Xu Yanxia also noticed something wrong with his expression, so she asked him, "What's wrong? Is there something suspicious?"
"It is a bit suspicious."
Lu Jingming nodded and spoke frankly to her, "He and his mother have always kept a very low profile in the past. They rarely disclose their background information and never appear in public. Especially that Mrs. Meyer."
"It's been quite a few years since she married the old Earl, but over the years, apart from inside their family, almost no one in the outside world knows that she is Chinese."
"Otherwise, with all the effort we put in recently, we wouldn't have failed to find even a single breakthrough."
Xu Yanxia nodded and said, "That's true."
As Lu Jingming had said before, the incident with the German silicon carbide project seemed like an open and secret competition between two companies, but in reality, it involved a game between China and the United States.
If they had known earlier that the old Earl's wife was a compatriot, why would they have needed to go through so much trouble?
After all, judging from the fact that the old Earl used to specially buy lost cultural relics overseas and donate them back to China, this lady must be quite patriotic.
Xu Yanxia sighed in admiration, "For a Chinese woman to establish a firm foothold in such an old-fashioned European family consortium, and even place her own child—who has no blood relation to the old Earl—in such a crucial position, she is truly remarkable!"
Saying that, she asked curiously, "Then does she have any children with the old Earl?"
Lu Jingming smiled and said, "The old Earl is over eighty years old. Even if he wanted to have children, the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak."
He also sighed sincerely, "But this lady is indeed formidable. In the ten or so years since she entered Meyer, she has already taken control of nearly half the power in their consortium."
"Not to mention anything else, their most profitable food ingredients sector is now firmly in her hands. Moreover, she is the co-manager of their family trust, and she also holds veto power in other sectors like real estate and technology."
Truly formidable.
Xu Yanxia nodded and added, "So the internal conflict in their consortium you mentioned before must be the power struggle between her and the old Earl's biological children, right?"
"Exactly."
Lu Jingming told her, "If this cooperation is successful, she should also be able to seize a voice in the technology sector, so why wouldn't she do it?"
"I see!"
Xu Yanxia completely understood.
She mused, "In that case, the so-called food ingredients cooperation is just an olive branch she extended, a favor she's giving. What she really has her eyes on is the cooperation with our semiconductor business."
"Isn't that how business works?"
Lu Jingming said, "I can only say she is very wise, and also very lucky. By choosing us, she won't lose out on either front."
"Mhm." Xu Yanxia nodded.
But then Lu Jingming frowned again and said, "So after saying all this, could that guy surnamed Feng really be interested in you? He even took the initiative to tell you such a secretive background."
"What are you talking about?"
Xu Yanxia gave him a speechless look and told him, "He already has a fiancée. He told me about this just to gain my trust."
"A fiancée?"
Lu Jingming frowned again. "Did he volunteer that information too?"
"I asked him myself."
Xu Yanxia simply explained, "Shushu really liked him before, but she didn't have much chance to talk to him, so she asked me to help her find out if I had the opportunity. I just casually asked him yesterday, and he told me."
Alright.
Lu Jingming finally nodded.
Given his silly little treasure's character, she would definitely not harbor any thoughts about someone her friend had her eyes on.
Who knew his silly little treasure would pinch his cheek and call out to him, "You are a dignified CEO. Isn't your work enough to keep you busy all day? What are you letting your imagination run wild for?"
Unpredictably, Lu Jingming grabbed her hand, his gaze deepening as he said, "I'm letting my imagination run wild about when I can marry you and bring you home to be the CEO's wife."
As he spoke, he wrapped his arm around her waist again and kissed her lips.
...
Unlike the intensity from earlier, he was much gentler this time.
Patiently, he lured and teased her bit by bit.
Making her feel as if she were falling into the clouds, completely intoxicated by it...
Until a certain moment, she clearly sensed his physical change.
"We can't kiss anymore."
She pushed him with a blushing face.
But he chased after her, refusing to let go. Burying his face in the crook of her neck, he continued to kiss her softly while saying in a hoarse voice, "Let me stay tonight, okay?"
"Baby, you smell so good..."
Like a gentle yet dangerous snake trying to tempt her into eating the apple from the tree...
Xu Yanxia shrank her neck to hide from him, enduring the hidden tingles. Biting her lip, she said, "It will be soon, just wait a little longer..."
She then reminded him, "It's very late, and I still have to record a show tomorrow."
As her voice fell, he fell silent for a moment.
He took another deep breath against her neck before finally letting her go.
"Alright."
"Get some rest early."
He stood up from the sofa and walked out, adding, "Breakfast together tomorrow?"
"Mhm."
Xu Yanxia nodded, her face still flushed, and asked him, "Which room are you staying in?"
He took a deep breath and said, "Right across from yours."
Xu Yanxia nodded again.
No wonder he came over to find her the moment she got back.
She just casually raised her eyes and saw him looking at her with what seemed like a hint of grievance.
Hardening her heart, she looked away from him and simply said, "Good night."
But right after, she saw him walk back over to her, pull her into his arms, rub her waist, and kiss her fiercely once more.
Then he told her, "Good night."
He let her go, opened the door, and walked out.
Soon after, she heard the sound of the door across the hall opening and closing.
Xu Yanxia also took a deep breath, then went into the bathroom with a blushing face and a smile.
...
Early the next morning, after having breakfast with Lu Jingming, she went to the dressing room as usual to get her hair and makeup done.
Sister Xiaozhen smiled and teased her while doing her makeup, "The honeymoon phase is indeed the honeymoon phase. Boss Lu is spending his weekend off over a thousand kilometers away. If word gets out, won't this end up trending again?"
This morning, when her friends were planning breakfast together in their group chat, Xu Yanxia let everyone know that Lu Jingming was here.
Everyone had already cheered and teased her in the chat, and now they were teasing her in person.
Xu Yanxia smiled and said, "What's there to trend about? We aren't celebrities. Besides, he came with work this time too. He has business to discuss this afternoon and tomorrow."
"No wonder,"
Said Ye Shu from the side. "I was wondering why Assistant Manager Wen is coming over today too."
Hmm?
This made both Sister Xiaozhen and Xu Yanxia a little surprised.
Sister Xiaozhen smiled and asked Ye Shu, "Are you two chatting again?"
"Yeah,"
Xu Yanxia joined in the teasing. "Why did he even go out of his way to tell you his itinerary?"
"What are you talking about!"
Ye Shu immediately replied. "He didn't go out of his way to tell me! He just saw our social media posts about eating barbecue last night, asked me about it, and we just casually chatted for a bit."
"I heard Assistant Wen doesn't really like chatting with colleagues after work." Xu Yanxia smiled, raising an eyebrow at her through the mirror. "Looks like you're quite special to him, Shushu."
"Yeah," Sister Xiaozhen chimed in with a laugh. "Honestly, Shushu, Executive Assistant Wen is quite a catch. He has a promising career, makes good money, and his parents are both highly educated intellectuals. Plus, he has such a great temper. Oh, and I heard men from his hometown are famous for doting on their wives. You really should consider going out with him."
"Stop teasing me, you two!" Ye Shu's face flushed bright red from their banter. Hurrying to change the subject, she said, "Let me tell you something serious. I actually found out who today's wildcard guest is. Do you want to know who it is?"
