In the passenger seat of the Mulsanne, Jiang Mu pulled out her phone as soon as she got into the car to check personnel transfer updates.
Chu Xu tactfully refrained from disturbing her.
He had no idea what perfume she was wearing today, but it was light and subtle, not heavy at all, and had a rather refreshing scent.
Having woken up a bit early today, Chu Xu had drunk some coffee before heading out, and he was feeling quite energetic now.
It wasn't until they entered the Chengyu Expressway that Jiang Mu turned off her phone. Seeing that she was free, Chu Xu took the initiative to strike up a conversation. "Is Director Jiang heading out to discuss investments today as well?"
Jiang Mu turned her head to look at Chu Xu and said, "More or less. There's a new project to look at, and a certain company might have some issues, so I'm doing an inspection while I'm in the area."
"Um... you'll come with me later."
When she said this, Jiang Mu maintained a tone that allowed for no dissent, leaving Chu Xu with not much else to say.
"There are just too many companies swindling investors nowadays. It's better to discover problems early and resolve them quickly," Chu Xu reminded her.
Several of his father's friends had been scammed; back then people called them fools, and now it was his own turn.
"I know that."
Jiang Mu nodded, taking off her oversized sunglasses to reveal bright, beautiful eyes. "By the way, I've already stepped in to handle the matter regarding your family, so there won't be any problems."
"Thank you, Director Jiang."
Jiang Mu glanced at Chu Xu, hesitating as if she had something more to say.
Sensing that she had something on her mind, Chu Xu smiled and said, "If Director Jiang has something to say, just say it."
"Well..."
She wasn't sure if this kind of matter was appropriate to bring up, but she couldn't bear to keep Chu Xu in the dark. After some hesitation, she finally spoke.
"I looked into it, and the twenty million yuan your father claims was swindled might be a bit suspicious. I found out he took a trip to Macau last month..."
With that, Jiang Mu looked at Chu Xu. The latter merely froze for a moment, seemingly having anticipated it all along, and said calmly, "If he says he was scammed, then let's just call it a scam. Digging into it too deeply serves no purpose."
Jiang Mu frowned slightly. "If you feel wronged, I can take that money back."
She already had a rough idea of Chu Xu's experiences over the past twenty-two years.
Perhaps when Chu Xiong's first wife was still alive, he had lived the life of a pampered young master.
But after the first wife passed away and Chu Xiong remarried, Chu Xu's status had plummeted drastically, to the point of harsh treatment.
If he wanted revenge, Jiang Mu would withdraw her support.
"That's hardly necessary, Director Jiang."
Driving the car, Chu Xu showed no trace of sorrow from being deceived by a family member. Instead, he smiled and said, "I don't need to know whether he cheated me or not. I only know that if Mom and Dad hadn't adopted me, whether I'd still be in this world would be anyone's guess.
A person must always keep a heart of gratitude, wouldn't you say?"
Chu Xu smiled at Jiang Mu.
The latter was momentarily stunned. She had thought that understanding Chu Xu's past would allow her to understand the man himself, but now she realized she was wrong.
It seemed he was quite mature too, not entirely the same person she chatted with online.
A person must always keep a heart of gratitude...
Jiang Mu's mood lifted significantly, and she wore a lovely smile. "Of course. People ought to be kind-hearted by nature."
...
They didn't arrive in Rongcheng until close to twelve o'clock.
Chu Xu asked Jiang Mu if she wanted to have lunch before taking care of business, and she agreed.
Afterwards, he brought Jiang Mu to a Rongcheng Yuzhou noodle shop.
Chu Xu wasn't particularly fussy, nor did he need lavish meals every day, and neither was Jiang Mu.
Eating was simply a means to fill one's stomach.
After lunch, the two of them arrived at an office building in Wu District.
They took the high-rise elevator up to the twenty-seventh floor.
Clearly, this wasn't Jiang Mu's first time here. She navigated with familiar ease to the company entrance, with Chu Xu following closely behind.
It was not yet twelve o'clock, so the company had not broken for lunch.
The receptionist blocked their path and asked, "Hello, miss, sir. Who are you looking for?"
Jiang Mu didn't answer the receptionist's question. Instead, she looked over at the workstations, where everyone was hard at work.
Virtually no one was slacking off.
Jiang Mu frowned slightly and asked, "Where is Tao Zhigang?"
"You're looking for President Tao?"
The receptionist asked in surprise, "Do you have an appointment? If not, I can't take you to see him."
This was a surprise attack; Jiang Mu hadn't given anyone advance notice, and Tao Zhigang had no idea she was coming.
Otherwise, how could she catch him off guard?
"Do I need an appointment just to see him?"
Jiang Mu let out a cold laugh, though she had no intention of making things difficult for the receptionist. "He's still on the thirtieth floor, right?"
"Hey, miss, wait a moment! You won't be able to see President Tao even if you go up there."
The receptionist tried to chase after them, but the two of them had already walked away.It takes just one minute to walk up to the third floor.
This entire floor is reserved for senior company executives.
Unlike the focused atmosphere downstairs, the people here are lounging around lazily, looking as though they have no idea what they are supposed to be doing.
It feels more like a hangout for a group of idlers from off the streets.
Jiang Mu is already starting to get angry. She knew there were problems with the branch here, but she never imagined the situation was this severe.
The leaders act nothing like leaders, while the employees are the ones working diligently.
Are these supposed to be the senior executives?
Having been in business for so many years, however, Jiang Mu naturally does not lose her composure over something like this.
Finding the general manager's office, she sees someone inside through the frosted glass and pushes the door open without hesitation.
The person inside is momentarily stunned, then asks in a deep voice, "Who are you? Do you have an appointment to just walk in like this?"
"Where is Tao Zhigang?" Jiang Mu frowns and asks.
Clearly, the man who has his legs propped up on the desk and is leaning back comfortably in the chair is not Tao Zhigang.
Yet, being able to sit so openly in the general manager's office, he is obviously someone close to him.
"Is General Manager Tao someone you can just see whenever you want?"
The man, around thirty years old, says impatiently, "Get lost of here right now. If you don't have an appointment, don't come in, or don't blame me for calling the security guards to throw you out."
"Ask Tao Zhigang if he dares to have me thrown out!" Jiang Mu's tone is haughty. Having sailed smoothly through life for thirty-five years, she has never, as long as she can remember, seen a subsidiary's subordinate dare to speak to her like this.
"Huh?"
Hearing this, the man looks Jiang Mu up and down, somewhat appreciative of her beauty.
At the same time, he feels a twinge of envy for his uncle, who has a wife at home while keeping such a gorgeous mistress on the side.
He suddenly feels a bit irritated. "Since when do mistresses have the nerve to come here and pick a fight?"
As soon as his voice trails off, a crisp slap rings out.
"Slap."
Chu Xu delivers a heavy blow right across his face.
"Watch your mouth."
His expression is gloomy right now, his voice laden with anger.
Jiang Mu did not expect Chu Xu to resort to physical action so suddenly either. She stares blankly at the boy beside her, who is thirteen years her junior, and gives a slight nod.
He is winning her over more and more with each passing moment.The beaten man was also stunned, having never seen someone so arrogant. He immediately stood up, ready to fight back.
"I'll fu—"
But how could he possibly match Chu Xu, who frequently engaged in outdoor sports?
Taking a long stride, Chu Xu slipped behind him, locked his arm around his throat, and prepared to apply a rear-naked choke to send him straight to meet his ancestors.
Jiang Mu watched wide-eyed as the man went from struggling at first to gradually losing strength, until his eyes nearly rolled back and closed.
He couldn't be allowed to die here. Just as she was about to remind Chu Xu not to cause serious trouble, Chu Xu let go.
Well... not bad, firm yet controlled, not a reckless brute.
The man instantly regained consciousness, collapsing into the chair and gasping for fresh air.
Just now, he really felt like he had met his ancestors.
Fear spread through his heart, and looking at Chu Xu terrified him.
"Uncle, someone is causing trouble in the office, you better come back quickly, and you'd better bring a few security guards—he almost killed me," the man dialed his phone in a panic. Unsurprisingly, the person on the other end was Tao Zhigang.
"Y-you, don't be so arrogant. President Tao will be here any minute, just wait, I'll finish you off!" The man was still running his mouth, but his trembling body betrayed the lingering fear inside him.
Chu Xu didn't even care to dignify him with a response, looking deep in thought with a serious expression.
It was Jiang Mu's first time seeing Chu Xu in this state. She had to admit that a man looking serious was truly handsome.
Of course, he was also extremely charismatic, especially because of that slap he had just delivered.
"Where did you learn that move?" Jiang Mu asked softly, her eyes brimming with smiles.
"In college, I'd make time to work out, do outdoor sports, and learn a lot of self-defense techniques. That was one of them."
Even Chu Xu himself felt that he had been very disciplined in college—sleeping and waking up on time, working part-time jobs, and somehow still finding time to exercise.
There was no way he could manage that now.
Jiang Mu suddenly thought of something and asked, "So, do you have an eight-pack?"
Chu Xu shook his head. "I did in college, but they aren't obvious anymore. I don't have time for the gym."
"Pfft—"
Jiang Mu burst out laughing, saying softly, "Dummy."