Zhang Yurong straightened her demeanor, calming her startled heart slightly, and then followed Li Yan inside. Being very time-conscious, she habitually checked the time. Immediately, she frowned, doubting if she had seen wrong. It had taken her half an hour to get off the highway, park the car, and come over, already spending more than forty minutes. Even if Li Yan didn't go to the parking lot, he could only save a few minutes, yet he managed to arrive in about twenty minutes!
If he hadn't said over the phone earlier that he was going home, she would really suspect he was playing nearby.
Looking at the familiar back she saw every day yet felt distantly unfamiliar with psychologically, thinking about someone who would drive madly through the night for her, Zhang Yurong felt a subtle warmth in her heart.
"Don't feel touched; you're my wife. If someone harms you, I suffer too."
Li Yan suddenly stopped and looked at her, making Zhang Yurong's heart skip a beat. Seeing his half-smiling expression, a cigarette dangling from his mouth like a rogue teasing a girl, the warmth she felt instantly dissipated. She said irritably, "Who's touched? I'm worried about paying fines, the car getting damaged! Also, you're supposed to go up as my assistant, can you at least look the part?"
"An employee urgently summoned in the middle of the night, should I go back and change into a suit?" Li Yan casually replied. "Naturalness shows sincerity; forcing it appears fake."
Zhang Yurong had no way to handle him. As they walked toward the elevator, she said, "This is just your style; I didn't expect you to be formal. But could you please dispose of that 'natural and sincere' cigarette?"
Li Yan took a deep puff and threw it in the trash can at the elevator entrance before following her inside.
The elevator had just the two of them. Even without looking, Zhang Yurong stood upright, maintaining the best demeanor and composure, while Li Yan leaned lazily at the back.
Watching the ascending indicator light, Zhang Yurong recalled being stuck in the company elevator after work. If this elevator malfunctioned too...
"Two shells won't land in the same pit, and two elevators won't trap the same person in one day..."
Seeing him seemingly read her mind and voice her concerns, Zhang Yurong hummed lightly, "I wasn't concerned about that at all."
"...That's generally true," Li Yan continued, "but if the afternoon wasn't an accident and was a man-made plan, it's hard to say. Heh... Maybe they even planted a bomb up there."
Zhang Yurong turned back and glared at him. How could someone be so annoying? If your words actually come true, wouldn't that be infuriating? It would've been better if you hadn't come!
The hotel elevator was quick, and without encountering others using it, they soon reached Mr. Xu's temporary floor.
"You're acting as my assistant now, so later don't say or do anything, just follow along quietly." Zhang Yurong quickly instructed.
Li Yan was speechless. Is that still an assistant? At least whatever you're holding should be mine to carry, right? Might as well say I'm a bodyguard.
Of course, he didn't mind. As long as the beautiful CEO wife wasn't harmed in any shady dealings, he couldn't care less about contracts or business matters.
Zhang Yurong walked rapidly, checking the room number while making a call, getting in touch with the other side. Following her, Li Yan also straightened up, trying to look the part a bit more.
After finishing the call and locating Mr. Xu's room, an assistant was already at the door waiting to greet them.
Entering Mr. Xu's business suite, Li Yan saw a middle-aged successful person, just as he imagined, busy at a desk. Seeing them enter, he warmly got up to greet them. After exchanging pleasantries, he asked Zhang Yurong to wait on the side.
Zhang Yurong sat on the sofa, noticing Mr. Xu had three assistants—two men and one woman—all busy with their tasks. Though it seemed a bit neglectful at first glance, she recognized and appreciated this work-first style. She preferred such straightforwardness to those slick social negotiators.
Looking up at Li Yan, standing like a bodyguard without moving, she gave him a look of disdain: See! They're all hardcore workaholics, none of your filthy thoughts!
Li Yan felt her meaning and glanced briefly at the few people!
The gaze conveyed complex thoughts; the pure and simple-minded Zhang Yurong took a moment to grasp all of Li Yan's meanings, and quietly spat in her heart, ignoring him further. Deep down, she thought, they say people see what they want to see. This guy looks at others with malice, showing he harbors such sordid thoughts himself. Would he drug me at home?
The unjustly accused Li Yan didn't realize his good intentions caused suspicion and caution in his wife. Looking like a wooden stake now, he observed them quietly. Listening to Zhang Yurong, this surnamed man was a high-level executive in a multinational corporation, and a normal business affair without any tricks was surely the best outcome.
...
"Sorry, sorry to keep you waiting, Miss Zhang." A few minutes later, Mr. Xu came over and sat down on the sofa, exchanging a few pleasantries. He was truly busy and didn't spend extra words on someone as irrelevant as Li Yan, nor did he introduce his assistants, letting them continue their tasks.
"Mr. Xu, you're being too kind. I initially planned to fly out to meet you next week. I'm truly grateful you made time from your busy schedule to see me." Zhang Yurong spoke politely, maintaining a calm demeanor, taking out the prepared contract.
As expected, Mr. Xu appreciated straightforwardness. "Having Miss Zhang come at this hour makes me a bit embarrassed. Let's not waste time; I'll have another look at the Contract."
The overall intent, crucial issues, even many details had been discussed and communicated by both sides' planning, business, legal departments, and the representatives were just here to complete the signing. But Mr. Xu was still meticulous in reviewing them page by page.
It was already early morning, the other assistants, besides being busy with computers, also occasionally took calls. To not disturb Mr. Xu, they walked to the bedroom of the suite to answer them, speaking softly. As Mr. Xu quickly finished paging through the contract, one male assistant took a call in a foreign language, then came over to whisper in Mr. Xu's ear.
Mr. Xu nodded after listening, calmly continuing to finish reading the contract.
"Miss Zhang, I've finished reviewing the contract; it matches our previous discussions." Mr. Xu, although slightly fatigued, hid it well, maintaining a sharp look. With a sincere smile, he continued, "I have some private prompts to discuss; let's talk first."
"Please go ahead." Zhang Yurong understood it wouldn't be entirely smooth sailing. Suggestions? Private? Could it really be as Li Yan speculated, wanting...
"You know, our company's partnership with mainland clients chose Paradise Group this time, not only because your company is strong but also to add a bit of competition and bring some new surprise. The head office is quite focused on this collaboration. Personally, I think your side could show a bit more sincerity, and we could cooperate even more perfectly."