If Jiang Shao really knew Lu Jin Wen, given the relationship between the two of them…
Even taking the most extreme possibility—
Couldn’t Jiang Shao simply go live off Lu Jin Wen and coast through life?
That was the part Li Xin simply could not understand.
Was Qi Mu lying to him?
But Qi Mu’s scolding just now had obviously been real…
Li Xin’s mind was tangled in contradictions.
It felt as though ten thousand balls of thread had been tossed together inside his head. No matter what he did, he could not find where any of them began.
All he knew was that something was wrong.
Fang Ming Qian’s gaze shifted slightly at Li Xin’s question.
When Qi Mu had said earlier that Jiang Shao had come here looking for him, Fang Ming Qian had already sensed that something did not quite add up. But the subsequent chaos had distracted him, and he had forgotten to consider exactly what was wrong. Now that Li Xin had pointed it out, he finally realized.
If Jiang Shao really had come here for Qi Mu, as Qi Mu claimed, why had he not gone to the front to find him? Why was he back here with Lu Jin Wen instead?
Moreover, judging from Jiang Shao’s cold, decisive manner when he fought, Fang Ming Qian instinctively felt that Jiang Shao was not nearly as simple as he appeared. Li Xin might actually be telling the truth, while Qi Mu had merely been deceived by Jiang Shao.
Qi Mu frowned.
He had successfully muddied the waters and redirected everyone’s attention just now. He had not expected Li Xin to still spot the key inconsistency.
This one was admittedly harder to explain…
Should he simply claim Jiang Shao had taken a wrong turn?
Qi Mu pondered for several seconds, then turned and gave Jiang Shao a meaningful look. “Who told you to wander around back here? What if you disturbed President Lu?”
But this time Jiang Shao did not follow his lead. Instead, he said, “I came here specifically to see President Lu.”
Qi Mu froze.
He had no idea what Long Aotian was trying to do now.
Jiang Shao could clearly have played along. All he needed to say was that he had taken a wrong turn, yet he insisted on admitting that he had come to meet Lu Jin Wen. Qi Mu was caught completely off guard. His lips moved, but no words came out for quite some time.
Because he genuinely had no idea what else he could say…
Li Xin’s eyes, however, lit up. I knew it! Jiang Shao definitely knows Lu Jin Wen!
Li Xin suddenly felt as though he had his footing again. He was just about to continue questioning them—
When Jiang Shao lifted his chin and said to Qi Mu, almost as though asking for praise, “I came to discuss business with President Lu. President Lu said he’s willing to cooperate with Qi Corporation. I was just about to report it to you, President Qi.”
Li Xin & Fang Ming Qian & Lu Jin Wen & Qi Mu: “???”
Qi Mu drew another deep breath and stared woodenly at Jiang Shao. Do you remember that your current identity is just an ordinary employee of Qi Corporation?
What gives you the right to represent Qi Corporation in business negotiations with Lu Jin Wen?
If Qi Mu did not already know Jiang Shao was Long Aotian, he would have called this a textbook case of a newborn calf not knowing to fear a tiger. Maybe this was what people meant when they said, Dream as big as your heart?
Elio’s Notes: “A newborn calf does not fear a tiger” (初生牛犊不怕虎) is an idiom meaning that inexperienced young people can be extraordinarily bold because they do not yet understand what they should fear. Qi Mu is using it sarcastically here, along with the motivational-slogan-style line that follows.
Lu Jin Wen, on the other hand, had also been briefly dumbfounded when he was first dragged into the situation, but the crafty old fox quickly saw through everything.
He understood why Jiang Shao had said that.
Jiang Shao clearly still could not swallow his anger toward Fang Ming Qian and wanted to win back some face here. Competitive young men, honestly.
But since Lu Jin Wen was on Jiang Shao’s side, of course he had to back him up—and he had to do so naturally, reasonably, and without making anyone suspicious.
At last, it was his turn to perform.
Lu Jin Wen stepped forward with a smile. “President Qi, there’s no need to be surprised. Actually, when we met at the summit last time, you already left quite an impression on me. Chairman Cheng has spared no effort recommending you and has had nothing but praise for President Qi. I’m genuinely interested in a company like Qi Corporation—practical, trustworthy, and responsible. And besides…”
Lu Jin Wen suddenly turned toward Fang Ming Qian and spoke with easy familiarity. “Wasn’t President Fang also introduced to Qi Corporation through Chairman Cheng’s recommendation? I didn’t expect the two of you to become friends so quickly. That only proves President Qi really is someone worth knowing, which puts me even more at ease.”
Fang Ming Qian, suddenly dragged into the conversation, looked bewildered. “…Mm?”
After establishing the premise with that seamless performance, Lu Jin Wen finally shifted the subject to Jiang Shao. “I came here today to meet a business partner. I happened to run into Jiang Shao on my way out, and when he saw me, he took the initiative to recommend Qi Corporation. The young man may have been a little reckless, but isn’t it a good thing for an employee to care so much about his work and have the courage to seize an opportunity? President Qi, you shouldn’t blame him too harshly.”
The entire explanation was watertight.
First, Lu Jin Wen gave most of the credit to Cheng Huai Song. Then, without drawing attention to it, he praised Jiang Shao as well. Everything sounded reasonable and well-founded, leaving no room for anyone to argue.
Qi Mu silently gave Lu Jin Wen a thumbs-up in his heart. As expected of Long Aotian’s capable right-hand man. His ability to lie through his teeth without even blinking really is something else.
Although Qi Mu did not want to become involved with Long Aotian’s people—
A major client had just delivered himself straight to Qi Mu’s doorstep.
If Qi Mu acted resistant to such an enormous windfall, that would probably make everyone suspicious instead.
So his expression immediately became serious as he replied politely, “President Lu is right.”
Lu Jin Wen gave Qi Mu an amiable smile. “You still have my contact information, don’t you, President Qi? I’m very much looking forward to working with Qi Corporation.”
Qi Mu hurriedly replied, “I’m honored that President Lu thinks so highly of us…”
Li Xin stared dumbly at the scene.
So…
Jiang Shao had only been with Lu Jin Wen because he was bringing in business for the company? Not only did he need a salary advance, he was somehow dedicated enough to his job to go this far? Was this really Jiang Shao?
But the scene before Li Xin left him no choice but to believe it.
Could he really have been wrong…?
Jiang Shao leisurely strolled over to Li Xin and looked down at him indifferently. “See? Go back and tell Jiang Zong Chao that I can support myself just fine. I’m doing great.”
Li Xin: …You call this doing great?
Fine. Fine. Fine.
Going this far just to spite Jiang Zong Chao—of course Jiang Shao would do something like this. Li Xin suddenly felt that yes, this really was the Jiang Shao he knew. This was exactly the sort of thing that stubborn bastard was capable of.
Thinking about the ridiculous misunderstanding he had just caused, Li Xin’s face turned bright red. He had originally come here to confront Lu Jin Wen, only to somehow mistakenly drag Jiang Shao into it. Now it would hardly be appropriate to go back to causing trouble for Lu Jin Wen…
Mostly because there were too many people here and Li Xin could not win a fight against them. If he continued making a scene, he would only humiliate himself further.
Once he calmed down—
Anger, humiliation, embarrassment, and all sorts of other emotions surged over him. No one was actually looking at him, yet Li Xin still felt as though everyone’s mocking gaze were fixed on him.
He could not remain here another second.
Li Xin turned and slunk away.
Out of the corner of his eye, Lu Jin Wen watched Li Xin leave, then looked at Qi Mu with genuine amazement. Sometimes he almost wondered whether Qi Mu knew something.
With just a few words and a lucky turn of events, Qi Mu had actually defused the crisis and dispelled Li Xin’s suspicions.
Otherwise, if Li Xin had noticed something, things might genuinely have become troublesome.
Lu Jin Wen enthusiastically shook Qi Mu’s hand and said with complete sincerity, “I’m very happy at the prospect of working with President Qi. Shunxun Technology also needs reliable suppliers like Qi Corporation.”
Qi Mu could not see through this old fox at all, so he merely responded with his usual polite smile.
Fang Ming Qian had been unable to get a word in for quite some time and suddenly felt almost pushed to the margins. Although he was happy that Qi Mu had secured this potential deal, for some reason he still felt faintly disappointed…
Just then—
A cool voice suddenly sounded beside him. “President Fang, we meet again.”
Fang Ming Qian turned toward Jiang Shao with a grave expression. He realized that he had underestimated Jiang Shao before. He had thought Jiang Shao was nothing more than a hotheaded young troublemaker, yet without making a sound, Jiang Shao had somehow accomplished something this significant… And the fact that he even dared beat up Li Xin suggested that unless he was simply too ignorant to understand the danger, he probably had some serious backing of his own.
Fang Ming Qian slowly replied, “We do. What a coincidence.”
Jiang Shao curled his lips. “Surely this counts as fate too, doesn’t it, President Fang?”
Meeting Jiang Shao’s openly provocative gaze, Fang Ming Qian’s expression darkened. Why was Jiang Shao so intent on targeting him? Had he even taken the risk of approaching Lu Jin Wen in order to prove himself? He certainly seemed to care a great deal about what Qi Mu thought of him…
At that thought, something stirred in Fang Ming Qian’s heart.
He did indeed have some feelings for Qi Mu, but at present they were only a mild attraction. Jiang Shao, on the other hand, was supposedly merely an employee, yet his behavior seemed to have crossed quite a few boundaries.
Fang Ming Qian gave a faint laugh and did not rise to Jiang Shao’s provocation. Instead, he asked, “Does Qi Mu know how you feel?”
Jiang Shao’s gaze shifted. “What do you mean?”
Fang Ming Qian’s tone remained calm. “Nothing in particular. Just a friendly word of advice—you should know where the boundaries are.”
Jiang Shao clenched his teeth.
The good mood he had only just managed to recover vanished instantly.
Fang Ming Qian’s single sentence had struck directly at his weak point. Jiang Shao did not dare let Qi Mu discover his true feelings.
Elsewhere, Qi Mu was exchanging polite small talk with Lu Jin Wen when he suddenly noticed Jiang Shao had gone over to Fang Ming Qian. He immediately became nervous. He had no idea what the two men were saying, but Jiang Shao’s expression had already turned cold again, storm clouds gathering over his face.
Qi Mu instantly lost all interest in continuing the polite social dance with Lu Jin Wen.
They had only just managed to settle the earlier disaster. Afraid Jiang Shao might start another fight with Fang Ming Qian, Qi Mu found an excuse and said to Lu Jin Wen, “President Lu, you’re a busy man. I won’t take up any more of your time.”
Lu Jin Wen tactfully replied, “You’re too polite, President Qi. We can talk again next time.”
Qi Mu nodded, then hurried over to Jiang Shao and Fang Ming Qian.
He first gave Fang Ming Qian a courteous nod, then turned nervously toward Jiang Shao. “What are you doing over here?”
Jiang Shao tugged at the corner of his mouth. Relax. I’m not going to beat Fang Ming Qian up.
Fang Ming Qian magnanimously spoke first. “I’m fine. You don’t need to worry.”
That only irritated Jiang Shao even more. His lips moved, but he ultimately said nothing.
Fang Ming Qian smiled at Qi Mu. “Since everything’s settled, shall we go back?”
Qi Mu shook his head. “I’m not going back with you.”
Fang Ming Qian paused. Was Qi Mu planning to leave early? That was fine too. The event had already ended, and he was just about to invite Qi Mu to leave together—
When Qi Mu had already turned around and snapped irritably at Jiang Shao, “What are you still standing there for? Come with me.”
The invitation Fang Ming Qian had been about to voice died in his throat. He stared in surprise. Qi Mu was actually leaving with Jiang Shao?
Jiang Shao froze as well, his gaze wavering. He had been sulking because Qi Mu had been fussing over Fang Ming Qian, only for Qi Mu to reject Fang Ming Qian’s invitation and turn around to tell Jiang Shao to leave with him instead…
Why…?
Qi Mu’s scalp prickled under Jiang Shao’s stare, but there was no way he dared leave Jiang Shao here and go off alone with Fang Ming Qian. What if Long Aotian got upset again and started causing trouble?
Better to get this menace out of here first!
After all, Qi Mu was technically his boss right now. If Jiang Shao caused another disaster, Qi Mu would still be the one stuck cleaning up the mess.
With that thought, Qi Mu gathered his courage. Seeing that Jiang Shao still had not moved, he stepped forward, seized Jiang Shao by the wrist, and simply dragged him away.
To his surprise—
Jiang Shao moved with the slightest pull.
Qi Mu strode ahead without looking back.
Jiang Shao stared steadily at the man’s back before him and instinctively followed. Qi Mu’s hand was still wrapped around his wrist, his palm pleasantly warm. In the winter cold, it felt like sunlight falling against Jiang Shao’s skin, warmth winding upward along the veins of his wrist.
Like a single thread—
Turning him into a marionette.
Leaving him entirely in Qi Mu’s hands.
Leave a Reply