It was drizzling in Tianhai City today.
However, for Su Zhi, who basically relied on cars for getting around, this was not much of a problem.
The most fragile moments of last night had already passed, and today she was beginning to recover her original independence and confidence.
Today, she still had company matters to deal with.
"President Yang has extended an invitation to President Su, hoping to share a casual meal and discuss a collaborative variety show."
"The artist Xiaobai was exposed for entangling with a female fan, and the PR department has managed to suppress it for now, but whether his resources should be downgraded still requires President Su's final decision."
"Agent Zhao Ming has been secretly contacting headhunters. Since he holds quite a number of resources, should we give him a raise to retain him?"
"..."
As the president of a company, Su Zhi had far too many things to handle every day.
She issued her decisions in an orderly manner.
It was not until all matters had been dealt with that Su Zhi finally noticed that it was already noon.
She rubbed the space between her eyebrows, her stomach feeling a bit empty.
Her stomach ached slightly.
"President Su, it's time for lunch."
Her secretary, Li Wenwen, spoke up.
This left Su Zhi in a momentary trance.
There was a time, right after she had first taken over this company, when her workload was frighteningly heavy. Due to irregular eating habits and sleep schedules, she soon developed stomach trouble.
Back then, it was Jiang Chen who insisted on coming to the company every day, bringing her meals and slowly nursing her back to health.
However, Jiang Chen himself was a man of precious time, so later on he entrusted Li Wenwen with the task of supervising Su Zhi's meals, even offering her some extra pay.
To this, Li Wenwen had readily agreed.
Yet, what had she herself said back then?
"Why are you doing this? Are you showing off your status as my boyfriend?"
Her reprimand at the time had been like that of a high-and-mighty princess.
Later on, Jiang Chen grew angry and simply gave her the cold shoulder for several days.
And after that...
She forgot whether she had ever apologized.
Su Zhi took a deep breath and suddenly asked Li Wenwen, "Wenwen. Do you still keep in touch with Jiang Chen?"
"Ah, no."
Li Wenwen said, "I haven't been in touch with him for a long time."
"I see."
Su Zhi's brows furrowed slightly.
"Never mind."
She waved her hand, and right at that moment, another visitor arrived at her office.
It was Qin Yu.
With Su Zhi's tacit consent, Qin Yu was permitted to enter her office directly.
Within the company, quite a few people knew that Su Zhi had a boyfriend. But Jiang Chen showed his face very rarely, so they had no idea who Su Zhi's boyfriend actually was.
Upon entering the office and seeing Su Zhi opening a lunchbox, Qin Yu subconsciously said, "A-Zhi, how could such cheap food possibly be worthy of you? Why not contact a Michelin-star restaurant and have them deliver a meal directly?"
He continued, "I know a great restaurant, let's go taste it together."
Su Zhi frowned, feeling a strong sense of discomfort in her heart.
There was a time when she, too, refused to eat anything outside of star-rated hotels.
After all, she had plenty of money, and a single meal only cost a few thousand or tens of thousands anyway.
The consumption tier in that circle was just like that.
However, after taking over the company, she finally learned that even a few thousand or tens of thousands could accomplish a great deal of things.
Spare parts, equipment, business travel expenses, and so on...
Thus, she gradually developed the habit of frugality.
It wasn't that she no longer lived in luxury cars and mansions, but rather that she had gained a correct understanding of money.
This was also why entrepreneurs who generally managed their own companies tended to be more down-to-earth, able to relish even a simple bowl of crossing-the-bridge rice noodles.
Still, Su Zhi wouldn't get angry at Qin Yu over this.
"Is there something you need?"
Qin Yu smiled and said, "Oh, didn't I just return from abroad? It wouldn't be very good if I stayed idle all the time."
He paused, looking at Su Zhi: "I want to achieve some results to prove myself, so that your father can look at me in a new light."
Naturally, he was well aware of his current disadvantages.
Therefore, he had to bind himself to Su Zhi.
Especially after that time when Su Zhi rejected his hotel request, his sense of crisis had grown even stronger.
Hence, he came up with this method: working alongside Su Zhi to cultivate their relationship.
"But I'm not very familiar with the domestic market, Su Zhi. I need your help with this."
Su Zhi smiled and nodded, "Alright, that's a good thing."
She was naturally glad to see Qin Yu striving to improve himself.
Qin Yu smiled and said, "How about this, let's go outside to eat and talk it over."
Su Zhi shook her head. "No need. We can do it right here, it's convenient for me to show you on the computer."
She spoke eloquently, "And as it happens, I can help you sort out domestic affairs."
Qin Yu's expression stiffened slightly.
He wasn't genuinely doing this for the market; he wanted to create an environment where he could be alone with Su Zhi.
After all, only if such things succeeded would he stand a chance of securing the Qin family's property through the Su Family.
Yet, Su Zhi didn't seem to understand...
His expression grew somewhat grave.
If someone had told him previously that Su Zhi was still deeply in love with him and had even found a substitute, he would have believed it implicitly.
But now, he felt it necessary to look into this substitute of his.
***
After spending two days in his hometown, Jiang Chen set off once more to return to Tianhai City.
This was somewhat sooner than he had imagined.
It had nothing to do with Lu Hongluan; rather, it was because once he relaxed back home, he found that his entire physical and mental state felt off.
A person accustomed to being busy could never find genuine leisure.
Moreover, he couldn't find any peace at home either.
Baihe County was a small county town. After he made money, quite a few relatives showed up, and even the county leaders came by to discuss having the local young people recruited to work at his company.
The unemployment rate wasn't low these days, and young people with nothing to do constituted an unstable factor while also hindering economic development.
A county town was not an idyllic paradise, but a gathering place of human relationships and social obligations.
This was even more exhausting than simply going to work.
So, he simply came back.
Lu Yuzhen had already been arranged to transfer to another hospital, and now he was driving Lu Hongluan to the railway station so the two of them could buy tickets to Tianhai City together.
"I specifically asked around in Baihe County, and there isn't a single Lu family there. Which family do you belong to?"
On the way, Jiang Chen chatted casually with Lu Hongluan.
Lu Hongluan felt somewhat nervous, clearly unaccustomed to being alone with Jiang Chen.
She said, "I'm from Cangshang Town."
"Oh."
Jiang Chen looked at Lu Hongluan and suddenly asked, "Would it be convenient to tell me about your family situation?"
Lu Hongluan remained completely silent.
She couldn't bring herself to trust him entirely.
What's more, to her, Jiang Chen was merely an employer.
Jiang Chen didn't think much of her fawn-like, guarded demeanor.
He said, "It's fine if it's inconvenient to talk about. After we get to Tianhai City, I'll buy you a house—under my name, of course."
"You'll live there, and I only have two requirements: keep it clean, and don't bring any men over for the night."
"Since you're taking my money, you need to maintain basic professional ethics. Understood?"
Lu Hongluan subconsciously nodded. "Understood."
"Afterwards, I'll have you act as my partner for certain banquets. Prepare yourself mentally during this period."
"Right, during this time, I expect you to have no other boyfriend. Even if you do, cut it off."
Lu Hongluan instinctively said, "I don't have a boyfriend."
"Oh," Jiang Chen said. "Good."
Immediately after, silence fell between the two of them.