quite
Su was required to go to work as usual, but her office was temporarily moved to another building.
When she got on the elevator, she quickly arrived at her floor and still felt a little unaccustomed to it: "I didn't realize that lower floors were so convenient. I guess I shouldn't go up there in the future."
Ge Jin followed behind her without saying a word.
Tang Pai was already seated when she saw someone appear at the elevator entrance, holding the contract she had received that morning. She immediately followed and reported to them.
Her expression was urgent, and the contract in her hand seemed like a hot potato. "President Su, the people from 'Yao' sent over the contract early this morning, wanting to cooperate with us."
Su took the document and looked at the contract as she walked. She couldn't find a single flaw; it was full of opportunities for both parties to benefit, even favoring herself. Just as she closed the contract, she arrived at her temporary office. Ge Jin helped her push the door open and asked, "Paipai, what do you think of this contract?"
"It looks good?" Tang Pai asked, somewhat uncertainly.
Su Yao sat down, handed the water glass to Ge Jin, and beckoned to Tang Pai.
Tang Pai moved closer to her, following her movements.
"Don't doubt yourself, you're really good." Su pointed to the folder in her arms.
Tang Pai was preparing to hear Su Yao's next instructions, but after waiting for a long time, there was no follow-up. Even Ge Jin had packed everything up and gone out to run errands.
Tang Pai braced himself and continued, "So, will you sign this contract?"
“I won’t sign. We’re an investment company. If their prospects are good, I’ll definitely invest, but I won’t invest in something uncertain.” Su Yao held a gold-black pen in his hand, the pen moving gracefully across the paper, writing smoothly, the final stroke sharp and powerful. “However, you should send this to Bai Lutong. By the way, you must emphasize that it’s from me.”
He wanted to do this kind of thing and didn't mind doing a favor for her. But who exactly was the manager of "Yao" and why would he give her this opportunity, an opportunity that even Bai Lutong wanted a share of? Su tapped the table with his pen and sent a message to Ge Jin: I want to meet with the person in charge of "Yao". We'll treat.
Ge Jin made the contact immediately upon receiving the news.
Unexpectedly, they were very accommodating and said they would arrange things according to the time Su requested.
Ge Jin told Su Yao about the conversation, and she smiled without saying a word, finding it amusing.
"Then please make arrangements as soon as possible."
Ge Jin was quick to act; having received Su Yao's instructions, he scheduled the time for the following evening.
She wore a white tank top underneath a black cardigan, and denim shorts that showed off her waist. Ge Jin looked at her outfit and asked, "Would you like to change your clothes, Ms. Su?"
Su looked down at herself, then shook her sleeves. "Doesn't it look good?"
She thought her outfit was alright; it shouldn't be so bad that she couldn't even show her face to anyone. Besides, she had already worn it all day, so it wouldn't be right for Ge Jin to say it didn't look good at this point.
Ge Jin hesitated for a moment, then finally uttered only two words, "Beautiful."
When they arrived at the reserved restaurant, Ge Jin still looked hesitant to speak. He called out to Su as she was about to get out of the car.
Su turned to look at him, her expression questioning, but seeing that Ge Jin couldn't bring himself to say it, she leaned into the car and patted Ge Jin's shoulder. "Don't worry, I'm not here to discuss cooperation. They're happy just to see them. There's nothing wrong with what you're dressed like. I know what I'm doing."
Seeing her confident expression, Ge Jin smiled and nodded at her. Su Yao was very opinionated. There were some things he didn't understand, but she would handle them very well. It seemed like he never had to worry about her. Perhaps his worries were unnecessary.
After stepping through the revolving door, Su was asked by a waiter for a reservation.
She gave her name and was then led inside by the waiter.
When Su arrived, the person in charge of "Yao" had not yet arrived. She looked at the menu, considered her dietary restrictions, and only ordered appetizers.
A moment later, the door was pushed open, and a clear voice greeted from outside: "Sir, this way please."
Su was about to get up to greet him politely.
But the person who walked in was an acquaintance—An Chi.
Although she was a little stunned, she quickly recovered and extended her hand to shake his. "Hello, what's your name?"
Between their clasped hands, Su Yao shifted slightly to the side to see the mole on her ear.
"Just call me An Chi, President Su."
But before she could even see the mole, she heard the reply. Su stared at him for a moment, forgetting to let go of his hand.
"Mr. Su, would you like to hold my hand for a while? I'm a little flattered."
An Chi's words interrupted her thoughts, and Su Yao released him, saying, "Then please have a seat, Mr. An."
Their private room has a dedicated waiter.
An Chi waved to him, whispered a few words to him, and then the waiter left.
Su Yao was still somewhat incredulous that An Chi was actually the person in charge of "Yao".
"May I ask what position Mr. An holds in the company?"
"COO".
"So impressive, so young and promising."
Just then, the waiter who had left came in, carrying a blanket. He handed it to An Chi and then withdrew.
An Chi got up, walked to Su Yao's side, covered her legs with a blanket, and then squatted down to adjust everything: "Are you blaming me, Su Yao, blaming me for not telling you anything?"
After he finished speaking, he raised his eyes to look at Su Yao, and Su Yao met his gaze once again.
She took his arm and helped him up, avoiding the question from before, and pushed the menu she was holding next to him. "Let's order, I haven't ordered enough."
“I have a menu over there.” An Chi sat back down. “You can order. I’ll love everything you order.”
Su didn't answer; she simply called the waiter to order. Once she knew who was opposite her, she knew what to order.
"If you want to blame me, then blame me."
"No, before I came here I wondered what kind of person would refuse to cooperate with Bai Lutong but insist on me investing."
Su Yao's eyes were long and narrow when she looked down. Even though she wasn't wearing any heavy makeup, it still looked like she was wearing eyeliner. Perhaps it was because her eyelashes were long, like the horizon that had been drawn, delicate and indistinct, as if she had been covered with a layer of mist, like she had been crying.
When An Chi came to his senses, he heard the second half of the sentence: he had indeed refused Bai Lutong's offer.
After Su delivered the contract to Bai Lutong, he began to focus on securing the cooperation with "Yao." The contract was a valuable resource for understanding the project. However, when Bai Lutong went to the company to discuss the cooperation the next day with great confidence, he was rejected without even meeting Bai Lutong. The only reason given was that it was not suitable.
He told Su Yao about this, which only made Su Yao more determined to meet with the person in charge, which is why Ge Jin made the arrangements so quickly.
"It's really not appropriate."
"So we're a good match? I won't invest in this project, you should know that."
After a pause, Su added, "I won't invest in projects that are too risky."
An Chi called to the waiter, who poured red wine for Su. The red wine flowing and clinking in the stemmed glass made a crisp sound, the sound of wine, glass, and spillage.
The waiter then turned around and poured An Chi a drink.
An Chi dangled his index and middle fingers between the stem of the wine glass, the uneven surface of the glass mirroring the ups and downs of their relationship, unsure of what changes might occur next.
"It's alright, I expected this result." He took a sip of wine, his lips stained red, turning pale pink into bright red. "Let's eat, you're treating me today."
Su looked at him and saw that he hadn't changed much. He ate a couple of bites of the hot dishes that had just been served, but she was still worried. This was the first time she had seen him in a different identity than An Chi. He was really different from four years ago. Perhaps she should think about it since she hadn't made any progress. But it was all for An Chi's good: "Why don't you choose to cooperate with Bai Lutong? He has high hopes for your project."
An Chi picked up a piece of food and put it in Su Yao's bowl. It was her favorite. "Since you won't sign a contract with me, then we won't talk about work today. You still owe me, your driver, a meal."
Su thought about it for a moment, and realized that it was none of her business if it was someone else's company's business, so she simply started eating seriously. When she found something delicious, she would order some side dishes so that An Chi could also have some.
Unbeknownst to her, An Chi moved a little closer, getting closer and closer, just to make it easier to take care of her.
Suddenly the phone rang; it was Bai Lutong.
He asked Su if she had met with the person in charge of "Yao" and wanted her to help with the collaboration.
An Chi's attention snapped to attention, and he heard the last sentence most clearly: "You succeeded. I'll treat you to dinner, Xiao Yao."
Su hung up the phone, put down her chopsticks, looked at An Chi, and smiled helplessly.
“I won’t cooperate with him. Let’s eat first.” An Chi watched her actions.
Su picked up his chopsticks, hesitated, and then couldn't help but say, "Behind Bai Lutong is more than just the Su family. You're abroad, so you don't know how impressive the Su family's accounts have been in recent years, but I know very well that Bai Lutong is very capable in this area. His investments will definitely be more than just small. Moreover, he has that regret of 'Little Bai' before, so he will do his best to help you."
“I don’t really want to hear you praise him,” An Chi said bluntly.
Su Yao suddenly didn't know what to say, but she had indeed done what she should have said to persuade him. She took a sip of wine and looked at An Chi's profile as he ate. She suddenly felt very unfamiliar with him, but then she thought, maybe he didn't cooperate for her sake?
She laughed self-deprecatingly, perhaps it was because she could no longer control others that she had become so suspicious. Su then drank the entire glass of red wine in one gulp.
When you drink too much alcohol, you'll always feel a little dizzy.
An Chi frowned, wanting to tell her to drink more slowly, when he heard her say, "Did you refuse to cooperate with him because of me?"
He didn't think his feelings were that obvious, but when her finger touched the tip of his heart, he couldn't help but be seduced by her. She always knew how to manipulate his heart: "Yes, and no."
Holding her fingertips resting on her chest, An Chi pulled her hand, looking into her still-unconscious eyes, which were filled with tears.
"The Su family is not suitable for us. We are a new small-scale enterprise. If we were to partner with the large-scale Su family, there would be risks in terms of public opinion and intense industry competition. The company you initially took over was the Su family, and the investment company you are now running is of medium size. So you don't know that a small-scale enterprise can be on the verge of collapse if it makes a wrong step. Therefore, we have discussed internally and decided to only accept investments from small and medium-sized enterprises. The compensation for failure will not be too much. If we succeed, we will all share the glory. Of course, my personal reason is that I don't want you to persuade Bai Lutong to have dinner with you."
As Su Yao gradually regained her composure, she noticed that An Chi had even leaned close to her ear to speak. Startled, she pushed him away, fumbling for her phone, and said in a flustered voice, "Um, I'll go pay. I understand. I'll explain everything to Bai Lutong. I wish you success in your fundraising. I'm leaving now, no need to see me off! I'll ask Ge Jin to pick me up."
An Chi didn't stop her. After what happened last time, he knew that Su Yao wouldn't ask Ge Jin to work overtime to pick her up unless absolutely necessary. He hadn't done anything excessive today, so she would probably just take a taxi home by herself.
Sure enough, after he came out of the garage, he made a special trip around and saw Su Yao standing at the hotel entrance with a slight smile on his face.
"Get in the car," An Chi said, opening the car window.
Su waved his hand, "Ge Jin will come."
“It’s not easy to get a taxi here,” he said, peering towards Su Yao. “This place is remote, and it’s nighttime.”
Seeing her wary look, An Chi was a little unsure of what to do: "Get in the car, I won't do anything to you. Be good, I'll feel at ease if I take you home."
Su Yao, having heard his words, couldn't refuse again and again, so she got in the car and sat in the back.
He stubbornly refused to move, and just as Su Yao was starting to have doubts, An Chi looked at his slightly wrinkled little expression in the rearview mirror and said, "You really think I'm your driver? Come sit in the front."
Su noticed that it was getting late, and since her ride-hailing app hadn't registered anything, she listened to him and sat in the front seat.
Indeed, as An Chi said, he did nothing to her and even safely took her home. Although the two remained silent the whole way, Su Yao would always steal glances at An Chi, secretly comparing the changes in her mind.
As she got off the bus, An Chi greeted her, saying, "Next time you can look freely, you can look anywhere."
Su felt somewhat helpless. It was true that the child was harder to manage once he grew up. She had told him countless times not to say such things to her, but he never listened. She let him be, only responding with a roll of her eyes.
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