Jiang Jingyu thought: Why not just tell her directly? She's not much older than me, and we don't have much of a generation gap. If we work together to fool Mom and Dad, she should be able to cooperate.
With that in mind, Jiang Jingyu walked over with a smile, sat in her seat, placed his fingers on the mouse, and said sweetly.
"I remember we're not far apart in age. Can I ask how old President Lu is this year?"
His smile didn't reach his eyes. Although his features were handsome, it couldn't change the fact that he was grinning slyly.
Lu Jiaying, who could see right through him, was sure he was plotting something.
"Don't discuss personal matters during work hours. If you're that curious, go to the company's official website after work. Take a good look at what you've written."
This woman is so rigid.
There really is a generation gap every three years. There's an eight-year difference between us, so the generation gap is quite significant. She can't even take a joke.
Jiang Jingyu's mind raced. Since she was being so uncooperative, how should he approach the topic next?
Lu Jiaying stood beside him, the fabrics of their clothes brushing against each other almost imperceptibly.
She leaned down slightly, her head peeking over his shoulder to look at the screen. Her young, pleasant voice drifted into his ears, carrying a faint, lingering fragrance.
"Why haven't you noted anything about the production department? Were you spacing out when they were talking? If you were a formally hired intern, you wouldn't pass with this kind of performance. But since you're the young CEO, I'll let it slide."
She pointed at the computer screen with her finger. Jiang Jingyu thought she was actually going to guide him.
However, two seconds later, he felt a burning sensation on his leg.
Looking down, he saw that Lu Jiaying, engrossed in looking at the computer screen, had tilted her coffee cup.
The coffee was flowing onto his leg like a small, continuous spring.
Jiang Jingyu yanked his chair back and stood up, looking at her unhappily.
"President Lu, your coffee spilled on my pants!"
Lu Jiaying seemed to realize what had happened and quickly put down the cup and rushed to his side.
"I'm so sorry, I wasn't paying attention. Are you okay? Did it burn you?"
If she hadn't said it with a smile, her sincere tone would have made anyone think she was genuinely remorseful.
But Jiang Jingyu could clearly see her expression. She was smiling so cunningly, without any pretense, clearly retaliating for his actions that morning.
"You're smiling so happily. Are you sure you didn't do it on purpose?"
Lu Jiaying withdrew her smile, took a step back, and resumed her professional demeanor, crossing her arms and looking at him.
"Alright, since you've seen through me, I won't pretend anymore. I did it on purpose. But you splashed me first. It's only polite to reciprocate, so I don't think I went too far."
The coffee was scalding hot, and she really didn't hold back.
Jiang Jingyu's leg stung from the heat. Fortunately, they were black pants, so the wetness wasn't obvious. Otherwise, how could he face anyone?
"You don't think it was too much? I wasn't doing it on purpose earlier..."
"Young CEO, I'll answer your question now. I'm 26 years old, eight years older than you. Do you think I can't tell if you're lying?"
Lu Jiaying said calmly, "You deliberately splashed me with hot coffee first, and now I've splashed you back. I'd say it's very fair. I'm not even angry, and you want to be?"
Her logic was sound, and Jiang Jingyu was momentarily speechless.
This was good too. Since she had seen through him, he might as well stop pretending.
Jiang Jingyu ignored his pants.
"Fine. Since you think you can see right through me, I'll stop playing along. Actually, I didn't want to come here."
"It's not that I have a problem with you, nor with this job. It's that I have other plans."
Lu Jiaying could tell he was being sincere.
"Your plans aren't approved by your Mom and Dad, so they sent you here?"
"Yes."
"Can you tell me what your plans are?"
"It's fine to tell you. But you have to promise to be on my side. Time is running out. I have to leave tomorrow. Whether I can go depends entirely on you. You..."
Hearing him say that, Lu Jiaying quickly raised her hand to interrupt him.
"Don't put such a heavy burden on me. Since you know your plans come at such a high cost and have serious consequences, I'd rather not hear about them."
But whether Jiang Jingyu could go this time truly depended on her. She had to listen, whether she wanted to or not.
He took a step forward and, like he would with a sister, grabbed her shoulders.
"President Lu, please listen to me. I just want to go out and play for a few days. Climbing Mount Everest isn't dangerous at all; that team is professional..."
Lu Jiaying couldn't align herself with him, so she adamantly refused to listen to his persuasion.
Besides, they were at work, and their current posture was rather undignified.
She pushed him away, walked to the window, leaned against the wall, and turned back to look at him.
"No matter what you want to do, or whether it's dangerous or not, those aren't the points I care about."
"I'm just an employee. The key point is, if President Zhan and President Jiang don't agree, I can't agree either. Firstly, I don't have that much authority, and secondly, I can't bear the severe consequences. So, young CEO, please don't make things difficult for me."
"How is this making things difficult? I made a mistake earlier, and my performance was poor. As long as you report to my Dad that I'm not suitable for this job..."
Lu Jiaying felt that although he was tall and quite intelligent when doing homework, he was still a child psychologically.
His thinking was so naive.
"There are countless positions at Zhan Group. If this one isn't suitable for you, he can arrange another one for you..."
Jiang Jingyu became impatient. "I don't want to go! There's no time. Can't you think of a way to make me look stupid, to prevent me from staying at the company?"
Lu Jiaying still refused to cooperate. "What if something happens to you while you're away? Will I be held responsible? Even if not, my conscience will be uneasy. So, this is impossible."
"Excuse me, young CEO. If you don't want to come to the company, you can simply not come. There's no need to make things difficult for me. Let's not talk about this topic anymore."
Her refusal to help made Jiang Jingyu feel a bit troubled.
But something she said in her refusal sparked an idea.
If you don't want to come, then don't.
Exactly!
Since he didn't want to do it, he could leave right now!
"You said it yourself, if I don't want to come, then I don't have to. I'm leaving now."
Saying that, he turned to leave, and Lu Jiaying watched him calmly from where she stood.
"Since your Mom and Dad don't intend for you to go, do you think they'll give you funds to travel? Before you leave the company and completely anger your father, I suggest you check your bank balance first."
Her words were like a wake-up call.
How could he have forgotten that?
If his Mom and Dad didn't want him to go, their first action would definitely be to freeze his bank card.
He took out his phone and quickly checked it.
Well, Lu Jiaying was right. There was no money in his account.