play hard
Liu Rui left Geng Guangsong's office and pulled out a pair of large sunglasses from her bag and put them on. She had specially worn a pair of large gold earrings to help her look. She didn't know if it helped, but her ears were hurt from the tugging.
But it felt great, the kind of feeling of being in control of your own destiny regardless of everything. She even walked with the wind, and those who didn't know her would think she had won a high prize today.
Entering the elevator, the black marble interior darkened the entire space. Liu Rui took off her sunglasses to check the elevator floor, only to notice someone standing next to her. Her earrings were larger and heavier than hers.
"Ms. Liu, can you spare half an hour now? Mr. Xu wants to see you."
Liu Rui pointed at herself: "Xu Zhiyuan? You want to see me?"
Claire smirked, "Right."
Liu Rui took a deep breath and thought to herself that these people were really weird.
But it was also an opportunity. It was better to explain it in person than to keep the misunderstanding going. Ms. Liu put on her sunglasses and raised her chin: "Lead the way."
Knowing that she was going to the Hongmen Banquet, she naturally lost her good mood.
Xu Zhiyuan was working on a report in his office. He nodded at the arrival of the guest, but he was still busy with his work. Claire greeted the guest with familiarity: "Miss Liu, tea or coffee?"
"Thank you, I don't want to drink it anymore." I was afraid of being poisoned.
She had only met Mr. Xu once and they had never spoken a serious word. If there was any connection, it was probably because of Jinnan.
I swear to God, if Liu Rui had known Jin Nan's situation earlier, she would never have agreed to let her family come to see Geng Guangsong.
"Ms. Liu, don't be too nervous." Xu Zhiyuan smiled kindly, "It's nothing to invite you here, just chat with friends, relax."
"hehe."
Xu Zhiyuan finally put down what he was holding, stood up, took the hot water that Claire had boiled, and sat at the chair of the tea table opposite Liu Rui.
"Dahongpao?" Xu Zhiyuan asked.
"Really." Liu Rui glanced at the time. "I have an appointment with the beauty salon at 2:30, so I still have fifteen minutes. Just tell me what you want to say."
Xu Zhiyuan then put down the teapot, crossed his hands, and gently rubbed the backs of his fingers. He was nervous, but only those who knew him well could see it.
"Miss Liu is a straightforward person, so I'll get straight to the point," Xu Zhiyuan said. "I want to make a deal with you."
Claire left at the right time, and there were only two people left in the office. Xu Zhiyuan took three minutes to get to the point and put forward conditions that were enough to make Liu Rui take off her sunglasses.
If only doing business were that simple, Liu Rui couldn’t help but think.
"Can you be Hua Lin's boss?" Miss Liu's words were no longer sharp, and she returned to her previous intellectual and beautiful appearance. "This matter has no harm to me at all, but I don't see any benefit to you."
"I do business with everyone." Xu Zhiyuan chuckled. "Although I'm not in charge of Hualin, my words still carry some weight."
"Okay, we'll discuss the details later. First, tell me your conditions." Liu Rui raised an eyebrow. "You can't have called me here just to show me your warmth, right?"
"Miss Liu is smart."
Liu Rui was waiting for his next words when she saw Xu Zhiyuan looking down, hesitating for a few seconds before looking up again, as if he had made up his mind.
"Then I'll be frank. I hope you and Jinnan keep your distance."
Liu Rui:……?
Getting something for nothing?
"Uh, wait a moment." Liu Rui took out a carrot-shaped recorder from her bag, fiddled with it for a long time, and placed it in front of Xu Zhiyuan.
What came out of it was the conversation she had just had with Geng Guangsong.
When Xu Zhiyuan heard her say, "I don't want to be a lesbian's wife," he looked embarrassed for a second, but quickly hid it.
"If you want to bribe me for this, then forget it. The problem has been solved." Liu Rui put away her things and waited for Xu Zhiyuan's reaction with some gloating look.
"Xiao Nan and I were not aware of this matter at first. He didn't mean to offend you, um..." Xu Zhiyuan's language system was also confused. After talking for a long time, he shut up and frowned, thinking about how to word it.
Liu Rui looked at him and chuckled, "Mr. Xu was so eloquent just now, why are you so silent now?"
"Sorry." Xu Zhiyuan felt a little embarrassed.
Liu Rui covered her mouth and laughed for a long time before she said, "Don't worry, even if you do nothing, Xiao Jin will explain it herself."
Xu Zhiyuan looked up with an inexplicable expression.
"You haven't seen him in private." Liu Rui smiled and slowly recalled, "Chai Xing told me at the time that this person was hard to approach, but I didn't believe it. Now I understand."
Xu Zhiyuan didn't understand: "What?"
"Nothing, not important." Liu Rui shook her head. "If you're interested in cooperating with Xinfeng, I'll send the information over next week. It's business as usual. Okay?"
Xu Zhiyuan was completely passive at this time and could only nod.
It was rare for him to suffer such a complete defeat. It would be more accurate to say that he was blinded by impulse from the beginning and completely forgot that Miss Liu was a living person who would resist on her own.
Coercion or bribery? There's no need for that. A girl should choose the right man to marry. He's just being petty and meddling in other people's affairs.
Xu Zhiyuan came to his senses, calmed down, smiled at Liu Rui, and apologized: "I'm sorry, Miss Liu, I offended you today. It's a pleasure to work with you."
Liu Rui also smiled: "You are really a modest gentleman, no wonder Xiao Jin always likes you."
When Xu Zhiyuan heard good words coming from other people's mouths, his heart rate rose.
Liu Rui's steps were much lighter as she left. The assistant walked her downstairs. Her makeup was so exquisite and her steps so steady that even Miss Liu was amazed.
As expected of Hua Lin, who started her career in the fashion industry, her assistants are all strong women who wear 10cm high heels to work.
The assistant walked into the takeout room, picked up a brand new bag of milk tea and a bouquet of rose bears, and said to her phone, "Baby, are you in the office? I can't finish my milk tea, so I'll give you one."
Liu Rui: ...
The waters of big companies are really deep.
*
On the other side, Jin Nan came to Geng Guangsong's office for more than ten minutes and drank almost a pot of water.
Geng Guangsong didn't get to the point, instead rehashing a piece of jade in a repetitive manner, seemingly trying to wear Jinnan down. Jinnan simply drank water, filling the void left by the small homemade dishes he'd had at noon.
After he finished drinking the whole cup of tea, Geng Guangsong finally stopped and got to the point.
"Xiao Nan, how's your work been these past six months? Are you still adapting?"
"It's okay," Jinnan said. "I'll get used to it slowly. It's not particularly difficult."
Even if he said that, Geng Guangsong couldn't find any fault with him. In the past six months since Jinnan took office, Hualin has been kept in perfect order, with no major disruptions and even minor breakthroughs, thanks either to Xu Zhiyuan's exceptional efforts or Jinnan's genuine talent.
Last year, two patents of the R&D department won national awards. Jinnan now holds the development and use rights in its hands, without any of the impetuousness and short-sightedness of young people.
Jin Nan looked at others and was being looked at. He touched a bone china cup in his hand until it shone, and gently placed it on the table.
"Uncle Geng asked me to take a quiz today?"
"Yes, to help Licheng see how you are doing." Geng Guangsong chuckled, "His efforts were not in vain."
Jinnan tilted his head, waiting for him to continue.
"When he was in his thirties, he told me he would never marry and give away all his property when he got old. I asked him why, and Licheng said, 'I have so many close female friends, if I gave even a little bit I'd be torn to pieces.' And now, it's all left to you."
Geng Guangsong showed nostalgia on his face, and his eyes were very gentle when he looked at Jinnan.
"People like us, unlike ordinary people, have a heavier burden on our afterlife. People often joke that there's a throne to inherit in your family, and you're almost there."
Jinnan understood and skipped the urging for marriage, going straight to urging the birth of a child. He also realized that Geng Guangsong probably wasn't trying to match Miss Liu with Xu Zhiyuan, but... with him.
"Uncle Geng," Jinnan interrupted him. "You're my closest elder, and I'm going to be honest with you. Daddy and I have the same stance: we're not getting married and we're not going to have children."
Geng Guangsong showed his disapproval: "Kid, you shouldn't be so absolute. Didn't Licheng say the same thing when he was young? You're already this old now."
Jin Nan didn't want to dwell on this topic with him any further, so he said directly, "Don't worry about me. You will take care of Xiao Nian and Jia Wen in the future."
Seeing Jinnan's impatience, Geng Guangsong had to change the subject: "By the way, I asked you to come here today because I brought someone from outside..."
Jinnan continued to drink tea.
He had long been prepared to be a coward for the rest of his life. There were things he couldn't understand or listen to, and no one's advice would work. He called Geng Guangsong "uncle" for Jin Licheng's sake, but could he really control him?
not necessarily.
After today, I will talk to Miss Liu Rui. Cooperation is possible, but marriage is out of the question. However, after he behaved like that, Miss Liu might not be interested in him.
Jinnan felt safe. No outside force could stop him. The only uncertainties were himself and Xu Zhiyuan. He had to confirm Xu Zhiyuan's intentions, and quickly. By any means necessary.
The meeting ended, and Jin Nan said goodbye to Geng Guangsong politely. As soon as he closed the office door, his expression darkened. The pen pinned to his collar felt heavy; it was the "gift" Geng Guangsong had just given him.
It’s the same brand and style as Xu Zhiyuan’s pen.
Geng Guangsong's assistant greeted him at the door. Jinnan nodded and saw a business card on the assistant's desk with a familiar name on it.
Xu Xingwen.
The other party was definitely not here to see an assistant. Jin Nan had some guesses in his mind. Combining all the conversations that happened today, he made some decisions.
WeChat was opened and a message was sent to Li Hongfang.
*
Master Li’s portfolio from last year became a hit online.
It’s not because the masterpiece is so great, but one of Li Hongfang’s works was posted online by someone, revealing some secrets of a wealthy family.
The introduction of the work is written very simply:
"Family, untouchable lovers, forbidden and immoral people, friends."
The painting is a group of sketches of human body parts. Someone compared it with Jin Nan, the new president of Hua Lin who became popular on the Internet at the end of the year, and discovered that the model in the painting has an extremely extraordinary identity.
Li Hongfang depicted the position of the red mole, the finger joints, and the shape of the nails very accurately.
That introduction is quite intriguing.
The public generally believes that this young president has a close relationship with the painter. No one knows whether this is true or not, but it is certain that this president is a homosexual.
Netizens followed the clues and dug up Jin Nan's life story, which was hyped up. Some also felt sorry for Jin Licheng, saying that he had been wandering around with women for many years, had an only son, or was a homosexual. In short, there were many different opinions.
Jin Nan, Li Hongfang, the deeds of the Jin family, and Liu Rui, who had sporadic interactions with Jin Nan, were all brought out for discussion, with people saying that Miss Liu had a keen eye for talent by breaking off the engagement.
Li Hongfang also had a reputation for being a playboy, constantly involved in scandals involving wealthy families. Jinnan was the one whose reputation was most severely damaged by this uproar.
What's strange is that Hua Lin didn't respond to this at all, didn't spend money to suppress the popularity, and didn't reduce exposure. Jin Nan also participated in various public activities as usual.
On rare occasions, someone would turn the topic to Xu Zhiyuan, the adopted son of the Jin family, based on the introduction of the painting, but this small splash was quickly drowned out by the torrent of noise and no one paid any attention.
On the top floor of Hualin, Jinnan casually glanced at his phone and threw it aside without any care.
So Geng Guangsong must have seen it, right? And the parents of those famous ladies in Lido must have seen it, too. Even those whose families were forced to marry off due to financial hardship would have to back away after hearing about Jinnan.
Jinnan was happy to have some free time and was very satisfied with Li Hongfang's work.
As he wished, Xu Zhiyuan was not involved at all. The coming out of the closet by the powerful man had no impact on the behemoth Hua Lin. He was just gay, not disabled. Who cared whether he liked men or women?
Most netizens just watched the fun and watched the melons, with few criticizing him. Some of them just said that his private life was not in order...
Totally harmless.
This is exactly what Jinnan wanted. After the excitement, no one could use this matter to threaten him or Xu Zhiyuan.
Lu Yiqing knocked on the door and came in, bringing a piece of tiramisu. The coffee on the table was still steaming, still unfinished.
"Mr. Jin, Mr. Xu asked someone to buy it."
Jinnan then made the cake, which was just made and the cream was still very fresh.
"He didn't say anything else?" Jinnan asked.
Lu Yiqing looked at his expression and whispered, "You left without eating much at lunch. Mr. Xu asked you to fill your stomach."
There was no special reaction. Was Xu Zhiyuan particularly tolerant, or was he indifferent to what happened?
"Forget it." Jin Nan opened the cake with a fork and took a bite. It was very appetizing. It must be something Xu Zhiyuan had specifically instructed him to do.
There is no point in thinking too much. Jinnan wants to see how long he can endure.
"Contact the flower shop in the evening and send a bouquet of flowers to Mr. Xu."
"Pick the variety you like, just make sure it's not too ugly."
"Do you want to write a greeting card?" Lu Yiqing asked.
"Write." Jin Nan raised his lips and smiled, "Let the owner have free rein."
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