Chapter 17 What happened to my dear husband?
【River City】
We chose a quiet restaurant with a river view for dinner.
When Zhou Xun and Jiang Xiaoguo arrived, Meng Yanchen and Fan Shengmei were already there.
This was the first time Fan Shengmei met Jiang Xiaoguo in person.
The girl was petite, wearing a slightly formal but ordinary casual suit, with her long hair draped softly over her shoulders. She looked both well-behaved and young, like someone who had just entered society.
When she saw Meng Yanchen and Fan Shengmei, she immediately bowed slightly and greeted them politely, with a hint of barely perceptible nervousness.
"Hello, Mr. Fan, Hello, Mr. Meng."
"Don't be so polite, just call me sister."
Fan Shengmei smiled and pulled her to sit next to her.
The girl has delicate features and clear eyes. At first glance, she is the kind of good girl who has been well-educated and hardworking. She has not been in society for long and still retains some of her "dullness" and naiveté.
She came this time mainly to discuss the project of introducing a complaining wall in the second phase of the Cultural and Creative Park, which had nothing to do with the project Meng Yanchen and Zhou Xun were discussing at the moment.
She couldn't join in the conversation and just ate quietly, but her back was straight and her ears seemed to be perked up, listening attentively to discussions that were far beyond the scope of her current work, like a sponge thirsting for knowledge, trying to absorb all nutrients.
Zhou Xun's tone was as calm, concise, and businesslike as ever.
But Fan Shengmei keenly noticed that he would quietly transfer a few dishes that Jiang Xiaoguo had picked up with a chopstick extra to her;
When the drink in her glass is almost empty, she will naturally signal the waiter to refill it;
When Meng Yanchen mentioned an overly professional financial term, he would briefly explain it in more plain language, as if he was just mentioning it casually, to ensure that everyone at the table could keep up with the pace.
All care is hidden under "normal" social etiquette, no matter how big or small, but it is subtle and silent.
If a woman is thoughtful and has some experience, it is hard not to taste some special meaning in it.
Jiang Xiaoguo's attention was obviously completely attracted by the content of the conversation and the powerful aura emitted by Zhou Xun.
Fan Shengmei had heard some stories about Zhou Xun and the "10%" girl from Meng Yanchen before, and when she saw this scene again, she found it very interesting.
Her eyes would subtly move back and forth between Jiang Xiaoguo and Zhou Xun from time to time, trying to catch any unusual atmosphere between the two.
After careful observation during half of the dinner, a knowing smile appeared on Fan Shengmei's lips.
She confirmed one thing—
Jiang Xiaoguo didn't dare look directly at Zhou Xun for more than three seconds.
Unfortunately, the sharp-tongued Zhou Xun only has a mouth that can talk about projects.
Meng Yanchen gently placed the bowl of soup, which had cooled to the perfect temperature, in front of Fan Shengmei. He leaned over and whispered in her ear, so that only the two of them could hear.
"Boss Fan, is your curiosity satisfied?"
Seeing that she was caught red-handed, Fan Shengmei took the bowl of soup and smiled softly with a hint of embarrassment.
"So obvious?"
"Not obvious,"
Meng Yanchen's eyes fell gently on her face, "But I can feel it."
He glanced at the dish in front of her that hadn't been touched much.
"Don't just be curious about others. I haven't seen you eat much tonight."
As he was speaking, he carefully served her the dishes, but Zhou Xun completely ignored this brief and tender interaction. He pulled out his tablet, pushed it in front of Meng Yanchen, and interrupted,
"Yanchen, look here! This is the new data model they just submitted. I think if the government's regional planning really tilts towards high-tech industries, then our initial core plan of providing high-end talent apartments will be completely viable, and we might even need to expand it in advance."
He paused, tapped his fingertips on the tablet, and continued to analyze calmly.
"But if the planning focus shifts to traditional cultural tourism, then the scale and positioning of this supporting facility must be adjusted, otherwise the risk of initial investment will increase significantly."
Meng Yanchen's attention was immediately drawn back. He carefully looked at the data and charts on the screen, frowning slightly.
"The biggest variable now is this final planning document, which has not yet been released."
He raised his head and looked at Zhou Xun, his tone pure business judgment. "If the final scale is as you said, tilted towards cultural tourism and significantly reduced in the high-tech sector, then the overall scale of this project will be too small for Guokun. Even if the long-term profits are considerable, the input-output cycle and strategic weighting will change, and the group investment committee will most likely not approve it."
Fan Shengmei previously managed Xingtuli, and she has always had a strong interest and certain sensitivity in commercial real estate and regional planning.
Hearing the specific content of their discussion, her attention immediately shifted from the vague ambiguity between Jiang Xiaoguo and Zhou Xun to the project itself.
Meng Yanchen thought for a moment and offered a suggestion. "If the later plan does undergo major policy adjustments, you could try contacting Ziqian. The foundation and ideas of this project are very consistent with the current direction of their Taiwei Group."
Zhou Xun thought about it carefully, his fingers tapping the table unconsciously, "Let's wait for the final documents to come down in the next two days before taking a look."
There was a subtle inclination in his tone. "I still prefer to cooperate with Guokun. Of course, the premise is to ensure that both parties are in the most compatible range in terms of project scale and strategy. If the plan does change later..."
He nodded, agreeing with Meng Yanchen's suggestion, "Taiwei is indeed a good alternative."
【2203】
The next morning, before the sunlight had fully penetrated the curtains, Qu Xiaoxiao felt as if her whole body had been taken apart and reassembled, and she was so sore and weak that she could not move.
Just as she was drowsily trying to get closer to the source of heat beside her, the shrill ringtone of her cell phone rang mercilessly.
She struggled to reach for her phone, and without even opening her eyes, she mumbled "Hello".
Fan Shengmei's voice came from the other end of the phone with a clear playful smile.
"Xiao Qu~ Last time I had a headache from drinking too much, this time... is it a cold? My throat is hoarse quite often."
Qu Xiaoxiao regained consciousness instantly and cleared her throat awkwardly, using a coquettish voice to mask her guilty conscience.
"Sister Fan, you're back?"
"Not yet. It will take two days."
Fan Shengmei smiled, then her tone became serious.
"I have something serious to tell you. Last night, when I was having dinner with Zhou Xun and Meng Yanchen, I heard them talking about a project. I thought... maybe we could give it a try."
Then, she quickly analyzed the project situation, the variables in regional planning, and the advantages in their star journey.
"But the problem now is Meng Yanchen's Guo Kun, and the second one is Zhao Ziqian's Tai Wei. So,"
Fan Shengmei paused, her voice filled with a desperate spirit.
"I've sent you the relevant information via email. Please go and discuss this with Andy. We'll work on a project plan as quickly as possible. I'll talk to Zhou Xun."
She lowered her voice and added, "Please keep this a secret! I haven't even told Yan Chen about this idea. He and Zhao Ziqian may be our future competitors."
Qu Xiaoxiao, "!!!"
She turned her head stiffly and looked at the man who was still half asleep beside her, one hand still domineeringly around her waist.
Her smile instantly became uglier than crying, and she said dryly into the microphone,
"That...that's really...not good."
Fan Shengmei on the other end of the phone didn't understand her despair at all, but was full of fighting spirit.
"How could it be bad? This project is really perfect for us! Hurry up and get up and discuss it with Andy to get the materials ready! Chen Mingyu is at the company, you can ask him to help when the time comes."
Qu Xiaoxiao was still making her final struggle, "No... Sister Fan, he's your biological husband. Also, with his relationship with Zhou Xun... can we pry him apart? Isn't this a bit difficult?"
"So what if I'm your husband? Haven't you heard that there's no such thing as a father and son in the business world? Who told me that men are not as attractive as money? As for the odds of winning..."
Fan Shengmei cast her eyes towards Jiang Xiaoguo who was not far away, and said with a firm tone,
"Don't worry, I, your sister Fan... have a secret weapon."
When Qu Xiaoxiao heard her confident tone, her career mind instantly took over!
That’s right! How can a man be as good as making money?
No matter who is lying in the bed, making money is the serious matter!
She hung up the phone instantly, sat up abruptly, and began to push Zhao Ziqian, who was still sleeping beside her, without any hesitation.
“Wake up! Wake up!”
Zhao Ziqian was woken up by her. He opened his eyes in a daze, but before he could see the person in front of him, a pile of clothes and pants were thrown in his face.
"Hurry! Put on your clothes! Let's go!"
Qu Xiaoxiao spoke in a hurried tone, as if her house was on fire.
Zhao Ziqian was completely stunned. He hugged his clothes and looked at the woman in front of him who changed her attitude faster than turning the pages of a book, trying to understand the current situation.
"What's wrong....."
"Your house is on fire!"
Zhao Ziqian was confused by her behavior, but he subconsciously cooperated and put on his clothes. Before he could ask a question, Qu Xiaoxiao pushed him out with his bag.
"Bang--!"
With a loud bang, the door of Room 2203 was slammed shut in front of him, almost hitting his tall nose.
Zhao Ziqian, wearing a shirt that hadn't even been fully straightened, and holding his suit jacket in his hand, stood at the closed door, completely stunned.
A gust of morning breeze blew by, making him look particularly... desolate.
He thought that the two of them had already expressed their feelings to each other yesterday and had said it so clearly. Even if it wasn't a romantic morning, he shouldn't have been... kicked out directly, right?
Zhao Ziqian stood alone in the empty corridor and was so angry that he laughed.
"You're sleeping again and you don't recognize me?!"
He simply couldn't understand what was going on in this woman's head.
"Qu Xiaoxiao, you're really good!"
He wordlessly took out his phone, clicked on Xiao Yixiao's WeChat, and sent a voice message in a helpless yet amusing tone.
"Xiao Yixiao, what group are you guys in? Pull me over!"
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