Thursday, June 8, 2023
Sunny to cloudy, 21–35°C.
“Yeah! That’s right, she’s got a boyfriend now!”
“He’s such a handso young man, 25 years old, over 1.8 ters tall. Absolutely perfect for Ruanruan.” Newest update provided by novel★fire
“He runs his own company, but we’re not sure how much he makes.”
“A house? Oh, he’s got a big flat in Yanjing Tiancheng. Paid for in full, or so they say.”
...
“Alright then, let’s leave it at that for now. I’ll hang up, Feng’e.”
Click! The phone was slamd down on the dining table, and Qian Guixiang’s face radiated smug satisfaction.
Across from her, Wen Jianxin frowned and said, “Can’t you tone it down? It’s only been a few days, and now even the vendors at the market know about it.”
“Just eat your food. Why do you care so much?” Qian Guixiang popped a slice of sausage into her mouth. “That little sister-in-law of Ruanruan’s used to mock over things like this. Now that I’ve finally got the upper hand, if you don’t let talk about it, I might just suffocate.”
Wen Jianxin sipped his millet porridge and asked, “Is Wen Ruan still refusing to move back ho?”
“Yeah, I called her yesterday, thinking she could bring Tang Song over for a al and to et us. That girl just hung up on .”
“Well, that’s your fault. You went too far last ti.”
“Weren’t you the one slamming the table back then? What could we do? How were we supposed to know she already had soone in her heart? Even Zhao and my sister wanted to curse people out after that scene.”
“Enough about that. Let’s figure out how to convince our daughter to co ho.”
At that mont, the sound of the door lock turning interrupted them.
Click, click. The door opened softly.
“Ruanruan!” Qian Guixiang stood up excitedly, grabbing her daughter’s arm. “You finally decided to co back! Where’s your stuff? Your dad and I can help you bring it upstairs.”
Wen Ruan pursed her lips. “No need, Mom. I’m staying at Ziqi’s place for now. I just ca by to grab a few things.”
She moved straight toward the spare bedroom without another word.
Qian Guixiang sighed and asked, “When are you planning to introduce your boyfriend to us?”
Wen Ruan paused mid-step, hesitant. After a brief silence, she gritted her teeth and said, “We’ve only just started dating, and he’s still young. There’s no rush for marriage. Don’t pressure him—if you scare him off, I’ll never marry in my life.”
“Well…” Qian Guixiang frowned with worry. “Is little Tang serious about you? He won’t just break up with you in a while, will he?”
After all, she’d bragged to everyone already. If things fell apart, she’d lose face entirely. But at least her daughter finally had a proper boyfriend—progress in itself.
“Don’t worry, Mom. I’ve got this,” Wen Ruan reassured her as she shut the bedroom door and walked to the dressing table.
The two-bedroom apartnt, with only about 70 square ters of usable space, was cramped. The spare bedroom was small, cluttered with belongings, and not particularly comfortable to live in.
They had bought this apartnt primarily for her parents. Compared to this, Zhang Ziqi’s one-bedroom apartnt felt much more spacious and livable.
Wen Ruan opened a drawer and took out a box, then leaned against the small dressing table, staring at it in a daze.
Yanjing Tiancheng.
Tang Song reclined on the sofa, his eyes fixed on the phone screen, which displayed a short video:
“173cm, 53kg Finance Girl. Shanghai Travel Vlog, Day 1.”
Accompanied by light, soothing background music, the video featured shots of a Maybach, a business-class cabin, the Bulgari building, a luxury suite, Hers bags, and a Michelin-starred restaurant.
At the video’s conclusion, Lin Muxue appeared in the luxurious Bulgari Hotel suite, sitting in front of a refined breakfast spread.
Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, layered clouds painted the sky, while the Bund scenery shifted in the interplay of light and shadow.
She wore a silk robe, her cloud-like hair casually pinned up, her expression calm and profound as if savoring the city’s essence.
The video was more than twice as long as her usual uploads, with significantly richer details.
Tang Song couldn’t help but acknowledge her effort—it was evident she’d stayed up late editing the footage last night and shot additional content early this morning before posting it upon leaving.
In just over an hour, the video had garnered over 20,000 likes and counting. It was going viral, bringing a noticeable boost to her follower count.
Tang Song opened the comnts section:
[Sweet and Sour Ribs]: “Sis is so gorgeous and accomplished! Seriously, what door has God even closed for you?”
[Iiyama Breeze]: “I don’t get why people hate on her. All those trolls who said she was pretending or called her a fake socialite—co out and argue now!”
[Leisurely Diviner]: “When I first followed her, she was just a makeup blogger. I only recently realized how rich she actually is!”
As Tang Song scrolled further down the comnts section, he found it filled with an endless stream of admiration.
This video stood out from Lin Muxue’s usual uploads, which often felt deliberately curated. It was entirely engaging, with no dull monts, and showcased genuine luxury.
Though she didn’t explicitly flaunt wealth through her words or captions, the video exuded sophistication, opulence, and high fashion, all presented with an undeniable aesthetic appeal.
It was clear Lin Muxue had a talent for branding herself, perfectly crafting the image of an elegant and intellectual finance woman. Combined with her outstanding looks, graceful editing, and soft music, the video was visually stunning.
Thinking back to her leg selfie from the previous day and comparing it to the poised elegance she displayed in the video, Tang Song couldn’t help but smile.
Lin Muxue’s charm lay in her contrasts—a mix of innocence and sophistication, simplicity and allure.
Ring, ring.
The sudden ringing of his phone interrupted his thoughts.
[Lawyer Zhao Xingzhi]
Answering the call, he said, “Hello, Lawyer Zhao.”
“Good morning, Mr. Tang!” Zhao Xingzhi greeted him warmly and respectfully. “Our team has already assembled and is about to head to the Huashang Fushi headquarters.”
“Alright, see you shortly.”
Hanging up, Tang Song took a sip of water and walked into his wardrobe to change into sothing more formal.
Today was the day he would officially acquire shares and secure his position on the board of directors at Huashang Fushi. He needed to dress the part.
Huashang Fushi Co., Ltd.
The company’s headquarters was located in Yuhua District, within the city’s third ring. In addition to the main office, it had two large factories in suburban and rural areas of Yan City.
With a total area of 100,000 square ters and nearly 3,000 employees, Huashang Fushi was a well-established clothing manufacturer with over 20 years of history and net assets of 800 million yuan.
The company specialized in high-quality apparel research, design, production, and sales, operating three proprietary brands while also serving as a renowned OEM (Original Equipnt Manufacturer) in the industry.
9:50 AM.
A silver rcedes-Benz S450L slowly entered the Huashang Fushi headquarters campus.
Tang Song parked his car in the lot opposite the administrative building. Locking the car, he glanced at the 20-story white building.
The building was clearly not new, lacking the large glass panels typical of modern high-end offices. Yet, its understated and steady design conveyed an air of gravitas.
Surrounded by expansive green spaces, trees, and landscaped areas, the building exuded an imposing presence. In fact, much of the company’s net assets were tied to this valuable comrcial property.
Tang Song adjusted his rectangular-frad glasses and called Lawyer Zhao Xingzhi as he began walking down the cent path toward the building.
Tall and well-built, his finely tailored attire and confident stride made him an eye-catching presence—a striking figure in the Huashang campus.
Nearby, a black Audi A6L pulled into a parking spot. Three formally dressed colleagues stepped out—a man and two won.
One of the won, wearing a low ponytail, nudged her coworker in excitent. “Qiu Yu! Look over there! That guy is so handso—and his figure is amazing too!”
Carrying a laptop bag and thinking about the eting agenda, Qiu Yu raised her head. Her eyes lit up, followed by a look of astonishnt.
The morning sun was a little intense, but the man in the crisp white shirt seed like a refreshing spring breeze.
The shirt’s collar was perfectly pressed, without a single crease, contrasting sharply with his dark trousers and accentuating his tall, upright figure.
With a slightly lifted chin, his striking features—sharp nose, thin lips, and defined jawline—were further enhanced by his rectangular glasses, which added a polished touch to his already impressive appearance.
As he approached, his deanor, attire, and confident air radiated the charm of a corporate elite.
The woman swallowed hard, her cheeks flushing. “Who is this dreamy prince straight out of a corporate novel? I want to go talk to him so badly!”
The male colleague smirked. “Shan Shan, aren’t you being a bit too forward?”
“You don’t get it, Team Leader. This guy is my ideal type,” Shan Shan retorted, nudging Qiu Yu with her shoulder. “Look, even Qiu Yu is srized!”
Qiu Yu snapped back to reality, biting her lip as she quickened her pace toward the administrative building.
“Wait for !” Shan Shan hurried after her.
Their team leader sighed enviously. “Since when were you all so shallow? We’re here on business, rember!”
Tap, tap, tap.
The sound of high-quality leather shoes hitting the pavent grew louder as Tang Song approached.
He stopped beside Qiu Yu, raising his eyebrows in surprise. “Qiu Yu?”
Her heart skipped a beat, thudding wildly. Struggling to maintain her composure, she replied, “Tang Song, what a coincidence! I didn’t expect to run into you here at the Huashang campus.”
Now that he was closer, she could feel his striking aura even more intensely.
The sa magnetic pull she had felt at Yinjiu Bar resurfaced, only stronger now as she encountered Tang Song in broad daylight.
Tang Song smiled at his forr classmate. “It is a coincidence. I heard you’re in Yan City for work—your client is Huashang Fushi?”
“Yeah!” Qiu Yu instinctively brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “I’m here to support our sales team with client outreach. You know, our company specializes in data analysis and financial systems, and Huashang Fushi is one of the clients we’re servicing this ti.”
Shan Shan, standing nearby, blinked in surprise, a touch of excitent in her voice. “Qiu Yu, is this your friend?”
“College classmate,” Qiu Yu explained before her bright eyes turned back to Tang Song. “What about you? What brings you here?”
“Just a eting.”
“Oh, that makes sense. Jinxiu Comrce’s core business is in apparel.” Qiu Yu seed eager as she added, “By the way, we never added each other on WeChat back in college. Let find you in the group chat and add you now.”
“Sure,” Tang Song nodded lightly.
Although Qiu Yu wasn’t an extraordinary beauty, she had been one of the most striking girls in the software engineering program during college.
Back then, she was often surrounded by admirers and naturally didn’t pay much attention to quieter classmates like Tang Song. As a result, they had never exchanged contact information.
The male team leader interjected, his tone urging, “Qiu Yu, Shan Shan, we’ve got a eting to prep for soon. Let’s keep the catching-up for later.”
“Oh…” Qiu Yu hesitated but quickly nodded. “Got it, Wen-ge.”
This work trip was primarily led by Wen, the sales team leader, who outranked Qiu Yu by two levels. Since he had spoken, she had no choice but to follow.
As they walked toward the main building, Qiu Yu couldn’t stop glancing at Tang Song’s sharp profile. Her heartbeat refused to calm down.
Unable to resist, she started chatting again. “I’m currently working at Hanhai Software in Shanghai. I’m actually in the sa company as Li Zhixi from your dorm, though he’s in developnt and I’m in pre-sales.”
“Zhixi? Oh, that’s right. He’s in Shanghai. I didn’t realize you worked together.”
“Yeah, we talked about your dorm not long ago. He said if we manage to land Huashang Fushi as a client, he’ll apply to handle the on-site implentation. He’s hoping to et up with you all then.”
“That sounds great. I’d love to see him again,” Tang Song said, his expression tinged with nostalgia.
Though his college mories had faded sowhat, his bond with his five dormmates remained vivid. Their relationships had always been strong, and one of them, Lu Ziming, had even helped him get started in Yan City by offering him a city apartnt for just 900 yuan a month.
Shan Shan, trailing close behind, eagerly joined the conversation. “Handso guy, I know Zhixi too! He’s been trying to woo Zhang Xi from our departnt and keeps buying us milk tea—so funny! There was this one ti in the breakroom…”
As the two won circled around Tang Song, their team leader, Wen, frowned deeply and reminded them, “We’re about to enter the lobby. Keep your voices down!”
“Oh! Sorry, Wen-ge,” the two won said in unison, quickly falling silent and adopting a more serious deanor.
This client, Huashang Fushi, was incredibly important, secured only after prolonged negotiations by their sales director. The purpose of this visit was to understand client needs, draft a technical proposal, and demonstrate their company’s sincerity.
Closing the deal would ultimately require the sales director’s personal involvent.
Tang Song briefly glanced at the 30-sothing male team leader but said nothing as he approached the building.
The cool air hit them as soon as they pushed through the glass doors, and the group felt a mont of relief.
Then their expressions froze, tension shooting through them as they instinctively stepped to the side.
Directly ahead, a group of over ten middle-aged n and won approached briskly, all dressed in formal business attire.
Though the group’s identities weren’t imdiately clear, they recognized one figure—a slightly plump woman on the edge of the group who was Huashang Fushi’s procurent manager.
She was infamous for her aloof deanor, yet now her face was glowing with a warm smile, her posture slightly bent in a show of respect.
“Tang Song, those are Huashang’s top executives!” Qiu Yu whispered urgently.
At that mont, a man dressed like a lawyer stepped forward and called out in a clear voice, “Mr. Tang!”
The title sent a ripple of excitent through the group, and the executives surged forward to greet Tang Song.
“Welco, welco, Director Tang!”
“Good morning, Director Tang!”
“Director Tang!”
Zhao Xingzhi and several other lawyers and accountants stood behind Tang Song, introducing the executives as they arrived.
“This is Huashang Fushi’s chairman, He Jingping.”
“Hello, Mr. He.”
“Director Tang, you’re so young and accomplished! eting you in person is even more impressive than your reputation!”
“And this is a board mber, Zhang Wenchao.”
"This is the Executive CEO, Wu Wei."
Lawyer Zhao introduced a few key figures like the board mbers and CEO but didn’t elaborate on the other departntal executives.
Tang Song exchanged handshakes and pleasantries with everyone. The spacious, well-lit lobby buzzed with lively conversation and an atmosphere of warm enthusiasm.
anwhile, Qiu Yu and her colleagues stood frozen in place, stunned.
Listening to the introductions of these high-ranking executives, their hearts tightened.
Every single person here was a top leader in the company. If they had connections with even one of them, their pre-sales project would proceed flawlessly. They might not even need their sales director to step in and could secure the massive contract directly.
The corresponding commission would be astronomical.
Qiu Yu tightly pressed her lips together, her eyes fixed on Tang Song, who had beco the center of attention.
He didn’t seem flustered at all. His expression remained calm and composed, carrying an air of effortless confidence.
Even the aloof procurent manager, who was so intimidating during their previous eting, didn’t have the standing to approach Tang Song.
This once quiet and unremarkable college classmate had now transford into soone utterly extraordinary.
The outstanding alumni she had often heard about in conversations—people like Shen Yuyan, Zhang Tianqi, or Dong Jianping—suddenly seed insignificant in comparison.
Wen, the team leader, began sweating profusely. A pale look spread across his face.
His earlier tone had been far from polite. If this “Director Tang” bore even a shred of resentnt, their collaboration with Huashang Fushi would be dood, and Wen’s job might be at risk as well.
After the greetings, Tang Song glanced in Qiu Yu’s direction and nodded with a smile. “I’ll head off now. Let’s catch up another ti.”
With that, he was surrounded by the group and escorted toward the elevators.
Shan Shan, her voice trembling, whispered, “Qiu Yu, who exactly is this Director Tang? Is your college classmate really this incredible?”
She thought back to their earlier chat, where Tang Song had smiled at her. At the ti, she’d rely found him handso, but now the mory left her feeling oddly flattered.
Qiu Yu opened her mouth, but no words ca out. She could only stare blankly at Tang Song.
His pristine white shirt, perfectly tailored black trousers, chiseled profile, and broad-shouldered, narrow-waisted physique exuded poise and confidence.
Standing effortlessly in the center of the crowd, he seed like the quintessential handso CEO straight out of a novel.
He embodied everything: youthful ambition, dashing elegance, and elite professionalism.
“Uh… Qiu Yu…” Wen’s voice was hoarse as he finally broke the silence. “Could you help apologize to Director Tang? I didn’t an to be disrespectful earlier. I was just caught up in the mont and didn’t watch my words.”
Qiu Yu nodded. “Alright, Wen-ge. Tang Song has a good temperant—he won’t take offense over sothing so small.”
Though her interactions with Tang Song had been limited, she’d heard about his personality from their classmates. He was known to be quiet, warm, and remarkably patient.
Still, an emptiness settled in her heart. Why hadn’t she noticed such an exceptional person back in college?
If only she’d been more proactive back then, perhaps everything would be different now.
7 PM
Yanjing Tiancheng
The sound of pages being flipped filled the room.
Production workshops, research and developnt centers, warehouses, and administrative offices…
The workshop alone covered 50,000 square ters and included sections for cutting, sewing, and finishing. Equipped with hundreds of high-speed sewing machines, cutting tables, automated cutters, and ironing machines…
Tang Song sat behind a solid wood desk, intently reviewing a detailed docunt on Huashang Fushi’s operational model.
Ding!
“Congratulations, player! The branch task 【Fulfill Duties】 is complete. The reward has been issued.”
The familiar system notification made Tang Song instantly relax. He set the docunt down, leaned back into his comfortable chair, and closed his eyes.
He was now officially one of the owners of Huashang Fushi Co., Ltd.
Out of the seven seats on the board of directors, his 35% stake granted him two seats and two votes, making him the largest shareholder. He was now the target of everyone’s efforts to win favor.
After the board and executive etings concluded, he had received a wealth of internal company docunts.
Thanks to the special item 【Tang Song’s Glasses】, his reading speed and efficiency were significantly enhanced.
Opening the system panel, he navigated to his inventory.
A golden treasure chest glead quietly within.
He clicked on the details:
【Real-World Mystery Box】: A storage chest for items earned in-ga, located in the Executive Suite of the JW Marriott Hotel in HP District, Shanghai. It may contain so of your in-ga rewards.
Note 1: Of course, it could also be empty.
Note 2: You have a long-term suite at this location, complete with a personal safe. Please bring your ID to explore.
“Hm?” Tang Song opened his eyes, intrigued.
This ti, the real-world mystery box was in Shanghai?
He had expected it to be like before—stashed in a bank branch in Yan City or left in so apartnt.
A faint smile crept onto his face as another thought occurred to him.
He had been in Yan City for quite a while now. With the company on track and his board position secured, it seed like a good ti to take a trip and relax.
The image of those long, shapely “wine-glass legs” flashed through his mind, stirring his thoughts.
My dear beautician friend, he mused, looks like you’re in for it!
Dum-dum-dum!
His train of thought was interrupted by the sudden ringing of a WeChat voice call.
[Wen Ruan]
Tang Song quickly answered, his voice gentle. “Hello, Sister Wen Ruan.”
After a brief pause, her familiar voice ca through the receiver. “Tang Song, are you busy right now?”
“Not at all. I’m just at ho.”
“Then… could you co out for a bit? I’m at the south gate of your community.”
“Wait there, I’ll be right down!”
Hanging up, Tang Song quickly tidied himself up, put on a pair of sneakers, and hurried downstairs.
Jogging out of the community gates, he imdiately spotted a familiar figure.
She wore a black fitted top paired with a floral skirt, holding an elegant shopping bag. In the golden hues of the evening light, her skirt swayed gently in the breeze, accentuating her graceful figure. She looked both gentle and alluring.
Tang Song took a deep breath, strode forward, and wrapped Wen Ruan in a tight hug.
Planting a firm kiss on her cheek, he grinned. “Zhuangzhuang, I’ve missed you so much!”
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