Chapter 10 She will leave in the next second
In the elevator leading to the top floor, Yan Shuang quietly adjusted her shirt collar.
"Nervous?" Manager Xue nudged her shoulder.
“A little,” she said honestly.
This is not an ordinary weekly report, but a professional arena for debate.
The elevator was stopped at the top floor.
Du Yunchuan was on the phone by the French windows when he turned around and saw them, his eyes lighting up: "Looks like there's good news?"
Yan Shuang projected the data onto the conference screen.
Zhou Lin's patent loopholes, the hidden flow of funds, and the core demands of the technical team—each point is logically sound and hits the nail on the head.
As she explained in detail, one could clearly see the growing admiration in Du Yunchuan's eyes.
At a crucial point, he couldn't help but interrupt, saying, "That's a brilliant angle!"
The group members exchanged joyful glances.
After finishing his presentation, Du Yunchuan stood up, clapped his hands, and said, "Yan Shuang's report is priceless."
He turned to Yan Shuang, his eyes filled with admiration: "If you hadn't uncovered this funding chain, we would have had to pay at least 30% more for the acquisition."
The other department directors nodded in agreement, and one of them whispered in admiration, "Truly impressive..."
Yan Shuang pursed her lips, suppressing the subtle joy in her heart, and simply nodded calmly: "It's my pleasure."
However, in that very moment of relaxation...
"Full of loopholes."
A cold voice suddenly rang out.
Everyone fell silent instantly.
Shangqiu Zhu sat in the main seat, his gaze sharp as a blade, fixed directly on Yan Shuang.
"You only traced the funding chain, but you failed to find out who the actual controller behind this shell company is."
His tone was calm, yet every word was authoritative: "Zhou Lin's biggest creditor is the Du family's long-time rival."
Yan Shuang's pupils contracted slightly; she had indeed overlooked this detail.
Shangqiu Zhu's voice was devoid of any warmth: "If the other party takes this opportunity to incite public opinion and trigger a counterattack, how much will the stock prices of the Shang and Du families evaporate?"
The conference room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Yan Shuang's fingers tightened slightly, but quickly, she took a deep breath and looked up to meet his cold gaze: "It was my oversight. I will immediately complete this part of the analysis and reassess the risks."
Her voice was steady, without any explanation or emotion, only a pure determination to admit her mistake and correct it.
Du Yunchuan raised an eyebrow, his gaze sweeping between Yan Shuang and Shang Qiuzhu, before suddenly chuckling and smoothing things over: "Qiuzhu, it's already quite an achievement to have done this much, why be so strict?"
Shangqiu Zhu's expression remained unchanged; he simply said indifferently, "The Shang family does not support idlers."
Yan Shuang lowered her eyes, her nails silently digging into her palms.
She knew he was right.
If you only want to be a decent secretary, you can live a comfortable life.
But now that we've stepped onto this battlefield, we must be absolutely certain of success.
She didn't want to be treated like a little girl who needed to be protected forever; she wanted to be an opponent who was worthy of being taken seriously.
After the meeting, Du Yunchuan deliberately slowed down and walked alongside Shang Qiuzhu, lowering his voice to laugh, "Why were you so fierce to her? I think she was almost unable to lift her head after you scolded her."
Shangqiu Zhu continued walking, her eyes unfathomable: "She's not as fragile as you think."
“Honestly,” Du Yunchuan said sarcastically, glancing at him, “couldn’t you be a little gentler with this second young lady of the Yan family? She’s the daughter of the Yan family, and she’s just a secretary here, getting scolded with a cold face every day.”
The bamboo of Shangqiu does not look askance.
"Tsk," Du Yunchuan shook his head and sighed, "You really don't know how to appreciate what you have..."
He deliberately dragged out his words, as if testing the waters, "If you really don't care, I can poach her once the project is over. Her abilities are obvious to all; it would be a waste to keep her by your side just as a secretary."
"what ever."
Du Yunchuan raised an eyebrow and carefully examined his friend's cold, hard profile.
Shangqiu Zhu remained indifferent, showing no concern whatsoever.
-
On weekends, the bridal shop is filled with pristine white wedding dresses, creating a dreamlike atmosphere.
Shangqiu Zhu sat on the velvet sofa in the VIP fitting room, her long legs crossed, looking down at her phone for messages.
"Qiu Zhu, what do you think of this one?"
Yan You pulled back the curtain and gracefully walked out, wearing a mermaid-style wedding dress with a long train.
Shangqiu Zhu glanced up and said calmly, "Not bad."
Yan You's smile froze for a moment, then quickly recovered: "You didn't even look closely..." She turned to face the mirror and asked casually, "By the way, has Yan Shuang been acting strangely at the company these past few days?"
Shangqiu Zhu paused slightly as she swiped the screen: "No."
"That girl is really..." Yan You sighed, continuing to adjust her veil, "She had a huge fight with her parents a few days ago and actually ran away from home. She's such a grown woman, yet she's still so immature..."
Shangqiu Zhu remained noncommittal regarding this complaint.
"My parents are furious. They said she doesn't understand the family's difficulties at all..." Yan You observed Shang Qiuzhu's reaction through the mirror, but found that he wasn't listening at all, so she couldn't help but bite her lip.
Just then, Shangqiu Zhu's phone rang.
He answered the phone, gave a brief reply, and then stood up: "Something came up at the company."
"Leaving again?" Yan You's voice suddenly rose, then immediately lowered again, "We've only been here for half an hour..."
Shang Qiuzhu had already picked up his suit jacket: "The Maldives trip next week won't change." He said calmly, "I'll spend time with you then."
Yan You suppressed her dissatisfaction and forced a gentle smile: "Then you should go and get busy, work is important."
Shangqiu Zhu nodded and turned to leave.
When he pushed open the glass door to the president's office, the entire floor was so quiet that the hum of the central air conditioning could be heard.
Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the summer sun baked the city white, while inside, the city was bathed in cool shadows.
A wisp of rich coffee aroma wafts over.
Behind the frosted glass, a slender figure could be vaguely seen busily working.
Amidst the rising steam, Yan Shuang leaned over, staring intently at the pressure gauge on the coffee machine.
She wasn't wearing her usual suit today, but rather a simple white cotton-linen shirt and light-colored jeans.
On the coffee machine, dark brown liquid slowly flowed into the cup.
Her focused profile appeared exceptionally soft in the steam, her fingertips unconsciously tapping lightly on the marble countertop, as if counting the extraction time.
Shangqiu Zhu suddenly remembered Yan You's words, "That girl ran away from home."
At this moment, Yan Shuang doesn't look rebellious at all. Without high heels, she appears even more slender, exuding a gentle and domestic charm.
"28 seconds," she suddenly murmured to herself, turning off the machine.
She looked up and saw the figure at the door. "President Shang?"
The aroma of the coffee reaches its peak at this moment.
The distinctive citrus notes of Ethiopian Yirgacheffe, blended with the sweetness of caramel, quietly permeated the space between the two.
Shangqiu Zhu nodded slightly. "Give me a cup."
After saying that, he turned and walked towards his office.
His silhouette appeared exceptionally long under the corridor lights. Yan Shuang watched his departing figure, then lowered her head to take out the coffee beans again.
The office door was ajar. Yan Shuang gently knocked and heard a deep "Come in" from inside.
Shangqiu Zhu was standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window making a phone call.
Yan Shuang placed the coffee in an empty space on the desk and was about to leave when she heard him say, "Wait."
Shangqiu Zhu pulled a document out of the pile and handed it to her: "Take a look at this."
Yan Shuang took the document and quickly scanned it.
This was Zhou's Technology's latest financial assessment, and her gaze was quickly drawn to the few newly added annotations in the corner of the document.
His handwriting is vigorous and sharp, with strokes as sharp as knives, just like him, ruthlessly highlighting key data and pointing directly to the core issues.
Those few words of annotation were incisive and perfectly answered the dilemma and logical deadlock that she had been struggling to solve at her workstation.
She almost couldn't wait to read on, and the more she read, the more surprised she became. Her previously blocked thoughts suddenly cleared up, like the sun breaking through the clouds.
“Mr. Shang,” she couldn’t help but look up, “the third point you annotated, regarding the inflated valuation of their patents, does that mean we can…”
She quickly raised several follow-up questions and operational concerns.
Shangqiu Zhu looked up from the report and leaned back in his chair. He didn't answer immediately, but waited for her to clearly state all her questions.
Then, he slowly began to answer her questions one by one.
Every point hit the nail on the head, with rigorous logic. It not only answered her question but also expanded on aspects she hadn't considered and the possibilities for subsequent actions.
Yan Shuang listened intently, and the confusion in her eyes gradually gave way to sudden understanding.
"...I understand!" As soon as he finished speaking, Yan Shuang's voice was filled with barely suppressed excitement and the joy of sudden enlightenment. "Thank you, boss! I know how to proceed from here. I'll give you an analysis report by Monday."
The moment she finished speaking.
"Gurgle..."
A long, drawn-out rumbling sound suddenly came from her abdomen.
It was unusually loud in the extremely quiet office.
"..."
Yan Shuang froze instantly, her cheeks turning bright red at a visible speed, wishing she could immediately crawl under the table.
She forgot to eat lunch, and her stomach unexpectedly voiced its most embarrassing protest at this moment.
Shangqiu Zhu paused, his gaze falling on the top of her head, which she wished she could bury herself in the ground.
Just then, Shangqiu Zhu's phone rang, breaking the deadly awkward situation.
He glanced at the caller ID and answered.
Du Yunchuan's cheerful voice came from the other end of the phone, "Qiu Zhu, where are you? All the dishes are served, we're just waiting for you."
Shang Qiuzhu's gaze was still fixed on Yan Shuang's reddened ears. She responded faintly to the other end of the phone, "Mm."
He paused, and amidst Yan Shuang's extremely embarrassed silence, added to the person on the other end of the phone, "Add one more person."
After saying that, he hung up the phone and looked at Yan Shuang, who was still frozen in place, "Let's go."
Yan Shuang's eyes were full of confusion and lingering embarrassment: "...Huh?"
Shangqiu Zhu stood up, her voice calm: "Aren't you hungry? Du Yunchuan is treating, let's eat and talk about the acquisition."
Yan Shuang was stunned for several seconds before she realized what he meant.
She bit her lip, but finally grabbed her phone and jogged after him.
Yan Shuang followed Shang Qiuzhu into the restaurant's private room, where several people were already seated. They were all young men of similar age and with extraordinary bearing, clearly Shang Qiuzhu's close circle of friends.
Yan Shuang's appearance silenced the previously lively conversation for a moment.
The man laughed, raised his wine glass, and called out jokingly in Shang Qiuzhu's direction, "Hey, Qiuzhu, did the sun rise in the west today? You even brought your wife along?"
The moment the title "sister-in-law" was uttered, everyone else in the private room turned their attention to Yan Shuang, their gazes filled with a mixture of curiosity and good-natured teasing.
"What nonsense are you talking about!" Du Yunchuan patted his friend on the shoulder. "Open your eyes and take a good look. This is Yan Shuang, Secretary Yan, Qiu Zhu's sister-in-law! You've mistaken her for someone else, shouldn't you be punished with three cups of wine?"
"Ah?...Oh, oh, oh!" The friend suddenly realized, slapped his forehead, and quickly apologized, "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry! What was I thinking! It's Miss Yan Er, my apologies!"
The others quickly realized what was happening and tried to smooth things over with laughter:
"No wonder something felt different, it's my younger sister!"
Yan Shuang smiled and indicated that it was alright.
Shangqiu Zhu didn't say a word from beginning to end, and went straight to the main seat to sit down.
Du Yunchuan smiled and gestured for Yan Shuang to sit down, cleverly steer the conversation elsewhere.
After Shangqiu Zhu sat down, he turned to the side and began to talk quietly with a man who looked like a senior executive of a company.
On the other hand, Du Yunchuan on the other side was considerate and humorous.
He noticed Yan Shuang's slight unease, so he naturally struck up a conversation with her, chatting about trivial anecdotes, serving her food when appropriate, and smiling as he poured her a special cocktail when her glass was empty.
"Secretary Yan, don't be shy, try this, it tastes pretty good." Du Yunchuan smiled and poured her another glass.
After a few drinks, coupled with Du Yunchuan's gentle attitude, Yan Shuang's initial embarrassment and nervousness gradually dissipated.
Her cheeks slowly flushed, her eyes became slightly watery and dreamy, and she unconsciously started talking more, even chuckling softly a few times in response to Du Yunchuan's words.
She didn't notice that the cold gaze that had been focused on the conversation beside her had been withdrawn at some point.
Shangqiu Zhu finished her conversation with the person next to her and turned around, only to see Yan Shuang's slightly tipsy profile.
She was taking the fruit Du Yunchuan offered, her lips curved into a smile, her eyes sparkling with an unconsciously charming naiveté.
Just as her fingertips unconsciously reached for the wine glass once again, Shangqiu Zhu's voice suddenly rang out, as cold and clear as ice water poured down:
"At what stage has the supplementary clauses for Zhou's patent licensing, along with the corresponding risk assessment, been integrated?"
"..."
Yan Shuang's outstretched hand suddenly froze in mid-air.
My hazy, drunken mind was suddenly injected with a dose of sobering medicine.
She sat up almost instinctively, her languidness and blush quickly replaced by a hint of panic.
“The initial integration is complete,” she said, her voice slightly muffled as she tried to concentrate, “but regarding the cross-authorization aspect, the legal department believes it’s necessary to further clarify the boundaries of authority and responsibility to prevent future issues…”
As she answered, she reached for the teacup next to her and quickly took a big gulp.
The bitter tea helped clear her muddled mind.
Shangqiu Zhu listened quietly, her face showing no emotion. After she finished speaking, she threw out an even more tricky technical question.
Yan Shuang dared not relax for a moment longer and focused all her attention on dealing with his interrogation.
A fine layer of cold sweat even seeped out on his back, and the last trace of alcohol had long since vanished in shock.
She never looked at the tempting wine again, sitting upright and proper the whole time, answering every question, and cautiously saying that she needed to go back and verify the data if she couldn't answer.
After asking a few questions, Shangqiu Zhu stopped looking at her and continued talking to others.
But Yan Shuang, as if wound up tightly, was completely awake.
==
London.
Lin Chengyu stood in front of the apartment window, watching the rain meander across the glass, blurring the Chelsea streetscape into impressionistic blocks of color.
"Mr. Lin, here's your palette." The studio assistant carefully placed the paint palette next to the easel. "Professor Weber said he'll be checking on the progress next week."
Lin Chengyu nodded, but his gaze remained fixed on some unseen distance outside the window.
He recalled once again the champagne-colored figure he had glimpsed briefly through the revolving door.
"Are you alright?" the assistant asked hesitantly. "Since you returned from China, you seem..."
"I'm fine," Lin Chengyu interrupted her, a familiar smile playing on his lips.
This smile has put countless gallery owners and collectors at ease, and it has now been equally effective in silencing the assistant.
The smile on his lips vanished the moment the studio door closed.
His graduation project, covered with a white cloth, has been sitting on the easel for two weeks. It was supposed to be a series of abstract paintings exploring the fusion of Eastern and Western aesthetics, but now even he himself has lost interest in it.
He lifted the white cloth, stared at the blank canvas for a long time, and suddenly grabbed a palette knife, scraping a large blob of titanium white paint onto the center of the canvas.
The brush churned in the paint, cobalt blue, ultramarine, ivory black... these colors blended in his hands into a vibrant grayish-blue.
After an unknown amount of time, when Lin Chengyu came to his senses, a blurry female silhouette had appeared on the canvas.
The woman in the painting wasn't looking at him; her gaze was fixed on something outside the frame, as if she would turn and leave at any moment.
Outside the window, night was gradually falling in London.
Lin Chengyu slumped onto the sofa, covering his reddened eyes with his arm.
To outsiders, he is the charming and witty young nobleman from the East at the gallery opening reception; the up-and-coming artist who bids without hesitation at auctions; and the genius described by the media as "pushing Eastern aesthetics to the world."
Only he himself knew that, when it came to matters of the heart, he was still that clumsy boy who hid in his studio, secretly sketching the profile of the girl he had a crush on.
He has visited countless galleries, museums, and art salons, and seen all kinds of beautiful women. He can distinguish the sixteen shades of blue in the light spots on the water lilies in Monet's paintings, and he can tell whether turpentine has been adulterated with impurities by smell.
But when faced with the question of how to pursue a girl he likes, this brilliant postgraduate student from the Royal College of Art suddenly goes completely blank.
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