Chapter 1

When Liang Shi was transiting in Helsinki, she couldn't resist buying a few bags, but regretted it as soon as she boarded the plane. She then bought a suitcase specifically for those bags.

The weather wasn't great when I landed at Shanghai Pudong Airport. It was gloomy and drizzling around 7 a.m.

Having been away from China for so long, she felt a sense of warmth upon hearing familiar Mandarin and Shanghainese, and a smile unconsciously crept onto her lips. But Liang Shi quickly reverted to his indifferent expression and put on the Chanel sunglasses hanging around his neck.

Because she can't speak Shanghainese, she can only understand the general meaning.

As Gu Feng walked towards her in his Balenciaga shoes, Liang Shi had already finished half a cup of coffee.

"Sorry Suzie, I had a business dinner yesterday and overslept today. What would you like to eat for lunch? It's on me. Pick something expensive, don't try to save me money."

Liang Shi put his sunglasses on his head and saw Gu Feng's outfit clearly. As expected of a top fashionista, he was already wearing the hottest runway piece of autumn before it was even released.

"Frankl, it's only eight o'clock. Do you think the restaurants are even open yet? All I want to know right now is what kind of accommodation you've arranged for me. Don't let me down."

A month ago, shortly after Liang Shi submitted his resignation to L'Oréal's French headquarters, he received numerous calls from headhunting firms within about half an hour.

The fashion industry is never short of gossip, and in just half an hour, she became a sensation in the industry.

She went abroad to study at the age of nineteen and graduated at twenty-two. She then stayed in France to work for the next eight years.

It only took eight years for her to go from a clueless girl to a 'stone woman'. Eight years, and she's thirty now; it's time to do something crazy.

A French female colleague who was close to her asked her if she regretted it, after all, not just anyone can easily handle a job with an annual salary of one million.

But the most attractive city in the world than Paris is Shanghai.

On her thirtieth birthday, after blowing out the candle, Liang Shi picked up a pen and wrote the first resignation letter of her life.

Needless to say, Shanghai's fashion resources are top-notch, and the competition at the China headquarters is fierce, so she didn't even bother to apply for a transfer and submitted her resignation letter directly.

Meeting Gu Feng in Paris that day was completely unexpected. The two were university alumni. Although he was two years older than her, they had crossed paths because of a research project and got to know each other after a while.

Knowing she had resigned, Gu Feng immediately offered her a job. She knew about the Fanning Group, of course; it was a long-established French beauty group. She accepted Gu Feng's offer without hesitation.

Elle Fanning's position as Creative Director for Greater China is quite prestigious. It's similar to her role as Brand Director at L'Oréal Group.

"Knowing you like fitness, I rented a nice apartment for you in a nice neighborhood. There's a large park nearby, perfect for running. Come on, let me take you there to check it out."

Renheng Riverside Garden, and the nearby Lujiazui Central Green Space park—wow, that really gave Liang Shi a fright.

"I'm just a junior creative director. Mr. Gu Feng, President of Fanning Greater China, aren't you giving me a bit too much face?"

Gu Feng leaned against the elevator, quickly replied to a message, and smiled at her as he put his phone away: "I didn't explain it clearly to my secretary, so I only rented a two-bedroom apartment. You don't mind, do you?"

She wouldn't mind living in a basement apartment, let alone a two-bedroom one, since land in Lujiazui, Pudong is incredibly expensive.

"How much is the rent? I'll transfer it to you later."

Although the monthly rent might be equivalent to a designer handbag, Liang Shi hates owing favors to others.

Gu Feng smiled and shrugged: "It's free. You can stay as long as you want. This is the first gesture of sincerity that Fanning Greater China has shown to Ms. Liang. It can't be measured in money."

Everyone here is an adult, especially Gu Feng, a well-known figure in the fashion industry. Liang Shi didn't want to say anything more about working with someone who grew up with a silver spoon in his mouth. Otherwise, it would be seen as arguing or disrespecting him.

For Gu Feng, buying a house here would probably be a piece of cake.

Although it's a rented house, it's been redecorated, simple yet stylish.

“Your secretary has a great sense of style. I think she could be transferred to our creative department.”

Gu Feng sat on the sofa playing on his phone, and after a long while, he said, "The creative department doesn't need her. By the way, how about we have lunch together? Your boss is landing in an hour."

"Her boss?" Liang Shi asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Um?"

Gu Feng seemed very sleepy, leaning back on the sofa with his eyes closed: "He's in charge of both the brand department and the creative department. Although he's the vice president, I've always thought he's far more capable than me. Although I applied to the French headquarters to recruit you, Karsten didn't know about it. He went on vacation to Iceland a month ago. I think it's necessary to meet with Karsten before you officially start. Although he's a nice guy, I'm really not sure if he'll be angry."

Karsten? Liang Shi paused for a moment when he took the Chanel bag out of his suitcase.

She quickly laughed. It's just an English name; any guy can have one. What's she worried about?

"Isn't there still two days before I start the job? Besides, the vice president just landed and got bombshelled with this, his anger level should skyrocket, right?"

Gu Feng nodded: "That makes sense. I'll find another opportunity for us to arrange a meeting."

Liang Shi handed him the Chanel bag: "Mr. Gu is very wealthy, so he probably wouldn't care about the gift I gave him. But I really like the decoration of this house. So please thank your secretary. Consider this bag a thank-you gift. Please ask Mr. Gu to pass this little gift on to your secretary."

………

Gu Feng slept at Liang Shi's place. The sofa that secretary Zhou Yun had chosen was really nice; he fell asleep as soon as he lay down. When he was leaving, Liang Shi was taking a shower. Gu Feng picked up the black bag, shook his head, and smiled.

Whether the woman was being insincere or unintentional, she had piqued his interest.

He drove along Lujiazui Ring Road for a few hundred meters, then turned into a residential area. At this time, he guessed that someone had already arrived home.

He and Li Junqian both had their eyes on this apartment in Tangcheng Yipin, but Gu Feng gave up the only available apartment with a view of the Huangpu River because of his position as president. After thinking it over, Gu Feng felt that he had been tricked by his good friend.

Gu Feng skillfully entered the password, and as soon as he entered, he saw Li Junqian standing on the balcony looking like he was ruling the world. He was really annoyed and walked over to him, giving him a heavy pat on the back: "You, the vice president, have been gone for a month. Aren't you worried about the company at all?"

Li Junqian placed the sparkling water in his hand on the coffee table on the balcony and leaned against the window sill: "No one is stopping you from applying for leave."

The Fanning Group has an unwritten rule that regional presidents cannot take more than a week off, but vice presidents do not follow this rule.

Thinking about this, Gu Feng really felt that he must have been out of his mind to accept such a restrictive position.

"Li Junqian, all those blind women say you're gentle and easy to get along with, but only I know you're actually a wolf in sheep's clothing! My fragile heart is hurt, so please treat me to a meal to make up for it!"

Li Junqian pointed to the Apple computer on the glass coffee table: "Didn't I say that I would ask a headhunter to recruit someone for the position of Creative Director after I came back?"

Tsk, how could he forget that the old woman, the HR director, is a fan of Li Junqian's looks? Although Liang Shi hasn't started working yet, the notification from the French headquarters has already arrived. He didn't expect that Li Junqian would find out about it in advance.

"This Suzie is beautiful and resourceful, and the projects she works on are top-notch in the industry. Don't worry, even the best headhunter wouldn't find anyone more suitable than Suzie."

As Gu Feng spoke, he kept an eye on his good friend's expression. Tsk, he was actually smiling! Was he seeing things?

"You...aren't angry?"

Li Junqian raised his hand and rubbed the bridge of his nose: "Didn't you say she has excellent business skills? Why am I angry that she saved the company a lot of headhunting fees?"

Gu Feng: "..."

Is this some new tactic? Gu Feng was a little scared.

"Didn't you say you'd treat me to a welcome-back dinner? I'm actually hungry, why don't you order some takeout, I'm going to take a shower."

"When did I ever say I'd throw you a welcome party? Li Shizi, are you a reincarnated mangy dog?!"

If it weren't for damaging his image as a refined gentleman, Gu Feng would definitely have run over and given him an over-the-shoulder throw!

Li Junqian let the hot water from the showerhead wash over his back. As soon as he got off the plane, he turned on his phone and saw an email from Chen.

Liang Shi's English resume was practically perfect, which pleased him. It seemed she had been doing quite well all these years.