The red-clad woman’s Maserati Quattroporte had already disappeared from my sight, yet I still felt dazed. I knew that, as CEO of Tianyang Group, she wouldn’t say anything without basis. But aside from Weiran, who else would have the motive to leak those photos? Those photos were taken several years ago. Who else could be targeting me so deliberately?
When I began to confront this question seriously, I suddenly felt suffocated, suffocated by the unknown.
Throughout the morning, my mind remained somewhat distracted. I stayed in my office, didn’t go out at all, and kept thinking the matter over again and again. I was certain that if the red-clad woman knew about the hidden hand behind it all, Mi Cai must know as well. Then why wouldn’t she tell me directly?
The more I thought, the more questions arose. My brain finally felt like it was about to explode. I just hoped this unbearable day would pass quickly. I needed a resolution to save my nerves.
At noon, I didn’t even have the mood to stay at the company for lunch. Feeling stuffy, I planned to go to the arcade to play some video games. As I took the elevator downstairs, I ran into Jian Wei, who was holding two food containers. Upon meeting me, she asked, “Zhaoyang, where are you off to?”
I was about to tell Jian Wei that I was going to play games at the arcade, but knowing she’d probably be unhappy, I said instead, “Going out for lunch.”
Jian Wei lifted the containers in her hands and said, “Don’t go out to eat. I just ordered salmon at a restaurant, four different preparations, especially good for the brain. I brought it specially for you!”
“President Jian, you’re really too considerate!”
“Not at all. After all, our two companies are just separated by a crossroads. It’s not inconvenient at all.”
I moved closer to her and asked, “Do you really think my brain needs nourishing?”
Jian Wei retorted, “We’re both in mentally demanding professions. Shouldn’t we pay attention to our diet?”
“I thought you were implying my brain wasn’t sharp enough.”
“I think it’s indeed not sharp enough. Otherwise, you wouldn’t mistake someone’s good intentions for mockery!”
I felt somewhat embarrassed and instinctively touched my nose, then looked toward the open-air garden across from the office building and said, “There’s a pavilion with stone tables inside. Let’s go eat there. It’s too stuffy in the office.”
Jian Wei thought this was a good idea and readily agreed.
…
We sat down in the pavilion. Jian Wei opened the containers. Besides the salmon, there were also some home-style dishes I liked. Although this meal wasn’t cooked by her, it was still thoughtfully prepared, giving me some appetite amid my frustration. I took chopsticks from her and began eating.
While eating, I told her, “I’ve got some good news to tell you. This morning, CEO An from Tianyang Group delivered their group’s travel agency contract to us.”
Jian Wei smiled and said, “That’s indeed good news for our investors. We’ll be more confident in supporting the rapid expansion of the artistic travel route across China’s tourism map… By the way, have you finalized this year’s expansion plan yet?”
“It’s in progress. Our plan is to establish a presence in all key tourist cities in Jiangsu Province, forming an interconnected network within the province.”
Jian Wei nodded in agreement with my preliminary plan and said, “Go ahead. I and Uncle Yang will definitely support you wholeheartedly. Perhaps in a few years, this artistic travel route you envisioned will stand majestically on China’s map!”
I imagined the vision in my mind and sincerely exclaimed, “It really is magnificent!” Then I continued, “By the way, regarding the advertising production fees we owe your company recently, send someone tomorrow with the invoice and we’ll settle it.”
“There’s no need.”
“These aren’t part of our cooperative projects. We should settle it properly. Besides, your company has strict procedures. If we don’t pay this advertising production fee, wouldn’t it affect the performance of your production department? The production quality of the department isn’t great to begin with. Now with bad debts, the performance won’t improve, and the manager might get scolded by you!”
Jian Wei looked at me with a mixture of laughter and tears, saying after a while, “If you want to settle the bill, just settle it. Why do you have to indirectly mock our production quality?”
I seemed to find amusement in Jian Wei’s words and proceeded to criticize their production department’s poor quality even more, prompting Jian Wei to declare in front of me that she would thoroughly reform the production department—not only purchasing the best equipment but also recruiting top production talents from Shanghai and Beijing. Of course, this wasn’t just empty talk. With Simai Advertising currently thriving, significantly improving production quality could be achieved within half a year. Jian Wei was indeed a born career woman, though I had wasted many years of her life, making her, with her noble background, accompany me through a period of chaotic living.
Thinking back, I really was a scoundrel—truly a scoundrel!
…
After having lunch with Jian Wei, I still went to the arcade to play games until around 3 o’clock. Then, as usual, I visited the “Kongchengli” music restaurant and the Fifth Season bar to check on their recent operations. After finishing these tasks, I drank some beer alone in the bar before it opened for business. Holding the guitar I had left there, I sang a few songs until dusk, then left the bar.
At seven o’clock in the evening, the city was already completely shrouded in night. I arrived at the “Seaview Café” as agreed with the red-clad woman. After waiting for 20 minutes, I finally saw the Maserati Quattroporte through the window glass. Then the red-clad woman, carrying her handbag, strode into the café like a queen of the corporate world and sat down opposite me.
After ordering our drinks, we began chatting. Although I was eager to know who the other person was besides Weiran, I didn’t immediately get to the point, because I had an instinctive feeling that once the truth was laid bare before me, it would be hard for me to accept it rationally.
The red-clad woman took a sip of coffee and, with a complex expression, looked around the café, as if the café held her memories—memories certainly tied to romance.
I said to her, “President An, before discussing my matter, I want to ask you a question I’ve been curious about for a long time: how could a woman like you get hurt in love? I always feel no man in this world has the courage to betray you!”
“Why couldn’t I be betrayed? The fact is, I was dumped…”
I looked at her again—her impossibly beautiful face, incomparable elegance, and social status unreachable by ordinary people made it even harder for me to associate the words “being dumped” with her. After a while, I said, “I think that man will definitely regret it.”
She gave a wistful smile and said, “Will he regret? He has a good senior female colleague, a devoted wife, and a group of female friends who care for him. Would he even remember me, a woman he dumped? Ridiculous! I won’t indulge in such fantasies. But he will pay the price!”
I looked at her with a hint of unease, unsure how to respond, yet I could feel her bitterness and grievance. I particularly remembered the pain in her expression back in Xitang. Love truly makes no sense. For instance, how could such a capable man end up hurting such an exceptionally beautiful woman!
I picked up my teacup and took a sip, finally getting to the point and asking, “Are you here today on behalf of Mi Cai to tell me all this?”
“I don’t represent anyone. I just think you need to know about this matter. Moreover, I am indeed friends with President Mi—close friends. I’m willing to regard her as my younger sister. We have many similarities.”
“So you’re older than Mi Cai!”
The red-clad woman was speechless for a moment and said, “Your perspective is really unique. Why are you focusing only on my age compared to hers?”
“Then let me rephrase. What similarities do you two share?”
The red-clad woman smiled and said, “We both carry the heavy responsibilities of our respective groups. We both navigate the treacherous business world as women. And neither of us has had much luck in love. Is that enough?”
“That’s enough. Let me add one more point—you’re both career-first women who can utilize any resource around you for your careers!”
“That’s only what you think… Actually, I do want to express my regret regarding Zhuo Mei. President Mi and I met too late. I deeply admire and identify with her business philosophy, but my group missed the best timing to invest in Zhuo Mei. We had indeed attempted to invest in Zhuo Mei with President Mi, but faced strong internal resistance and eventually failed.”
Suddenly moved, if Mi Cai and the red-clad woman had indeed made efforts to invest in Zhuo Mei, it proved that Mi Cai genuinely wanted to escape Weiran’s control. This indirectly indicated that, at least for a period, our relationship had held significant weight in her heart.
As I remained silent, the red-clad woman continued, “Mi Cai is one of the few truly intelligent women I’ve ever met. But now, because of someone, she’s gradually becoming foolish. She originally had several chances to take control of Zhuo Mei’s situation, but she gave them up. Now, she has another opportunity to regain control of Zhuo Mei, but she seems ready to act foolishly again… I used to appreciate this foolishness of hers, but now I find it distasteful because it’s not worth it. Men have always been unreliable!”
“Can you just speak plainly?”
“Are you an idiot that I need to spell it out for you?”
“Sometimes I prefer to be willfully ignorant. I’d rather be a fool… Anyway, let’s not get off track. Tell me, besides Weiran, who else was behind that incident?”
The red-clad woman didn’t speak immediately, as if giving me time to prepare mentally. A full minute passed before she finally said to me, “Jian Wei. Your first love, Jian Wei. Some of those photos were provided to Weiran by her, and then Weiran leaked them to the media…”
I stared at her, stunned. Why would it be Jian Wei? This was completely beyond anything I could have ever anticipated…
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