Ji Feng was in the study room looking over documents. Hearing the sound, he stopped the motion of flipping through the documents in front of him. He lifted his head from the expansive desk to look at Xue Rui, using silence to express his attitude of indifference, yet with his eyes urging Xue Rui – what then?
“It got quite ugly. That family was too much of a mix of scoundrels, especially Sister Miyu’s mother. She was simply a shrew amongst shrews. Without much hesitation after her mother appeared making a scene yesterday, Sister Miyu directly called the police. But the police said it was a family dispute so they could only mediate. As soon as Sister Miyu’s mother saw this situation, she immediately became even more arrogantly aggressive, making a scene so bad that even managers coming down couldn’t placate them. In the end I made a blustering bluff that I was the president’s assistant, and that’s what settled them down and resolved things.”
Ji Feng’s brows lifted. He had wanted to only lift them briefly, but unexpectedly his brow tips had their own ideas, arching high and refusing to come down. That made his expression seem as if the brow master harbored some unwillingness within.
“It got that big of a mess yet no one informed me yesterday?” Ji Feng asked coldly.
“…Sister Miyu didn’t let me tell you. She said you were the impressive president director handling major affairs and couldn’t let such minor personal and family matters of a small employee distract and annoy you everyday. She said she couldn’t shoulder that responsibility.” Xue Rui truthfully recounted.
Ji Feng’s brows knitted tightly. It turned out she distinguished boundaries between them at every turn. He should have felt satisfied at her performance, yet strangely he felt unhappy, uncomfortable, and bothered instead.
“How did you resolve sending her family away yesterday?” Not seeming particularly concerned at all, as if just casually asking something in passing, Ji Feng asked Xue Rui.
“To tell the truth, it was actually Sister Miyu taking advantage of the chaos to give me pointers by my ear. She deliberately stood by that huge vase in the lobby, then lured her freakish younger brother and mother over to push her. She dodged out of the way and they ended up crashing the vase onto the ground where it shattered everywhere. At that time, I blustered my way into the scene, telling them it was specially ordered from overseas and worth over 300,000 yuan. Along with the watch they broke earlier, altogether it was over 500,000 yuan and I demanded compensation from them. I also pretentiously called our company’s legal counsel on the phone to have him verify, to which he instantly caught on and extremely cooperated, listing over the phone speaker a bunch of compensation terms and consequences in law if no compensation was given. Sister Miyu’s mother didn’t believe us and called us swindlers while demanding the police arrest us. But the honorable policemen said our demands made legal sense and that compensation for losses could be sought. Upon the policemen’s words, that pair of freakish mother and son were immediately scared off. They also no longer had the mind to cling onto Sister Miyu about wanting money or her bank card or anything.”
Ji Feng listened to Xue Rui’s depiction. His straightened up body slowly leaned back into the leather chair’s backrest.
The mental feeling akin to loss made his body go limp as well, losing power.
He had wanted to hear an unsatisfactory answer. One where the handling method set down the premise for a brewing crisis – the premise hinting that the freakish mother and son pair were only temporarily retreating. At some point not too far off in the future, they would have to dash back over again and continue threatening Xu Miyu for money and her bank card.
He had already prepared to generously step forth and order Xue Rui – Next time they cause trouble again, tell me and I’ll handle it. You guys aren’t ruthless enough.
He had also prepared an explanation for this approach – I’m doing this for the hotel, not for her sake.
Yet unexpectedly, there was absolutely no brewing crisis premise. Xu Miyu herself had handled this matter extremely satisfactorily and perfectly. With the over 500,000 yuan compensation claim and legal department’s stern warning and admonishment already set in place, it completely obstructed and did away with any later worries of that mother and son pair possibly charging back over.
From Xu Miyu’s handling method, he also vaguely saw vestiges resembling his past self. She truly did have some intelligence. She looked at how he handled matters and secretly picked things up.
He leaned against the chair back. He couldn’t say exactly what feeling was currently in his chest.
Seeing the person he previously looked down on gradually become self-reliant and strengthened bit by bit to the point of no longer needing his goading or aid. Turned out this feeling wasn’t pride and elation, but a kind of unwillingness to admit – loss.
He sunk amidst the soft and cushy chair back cushioning, seemingly sunk in his own somewhat indistinct thoughts.
A bank card abruptly appeared before his eyes.
He followed the card forward to see the hand pushing the card over belonged to Xue Rui.
“What’s the meaning behind this?” He asked puzzledly.
Xue Rui truthfully answered, “It’s from Sister Miyu letting me pass to you. She said inside is 200,000 yuan that she owes you. Yesterday after I finished handling everything downstairs she coincidentally said to bring it to you.”
Ji Feng narrowed his eyes a bit to gaze at that card.
200,000 yuan. That was the amount he had angrily thrown at her after their first night.
He had always believed that money had been given to her for nothing. Later he had heard she indeed never wanted it in the end and had donated it all instead, giving it to rural girls having difficulties studying to fund their education.
Yet now she had returned 200,000 yuan back to him. What was the meaning behind it?
Was it her way of saying for their second time, it was now her turn to compensate him 200,000 yuan?
Or was she trying to tell him that previously donated 200,000 yuan had still used her own money and she wouldn’t spend a cent of his money?
Was this her way of drawing a clear line between all overt and covert relations between them?
Ji Feng extended his hand to grab that card. Raising his eyes he asked Xue Rui, “Where did she get the money from?”
Xue Rui answered, “Do you still remember that previous time when we were at the lobby cafe waiting for the chauffeur to drive over? We overheard Sister Miyu getting swindled out of money by someone pretending to invest her money? Recently that group of scammers got arrested and some money was recovered. Sister Miyu had reported the case promptly back then and pretty much got back around 200,000 yuan that was recovered.”
So she instantly took 200,000 out of that to give to him?
It seemed as if he saw she truly hated no ends in wanting to draw a clear boundary line between them through all means.
Ji Feng inexplicably felt stifled. He told Xue Rui to go make tea.
Yet Xue Rui seemed to not have heard him as he looked at his phone instead.
Ji Feng called him twice before he finally returned to his senses.
Ji Feng unhappily asked, “Did something happen to you recently? Why are you always absent-minded?”
Xue Rui retorted in his heart – And you’re any better?
Yet he asked very attentively aloud, “Boss, what were you instructing me just now?”
Ji Feng’s desire to drink tea instantly evaporated again as he lightly said to forget it.
Right as his voice trailed off, the cell phone rang to take over.
Ji Feng picked up and looked to see it was Jiang Zhichun calling.
He hit the answer button and directly turned on speakerphone. When his mood was bad, squeezing the phone right by his ear to listen somehow felt like he was inflicting exponential pain unto his bad mood.
Jiang Zhichun’s purely gentle and sweet voice sounded. She softly bargained with Ji Feng, “I want to come up and chat with you for a bit, okay?”
Ji Feng knitted his brows. He currently didn’t have the patience. And so concisely told her, “Inconvenient. I’m very busy.”
Jiang Zhichun went silent for a bit before speaking again. This time her voice was brimming full with do-or-die pleading, “One last time, is that okay? Just treat this as the last time I come up to chat with you. There are some things that still need saying face-to-face after all, right? After we talk through those things, I definitely won’t come up to find you anymore after this. Alright?”
Ji Feng contemplated for a moment before saying, “I can only give you ten minutes. Come up after a bit.”
He then promptly added, “When you arrive, directly have Xu Miyu out front bring you up.”
He also didn’t know why he would directly name Xu Miyu. It was as if that was an instinctual need of his in that split moment.
After hanging up the call, Ji Feng felt a little absent-minded. He might as well set his documents down and quietly wait for Jiang Zhichun to come have her talk with him.
When he glanced up, he saw Xue Rui standing at the side looking absent-minded again.
A flash of inspiration suddenly went through his brain. He guessed whether Xue Rui’s absent-mindedness was also related to that night of the 2nd day of the new year.
Carrying some ridicule and joking tone, he asked Xue Rui, “Just what’s going on with you? Could it be that older sister dumped you?”
Xue Rui gave a startle upon hearing that. He promptly denied it, “No no no, not dumped!” Upon touching on his troubles, his defenses broke down. It seemed to return to that “Night Rendezvous” night with Ji Feng where for a time he no longer saw Ji Feng as his boss but a drinking buddy that he could discuss manly matters with. “That is to say, after getting drunk that night at “Night Rendezvous”, she sle…had her way with me. The next day I wanted her to take responsibility for me but she only agreed to half the responsibility.”
Ji Feng nearly got choked by air.
Turned out quite a lot of people lost control that night.
It was just between Li Qiaoqi and Xu Miyu, those two women. Unexpectedly they had some kind of kindred spirit vibe. Once it turned to the next day, they were actually even more nonchalant compared to the men. One only willing to bear half the responsibility. The other had simply left without even saying goodbye, directly slipping away.
He couldn’t help letting out a cold snort.
“What do you mean only taking half the responsibility?” Seizing the time while Jiang Zhichun still hadn’t arrived, he simply continued chatting with Xue Rui.
Xue Rui thought Ji Feng’s earlier cold snort was sympathy for him, so he became even more emotionally resonating, earnestly and aggrievedly pouring out, “That is to say, I hoped she would take full responsibility towards me – marrying me. But she said she didn’t want to lose her freedom and so refused to marry. However, she was willing to date me as girlfriend and boyfriend first.”
Xue Rui had a completely distressed face.
After listening, Ji Feng instead thought of another matter, “Didn’t you say previously you don’t date older sisters? Wasn’t that your principle and criteria?”
Xue Rui made a drawn out sound showing his distress. “That was when I was young and ignorant. It shouldn’t count. Back then I didn’t understand love. How would I know Sister would be so intoxicating?” After a pause, he decided to stab and chop at his past self even more. “What principles or criteria, that’s all bullshit people spout when they haven’t met true love yet. When you actually encounter true love, all that becomes bullshit.” As Xue Rui patted the area over his heart, he said.
Ji Feng looked at him with lifted brows, listening to his bullshit talk.
Soon he heard Xue Rui shoot a counter question back at him, “Boss, I feel like after New Year not only have I been vexed and perturbed, but you actually also seem quite vexed and perturbed? What’s going on with you?”
Ji Feng immediately had a change in demeanor, instantly frosting over his own expression as he coldly said, “Don’t think that just because I asked about you that gives you the right to ask about me too.”
“…Boss, you’ve pumped me dry then immediately got back into boss mode to suppress me. Isn’t that a bit over the line?” Xue Rui said.
Ji Feng let out a cold laugh and told him, “If you don’t shut up promptly, I really can go even further over the line.”
Xue Rui aggrievedly fell silent.
After another stretch of time, around when Jiang Zhichun should be about to come up, Ji Feng brought Xue Rui out of the office to the living room.
Ji Feng sat properly on the sofa, erectly reading a finance periodical. His posture and bearing were grasped to seem attentive and serious.
Sounds of footsteps from two people came from the door, layering over each other from faraway to nearby.
Both Jiang Zhichun and Xu Miyu entered.
Xu Miyu’s gentle voice sounded, reporting she had brought Miss Jiang up.
Unable to be seen from where the two were standing by the door, but Xue Rui was near enough to clearly see – after Xu Miyu spoke, the Ji Feng hidden behind the finance periodical instantly seemed to perk up in spirit.
He promptly seemed to have a realization, vaguely understanding why Ji Feng had been vexed and perturbed with a wandering heart recently.
But the face Ji Feng revealed after putting down the finance periodical was extremely cold. There was also his signature expression on it, a bit of disdain and ridicule.
It seemed as if he was extremely impatient towards the person speaking by the door.
The rate of change between his expression before and after hiding behind the periodical nearly made Xue Rui’s eyes pop out in astonishment. And he exclaimed in his heart asking why bother. Obviously wanting to see that person yet displaying a disgusted and impatient attitude. He really had no fear of sentencing himself to loneliness!
Xu Miyu saw Ji Feng turn his head over with a face showing faint disgust and impatience. Her heart soured. She immediately tactfully wanted to leave the lobby.
She turned to walk out. Ji Feng’s eyes had followed her the entire time.
Right as she was about to exit out the door, Ji Feng made a sound.
“Xu Miyu,” he called out to stop her. “Stay here for a bit. I have something to ask you.”
Then he turned to look at Jiang Zhichun and asked her, “What did you come here to find me for?”
Jiang Zhichun looked at the circumstances around them, at the other two people. Her voice carried pleading as she said to Ji Feng, “Could I chat privately with you for a bit?”
Ji Feng paused for a moment before standing up from the sofa. He brought Jiang Zhichun to the study room.
Xu Miyu watched those two people’s backs as they left, a flawlessly well-matched pair of a handsome man and beautiful woman, perfect matches in both temperament and ability or family background.
As she had this realization, it instantly pricked her heart a little. She hurriedly retracted her sight.
Yet she couldn’t rein the train of thought back as promptly as her sight. She still couldn’t help secretly wondering to herself – last time Ji Feng told her Jiang Zhichun wasn’t his girlfriend and so she didn’t need to repent to her about that one night of accident between them.
Then what about today? After Jiang Zhichun came out from the study, would the relationship between her and Ji Feng have changed?
Without warning, her chest suddenly constricted. As if an invisible fist was heavily yet not too heavily pounding within her internal organs.
But Xu Miyu promptly collected herself and drove off that stifled dull pain. She straightened her back, making herself exceptionally sober.
Since she had clearly seen the current circumstances, she told herself this would be the last time this man brought ripples to her heart.
Actually, even these faint ripples shouldn’t have existed at all to begin with.
After those two left for the study room, only Xu Miyu and Xue Rui were remaining in the massive living room. Looking at each other, they became more at ease than when there were others around earlier.
Xue Rui sidled up to Xu Miyu and lowered his voice to bargain with her, “Sis Miyu, yesterday you said if I pass that bank card to Boss Ji Feng for you, you would help plead my case to Li Qiaoqi to get her to take full responsibility towards me!”
He clenched his teeth as he deliberately enunciated Li Qiaoqi’s full name. His tone contained a mix of both love and hate flavor.
Xu Miyu laughed. She asked Xue Rui, “What did President Ji say after receiving the card?”
Xue Rui recalled and said, “Actually he didn’t say anything much, but his complexion didn’t look too good.”
“Didn’t look too good?” Xu Miyu was puzzled why.
Normally when receiving money being paid back, people’s natural reaction should be happiness right? Or perhaps Ji Feng was truly so wealthy he didn’t even see that miniscule amount as worthy of note? Or was it that he felt her returning that bit of money back was taking him too lightly?
This unfounded train of thought made Xu Miyu involuntarily smile again.
Xue Rui asked her, “To be honest Sis Miyu, I’ve wanted to ask you for a long time – just what is the story behind that back and forth twenty million between you and Boss Ji exactly?”
Xu Miyu brushed it off with a laugh. “It’s a long story. I’ll slowly tell you next time when there’s a chance.” It was better to first rein in Xue Rui’s curiosity. After all she couldn’t truthfully tell Xue Rui that was compensation earned in a not clearly defined manner from spending an indistinct night together between her and Ji Feng.
Afraid Xue Rui would continue asking, Xu Miyu hurriedly switched topics and first questioned him, “Could you tell me what you like about Qiaoqi? Let me also weigh whether or not you two truly suit each other and how far I should help plead your case.”
Xue Rui made a sound showing his distress. “If you fall in love, that’s that. What else is there to weigh or consider suitable or not? Those weighed out compatibility results aren’t real falling in love. Liking someone isn’t an arithmetic problem. It bursts out uncontrollably like a mental disorder from the heart.” As Xue Rui patted the area over his heart, he said.
Xu Miyu couldn’t help a stunned moment upon hearing that.
Had she made the matter of liking someone too complicated? Turned out in Xue Rui’s eyes, liking someone could be such a simply pure and ardent thing.
She laughed. “Alright. Your argument has convinced me. I’ll go help plead your case and strive for Qiaoqi to be willing to take full responsibility towards you.”
Hearing this, Xue Rui also laughed.
Sun rays from the windows outside projected in, blanketing layers of dazzling golden radiance. Xu Miyu stood amidst the golden light laughing brightly. Her eyes and features beautiful and resplendent like stars.
Jiang Zhichun dragged her heavy footsteps as she walked out from Ji Feng’s study room. When she reached the living room, she saw Xu Miyu illuminated under the sun rays laughing.
That woman’s smile really had to be said was quite beautiful. It even seemed to have an exceptionally infectious strength. Even though she hated her so much, she still couldn’t help smiling along involuntarily with that smile of hers.
It was just that Xu Miyu’s smile was dazzling and gorgeous while her own smile failed to conceal her hidden bitterness.
She walked straight up to stand in front of Xu Miyu and smilingly asked her, “Just where exactly are you better?”
Xu Miyu saw Jiang Zhichun and promptly retracted her unguarded smile, switching to an appropriate, professional one instead.
“Miss Jiang, what were you asking just now?” She hadn’t understood what that sudden inexplicable sentence from Jiang Zhichun was meant to imply at all.
Jiang Zhichun smiled again. Her smile contained an exhausted bleakness of having one’s spirit drained away. “Nevermind. It was nothing. Oh yes, Xu Miyu. Ji Feng is calling you over.” After a pause, as she looked at Xu Miyu she said, “That’s it. I’m leaving now. Goodbye.”
She walked out with elegant steps. But no matter how that back view was looked at, it appeared to contain a hint of loneliness within its taste.
As Xu Miyu watched her retreating back, she thought to herself – so just now in the study room, she hadn’t managed to become Ji Feng’s girlfriend?
But either way, it had nothing to do with herself.
Ji Feng’s girlfriend, even if it wasn’t Miss Jiang, would also turn out as some flawless Miss Wang or Miss Li. Never possibly a Miss Xu full of defects like herself.
Xu Miyu retracted her gaze. She turned to give Xue Rui a look. Xue Rui promptly waved his hands saying, “The boss didn’t say I should go too. So Sis Miyu, you should still head to the study room yourself. He probably has something he wants to say to you privately.”
Left without a choice, Xu Miyu could only solitary head to the study room alone.
Upon entering, she specially did not shut the door. She didn’t wish to be confined alone with him in an enclosed space. That would always feel too ambiguous and awkward.
Xu Miyu walked closer to Ji Feng’s desk and gazed at Ji Feng leaning back against his chair behind the desk. His eyes were also resting on her.
His sight was icy, his look was icy, even his tone upon initially speaking held chill.
“Did your family come causing trouble again yesterday?” Ji Feng wore an indifferent expression yet asked something he couldn’t keep buried – his concern.
Xu Miyu promptly responded, “President Ji, I will properly handle this matter. It definitely won’t cause trouble for the hotel.”
She saw Ji Feng’s complexion seeming to turn worse and worse.
She hurriedly continued expressing her stand, “If by chance it negatively impacts the hotel later on, I will immediately resign. Please rest assured.”
She saw frost seeming to start congealing over Ji Feng’s face.
She was afraid he would say something with extreme piercing effect. At this moment she herself also didn’t know whether she could still withstand his ridicules, disgusts, and contempts.
She felt like she had changed. Become more sensitive than her past self. In the past regardless if he saw her as beneath him or scolded her with harsh words, she hadn’t minded.
Yet now it felt as if those words came out again, it would shatter her into pieces.
She promptly bowed and said she was returning to the lobby for work matters before hastily fleeing from Ji Feng’s magnetic field.
Ji Feng watched as Xu Miyu fled from him without the slightest intention to hide it. Watched without the slightest intention to hide as she tried to distance herself far away from him. He felt a surge of irrational anger.
Was he that detestable? That unbearable people would look and immediately want to run upon sight? He asked her about this matter yet wasn’t trying blame her. He merely wanted to tell her that next time her family caused trouble again, he could step forward and resolve this problem once and for all.
He only wanted to help her solve problems.
Ji Feng watched Xu Miyu’s retreating figure yet said nothing at all.
He clenched his hand into a fist and heavily rapped it against his desk.
The pain from his hand transmitted to his heart, turning into stifling bewilderment.
The next early morning, Ji Feng brought Xue Rui back to the company headquarters for the monthly report meeting.
His marketing department senior executive was currently facing the PPT projection up front, vigorously presenting last month’s department results and target plans for next month.
This was the most important monthly Star Corporation meeting that every senior executive and department manager would be incredibly tense for.
None of their inadequacies at work or even the slightest bit of slippery tricks could escape Ji Feng’s eyes during this.
When Ji Feng unleashed his ruthless ridiculing interrogation and criticism mode, no one could escape the shameful desire to die from humiliation.
Everyone was extremely nervous for this day. Their level of regard towards it even went far beyond pay day.
The marketing department lead was currently striving his hardest on stage to present his PPT slides. Ji Feng sat below the entire time listening expressionlessly and staring straight at the PPT. His look and gaze gave others no way to guess his thoughts, and so the marketing lead almost wanted to shiver in fright from this inability to glimpse inside.
He took out his handkerchief to wipe the sweat on his forehead. He didn’t know whether Ji Feng was satisfied or unsatisfied, but since he hadn’t called for him to stop, he could only stiffly push on to continue presenting.
As Ji Feng watched the person on stage, his mouth opening and closing as he strove to output words, what he heard in his ears instead seemed to be another voice.
That woman’s voice. Her telling him to rest assured, she would pretend that night never existed. Pretend that matter never occurred too.
She had also said, President Ji, I will mind proper boundaries and distance with you.
As he stared ahead, his hand clenched into a fist.
He saw the figure before him respond as if greatly frightened upon seeing this action of his. The handkerchief previously wiping away sweat abruptly fell onto the floor.
He didn’t ask the marketing lead what happened. Just letting him squat down to pick up the handkerchief then continue haphazardly wiping the sweat on his forehead and face as he continued to shudderingly present.
He couldn’t be bothered with that person right now. His own thoughts had sprouted legs and were uncontrollably running elsewhere.
He found it extremely strange why he had become this abnormal. His current state was clearly the state he wanted – her being very sensible and adept at keeping distance.
So why had he changed to seem constantly preoccupied with something he couldn’t let go of?
The instant New Year holidays ended, he had brought Xue Rui away on a business trip. That was deliberately to hide from her. Yet the more he avoided her, the more he unexpectedly thought of hearing news about her
affairs, seeing what she was doing, knowing how she was, wondering if she was happy.
He actually hoped she wasn’t happy and at ease like himself, hoped she wasn’t as indifferent and rational as him, hoped she wasn’t more able to let go of him than he was of her.
He didn’t know what was going on with himself. Wondered if he had come down with some sort of psychological illness.
It sounded as if someone was calling him by his ear. He turned his head to look. It was Xue Rui leaning in close to softly report something to him.
Taking a proper look at Xue Rui’s expression – it was actually completely grave, even containing a hint of alarm. Like some major incident had occurred.
He promptly pulled back his previously scattered concentration, opening his ears for Xue Rui to repeat – just what exactly happened?
“Boss Ji, I just received a call from the Switzerland side saying it seems like the hotel has caught on fire. Specific details still unsure. Also still unclear if there are any casualties. Fire trucks and news media are all hurrying over there!”
Ji Feng promptly knitted his brows asking, “Which part of the hotel caught fire?”
Xue Rui answered, “The lobby…”
Ji Feng bolted up from his seat to head outside. His face was solemn, footsteps quick to the point it leaked panic.
The executives sitting on the stage and down below were left dumbfounded.
They wanted to ask what was going on but saw that Xue Rui’s complexion was also grave as he closely followed behind Ji Feng in exiting outside.
Everyone exchanged looks with each other, mutually questioning, “What now? Will the meeting still go on or not?”
This was a monthly meeting as fixed as a thunderstrike that Ji Feng had never once cancelled before.
Thinking to this point, someone took the lead to swiftly organize their documents and files before rushing out to chase after Ji Feng’s footsteps.
— Perhaps the boss had gotten annoyed by the Marketing Manager’s report earlier which put him in a bad mood. So now he wants to switch locations to continue the meeting!
As everyone simultaneously guessed this, they also promptly tidied up their own items to run out and follow behind Ji Feng.
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