You come to my office and say

As Jiang Songhe settled into the airport VIP lounge, just as he was about to close his eyes for a nap, a clatter came from his pocket. He frowned and pulled out his phone. The screen showed that Khawnjimn had accepted his friend request and sent a video.

Jiang Songhe didn't want to pay attention, but the thumbnail was too eye-catching. Even though it was blocked by the play icon for almost half of the screen, it was still clear that the people in the video at the beginning were himself and Jonathan.

It should be the one that Kun Ji'en showed to Ni Haolang.

Jiang Songhe turned down the volume, sat back, leaned forward, and used his limbs to block the sound from spreading, then clicked play.

“Oh that…Mr. Jiang is such a gentle Party A haha​​…As you see, my arm was bloody hurt, and he just did that for help, in case of abrasion in the darkness…”

(Oh, you asked about that? Mr. Jiang is such a gentlemanly client, haha. As you can see, my left arm was seriously injured at the time, and he did that just to help me, to prevent me from getting a second abrasion in the dark...)

In the video, Jonathan was surrounded by the media's cameras and microphones. He calmly clarified why he and Jiang Songhe were stuck in the elevator holding hands. His words were polite and official, but they also revealed a hint of nonchalance. The subtext was self-evident.

"We're just going to have a working relationship in the future, there's no need to overthink it."

It's perfectly reasonable, there's nothing wrong with it.

Jiang Songhe's first reaction was to separate the two's hands, not wanting Jonathan to become a target of gossip. However, seeing and hearing Jonathan's response in person made her feel inexplicably sore and choked up.

"Since you also like playing games, then I, a veteran player, will play with you for a bit..."

"No one will refuse me, no one! Only you!"

"Am I about to win?"

...

Jiang Songhe's mind became a jumbled mess again. He tried to smooth his temples with one hand, but it didn't help at all. So he opened his palm and ran it from his forehead to his hairline and then to the top of his head, but it was still no use.

He sighed deeply with his lips tightly pressed together, leaned back in the armchair, and pressed the lock screen and volume buttons on his knees, forcing both his phone and himself to shut down.

-

The business class seats were still too cramped for someone who was 1.9 meters tall. After 18 hours of "shrinking" training, Jiang Songhe landed in Jingting with dark circles under his eyes.

Back at the Jiang family villa, it was four in the morning again, and Jiang Songhe was a little dazed.

Standing in the entryway of his home for a long time, he suddenly realized that the Jiang family villa, which had been empty for more than ten years before his younger brother was born, had suddenly become unusually spacious.

After changing his shoes, he first went to the memorial room where his parents' portraits were displayed to wipe off the dust, burn incense, kowtow three times, and silently say "Happy New Year, Mom and Dad." He then explained Jiang Songyun's progress in a foreign country before going to the bathroom to shower and change his clothes, and finally went to bed in his bedroom to sleep.

After sleeping soundly all day, Jiang Songhe got up, washed his face with cold water, and turned on his phone, only to find that the signal bars were empty. He had been in a hurry on this trip and hadn't had time to set up international roaming for Man'er's number.

After switching his main card to his usual number in China, Jiang Songhe first left a WeChat message for Jiang Songyun to let him know he was safe, and gave him a few fatherly instructions such as "Don't push yourself too hard in the competition," "Eat on time and eat well," and "Take good care of yourself." Then he sent Ni Haolang a message saying "I have landed in Jingting," locked his phone, changed into his sportswear, and went out for a morning run around the villa area.

When he returned home, he stood in the entryway again and felt the emptiness of the villa.

To dispel this discomfort, even though she knew she might have to leave soon, Jiang Songhe still lifted the dust covers off all the furniture and did a thorough cleaning inside and out, before covering them up again.

The noise of the vacuum cleaner stopped abruptly, and a sense of emptiness, like a layer of ice gradually freezing over the vast space.

Even worse.

In the dead of night, the villa walls acted like a barrier; those outside slept, while those inside scrambled about. Everything imaginable had been done; all that remained seemed to be waiting for dawn.

An unprecedented feeling of emptiness made Jiang Songhe feel nauseous, and no amount of washing her hands could alleviate it.

He finally opened his suitcase.

He dragged over a garment steamer, pulled out a slightly wrinkled bespoke black suit from his suitcase, stared at it for a while, and struggled with his conscience. He picked up the fabric, lowered his head, buried his face in his inner pocket, and took a deep sniff.

He hung the suit on the hanger, holding the lining with one hand and the showerhead with the other, ironing it inch by inch as flat as possible.

The steam from the hot iron seeped through the fabric, and the stinging sensation spread from the base of my fingers to my whole body.

Breathing only in, not out, the raging air carrying pent-up emotions that had no outlet, swelled and rose in the chest cavity, and at the critical point of exploding, it was released and emptied.

After a long while, he put the suit, whose smell had been removed by steam, into a dust bag and locked it in the deepest part of the closet...

The sky finally brightened.

The Fortress Luman parked in the garage was bought by Jiang Songhe when Yunhe Entertainment was founded in 2022. Xu Qin suggested that "you need to buy a good car to show off when entertaining investors," and Jiang Songhe chose the "Matte Mecha Style Crimson Moon Black Warrior" model.

Now, the two people who facilitated the purchase of that SUV are now facing different fates: one is resigning, and the other is becoming independent. Two months later, Jiang Songhe sits in the driver's seat again, feeling a mix of emotions.

Yunhe Entertainment's working hours are very flexible. All employees can clock in at 10 or 11 a.m. and leave at 6 p.m. if they clock in at 10 a.m. and leave at 7 p.m. if they clock in at 11 p.m. This rule was proposed by Jiang Songhe himself, because no one understands better than him how much sleep quality affects work performance.

At 9:30 a.m., Jiang Songhe parked his car in the Yongtong International Park above-ground parking lot in the Jiuwengqiao area.

After getting out of the car and locking it, he walked past buildings with imposing entrances, belonging to well-known film or entertainment companies. Under the streetlights on both sides of the road, decorations in the shape of porcelain knots hung, creating a stark contrast with the desolate atmosphere of the park.

Jiang Songhe took out his phone, looked at the date and time, and smiled wryly: "It turns out I remembered it wrong. Tomorrow is when we start work."

A fast food restaurant opened on February 4th. Jiang Songhe turned around, pushed open the door, and ordered a whole wheat cod sandwich.

Jiang Songhe's austere black suit attire clashed with everything in the store, from the decor to the staff. He took the half-cold food wrapped in a yellow-green logo napkin, and after whispering and observing in secret, he pushed open the door and left expressionlessly.

E8 is the location of Yunhe Entertainment.

Jiang Songhe didn't used to come to the company often. Apart from upper management reporting and important presentations for "Yan Ge Xing," he spent most of his time traveling. During the two months he was in Man'er, the staff of Yunhe Entertainment couldn't even see their boss.

Jiang Songhe went up to the second floor, used facial recognition to open the glass door, and stepped into the deserted office area.

As Jiang Songhe passed by the restroom, he bumped into the cleaning lady, Sister Zheng, at the door. The two stared at each other, both stunned. After a moment, Sister Zheng took off her rubber gloves first and greeted him warmly: "Oh, Mr. Jiang is back! Happy New Year!"

Sister Zheng is also from Jiling, and her birth year is around the same time as Jiang's mother.

Jiang Songhe was momentarily touched by the greeting, which was delivered with a heavy accent. He pursed his lips, squeezed the napkin in his hand, and handed the sandwich over: "Happy New Year, Sister Zheng... Would you like some?"

"No need, no need, Mr. Jiang!" Sister Zheng didn't take it, but subconsciously wiped her hand on the hem of her cleaning uniform. "I came here after eating a full meal. I'll go home for lunch. It's hard to buy breakfast during the New Year, so you can keep it for yourself~ Um, I still have a few workstations to clean. I'll leave as soon as I'm done. New Year, new look, we need to make sure the kids come back to work comfortably and happily."

After saying that, Sister Zheng quickly headed straight for her destination to get busy.

Jiang Songhe's office was at the very back, and you had to pass through the workstation area to get there, so I followed closely behind Sister Zheng's back and continued forward.

Jiang Songhe thought no employees would come today, but instead, she saw a face in the corner with even darker dark circles than when she got off the plane, looking miserable.

It was Lin Duole, who had just been promoted.

Jiang Songhe had already slept all day and was so focused on the office environment that he couldn't concentrate on anything else. His mind was working well, and he quickly drew a series of deductions from that bitter face.

It's not impossible that Lin Duole, as Xu Qin's apprentice, would resign along with his master.

With Xu Qinxi about to become a father, his resignation despite financial pressures suggests he has likely already found a better-paying job.

Just before Jiang Songhe boarded the plane, HR confirmed Lin Duole's salary figure, which meant that the contract might not have been signed yet, making it even more likely that the mentor and apprentice would switch jobs together.

Jiang Songhe's heart pounded twice, and his brows furrowed as he breathed heavily. He quickly composed himself, relaxed his brows, walked to Lin Duole's workstation, and gently tapped the table with his knuckles.

"..." *Thud* The pen that was under Lin Duole's nose fell to the ground, running down his body and legs. He hurriedly bent down to pick it up, but pulled his hand back halfway down and stood up abruptly. "Good morning, Mr. Jiang. When did you get back?"

Jiang Songhe smiled as warmly as possible: "Yesterday. You were here even earlier. Instead of resting at home during your holiday, you're sitting here daydreaming. What's troubling you? Are you unhappy with your salary?"

"Satisfied! I'm extremely satisfied!" Lin Duole waved his hands repeatedly, probably annoyed by the usually stern-faced CEO Jiang's laughter. He opened his mouth, ready to spill everything, "But I am indeed worried, worried that my boss might suddenly file for divorce..."

The news of Xu Qin's departure would cause a lot of speculation and trouble. Before Jiang Songhe could hear it from Sister Zheng, who was busy running around nearby, she immediately interrupted Lin Duole to continue talking.

"Come to my office and we'll talk."

-

"I'm worried that my boss suddenly resigned from the company. Does he think I'm not qualified?"

Lin Duole stood awkwardly by the window of the boss's office, at the far end of the leather sofa. He took a glass of water from Jiang Songhe and took a loud slurp, making it hard not to suspect that he was taking the opportunity to sniffle.

Jiang Songhe glanced at the sandwich she had casually placed on her desk earlier, and lost her appetite. So she chose the matching single sofa next to Lin Duole, sat down, and solemnly corrected, "I haven't agreed to Xu Qin's resignation yet."

"So he might not leave?" Lin Duole's eyes lit up. "That's right! You suddenly came back, is it for this? Great, great, I still have a chance to prove that I won't hold the boss back..."

Jiang Songhe didn't answer, but her subsequent words implied tacit agreement: "So don't gossip about things that aren't true in the company."

"Oh." Lin Duole's shoulders twitched, and he immediately sat up straight, making a zipping motion with his mouth, "Mmm, mmm."

Jiang Songhe raised one eyebrow: "Huh? Tsk, speak properly."

Lin Duole then unzipped the zipper: "Understood, President Jiang."

Before boarding the plane, Jiang Songhe was still furious because someone had told him he was "old." But now, actually talking to some young people, he felt speechless and exhausted. What made him even more exhausted was the series of speculations that had just entered his mind.

We need to meet with Xu Qin as soon as possible, resolve the issues, and provide explanations.

Otherwise, speculation could very well become an unimaginable reality.

"Besides the above, what else is there to worry about?" Jiang Songhe had a feeling that Lin Duole didn't intend to leave with Xu Qin yet, so he quickened his pace of probing.

“I talked to Janus Company, and they agreed very readily, but…” Lin Duole scratched his head, “The person I was in contact with, who had been communicating online in fluent English, is now at the stage of reviewing the terms. They don’t accept the contract we provided as the client and instead threw over ten pages of their own draft contract at me.”

"And then?" Jiang Songhe's brow twitched almost imperceptibly as she uttered a weak word, trying to appear calm. Her brain was once again attacked by that name.

"It's all in English... Didn't you say to prioritize their wishes? I thought I'd scan it with a translation app first! But alas, so many technical terms, even when translated into Chinese, sound awkward and incomprehensible to me..." Lin Duole almost scratched his head until he went bald.

Jiang Songhe snapped out of her daze, rewound the information, and said seriously, "Don't you know that the company has established professional bilateral legal partnerships? As a producer, the first thing you need to learn is how to manage people."

He then took out his phone from inside his suit jacket and pushed the WeChat message for the bilateral legal business to Lin Duole, adding, "Explain the matter in WeChat, synchronize the contract using Yunhe's internal email address, and also CC me."

"Wow! What a stroke of luck! My goodness, Mr. Jiang, you're my savior! You've come at my beck and call..."

"Aren't you going yet?!" Jiang Songhe's head was throbbing from the noise. She glared at them and told them to leave, "Close the door behind you."

Lin Duole's cheerful calls were cut off by the sound of the door closing: "Rain—"

...

Jiang Songhe picked up the sandwich on the table and put it down, but she still had no appetite and finally put it in the office refrigerator.

Jiang Songhe sent Xu Qin a WeChat message to ask him to come to the company, but after waiting all morning without a reply, she came out of her office, looked up at the producer's office on the second floor of the semi-detached building, and decided not to sit idly by and waste any more time, so she immediately dialed the other party's mobile number.

"Hello? Yes, I'm back in China. Do you have time tonight? Let's meet and talk."