A man walked up to Lin Xingwan, naturally taking her hand and placing a USB drive into her palm.
"Not taking care of yourself, being forgetful about things, that's one thing. Now I realize, you're also quite naive," he said.
Zhou Jinbai, having witnessed everything that had just transpired and hearing Lin Xingwan's words, sighed inwardly. This woman was truly naive to the core.
"Naive?" Lin Xingwan's lips twitched.
Zhou Jinbai nodded. "What I mean by 'naive' is daring to do what's in your heart. You're not stupid or foolish, you're just naive. I know with your capabilities, you could still live very well without Huanyu Company. But are you willing to abandon all the time, effort, and heart you've invested over the years? It's true that Huanyu Company belongs to Gu Shaoting, but you've also contributed to it. If you had children, would you hate them because you disliked your husband?"
Lin Xingwan immediately shook her head. "Of course not!"
Zhou Jinbai curved his lips. His handsome face, relaxed by this small concession, became even more captivating. "Then why are you handing Huanyu over?"
Lin Xingwan looked as if she had been enlightened. "I'm going to sell my twenty percent shares!"
Zhou Jinbai poked Lin Xingwan's forehead. "Your perspective is too narrow. You have more than just twenty percent shares. You have employees who are loyal to you, and... the contract with the Atlantean brand."
"I don't understand..." A flash of insight quickly passed through Lin Xingwan's mind, but she couldn't grasp it.
Zhou Jinbai continued to explain, "Gu Shaoting wants the contract in your hands. You can sell it to him at a high price. As for the twenty percent shares, you can sell those too. Don't worry about Huanyu Company collapsing. With Lin Shirou as a troublemaker, and employees who are already dissatisfied with Gu Shaoting, you can withdraw promptly and then watch Huanyu slowly head towards its demise."
Liu Mengqin and Lin Xingwan stared with wide eyes, looking at Zhou Jinbai with almost worshipful admiration.
The golden morning sun fell upon the man, making him look like a god sent to save Lin Xingwan.
"I'll leave first. I'll pick you up later." Zhou Jinbai turned and left. Lin Xingwan, however, was still savoring his words, as if they were unfinished.
Every sentence was a textbook example of business strategy. What exactly did this man do?
By the time Lin Xingwan came to her senses, she found Liu Mengqin looking at her with a gossip-filled expression.
"No wonder you're not revolving around Gu Shaoting anymore. You've found a new love. Tsk tsk tsk, this Zhou Jinbai completely outshines that scumbag Gu Shaoting. This time, I'm on Zhou Jinbai's side!" Liu Mengqin said with great satisfaction, a smile like that of an aunt.
"Sister Qin, what nonsense are you talking about? Zhou Jinbai and I have nothing going on," Lin Xingwan quickly explained.
"Nothing? Then why did he come to pick you up?"
"Because I'm going shopping with him."
"Why are you going shopping with him?"
"Because I'm going to celebrate his grandmother's birthday with him."
"Oh my, you've only known each other for a few days, and you're already celebrating birthdays together."
Lin Xingwan: "..."
Why did it feel like the more she explained, the worse it got?
Forget it. Too much talk leads to mistakes. She decided to remain silent.
"Alright, I won't tease you anymore. I need to catch up on the work I've accumulated during my leave."
Seeing Lin Xingwan's tearful expression, Liu Mengqin stopped joking.
But why did she feel that Zhou Jinbai and Xingwan together earlier looked so much like a cunning couple?
Lin Xingwan mulled over Zhou Jinbai's words again, then called Gu Shaoting.
She was willing to let Lin Shirou endorse the Atlantean brand, but Gu Shaoting had to give her five million.
As soon as Lin Xingwan hung up, her phone chimed with a notification of a five-million-yuan transfer to her bank account.
The news pop-ups on her phone were all about Lin Shirou endorsing Atlantean jewelry.
Lin Xingwan checked several apps, and Lin Shirou was topping the trending searches on all of them.
The speed was astonishing.
It seemed they were certain she would agree. What a pity, Gu Shaoting. The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. It's still uncertain who will be ruined first.
Lin Xingwan tossed her phone aside, calculating the value of her twenty percent shares. Huanyu Company was currently valued at fifty million, so twenty percent would be ten million.
However, if she sold her shares before any problems arose with Huanyu Company, she could get at least fifteen million.
Combined with the five million Gu Shaoting had just transferred, she would have twenty million.
This money would be enough for her to start another Huanyu with her team!
Leaving the scumbag, the future was bright.
It wasn't until past 2:40 PM that Lin Xingwan finished handling her affairs.
As she walked out of the company building, she saw Zhou Jinbai leaning against a black SUV, playing on his phone.
He was dressed casually, but his posture was as straight as a poplar tree. His domineering yet gentle aura, against the backdrop of the blue sky and white clouds, made him a living painting.
Lin Xingwan preferred sedans to SUVs.
She felt that sedans were suited for refined and gentle people, while SUVs were more for rugged and bold individuals.
But now... Zhou Jinbai had overturned Lin Xingwan's perception.
This man, she felt, would look handsome even riding a scooter, let alone driving an SUV.
As if by telepathy, just as Lin Xingwan was about to speak, Zhou Jinbai looked up.
Their eyes met. Zhou Jinbai put away his phone and opened the car door for Lin Xingwan.
This time, Lin Xingwan immediately fastened her seatbelt.
Zhou Jinbai glanced at the serious woman, feeling an urge to laugh.
"I thought you'd be here at 3:30."
"I knew you'd finish your work before 3:00, so I came at 2:30."
Zhou Jinbai started the car. Although they had only known each other for a few days, their personalities fit together like mortise and tenon joints, perfectly integrated.
"We've known each other for a while, and I still don't know what your job is," Lin Xingwan said, recalling what he had said that morning, and couldn't help but be curious.
Zhou Jinbai absolutely could not reveal his true identity to Lin Xingwan, otherwise, this woman would not be so calm when facing him after knowing the truth.
"I just resigned not long ago. I'm unemployed now."
Lin Xingwan nodded and comforted him, "Work is indeed hard to find these days, and many people are resigning. But with your excellence, you'll definitely find a great job."
"Let's hope so."
The car drove all the way to Rongcheng's largest supermarket. Lin Xingwan followed Zhou Jinbai, going to buy the food needed for the evening.
In reality, Lin Xingwan didn't have much to do. Zhou Jinbai picked out vegetables and bought groceries in one go. In just ten minutes, they had bought all the food they needed for the evening.
"Is there anything else we need to buy?" Zhou Jinbai asked, looking at the woman beside him who seemed to find even grocery shopping exciting, finding her cheerful demeanor somewhat endearing.
"I want to go look over there. If there's time..." she trailed off, implying she could forgo it if not.
"Okay." The man readily agreed.
Lin Xingwan, like a happy little girl, walked towards the bedding section.
This wasn't an act of feigned innocence. It was simply that she hadn't been to a supermarket in a very, very long time.
She also wished she could be like a normal woman, going out to play, eat, and travel on holidays. After work, she'd browse supermarkets and markets, buy herself pretty clothes...
But reality dictated that to save time and maximize company profits, she basically ate all three meals at the company. On the rare day off, she'd sleep in frantically at home.
Now that she was at the supermarket and saw so many things she liked, who wouldn't love shopping when they had enough money?
"I've always wanted a set of coffee cups like this. It would look great displayed in my home."
"I suggest you get dark green. It looks more textured."
"Zhou Jinbai, what do you think of these two lucky cats?"
"They're quite festive, but the seductive cat next to them, with its hands raised holding a plate, is more practical."
Lin Xingwan put both cats into the shopping cart, then bought a large pile of things that Zhou Jinbai considered impractical and flashy.
Even in high heels, the woman's steps were incredibly light.
Lin Xingwan's gaze fell upon a large bed.
"Look, how about this mattress? Doesn't it look nice?" Lin Xingwan pressed her hand on the mattress, "I've always wanted to change my mattress. Mine is too soft, and I wake up with back pain every morning."
"Your taste is excellent. This mattress is the most popular model this season. It uses a double-spring design. Although it's soft, it definitely won't leave you feeling uncomfortable the next morning. If you don't believe me, you can try it."
A staff member from the home textiles section approached Lin Xingwan and enthusiastically introduced the product.
Lin Xingwan sat on the mattress and instinctively pressed down with her body. She swayed slightly, and indeed, the elasticity was good.
"It's quite nice, very comfortable to sit on," Lin Xingwan praised, making the staff member's expression even more excited.
"This mattress was originally 18,888, but it's now on sale for only 13,888. If you like it, you can buy one."
Just as Lin Xingwan was about to speak, Zhou Jinbai interjected, "Choosing a mattress isn't as simple as just sitting on it."
"Then how should I choose?" Lin Xingwan asked.
Zhou Jinbai walked up to Lin Xingwan and, meeting her questioning gaze, pushed her onto the bed.
The next second, his body also covered hers.