49. Song Wei, Han Yan and Gao Wanqing
The next morning, Jiang Nan was woken by the alarm clock. She drowsily turned it off and lay in bed for a while, letting the conversation from last night play out in her mind like a movie.
——Jiang Nan, I hope you can give me some time to figure it out.
His voice seemed to still echo in my ears.
Jiang Nan buried her face in the pillow and screamed silently, feeling a mixture of sweetness and anxiety. Then she sat up and patted her face.
"Work! Jiang Nan! Think about Fu Yifang, think about Song Wei!" She forced herself to turn her attention to the difficult project, then got out of bed, washed, changed her clothes, and then walked out of the room quickly.
When she left the house, she deliberately lightened her steps and cautiously glanced at Chen Yunsheng's bedroom door—it was tightly closed. She felt a little disappointed, but also relieved.
If they met now, she really didn't know how to face it.
She tiptoed to the kitchen, opened the refrigerator, took out eggs and toast, and prepared to make a simple breakfast.
As Jiang Nan was beating eggs, she heard a slight noise behind her. She got so nervous that she almost dropped the eggshell into the pot.
"Good morning." Chen Yunsheng was wearing gray home clothes, his hair was a little messy, and he looked a little less distant than usual.
"Morning, morning," Jiang Nan said, not turning around, staring intently at the eggs in the pot. "Want breakfast? Fried eggs and toast."
"Okay," he said, walking to the other side of the island and pouring himself a glass of water. "Thank you."
Jiang Nan smiled awkwardly and didn't respond.
The atmosphere fell into silence, and neither of them spoke anymore. The only sound in the kitchen was the sizzling of omelets.
In fact, Chen Yunsheng wanted to speak, but seeing Jiang Nan's serious expression, he finally said nothing and just stood aside silently drinking water.
After a while, Jiang Nan put the fried eggs and toast on a plate, pushed it in front of him, and then quickly turned around to squeeze orange juice - she was very grateful for the bag of oranges she bought yesterday, which gave her a reason not to face him immediately.
By the time the orange juice was ready, Chen Yunsheng had already set the tableware on the island. Jiang Nan placed a glass of orange juice next to him and said, "I didn't add sugar to your glass."
"Well, okay, thank you." He looked up at her.
"You're welcome." Jiang Nan looked at the tableware he had already set, hesitating whether to sit next to him or change seats.
Just as she was hesitating, Chen Yunsheng naturally adjusted the high chair next to her and said, "Sit down."
Jiang Nan blinked and sat down again.
The two sat side by side, eating breakfast in silence.
"Today--" Chen Yunsheng suddenly spoke.
Jiang Nan immediately turned to look at him, a piece of toast still in her mouth.
"The weather is nice." He finished the second half of the sentence without changing his expression.
"Ah? Oh—yes." Jiang Nan turned to look out the window. The sky outside looked crisp and clear, with the usual morning gray, but also a more refreshing blue, like a sapphire covered with a veil.
However, she thought he was going to continue the topic from last night.
"I'm going to the company." Chen Yunsheng finished the last bite, then put down the cutlery, picked up the orange juice and took a sip.
Jiang Nan nodded: "I have to go to work too."
He stood up and put the cups and plates in the sink, then looked up at Jiang Nan, as if he was about to say something. After a second or two of silence, he turned and walked towards the bedroom, but stopped after a few steps and looked back at Jiang Nan.
"Regarding Fu Yifang," he said, "if you need a letter of recommendation, I can ask Wei Yan to prepare it."
His tone was ordinary, but his attitude was sincere. He wanted to do something, but was worried that it would go against Jiang Nan's wishes, so he made a compromise.
Jiang Nan shook his head: "I'll try it myself first. If it doesn't work... then I'll ask you for help?"
There was a hint of tentativeness in her last sentence.
Chen Yunsheng looked at her for a while before nodding: "Okay."
After he changed his clothes and left, Jiang Nan breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed completely. She looked at the bright blue sky outside and her mood inexplicably improved.
After arriving at the company, she threw herself into the battle to defeat Fu Yifang with great enthusiasm, but made little progress. The feedback from almost all channels was a polite but cold rejection.
During lunch break, she chatted with Wenwen and complained to each other - Wenwen collected a lot of information about Fu Yifang, but it seemed to be of no use, while Jiang Nan didn't even get to the door of Fu Yifang's studio.
However, while chatting with Wenwen about the past, Jiang Nan suddenly remembered someone—Han Yan. This was the highly capable senior who had introduced her and Wenwen to the industry. She had later moved to a larger platform, and over the years, her network was undoubtedly much wider than that of smaller players like her and Wenwen.
So as soon as lunch break was over, Jiang Nan immediately found the number that he hadn't dialed for a long time.
She thought about her words for a while before calling.
The phone rang a few times before being connected.
"Hello? Jiang Nan?" Han Yan's tone sounded a little surprised, but her voice was still crisp and clear. "What a rare visitor! Why are you looking for me all of a sudden?"
"Sister Yan," Jiang Nan said a little embarrassedly, "I hope I didn't bother you. I'm really stuck on a project and I want to ask you for help."
"Tell me, what's the matter." Han Yan was very direct.
Jiang Nan briefly explained the Summer Pulse project and Song Wei's request for Fu Yifang, then said, "We're stuck here. Sister Yan, do you have any connections who can get in touch with Fu Yifang, or anyone close to him who has influence?"
There was silence on the other end of the phone for a few seconds. Jiang Nan could even hear the sound of keyboard tapping. Han Yan seemed to be busy with something.
"Fu Yifang," Han Yan's tone sounded a little subtle. "He is indeed difficult to deal with. But how did you get Song Wei's case?"
"It's a project assigned by the company," Jiang Nan said, not revealing why Song Wei was targeting her. "Sister Yan, do you know Mr. Song?"
"I guess we know each other," Han Yan said vaguely, and the keyboard tapping stopped. "We dealt with each other a few years ago. She's, well, how should I put it, quite stubborn. She insisted on Fu Yifang?"
"Yes, very persistent."
Han Yan was silent again. "I'll ask for you. But don't get your hopes up. It's hard for outsiders to break into Fu Yifang's circle."
"Thank you so much, Sister Yan!" Jiang Nan thanked her quickly. "Whether it works or not, I'll treat you to a meal!"
"Let's talk about it after dinner," Han Yan smiled. "By the way, how have you been lately? Are you still working on Youchuang? I heard Director Wang is still busy."
"Well, Wenwen and I are still at Youchuang," Jiang Nan glanced at Wang Papi's office and said in a low voice, "Director Wang is still the same."
She didn't want to talk about her troubles, so she asked, "Sister Yan, how about you? How are you doing recently? Is Gao Wanqing still with you?"
The breathing on the other end of the phone seemed to stagnate for a moment.
Although it was short, Jiang Nan still captured the weirdness of that moment.
"She's fine," Han Yan's tone suddenly became very calm, the kind of calm that one would expect from a business person. "She has good business skills and is quite valued."
The change in attitude is too obvious.
Jiang Nan remembered Han Yan's previous mention of Gao Wanqing. Although not particularly warm, she was at least objective and even slightly supportive. But now, there was a hint of indifference.
She was filled with suspicion, but didn't dare ask any more questions. After a few pleasantries, they agreed to contact each other when they had more information, and then hung up.
After putting down the phone, Jiang Nan felt even more confused.
Han Yan's attitude towards Song Wei is a bit strange, and her attitude towards Gao Wanqing is even stranger.
Could it be that there is some past between these three people?
But she didn't have time to delve into it, as the most urgent thing was to deal with Fu Yifang.
The afternoon passed quickly, but there was still no progress.
After getting off work and returning to the apartment, Jiang Nan collapsed on the sofa, feeling a little tired.
When Chen Yunsheng came back, he saw her staring at the ceiling in a daze.
"What's wrong?" He put down his suit jacket and loosened his tie.
Jiang Nan sat up and told Han Yan about her request for help and her somewhat strange reaction. She looked up at Chen Yunsheng and said, "I don't know if I'm overthinking it, but I always feel that Sister Yan's tone is not right when she mentioned Song Wei and Gao Wanqing."
After listening to this, Chen Yunsheng didn't comment immediately. He just asked, "So, do you plan to continue waiting for news from Han Yan, or do you want to make a backup plan?"
"Of course I have to wait, but I can't just sit there and wait," Jiang Nan sighed. "I'm thinking, even if I can get in touch with Sister Han Yan, I'll probably have to make some arrangements. I have to prepare a presentable gift. Even if it doesn't come in handy this time, it might come in handy in the future."
"A gift?" Chen Yunsheng sat down next to her. "What are you planning to give?"
"I haven't decided yet," Jiang Nan said in a distressed tone. "For an artist of Fu Yifang's caliber, ordinary things definitely wouldn't appeal to him. But I can't afford something too expensive either. I think it would be best if it were something thoughtful, tasteful, and unconventional."
Chen Yunsheng pondered for a moment. "He prefers a fusion of ink painting and contemporary art. Lately, he seems to be collecting some vintage stationery items. They don't have to be expensive, but they have to be exquisite and preferably have a story to tell."
Jiang Nan looked at him in surprise: "How do you know so much?"
"Wei Yan collected his information," Chen Yunsheng hesitated, "but you said you wanted to try it yourself, so I didn't give it to you."
Jiang Nan's heart moved, and he whispered, "Thank you."
"Nothing much," he looked away. "If you're looking for a gift, I know an old silversmith shop. The master craftsmen make handmade water drops, paperweights, and other things. They're very delicate and suit Fu Yifang's taste. They're not expensive, but they're thoughtful enough."
"Really?" Jiang Nan's eyes lit up. "Can you give me the address?"
"If you're free this weekend, I can take you there," Chen Yunsheng said in a calm and restrained tone. "A silversmith shop isn't like a gold and silver workshop that welcomes customers openly. The master craftsman has a bit of a quirky temper, so he might not treat someone he doesn't know well."
"Will it be too much trouble for you?" Although she was tempted to go out with Chen Yunsheng, she still felt that she should not trouble him too much.
"I have nothing to do this weekend, so I'll just relax." He stood up and walked towards the kitchen. "Should I cook noodles or order takeout?"
"Ah - let's cook noodles, keep it simple." Jiang Nan was still a little unresponsive.
The two of them finished their simple dinner and then cleared away the dishes together. The atmosphere was much more natural than the day before, the awkwardness in the air washed away, replaced by a tacit understanding tinged with ambiguity.
But at night, as Jiang Nan lay in bed, she couldn't help but think of Han Yan's unusual behavior. She pulled out her phone and clicked on Han Yan's Moments. The latest post was an industry article she'd forwarded a month earlier. Then she clicked on Gao Wanqing's Moments—a single gray line. It looked like she'd been blocked, or had been set to chat-only.
She blinked, feeling very strange. Although they were not familiar with each other before, at least they could see each other.
Then, she tried to search Song Wei’s circle of friends again - sure enough, it was not visible either.
There is definitely a story between these three women, and this story may have directly affected her current project.
Jiang Nan had a vague feeling that she might have accidentally stepped into a subtle vortex. But for now, she could only grasp the straw provided by Chen Yunsheng, prepare a gift to Fu Yifang, and take it one step at a time.
However, Jiang Nan still sent a WeChat message to Han Yan, expressing her gratitude again, and tactfully mentioned that if she needed any help, she had prepared some gifts.
Han Yan only replied:
OK, I have news for you.
Afterwards, Jiang Nan exchanged a few words with Han Yan before putting down her phone. She stared blankly at the ceiling, her heart in turmoil.
The higher you go in the career world, the deeper the waters become. Not only do you need to be skilled in your business, but you also need to understand the complex web of relationships beneath the surface.
She sighed, turned over, and a faint smile suddenly appeared on her lips.
But she was lucky. At least now, when dealing with these complicated matters, she had someone by her side with whom she could consult or even rely on.
It feels good, very good.
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