Chapter 23 Who's the Jealous One?
Over the past month and a half, the special working group established by Tianqi Yunjing and Conti has conducted multiple rounds of negotiations and consultations on the terms of the cooperation agreement. The text of the agreement has been revised several times and was finally unanimously approved by the boards of directors of both parties.
On the day of the official signing, the press conference hall on the second floor of the convention center was brightly lit, and the logos of both groups were displayed side by side on the giant LED screen behind the stage, simple yet solemn.
Inside the venue, fabric-covered seats were neatly arranged. The first two rows were reserved for the top executives of both sides, with an empty space in the middle, and the back rows were for the media.
Jiang Nuanyu thought she had arrived early, but she was surprised to find that the front row of the media section was already full when she arrived.
There were no assigned seats in "Florian," so she had to choose a relatively middle seat from the back rows.
The surrounding area was mostly filled with financial media reporters, interspersed with colleagues from several mainstream news organizations; there were almost no fashion and lifestyle media outlets like Florian.
From the moment she sat down, every now and then, Jiang Nuanyu couldn't help but turn her head towards the direction of the entrances.
As the first two rows of seats gradually filled up and the guests were almost finished entering, she still hadn't seen that figure appear.
She held a notebook about the size of a cell phone in her hand, looking around as she gently poked at it with the end of her pen.
A thought suddenly popped into my head: Could it be that Liang Qi won't even come to this signing ceremony?
She was stunned.
Then all her expectations these past few days have been for nothing.
She was extremely frustrated, slumped back in her chair, and tugged at the media pass hanging around her neck.
Ji Meng is right, these kinds of business-oriented jobs are really boring!
Just as he was feeling annoyed, there was a slight commotion around him, and his colleagues all craned their necks to look at the right side of the stage.
Jiang Nuanyu sat up straight and looked up with everyone else. When she saw who it was, her breathing eased.
Liang Qi walked at the front of the group, wearing a crisp black suit with a dark blue tie fastened at the collar of his white shirt. This accentuated the handsome features of his neck and face, making him appear dashing yet not cold and hard.
Several senior executives who had already taken their seats stood up to greet him. He walked over at a leisurely pace, shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries with each of them, displaying impeccable manners.
Jiang Nuanyu had seen Liang Qi like this before; in fact, during their interview on Menghe Island, she was the one he treated in the same way. Yet, every time she witnessed his appearance, she was deeply attracted to him, unable to look away.
Before taking his seat, Liang Qi habitually glanced behind him. But with so many people in front of him, his gaze only swept lightly across her face without lingering.
The commotion caused by Liang Qi's appearance gradually subsided, but the two male reporters next to him were still discussing it.
One of them said, "This is the first time I've met General Manager Liang of Yunjing in person. The boss is indeed the boss; his aura is truly different."
Another person chimed in: "I interviewed him once at the Asian Economic Summit in April. I heard that this Mr. Liang has an exceptionally good memory; once you've met him, he can basically remember your last name the next time you meet him."
"Wow, that's really something else. He's handsome!"
"..."
Jiang Nuanyu felt a little uneasy listening to their conversation.
When Liang Qi met her for the second time, he remembered her surname, which she always thought was a special case for her.
It was simply because he had a good memory.
She turned her head to the other side, refusing to listen anymore.
All the key figures were present, and the signing ceremony began on time on the stage.
After a brief opening by the host, the leaders and distinguished guests attending the ceremony were introduced one by one, with Liang Qi being the first to be introduced.
As soon as he finished speaking, applause spontaneously broke out in the room. Liang Qi did not stand up, but simply turned slightly to the side in his seat and politely nodded to the person behind him.
The top executives from both sides were mentioned alternately. On Conti's side, after Candela, the second person introduced was Julie.
Jiang Nuanyu was slightly surprised. Only then did she realize that Liang Qi's female companion at the magazine's party that night was actually the core representative of Conti, the company involved in this collaboration.
And since Julie's surname is Conti, her other identity is not hard to guess.
Realizing this, even though she understood that Liang Qi and Zhu Li seemed to have become acquainted through work, Jiang Nuanyu felt even heavier.
After introducing the guests, Liang Qi, Vice President of Tianqi Group and President and CEO of Yunjing Group, was the first to take the stage to deliver a speech.
He walked to the podium and glanced at the audience; the cold white lights on the stage made his skin glow with a cool luster.
After the applause subsided, he calmly began, "Distinguished guests, friends from the media, good afternoon." He smiled slightly, paused briefly, and said, "I'm sure you're all tired of the usual clichés for this occasion, but please allow me two minutes to speak."
A burst of light laughter rippled through the audience, quickly followed by silence.
While Liang Qi made these remarks, his subsequent comments were concise and to the point. As the highest-ranking member of the partner organization, he only emphasized his respect and trust for the Conti Group, as well as the long-term vision behind the cooperation.
Although the content inevitably involved the polite formalities of a collaborative setting, his tone was calm, his voice pleasant, and his volume just right. He spoke entirely without notes, and with natural eye contact, everyone was captivated. Before they even started to feel tired or bored, Liang Qi gave his concluding remarks.
"As the party that facilitated this collaboration, Tianqi Yunjing looks forward to combining the strengths of both parties to create a more valuable and spiritually resonant experience for our customers."
"Today's signing marks the beginning of a project and, more importantly, the establishment of a relationship of trust. We look forward to exploring and expanding more meaningful cooperation models together with Tianqi in the future."
Finally, thank you all for being here today to witness this journey together. Thank you.
After he finished speaking, applause broke out in the room.
Without any hesitation, Liang Qi nodded slightly to the audience before the applause subsided and returned to the stage.
Jiang Nuanyu clapped along with everyone, her heart pounding with admiration and adoration.
Liang Qi had already stepped outside the spotlight, but in her eyes he still seemed to be shining.
She might feel unbalanced, uneasy, or even inferior because of the other people around him, but Liang Qi's own brilliance never scorched her.
To her, his radiance was an attraction, drawing her to him and making them shine together.
The vague sense of loss I felt in the first half of the game seemed to be suddenly healed by him.
After Liang Qi's speech, it was the turn of the representative from Conti.
Despite the language barrier, Candela delivered a concise speech in Italian with simultaneous interpretation. To demonstrate his sincerity, Giulie personally added a statement in English, further expressing the Conti Group's anticipation for this collaboration.
As Julie spoke, Jiang Nuanyu peered through the crowd towards the seats at the very front. Unfortunately, she was too far away; all she could see was Liang Qi's half-hidden back, obscured by the crowd, and she couldn't discern his expression.
In addition to the two parties involved in the cooperation, the Chairman of the China-EU Economic and Trade Promotion Committee was also specially invited to the event. He reviewed the positive momentum of cooperation between Chinese and European enterprises from a higher perspective and expressed high hopes for the signing ceremony.
The entire speech was neither too long nor too short, ending just in time before the audience's attention was fully focused but not yet relaxed.
Under the watchful eyes of the audience, Liang Qi and Candela went on stage, signed the cooperation agreement, exchanged their names, shook hands, and took a photo together.
The venue was instantly filled with a flurry of camera clicks and flashing lights, capturing that moment.
The ceremony then came to a successful conclusion.
At noon, the organizers arranged a luncheon upstairs, which all media present could attend with their credentials.
Jiang Nuanyu tried her best not to have any expectations about seeing Liang Qi, but why not take advantage of a free lunch?
With this thought in mind, she went upstairs.
The luncheon was held in a small banquet hall, in the form of a buffet. Jiang Nuanyu took some food and chose a table by the window to sit down.
While eating, she searched back and forth in the banquet hall for Liang Qi's figure.
As it turned out, she was indeed overthinking things.
In such situations, important people are entertaining themselves in private rooms; it's not something she can easily meet.
She only saw two high-ranking executives from Conti enter one of the private rooms, but she didn't know if Liang Qi was inside.
Midway through the meal, two media colleagues came over with trays and asked if they could share a table. Jiang Nuanyu was alone, so she agreed.
She learned from their conversation that the signing ceremony wasn't actually over yet. In the afternoon, Yun Jing had arranged a small, closed-door media briefing, where Liang Qi would personally interact with several key media outlets.
Jiang Nuanyu speculated that this exchange meeting was likely intended to leverage the influence of several key media outlets to endorse Yunjing's claims in the domestic market during this collaboration, positioning it more as a "mouthpiece." It's understandable that Florian, which focuses on soft content, wasn't on the invitation list.
In short, both publicly and privately, she most likely won't see Liang Qi today.
Her gaze unconsciously swept towards the entrance of the banquet hall and the private rooms, but unexpectedly, just when she had given up the most hope, she saw Liang Qi in the aisle between the two.
He was talking with several men who were also dressed in formal attire. Among the group, his figure was so outstanding and tall that Jiang Nuanyu unconsciously stared at him for a while longer.
Whether it was her intense gaze or Liang Qi's abnormally keen perception, he suddenly tilted his head slightly while listening to someone speak, his gaze sweeping over her and lingering in her direction for a second or two before looking away.
Jiang Nuanyu was in turmoil again.
She wasn't sure if Liang Qi had seen her or not; she was both anxious and couldn't help but start to look forward to it.
However, after the ups and downs of the entire signing ceremony, she has come to understand that too much expectation often leads to disappointment.
So she silently began to prepare for the worst—
With so many people in the banquet hall, he might not have actually seen her with that casual glance.
Even if he saw her but didn't come over to talk to her... it doesn't matter. Anyway, at least she can eat her fill before going back.
It's alright, not a bad deal.
Just then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Liang Qi finish his conversation and seem to be walking towards her.
Her mental preparation crumbled instantly. Her breathing became erratic, and she couldn't help but look at him, yet she dared not meet his gaze. Her eyes darted nervously back and forth between Liang Qi and the table in front of her.
However, a figure suddenly appeared in sight.
Julie practically blocked Liang Qi's path.
She said something to him, and Liang Qi nodded slightly and began to respond.
Jiang Nuanyu: "..."
When Liang Qi spoke, due to the height difference and the fact that they were standing close together, Zhu Li slightly tilted her head back, but looked directly at him with a faint smile on her lips.
Jiang Nuanyu watched this scene from afar, and her heart ached more than the lemon and cucumber water she had just drunk.
Her intuition told her that their conversation wasn't entirely business. At the very least, Julie's feelings for Liang Qi weren't entirely innocent. This was evident from the subtle possessiveness that flickered in Julie's eyes.
Her heart was churning when Liang Qi glanced at her over Zhu Li.
Julie noticed his gaze and turned around in the direction he was looking.
Jiang Nuanyu quickly lowered her head to avoid a possible three-way eye contact, and started picking at the fried fish on her plate.
Half a minute later, when she looked up again, the two people who had been talking just moments before were now walking in opposite directions, leaving only their backs behind.
Jiang Nuanyu: "..."
She felt even more aggrieved.
*
Liang Qi introduced Zhu Li to the local officials who were in charge of the project with Conti. After leaving the private room, he immediately looked in the direction where Jiang Nuanyu had been, only to find that no one was there anymore.
He glanced around and saw Peng Ze not far away. He walked over and asked, "Where is he?"
Peng Ze was stunned for a moment, and it took him two seconds to realize who the "person" Liang Qi was talking about was most likely.
"Oh, I just saw that Editor Jiang has already gone out."
Liang Qi turned his gaze toward the exit.
Peng Ze noticed his silence and tentatively asked, "She just left, should I go and call her back?"
Liang Qi paused for two seconds, then said, "No need."
-----------------------
The author says: The road ahead is always bittersweet—a byproduct of courage.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
