Jiang Shao Chen's fingers tightened slightly around the teacup. In the moonlight, his profile was sharply defined, and a heavy look settled between his brows.
"You still don't believe me. You don't believe me because of the medication, is that it?" His voice was low, and his eyes showed some distress.
Shen Mingzhi looked at him calmly, "Because I've seen a lot of things, but I've never seen such a bizarre experience as yours."
Even modern medicine has difficulty explaining his condition.
"If you don't believe me, I really have no way to prove it. I sent all my blood to the research institute, but they couldn't find any problems either." Jiang Shaozhen wanted to explain to her, but now he couldn't reason with her.
Shen Mingzhi sighed, "Never mind."
"It was my mistake to keep it from you at first... but could you give me another chance?" Jiang Shao Chen looked into her eyes, his gaze pleading.
Shen Mingzhi looked up at him; his eyes, clear and bright in the moonlight, were filled with sincerity and regret.
"Zhizhi, I know I was wrong." Jiang Shao Chen reached out to touch her, then restrained himself and pulled away. "Ever since you left, I've regretted it every day. If I could do it all over again, I would definitely pursue you with the utmost sincerity, instead of..."
"Alright," Shen Mingzhi interrupted him, "Let bygones be bygones."
She turned to leave, but Jiang Shaozhen suddenly grabbed her hand. "What about the future? Do we even have a future?"
Shen Mingzhi neither pulled away nor answered. She looked down at their clasped hands, her mind in turmoil.
"Give me some time," she finally said softly. "I'll give you an answer after the factory's new product is developed."
Jiang Shao Chen's eyes lit up, and he carefully tightened his grip on her hand. "Okay, I'll wait for you."
The next morning, Shen Mingzhi rushed back to the factory and gathered the technical department to study the new formula. The imported raw materials indeed proved to be highly effective, and the trial samples were much finer than before.
"The coverage is pretty good," Technician Li said, applying the sample to the back of his hand. "It's just that the staying power could be a little lacking."
Shen Mingzhi nodded, "Try adding some more silicone oil."
Time flies when you're busy. Half a month has passed in the blink of an eye, and the new formula for the foundation has finally been finalized. Shen Mingzhi named it "Yu Yan" and plans to launch it next month.
That afternoon, she was reviewing the publicity plan in her office when Director Sun rushed in in a panic.
"Xiao Shen, something terrible has happened! Jiang Huanyu's department store has started selling foundation too, and the packaging is almost identical to ours!"
Shen Mingzhi suddenly stood up. "What?"
She immediately followed Factory Director Sun to the department store. Sure enough, a row of foundations was prominently displayed on the counter, the bottle design of which was strikingly similar to their soon-to-be-released "Yu Yan" foundation.
"This is impossible..." Shen Mingzhi picked up a bottle and examined it closely. "Our formula and packaging design are confidential, how could they..."
Factory Director Sun's face turned ashen. "There must be a mole inside!"
On the way back to the factory, Shen Mingzhi kept thinking about who might have leaked the information. The people in the technical department were all long-time employees; they shouldn't betray the factory. Could it be...?
She suddenly remembered seeing Chen Xiao get out of Jiang Huanyu's car a few days ago, and at the time she thought it was a chance encounter. Now it seems that it's probably not that simple.
Back at the factory, Shen Mingzhi immediately convened an emergency meeting.
"The new product has been leaked." She cut to the chase, "Until the mole is found, 'Yu Yan' will be put on hold."
A murmur rippled through the conference room. Technician Li stood up excitedly, "Comrade Shen, we've worked so hard on this research and development for so long, how could we..."
"If we go public now, we'll only be accused of copying Jiang Huanyu," Shen Mingzhi said calmly. "Our top priority is to find the leaker, then improve the formula and make a better product."
After the meeting, Shen Mingzhi remained alone in the conference room, her head throbbing with pain. Just then, the phone rang.
She picked up the phone.
It was Jiang Shaozhen calling.
"Zhizhi, I heard something happened?" His voice was full of concern.
Shen Mingzhi smiled wryly, "The news travels really fast."
"Do you need my help?"
Shen Mingzhi hesitated for a moment, "Could you help me check Chen Xiao's recent whereabouts and see who he's been meeting?"
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone. "Okay, wait for my message."
After hanging up the phone, Shen Mingzhi rubbed her temples. Although she didn't want to owe Jiang Shaozhen any more favors, the situation was urgent, and she couldn't worry about that now.
In the evening, Jiang Shaozhen came to the factory and told her, "Chen Xiao has been frequently contacting someone lately. I checked, and it's Jiang Huanyu's partner." He handed the documents to Shen Mingzhi, "Also, they had dinner together last Wednesday night."
Shen Mingzhi's gaze grew increasingly cold as she looked at the documents. Last Wednesday was the day the final formula for "Yu Yan" was confirmed, and Chen Xiao, as the head of the distribution department, attended the meeting.
"Thank you." She put away the documents. "I'll handle this."
Jiang Shaozhen hesitated for a moment, then simply nodded. "Contact me anytime if you need anything."
The next morning, Shen Mingzhi called Chen Xiao to her office. The young salesman looked nervous, with fine beads of sweat on his forehead.
"Comrade Chen, you were looking for me?"
Shen Mingzhi pushed the call log in front of him, "Explain yourself."
Chen Xiao glanced at it, and his face instantly turned deathly pale. He opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a word.
"How much money did Jiang Huanyu give you?" Shen Mingzhi asked coldly.
"Five, five thousand..." Chen Xiao's voice was almost inaudible, "Comrade Shen, I was wrong! My elderly mother is sick and urgently needs money for surgery, I was confused for a moment..."
Shen Mingzhi closed her eyes briefly. "Pack your things and go to the finance department to settle the bill."
Chen Xiao knelt down with a thud, "Comrade Shen, please give me another chance! I promise..."
"You only get one chance." Shen Mingzhi stood up. "You've betrayed not only me, but the trust of hundreds of workers in the factory. You just sold our secrets for five thousand yuan like that. You have a seriously ill mother, but those people don't have parents, wives, or children, do they? Get out of here! Get out right now!"
After dealing with Chen Xiao, Shen Mingzhi immediately convened a meeting with the technical department.
"The formula has been leaked, we have to develop it from scratch." She looked around at everyone. "This time, we're not just making foundation, we're making a whole makeup line."
Technician Li stared wide-eyed in surprise, "The whole process? How long will that take?"
"One month," Shen Mingzhi said decisively. "Not only do we need to catch up with Jiang Huanyu, but we also need to surpass them."
After the meeting, Shen Mingzhi remained alone in the empty conference room, leaning wearily against the back of her chair. Outside the window, the setting sun bathed the entire room in gold.
Jiang Shaozhen appeared at the conference room door, the setting sun casting a long shadow on him: "Are you going home tonight? The kids miss you."
Looking at his handsome face, Shen Mingzhi suddenly felt that the unpleasant things that happened during the day didn't seem so bad anymore.
Sure enough, a pleasing appearance can improve one's mood. She stood up, nodded, and said, "Okay."
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