Cen Sen had merely made a casual mockery without paying much attention to it. His work was busy; once he left Mingshui, family and personal matters were all cast aside, let alone reflecting on his own words and actions or considering that young lady’s feelings.
At two in the afternoon, traffic flowed like a weave near the capital’s CBD. The wind brought gusts of heat, and the sun hung high and bright.
During the back-to-work time after lunch break, most white-collar workers held paper coffee cups, walking back to their companies in small groups.
Today was Friday, and everyone was chatting and laughing, their mood relaxed. Only two girls working at Jun Yi received a group notification, and their expressions, which had been gossiping and joking, instantly tightened as they hurried back to the company.
“How come so quickly? Wasn’t it said he might not come today?”
“Who knows? If I could understand these people’s thoughts, I’d go straight to blind stock buying. Alright, hurry up, hurry up.”
Jun Yi headquarters had two connected buildings near the financial center, with a geometric layered structure, towering high and particularly eye-catching.
The building facing east was Jun Yi’s most representative luxury hotel, Jun Yi Huazhang, while the other building was the group’s headquarters office building.
At 2:15 PM, the normally spacious first-floor lobby of the office building was filled with the company’s management, arranged neatly in two rows from low to high rank, from outside to inside. Those standing at the outermost positions were all the heads of the conference organization groups.
At 2:20 PM, three black sedans drove into the building’s portico in succession.
The lead Cadillac paved the way, stopping in front of the right Roman column. The middle Bentley was quite domineering, braking directly in the center.
A young man wearing glasses got out of the Bentley’s passenger seat. As he buttoned his suit and walked toward the back, he bent slightly, respectfully opening the rear door.
Everyone held their breath, their gaze focused on the car door, inexplicably feeling a sense of tension rising from the soles of their feet.
The afternoon sunlight was particularly intense, the road was scorching, and the tree leaves were translucently green. In the hustle and bustle of summer heat, there also seemed to be a distant tranquility, as if viewed through a slow-motion telephoto lens.
Cen Sen emerged from the car and slowly stood up straight.
With his sword-like eyebrows, bright eyes, and clean, clear appearance, combined with his tall, straight posture, he naturally exuded a cold aura just by standing there. From a distance, he looked young and noble.
Before everyone could regain their composure, the doors of the cars in front and behind opened simultaneously, and six assistants—three men and three women—emerged. They all wore professional suits, carried briefcases, and followed very properly behind Cen Sen, keeping a distance of about half a meter.
Many high-level executives had come to welcome Cen Sen today, but there were also several old veterans who deliberately didn’t show up, wanting to teach the young man about the ways of the world.
The group walked in expressionlessly. As they entered the elevator, someone suddenly pressed the floor button.
“Mr. Cen, I am Director Huang’s secretary, surname Yu. You can call me Little Yu. Director Huang has been feeling unwell recently and has been recuperating at home, so he couldn’t come to receive you today.”
Secretary Yu accompanied his words with a smile, appearing attentive and considerate, but stood very straight. His tone was soft yet carried an unmistakable air of superiority.
“Director Huang specifically instructed me to ensure you are well taken care of. If there’s anything you want to see or need, just let me know.”
There was a moment of silence in the air.
Zhou Jiaheng stood at the side of the elevator, his body slightly lowered, extending his right hand to clear the way for Cen Sen.
After Cen Sen entered the elevator, Zhou Jiaheng turned to Secretary Yu and said, “Director Huang is getting on in years, so it’s normal for him to feel unwell. Secretary Yu, please convey to Director Huang that he should rest easy. In the future, he can grow flowers and plants at home. The old man doesn’t need to worry about the group’s affairs anymore.”
“With Mr. Cen’s return, he will fully take over Jun Yi. For meritorious figures like Director Huang, who have contributed greatly to the group, Mr. Cen will do his utmost to provide the highest quality retirement life.”
Retirement life?
Secretary Yu didn’t immediately react.
But after Zhou Jiaheng finished speaking, he didn’t wait for a response, walking straight into the elevator and standing slightly behind Cen Sen, changing the floor to the 68th.
As the elevator doors slowly closed, Cen Sen stood in the middle, his expression gentle yet indifferent, not giving this vanguard Secretary Yu even half a glance from beginning to end.
The group arrived at the long-vacant Chairman’s office on the 68th floor.
One of the assistants efficiently attached a temporary nameplate to the door.
Two other assistants worked together, measuring and recording various data within the office to arrange the desks, chairs, and equipment that Cen Sen preferred.
Chief Assistant Zhou Jiaheng opened his laptop and, through the company’s intranet, issued a notification that had been prepared long ago to all employees—
“Based on the decision of the group leadership, from today, Mr. Cen Sen will be transferred from his original position as Overseas Development Director and President of Jun Yi Australia Group to President of Jun Yi Group. All departments are requested to actively cooperate with the various tasks related to Mr. Cen Sen’s appointment. We hope that under Mr. Cen Sen’s leadership, Jun Yi Group will reach a new level.”
The signature at the bottom was Cen Yuanchao.
At the same time, successive notification sounds of new emails came from computers throughout the office area.
Upon receiving this notice, the entire company exploded.
“Is the Chairman’s health failing? That guy is only 27, isn’t he? Or 28? He’s too young anyway.”
In the evening after work, a certain team from Jun Yi’s marketing department organized a departmental gathering.
Usually, as the weekend approached, everyone tacitly hoped to return to their private lives, preferring to pretend not to know each other if they met colleagues on the way, not even exchanging greetings.
But today, because of Cen Sen’s appearance, there was a particular restlessness within Jun Yi. After work, quite a few people arranged to have some drinks and gather for gossip.
“What’s wrong with being young? He graduated from Harvard and handled the Sikan acquisition at just 22. That acquisition made Deputy Director Liu extremely agitated, but he resolved it in no time, remarkably efficiently.”
“I know he’s capable—Water Cloud Interval was also his creation, but… directly taking over the group feels a bit too young somehow.”
Another female colleague interjected: “I don’t think it’s about being too young; it’s about being too handsome. He looks like a celebrity. It just feels unreliable.”
“Isn’t being handsome a good thing? Would you rather look at Director Yu’s face every day?”
Director Yu was their marketing department manager, famous for his abstract expressionist looks.
The private room erupted in laughter, and the atmosphere suddenly lightened.
“Does he have a girlfriend? It would be a waste not to have an office romance with someone so handsome,” a female colleague teased.
A male colleague snorted lightly, mercilessly bursting the pink bubbles that had just formed: “Girlfriend? He’s been married for a long time.”
“Married?”
“No way, how come I never heard about it?”
“Who’s his wife?”
“Married at such a young age.”
Everyone chattered simultaneously.
The gossip expert contributed real information: “His wife is from the Ji family.”
“Which Ji family?”
“Which Ji family could it be? Of course, it’s the Ji family from Huadian.”
“…Do you know what? He told me to kneel three times and kowtow nine times at the Potala Palace. Can you believe these words came from a man? In my twenty-some years, I’ve never seen such a man. You still praise him? You know nothing about his harshness! What terrible karma did I accumulate in my past life… cough! Cough cough…”
In the ginseng private bath at Water Cloud Interval, Ji Mingshu, who was being discussed by Jun Yi employees, was frantically complaining while wrapped in a towel. Her words came too quickly, causing her to choke. She instinctively pressed against the stone edge of the pool, coughing continuously.
Gu Kaiyang had been listening to her insults for a full quarter hour and was laughing so hard her stomach hurt. As she handed Ji Mingshu a tissue, she also pulled one for herself to wipe away tears of laughter.
The hot spring water was just right at 40 degrees, not too hot, but Ji Mingshu was emotionally worked up and felt short of breath after just a brief soak. “I can’t take it anymore. I’m getting out.”
She stood up, wrapped herself in a dry towel, and walked toward the edge of the pool while tying up her long hair.
This private ginseng bath, exclusively for Ji Mingshu, was located in the deepest part of the hot spring garden at Water Cloud Interval. A small pavilion had been built alongside the pool, with carved palace lanterns hanging from the eaves and antique screens surrounding the area. During the day, one could see green trees and flowers; at night, there was misty water vapor intertwined with warm yellow light—two different scenes, each with its charm.
The service staff waiting outside the screen heard the movement. Some brought bathrobes, others served tea.
Not long after, Gu Kaiyang also came out. The two took showers together and then chatted as they wandered toward the spa center.
As they passed the VIP lounge, Gu Kaiyang suddenly stopped, nudged Ji Mingshu with her elbow, and raised her chin to indicate, “Jiang Chun.”
Ji Mingshu paused slightly and looked over in the direction Gu Kaiyang was pointing.
The server was bringing fruit salad to Jiang Chun, the slightly bent body blocking most of the view.
Despite this, Jiang Chun’s sharp eyes spotted them through the gap and fearlessly called out their names: “Ji Mingshu, Gu Kaiyang!”
Ji Mingshu smiled, exchanged a knowing glance with Gu Kaiyang, and casually walked in.
“Miss Jiang, what a rare guest.”
Ji Mingshu sat down naturally beside Jiang Chun, crossing her legs to the side. Without any restraint, she picked up a small silver fork and selected a small piece of cucumber from the fruit salad.
Jiang Chun looked up and down at Ji Mingshu and Gu Kaiyang’s attire, suddenly remembering something. No wonder she couldn’t move freely throughout the garden earlier, even with her VIP private bath annual card and Jun Yi black gold card—that hot spring bath belonged to Ji Mingshu.
She also forked a piece of fruit and said with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes: “Long time no see. I heard your husband is back in the country. Last night, he accompanied Su Cheng to Zero Degrees’ banquet and bid on a necklace? That necklace would be worth at most 1.2 million, but your husband raised it more than fourfold. How generous.”
Ji Mingshu responded casually, “Well, our A-Sen has always been enthusiastic about charitable causes.”
“Our A-Sen…”
Both Gu Kaiyang and Jiang Chun broke out in goosebumps.
Ji Mingshu then gave Jiang Chun a fake, regretful smile: “It’s such a pity you weren’t there last night. Oh, by the way, why weren’t you there last night?”
The goosebumps that had just appeared on Jiang Chun retreated, and her expression instantly froze.
Not long ago, Jiang Chun had placed an order worth over 4 million without blinking an eye just to sit in the front row of a certain brand’s first fashion show in the capital. She flaunted her friendly relationship with the brand everywhere, hoping to gain face among the socialites who looked down on her.
But before the show could take place, the brand was jointly boycotted by several fashion world authorities for serious plagiarism issues.
The brand’s attitude was arrogant, indirectly stirring up a messy situation. As the matter spread and fermented, becoming public knowledge, the brand’s reputation was ruined, and the show was canceled.
The fashion circle rarely accuses anyone of plagiarism, usually explaining it as trends, classics, or similar creative ideas. For this brand to get itself firmly locked with the word “plagiarism” was quite an achievement.
Jiang Chun was furious, making phone calls for three consecutive days, frantically insulting the brand’s PR, but she couldn’t get a refund for the orders she had already placed.
Because of this, she became a big joke in the circle and had recently kept a low profile, rarely appearing in public.
Unexpectedly hit at her sore spot, Jiang Chun forgot all the etiquette she had newly learned. She crunched loudly on the fruit and expressionlessly blurted out, “No time.”
Fortunately, at this moment, her fiancé Yan sent a message asking where she was, saying he would come to pick her up for dinner.
Her face changed from cloudy to sunny. She waved her phone at Ji Mingshu, with a childish superiority in her voice: “Yan is coming to pick me up for dinner, so I won’t stay. By the way, why isn’t Mr. Cen accompanying you today?”
Ji Mingshu had seen all kinds of women showing off their relationships.
She nonchalantly flipped her long hair, perfectly revealing the red mark on the side of her neck, and sweetly said with her hand supporting her chin: “He’s busy with work. He usually accompanies me at night.” She also gave Jiang Chun a suggestive wink.
Jiang Chun: “…”
She was being so transparently flirtatious.