When I mentioned having new ideas about Lucor, Jane Wei finally stopped working and took off her sunglasses. However, the moment she removed them, I was greatly surprised because her eyes were somewhat swollen—clearly from excessive crying. That explained why she had worn the sunglasses to hide them.
Jane tilted her head back and began applying eye drops. Truthfully, among all the women I had encountered in my life—including strangers—I had never seen anyone whose eyes possessed more charm than Jane’s. Whether angry or not, joyful or not, her eyes always remained brightly captivating. Back when I was deeply in love with her, I often thought that such beautiful eyes must contain a beautiful world inside, and I longed to immerse myself in that world forever, never wanting to escape.
After finishing with the eye drops, she asked me, “What are your new ideas about Lucor?”
I organized my thoughts briefly before replying, “Before I share my ideas, would you mind telling me honestly how you view the Literature Avenue project? Please be sincere with me.”
Jane put on another pair of black-framed glasses, concealing her puffy eyes. After a long silence, she finally said, “Would you believe me if I told you that I care more about the Literature Avenue project than you do?”
“Not at all!”
My skepticism seemed to make her very tired. She leaned back in her office chair and remained silent for a long time. Left hanging there awkwardly, I began doubting my initial judgment, wondering if I had misunderstood Jane. In the past, I had disliked her for pretending to appreciate the Literature Avenue project just to invest in Lucor while secretly pursuing her grand commercial ambitions.
I spoke again, “When I said I didn’t believe you, I was only expressing my own perspective. At that moment, you should have told me I was wrong, instead of staying silent… Perhaps you had your reasons, and I simply didn’t understand you well enough.”
Jane opened her eyes and looked at me. “Zhaoyang, I faced immense external pressure when investing in Lucor. I once swore not to use any resources from my father, Jian Boyu. But in reality, even if I didn’t actively seek help, people always gave me special treatment simply because I’m his daughter. If I failed to realize this, I would have lost my way completely. Moreover, the Literature Avenue project, influenced by our mutual fondness, carries deep subjective idealism, which contradicts the profit-driven nature of business. Whether you admit it or not, your personality will inevitably lead you to create more shops like ‘West of the Old Town’—places where we endlessly invest and lose money. I don’t oppose this; in fact, I support it. However, Lucor as a company must be run successfully. We need truly profitable projects, and I need them to silence external doubts. Otherwise, I would become a ridiculous joke. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
I remained thoughtful for a long time, realizing the difference between Jane and myself. I cared only about the Literature Avenue project, while Jane had to consider the overall strategy for Lucor. In truth, she was the real leader of Lucor—or rather, she was naturally born to lead. Additionally, I had no objections to her explanation, since she had readily supported my idea of backing the “West of the Old Town” cafe from the beginning.
In my silence, Jane asked, “I’ve said what I wanted. Now, can you share your new ideas for Lucor?”
“Actually, I came here today to tell you that I intend to manage the Literature Avenue project well. I also want to let you know that even if Lucor had only the Literature Avenue project, it wouldn’t make you into a ridiculous joke. This project can achieve both its intended meaning and profitability. Otherwise, it would be my own foolishness, unrelated to you, Jane Wei.”
Upon hearing that I no longer intended to leave Lucor, Jane’s face cleared up significantly. She asked, “Then, will you support the project that I and Uncle Yang are currently pushing forward as a decision-maker?”
“You go ahead; at least I won’t object. For now, what I need to focus on is the Literature Avenue project, making it profitable without compromising its inner meaning and spirit. This is my promise to you and my new vision for Lucor. We don’t need to escalate our differences, but instead excel in our respective areas of expertise.”
“But then you’re merely playing the role of a project manager!”
“I don’t mind that. I can also give up the shares that don’t rightfully belong to me. Lucor needs restructuring. You should understand this: you, I, and Uncle Yang have different expectations for the company, but one thing we all agree on is that we want Lucor to grow stronger and bigger. Therefore, I propose that we make specific adjustments and plans for the company at different stages.”
Jane thought for a while before finally nodding and saying, “I can’t think of a better solution either. Let’s schedule a three-way meeting with Uncle Yang soon so we can quickly resolve the current human-caused difficulties facing the company.”
“I don’t think Uncle Yang would oppose this proposal, because he’s even more anxious than you and I are right now!”
Jane gave me a look filled with reluctant displeasure. I smiled and added, “CEO Jane, your breakfast isn’t finished yet. Before I leave, would you mind letting me happily watch you finish this meal?”
This attempt to lighten the mood earned me another glare from Jane. She then threw the uneaten breakfast into the nearby trash bin and continued looking at her reports without inviting me to stay or dismissing me.
I knew better than to assume the silent Jane was sending me any signals. I picked up my briefcase and said, “CEO Jane, you go ahead and work. I’ll take my leave first. Let’s stay in touch by phone if anything comes up.”
But Jane stopped me, asking, “You’re just going to leave like this?”
“What? Do you have more instructions?”
“Go buy me a bottle of eye drops.”
“Uh… this task could be done by anyone, couldn’t it?”
“Don’t argue. It has to be you because it’s something you owe me!”
Looking at Jane, I suddenly realized that her swollen eyes were probably due to her crying last night after I refused to stay with Lucor. Perhaps at times I really couldn’t empathize with her burdens or understand what my departure meant to her. But none of that mattered anymore, because our recent conversation had reached a consensus to continue working together.
…
After saying goodbye to Jane, I received a call from Fang Yuan on my way back to the office. He told me that he had an urgent matter to discuss with me. I know him well—if he says it’s urgent, then it truly must be critical. I immediately turned my car around and headed straight to the teahouse where we had agreed to meet.
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