"Mr. Su, I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting!" Emma said, standing nervously before Su Chen.
After her meeting, Emma had returned to her office, where her secretary reported that a Mr. Su Chen was looking for her and had already been waiting in the reception area for over half an hour.
When she heard the news, she felt like the sky was about to fall.
After some careful questioning, she learned the whole story and breathed a sigh of relief.
Thankfully, her secretary and the front desk staff hadn't driven Su Chen away. Otherwise, she would have been in deep trouble.
"It's fine. Is the meeting over?" Su Chen asked with a smile, waving his hand dismissively.
"The meeting just ended, and my secretary immediately reported your arrival!" Emma didn't elaborate; sometimes, the more you say, the more likely you are to make a mistake.
"Mm, I just came by today to have a look around, broaden my horizons!"
"It's our honor to have you here, Mr. Su. Shall I give you a tour?" Emma offered eagerly.
"I'll have to trouble you, then!"
Su Chen then followed Emma into the Louis Vuitton Group's Greater China headquarters.
From Emma's introduction, Su Chen learned that the headquarters occupied three entire floors. The 66th floor, where he was now, was for employee offices; the 67th was home to the product exhibition department and the SVIP reception center; and the 68th floor was reserved for senior management.
Su Chen took a quick tour of the 66th floor and noticed that most of the employees were women—and every single one of them was a great beauty. They were all dressed so fashionably that he couldn't help but look twice.
Emma, who was beside him, took note of this.
"Mr. Su, this is our product exhibition area. It displays some of the finest pieces released by Louis Vuitton Group's subsidiary companies in the last five years, as well as upcoming new products. We even have collector's editions that are sold out in the market."
Su Chen felt a bit dazzled by the sight.
All sorts of handbags, leather shoes, watches, and cosmetics were arranged in the display cases as if they were free for the taking.
"If there's anything you like, Mr. Su, you can pick it out directly!"
Su Chen was a little tempted by her words, especially when he saw several handsome watches in the watch section.
In the end, however, Su Chen suppressed the urge and shook his head slightly. "No, thank you. As a shareholder of the Louis Vuitton Group, I can't be seen lining my own pockets!"
Emma's expression changed slightly at his words, realizing her attempt to curry favor had backfired. "My apologies, Mr. Su. I was being presumptuous."
It wasn't that Su Chen was particularly noble; it was mainly that he was thin-skinned and cared about appearances. Otherwise, he would have nodded and accepted right away. After all, who wouldn't want to take something that's offered for free?
Just as Su Chen was silently kicking himself, a familiar voice rang out.
"Huh? Su Chen, what are you doing here!" Qin Ying had appeared opposite him at some point.
Just then, Qin Ying also noticed Emma and Secretary Li standing next to Su Chen and hurriedly greeted them respectfully, "Good afternoon, President!"
Emma ignored Qin Ying, instead turning to Su Chen to ask, "Mr. Su, you know her?"
Su Chen nodded. "This is my old classmate, Qin Ying. I happened to run into her in the reception area when I came to see you earlier."
Hearing this, a strange glint flashed in Emma's eyes. She looked at Qin Ying and asked, "Which department are you from, and what are you doing here? As I recall, regular employees aren't allowed on the 67th floor!"
"President, I'm from the Planning Department. My supervisor asked me to take some photos of the upcoming new products for promotional use!" Qin Ying explained, slightly nervous.
"Are you done taking the photos?"
"Yes, I'm finished!"
"Mm, you can get back to your work, then. Tell your supervisor to get the promotion for the new products ready as soon as possible."
"Yes, President!"
After saying goodbye to Emma, Qin Ying nodded to Su Chen and turned to leave.
Throughout the entire exchange, Su Chen didn't say a word, merely watching in silence.
In truth, Su Chen had some doubts. 'Logically, when old classmates reunite after a long time, they should ask about each other's current situation.'
'How's work? Have you struck it rich? Found a girlfriend yet?'
'Especially since I showed up at her company. Isn't she even a little curious what I'm doing here?'
'Isn't that strange?'
In their previous conversations, Qin Ying had mostly complained about her work struggles, the setbacks she faced, being targeted by her superiors, and getting bullied for not having any connections.
Normally, Su Chen wouldn't want to judge a noble heart with a petty mind, but several years of working as a food delivery driver had taught him a few things.
'There's no kindness without a reason, and no malice without a cause.'
'You should always try to see things from the other person's perspective; you might find a different answer.'
'Always be on your guard, so you don't end up helping someone count the money after they've sold you out!'
That was why when Emma was questioning Qin Ying just now, Su Chen didn't step in to help her or say anything on her behalf.
"Mr. Su, it seems you and Qin Ying have a good relationship," Emma probed tentatively.
"We got along well back in school. After graduation, everyone went their separate ways, and we lost touch. I just never expected to see her here again," Su Chen said, a bit wistfully.
You could say the world is large, to be able to meet an old classmate in such a vast sea of people. Or you could say the world is small, yet many people who part ways never meet again, even in the same city.
Sometimes, fate truly is a mysterious thing.
"As a large corporation, the Louis Vuitton Group should put more effort into developing new talent. For those who show outstanding ability, you could consider giving them more responsibility."
As an old classmate, saying this much was about as far as his obligation went.
Emma understood Su Chen's meaning. 'They had a good relationship in the past, but they haven't been in contact for years, so he doesn't know what she's like now. I should test her. If she has the ability, she's worth cultivating.'
After another tour around the 67th floor, Su Chen was feeling a bit tired, so Emma led him up to the 68th floor for tea and a rest.
Meanwhile, Qin Ying returned to the 66th floor with a hint of excitement. As soon as she got back to her desk, she pulled out her phone and opened Green Bubble.
"Yue~ guess who I met today?? [Ecstatic Kitty]"
The message was sent, and a reply came back in less than two seconds.
"Who? What's got you so happy!"
"I met Su Chen! He came to our company today, and our president personally received him!!"
"Holy crap! Looks like he really made it big! You have to grab this chance and latch onto him!"
"Don't worry, I already successfully made an impression on the president today!" A smug look appeared on Qin Ying's face as she said this.
Qin Ying and Li Yue had kept in touch ever since graduation. Perhaps it was their shared experiences in high school that made them especially cherish this friendship.
After Li Yue had run into Su Chen earlier, he had immediately told Qin Ying what he'd seen. Both of them had remarked at the time how great it would be if Su Chen really had struck it rich and they could ride his coattails.
She never expected to actually run into Su Chen in Shanghai, and when she heard he was there to see the president, she knew her chance had come.