37. Diamond Ring
The next morning, Jiang Nan went to the company with dark circles under his eyes.
She barely slept in the second half of last night. As soon as she closed her eyes, she saw the scene of her own stupid social failure and the various possible reactions of Chen Yunsheng. She was so embarrassed that she twisted herself into a knot in the quilt.
Fortunately, there is enough coffee in the company.
Jiang Nan drank a large cup of coffee to refresh herself, then forced herself to focus on the work. She, Wenwen, and other colleagues set up and prepared in the conference room, while silently praying for Song Wei's mercy - but more than half of the team members believed that Song Wei would not agree easily.
Therefore, the entire conference room was filled with an atmosphere of doing one's best and leaving the rest to fate.
Around ten o'clock, President Yao finally led his team into the conference room. Song Wei, dressed in a sharp white trouser suit and high heels, walked in with her team. Qin Yu followed behind her, still looking nonchalant and dissatisfied with everything.
"Mr. Song, Mr. Qin, please take a seat." Mr. Yao enthusiastically led the two people, who were regarded as demons by the project team, to their seats.
"Mr. Yao, you're too polite. I hope to see something that will surprise us today." Song Wei smiled formally, then scanned the room, finally landing on Jiang Nan. Her eyes, as she looked at Jiang Nan, held a hint of obscure scrutiny and amusement.
Jiang Nan felt a little uncomfortable, but still smiled politely.
Song Wei seemed to snort. Then, she sat down at the main seat, and Qin Yu sat down beside her.
President Yao exchanged a few pleasantries with Song Wei before the meeting got down to business. She then gave a brief opening speech and handed the reins to Jiang Nan.
Jiang Nan stood up and walked to the projection screen and began her report.
She tried her best to ignore Song Wei's highly noticeable gaze, and clearly explained the core strategy, creative highlights, and expected market effects of the plan.
During the presentation, Song Wei listened quietly, her fingers occasionally tapping the table, her expression unremarkable. Qin Yu, on the other hand, was somewhat absent-minded. He periodically fiddled with his phone, appearing uninterested in the proposal.
"To summarize, we believe this plan can accurately reach the target audience. While establishing a premium brand image, it can quickly increase brand awareness through online and offline collaboration and targeted promotional campaigns by key opinion leaders (KOCs)." Jiang Nan concluded, turning his gaze to Song Wei and Qin Yu. "Mr. Song, Mr. Qin, this is the plan our team has developed based on our previous discussions and market research. Please review it."
The meeting room fell silent.
Mr. Yao added with a smile: "Mr. Song, Mr. Qin, our team has put a lot of effort into this plan——"
Song Wei raised her hand, gently interrupting Mr. Yao. She looked up at Jiang Nan, a subtle smile playing on her lips. "The overall framework of the plan sounds like there's nothing wrong with it, and the data is impressive. Miss Jiang is really dedicated, and I'm sure she's been busy this weekend too, right?"
This sounded like a compliment, but she deliberately slowed down the word "weekend" to give it a subtle hint.
Jiang Nan blinked and said calmly, "Thank you, Mr. Song, for your affirmation. It's our job to make a good plan."
Song Wei raised her eyebrows, then leaned forward slightly, resting her elbows on the table, fingers interlaced. She looked at Jiang Nan, her voice rising slightly, "You're supposed to do your job well. But I think... it's still not impactful enough. It looks too safe, lacking that urge to buy right away. What do you think, Miss Jiang?"
She paused, then casually continued, "It's like some things: they look nice, but they always feel a little off, not catchy enough. Maybe they need to be more open?"
Jiang Nan believed that Song Wei probably knew about what happened at the old house on weekends.
She sighed inwardly, then met Song Wei's gaze and said in a calm and controlled voice, "I understand what Mr. Song means. Regarding the creation of a sense of impulse, we actually have detailed designs in the subsequent visual presentation and media placement strategies, such as using limited-time and scarce marketing strategies to stimulate immediate consumption. If you feel that this part is not prominent enough, we can focus on strengthening and optimizing it."
She brought the topic back to the professional field and avoided Song Wei's personal hints.
Song Wei smiled and did not continue the topic. Instead, she began to put forward some specific and even nitpicking suggestions for revisions, nitpicking about everything from the sentence structure of the slogan to the visual tone of the font and the overall color saturation.
Qin Yu also chimed in from time to time, his tone was unfriendly and his angles were tricky.
President Yao and Deputy Director Wen tried to interject and smooth things over several times, but Song Wei pushed them back with a measured, unyielding demeanor. It was clear she was going all out today.
The project team members quickly wrote down the key points. Jiang Nan accepted reasonable suggestions, but for those that were clearly challenging, he tactfully explained them using professional terminology and previous communication records.
A briefing meeting suddenly took on a somewhat violent atmosphere.
After an unknown amount of time, Song Wei finally had enough of the instructions. She leaned lazily back in her chair and spoke briskly, "Let's stop here for today. The general direction is fine, but the details need major revisions, especially the points I just mentioned. I hope to see a version that truly satisfies both Mr. Qin and me next time."
She glanced at Jiang Nan and said in a teasing tone, "As for the time, let's stick to the original plan, before the end of the month. Miss Jiang, is that okay?"
The pressure was once again on Jiang Nan.
Jiang Nan glanced at Wen Wen and the expressions of his other colleagues, and replied with difficulty, "Mr. Song, we will definitely come up with a satisfactory solution before the time you requested."
The meeting concluded, and Song Wei and Qin Yu were the first to stand up, while General Manager Yao and Wang Papi left to see them off. Deputy Director Wen stayed behind to take charge. While comforting the other team members, she patted Jiang Nan on the shoulder, a silent act of encouragement.
Afterwards, the team members gathered together and discussed the revision suggestions. The atmosphere was a bit depressed and resigned.
Listening to his colleagues' complaints and suggestions, Jiang Nan lowered his head to pack up his computer and documents, feeling a little exhausted. Although he knew he couldn't pass the exam on the first try, he still hoped to gain more recognition after his intense work.
At this moment, her phone suddenly vibrated. She looked down and saw that it was a WeChat message from Song Wei:
Ms. Jiang, thank you for your hard work on the plan, although there is still room for improvement.
Jiang Nan was a little surprised and quickly replied:
Thank you Mr. Song for your affirmation. We will continue to work hard to improve.
Soon, Song Wei sent another message, with a more casual tone:
How was your weekend at Chen's? I heard it was quite lively.
Jiang Nan's heart sank slightly. She was silent for a few seconds, then replied cautiously:
Thank you Mr. Song for your concern. It’s just an ordinary family gathering.
Song Wei replied quickly, with a hint of playfulness:
Really? I heard Uncle Minghui brought a rather interesting guest with him. His last name seemed to be Liang.
Jiang Nan stared at the screen and bit her lip.
Song Wei seemed to know about Liang Yue's situation and even came to ask her about it. As she was considering how to reply, Song Wei's next message popped up:
That Miss Liang is a wonderful person. She has very high standards, and most people are not worthy of her attention. However, sometimes she eats too hastily, and her eating manners are not very good. Miss Jiang, don't you agree?
The irony and innuendo in these words were palpable. Not only did she know, she was also teasing Liang Yue about her initiative and inappropriateness, even subtly trying to drag Jiang Nan into the same camp and criticize Liang Yue together.
Jiang Nan felt a wave of discomfort. She didn't like the feeling of being pried into her private affairs, and even less so, the insinuations that implied a stance. She and Song Wei were merely concerned parties; there was no need to share this.
She was silent for a moment, then replied to Song Wei:
Mr. Song is joking. I don't know much about other people's affairs. We've noted the requested changes to the project and will process them as soon as possible. You go ahead and do your work.
Don't interrupt or comment, just bring the topic back to work in a businesslike manner.
After a few minutes of silence, a simple reply came back:
Okay, Miss Jiang.
Jiang Nan put down her phone and rubbed her eyes. She thought dealing with Song Wei was more tiring than working overtime to revise ten versions of the plan.
These people who live at the top of the pyramid always seem to like to compete in this roundabout way, hiding eight hundred thoughts in one sentence.
She picked up her things and walked out of the meeting room, but she couldn't help but wonder, Song Wei's deliberate mention of this also meant that Liang Yue's appearance and Chen Yunsheng's attitude at the time had become a topic of conversation in certain circles?
And this Mrs. Chen who suddenly appeared was probably also being put under a magnifying glass and carefully observed by some people.
——
At night, when Chen Yunsheng opened the door, the light in the entrance hall automatically lit up, dispelling the darkness.
When he bent down to change his shoes, he paused slightly when he saw the two rabbits on the entrance cabinet and the light coming from the living room.
Chen Yunsheng's mind moved, and he slowly walked across the corridor and into the living room.
At that time, Jiang Nan sat cross-legged on the living room carpet, sighing at her laptop. She seemed to have encountered some problem, busy and concentrating on thinking about the things that were bothering her, and she didn't notice his return at all.
For a long moment, the room was silent, barely audible beyond the occasional soft tapping of her keyboard. But it was nothing like the empty, cold silence he'd experienced when he'd returned alone. This space felt different now that he'd been breathing, that little murmur of life had been added.
It felt more and more like home, became warmer and warmer, and moved his heart more and more.
Chen Yunsheng stood quietly at the junction of the entrance and the living room, neither moving over immediately nor making a sound to interrupt. He stared at her back, watching her occasionally tilt her head in thought, and a strange, yet warm, feeling crept into his heart.
In the past, this place was more like a well-designed, fully functional place for him to stay, a relatively quiet space isolated from the outside world. He was used to facing this empty space alone, and also used to the nights after work when he was only accompanied by documents and electronic devices.
But now, looking at Jiang Nan sitting there, worrying about his work, with a fresh atmosphere emanating from his body, he suddenly realized that when he left the house in the morning, he had a vague expectation - expecting that when he returned at night, he would not be faced with a deserted room, expecting to see a figure there under the light.
This feeling of having someone waiting for you, or having a companion in the same space, is small but warm, like a star twinkling at your fingertips.
At this moment, Jiang Nan finally solved a difficult problem. Her shoulders relaxed slightly and she slowly stretched.
Chen Yunsheng looked away, concealing the emotion in his eyes that he himself did not yet understand, and walked over, letting his shadow fall into her sight.
A shadow fell on Jiang Nan's computer keyboard, and she turned back blankly.
Chen Yunsheng stood behind her, his suit jacket draped over his arm, his tie slightly loose, a hint of fatigue from work between his brows, but his eyes were clear and almost bright.
Jiang Nan blinked, feeling that the atmosphere was not right.
She had just escaped from Song Wei during the day, so she wouldn't have to deal with some new demon king at night, right?
Chen Yunsheng stared at Jiang Nan without saying a word, but gently placed a small square box of dark blue velvet in his hand on the low table in front of her.
"What is this?" Jiang Nan looked at the box and felt something was wrong.
The size and shape of this box make it hard not to evoke certain associations.
"Open it and take a look." Chen Yunsheng sat down on the single sofa next to her, his voice as gentle and calm as usual.
Jiang Nan closed the computer, picked up the box hesitantly, and opened it.
A ring rested on a black velvet cushion. The setting was fine white gold, and a small but perfectly cut diamond was set in it. Its brilliance was pure and clear in the living room light.
The style is simple and clean, without any unnecessary decorations, which is in line with Chen Yunsheng's aesthetic and unexpectedly catches her eye.
"It's beautiful," she gave an honest assessment, touching the cool diamond with her fingertips, feeling a little confused. "But... why did you give me this all of a sudden?"
Jiang Nan looked up and saw Chen Yunsheng's calm eyes. Suddenly, she remembered the nonsense she had said last night, and her cheeks instantly became hot. She stumbled and said, "Well - Chen Yunsheng, I didn't mean that last night... That's not what I meant."
"What does that mean?" Chen Yunsheng looked at Jiang Nan with a complicated look, as if half confused and half bewildered.
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