Chapter 5

Monday, Dai Jiao returned.

After the morning meeting, Dai Jiao followed Sharon Shu into her office.

Once she closed the door behind her, she said, “That young master is nothing like I imagined. I thought he’d be some kind of revered idol.”

The “young master” she referred to was Wu Tianqi.

Dai Jiao was the firm’s “frequent flyer,” often caught between project meetings, construction sites, and milestone confirmations, sometimes not even setting foot in the office for a whole week.

A few new interns had recently joined, and she hadn’t learned all their names yet.

Before the meeting, she remembered she’d left a file in her car and happened to bump into Wu Tianqi. Seeing his unfamiliar face, she assumed he was one of the interns and asked him to run an errand and bring up some coffee. Without a word, he obediently went.

It was only during the meeting that she realized he was the young master who had brought the hotel renovation project into the firm.

“It’s nothing special. If you’re here to work, then work properly. His parents also want us to find more tasks for him,” Sharon said.

After a good rest over the weekend, Sharon was in high spirits today.

Leaning against her desk, Dai Jiao said, “At this rate, I might start to think all rich people are as down-to-earth as you.”

Before meeting Sharon, Dai Jiao had pictured wealthy people as those who only traveled in luxury cars, flaunted their status extravagantly, and were dressed head to toe in designer labels.

But after knowing Sharon, she realized there were some ultra-wealthy individuals who preferred to keep a low profile.

For instance, the car Sharon usually drove was a modest electric vehicle worth over 400,000 yuan, hardly noticeable on the road. Even after working late into the night, she would come to work the next day with dark circles under her eyes.

Yet, there was still something different about her.

She carried an air of calm and serenity, and her demeanor remained steady even when facing challenges.

“By the way, I heard the client from Jinhe Mansion is a handsome guy? How handsome could he be to make them overlook the client’s awful attitude?” Dai Jiao asked.

Sharon thought of Ji Xi’s face. “He is quite handsome.”

Dai Jiao: “Were you classmates? You seemed so polite to each other in the communication group.”

Sharon: “We weren’t close back in high school.”

“Since you’re classmates, he should be part of your circle too, right? Is he as down-to-earth as you?” Dai Jiao asked curiously.

Sharon had no idea.

She recalled that Saturday night when the yacht returned to the dock, and she had escorted a slightly intoxicated Zheng Tingyan home. By the roadside, they saw him accept a tissue from a woman, which had a phone number written on it.

“He’s probably a playboy anyway.”

Dai Jiao clicked her tongue. “Better watch out, don’t let any of our firm’s girls get fooled.”

Sharon: “Good point. I’ll be careful.”

After Dai Jiao left the office, Sharon called Wu Tianqi in.

“What’s up, Sharon?” He looked tired, the fatigue evident in his expression.

His friends had thrown a party last night to celebrate his first day at work, and it had gone on until very late.

Sharon said, “You met Della, right? The other boss at the firm.”

Wu Tianqi nodded.

Sharon picked up several sketches on the desk—all drawn by Wu Tianqi on Friday.

She had assigned him the task of daily producing six paintings based on three architectural images: three geometric abstractions and three abstract paintings.

“How do you feel about the workload?”

Wu Tianqi: “It’s about right.”

Sharon pulled out one geometric line drawing. “This took you five minutes, didn’t it?”

Wu Tianqi corrected her, “More like ten minutes.”

Unexpectedly, he felt a flutter of nerves, like a student facing their mentor.

Sharon placed the drawings on the desk. “Redo all of them.”

Wu Tianqi: “Huh?”

Sharon: “They’re not detailed enough. Your lines aren’t clean, and the details are missing. Take them back.”

Wu Tianqi sighed softly.

He hadn’t spent much time on these sketches and felt guilty about it.

He took the six paintings back and casually asked a question he would soon regret.

“Is it enough if I just redo these six today?”

“Of course not,” Sharon said. “Today’s work stays in today.”

Wu Tianqi: “…That’s too much.”

Sharon: “That’s how work is—revisions are part of it. Don’t let it interfere with other tasks.”

“But—”

Wu Tianqi tried to protest but shut up after Sharon gave him a look.

Though calm, that look silenced him immediately.

Sharon knew people like him too well; with them, you had to be firm.

Carrying his drawings, Wu Tianqi left the office and couldn’t resist messaging his friends to vent.

Everyone says the eldest princess of the Shu family is gentle, but where’s the gentleness?

-Wu Tianqi: She’s way too strict.

-Wu Tianqi: What princess? She’s clearly a big boss.

Back at his desk, he immediately received a reply: “Lucky you, I want someone to boss me around too.”

Wu Tianqi: “…”

Is there something wrong with these people?

**

Sharon had a busy week. Besides ongoing projects and competitions, she needed to conduct research at the hotel Wu Tianqi had brought in.

On Wednesday, she invited Wu Tianqi along.

With Sharon’s assistant Yuanyuan, the three set off in the afternoon, Wu Tianqi volunteering to drive.

In the car, Wu Tianqi asked, “Sharon, since we’re going out this afternoon, do I still need to paint six?”

Sitting in the back, Sharon nodded. “Three will do.”

Wu Tianqi: “For three images, I paint two for each, right? For the third image, should I do the geometric abstraction or the abstract painting? How about—”

Sharon: “How about four?”

Wu Tianqi: “...Fine, three it is.”

The hotel owned by the Wu family was located in a scenic area on the outskirts of South City, over thirty kilometers from downtown.

Upon arrival, the manager warmly welcomed them.

After greetings, the manager led them on a tour.

The hotel positioned itself as a luxury resort with comprehensive services and facilities, though it showed signs of aging.

“We’re one of the earlier hotels here,” the manager said.

Sharon: “The scenery here is beautiful.”

Nestled in the mountains, guests could enjoy lush mountain views from both the garden and their rooms.

Manager: “Today’s weather isn’t great, but sunny days are even better. Rainy days aren’t bad either.”

It was a heavily overcast day, and the forecast predicted rain starting tonight, continuing for several days.

Touring the entire hotel was tiring.

Afterward, they sat down for coffee before exploring the hotel surroundings.

As a native of South City, Sharon had only been to this scenic area two or three times and wasn’t very familiar with it.

Seeing Wu Tianqi’s ease, she asked, “You know this place well?”

Wu Tianqi: “My parents thought the scenery here was great and perfect for relaxing. To make frequent visits more convenient, they built this hotel. I often came with them when I was a kid.”

Sharon nodded, no particular reaction—this was just normal to her.

Yuanyuan was already wide-eyed in amazement.

Building a hotel just to vacation here?

By the time they finished their walk around the hotel, it was already five o’clock.

With the approaching rain and autumn, it was noticeably darker earlier than before.

“Why don’t we stay for dinner?” Wu Tianqi suggested. “The Chinese restaurant here is excellent. The head chef was brought in by my dad. Their Eight Treasure Duck is, in my opinion, the best in South City.”

Sharon had no plans for the evening, so dining here was fine.

She looked at Yuanyuan.

Yuanyuan: “I’m good with that.”

The three went to the restaurant, where the manager arranged a private room for them.

After ordering, Sharon took out her phone and saw that Zheng Tingyan had tagged her in their small group chat a little while ago.

-Zheng Tingyan: @Sharon Shu, has Yan Yi come back yet?

-Zheng Tingyan: I saw his car pull into the Stay club this afternoon when I was meeting a client.

Stay was a club Sharon rarely visited, only once when it first opened.

Sharon replied: He should be back.

-Zheng Tingyan: You didn’t know he was back?

-Zheng Tingyan: Who dates like that?

-Sharon: …

-Sharon: He said he’d probably be back these days.

-Sharon: I was out doing site research this afternoon, no contact with him.

No contact yesterday either.

They usually met two or three times a week; when busy, they’d just chat briefly on WeChat or call, sometimes forgetting was normal.

The waiter brought their dishes.

Wu Tianqi: “Here it is, the food’s here. Try it!”

Sharon chatted briefly with Zheng Tingyan again before putting her phone down.

The food was indeed delicious, especially the Eight Treasure Duck.

Halfway through the meal, Sharon’s phone rang.

She glanced at the caller ID, stood up, and said, “You two eat, I’ll take this.”

Stepping out of the private room, Sharon answered, “Uncle?”

“Ranran, are you busy?”

“Not busy, eating dinner. What’s up, Uncle?”

On the phone, her uncle Xue Sheng sighed, “The company is facing a hostile takeover.”

Sharon only stopped walking after leaving the restaurant. “Hostile takeover?”

Private equity funds had been acquiring shares in the company through various means. Once their holding reached a controlling stake, they would take over and marginalize the original management.

Lacking operational capability, they would quickly liquidate the company’s assets.

Her uncle’s company was now their target.

Xue Sheng was trying to defend by increasing his own stake.

But on the other side, the buying continued. After yesterday’s bid, the private equity fund’s shares were very close to the largest shareholder’s.

Sharon: “Why are you only telling me now about such a big issue?”

Xue Sheng: “You don’t usually get involved in the company’s operations.”

Sharon had no experience in company management or finance and understood little of these matters.

If he wasn’t desperate, her uncle wouldn’t have come to her.

“Uncle, don’t worry, I’ll think of a solution.”

After hanging up with Xue Sheng, Sharon opened her contacts.

When she saw a certain contact, she hesitated for a moment, then scrolled down.

She tapped on “Yan Yi” and called him.

Her uncle was looking for a third party to cooperate with.

Most people around her were as uninformed as she was. Zheng Tingyan, despite running her own company, couldn’t put up tens of billions to enter; they needed an institution.

The first person she thought of who could help was Yan Yi.

The ringing tone sounded from her phone.

Sharon held the phone to her ear.

She had just stepped outside when she noticed it had started raining. Now the rain was heavier, and the sky was completely dark. Under the streetlight, she could see the raindrops clearly.

The company had been founded by her mother and uncle with great effort. She would never let it fall into the wrong hands.

The ringing stopped.

—“Sorry, the number you have dialed is not answering at the moment. Please try again later.”