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"You don't need to tell me!"
Tao You was carrying two cups of fruit tea and waiting for Ning Yuxuan at the entrance of the mall.
Seeing Ning Yuxuan finally come over, Tao You handed her the cup with the green grape pulp.
"How was it?" Tao You looked at Ning Yuxuan curiously. "What did your domineering CEO boyfriend say to you?"
Before Ning Yuxuan could answer, Tao You cleared her throat seriously, "Wait, let me guess first, is it—woman, swipe my card, buy whatever you want in the whole mall, and I'll pick you up afterwards?"
Ning Yuxuan laughed out loud at her words: "I guess you guessed 20% right."
Tao You blinked: "Why is it twenty percent? Is it because of the word 'woman'?"
Ning Yuxuan shook her head as she unpacked the straw: "No."
"That was... swiping my card?"
No, not exactly.
Tao You suddenly realized: "Oh, then I can only pick you up after it's over!"
Ning Yuxuan inserted the straw into her milk tea: "He said that after we finish shopping, he would have the driver take us both home."
Tao You looked disappointed after hearing this: "Oh, he's not coming in person."
She wanted to hear more of the CEO's quotes, since such opportunities were rare.
Ning Yuxuan smiled and said, "He has an elder at the dinner party, and he went back to support him. It would be more convenient for the driver to pick us up."
If someone were to see Tao You looking disappointed, they would probably assume that Tao You had feelings for Xie Zhiyan.
However, Ning Yuxuan knew Tao You well enough to know that she was simply curious about her "boyfriend".
Ning Yuxuan took a sip of milk tea and asked her, "Back when we were in school, if someone was pursuing me, you always wanted me to stay as far away from them as possible. Why are you suddenly a different person now?"
Tao You also took a big gulp of her own drink and squinted her eyes contentedly.
“How can that be the same?” Tao You replied, “Those people before were just like Shen Chipeng and Chu Bowen, they never looked in the mirror, how dare they chase after such beautiful women when they looked so ugly.”
Ning Yuxuan raised her eyebrows: "Did you get a good look at him?"
"It was too dark, I couldn't see clearly," Tao You answered honestly.
“However!” Tao You immediately added, “I can still sense his aura, and his profile too. I can tell he’s a handsome guy even without seeing his features clearly. Plus, he’s so tall. Anyway, I’m very satisfied!”
Ning Yuxuan smiled and said, "I didn't expect you to think so highly of him. I'll pass on your reply when I have time."
Tao You smiled, her eyes narrowing: "By the way, besides saying you'd have a driver pick us up, what else did you say? It took you so long."
It took her ten minutes to buy the milk tea. She thought she would have to keep Ning Yuxuan waiting, but she ended up waiting at the mall entrance for two more minutes before she saw her.
Ning Yuxuan's brow twitched slightly. Just now...
Xie Zhiyan asked him if he wanted to have a grand wedding.
And she, in a moment of infatuation, agreed to his proposal.
Within minutes, Ning Yuxuan had already begun to regret it.
Organizing a wedding is a troublesome thing. Although she has never done one herself, she has heard from others how much effort it takes to prepare for a wedding.
It was all because the man's eyes and tone were so deceptive that she inexplicably answered "okay".
Seeing that Ning Yuxuan didn't answer for a while, Tao You said "Oh" knowingly: "I get it, I get it, you two are just whispering sweet nothings, right? I won't ask anymore, let's go shopping!"
The two shopped in the mall for two hours, and even as the mall was about to close, they were still reluctant to leave.
Tao You and Ning Yuxuan will get together again next time.
Xie Zhiyan's driver was already waiting at the mall entrance. He first took Tao You home, and then took Ning Yuxuan to the villa area.
Ning Yuxuan had an appointment to meet with the designer the next morning, so she washed up and went to bed early.
The next morning, Ning Yuxuan yawned as she went to the restaurant for breakfast, where she bumped into Ning Shiyue.
Ning Shiyue is busy with work, and Ning Yuxuan rarely sees him at home during the day.
Ning Yuxuan raised an eyebrow: "Good morning, it's you?"
Ning Shiyue was spreading strawberry jam on toast when she heard this and rolled her eyes at her: "Why can't it be me?"
Ning Yuxuan also grabbed a slice of toast: "Where's Mom?"
Ning Shiyue handed Ning Yuxuan a kitchen knife, saying, "Mom said she's going to meet with the producer today, along with Teacher Qin Man."
Ning Yuxuan suddenly realized: "Oh right, I forgot."
After reading the script for "The Wrongly Sent Letter" on Sunday, Ning Fei had the idea of taking on the role.
That same evening, the news that Ning Fei and Qin Man might collaborate became a trending topic again. Upon seeing this, the producer immediately contacted Ning Fei, saying that he was very much looking forward to working with her.
With the star power of two award-winning actresses, Qin Man and Ning Fei, coupled with the hype of their first collaboration on a film, the film's sponsorship is guaranteed to be very strong, which explains the producer's enthusiasm.
Ning Fei was also interested, so she went to meet with the producer early this morning.
"And what about you?" Ning Yuxuan asked Ning Shiyue, "You don't have work today? That's rare."
As a top young male actor, Ning Shiyue is basically working non-stop every day.
Ning Shiyue scoffed lightly: "It's rare for me to steal a few days of leisure from my busy schedule, but it'll only last a few days. I'll be joining the crew next week."
Seeing Ning Yuxuan sit down opposite him, Ning Shiyue stood up and poured her a glass of milk.
Ning Yuxuan took the milk: "Which group should I join?"
Ning Shiyue: "..."
He glanced at Ning Yuxuan speechlessly: "I told you you have a bad memory, but you wouldn't admit it."
Ning Yuxuan thought for a second: "It's not that period drama I recommended to you, is it?"
Ning Shiyue nodded: "That's the one."
"So fast?" Ning Yuxuan exclaimed in surprise. "It's only been less than half a month since you went to the audition, right? And you're already going to join the production team?"
Ning Shiyue hummed in agreement: "When I went there, they were only missing the male lead. The director was very satisfied with me, and I happened to be available, so..."
While saying these things, Ning Shiyue seemed completely unconcerned, smearing strawberry jam with his head down and not looking at Ning Yuxuan.
In reality, he was always keeping an eye on Ning Yuxuan's movements.
Ning Yuxuan took a bite of her bread and gave her an approving look: "Not bad, not bad! I just finished watching your latest drama, and I think with your current acting skills, you should be able to perfectly portray the male lead in the novel!"
Ning Shiyue's lips curled up slightly: "Do you need to tell me!"
"And you?" Ning Shiyue asked. "Mom said you've been busy with the hotel lately."
Speaking of this, Ning Yuxuan's eyes lit up: "Right, I haven't told you about my idea yet, have I? Do you have time? I'd like to tell you about it."
Ning Shiyue coughed, seemingly reluctantly: "If you really want to say it, can I just plug my ears and not listen?"
But in fact, he brought up the hotel to ask her how the progress was going.
Recently, Ning Yuxuan has been busy with the opening of a new branch of the hotel. Sometimes she discusses it with Ning Fei, sometimes with the hotel's general manager Chen Jun, and sometimes with Xie Zhiyan.
I just haven't talked to Ning Shiyue.
Ning Shiyue knew that Ning Yuxuan didn't bother him because he was busy with work and not often at home, and he wasn't a professional.
But he still felt ignored.
Ning Fei and the hotel manager are one thing, but even if Zhi Yan is Ning Yuxuan's boyfriend, shouldn't his younger brother be ranked after her boyfriend?
So when he had the chance today, he deliberately brought it up.
Ning Yuxuan quickly finished her toast, ran to the study, grabbed her laptop, and placed it in front of Ning Shiyue.
Ning Shiyue silently pulled the chair next to him back a little.
Ning Yuxuan consciously sat down next to him: "It's like this—"
She showed the design drawings to Ning Shiyue: "Of the four stores I bought, I plan to renovate two of them and upgrade the equipment. I'm going to meet with the designer in a little while to conduct an on-site inspection and discuss the details."
“Here’s what I’m thinking about the other two stores,” Ning Yuxuan said, opening another document. “I plan to design them as themed hotels. The current idea is to make one near the university town an e-sports hotel, and the other one will have a retro Republic of China style, something like this—”
She showed the picture to Ning Shiyue and asked, "What do you think?"
Ning Shiyue looked surprised: "It's fine."
It looked even more impressive than he had imagined.
In Ning Yuxuan's view, Ning Shiyue's "pretty good" is equivalent to "very good".
Ning Yuxuan smiled happily when her painstakingly devised plan was approved: "Right! Do you have any suggestions? Or any ideas you have, feel free to share them with me."
Ning Shiyue scrolled up the document and pondered, "This retro-style themed hotel reminds me of a movie my mother starred in."
Ning Yuxuan nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, I got the inspiration after watching that movie! You're such a good brother, we think alike!"
Ning Shiyue snorted: "You only praise me at times like this."
The two discussed the hotel design for a while, and Ning Yuxuan was inspired to come up with several new ideas, which she wrote down in a document.
If Ning Yuxuan hadn't had a meeting with the designer at 10 o'clock, she probably could have spent the whole morning discussing things with Ning Shiyue.
Ning Yuxuan asked Uncle Li to take her to the subway station near the first store in Tongxing District.
The designer took the subway and arrived just in time.
The hotel was not far from the subway station, and the two walked there together after meeting.
The designer's name is Yuan Shu, she is thirty-one years old, and she looks younger than her actual age.
Yuan Shu's clothing style is mainly loose, with shirts and trousers, but the cut and color matching are harmonious, giving people a very comfortable feeling.
Ning Yuxuan and Yuan Shu got along very well yesterday. Every time Yuan Shu shared her thoughts, she quickly understood what she meant.
Upon meeting, the two quickly began discussing the hotel's design.
When they arrived at the hotel entrance, a man in a security guard uniform stopped them.
"Excuse me," the man said, looking down on them. "This hotel has changed owners and is temporarily closed. If you're looking for a place to stay, you'll have to go somewhere else."
Ning Yuxuan: "I am the owner here."
The security guard glanced at Ning Yuxuan, then looked at Yuan Shu beside her.
The two girls looked to be no more than thirty years old.
The person above told him that the owner of the hotel was a retired female celebrity in her fifties.
As for the hotel's general manager, he had seen a photo of him; he was a man and not that young.
The security guard repeated, "Excuse me, we are currently undergoing renovations here, and unauthorized personnel are not allowed to enter at this time."
Ning Yuxuan and Yuan Shu exchanged a glance.
A few days ago, Ning Yuxuan was taken to the headquarters by Ning Fei and met with several people in the management team, including the general manager of Huayuan and several store managers.
However, these new stores are still in the preparation stage, and there are very few people on duty. It is estimated that no one who knows her is here.
During previous site visits, Ning Yuxuan was always with Ning Fei, Chen Jun, and a group of others. This is the first time she has come alone with a designer.
The security guard probably saw that the two women were young and dressed casually, so he started to treat them differently based on who they were.
Ning Yuxuan looked at the security guard: "Huayuan's boss is Ning Fei, you should know her, right? I'm her daughter, and I came here today with the designer to inspect the place. If you don't believe me, you can call your superior to confirm."
The security guard sized Ning Yuxuan up and down a few times, then said disdainfully, "You're the boss's daughter? Then I'm the boss's son. No matter who you are, you can't come in!"
...
Meanwhile, on the other side of the northern city.
The woman in the bohemian-style long dress took a sip of coffee and looked at the man opposite her: "Didn't your daughter break up with that guy surnamed Gu? Why are you still going to see him?"
The person who spoke was Yan Qinrui, Lin Yuanfeng's current wife.
The marriage was a business arrangement, with little emotional foundation between the two.
Fortunately, the two had similar expectations for the marriage and neither interfered too much in the other's life, resulting in a stable and peaceful married life.
The Yan family mainly deals in clothing, but also has interests in other industries. They rank just behind the Lin family on the rich list.
Yan Qinrui is ten years younger than Lin Yuanfeng and has two older brothers. She is not involved in the management of her family's company and is not interested in her husband's work.
I came to Beicheng with my husband this time because I heard that a new trendy store had opened here and I wanted to check it out.
Lin Yuanfeng shook his head: "I originally didn't want to see her, but when I met Xuanxuan last time, something she said made me a little concerned."
Yan Qinrui asked curiously, "What did you say?"
Lin Yuanfeng: "Xuanxuan asked me, if the Gu family and the Ning family have a conflict of interest in the future, which side will I stand on?"
Yan Qinrui raised her eyebrows: "That goes without saying, of course we'll stand on your own daughter's side."
Lin Yuanfeng smiled and said, "Of course. I was just wondering if Gu Yunhao had already made some move against the Ning family, which is why Xuanxuan asked me that question."
Yan Qinrui: "No wonder, you should go. If that brat Gu Yunhao has any bad ideas, you should nip them in the bud."
Lin Yuanfeng looked at his wife in surprise: "You probably don't know anyone from the Gu family, right? Why do you seem to dislike that kid from the Gu family so much?"
Yan Qinrui frowned in disgust: "I don't know him, but this guy Gu Yunhao started giving your daughter the silent treatment after he fell for a minor celebrity, forcing her to break up with him. Not only that, he even teamed up with his new lover to slander your daughter as a mistress. It makes me so angry."
Whether before or after marrying Lin Yuanfeng, Yan Qinrui never worked a single day. Her daily routine consisted of meeting up with friends, going shopping, and having afternoon tea.
In addition to that, I also watch TV dramas and follow variety shows.
She watched almost all the trending topics related to the program "Dear Mom" and witnessed the entire process of the plot twist.
Seeing the surprised expression on Lin Yuanfeng's face, Yan Qinrui was even more shocked than him: "Lin Yuanfeng, you don't actually know that your daughter has been slandered, do you?"
Lin Yuanfeng: "..."
He's busy with work and doesn't have time to pay attention to things online.
He had heard someone mention that his daughter was trending on social media, but by then everything had already settled down. He heard that his daughter was on the side of public opinion with the upper hand and hadn't been wronged, so he didn't look into it in detail.
Seeing that Lin Yuanfeng tacitly agreed, Yan Qinrui shook her head and murmured, "Now I know why your two children aren't close to you..."
Fortunately, she doesn't like children and has never wanted to have any. Otherwise, if the children had a father like Lin Yuanfeng, she would be furious.
"Alright, alright." Yan Qinrui waved her hand. "It's almost time. You should hurry up and see that kid from the Gu family and help your daughter get revenge. I also need to meet with my friends."
...
At the entrance of a business teahouse in the northern part of the city, Gu Yunhao paced back and forth nervously.
Given his status as the young master of the Gu family, it had been a long time since he had personally greeted anyone at the door.
But this time he was meeting with the richest man in Jincheng, and the outcome of this meal would have a significant impact on his career development.
Of all the grandchildren in the Gu family, only he has graduated from university, and his father intends to help him establish prestige within the family.
However, Gu Yunhao failed to seize the opportunities he had previously had, and many people in his family looked down on him, secretly calling him a good-for-nothing.
This time, he took his father's money to enter the hotel industry, but he repeatedly ran into setbacks, and many people were watching him make a fool of himself.
Although he had broken up with Cen Meng, the advice she gave him was still very useful.
Having finally managed to arrange a meeting with the richest man in Jincheng, he had to seize this opportunity and try to establish a cooperative relationship with Lin Yuanfeng through his grandfather's connections.
Gu Yunhao was well prepared and immediately went to meet the other party's car when he saw it.
"Chairman Lin!" Gu Yunhao said respectfully, "I am Gu Yunhao. I have long admired your name, and it is great to finally meet you in person!"
Lin Yuanfeng nodded slightly: "Mm."
Gu Yunhao was extremely respectful as he went upstairs with Lin Yuanfeng to a private room.
As soon as the two sat down, Gu Yunhao couldn't wait to state his intentions: "Chairman Lin, the reason I invited you for this small gathering is to—"
Lin Yuanfeng calmly interrupted Gu Yunhao: "No rush, let's have some tea first, and not talk about these things."
Gu Yunhao's smile froze slightly: "...Yes."
We don't talk about business; we only talk about friendship.
Gu Yunhao was unaware of his grandfather's past with Lin Yuanfeng, so he could only try his best to talk to Lin about his grandfather's current situation, hoping that Lin would remember their past relationship and be willing to cooperate with him.
Lin Yuanfeng was quite amiable, with a faint smile always on his face. He would occasionally nod in agreement and chat about Old Master Gu's past achievements when he was in his prime.
However, every time Gu Yunhao tried to bring up his true intentions, Lin Yuanfeng subtly evaded the question.
Gu Yunhao had only accompanied his father to social events a few times before, but now that he was personally involved, he finally understood what it meant to be a cunning old fox in the business world.
The other party saw right through him, but he couldn't figure out their intentions at all.
Gu Yunhao dared not anger Lin Yuanfeng, so he could only feel anxious inside while pretending to be very interested in these old stories.
Finally, after savoring tea for a full hour, Gu Yunhao found another opportunity: "Chairman Lin, about the hotel facilities you mentioned earlier..."
This time, Lin Yuanfeng put down his teacup and finally spoke up: "Oh, I remember you said... you wanted the Lin family to become your supplier?"
Gu Yunhao was overjoyed: "Yes, Chairman Lin."
Lin Yuanfeng smiled and said, "Sure."
Gu Yunhao could hardly believe his ears, and his face immediately lit up with joy: "Chairman Lin, you mean—"
Lin Yuanfeng's attitude had been ambiguous before, and he thought he had no hope.
Lin Yuanfeng chuckled: "I do intend to cooperate with companies in Beicheng. I will inform the board of directors about what you just said."
Gu Yunhao couldn't hide his joy and stood up excitedly: "Thank you, Chairman Lin! As for the contract..."
"Hey—" Lin Yuanfeng waved his hand, "Young man, what's the rush? We've barely gotten this far, and you're already talking about contracts?"
Gu Yunhao coughed twice: "Yes, yes, then when would be a good time for us to discuss the specific terms of cooperation?"
Lin Yuanfeng shook his head: "Young people are just not mature enough. Yunhao, you should learn more from your grandfather. Cooperation is not something to be rushed. We need to conduct an internal evaluation first."
Gu Yunhao said anxiously, "To be honest, I am a little anxious because—"
Lin Yuanfeng raised his hand to interrupt Gu Yunhao, chuckled twice, and said, "See, I just said you weren't composed enough, and here you go again. Don't worry, I personally really want to work with young people like you, but everything has to go through a process. Good things come to those who wait, don't you think?"
Gu Yunhao was taken aback and pondered the sentence in his mind.
Chairman Lin seems to have agreed to cooperate with him, but it still needs to be discussed by the board of directors, and a contract will be signed with him after all procedures are completed.
That's why I told him not to rush and to just wait for good news.
With this in mind, Gu Yunhao had a better understanding.
As long as Chairman Lin agrees to cooperate, then everything will be fine. He can proceed with other supporting work first, and then finalize the contract with Chairman Lin later.
Thinking of this, Gu Yunhao's face lit up with a radiant smile: "I understand, Chairman Lin, thank you!"
...
At the entrance of a hotel in Tongxing District, Beicheng.
Ning Yuxuan was stopped by security guards and not allowed to enter, so she found a shady spot under a tree and called Ning Fei.
Ning Fei is probably still talking to the producer, as no one is answering her phone.
Ning Yuxuan was thinking about who would be the most efficient person to call when she saw someone else walking over from the hotel.
Upon seeing the person, the security guard immediately went to greet them.
"Manager Wang!" The security guard's expression changed drastically from cold to obsequious. "Why did you come all this way in person?"
Manager Wang looked stern and spoke in a detached voice: "The boss asked me to pick someone up. I came out to take a look."
The security guard laughed and said, "Look, you have to come all the way here for such a small thing? I can do it myself."
Manager Wang glanced at him, thinking that the opportunity to build a good relationship with the boss's daughter should naturally come to him.
He said in an accusing tone, "I've seen you standing here from afar, not moving for ages. What are you dawdling about?"
"Hey!" the security guard said with a forced smile, "You don't know, but two young girls insisted on coming in. I stopped them, and one of them even claimed to be a relative of the boss..."
Manager Wang waved his hand: "This is a small matter. Can't we just send them away with a few words?"
Security guard: "Yes, I'm just—"
"Wait a minute." Manager Wang's expression suddenly changed. "Where are those two young girls you mentioned?"
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