Chapter 12 Deliberately Making Things Difficult

Zhu Jin, dressed in a black suit, flipped through the documents with a blank expression, surrounded by several middle-aged men and women who looked rather serious.

How did he end up here?

Shen Shuang's fingertips curled up, and in an instant she realized that this group was owned by Wang Chong.

Wang Chong and Gu Yiqian are friends; she had heard Zhu Jin mention this before.

Zhu Jin's presence here clearly indicates that he is investing in a company owned by Gu Yiqian's friend.

"Miss Chen, please have a seat." A female director gestured for her to sit in the seat furthest from Zhu Jin.

Shen Shuangmiao calmly walked over and placed the documents on the table.

"Good morning, everyone. I am Shen Shuangmiao, the founder of Mu Shuang Design. Today, I am honored to introduce our design capabilities and representative works to you."

Just as she was about to open the presentation file, Zhu Jin suddenly spoke up: "No rush, Miss Shen, could you please pour me a cup of tea? There's a water dispenser in the corner of the conference room."

The moment the words left his mouth, the air froze.

The directors exchanged puzzled glances.

This clearly exceeds the scope of normal business etiquette.

Although Zhu Jin may seem unapproachable at first glance, he is fair and principled, and never deliberately makes things difficult for anyone.

Shen Shuang's fingertips trembled slightly, but her smile remained unchanged.

Clearly, Zhu Jin has now sobered up, realized he was slapped, and is holding a grudge, deliberately trying to cause trouble for him.

"Okay, sure."

Shen Shuangmiao got up and walked to the water dispenser, gracefully brewing and serving tea to everyone, with Zhu Jin being the last to receive it.

"Mr. Zhu, here's your tea." She gently placed the teacup in front of him, her eyes calm as still water.

Zhu Jin stared into her eyes, and when he reached out to take it, he deliberately knocked over the teacup.

Hot water spilled onto the table, soaking the proposal that Shen Shuangmiao had prepared.

"Feel sorry."

He was completely insincere: "Could I trouble you one more time?"

It was obvious that they wanted her to back down.

Shen Shuangmiao took a deep breath. When it comes to interests and work, self-esteem is nothing.

She poured herself another glass and smiled faintly: "It's alright if Mr. Zhu spills it again. I've prepared both paper and electronic files, as well as a backup plan. You just need to check whether there's a risk of Parkinson's disease that would cause your hands to tremble uncontrollably."

Zhu Jin's face darkened.

The staff quickly smoothed things over and let Shen Shuangmiao get up to report on her work.

"I have prepared several documents for you to review."

The book was passed around among the people, who all showed expressions of satisfaction and appreciation.

However, Zhu Jin frowned and gave a light sneer after reading it.

"It's not as good as ZW Studio's design philosophy."

After he finished speaking, everyone in the circle was stunned, and some were visibly surprised.

Shen Shuangmiao's face paled slightly, and she pursed her lips: "If there are any shortcomings, I will humbly accept them. I hope everyone will view our studio's capabilities with a fair and impartial attitude."

The group snapped out of their daze, secretly glancing at Zhu Jin's expression, and said casually, "Of course."

However, things didn't go so smoothly afterward.

Zhu Jin was just that kind of person.

He may seem lazy at times, but if anyone displeases him, he won't rest until he's skinned alive.

Zhu Jin raised challenging questions at almost every stage, from material costs to construction time, and even questioned the lack of innovation in the design concept of Shen Shuangmiao Studio.

"Excuse me for being frank, but I don't see where your studio's competitive advantage lies."

Zhu Jin tapped the file with his fingertip.

Shen Shuangmiao looked at him and said calmly, "I thought that President Zhu understood the studio's competitive advantages best."

After all, those were the things they added to their competitive strategy when they started the business together.

Zhu Jin raised an eyebrow: "Why would I know? Am I that familiar with you or your studio?"

Shen Shuang's beautiful eyes paused for a moment.

Ignoring Zhu Jin's words, she said in a steady voice, "Environmental protection is our most competitive design concept. Regarding the issue of innovation that President Zhu mentioned..."

Shen Shuang Miao switched between slides.

"I'm just giving examples of previous design proposals to give you a reference for the studio's design capabilities. Whatever design style you want, we can adjust it at any time..."

Her eyes sparkled as she explained, her gestures were fluid and captivating.

It was as if his whole body was glowing.

Gradually, everyone was drawn to Shen Shuangmiao's hurried and animated manner.

Zhu Jin stared intently at Shen Shuangmiao, toying with the pen, and suddenly remembered seven years ago.

Shen Shuangmiao excitedly described her entrepreneurial ideas to him.

She was like that back then, her eyes lighting up when she talked about design, like a child who had just received a new toy.

At that time, he couldn't help but kiss the smile at the corner of her eyes.

"Mr. Zhu, what are your thoughts on this part?"

A voice pulled Zhu Jin back to reality.

He cleared his throat: "It'll do."

The two words left everyone looking at each other in bewilderment.

improvise?

Is this a sign of satisfaction, or a way to weed out people?

Shen Shuangmiao glanced around.

She has just answered all the questions and even won the praise of the other directors.

But the decision rests with Zhu Jin, and everyone knows that.

If Zhu Jin doesn't agree, it's impossible to include her studio in the consideration.

"Thank you for your excellent presentation, Ms. Shen." The staff member closed the folder. "We will discuss it internally and get back to you."

This is a polite way of saying no.

Shen Shuangmiao gritted her teeth in secret.

It was both unexpected and unsurprising.

If Zhu Jin has a good project collaboration, then naturally, like last time, he'll leave it to Zhou Wu.

Shen Shuangmiao began to organize the documents.

She had tried her best, but it was clear that Zhu Jin was determined to suppress her.

Shen Shuangmiao stuffed all her belongings into her bag and prepared to leave.

Just then, Zhu Jin suddenly spoke.

"When I say 'good enough,' I mean 'acceptable.'"

After he finished speaking, the conference room fell silent.

Shen Shuangmiao looked up in surprise, wondering if she had misheard.

Zhu Jin stood up and straightened his suit sleeves.

He moved with elegance and nonchalance: "This is exactly the kind of studio that the Moyun Group needs, combining environmental protection and innovation. I propose to sign a contract directly, making him the chief design team for the project."

The directors exchanged glances, then quickly echoed their agreement.

After all, Zhu Jin is the biggest investor.

“Ms. Shen,” the director’s smile became much more friendly, “if it’s convenient, we can discuss the contract details now.”

Shen Shuangmiao nodded mechanically, her brain still processing this sudden turn of events.

She glanced at Zhu Jin furtively, only to find him looking out the window, his profile taut and devoid of any emotion.

The contract process went smoothly.

When Shen Shuangmiao signed her name, she still felt a sense of unreality.

Zhu Jin actually gave her the project?

Or perhaps Zhou Wu's studio had just opened and didn't have enough staff to handle too many orders, so they reluctantly assigned it to her...

Shen Shuangmiao couldn't understand what this man was thinking, but out of the corner of her eye she noticed that Zhu Jin had already left the conference room.

She paused.

"Mr. Zhu has other commitments; he's just here as an investor to participate in selecting the design team," the assistant explained.

Shen Shuangmiao nodded and walked out of the Moyun Building.

The contract in the bag was heavy.

This project is enough to take her studio to a new level.

But instead of the joy she expected, she felt only endless confusion.

This means that she will have to report every step of her design progress to Zhu Jin, who is one of the investors.

Even after they got their divorce certificate, they would still meet up from time to time for work.