J: 【So, are you saying yes or not?】
Jiang Zongyan tapped Send.
Lin Zhou, who was sitting beside him, was already scared out of his wits. He kept his head bowed so low it nearly touched his chest, screaming internally: It’s over, it’s over! This job of mine is finished, isn’t it?
The senior executives silently lit a candle for Lin Zhou in their hearts.
But to everyone’s surprise, Jiang Zongyan showed no sign of anger. Instead, there was a faint, almost imperceptible smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
He calmly held his phone and replied to the message.
His thin lips curved slightly, and he looked to be in a rather good mood.
This…
Everyone exchanged glances, the flames of gossip blazing in their eyes.
Their CEO was so hopelessly in love!
At the same time.
At the Zhou family villa, in the living room.
【So, are you saying yes or not?】
When Zhou Suisui received the message, she nearly sent her phone flying.
Had Jiang Zongyan been possessed by something unclean?
Her pretty little face, which had been wearing a teasing expression just moments ago, instantly flushed bright red. Even the tips of her ears turned a lovely pale pink.
Zhou Suisui had tried to tease him, only to be teased in return.
Suddenly, her phone felt unbearably hot.
She flung it aside, buried her face in a sofa cushion, and felt heat rising all over her head.
What a shameless, old man.
She had thought he could only wear that serious, abstinent expression… Who would have thought he knew how to flirt with women too?
Cui Wu entered carrying a plate of fruit. Seeing Zhou Suisui in that state, she asked worriedly, “Miss, what’s wrong? Why is your face so red?”
Zhou Suisui hurriedly lifted her head from the cushion, her eyes darting away. “N-Nothing! It’s just a little hot. The air conditioner in the living room must be broken.”
“Miss, are you talking nonsense again? It’s April. Why would the air conditioner be on?”
Cui Wu smiled warmly, a knowing look in her eyes.
Her young mistress had fallen in love—she just hadn’t realized it yet.
Under Cui Wu’s gentle, perceptive gaze, Zhou Suisui felt embarrassed, as though the little secret she had hidden away in her heart was about to be exposed.
Her snow-white fingers restlessly tugged at the cat ears on the cushion as she awkwardly changed the subject.
“Ahem, Sister Wu, has anything happened with Su Wan lately?”
Cui Wu smiled.
Young girls were shy, especially when it was their first time falling in love. This reaction was perfectly normal.
She did not expose Zhou Suisui’s little secret. Instead, she set down the fruit platter.
“Su Wan and her manager have come looking for Young Master several times over the past few days, but they haven’t managed to see him. Wang Zhen couldn’t withstand the pressure and has already paid the fine herself.”
“Oh. Keep an eye on her for me while I’m away on this business trip.”
Zhou Suisui nodded, pretending to listen attentively.
She tried her best to shift her attention away from her phone.
But in her heart, she was still grumbling furiously: What did he mean by that? He was teasing me on purpose, wasn’t he? Yes, that must be it!
Zhou Suisui, don’t overthink it!
—
Jiang Corporation.
After the brief interruption, the meeting continued.
Every now and then, Jiang Zongyan’s indifferent gaze drifted toward the silent phone.
“Mr. J-Jiang?”
Lin Zhou’s reminder brought him back to his senses.
Jiang Zongyan lifted his eyes and quickly glanced at the app displayed on the screen across from him before parting his thin lips.
“AI is no longer just a buzzword riding the latest trend. It is a fundamental revolution that is genuinely reshaping every industry. The times have changed. Standing still is the same as falling behind, and the industry shakeout will only accelerate. In the future, what we’ll be competing on is hard-core technology, the ability to put it into practice, and our strategic vision.”
“This year, lower the company’s target profit margin by another five percent. Use those funds to cultivate talent. In the future, intellectual capital will be the primary force of production.”
His dark eyes swept over the room, and an overwhelming sense of pressure instantly descended upon everyone.
“As the company’s senior executives, your thinking and vision must rise accordingly. Jiang Corporation’s competitors are no longer limited to domestic companies. We are competing against the entire international market. Put away your complacency.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the room erupted in an uproar.
Jiang Corporation had a market value of over a trillion dollars, and it operated in the high-end technology sector, where profits were already substantial.
Five percent of those profits would amount to an astronomical sum!
Everyone could practically foresee how fierce the ensuing battle for talent would be. It might even usher in another wave of innovation.
Lin Zhou pushed up his glasses, his eyes shining.
This young CEO was usually taciturn and never showed his emotions. He became a little more talkative only when it came to work.
Lin Zhou admired his understanding and vision, as well as the decisiveness with which he followed through on his word.
He would record every word the CEO had just said and use it as the script for tomorrow’s Haicheng Forum speech.
“Meeting adjourned.”
Jiang Zongyan rose calmly, picked up his phone, and headed for the door.
Lin Zhou quickly followed him.
“Assistant Lin.”
Jiang Zongyan suddenly stopped in the hallway. “If I remember correctly, you have a girlfriend?”
The WeChat chat window was still open to his reply from an hour earlier:
Are you saying yes or not?
It seemed that the mischievous little cat had been frightened by him.
Lin Zhou didn’t understand at first.
Only after a moment did he nod blankly. “Yes, I have one…”
Jiang Zongyan pretended to ask casually, “When you and your girlfriend got together, who made the first move?”
“?”
Lin Zhou froze again. Then he asked cautiously, “Are you asking about you and Miss Zhou?”
“I said it was me?” Jiang Zongyan’s expression darkened.
“Right, right, of course it wasn’t you!”
Jiang Zongyan’s expression became a little awkward. “Forget it if you’re not going to tell me.”
With that, he put away his phone and walked into his office.
He returned to his office in a huff and tossed his phone onto the desk.
What did that little girl mean?
Wasn’t she the one who had flirted with him first?
And now she actually wasn’t replying to his messages!
Lin Zhou followed him in and sighed helplessly at the sight of his agitated expression.
Men who had never been in love were such a hassle.
So what if his girlfriend didn’t reply to one message?
Eventually, he would learn that girlfriends didn’t just ignore messages. They could also make you kneel on durians and forbid you from sleeping in the bed.
This was nothing.
The CEO’s mindset was absolutely unacceptable.
