52. Prelude
At this time, Chen Yunsheng's phone rang. He glanced at the screen and said to Jiang Nan, "Answer the call." Then he took the phone and walked towards the study.
Jiang Nan watched his back disappear through the door, her heart emptying for a moment. Then, she sighed and slumped over to the sofa. She grabbed a pillow and cuddled it, then picked up her phone to exchange messages with Wenwen.
At the same time, Chen Yunsheng was talking to Wei Yan in the study.
"Jiang Nan has already made an appointment with Fu Yifang for a meeting next Wednesday. Please keep that afternoon free for me," he instructed calmly. "Also, organize the information I asked you to prepare regarding the agency rights for the Italian brand Han Yan is pursuing, as well as the assistance we can provide. Contact Han Yan tomorrow and send it to her as a thank-you gift from Jiang Nan."
Wei Yan on the other end of the phone quickly agreed: "Okay, Mr. Chen. What about Miss Song Wei? Is there anything I need to inform you about in advance?"
"Not yet," he said slowly, "Let Jiang Nan negotiate based on his own abilities first."
Wei Yan responded, then asked cautiously, "What about Mr. Er and the Liang family?"
Chen Yunsheng was silent for a moment before he said, "As usual."
After hanging up the phone, Chen Yunsheng rubbed his eyebrows.
Han Yan and Song Wei's old grudge involved Song Huai's death, and her second uncle and the Liang family seemed to be planning to use this incident to target Jiang Nan.
He didn't want her to get too deeply involved. This gift to Han Yan was to help pave the way for Jiang Nan, and also to do Han Yan a favor, so that she could keep an eye on Jiang Nan, at least to prevent Jiang Nan from becoming a pawn to be used at will in that muddy water.
I hope Jiang Nan can successfully win over Fu Yifang and let this project go smoothly. As for other disturbances, he will try to prevent them if he can. Even if he can't, he must ensure that Jiang Nan can get out of it safely.
He pondered for a few minutes, then slowly walked out of the study.
Hearing the sound of the door opening, Jiang Nan put down his phone and turned to look over.
Chen Yunsheng walked out with no particular change in his facial expression.
"Are you done?" she asked.
"Well," he walked to the seat next to her and sat down, "Wei Yan will contact Han Yan and he will take care of the resource connection."
Jiang Nan nodded. "Thank you... Sorry to bother Assistant Wei again."
"Maybe you could give him another pen?" Chen Yunsheng said mischievously. Then he looked at her expression. "Do you look less anxious now?"
"It's okay," Jiang Nan said with a smile, "I just feel it's quite complicated."
She didn't specify what was complicated, but he knew what she meant.
"That's just how the workplace is," he said, "especially when it comes to personal grudges. It's more troublesome than pure business competition." He tilted his head to look at her, his eyes calm. "But you did a great job. You knew how to leverage resources, and you knew when to stop."
This sudden affirmation made Jiang Nan stunned for a moment, and she felt her cheeks a little hot.
"I was just speculating," she lowered her head and picked at the edge of the pillow, "I was afraid of messing up and bringing shame to the Chen family."
She spoke the last few words quietly, but he heard them all the same. He was silent for a few seconds, then smiled softly. "No. You're doing better than many people."
His voice was calm and gentle, yet held a warm certainty.
She raised her head and met his gaze.
The afternoon sun was slightly scorching, diluting the usual coldness in his eyes and adding a touch of indescribable gentleness.
Jiang Nan hurriedly looked away: "I-I'll go put the gift away." She stood up as she spoke, and almost walked towards the paper bag on the cabinet in the hallway.
She took out the two exquisite wooden boxes and opened them. The silver fish shone with a warm luster in the sunlight, looking lifelike. She gently touched the cold fish with her fingers, and the panic in her heart gradually subsided.
"Let's meet next Wednesday. I'll go with you?" Chen Yunsheng's voice suddenly came from behind.
Jiang Nan turned around with a surprised expression: "Are you free?"
"You can adjust the time and free up that afternoon." He sat on the sofa and looked back at her.
Jiang Nan pinched the edge of the wooden box, feeling a little hesitant. On the one hand, she hoped he would go; she felt more secure with him by her side; on the other hand, she was afraid of becoming too dependent on him and seeming useless.
"There's no rush to make a decision," he said gently, "but if you need anything, feel free to ask. I'm always here."
"Well... okay," she nodded, "thank you."
Chen Yunsheng hummed, his eyes sweeping over the wooden box in her hand. "Put the things away. Prepare well for the next two days for what we're going to discuss. Don't be too nervous, just play your best."
"Okay," she then asked whimsically, "Would you like some more fruit? There are a few sour oranges..."
Chen Yunsheng was stunned for a moment, but agreed readily: "Okay."
"Then I'll go put the things away first," Jiang Nan rushed into the room as if fleeing in panic, put the wooden box away carefully, and took several deep breaths before calming his inexplicably accelerated heartbeat.
When she came out again, Chen Yunsheng was already sitting at the dining table. There was a plate in front of him, and he was slowly and methodically cleaning the orange peels, then placing the cleaned orange flesh slices one by one neatly on the plate.
His behavior reminded Jiang Nan of the row of pens in the study.
When Chen Yunsheng saw Jiang Nan, he pushed the plate towards her and said, "I think it's okay, not too sour. Would you like to try it?"
"Okay." Jiang Nan walked over and sat down. She picked a petal and put it in her mouth—it was still very sour. She couldn't help but squint.
Chen Yunsheng also ate a petal, but his expression remained normal.
"Don't you feel sour?" Jiang Nan asked him curiously.
"Not bad," he said, and ate another petal.
Jiang Nan observed his calm demeanor and wondered if this man had unusual taste buds. She pondered this as she nibbled at the sour orange. For a moment, the two of them fell silent, with only the delicate scent of oranges lingering in the air.
"Tomorrow," Chen Yunsheng suddenly said, breaking the silence, "what are your plans?"
Jiang Nan shook his head and thought, "No. I'll probably just revise the plan at home."
He responded and said nothing more.
Jiang Nan swallowed the orange and asked him, "What about you?"
"I have a video conference, but it won't be long." He picked up a tissue and wiped his hands. "If you get tired of revising the plan and want to go for a walk, you can call me."
His tone was casual, almost nonchalant. But Jiang Nan's heart felt like it had been gently bumped, tingling and making her feel a little lightheaded. She looked down at the plate and, as if to disguise it, picked up another orange slice: "Okay."
The two of them ate the oranges in silence for a while, until they were all gone. Then Chen Yunsheng spoke again: "I'm going to the study. If you have anything, just come to me directly."
"Yeah, you too."
He stood up, put the fruit peels into the trash can, then turned and walked towards the study.
Jiang Nan finally relaxed when she heard his footsteps fade away. She leaned back in her chair and touched her heart.
——Did he ask her out with those words just now?
As soon as this thought came to her mind, she suppressed it immediately.
Don't be so conceited, she told herself, maybe he was just being polite, or maybe he really just thought she needed to relax.
However, she had to admit that he seemed a little different recently.
But she couldn't tell what was different exactly, she just felt that he seemed closer, no longer the unreachable Boss Chen who was like the moon in the sky.
——
On Monday morning, Jiang Nan arrived at the company half an hour early.
She carefully placed the wooden box containing the silverfish drops and paperweight in the bottom drawer of her workstation, then turned on her computer and reviewed the key points of the plan to be discussed during the meeting.
"Baby, your dark circles are about to fall to the ground!" Wenwen strolled over with a cup of coffee and whispered to Jiang Nan's ear, "With Boss Chen this weekend... huh?" She winked.
"Hmm, what are you talking about?" Jiang Nan's face flushed, and he pushed her head away. "It's about changing the plan. Hurry up and get to work. Check Fu Yifang's information for me again."
"Yes, Mr. Jiang!" Wenwen returned to his workstation with a smile and didn't ask any more questions.
The morning was calm.
Jiang Nan checked her phone several times, but there was still no news from Han Yan. But during lunch break, Han Yan sent a WeChat message:
Lin Kui, the art director of Fu Yifang Studio, was my senior during my studies. I've already contacted him, so you can contact him directly at 138xxxxxxxx to schedule an appointment. Just say I introduced you. Best wishes.
Jiang Nan immediately picked up her phone, wanting to call Han Yan back to thank her, but she hesitated as her finger hovered over the dial button. Han Yan's tone was businesslike, clearly indicating she didn't want to talk any further. So, in the end, she only replied cautiously:
Got it. Thank you so much, Sister Yan! I'll definitely treat you to dinner next time!
Han Yan didn't reply.
Jiang Nan held her phone, feeling a mixture of emotions. She was happy that things were progressing, but she was also more convinced that Han Yan and Song Wei's past must have been difficult, yet she couldn't ask anything.
After a while, Jiang Nan collected his thoughts and immediately dialed the number in the message. The phone rang a few times before being picked up. A deep male voice called out, "Hello?"
"Hello, is this Director Lin Kuilin?" Jiang Nan tried to keep his voice calm. "Excuse me, I'm Jiang Nan from Youchuang Advertising. Miss Han Yanhan introduced me to you."
There was a pause on the other end, and then the tone became warmer. "Oh, Xiao Jiang, Yan Zi mentioned it to me. She wants to meet Teacher Fu for a light luxury brand."
"Yes, Director Lin. I wonder if Teacher Fu is available recently?" Jiang Nan asked nervously.
"Teacher Fu's schedule is really full lately," Lin Kui said with a hint of embarrassment, but he quickly changed the subject. "But Yan Zi asked... Wednesday afternoon at 3:00 PM, Teacher Fu's studio, is that okay? We're a bit tight, and I can only spare half an hour."
"Yes, absolutely! Thank you, Director Lin!" Jiang Nan quickly agreed.
"Well, see you then. I'll text you the address later."
After hanging up the phone, Jiang Nan was practically dancing with excitement. She immediately told Wenwen the good news, and Wenwen let out a suppressed cheer at her workstation. The two glanced at each other, then continued working as usual. Then, Jiang Nan opened her chat with Chen Yunsheng and typed rapidly:
Sister Han Yan helped contact Fu Yifang’s art director and made an appointment at Fu Yifang’s studio, but the time was only half an hour.
After sending the message, she stared at the screen, half expecting his reaction.
Chen Yunsheng's reply quickly popped up:
Congratulations.
Do you need me to pick you up downstairs at the company on time?
Jiang Nan looked at the message and couldn't help but smile. She thought for a moment and replied:
Okay. Thank you.
Chen Yunsheng:
It should be.
The conversation ended there, but his calm support made her slowly feel at ease.
In the afternoon, Jiang Nan poured all her energy into preparing materials for the meeting. She repeatedly rehearsed various possible scenarios and imagined the tricky questions Fu Yifang might ask.
When she got off work, she felt more tired than after working three consecutive days, but her spirit was in a state of excitement.
When she got back to the apartment, Chen Yunsheng hadn't come back yet, so she cooked herself a bowl of noodles and ate while going over the plan in her mind.
When they were almost done eating, the door opened. A moment later, Chen Yunsheng walked in, carrying a briefcase and a look of weariness on his face.
"You're back?" Jiang Nan stood up. "There's still noodles in the pot. Do you want some?"
"…Not yet," he said, taking off his suit jacket and letting his eyes fall on her half-eaten bowl, hiding the fact that she had already eaten.
"Then I'll get you some?"
"Thanks."
Chen Yunsheng followed Jiang Nan and helped her. Soon, a bowl of hot noodles came out of the pot. Jiang Nan added some vinegar to it according to his taste.
He took it and casually asked, "How are you preparing?"
"Almost done," Jiang Nan helped Chen Yunsheng pull out a chair and then walked back to his seat. "I'm just a little unsure. For an artist of Fu Yifang's caliber, I'm worried he won't even bother to hear me out."
"The proposal you prepared is very sincere, and the gift is just right," Chen Yunsheng sat down and started eating noodles. "Just perform normally. Even if it doesn't work out, it's not your fault."
His comfort was very real and he didn't just encourage her blindly.
Jiang Nan felt a little relieved, and then she spoke cautiously, "Will you really go with me tomorrow?"
"Yeah," he nodded, "the meeting has been brought forward and will end at 2pm. Perfect timing."
"Thank you then." Jiang Nan looked at him while he was eating, with a smile on his face.
But after Chen Yunsheng noticed her gaze, he couldn't help but become restrained while eating.
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