A couple of hours later, Shen Yelan left the estate. A taxi was already waiting outside. Sun Lili, who was assigned as her personal maid, pushed her wheelchair and assisted her to get into the taxi. Once she was seated inside, the driver, who was a tall, handsome man, turned around and looked at her.
Anyone who saw him would immediately recognize his face from the coverpage of many business magazines. Right now, though, he looked more like a golden retriever waiting for a treat.
"Boss,"
Of course, Zhao Zhan's excitement was based on the fact that he had been waiting for Shen Yelan for a long time. With all the work she had dumped on him, he finally had the chance to drag her into fulfilling her duties as the boss.
Sun Lili put her palm on his face and pushed him away, "Drive already."
"Oh," Zhao Zhan muttered and started the car.
In the back seat, both women had already pulled out their phones.
A few minutes passed, but he kept stealing glances at her through the mirror. They both noticed his stares but said nothing. It wasn't until the match ended that Shen Yelan finally looked up.
"What is it?" she asked.
"Huo Industries again sent a representative. They're insisting on meeting with you personally to discuss the collaboration."
"If the boss has to meet everyone herself, then what exactly are we keeping you around for?" Sun Lili scoffed. Then, she looked at Shen Yelan and gave her a coquettish look. "Boss, why don't you just fire him? He's basically just wasting resources at this point."
"Hey! Without me, do you think the company would be where it is today?" Zhao Zhan exclaimed, looking offended.
"The company can do alright without you," Sun Lili retorted, rolling her eyes. "Besides, who was the one photographed with a model at the bar two days ago and tanked the stock prices?"
"How can that be my fault? I saw her surrounded by old men and thought she needed help. How was I supposed to know she'd tipped off the paparazzi to get some publicity?"
"Right. It's never your fault." Sun Lili's voice dripped with sarcasm. "Just like it wasn't your fault when you took a married woman to a hotel."
"She said she was divorced!"
The argument bounced back and forth until both noticed Shen Yelan was back to playing the game with earpods blaring music in her ears. Between her lips, a lollipop stick was dangling.
"It's your fault she started playing without me!" Sun Lili glared at him.
"How is this my fault?"
"Because you won't shut up!"
And thus, another round of argument started, the sound a familiar track that Shen Yelan had long since learned to tune out.
It was only when they arrived at a restaurant named Hidden Moon that the two finally stopped. Sun Lili helped Shen Yelan into the wheelchair while Zhao Zhan drove the taxi away and would join them inside later. This was because Shen Yelan did not want to take any chances of being seen.
Hidden Moon was a famous restaurant that incorporated traditional elements blended with modern design. The first floor was an open space with tables arranged around the central stage. A woman wearing a traditional robe was playing guzheng on the stage. Along the sides, there were small private rooms that could accommodate six people in case anyone did not want to eat in the open space.
The floor above was reserved for their VIP customers and had five different rooms, each decorated with a different theme. Each room even had its own small balcony that offered a view of the restaurant below.
Sun Lili pushed the wheelchair towards the private room on the first floor that a waiter led them to.
.
.
On the floor above, in one of the VIP rooms, Mo Jingrui was leaning on the railing. He was holding a wine glass, lazily twirling it in his hand. The private room behind him was decorated in deep blues and silvers. A small artificial stream ran along one wall with small colorful fish swimming inside.
Two other men were sitting inside. Mo Shiyu poured the wine for Huo Ziyan and gave him a smile. "Brother Huo, please tell eldest brother how responsible and hardworking I've been under your guidance. I've learned my lesson." He finished with a pitiful look, silently hoping to melt the man's icy heart.
It was true that he had been hard these weeks, harder than he ever had in his privileged life. And it was all because he was terrified of getting scolded by this man. The first time he had experienced that, he had burst into tears in a room full of people. For a twenty-one-year-old man, it was really embarrassing. But soon, he had realized he was not the only one who was made to cry because of Huo Ziyan. Pretty much everyone who worked under Huo Ziyan had cried at least once. He commended those people for their bravery to continue working for him, but he could no longer take this torture.
Huo Ziyan lifted his glass, nodding slightly. "
"You have worked hard."
Mo Shiyu's entire face lit up. "Thank you! I really-"
"So it would be a waste to interrupt such productive training. You can continue working as my secretary."
The smile on Mo Shiyu's face instantly disappeared.
"N-no brother Huo. That was not what you two had agreed." He stood up and ran to Mo Jingrui. "Brother, I'm reformed! I have already learned my lesson."
Mo Jingrui tilted his head and looked at him, "You might have learned your lesson, but you still haven't earned back the money you lost."
"Wha...? But that was not the deal we m-" his words died in his throat when his gaze was met with Mo Jingrui's. Immediately, he changed his words. "Earn the money. Of course. It's only right that I earn back the nine million I lost."
"It's good that you understand," Mo Jingrui said and looked away.
Deflated, Mo Shiyu grumbled under his breath and was about to turn away when his eyes landed on a familiar face in a wheelchair.
"It's that girl from the airport," he said out loud.
Normally, he would not remember a person, especially if he had not even talked to her. But that girl's appearance was really eye-catching, not to mention she seemed familiar for some reason, though he was sure he had never met her before.
Huo Ziyan also raised his eyebrow when he heard him. He looked at Mo Jingrui to see his reaction as if he wanted to confirm his suspicion.
Mo Jingrui looked at the person he was talking about, and the hand holding the wine glass trembled slightly.
"Do you know her?" he asked.
"I don't. I saw her at the airport the other day and thought she looked familiar," Mo Shiyu shrugged. Then, as if noticing something strange about his cousin's reaction, he looked at him. "Why, is she someone I should know?"
Mo Jingrui did not answer while he watched the pair led to a private room downstairs. Seeing his unusual reaction, Mo Shiyu was certain there was something wrong. Mo Jingrui was someone who never paid attention to the opposite gender. Yet right now, his gaze held a flicker of tenderness...wait what? Tenderness? Mo Jingrui? Ha... he must be hallucinating. Sleep deprivation was finally getting to him. His brother was not capable of such emotions.
.
.
In the room, Sun Lili had just handed their order to a waiter when Shen Yelan's phone rang. She glanced at the caller ID and answered.
"Boss, I won't be able to join you for a meal today. Shencheng Technologies launched their new AI security camera that's identical to ours," Zhao Zhan reported on the other end.
"Oh?" Shen Yelan raised an eyebrow, amused but not surprised. "So they fell for the trap?"
A while ago, they had discovered a mole targeting their latest product. Instead of catching the person outright, Shen Yelan suggested making two products. One was a dummy for them to steal, and another was going to be their official project.
The AI security camera had been the bait. It wasn't a terrible product and they'd put actual work into it to make it believable. But it also had certain limitations that would become apparent only after launch.
But that did not mean they were going to let them go for stealing from them, especially since it was a subsidiary company of the Shen family business.
"Can you handle them?" She asked.
"Don't worry, boss. I got this," he replied confidently.
Dealing with Shencheng Technology was a piece of cake for her. Besides, he was hoping to use this opportunity to improve his image in front of his boss and make her realize how hardworking he was. Perhaps, she would get some pity on him and ease up on his workload.
If Shen Yelan knew what he was thinking, she would have told him he was overthinking.
"Use this opportunity to promote our upcoming release," Shen Yelan instructed.
"Roger that. You just sit back and enjoy the show."
"Mm."
She ended the call and set the phone down.
Sun Lili was watching her with an amused expression. "I almost feel bad for Shen Chengwei."
"He only has himself to blame for being stupid."