Chapter 178 A Fateful Intersection

On the other hand, Manager Shen acted quickly, making contact with the target company, SR Fashion, which showed great interest in the details of the collaboration with Ember.

Manager Shen felt that their attitude was a bit too attentive, so he gave Jiang Ranxing a heads-up.

“Ember, if this company is the same thug as last time, just ignore them and leave. Leave everything else to me.”

Manager Shen felt somewhat guilty for causing trouble for Jiang Ranxing due to her poor judgment in choosing a person last time, but Jiang Ranxing didn't care too much. Ultimately, she felt that the problem lay with Zhan Shuo's character, not the company itself. The manager there, Sylvie, was a good person, and it was a pity that they couldn't work with her.

Jiang Ranxing didn't blame Manager Shen and didn't take it too seriously. Instead, he comforted Manager Shen, telling him not to overthink it. Work, in the end, is just that—work. No matter who you are or how famous you are, you're bound to encounter oddballs or eccentrics. As long as you don't let them affect you, it's fine.

So this unpleasant incident was put behind us. Everyone in the studio is not one to hold grudges, and they all looked forward to finding new and suitable opportunities for cooperation.

Manager Shen had also advised Jiang Ranxing to return to China to develop her career, since her main base was in China and her teacher, Zhou Yinxiu, also had considerable influence in China, making it a more stable option for her to develop her career there.

However, Jiang Ranxing has no plans to return to China for the time being.

Most things in China were too upsetting, whether it was the divorce or the car accident, they all bothered her. She didn't want to go back and fall into the old energy field again. Living abroad wasn't so bad. With Wen Qingrang by her side, everything went her way and she didn't feel unhappy.

Moreover, it's convenient to receive follow-up treatment abroad, and she needs to go back to the hospital for check-ups regularly, so it's quite good to stay abroad for now.

Manager Shen didn't say anything more and did as Jiang Ranxing asked.

Soon, Manager Shen finalized the meeting with SR Fashion, and the time was set for two days later.

Jiang Ranxing waited, and two days later, he prepared to leave well in advance.

Wen Qingrang made breakfast for Jiang Ranxing as usual. After breakfast, Jiang Ranxing was a little puzzled that Wen Qingrang did not take the initiative to suggest going with him this time.

Wen Qingrang simply dropped her off at the door. She then got into the driver's seat, rolled down the window, placed her hands on the steering wheel, and turned to look at him, saying, "Why aren't you worried about me today? Aren't you afraid I'll run into someone like Zhan Shuo?"

Wen Qingrang just smiled and shook his head, saying, "No, I checked this company beforehand, and the people there seem to be of good character."

That's why he wasn't worried about Jiang Ranxing going out on her own.

Jiang Ranxing didn't suspect much and raised an eyebrow, saying, "Alright, I'll go by myself then."

"Drive carefully," Wen Qingrang said, watching Jiang Ranxing drive away.

Jiang Ranxing had plenty of time today, so he didn't drive fast and just coasted along. He even had time to stop by a newly opened large shopping mall nearby, where he bought some bags and jewelry that he liked, and was also attracted by the new electronic products.

"Ma'am, would you like to take a look at our newly launched phone? Both color options are very nice," the salesperson enthusiastically promoted.

Jiang Ranxing went over to take a look. The two colors, one black and one white, looked very well-matched. She thought for a moment that she hadn't officially picked out a favorite one since she came abroad. The previous one broke, so she just bought one randomly and used it. She couldn't say she liked it. So after looking at it for a few moments, Jiang Ranxing nodded: "Let's take one of these two."

The shop assistant was overjoyed, having made a great start to the day. She then introduced Jiang Ranxing to some other electronic products, and Jiang Ranxing picked out two of everything that was useful and bought them.

Looking at the time again, it was almost time for their agreed meeting. Jiang Ranxing took several tote bags and went to the parking lot. After putting them in the trunk, she left the mall and headed to SR Fashion.

Jiang Ranxing arrived at SR's reception hall as agreed, chatted with their manager, and found that they really shared the same interests. The other party was also a very professional team, so they made a preliminary agreement on the spot.

The person in charge of SR professionally extended his hand to shake hands with Jiang Ranxing and said, "I'll have someone draft the contract later and then coordinate with Manager Shen."

"OK, no problem." Jiang Ranxing was quite satisfied with today's conversation. "I look forward to cooperating with your company."

The SR representative also expressed their appreciation, saying, "It is an honor for us to collaborate with Ember."

Jiang Ranxing stood up, then suddenly remembered something and asked, "Oh, by the way, I know your company didn't collaborate with outside designers before, so why did you consider me this time?"

The person in charge of SR smiled but remained silent, not giving Jiang Ranxing a clear answer.

Jiang Ranxing pondered, guessing it was the opinion of some internal decision-makers. Since the other party didn't want to reveal it, there was no need for her to investigate further, after all, she only had a design collaboration with them.

After leaving SR, Jiang Ranxing drove around a few more times, and before long, he had bought a lot of things. In the blink of an eye, his trunk was almost full.

When Jiang Ranxing returned home, Wen Qingrang was almost surprised when she opened the trunk.

"If you hadn't said you were going out to discuss work, I would have thought you were going on a shopping spree," Wen Qingrang teased her deliberately.

Jiang Ranxing blinked, looking slightly embarrassed, and said, "Whether you look at this or that, you can buy them all."

Wen Qingrang glanced at them briefly before noticing that they were all in pairs, and asked, "Did you bring some for me too?"

"Hmm, take a look, do you like it?" Jiang Ranxing asked him, and took out the items one by one to show Wen Qingrang.

Wen Qingrang naturally thought every single one of them was good, and even praised Jiang Ranxing for her good taste.

Later, Jiang Ranxing realized: "You just picked the nice things to say to make me happy."

Wen Qingrang smiled, her smile gentle and peaceful: "To be honest, I like what you bought."

Wen Qingrang then took out Jiang Ranxing's newly bought phone, the black one, and replaced his own SIM card in it, leaving the old phone aside.

Jiang Ranxing also changed into another white one, and the two of them held them in their hands, truly looking like a pair.

Jiang Ranxing's eyes flickered as she looked around. She glanced around again, and everything that was in pairs seemed to be hinting at something.

Jiang Ranxing suddenly stood up and walked awkwardly towards the stairs: "I'm tired. I'll go upstairs and rest for a while. Don't call me for lunch."

Then she quickly went back upstairs.

When Wen Qingrang saw her like this, he smiled after a while. He probably understood why Jiang Ranxing felt embarrassed, and he also felt a warm feeling in his heart.

Jiang Ranxing probably wasn't completely indifferent to him.

He still has a chance.

-

Hotel suites.

Tan Shen knocked on Fu Shenyuan's door, addressing him as he always did.

"Mr. Fu, it's almost time, we should go to the company."

For the first few days after arriving abroad, Fu Shenyuan was highly focused on searching for Jiang Ranxing. However, in the days that followed without any news, he became silent and rarely spoke.

The inability to find the person still made it difficult for Fu Shenyuan to get out of the pain, and he just wanted to let himself sink into the pain for a while.

Fortunately, Fu Shenyuan agreed to take a position at the new overseas company. Perhaps it was to distract himself. If he had a job with tens of thousands of people waiting to be fed, he wouldn't be able to relax as a decision-maker and leader. At least some of his energy would be diverted by work. Tan Shen also hoped that the once-powerful business elite, President Fu, could return.

The current Fu Shenyuan feels so unfamiliar; he seems uninterested in everything, and those who are interested in him are nowhere to be found.

Fu Shenyuan was like someone who had lost a part of his soul; although he could still walk, he had lost his vitality.

A moment later, Fu Shenyuan's bedroom door was opened. Fu Shenyuan was already dressed neatly, his suit and trousers were spotless, and even his hairstyle was perfectly styled. At first glance, he still looked like an elite.

Only Tan Shen, who was close by and knew what was going on, could see the haggardness and panic in Fu Shenyuan's eyes.

No matter how much you try to hide it, some things are ultimately caused by your temper and cannot be concealed. Dejection and sadness are not so easily covered up.

Tan Shen really didn't know how long Fu Shenyuan could hold on if Jiang Ranxing remained missing, or if one day Fu Shenyuan would also disappear completely.

Tan Shen handed Fu Shenyuan a custom-made suit jacket, which he put on before leaving the hotel suite.

Back at the company, Zhan Shuo's secretary reminded him, "Manager Zhan, our overseas head will be arriving soon. Shouldn't you make some preparations in advance?"

Zhan Shuo propped his legs up on the desk in his office, took a drag of his cigarette, exhaled a long string of smoke rings, and chuckled rudely, saying, "What's there to prepare? Does someone who was kicked out by the president deserve a welcome ceremony from me?"

He looked down on Fu Shenyuan with extreme arrogance.

The secretary was choked by Zhan Shuo's cigarette smoke but didn't dare to say anything. She still reminded him, "Manager Zhan, the new guy's surname is Fu after all. Let's make a good impression on our first meeting and not offend that President Fu."

Zhan Shuo was even angrier when he heard this. He had been angry for the past two days, and now a new boss had been parachuted in. He used to be able to control everything on his own, but now he had to be mindful of that kid's mood. Of course, he was not happy about that.

Zhan Shuo retorted angrily, "Heh! If he were really that powerful, would he have been exiled here? The Fu family has such great influence in the country, yet there's no place that can tolerate him? What does this mean? It's obvious that he couldn't make it in the country and came here to seek validation. Do I have to grovel before him? Do you think I'm that pathetic?"

Zhan Shuo spoke recklessly, smoking without making any move to get up. His secretary had no choice but to leave Zhan Shuo's office, as she was also choked by the smoke. She quickly made an excuse to go and greet him.

Zhan Shuo remained motionless, completely disregarding Fu Shenyuan.

He simply couldn't believe that Fu Shenyuan could be as powerful as Fu Hongkai. He and Fu Hongkai were related by marriage, and he was certain that Fu Shenyuan wouldn't dare to touch him.

But Zhan Shuo was clearly wrong.

When Fu Shenyuan arrived, he didn't pay any attention to the empty welcomes. He was used to them. He told everyone to continue doing what they were doing, and someone led him into the new office.

Although Fu Shenyuan was still in a bad mood and had a headache, since he had come to the company, he should at least have a basic work attitude.

"Notify all management to meet in the conference room in ten minutes," Fu Shenyuan instructed Tan Shen, standing by the window.

Tan Shen responded and quickly went outside to coordinate and make arrangements. Within two minutes, all the highest-level managers in all departments received the notification. In an instant, the company building was bustling with people, and each manager was preparing the materials needed for the meeting or their own image, because no one really knew who the new top leader was.

Ten minutes later, all the management team members were seated in the meeting room. Everything in the meeting room was in good order. Tan Shen opened the door for Fu Shenyuan.

Fu Shenyuan walked to the head of the table, unbuttoned his suit jacket before sitting down, his aura sweeping across the room. After looking around, he asked, "We're short one person? Where's the old manager?"

Tan Shen understood that Fu Shenyuan was referring to Zhan Shuo. Last night, Fu Shenyuan took the time to learn about the company's scale and operations, as well as the person in charge. Fu Shenyuan also knew about the relationship between Zhan Shuo and Fu Hongkai.

Fu Shenyuan didn't intend to cause trouble in this regard, but if Zhan Shuo didn't even attend the regular meetings, then there was no point in him being there.

Fu Shenyuan gave Tan Shen a look, and Tan Shen immediately went out.

After finding out where Zhan Shuo's office was, Tan Shen immediately went to find him. When he knocked on the door, Tan Shen was quite polite, but Zhan Shuo seemed to have lost his temper and became very rebellious, spewing insults at Tan Shen one after another.

Tan Shen, being a cultured man, showed no change in expression. He said again, "Manager Zhan, President Fu requests that you attend a meeting now. If you cannot attend, according to the vice president's instructions, you will not be required to attend at all."

Tan Shen had no reason to show Zhan Shuo any mercy, and his words were scathing.

Zhan Shuo was a little scared. After all, Tan Shen had such a strong aura, so one could imagine what kind of person this President Fu must be.

Zhan Shuo stubbornly insisted, "I... I was handpicked by the CEO. Can you touch me?"

Tan Shen said, "You can try to see if President Fu can do it."

Zhan Shuo had no intention of losing this comfortable, leisurely position, and said, "I'll go over now, you can go out first."

Upon hearing this, Tan Shen turned and left, completely ignoring Zhan Shuo.

It took Zhan Shuo about ten minutes to finally arrive at the conference room. At that moment, no one in the conference room was speaking, and all eyes were on Zhan Shuo, including Fu Shenyuan.

When Zhan Shuo came in and sat down next to Fu Shenyuan, he finally saw the man's face clearly. Putting aside whether he was good-looking or not, his unique aura alone was enough to send chills down one's spine. It was a special aura that was absolutely intimidating.

Zhan Shuo originally wanted to say something, but upon seeing Fu Shenyuan, he couldn't even utter a word, so he decided to just sit quietly without saying a word.

Fu Shenyuan's gaze casually met Tan Shen's, sending a chill down Tan Shen's spine.

Fu Shenyuan spoke to him, "I heard that you offended the designer you were supposed to collaborate with because of your personal behavior, is that right?"

Fu Shenyuan was naturally aware that Ember had been harassed by Zhan Shuo, which led to Ember refusing to cooperate with them. This was a serious professional mistake, as his personal negligence caused a work error.

Zhan Shuo vehemently denied this: "That's not true. I have no interest in her. She's not even that good-looking, and I wouldn't even look at her. It's her own fault for not wanting to cooperate with us. This isn't my fault, I'm telling you!"

Zhan Shuo never admitted that what he did was wrong, which made Sylvie, who was sitting a few seats away, furious.

Ember witnessed firsthand how Zhan Shuo harassed and enraged her; Zhan Shuo was truly disgusting.

However, since her rank was not as high as Zhan Shuo's, she dared not speak out against her anger.

After listening, Fu Shenyuan snorted softly, finding some things rather ironic.

Previously, when he was handling affairs in the group, he never had to worry about such trivial matters. However, now that he has come to this small company overseas, which is naturally not as hierarchical as the group, he has to deal with these issues.

A designer isn't that important, but this fashion company doesn't have the same strong capital as the Fu Group. Small companies can only rely on various fashion line businesses to survive, or on investment.

Offending a designer, especially a popular and well-known one, is tantamount to ruining your own livelihood.

Although Fu Shenyuan didn't care much, he had decided to take over the company and couldn't stay out of it.

Fu Shenyuan said, "In that case, go and talk to that designer again, set the terms according to her requirements, and sign her."

Zhan Shuo was stunned when he heard this. Fu Shenyuan had already said so much, and he could make any offer he wanted, which meant he wanted to sign this person. But how could that woman still be willing to listen to him? They had even made a scene with coffee the other day.

Zhan Shuo awkwardly tried to cover for himself: "That's not a good idea. How can a company as big as ours be led by the nose by a little designer? We'd just give her whatever she wants. That would be too beneath us. No, absolutely not!"

Fearing that Fu Shenyuan wouldn't believe him, Zhan Shuo deliberately smeared her, saying, "I don't think her work is that great. Why do we have to sign her? Her collaboration fee is already at the S level. We can easily find another big designer who is much cheaper than her. I don't agree with signing her. I think she's just putting on a show and doesn't have any real ability!"

Zhan Shuo chuckled inwardly. Anyway, Fu Shenyuan probably didn't know anything about it, so he could just give him a quick and easy answer.

Fu Shenyuan's expression turned cold: "A junior designer? As the head of a fashion company, even if you're temporary, you should at least have some basic understanding of the industry."

Fu Shenyuan glanced at Tan Shen, who then turned on the large screen and started playing a video file.

The video features information and works by internationally renowned designers, and ranks these active and well-known designers.

Fu Shenyuan looked at the data and works on the big screen, then said impatiently to Zhan Shuo, "This is what you call a 'junior designer'?"

The data on the screen is very straightforward and clear.

Among all the young designers, Ember's name ranks first, by a wide margin, far ahead of the second place. Such influence is not to be underestimated in the global fashion industry.

Offending a designer like Ember is tantamount to waging war against the new generation of designers. Anyone with a brain knows that Ember is not someone to be trifled with. Even if you can't sign her, she's not someone you can just offend. Offending her means offending a whole host of young designers.

Zhan Shuo was speechless. The solid data was right in front of him, and no matter what he said, he would be wrong. So he could only smear Ember's character: "So what if she's capable? That woman has no respect for people at all. She acts recklessly just because she has some fame. Does she think she's so great? I think we can't give her any more face. Let her go cool off somewhere else!"

Fu Shenyuan gave him a cold look, which immediately shut Zhan Shuo up.

Fu Shenyuan had lost his patience with him and said, "I'll give you a chance. Go and sign her back. If you can't—"

Fu Shenyuan showed no mercy in judging the fate of Zhan Shuo, who was clearly a good-for-nothing: "Don't come back either. I don't keep useless people under my command."

Being mocked to his face by someone a generation younger than him, and in such a way that it was a show of force that made him a laughingstock, Zhan Shuo immediately lost face and was instantly provoked by Fu Shenyuan, his face turning red and his neck thick.

Ember, the designer, is a real jinx to him. Fu Shenyuan wants him to sign her? Dream on!

As long as he's here, he won't let Ember into the company.

Zhan Shuo glanced at Fu Shenyuan's serious expression, but he had no intention of agreeing to Fu Shenyuan's request.

Similarly, he would not allow Ember to become an ally of Fu Shenyuan.