Chapter 318 Taking the Initiative to Show Goodwill
After several failed attempts, Bai Zhuwei grew anxious and decided to take the initiative to test the waters. The receptionist at the Si Group knew of her presence and didn't stop her, allowing her to enter the president's office directly.
Just as she arrived at the door, she came face to face with Gu Nan. Gu Nan was not expected to see her suddenly, her brows furrowed slightly, and a hint of displeasure flashed in her eyes.
Bai Zhuwei acted as if she hadn't seen anything, as if nothing had happened, with a slight smile on her lips: "What a coincidence."
Gu Nan nodded slightly in acknowledgment, then replied in a deep voice, "Is there something you need?"
Bai Zhuwei smiled gently, brushed a stray hair behind her ear, and gestured with the lunchbox in her hand, "I'm here to deliver food to Ayan."
Seeing this, Gu Nan glanced at him but did not stop him. She simply stepped aside to make room for him.
Bai Zhuwei walked slowly closer. Gu Nan watched her back, his brows slightly raised, his expression full of anticipation for a good show.
As Si Yanxiao's secretary saw her walking towards him, he was about to speak up to stop her, but Gu Nan directly raised her hand to stop him.
The secretary looked puzzled and said repeatedly, "Assistant Gu, there's something inside..."
"I know." Before she could finish speaking, Gu Nan interrupted her, then said in a low voice, "Let her in."
He wanted to see who would prevail when she and Jiang Ran faced off head-on.
"The facilities at the orphanage are now complete; the only remaining aspect is education."
“Hmm.” Si Yanxiao responded in a low voice, “I understand your concerns. They are of different ages, but their learning levels are similar. They have to start from scratch, so going to school is definitely not realistic.”
“Yes, that’s exactly what I was thinking,” Jiang Ran echoed.
"So what are your thoughts?" Si Yanxiao lowered his eyes slightly, his fingers slightly bent as he tapped the table, and asked in a deep voice.
Jiang Ran pursed her lips slightly, pondered for a moment, and then slowly said, "I think we can hire teachers for each subject separately at the orphanage, or build a Hope Primary School next door so that all the children in the orphanage can enroll."
"But that would be a bit troublesome. After all, the rules and regulations for running a school, the approval process, etc. are very complicated. In addition, there are requirements for the site, and the scale must be large. After all, we cannot limit ourselves to just this one orphanage."
Hearing Jiang Ran's thoughts, Si Yanxiao's eyes darkened slightly, and a hint of hesitation flashed across his face.
Just then, a sudden knocking sounded at the door, interrupting their thoughts.
Before Si Yanxiao could speak, the door was pushed open from the outside. Upon seeing this, Si Yanxiao's eyes narrowed, and he was about to reprimand her sternly to express his dissatisfaction.
Then Bai Zhuwei, carrying a lunchbox, called out loudly, "Ayan, look what I brought you!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he raised his eyes slightly and met Jiang Ran's gaze. His movements suddenly froze.
Upon seeing who it was, Si Yanxiao pursed his lips slightly, his brows furrowed almost imperceptibly, and a hint of rejection flashed between his brows.
"What are you doing here?" Bai Zhuwei's eyes darkened, and a hint of questioning flashed in her tone.
Jiang Ran raised an eyebrow, feeling somewhat displeased with her overbearing attitude.
He then chuckled to himself, "What? Do I need to tell you where I'm going?"
Hearing the coldness in her words, Bai Zhuwei's expression changed drastically. She was about to retort sharply, but then she remembered that Si Yanxiao was still there, so she suppressed her displeasure.
With a slight smile, she replied, "Of course not, I was just asking casually."
Then she walked straight up to Si Yanxiao, opened the lunchbox and spoke softly in a seemingly understanding manner.
“You often forget to eat when you’re working, and your stomach is always upset, so I specially made some of your favorite dishes for you.”
As the lid was lifted, a fragrant aroma wafted out. Jiang Ran raised an eyebrow and saw that the food inside looked and smelled delicious. She then chuckled and said, "Wow, your cooking is pretty good."
Hearing her praise, Bai Zhuwei raised her chin slightly, a hint of pride flashing in her eyes, and replied in a low voice, "Of course, I learned all of these specifically for Ayan back then."
As she spoke, she mentioned the past, trying to use their past friendship to move Si Yanxiao.
But Si Yanxiao remained expressionless and did not respond.
Jiang Ran glanced at him briefly, then spoke softly, "You've really had a hard time. It's just a pity that times have changed, and he's changed his tastes now. He doesn't like this kind of bland food anymore."
"He can't live without spicy food now."
"How is that possible?!" Bai Zhuwei's eyes narrowed, and she exclaimed in surprise.
"If you don't believe me, ask him." Jiang Ran raised her chin slightly, gesturing to look at Si Yanxiao.
Si Yanxiao was surprised that the conversation had suddenly turned to him, so he nodded slightly and replied in a low voice, "Mm."
Bai Zhuwei was surprised that he would affirm Jiang Ran's words, which undoubtedly excluded her. Her expression suddenly darkened, and she immediately felt that she had done something unnecessary.
But the die was cast, and no matter how difficult the situation was, she couldn't just walk away like she did last time.
Si Yanxiao's indifference during this period had implicitly shown his attitude, but she hadn't expected him to be so resolute.
His gaze sharpened slightly, a faint smile playing on his lips as he chuckled and replied, "Is that so?"
"It's okay, I'll just make whatever Ayan likes to eat. Anyway, I only learned to cook for him."
“That’s not necessary.” Jiang Ran sat in the chair, crossed her arms, raised her eyes slightly to look at Bai Zhuwei seriously, and refused directly.
“We have a nanny at home who already knows his tastes very well, so Miss Bai doesn’t need to put in any more effort.”
He paused slightly, a look of disdain on his face, before letting out a cold sneer: "After all, he has a family now. What kind of person would let an outsider bring him food? Wouldn't that cause his subordinates to gossip and damage his reputation?"
Jiang Ran's words subtly asserted her dominance, directly distancing herself from Bai Zhuwei.
To prevent her from using her relationship from six years ago as leverage, does she really think it always works?
Bai Zhuwei understood her unspoken meaning, a cold glint flashing in her eyes. She then replied in a cold voice, "Outsider? Although due to some special reasons, you are currently by Ayan's side..."
As she spoke, she pursed her lips slightly, feigning hesitation.
Then Fu continued, "I never intended to fight for anything, but the feelings from six years ago were real. To call them outsiders is a bit too much!"
The tone carried a hint of reproach, and a special reason could be mentioned: to make Si Yanxiao realize how Jiang Ran got her position!
Si Yanxiao was initially not planning to join their argument, but when Bai Zhuwei mentioned the past, his brows furrowed and a hint of displeasure flashed in his eyes.
When Bai Zhuwei said this before, he would have thought she was very wronged, but now, upon hearing it, he felt that it was somewhat pretentious.
After spending time together, he had come to know Jiang Ran's character, which was quite different from the rumors circulating outside.
However, Bai Zhuwei's words carried a hint of calculation, which made him very unhappy.
Jiang Ran noticed the change in Si Yanxiao's expression, her eyes flickered slightly, and a strange look flashed in them. She originally didn't know what Si Yanxiao's attitude was and didn't want to confront him directly, but now she vaguely guessed what it was.
Without holding back, she retorted, "Oh? So what? You expect him to recognize you as his god-sister?"
Her words were full of sarcasm, and Bai Zhuwei's expression suddenly hardened upon hearing them, without waiting for her to respond.
Jiang Ran then muttered to herself, "But it doesn't look like that will work either, since you can't get past the old man."
Everyone knew that the old man disliked her, and Jiang Ran's words were also an implicit reminder to her not to try to have any wishful thinking.
Bai Zhuwei understood the meaning behind her words, her gaze darkened, and she turned to look at Si Yanxiao, only to find him unmoved.
A chill ran through her heart, but she could see his attitude. Seeing that their relationship had improved considerably, Bai Zhuwei instantly felt a sense of crisis.
With a slight frown and a light bite to her lip, she could only reply coldly, "I don't need your concern!"
Even though he was furious, he didn't dare to turn away in a fit of rage like he had last time.
He then turned to Si Yanxiao and said in a low voice, "Yanxiao, if you need anything, just tell me..."
Jiang Ran glanced at her coldly, a sneer on her lips, and a look of disdain flashed across her face.
With the entire Si Group under his control, what could Si Yanxiao possibly lack?
She even said such things to my face. If I ever encountered someone who spoke sternly, I would make her understand what propriety, righteousness, integrity, and shame are!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com