Chapter 99 Chapter 99 As long as Shao Chengzhang is doing well, she will...
Chen Zhuo has been extremely busy lately. Not only is she busy evaluating signed artists, but she is also responsible for recruiting staff. However, she found that the office space was not enough, so she made an appointment with an agent to look at office buildings to prepare for the move over the weekend.
Shao Chengzhang suggested that she move downstairs from his office so they could not only commute to work together but also have lunch together. His office had a separate rest room where she could take a nap at noon.
It would be a lie to say she wasn't tempted, but when Chen Zhuo checked the price on the rental app and saw that it was 100,000 yuan a month, she was completely disheartened.
After two days of searching over the weekend, Chen Zhuo quickly settled on a place. It was much shorter than her current office commute, close to many shopping districts, and packed with artist studios and companies, most of whom she knew personally. As for the price, a fully furnished 220-square-meter apartment cost five yuan per square meter, and the monthly rent was just over thirty thousand yuan. While a bit over her budget, it was manageable. She simply didn't want to look around anymore; the constant running around was exhausting.
Chen Zhuo wasn't one for a commotion and had originally wanted to celebrate the housewarming quietly within the company. But Nadia adamantly disagreed, insisting it must be a grand occasion, so she took the reins. A few times, just as Chen Zhuo was about to leave, he'd see her and the administrative girl reviewing materials for the move. Chen Zhuo urged them to leave, but Nadia shook her head, saying she'd be uncomfortable being alone at home. The administrative girl, too, treated the housewarming as a major event and refused to leave, so Chen Zhuo let them go.
The housewarming day was chosen to be a day of no-holds-barred and no-holds-barred. The entire company entrance was paved in red, with banners hanging on the walls. Flower baskets were sent by Shao Chengzhang, his elder brother, colleagues, and artists he had collaborated with. A table of fruits and nuts, representing various meanings, was laid out at the entrance. Chen Zhuo prepared red envelopes for each employee. The most lively part was the games and raffle designed by Nadia. She pulled out a stack of scratch-off tickets, and the atmosphere was quite lively.
The company, which started with just her, had slowly grown to over thirty people. Everyone lined up and shouted "Congratulations on moving to a new house" to the camera. Chen Zhuo printed out a group photo, framed it, and placed it in the cabinet behind his office chair.
August was busy. Chen Zhuo had just come out of the conference room when he received a call from Shao Song. He said that this year was the 40th anniversary of Shao Heng Group. The group invited middle and senior leaders and outstanding employees to team building. Shao Song wanted Chen Zhuo and Shao Chengzhang to come as well.
Neither she nor Shao Chengzhang were Shao Heng's employees, so there was no need for them to go. She wanted to find an excuse to refuse, but unexpectedly, Shao Song insisted that they must come this time, saying that there was something important to announce.
The grandeur of the anniversary celebration was evident. Shao Chengke personally chartered a luxury cruise ship from the port of S City for the occasion. The four-day, three-night itinerary, stopping at Jingzhou Island, was comparable in scale to a maritime celebration. Chen Zhuo, thinking it was just a relaxing break, finished his work in advance and set off with Shao Chengzhang.
The cruise ship boasted 17 decks, looking from afar like a castle floating on the sea. The top deck housed an outdoor swimming pool and sundeck, while the middle decks offered various entertainment and leisure facilities. During the day, Nora would drag Chen Zhuo along to the duty-free shops. In the evenings, when the group hosted a dinner party, Chen Zhuo and Shao Chengzhang naturally skipped it. Instead, they would relax on the deck, enjoying the sea breeze and watching the golden sunset sink into the sky.
The night before their return, the cruise ship's main dining room was ablaze with lights. Dozens of the group's top executives and directors gathered. Before dinner began, Shao Song, supported by Shao Chengke, slowly made his way to the front of the dining room. Though elderly, he still carried an undeniable commanding presence. As the chairman prepared to speak, the conversation in the room gradually died down, leaving only the muted sound of waves wafting through the portholes.
Shao Song surveyed the room, his gaze steady, his voice low but resounding: "Shao Heng has been here for forty years. The scale we have today is due to the concerted efforts of everyone present, and even more so, the protection and inheritance of our family. Today, I still hold thirty percent of the group's shares. Today, here, I want to make an arrangement, and you will all bear witness."
As soon as the words fell, everyone in the hall held their breath.
Lan Fuyu, who was sitting at the front, frowned, feeling vaguely uneasy.
"Mingxuan, Chen Zhuo, you are both daughters-in-law of the Shao family and should be part of the group. I have decided to give you each 5% of the shares. The remaining 20% will be used as a legacy for the family bloodline and will be distributed equally when your children come of age."
As soon as these words were spoken, the entire restaurant fell silent, the air almost frozen. Lan Fuyu was so shocked she was speechless. How could her husband give shares in the group to the child of his mistress?!
It turned out that the important thing Shao Song mentioned was to give her shares. Shen Zhuo suddenly widened his eyes and looked at Shao Chengzhang. Shao Chengzhang smiled at her very calmly, as if he had known it in advance.
Shen Zhuo thought, is he really so generous to give her shares? Could it be that Shao Chengzhang has agreed to something?
The people below reacted and applauded. Shao Chengke raised his hand and the waiter started serving the dishes.
The six people of the Shao family sat together, and halfway through the meal, the directors and senior executives came to toast. Shen Zhuo was not very hungry, so he put down his chopsticks after eating a little and started looking at his phone.
Shao Chengzhang took her hand and asked, "Shall we go out for a walk?"
Shen Zhuo was eager to leave, and she nodded. Shao Chengzhang stood up and took her to the deck.
The sea was dyed a deep orange by the setting sun, and the boundary between sky and water looked like a line traced by flames. The wind was strong on deck, ruffling Chen Zhuo's hair slightly and swaying her diamond earrings. Shao Chengzhang led her to a position near the railing and stood in front of her, shielding her from the wind.
"Have you known about this for a long time?" Shen Zhuo asked.
Shao Chengzhang nodded: "He gave you the original shares. Even if you don't work in the future, you can still support me."
Shen Zhuo was in no mood to joke now, and asked him seriously: "You didn't promise him anything, did you?"
Shao Chengzhang was startled and asked her, "Why do you think so?"
"Dad has mentioned several times before that you should return to Shao Heng. He didn't use this to threaten you to go back to work before agreeing to give me shares, right? I don't need these shares. I don't covet the Shao family's money." Shen Zhuo said domineeringly, "I'm not short of money."
"No." Shao Chengzhang said with a smile, "Are you afraid that he will threaten me?"
Chen Zhuo said "hmm", "That's good. I was afraid he would ask you to do something you don't like again."
Shao Chengzhang couldn't help but hugged her, "Wife, how can you be so good."
How can you be so nice to him?
Chen Zhuo snorted: "Now you know how good I am." She hugged him back, then motioned for him to let go and stand behind her. Chen Zhuo held his hand and placed it on her waist, then stretched out her arms, imitating the classic scene from "Titanic".
"You junp, I——Forget it, forget it, let's not imitate this, it's too unlucky." Shen Zhuo withdrew his hand, touched the railing and made three "Pooh" sounds, which made Shao Chengzhang laugh.
"If you don't imitate this, you can imitate something else."
"Hmm? What?"
Shao Chengzhang tilted his head, his lips brushing against her ear, and hissed, "Just imitate what they did in the car."
Chen Zhuo suppressed a laugh: "Ah? I might have watched the abridged version, I didn't know there was this plot."
"Really?" He lowered his head and kissed her neck again and again. "Then, wife, guess what they did in the car?"
"I don't know, it's so hard to guess." Shen Zhuo pursed his lips to prevent himself from laughing.
Shao Chengzhang suddenly let go, then picked her up horizontally and walked into the cabin.
"Shao Chengzhang, put me down!"
"Don't you know the plot? I'll perform it for you myself." Shao Chengzhang didn't stop, lowered his head and looked at her with a curled lip.
"If you go in like this, someone will see you! Put me down quickly, I can walk by myself!"
"Honey, if you keep yelling like that, you'll really call the waiter over."
Chen Zhuo shut his mouth instantly. She punched him in the chest, but not very hard, then grabbed his shoulders and buried her face in them.
Their room was a top-level suite with a private balcony. After taking a shower, Shao Chengzhang came out naked, holding the limp Chen Zhuo in his arms. Instead of going to bed, he pushed open the sliding door and walked to the balcony.
The sun was still a little above the surface, a glimmer of light still lingering in the sky. The sea and sky were gradually merging into the same deep blue. They seemed to be enveloped in the boundless expanse of sea and sky. The surroundings gradually grew quiet, leaving only the sound of wind and waves.
The evening breeze was a little cool, blowing across every inch of Chen Zhuo's skin, bringing up a layer of tiny bumps. Seeing where she was, she couldn't help but say, "Don't be here."
There was an endless sea in front of them, and the suites on the top floor were very far apart, so no one could see them, but Chen Zhuo still felt ashamed of being exposed.
But Shao Chengzhang didn't.
He put her down, her back facing him.
When the waves rock, the ship rocks, and the ship rocks too.
Sporadic and tiny sounds overflowed, and were then quickly drowned out by the sound of waves hitting the hull.
Shao Chengzhang whispered something in her ear, and that one sentence filled Shen Zhuo with shame.
She flinched.
Shao Chengzhang couldn't help but groan.
In fact, nothing could be heard. The lingering and affectionate voices were dissipated into the air by the sea breeze.
Chen Zhuo didn't want to turn her back to him. She turned around and watched him face to face as he took her to the extreme.
*
At the same time, in the room at the other end of the same floor, the atmosphere was depressing.
Lan Fuyu's face was gloomy, and her brows were furrowed. "Did you know that your father was going to give shares to Chen Zhuo?"
Shao Chengke, who was standing aside, remained silent.
Lan Fuyu couldn't help but slam the table and said harshly, "What's wrong with your brain? How could you agree to give our family property to that mistress's son?!"
"Mom!" Shao Chengke stopped her, "I understand you hate that woman, but she's dead. Cheng Zhang and Shen Zhuo did nothing wrong, so why are you still holding a grudge against them?"
"I'm holding a grudge? If it weren't for me, do you think you could become the president of Shao Heng? You would definitely be snatched away by Shao Chengzhang." Lan Fuyu glanced at him sideways.
"Cheng Zhang never intended to join Shao Heng."
"Humph, that's because he knows he can't beat me. If he dares to have such an idea, I will never let him succeed. Son, you are too soft-hearted. You don't treat others well just because they show you kindness. That's all fake. In this world, only your mother treats you best. Shao Chengzhang is that bitch's son. Your father gave him 10% of the shares for his coming-of-age ceremony. Now his wife and children also have shares in our family. Why does he have such a good life?"
Shao Chengke sighed, "Chengzhang has never touched the money in his account over the years. He has his own business and he lives a good life."
"If your father hadn't given him such a good education and sent him abroad to study, do you think he would have the life he has now?"
"Mom, I've never seen you like this." Lan Fuyu had always been generous and well-mannered, but at this moment, she felt like an unreasonable jealous woman. "If we have to talk about faults, Dad is the only one who made a mistake. You can't blame him, so you can only transfer your hatred to Cheng Zhang."
Lan Fuyu looked at her son in shock and grievance, "How could you say that about your mother?"
Shao Chengke turned and left, assuring her before leaving: "As you wish, I will manage Shao Heng well and will not let Cheng Zhang join the company, so you can rest assured and don't think about it anymore. I hope you can be happier."
After Shao Chengke left, Lan Fuyu covered her face and cried. How could her son not be on the same page with her?
No woman would like a child her husband had with another woman. For the past twenty years, whenever she saw Shao Chengzhang or thought of him, she would remember that her husband had another woman. She had lived a proud and respectable life, and Shao Chengzhang's existence was a stain on her life!
No one thought about her feelings!
Hope she's happy?
Lan Fuyu wiped away her tears. As long as Shao Chengzhang was doing well, she couldn't be happy!
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