Chapter 99 Getting the Two of Them to Cooperate

Jiang Ning arrived at the Longteng Grand Hotel and entered the Peony Private Room.

There were already quite a few people inside, all dressed in suits and ties, except for West Lee, who was the only woman and the only one Jiang Ning knew.

This business deal was introduced to Jiang Ning by West Lee; it was supposedly a major government project.

Jiang Ning dared not be negligent, and her attire, makeup, and demeanor were all very formal and proper.

After Jiang Ning arrived, West Lee thought everyone was there, but Director Lee said to wait a little longer, as he had arranged to meet another group of people.

"Who is it? I don't know them."

As soon as West Lee finished speaking, Jiang Ning saw the door to the private room being pushed open.

Lu Junyan and Chu Qingxue came into Jiang Ning's view.

Lu Junyan and Chu Qingxue were also taken aback when they saw Jiang Ning.

Neither of them knew that the other was also at today's dinner.

"What does Director Li mean by this?!"

West Lee looked displeased. "I haven't heard that the person I introduced has any competitors."

Although Director Li was the director, he didn't dare to offend West Lee, so he immediately smiled and said, "There's nothing I can do. It's the higher-ups' idea... Miss Jiang and Miss Chu are both the most outstanding up-and-coming designers in City A. The leaders want them to collaborate on this project to leverage their strengths and avoid their weaknesses!"

Jiang Ning and Chu Qingxue looked at each other simultaneously.

It's clear that Director Li's superiors were unaware of the relationship between the two women; otherwise, they would never have allowed them to work together.

Although Director Li reassured him, West Lee still had a sour face, looking like he was standing up for Jiang Ning.

Because West Lee knew that Jiang Ning was BYC, and Chu Qingxue's level was no match for Jiang Ning's.

Country A will be holding the "Brilliant Stars: New Silk Road International Cultural Exchange Conference" in November, which will be attended by visitors from 60 countries.

The cultural department wants Jiang Ning and Chu Qingxue to collaborate on producing 60 pieces of jewelry gifts that reflect the cultural characteristics of Country A and present them to foreign guests.

Jiang Ning and Chu Qingxue neither wanted to miss this excellent opportunity to showcase their studio's capabilities, so they both agreed to collaborate with each other.

"Alright, alright, let's cooperate... So what's Mr. Lu here for? You've started learning jewelry design too?"

West Lee made sarcastic remarks about Lu Junyan.

She didn't know the specifics of the relationship between Jiang Ning, Lu Junyan, and Chu Qingxue, but with a woman's intuition, she could guess the general idea.

Therefore, she didn't have a good impression of either Lu Junyan or Chu Qingxue.

"Mr. Lu is clearly a protector of women! As far as I know, Mr. Lu is never absent from any place where Miss Chu is," Director Li said with a smile.

Lu Junyan slightly curled the corners of his lips, remaining silent as if he were acquiescing.

However, his gaze was subtly fixed on Jiang Ning.

Jiang Ning neither looked at him nor at Chu Qingxue.

Jiang Ning didn't look at anyone, just kept eating, as if he hadn't heard Director Li's words at all.

Or perhaps they hear it but don't care.

Lu Junyan's brows furrowed unconsciously.

"If you're getting these two companies to collaborate, there has to be a hierarchy, right? Where will they work normally? Won't all that back-and-forth travel waste time?"

Jiang Ning could tell from West Lee's assertive attitude that West Lee hadn't given up and still wanted her to take over the government project independently.

However, West Lee's concerns were not without merit. Their collaboration was equivalent to the collaboration of two studios, and they would need to meet together for meetings and discussions, so the office location was an issue.

"Well..." Director Li touched his receding hairline.

Seeing Director Li's troubled expression, Jiang Ning and the others knew that Director Li and his superiors had acted on impulse without giving it much thought.

"How about we compromise and choose the Lu Group?"

Lu Junyan offered his advice, his deep, magnetic voice sounding more like he had made a firm decision.

Director Li had no better solution, so he adopted Lu Junyan's suggestion.

For the next month, Jiang Ning went to the Lu Group every day.

The people from the Lu Group were not surprised to see Chu Qingxue, as she was a frequent visitor to the area.

Regardless of whether Chu Qingxue is the legal wife or the mistress, everyone assumes that Chu Qingxue and Lu Junyan are a couple.

So when they first met Jiang Ning, they were all dumbfounded.

Jiang Ning often overheard Lu's employees gossiping behind her back, discussing who was the mistress between her and Chu Qingxue.

As the discussion progressed, the focus gradually shifted, and they came to the following conclusion:

Regardless of who Lu Junyan's legal wife is, in the end, Lu Junyan will only be with Chu Qingxue.

Even if Jiang Ning is the legal wife, she still faces the fate of being abandoned by her husband and ultimately being replaced by a mistress.

Jiang Ning was always at a loss for words when he heard this.

In reality, she was indeed about to divorce Lu Junyan, and Chu Qingxue was about to get the status she had always dreamed of.

At first, Jiang Ning thought that his collaboration with Chu Qingxue would not go smoothly.

Surprisingly, Chu Qingxue was very cooperative. The two of them eventually submitted their designs to their superiors. The superiors selected Jiang Ning's design and asked Chu Qingxue to help improve it. Chu Qingxue did not interfere and offered some constructive suggestions.

Jiang Ning could not completely trust Chu Qingxue, but if Chu Qingxue didn't cause trouble, her progress would be faster.

Finally, the design was finalized, and the remaining production time was less than a month.

Jiang Ning designed a jade seal, the size of a jade seal, which can be used as a real seal or as a decorative piece.

Recently, a rare top-grade jadeite vein was discovered on the YN border. The jadeite is icy with green flecks and excellent translucency.

Jiang Ning suggested using this newly discovered jade as raw material, and Chu Qingxue agreed, even volunteering to contact transportation channels.

The project progressed smoothly until the day of pickup.

"What did you say?"

In the conference room of the Lu Group building, Jiang Ning held his phone, his expression suddenly changing.

Chu Qingxue and several other people involved in the project were also there.

After hanging up the phone, Jiang Ning's gaze first fell on Chu Qingxue.

However, Chu Qingxue blinked her innocent big eyes and looked at her with a puzzled expression.

"The driver said the car broke down as soon as it hit the road and it will take a week to get it repaired."

After Jiang Ning finished speaking, Chu Qingxue was shocked.

"How could this happen? What should we do? I'll contact them and see if they can send another car?"

"No need, I've already asked. It's been raining a lot lately, and all the cars have been sent out, but none of them have come back."

Jiang Ning waved his hand, his gaze still fixed on Chu Qingxue.

What a coincidence that the car broke down on the very day of pickup, and so badly at that.

Jiang Ning had reason to suspect that Chu Qingxue had done something behind the scenes, but she had no evidence, and now was not the time to investigate the matter.

She contacted several other transportation agencies, but none of them had a vehicle available to send to YN immediately.

"Since the raw materials can't be delivered right away, how about... we use my design?"

As Chu Qingxue spoke, she took out her design work.