyed the feeling of being relied upon. She rested her head on Jiang Zhou’s shoulder, her chin brushing against the crook of her neck.
“Just to be safe, it’s better to make it public,” Jiang Zhou closed her eyes and let out a sigh of contentment. “If any trouble starts brewing, it won’t be your fault.”
Xia Shang didn’t feel that Lu Shen posed much of a threat; after all, she had the final say in the company, and her shareholdings provided an overwhelming advantage.
Perhaps because she had been so focused while watching the videos earlier, Jiang Zhou felt more and more comfortable in Xia Shang’s arms. Soon, drowsiness took over, her eyelids grew heavy, and eventually, her head tilted to the side as she fell fast asleep.
Xia Shang nudged Jiang Zhou’s neck with her chin. Realizing she was truly asleep, she glanced thoughtfully at Jiang Zhou’s workstation.
Having her girlfriend sleep in her arms was nice, but it meant Xia Shang couldn’t work. After enjoying the presence of the beauty in her arms long enough, Xia Shang carried her into the lounge. She stood there for a moment, admiring Jiang Zhou’s features, before closing the door and leaving.
As soon as Xia Shang left, Jiang Zhou rolled over on the bed, curling the quilt into a ball.
“System, will I be teleported away as soon as the mission is completed?” Jiang Zhou asked the system proactively, her tone more serious than ever before.
【Once the mission is judged as complete, the Host will depart from this world.】 The system replied promptly.
Jiang Zhou’s brow furrowed. “If I finish it tomorrow, I’ll be teleported away tomorrow?”
【Yes.】
“Then what happens to ‘Jiang Zhou’?” Jiang Zhou’s tone grew sterner.
【The system will arrange an ‘accident’ based on the circumstances, allowing the Host to leave this world through death.】 The system paused for three seconds. 【Of course, the system will block the Host’s pain during the process. Please rest assured, the system will not cause the Host any suffering.】
Jiang Zhou fell into silence after hearing the system’s words. After a long while, she finally spoke. “So I only teleport away if the mission is finished, right?”
【Yes.】
“Is time here synchronized with my original world?” Jiang Zhou continued her questioning.
【No. As stated in Article 1526 of the agreement, when the Host’s consciousness is projected, time in the original body remains frozen. Even if the Host spends a hundred years here, it will still be the original moment when their consciousness returns to their body.】
“Good, I understand.” Jiang Zhou closed her eyes, letting her thoughts drift.
It seemed she couldn’t just kill off certain people all at once.
Tsk, that’s actually quite troublesome.
…
“You said Liu Chen publicized the personnel adjustments for the Marketing Department?” Lu Shen sat in his office, his face souring upon hearing the deputy manager’s report. “Based on Xia Shang’s personality, she shouldn’t have taken such an unnecessary step. Did Liu Chen say something to her?”
“I’m not sure about that. Manager Wan dealt with Liu Chen directly; I didn’t interfere,” the deputy manager said. “President Lu, since the workloads have been publicized, should I still make adjustments privately?”
Lu Shen tapped the desk irritably. “Let’s put that on hold for now. Making a move now would be handing them a handle to use against us. There’s no rush.”
According to Lu Shen’s original plan, the policy was meant to be communicated privately to individuals. This would have given him room to maneuver—he could have used Xia Shang’s name to assign tedious and complicated tasks to those he disliked.
He could have used Xia Shang’s hand to get rid of people he found annoying while simultaneously damaging Xia Shang’s reputation within the Marketing Department.
But with the public notice, his plan was useless, and it gave Xia Shang a legitimate reason to intervene in the Marketing Department.
He had truly shot himself in the foot! Damn it!
Just as he was frustrated enough to smash something, the phone on his desk rang. Seeing the caller ID, Lu Shen suppressed his irritation and tried to keep his voice calm.
“Hello, Xiaorou? What’s up?” When facing Bai Xiaorou, Lu Shen’s attitude was very patient. “I’m not busy. If you need something, just say it.”
“An investment company?” Lu Shen let out a disdainful laugh. “Xiaorou, you haven’t received some kind of scam call, have you? If a project is truly good, they wouldn’t be in a position where they can’t find investment.”
“If you really believe in it, go ahead and invest a few hundred thousand to try it out. I don’t mind that much money.” After hearing Bai Xiaorou’s intention, Lu Shen became somewhat distracted.
Although Xiaorou was the one who saved his life when they were young, there was still a gap between them after all. He didn’t believe in stories about investing ten million to get a hundred million in return. It was just a pity he and Xiaorou had reunited so late; otherwise, he wouldn’t have let her graduate from a third-rate university and be bullied by her family.
After hanging up, Lu Shen directly transferred one million to Bai Xiaorou via online banking, intending to let her pay for a lesson. It was only a million; he could afford the loss.
…
Bai Xiaorou felt somewhat helpless after hanging up. She knew the excuse she just used was a bit stupid, but she couldn’t think of any other way.
She couldn’t tell Lu Shen that she had come back from two years in the future and possessed prophetic abilities. No one was investing in this project now, but that didn’t mean no one would in the future.
According to her memory, this project would eventually be invested in by Xia Shang’s company, and within a year, it would rise to become a game company generating hundreds of millions. If she could invest one step ahead, the one making the money would be her.
As more time passed, her advantage grew slimmer. This time she had successfully ditched the scumbag to be with Lu Shen. Her next step was to become Lu Shen’s capable assistant and help him secure his footing in the company.
Before her rebirth, Bai Xiaorou hadn’t been with Lu Shen; she had been with a senior from university. Unfortunately, her taste was quite poor—the senior seemed like a rich second-generation, but he went bankrupt two years after graduation. His company was acquired by Xia Shang, and he ended up being hounded by debt collectors.
A poor couple faces a hundred woes. After the bankruptcy, the senior’s attitude toward Bai Xiaorou slowly changed; he frequently scolded and beat her, eventually even selling her off to pay his debts.
Fortunately, at the final moment, Lu Shen appeared like a god descending from heaven to rescue her. After learning of her situation, he offered to take her away.
Bai Xiaorou naturally had no objections. However, this scene was witnessed by the senior. Upon learning that Bai Xiaorou had saved Lu Shen’s life in their youth, he used their marriage to threaten Lu Shen for money.
Lu Shen was no pushover and sent men to teach the seniors a lesson. In the very end, the senior completely blackened, taking Bai Xiaorou down with him—he stabbed her to death before committing suicide.
Perhaps because Xia Shang was the kind of high-ranking person who was very difficult to cross in Bai Xiaorou’s eyes, she would instinctively feel afraid and dare not talk back when meeting her.
…
Just as Lu Shen transferred the million to Bai Xiaorou, Jiang Zhou received the notification.
The reason was simple: to prevent Lu Shen from doing anything behind her back, Jiang Zhou had written a program to monitor him. Any information involving the network would be transmitted to her.
Gave Bai Xiaorou a million? Jiang Zhou raised an eyebrow at the message on her phone and curled her lip.
The fact that Lu Shen and Bai Xiaorou could end up together was truly a miracle. Does love really lower one’s IQ? Do they really become blockheads?
“Awake?” Without Jiang Zhou noticing, Xia Shang pushed open the lounge door and walked in.
“Ah~” Jiang Zhou tossed her phone aside and stretched on the bed. “Pretty much.”
“Hungry?” Xia Shang continued.
“I think so.” Jiang Zhou rubbed her stomach. It was 4:30 PM, an hour before they finished work.
Hearing this, Xia Shang turned and left the lounge. About ten seconds later, she walked back carrying a shopping bag. “Here are some snacks and milk tea. It’s cold outside, so these are room temperature.”
“You prepared these specifically for me?” Jiang Zhou crawled out of bed and sat cross-legged.
“Mhm.” Xia Shang opened the bag and took the items out.
Jiang Zhou tilted her head. “Xia Shang, can you feed me?”
Xia Shang’s movements paused for a moment. After opening the packaging, she sat on the edge of the bed, holding the dessert in one hand and a spoon in the other.
“Open up.” No more words were needed; this was the gesture of hand-feeding.
The corners of Jiang Zhou’s mouth curled up. She obediently opened her mouth and bit the spoon Xia Shang offered.
“Mmm~ tastes good,” Jiang Zhou commented. “I want the milk tea too.”
Xia Shang didn’t say anything. She silently set down the fork and snack, inserted the straw, and held the milk tea in front of Jiang Zhou.
Jiang Zhou took a sip, squinting her eyes in satisfaction as she tasted the chewy pearls inside.
“Here, you have a sip too.” Jiang Zhou held the milk tea up to Xia Shang.
Xia Shang wasn’t particularly fond of high-calorie drinks, but it was different when Jiang Zhou offered it. After a second of hesitation, she took the straw and, mimicking Jiang Zhou, chewed on the pearls.
“How is it? Does it taste good?” Jiang Zhou asked with a smile.
Xia Shang nodded. “Not bad.”
“Have another sip then.”
“Okay.”
Watching Xia Shang’s cheeks bulge slightly, a change occurred in Jiang Zhou’s eyes.
Xia Shang. If only I could take you with me.
What a pity. Since I can’t take you away, I’ll just have to make the progress move a bit slower. Dating for a few years would make this trip worthwhile.
Of course, it would be best to stay for a long time—to stay by Xia Shang’s side as she goes further.