"Then wear something loose and casual, as long as it's presentable. You're here to be an assistant, not a princess. Look at how you've dolled yourself up."
With that, her work finished, the two exited the company doors, one after the other.
This time, even the security guards at the entrance began to doubt.
What was this woman's relationship with President Zhan?
They looked so well-matched, so harmonious, chatting and laughing.
It was too sweet.
The next day, Zhou Yu'an proactively asked Ke Jingyu to meet.
After work that evening, he invited Zhan Bei Jue for dinner.
Before the food arrived, they got straight to the point.
Zhou Yu'an told him that the Ke Corporation had offered him many generous terms.
People die for wealth, and birds die for food. Since he was risking his reputation to switch jobs, he had to choose the best benefits. What could the Zhan Corporation offer him in return?
Zhan Bei Jue said nothing. After a moment of contemplation, he advised him.
"Then you can go directly to President Ke's side. To be honest, I can't offer you the same generous terms as President Ke."
"The Zhan Corporation doesn't need you exclusively, but the Ke Corporation plans to shift its focus to Nancheng in the future."
"By joining the company now, you'll be a pillar of his new empire. This will be more beneficial to your future career."
Zhan Bei Jue had gone to great lengths to arrange a meeting with him, only to persuade him to join a competitor?
What kind of strategy was this?
Was it a provocation, or the opposite approach?
Zhou Yu'an was bewildered by him.
Back home, Zhou Jinbei asked him.
"How did it go? Did you secure it? I knew that old man surnamed Ke wouldn't be your match."
Zhan Bei Jue pulled off his tie and threw it onto the sofa, instructing her to draw a bath.
"In the future, say less of such boastful things. Everything has its successes and failures; I'm not a god, how can I possibly have everything go my way every time?"
"Don't you go bragging outside."
"So, you mean it fell through? It didn't work out? Your ex-wife poached him?"
Zhou Jinbei asked, surprised.
Zhan Bei Jue remained expressionless, ignoring her.
Zhou Jinbei, being sharp, quickly sensed something unusual about him.
"I get it. From my perspective, you didn't even negotiate with him, did you?"
"After I told you what happened this afternoon, you decided not to pursue him anymore?"
"You feel sorry for your ex-wife and want to keep good things for him. You're really one for helping others."
Zhan Bei Jue turned and lightly tapped her on the head.
"I've realized that your intelligence returns to its peak when you're away from Jiang Sicheng. Why are you so timid when you're with him?"
They glared at each other in disdain.
"Look at your meager ambition, only daring to act tough at home."
With Zhou Yu'an settled, Jiang Nan Fang focused her energy on the bid for New Vision Technology.
Since she had no prior experience in smart electrical systems, she had to consult a lot of information and visit many experienced individuals.
The work was extremely arduous.
After two sleepless nights, the bid was finally completed, and the day for the preliminary review arrived.
As Jiang Nan Fang and her assistant took their seats in the New Vision conference room, Zhan Bei Jue arrived with Zhou Jinbei.
She hadn't expected that a mere New Vision would require the personal involvement of President Zhan.
She wondered if he truly valued this project or if he was deliberately opposing her.
However, none of it mattered; Jiang Nan Fang believed in her own capabilities.
Representatives from other companies gradually entered, and staff members came in to pour tea for everyone.
Jiang Nan Fang didn't drink tea, only plain water. Her assistant placed a disposable paper cup in front of her.
Zhou Jinbei, sitting beside her, clamored for milk.
After pouring the water, the assistant turned back to get milk for Zhou Jinbei, but inadvertently brushed against Jiang Nan Fang's cup, knocking it over.
The scalding hot water unexpectedly spilled onto her leg.
Jiang Nan Fang, holding her laptop, and Zhou Jinbei, sitting next to her, simultaneously slid their chairs back and stood up.
"What happened? Do you want to scald someone to death? So clumsy."
Only a few splashes of water hit Zhou Jinbei, but she acted as if she had been greatly startled.
She instinctively clutched her stomach.
Fortunately, Jiang Nan Fang was wearing a dress today, which was relatively forgiving.
Her entire leg was wet. She lifted her skirt and shook it. A staff member, pale with fright, said,
"It's alright. I'll handle it."
"Let me find a hairdryer for you. I'm so sorry, are you burned? Let me get you some burn ointment."
"It's not that serious, just a bit warm, not a burn. You go ahead and attend to your duties."
After comforting the staff member for a moment, Jiang Nan Fang walked out of the conference room, clutching her skirt.
Zhan Bei Jue's brows furrowed deeply, his gaze following her retreating back until she was out of sight.
"Zhou Jinbei."
He suddenly called out in a low voice.
Zhou Jinbei dusted off her clothes, sat down, and leaned her head over.
"What?"
"Go and see how she's doing."
"Why don't you ask me how I am? I was scalded too!"
Zhou Jinbei complained, rolling her eyes at Zhan Bei Jue.
He only had eyes for his ex-wife.
She hadn't even glanced at you since she arrived. Does she have no self-respect?
"Say one more foolish word and see what happens."
Zhan Bei Jue shot her a cold glance.
There were many people in the conference room, but overall it was quite quiet.
Zhou Jinbei dared not throw a tantrum with him anymore and could only obediently stand up.
"Alright, alright, I'll go, won't I?"
She found Jiang Nan Fang in the women's restroom.
The burn was quite severe, reddening half of her left leg.
She was applying a cold compress with wet tissues to her leg.
Zhou Jinbei pretended to wash her hands, glanced at her, and asked,
"Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Jiang Nan Fang replied without looking up.
"Do you need me to get you some medicine?"
"No need." She tossed the tissue into the trash can and looked at Zhou Jinbei.
"Aren't you still studying? Why are you here today? Where is Ah Zhong?"
Jiang Nan Fang still had some special feelings for Ah Zhong.
Besides their long acquaintance and frequent interactions,
Ah Zhong's appearance and character were rare among his peers, and she admired him greatly.
Furthermore, after following Zhan Bei Jue for so long, why would he suddenly disappear without a trace?
Mentioning Ah Zhong made Zhou Jinbei feel a bit uncomfortable.
"How would I know where he is? My second brother asked me to help, so I came."
"So you're not going to school anymore?" Jiang Nan Fang asked again.
"No. You know, for people like us, education doesn't serve much purpose."
A classic display of Versailles.
Indeed.
She was the pampered daughter of a company-owning family; she didn't need to work for others, so a diploma was irrelevant.
However, based on the limited interactions she'd had with her.
Zhou Jinbei was too superficial and impetuous; it would be better for her to read more.
Jiang Nan Fang advised her with a mix of persuasion and sarcasm.
"Sometimes, studying isn't about getting a diploma to show off, but about broadening your horizons and cultivating your character."
"I always thought families like yours placed great importance on education."
Jiang Nan Fang's implication was that her horizons were not broad enough, her character not steady enough, and she still needed cultivation.
How could Zhou Jinbei not understand?
She looked down on me?