The sun was blazing outside the car, and with the dark tinted windows, it was unlikely Zhao Chen could see inside. I crouched down, pressing close to Jian Wei’s body, and turned off the music. Since Jian Wei was facing away from the street and hadn’t noticed Zhao Chen, she struggled slightly and asked, “Zhaoyang, what are you doing? Let me up.”
I whispered, “Don’t talk. Zhao Chen is outside. He saw us just now, entangled together. It might cause unnecessary misunderstandings.”
Upon my reminder, Jian Wei realized the inappropriateness and stopped resisting. I could even hear my own pounding heart, fearing the sound of a knock on the window or Zhao Chen’s voice. The position we were in now was probably even harder to explain than our previous entanglement.
One minute passed, then two, and three minutes later, the sound that made my heart race still hadn’t come. I finally raised my head, looked around, and didn’t see Zhao Chen’s figure. Perhaps he had only glanced our way and left. Yet I had just experienced a heart-pounding episode. I couldn’t imagine how nerve-wracking the scene would be if Zhao Chen had really approached the car and peered inside.
I exhaled, took off my sunglasses, and tossed them onto the center console. Jian Wei sat up, tidying her disheveled hair while looking into my eyes. Actually, why had I made up a story about having conjunctivitis? Wouldn’t it have been more straightforward to tell her directly that Leyao had forbidden me from attending her wedding? Perhaps I was tired of her asking why Leyao had forbidden it and knowing I couldn’t provide an answer. But now, it seemed that the trouble caused by trying to avoid complications had become greater. Fortunately, Zhao Chen hadn’t seen anything.
“Zhaoyang, do you find it ironic?” Jian Wei asked.
Looking at her, I didn’t immediately understand why she asked such a question, but soon I realized. The irony she referred to was connected to our past. Once, we could indulge in intimate gestures without restraint in front of anyone, but now even an accidental entanglement had become something we couldn’t face. Wasn’t this irony brought about by the passage of time?
I shook my head. “I don’t think it’s ironic. On the contrary, it’s a very real reminder—a reminder that we should maintain proper boundaries. After all, time keeps moving forward, and relationships inevitably change.”
Jian Wei remained silent. Then her phone rang, rescuing us from the awkwardness.
After speaking briefly on the phone, she hung up and said, “The event at the mall has already started. Since you won’t be going, I’ll represent the company and deliver the speech before the launch ceremony with you.”
“Okay, thank you.”
“But I still want to know why you won’t go yourself. I want an explanation. Don’t forget, we’re maintaining a close working relationship.”
“Leyao wouldn’t let me attend her wedding. I’m frustrated too, but I can’t do anything about it.”
Unexpectedly, Jian Wei didn’t ask why Leyao had forbidden me from attending her wedding. She simply said, “I understand,” then opened the car door and quickly walked into the mall. Familiar with the event’s schedule, I could already envision the dreamlike stage enveloping Leyao and Cao Jinfei, transitioning through multiple breathtaking scenes. Unfortunately, though I had painstakingly selected these scenes, I was still unjustly excluded from the wedding venue, unable to witness even a glimpse.
…
Every half hour, I received updated sales figures. It was now 10:30 a.m., and Zhumei Shopping had already achieved sales of 38 million yuan. It was expected to break the historical record of 50 million yuan by noon. Meanwhile, the competitor, Baoli Department Store, had only reached 12 million yuan in sales, with half of their peak sales period already passed. Zhumei’s main event, however, had yet to begin. I believed the “Sky Shopping Party” in the evening would push sales to an even higher level.
I spent the entire morning in the car, going nowhere. However, at 11 a.m., the woman in red, who was equally interested in the event, arrived at Zhumei. I still received her inside the company car and even did something that she found extremely unreasonable. Thirsty and afraid of encountering Leyao and breaking my previous promise, I sent the woman in red to buy me a cup of hot tea. Naturally, she was unwilling, but unable to resist my nagging, she eventually grudgingly fulfilled this small request.
Sipping the hot tea she bought, I casually said, “Madam An, you’ll get married someday too, right? Doing little things for a man really isn’t that big of a deal, although I know you always carry yourself with an air of superiority… but you should still fulfill the domestic duties within your responsibilities.”
Her eyes seemed to blaze with fire as she raised her voice, asking, “Are you my man? Why should I do domestic chores for you?”
“Didn’t you think I was just helping you practice in advance?”
Obviously disliking my teasing, she shot me a glare before getting straight to the point. “So, as of this morning, how much have Zhumei’s sales reached?”
“43 million. I wonder if this number falls within or beyond Madam An’s expectations?”
“You’ve used so many resources. I think this number is just average.”
I nodded and asked, “Then, Madam An, what sales figure do you think would be convincing after this event concludes?”
“At least one hundred million. Perhaps you think our group is being too ambitious, but if a large mall, after mobilizing so many resources, still can’t achieve a daily sales figure of one hundred million, our group won’t be interested in investing. Moreover, what I present to the board won’t just be a simple sales number. It will also include relevant background materials about this event for their reference and study. Mr. Zhao, do you understand what I’m saying?”
“Of course I do. Because of the previous investment failure case involving BluePrint Group, your group will definitely be very cautious and conduct extremely rigorous evaluations of Zhumei. However, if you, Madam An, believe Zhumei is indeed worth investing in, please do so as soon as possible. I’m sure you already know that ZH Investment has officially submitted a withdrawal statement to Zhumei’s board of directors. The shares originally held by them must be controlled by Mi Cai. I believe you will be her most steadfast ally.”
Madam An replied earnestly, “Of course, I will do my best with this matter. Also, I want to use Zhumei to develop our own online shopping mall, which is a consensus between Mi Cai and me and aligns with our group’s strategic interests. Therefore, investing in Zhumei is quite feasible.”
I nodded. E-commerce was indeed a future trend in retail development. Zhumei, as a comprehensive shopping mall with years of operation, had strong channel resources and was well-suited for transitioning into an independent online shopping mall. If Mi Cai and Madam An could unify their thinking, they would surely achieve great success in the future. In my opinion, having a like-minded and strong ally was more important than hastily listing Zhumei. That was why I had been tirelessly promoting the cooperation between Madam An and Mi Cai.
Madam An continued, “You don’t need to be too anxious. I believe within my understanding, no group or investment company has the courage to take over Zhumei from ZH Investment. Zhumei is truly a bottomless money pit now, making it difficult to achieve short-term profits.”
My heart, which had been tense for so long, finally relaxed a bit with Madam An’s promise and reassurance. Even if ZH Investment withdrew from Zhumei, even if Zhumei’s listing was unsuccessful, Mi Cai wouldn’t be driven to a dead end.
At that moment, I finally felt like I had done something for Mi Cai, sharing some of the burdens on her shoulders. I looked forward even more to the outcome of this Christmas event and to Mi Cai’s close cooperation with Madam An upon her return.
…
As I imagined the future, the crowd stirred again, and I saw Leyao and Cao Jinfei emerge from the mall, surrounded by people.
Instinctively, I checked the time. According to the pre-set schedule, they had indeed completed all their parts in the event. Their wedding had already concluded, and Leyao had fully kept her promise to me… yet a sudden emptiness filled my heart, though it quickly passed because something more important captured my attention.
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