Chapter 107: “If I breathe in the wind that’s kissed your cheek, can it be as if we’ve embraced once more?”
After chatting idly with Yang Xin for a bit, the group sat on the office sofa and waited.
Before long, Director Chen arrived carrying her handbag and entered the room.
“You’re Jiang Zhou?”
“Hello, Director Chen. I’m Jiang Zhou, from Shangjing.”
Jiang Zhou stood up and introduced himself and the two girls with him.
Director Chen nodded and sat behind her desk, beginning to organize some documents.
Although she was nearly fifty, she didn’t appear very aged.
Most women at that age went for perms or curly waves, but she kept a crisp, ear-length bob.
There were fine lines at the corners of her eyes, but judging by her features, it was clear: she must’ve been a real beauty back in her day.
Tsk tsk…
If there is one redeeming quality about Yan Weimin, it was his taste in women.
“Where’s your project proposal? Let me take a look.”
Jiang Zhou glanced at Su Nan. “Go on, give Director Chen the materials.”
“Oh! Right.” Su Nan pulled out the proposal they had prepared the night before and handed it to her.
Director Chen flipped through the pages. “Xiao Jiang, how is Director Yan doing these days?”
“He’s doing well, though as he gets older, he seems to grow more nostalgic.”
“Nostalgic? How so?”
Jiang Zhou pretended to think. “He zones out staring out windows, especially on windy days.”
Director Chen scoffed. “Some things never change. Still as eccentric as ever.”
“Yeah. The other day it was storming, and for some reason he insisted on running outside. No one could stop him.”
“Why?”
“How should I know? He was all fired up, saying the wind was coming from the south. It was bizarre.”
Hearing this, Su Nan and Mu Xiaoxiao exchanged a glance.
They had read that letter the night before and understood the symbolism. That “southern wind” referred to the breeze from University of Technology that once blew toward Shangjing.
The reference was to that emotional line:“If I’ve breathed the same evening breeze you did, then haven’t we already embraced?”
That shameless boss of theirs was clearly laying the emotional groundwork again.
No doubt he’d pull out the letter soon and deal a heavy blow to Director Chen’s heart.
He always knew how to hit the softest part of someone’s emotions.
Scumbag as he was, he carried an air of sentimental nobility.
And it made sense.
Only someone with sky-high emotional intelligence could be a truly convincing scumbag.
After all, they always knew exactly where to press.
“Director, what do you think of our project?”
Director Chen was quiet for a while. “It’s quite good. The goals are clear, positioning is accurate. A solid project.”
Jiang Zhou breathed a sigh of relief. “I hope to promote it at U Tech and participate in the investment fair next month.”
“Getting U Tech on board boosts your credibility?”
“Exactly. If I secure U Tech, I can claim my platform, Ganfanren, is used by college students across Shangjing. Without it, I can only say it’s popular in Shangjing. The difference is massive.”
Director Chen smiled. “Why are you so eager to make money, young man?”
Jiang Zhou stretched lazily. “Money’s a good thing.”
“Love is good too. Why not spend more of your college days dating instead of starting a business?”
“I’m doing both. Building a startup and dating.”
Director Chen dropped her smile. “How many girlfriends?”
What kind of question was that?
This woman had clearly never gotten over her old flame.
Thirty years later and still holding a grudge?
Given how things went with Yan Weimin, Jiang Zhou was cautious. “Uh… just one.”
Director Chen snorted again. “I doubt Yan Weimin could’ve trained a good disciple.”
Jiang Zhou rubbed his nose awkwardly. “Can I change my answer to that last question?”
“Which one? Why you’re so eager to make money?”
“Yeah. I’ve come up with another reason.”
Director Chen sipped her tea. “Go on. Let’s see what you come up with this time.”
Jiang Zhou cleared his throat. “I like a girl. Her family’s very wealthy. If I don’t work hard, I won’t be worthy of marrying her someday.”
“So, the girl you like is like a princess guarded by an evil dragon?”
“Pretty much. And I’m a broke knight forging my own weapon to slay that dragon.”
His words were light, but his eyes had grown sharp and focused.
Director Chen caught the shift in his expression and went quiet.
Mu Xiaoxiao nudged Su Nan and whispered, “Was that true, what the boss just said?”
Su Nan thought for a moment. “That guy lies nine out of ten times, but… this one sounded real.”
“Why?”
“I’ve seen that princess.”
She remembered what happened days ago.
Jiang Zhou had said he was broke and couldn’t go on.
Then Student Feng casually handed him 100,000 yuan.
That girl definitely wasn’t from an average family.
So the “princess” must be Feng Siruo, and the “sword” was his startup, Ganfanren.
As for the dragon… who knew.
Director Chen closed the project folder. “Let’s drop the fairy tales. Back to the project.”
Jiang Zhou nodded. “If you have any questions, just ask.”
“How do you plan to expand it?”
“Get funding, roll it out nationwide, and normalize food delivery as a daily habit.”
She chuckled. “Ambitious. But how do you make that happen?”
“Start in major cities, then radiate outward to smaller ones. Begin by conquering university districts, then expand to residential and office areas.”
“You’ve got a big appetite. Be careful not to burst your stomach.”
Jiang Zhou thumped his chest. “Success or failure, at least I’ll go down swinging. If I lose, I’ll just start over!”
At that, Director Chen set the folder aside.
She wasn’t opposed to students starting businesses.
She could be quite supportive when it came to U Tech’s own students.
But this kid wasn’t even from their school.
And the worst part was that his mentor was Yan Weimin!
He had that same glib tongue and shameless flair as Yan Weimin did in the past.
The more she looked at him, the more annoyed she felt.
She didn’t want to approve it.
But Jiang Zhou wasn’t an amateur at this.
He’d lived over thirty years, a master of reading people.
He knew this was the crucial moment, the final move that could make or break it.
He suddenly stood up and pulled out an envelope from his pocket.
“Director, I just remembered. Director Yan asked me to deliver a letter.”
“A letter? From Yan Weimin?”
Jiang Zhou nodded. “He specifically asked me to hand it to you myself.”
Director Chen froze for a moment, then slowly reached out and took the envelope.
Su Nan and Mu Xiaoxiao both held their breath.
This was the pivotal moment.
Whether they succeeded or failed depended on the “evening breeze” Yan Weimin once breathed.
Riiip!
Director Chen opened the envelope and read:
Dear Fang,
You are the dream that both delights and haunts me.
The one I long for in the quietest moments.
It’s been so long… are you well?
Lately, I’ve been overcome with the urge to seek you out, no matter the cost.
This yearning makes me feel young again.
But I, who once hurt you, no longer have the courage I once did.
So now, I ask myself a question every day: Last night, a southern breeze brushed past me.
Could it have also touched you?
If so, if I breathe in the wind that’s kissed your cheek, can it be as if we’ve embraced once more?
Awaiting your reply,
With love,
—Min
After reading the final line, Director Chen’s expression suddenly grew complex.
“Jiang… Jiang Zhou?”
Jiang Zhou nodded. “I’m here, Director.”
Director Chen was silent for a long while. “Did you… read this letter?”
“No, absolutely not! A letter for you from Director Yan, I wouldn’t dare!”
“Mm. But… you said earlier he likes to run toward wherever the wind is blowing?”
Jiang Zhou nodded seriously. “As soon as there’s wind, he bolts outside. I think he wants to be a kite!”
Her eyes shimmered with moisture. “And when he runs out… does he say anything?”
“Not really. He runs too fast. I couldn’t catch up.”
“I see…”
After another long pause, Jiang Zhou asked, “So… about the project, Director Chen… what’s your verdict?”
She pulled a slip from the drawer, signed it, and handed it to him. “Here. If you run into any issues promoting this, feel free to send someone to ask me directly.”
“Thank you, Director!”
“Mm. Now you all leave. Xiao Yang too, go take a break. Let me be alone for a while.”
Yang Xin stood up and nodded, then followed the others out of the building.
Inside the office, Director Chen sat alone. Eyes closed, silent, breathing uneven.
“If I breathe in the wind that’s kissed your cheek, can it be as if we’ve embraced once more?”