Shi Sui smiled and agreed. “Gorgeous.”
Later at dinner, back at the hotel to rest, Shi Sui pulled a postcard from under the pillow like magic and handed it to her. She took it suspiciously, glanced, and exclaimed in surprise. “How do you have her autograph!!!”
Shi Sui said, “I asked Ye Yu to get it.”
Ye Yu didn’t catch the “again” and laughed. “I actually like being bothered by you all.”
Jiang Ruoning muttered.
Ye Yu said, “Yun An’s back, right?”
Jiang Ruoning: “Yeah, arrived this afternoon. I just picked her up at the airport.”
“I’m heading abroad next Friday—probably staying two months,” Ye Yu said. “Let’s have dinner before I go.”
“Two months.” Jiang Ruoning said, “That’ll be almost New Year.”
Ye Yu replied, “Pretty much back for New Year.”
Jiang Ruoning asked, “You still going to Yun An’s hometown for New Year this year?”
Ye Yu paused. “If there’s a chance.”
She asked, “What about you?”
Jiang Ruoning said, “Of course I’ll go.”
Ye Yu laughed. “Bringing Shi Sui?”
Jiang Ruoning froze for two seconds, then blurted, “Why would I bring her!”
Her denial came too fast.
Like she was covering something up.
Ye Yu said, “Got it. I’ll ping the group when the dinner time’s set.”
Jiang Ruoning said “oh.”
She listened as Ye Yu hung up.
Bring Shi Sui?
Jiang Ruoning lowered her eyes, then heard Wu-jie call her. “Ruoning.”
She looked up.
Wu Jie handed her a stack of documents. “This is the winter show lead model contract from LESS. The lawyer already reviewed it—no issues. Do you want to look it over again?”
Jiang Ruoning took it. “So fast?”
“I think it’s pretty fast too.” Wu Jie said, “When President Shi first got involved, I thought she was tough to deal with. Now I don’t think so anymore.”
Jiang Ruoning lowered her head and bit her lip. “What about her now?”
“She’s practically a living bodhisattva!” Wu Jie laughed until her eyes narrowed into slits. “You have no idea how many tactics I tried over the past six months to get Fengshang to clear up that mess, but I couldn’t even get a meeting. If it weren’t for President Shi this time, we’d still be tangled up with Ai Wen.”
Jiang Ruoning lowered her gaze.
She looked at the contract in front of her.
The terms were clear, and the compensation generous.
Wu Jie said, “I heard Del started investigating Ai Wen and Du Youran internally. You can sleep easy tonight.”
Jiang Ruoning gripped the contract tightly.
Wu Jie didn’t hear her respond and plopped down beside her. “Ruoning?”
Jiang Ruoning turned her head. “Hm?”
Wu Jie said, “What are you thinking about? Didn’t you hear me?”
Jiang Ruoning asked, “What?”
Wu Jie said, “Rest well these next couple of days. There’s the LESS shoot next week, then we’re off to Yongquan for Fengshang’s private show.”
Jiang Ruoning turned her head. “To Yongquan?”
Wu Jie nodded. “Not in Shangjing this time—they opened a branch there. That’s where we’re going.”
Jiang Ruoning said, “Got it.”
Wu Jie grinned. “Then remember to pack.” She stood up as an agent walked in at the door, looking for Wu Jie. Jiang Ruoning looked up and saw Wu Jie chatting happily with the agent.
“Ruoning’s finally free of Ai Wen this time,” the agent congratulated.
Wu Jie said, “We have LESS to thank for that. Later, I’ll treat everyone to afternoon tea at that restaurant you recommended last time—I haven’t tried it yet. Once President Shi’s back, I plan to check it out.”
“Going all out, huh?” the agent teased.
Wu Jie replied, “Of course! You don’t know how many times Ai Wen and Del pissed me off. This time, even my qi is flowing smoothly.”
Jiang Ruoning: …
She lowered her head and signed the authorization at the end of the contract.
As she left the company, Wu Jie asked her, “Did you add President Shi’s contact last time like I told you?”
Jiang Ruoning nodded. “I did.”
Wu Jie said, “Keep in touch with her more when you have nothing going on.”
Jiang Ruoning gripped her phone so tightly her fingertips hurt. She took a deep breath. “Got it.”
Shi Sui discovered that Jiang Ruoning had blacklisted her.
It happened as she got off the plane.
She listened to Jiang Nuan report on the progress: Ai Wen reaping what she sowed, Xu Qingqing shooting herself in the foot, Lin Wei exiting the Q4 Project. Jiang Nuan summed it up: “Aside from ceding a whole city, it was a beautiful battle.”
The “city” Jiang Nuan referred to was LESS transferring a prime storefront to Fengshang.
Right in the city center.
The news quickly reached the committee. Xu Qingqing frowned as she refreshed the public opinion feeds.
Jiang Ruoning’s reputation had flipped from last night’s nationwide mockery to LESS stepping in this morning. The conflict between Ai Wen and LESS deepened. Ai Wen threw out her “proof,” forcing LESS to respond.
The response stated that the initial draft contract had been negotiated by Lin Wei, the vice president, and Ai Wen. Due to pricing disagreements, it hadn’t been reported to the general manager, leading to the morning’s fiasco. Lin Wei would bear full responsibility. Meanwhile, Ms. Ai Wen had used the draft to manipulate public opinion, and LESS reserved the right to pursue legal action.
Ai Wen backed down.
She finally deleted that insinuating Weibo post and the one with the contract attachment.
Unfortunately, screenshots were already circulating, and people were demanding answers from Del’s official channels. Del hadn’t responded yet when a new wave hit—this time from Jiang Ruoning and Fengshang, demanding an explanation from Ai Wen and Del.
Xu Qingqing watched helplessly as Jiang Ruoning turned from nationwide ridicule to a comeback victory. She cursed, “Idiots! A bunch of idiots!”
Ai Wen, the target of her ire, didn’t dare show her face and slunk away to close her comments. Del was in chaos.
The half-year-old issue of Jiang Ruoning’s dismissal wasn’t enough on its own, but then Du Youran abused her position and connections.
If it had just been a company like LESS backing Jiang Ruoning, Del would issue a bland statement and let it fade.
But Fengshang was different.
Fengshang carried real weight in the industry.
And then there was…
Ye Yu.
With all parties jumping in at once, the internet was a chaotic mess, like a pot of porridge.
Amid it all, Jiang Ruoning’s reputation spiraled upward. The initial accusations of disrespecting the brand and wearing the wrong label during the shoot were cleared by Fengshang, drawing a close to the half-year saga.
Netizens had just started pitying Jiang Ruoning when Du Youran, the resource hog, entered the fray.
Jiang Ruoning’s grassroots background got highlighted again, contrasting sharply with Du Youran.
No matter how uniform the water army or marketing accounts were…
Jiang Ruoning flipped the script.
Xu Qingqing sat in her office. Her assistant glanced at her darkened expression and reported, “Director Xu, the committee’s evaluation on Jiang Ruoning is out.”
It was two points higher than yesterday.
Xu Qingqing glanced at the trend graph on the tablet and shoved it away. “Has Lin Wei returned?”
The assistant said, “President Lin just landed.”
Just landed.
Unhappily, she ran into Shi Sui and Jiang Nuan.
A company car was arranged to pick them up.
The moment Lin Wei saw Jiang Nuan, her lips twitched, and undisguised hatred flashed in her eyes. Shi Sui turned to Jiang Nuan. “What exactly did you do to her?”
It was their first encounter, and Lin Wei’s glare wasn’t aimed at her.
Shi Sui wasn’t quite used to it.
Jiang Nuan put on an innocent face. “Wronged! I didn’t do anything—just heard she was exiting the Q4 Project and expressed some concern.”
Expressed concern.
More like slapped her across the face.
Shaking her head at this unique brand of “concern,” Shi Sui got in the car with Jiang Nuan.
Jiang Nuan took the front passenger seat and lowered the window, grinning cheekily. “President Lin, not getting in?”
Lin Wei looked at the message from Xu Qingqing’s assistant asking where she was, gritted her teeth, and yanked open the back door to sit down.
A faint fragrance wafted through the car.
Lin Wei frowned and opened her window. Warm wind flowed in. Shi Sui glanced at her sideways before looking away. She messaged Jiang Ruoning: [Landed.]
Jiang Ruoning saw Shi Sui’s message just as she reached her doorstep.
She hadn’t planned to reply, but thinking of Wu Jie’s delight and what Shi Sui had done, she responded: [.]
Shi Sui stared at the single period and reported back: [Twenty minutes to the company.]
Fine, go then!
What, was she supposed to give her an award? Praise her?
Jiang Ruoning had no idea what Shi Sui was playing at. She frowned and replied: [No need to tell me, right?]
Shi Sui quickly shot back: [I thought you might want to know what I’m doing.]
Jiang Ruoning gritted her teeth: [I don’t!!]
Shi Sui: [I do.]
I want to tell you what I’m doing. Every moment.
Jiang Ruoning didn’t reply again.
Shi Sui put down her phone. Familiar scenery whipped past the window—even the lit sign for No. 2 Middle School flashed by as the car sped toward the company entrance. Shi Sui got out and looked up at the building that had once weighed her down, suffocating her.
It was nothing much after all.
She lowered her head. Lin Wei’s phone buzzed. She answered it right in front of Shi Sui, deliberately loud enough for her to hear, shouting into the phone, “Auntie.”
Shi Sui’s expression remained unchanged as she walked past her into the company.
Xu Qingqing’s office was on the twenty-sixth floor, next to the conference room. Committee members trickled in early due to the PR storm. Xu Qingqing heard them pass her door, discussing, “Jiang Ruoning played this move perfectly. The comments about her online are glowing.”
“Yesterday they were screaming for refunds; today it’s sold out. President Shi sure has her ways.”
Xu Qingqing gripped her phone tightly. A knock sounded at her office door. She barked, “Come in!”
Lin Wei pushed the door open and walked in, but Xu Qingqing’s sharp eyes spotted the figure behind her. “Shi Sui.”
Shi Sui had been heading to the conference room but stopped at Xu Qingqing’s voice. She turned, locking eyes with Xu Qingqing through Lin Wei.
Xu Qingqing took two steps forward, shoved Lin Wei aside, grabbed Shi Sui’s collar, her gaze like venomous thorns piercing into her. She demanded sharply, “What’s this on you!”
Questioned by her, Shi Sui merely unbuttoned her second button leisurely, revealing the clearer bite mark and teeth imprints on her collarbone. Lin Wei stared dumbfounded from the side. Xu Qingqing flew into a rage and swung her hand in a slap!
Shi Sui’s head snapped to the side from the blow, her eardrums ringing. She stared expressionlessly at Xu Qingqing and asked, “Want another?”
She straightened her collar. “If not, I’m off to the meeting.”
