Full of Fragrance (Part Two)
Ji Yang stepped into Ji Qingzhou's office, tossed him a report, and said smugly, "Qingzhou, you should have seen this. The company's sales of oil-paper umbrellas have increased, doubling last year's turnover."
Ji Qingzhou said coldly, "The original intention of making oil-paper umbrellas was not to increase sales."
Ji Yang sat down opposite Ji Qingzhou: "Regardless of the original intention, the increase in turnover is a fact, so I will probably have the upper hand over you at tomorrow's board meeting."
"I'll tell you the truth!" Ji Qingzhou also tossed a document to Ji Yang.
The thick stack of documents contained customer complaints and feedback. Ji Yang reduced product costs while adding oil-paper umbrellas to the production line.
Due to inconsistent product quality, many low-priced umbrellas have experienced problems during use, such as easily broken frames, leaking canopies, and fading paint. Compared to the doubling of sales, customer complaints and returns have increased exponentially.
Negative reviews of "Zheyun" have also appeared in the media, and Meikai, the new partner, has expressed concerns about Zheyun.
It was only thanks to the long-established reputation of Zheyun that the brand image did not plummet.
Ji Qingzhou pointed to the doubled data and said, "You can also see that these sales figures are a false prosperity, right?"
Grandma had always tacitly allowed Ji Yang to investigate on his own, but she was surprised to find that she had been cleaning up Ji Yang's messes all these days.
Ji Yang scoffed, "My false prosperity is better than you finding some seventy or eighty-year-olds who can't even lift an umbrella to be your teachers. Qingzhou is still a businessman after all, and a businessman should stick to business."
Ji Qingzhou contacted many veteran umbrella makers and invited them to join the company to pass on their skills, ensuring that every oil-paper umbrella was made using the purest traditional techniques. From selecting bamboo, making the frame, pasting, painting, and applying oil, every step of the process was very strict.
Ji Yang didn't waste any more words with Ji Qingzhou: "I'm here to warn you about tomorrow's board meeting. Don't lose too badly."
Ji Qingzhou knew that he was secretly acquiring shares in Zheyun. Ji Qingzhou calmly stated, "Brother, Grandma will transfer all her shares to me."
Ji Yang paused for a moment, never expecting his grandmother to interfere.
His tone was angry: "Didn't Grandma say she wouldn't interfere?"
"The premise is that you don't do anything that harms the company's interests."
Ji Yang still didn't quite believe it; he didn't believe that his grandmother thought the same way.
Ji Qingzhou concluded by saying, "Brother, you don't have to be so fixated on oil-paper umbrellas or make a fuss about them."
Zheyun's other industries are also doing well.
Ji Yang's face turned ashen, and he slammed the door and left.
An was already curled up on the balcony reading a book when she heard the sound of water running from the bathroom. Her gaze fell on Ji Qingzhou's position.
They haven't sat down together here in a long time.
Ji Qingzhou hadn't read any academic papers in a long time.
Since returning from Fenshuiling Town, I've had very little free time.
He used to be able to sit here and read documents for a whole day without eating or sleeping.
Ji Qingzhou's phone call interrupted An Yi's daze.
The call dropped once and then came back in.
The caller ID showed it was Ji Qingzhou's mentor. An was afraid it was something urgent, so she took her phone and knocked on the bathroom door.
Ji Qingzhou seemed to know what was going on. He turned off the shower, paused for two seconds, and then told An Yi to leave it there and not worry about it.
She felt that Ji Qingzhou must have something on his mind; Ji Qingzhou usually wouldn't say anything unless she asked.
An was staring blankly at her phone when the screen lit up again, revealing a text message from Ji Wen.
"You should reconsider dropping out of school. Your sister-in-law probably doesn't want you to give up for her sake."
An's breath hitched.
She only knew that Ji Qingzhou had been busy with company matters recently, and she didn't know that he had made such a decision.
As Ji Qingzhou came out of the bathroom, An asked him blankly, "Are you going to drop out of school?"
Ji Qingzhou was taken aback for a moment, but didn't hide anything and nodded.
An asked, "Why?"
Ji Qingzhou walked over and said, "Zheyun needs me."
An handed the phone to Ji Qingzhou: "What else?"
He looked down and fiddled with his phone, flipping it from front to back and back again, before finally looking up and meeting An Yi's eyes: "I have someone I love very much, and I want to stay in China to be with her."
An Yi was very calm at this moment. Her first reaction upon hearing this was not that someone loved her so much that she was willing to drop out of school, but that someone would actually give up their future for another person.
To be precise, it means giving up what you love.
She knew how hard Ji Qingzhou worked for scientific research. He was the teacher's best student and had completed his graduation thesis ahead of schedule. But all of this required day-to-day effort, and even someone as smart as her had to go through the process of starting over.
She once received a message from him at 2 a.m. in the lab when she woke up in the morning. She also once encountered a situation where he was so tired that he slept on the table for two hours and hurriedly ate his meal before going into the lab.
The two stood facing each other, and for a moment, there was utter silence.
"Ji Qingzhou, you should know that I can't afford for anyone to give up anything because of me."
Of course he knew, so he never told her, and even when questioned, he used Zheyun as a shield.
Water dripped from the ends of his hair, and An took the towel from Ji Qingzhou's hand to wipe it away.
"But I hope you can always do what you love."
Ji Qingzhou's eyes trembled.
An had already tiptoed and wrapped her arms around Ji Qingzhou's neck, saying, "Even I can't stop you."
He lowered his head and leaned on An's shoulder.
The shareholders' meeting will be held in ten minutes.
At that time, Ji Yang's envisioned business plan would be a complete failure.
The secretary rushed in to give Ji Qingzhou a final notification.
She walked so fast that she knocked over a flowerpot on the table as she turned around.
"Clatter—" The sound of the vase falling to the ground.
Ji Qingzhou didn't say much, but simply gestured for his secretary to tidy up.
His phone, which was on the table, vibrated, and he answered Ji Yang's call.
"Qingzhou, how about we reschedule the board meeting for another day?" Ji Yang suggested.
Ji Qingzhou glanced at the time on the computer screen; there were still eight minutes left.
“Boarding decisions are not to be taken lightly,” he asked calmly. “What, you can’t attend?”
The person on the other end chuckled, "No, I was worried you wouldn't be able to participate."
Ji Qingzhou's eyes grew serious as he waited for Ji Yang to continue.
"Why don't you call your girlfriend?"
Ji Qingzhou paused for a moment, then immediately took his secretary's phone and dialed An Yi's number.
It rang for a long time but no one answered.
Ji Qingzhou clenched his fist: "What have you done to An Yi?"
"Don't worry," Ji Yang said casually to Ji Qingzhou, "Her safety depends on you!"
What do you want?
“It’s very simple,” Ji Yang’s tone was extremely light. “As long as you sign the consent form relinquishing your grandmother’s shares, I’ll tell you where she is. Open the drawer on your left—”
Ji Qingzhou immediately pulled open the drawer, and sure enough, there was an agreement inside.
He said, "Brother, do you remember when I said I had no ambition to go into business?"
"I remember, but that was a long time ago."
After a few seconds of silence, Ji Qingzhou spoke first: "Ji Yang, Grandma just wants you to see the error of your ways. She's not disappointed in you," Ji Qingzhou growled, "Do you know how happy Grandma is every little thing you achieve?"
“Last year you botched a big project, which upset your business partner, and the matter was eventually dropped. Do you know who went to see the business partner?”
Ji Qingzhou forced herself to calm down, took her car keys and walked downstairs: "Brother, if you release An Yi now, I promise I won't pursue the matter."
Ji Yang heard a car horn coming from his direction: "At the abandoned train station."
Ji Qingzhou ran downstairs like a madman, jumped into the car, and as if his right foot had lost its strength, he stepped on the accelerator and slid off the road.
The car sped along, weaving through traffic like a cheetah.
Ji Qingzhou held his phone in one hand and dialed the police.
An Yi's phone call suddenly came in on the screen.
Ji Qingzhou hurriedly answered the call, her voice trembling slightly as she asked rapidly, "Where are you?"
“Ah, I’m two blocks away from the company,” An realized something was wrong from Ji Qingzhou’s reaction. “What happened? I was buying coffee and wanted to get you one, but I couldn’t find my phone when I was paying…”
An had already stepped out of the corner coffee shop when she saw a truck rushing through the green light at the last second and violently colliding with a gray Porsche.
With a loud bang, the Porsche was hit and overturned, its front end crushed and deformed.
An looked closely and saw that the coffee had fallen to the ground without warning.
She swayed slightly and immediately ran towards the mangled car. Ji Qingzhou's eyes were tightly closed, and the right half of her body was wedged between the dashboard and the seat.
She patted the windshield, and Ji Qingzhou, who had briefly lost consciousness, woke up.
An picked up a stone from the roadside and smashed it hard against the glass.
Upon seeing An Yi, his first reaction was to smile. The air was thick with the strong smell of gasoline. Realizing the danger, he wanted An Yi to leave quickly.
But he was stuck and couldn't move. He couldn't even make a sound to tell An to move a little further away.
The windshield shattered after the final impact with the car window, thanks to the help of passersby.
An had already squeezed in from the front and pulled Ji Qingzhou, saying, "Give me your hand!"
He grabbed An Yi's hand, exerted his strength, and moved with difficulty.
An had found where he was stuck and tried to pry it open with all her might, the more she tried, the more tears she couldn't stop.
Ji Qingzhou smiled and opened her mouth, silently saying, "Don't cry."
"I didn't cry, you'll be okay, let's push together—"
Ji Qingzhou finally freed one hand, took out a folded yellow piece of paper from his pocket, and wrapped it in transparent wrapping paper.
"See, you'll be alright, don't be afraid."
It took An a moment to realize what it was.
He went to that temple again and asked for a talisman.
An had never been afraid before, but from this moment on, she began to fear death.
She was afraid that when Ji Qingzhou woke up tomorrow, she wouldn't be by his side; she was afraid that in every tomorrow, she wouldn't be there for him.
She was afraid she would never see the person who loved her so much again.
At this moment, Ji Qingzhou pushed An Yi forcefully, shoving her out of the car: "Don't worry about me, you go! Everyone go!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
