Chapter 44: Driving Seriously, Kissing Seriously

Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=5310224
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com

I can’t give you an answer right now.”

Jiang Shu almost said this without thinking. Her head was a mess, and she couldn’t process all this in a short time.

To be careful, she felt that in this situation, saying yes or no would both be too rushed. So it was better to give no answer and leave some time for herself to think.

Ji Lianxing let out a breath of relief. At least Jiang Shu didn’t refuse. She also didn’t expect to get feedback right away.

“Okay, take your time and think.” After saying this, she felt it wasn’t right, so she added, “But don’t take too long. When you figure out if it’s good or not, give me an answer.”

At the moment Jiang Shu let go, she got off Jiang Shu’s lap. The heat on her cheeks had already faded. There was still a faint scent on her lips. It was brought from Jiang Shu just now.

Ji Lianxing pressed her lips together and pressed that light fragrance into her mouth. She thought of the kiss just now. It seemed a bit too intense.

At this time, the phone on the table vibrated once. Jiang Shu picked it up and checked the message.

“It’s almost 7:30. We need to hurry.”

After that, the two of them took the VIP elevator to the underground parking lot together. During this time, Jiang Shu didn’t speak. Her gaze stayed on one spot. She didn’t even blink. She was clearly thinking.

Ji Lianxing stood to the side and didn’t disturb her. She understood this well. Even she herself took five days, thinking back and forth, before making this decision. Jiang Shu would need time too.

The elevator went down slowly. Ji Lianxing glanced at Jiang Shu from time to time. Calm and steady. When Jiang Shu didn’t speak, she always gave people this kind of feeling.

She remembered back in college, Jiang Shu went on stage several times as an outstanding student to give speeches. Without doubt, she was very charming when she spoke. But when she didn’t speak and just sat there, she was actually even more attractive. Ji Lianxing was drawn to her during those moments.

Soon, the elevator stopped at B1. Before going out, Jiang Shu suddenly raised her head and asked Ji Lianxing a question.

“If we’re not lovers, then what kind of relationship would we be?”

“It can be any relationship other than lovers,” Ji Lianxing answered without thinking. She had already thought about countless questions before, and this was one of them.

Jiang Shu nodded once, walked out of the elevator, and didn’t ask anything else.

She drove the car out. Ji Lianxing opened the door and got into the passenger seat. Jiang Shu turned on the car light and pointed at the glove box.

“There’s something for you inside.”

“Hm?” Ji Lianxing didn’t expect Jiang Shu to buy her a gift during a business trip. “What is it?”

“Open it and you’ll know.”

Ji Lianxing pulled open the drawer. Inside was a small box. She smiled after one look. “Ah, you bought Pop Mart for me too?”

She was pretty surprised. She thought Jiang Shu would buy something expensive again, something she wouldn’t dare take. Instead, it was cute Pop Mart, and this time it really hit her taste.

Hearing her tone, Jiang Shu’s lips curved up. “I thought you’d like it.”

“Then let me see which one you pulled for me.”

Ji Lianxing opened the box and saw it was the Hirono series she bought for Jiang Shu last time. What shocked her even more was that it was the hardest one to get, the hidden figure—Daydreaming.

“God, how did you pull this? It’s really hard to get!”

Her voice couldn’t hide the joy. This was a hidden figure, something she, as someone with bad luck, had never pulled before.

Seeing her so happy, Jiang Shu was affected by her mood. She let go of all the messy thoughts and smiled. “As long as I want to give it to you, I can give it to you.”

She wouldn’t tell Ji Lianxing that to get this hidden figure, she bought 144 blind boxes at the store and opened them one by one, until she finally got this Daydreaming little figure.

“Do you like it?” Jiang Shu started the engine, ready to go.

“I like it~” Ji Lianxing held the Daydreaming figure in her palm, liking it more the longer she looked. “Thank you~”

“As long as you like it.” Jiang Shu stepped on the gas, and the car left the parking lot, heading to the restaurant.

For Jiang Shu, this was just a normal dinner, part of her work. Eating, chatting, and talking business was very normal for Chinese people.

But for Ji Lianxing, it was different. This was her first time attending a dinner like this.

Before she knew Jiang Shu, she was just a small, ordinary employee at the company. Her daily work was taking tasks from above and doing her analysis well.

As for how the whole process worked, she never had the chance to really experience it.

“Don’t be nervous. I’ll tell you a bit first. There are two bosses at dinner tonight. They’ll bring assistants too. We’re mainly talking about commission and the partner company’s shares.”

Ji Lianxing nodded. “Okay.”

“Relax. Your main task is to eat. If you’re interested, you can listen to the rest too.”

“Okay, I know.”

Ji Lianxing thought to herself, eating was a must, but learning things was a must too.

Twenty minutes later, the car stopped at the entrance of a famous restaurant.

After getting out, a waiter led them to a private room.

On the way, they turned left and right. She realized the restaurant was really big, front yard, back yard, and four floors. It was full every day, and you had to book ahead.

Jiang Shu had booked the fourth floor, the open rooftop. The whole floor had only one VIP room. People who ate at the top floor were usually there for business talks. The price was high, and only rich people would spend that much to eat and talk business.

When they entered the room, one of the bosses was already there.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, President Li.” Jiang Shu walked up to Li Bin and shook his hand. “How long have you been here?”

Li Bin smiled. “I just came in, and you were here right after.”

Jiang Shu turned slightly and patted Ji Lianxing’s shoulder, giving a brief introduction. “This is my assistant.”

“Hello, President Li.” Ji Lianxing’s tone was still pretty normal.

“Hello.” Li Bin nodded. His gaze lingered on Ji Lianxing’s face for two seconds, then moved to Jiang Shu. In a joking tone he said, “I knew it, every time President Zhang eats, he’s late!”

“No rush. Once we order, he’ll probably be here soon.” Jiang Shu sat down.

Ji Lianxing sat beside her, eyes a bit restless. Her heart was actually racing.

She had seen Li Bin before, but only on TV. She had watched him analyze the industry. He spoke well and was good at cutting people’s losses, very skilled.

Jiang Shu picked a few dishes from the menu while talking to Li Bin. “President Li, I heard you like crab. I specially chose this place. King crab and hairy crab are both famous here.”

Hearing crab, Li Bin’s face lit up. “President Jiang, that’s thoughtful. I’m very particular about eating crab.”

Many people are like this. Once it comes to their favorite thing, whether food or something else, they can’t help but talk more. Li Bin was no exception.

Ji Lianxing watched him, thinking he was about to share some special technique.

“Because for me, when I eat crab, I never peel it myself. I just open my mouth and eat. Someone else peels it and feeds it to me. Isn’t that particular?”

Just that?

As expected from the king of harvesting chives*. Listening to him was the same as not listening.

Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=5310224
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com

*someone, often a powerful figure or institution, who repeatedly exploits ordinary investors or the public for profit. It draws from the metaphor of retail investors as “chives” (韭菜), which regrow quickly and are harvested again and again.

Ji Lianxing kept her expression under control. She just nodded and smiled to show agreement. She had no choice, since their eyes had already met.

Jiang Shu smiled and said nothing. She was already used to men saying things like this. They always want to show they are great, and they must get approval from others. This is the world of “successful people.”

“Five pounds of crab, is that enough? I also added one appetizer, thirty hairy crabs. The chef will pick out all the crab meat and crab roe for you. You can eat slowly.” Jiang Shu finished ordering and handed the menu to the waiter.

“Hey! Just as expected of President Jiang, you get me!” Li Bin waved his hand, then showed two fingers to the waiter. “Moutai Feitian*, two bottles first.”

*A luxury sauce-aroma baiju (distilled spirit) with 53% ABV (alcohol by volume) from brand Kweichow Moutai

The waiter nodded, took the menu, and left.

Ji Lianxing didn’t say anything. She quietly started thinking about something. These dinners always involved drinking. Jiang Shu must have been to many of these over the years. Did that mean she drank too?

She was a woman. Drinking with these male bosses wasn’t very safe. Ji Lianxing glanced at Jiang Shu, her gaze following along her shoulder.

The door had just closed for less than a second when it opened again. Someone rushed in from outside.

“President Jiang, President Li, sorry, sorry, traffic was bad.” The man’s voice sounded familiar. Ji Lianxing looked once and saw it was Zhang Mingyue.

When she looked at him, Zhang Mingyue also looked over. There was a bit of teasing in his eyes. “President Jiang, you even brought a little assistant today?” He spoke while walking over.

Jiang Shu nodded. “Yes, she’s my assistant.” Then she said to Ji Lianxing, “Xiao Ji, this is President Zhang.”

“Mm, hello, President Zhang.” Ji Lianxing replied politely, but she didn’t expect Zhang Mingyue to reach out his hand, wanting to shake hers.

Jiang Shu raised her hand and shook Zhang Mingyue’s instead. “President Zhang, your seat is over there.”

Cut off halfway by Jiang Shu, Zhang Mingyue ended up shaking nothing. He gave an awkward smile and sat down next to Li Bin.

Personally, putting work aside, Jiang Shu really disliked people like Zhang Mingyue. He was famous for being lecherous. If it was a flower, he had to touch it

As for Li Bin, he also had flaws. He liked to nag and brag. But after getting married, he never fooled around outside. Just on this point, Jiang Shu treated the two of them a bit differently.

With the main people all present, everyone was still chatting. But Jiang Shu slowly guided the topic toward work.

“Actually, the total commission for this project is twenty million. A fifty-fifty split isn’t reasonable.” Jiang Shu stated her goal.

Zhang Mingyue crossed his legs and flicked the ash from his cigarette into the ashtray. “How is fifty fifty not reasonable? Two companies, ten million each. Isn’t that normal? Less dispute, fair and just. Pretty good.” As the client, giving it to either side was the same to him, so there was nothing to worry about.

“Twenty million in commission. President Li’s company takes half, but the problems you handle are only one third of the total. Do you think that’s reasonable, President Li?” Jiang Shu looked at Li Bin. Her words were clear and calm, without pressure, but her gaze was sharp.

Li Bin took a sip of tea and laughed. “But we’re a partner team, aren’t we?”

Jiang Shu smiled too. “Last month, for the key data analysis, your company took one third of the work, but there was a big mistake. Data worth two hundred million was calculated wrong. In the end, it was our staff who found the abnormal data and avoided a huge loss.” She looked at Zhang Mingyue. “President Zhang, you know about this, right?” Then she looked back at Li Bin. “President Li, am I right?”

Li Bin shook his head and smacked his lips. “That’s true.”

“So what’s wrong with a seventy thirty split?” Jiang Shu tilted her head and looked straight at Li Bin.

Li Bin was stared at like this. Was Jiang Shu smiling while hiding a knife?

People say beautiful women aren’t scary. Beautiful and smart women are scary. Beautiful, smart, and decisive women are deadly scary. Jiang Shu was the last type.

Li Bin’s face darkened. “Then seventy thirty definitely won’t work. I need at least forty percent. Eight million. That’s my bottom line.”

“President Li, you can’t bring up your bottom line again.” Jiang Shu tapped the table lightly and smiled. “Bottom line is your catchphrase.”

Li Bin’s bottom line was the cheapest thing. One second he had a bottom line, the next second he didn’t. These businessmen are all like this. Money in the pocket matters most. If they can get more, they’ll get more.

“You should understand how many projects we’ll work on later. What does this ten million mean to you?”

Jiang Shu raised her eyebrows, glanced at Zhang Mingyue, then looked back at Li Bin and continued. “Next year, three companies will be waiting for us. By then, same as now, we split as we should. Isn’t that the old rule? I’m not talking nonsense.”

Li Bin’s small eyes spun fast. He was thinking about future cooperation. His company had to work with Jiang Shu’s company. Strong teams together were the real way to make money.

As for the split, Jiang Shu wasn’t being unreasonable. Her company really did more work and took seventy percent of the tasks. A seventy thirty split was fair.

“Ah, look at this. I’ve only been here for twenty minutes, and you’ve talked away four million from me.” Li Bin shook his head. He felt that he really couldn’t even skim a mosquito leg from Jiang Shu.

“President Li, are you joking? Last year’s deal, didn’t I only take twenty percent?” Jiang Shu smiled and took a contract from her bag. “Since both client and partner are here, I’ve prepared the contract. Let’s sign it first. After signing, we can get ready to eat crab.”

Zhang Mingyue cried out, “Oh~ you woman, you came prepared~”

Jiang Shu pushed the documents in front of them. “Early or late, we have to sign anyway. You’re both straightforward people, so let’s not drag it out. Right, President Li? The hairy crabs are about to be served.”

When she mentioned hairy crabs, Jiang Shu deliberately blinked at Li Bin.

Li Bin was an old hand in business. He understood that he couldn’t get money for free from Jiang Shu, and Jiang Shu couldn’t get free money from him either.

There would be chances to work together later, just like Jiang Shu said. It wasn’t just these few million. No one should scam anyone. Do the work, take the money.

Ji Lianxing sat quietly to the side the whole time and didn’t say a word. She realized business talks were nothing like she imagined.

Professional skill was only one part. More important was understanding the client’s personality and firmly protecting one’s own interests. Clearly, Jiang Shu did this, and she did it very easily. Maybe she already had confidence before she even came.

“I’ve never seen a contract signed before eating.” Zhang Mingyue capped his pen after signing. For him, signing or not didn’t matter much. He was the client anyway and had to pay that amount. The key was persuading Li Bin.

Li Bin paused before signing. He shook his head, then still signed.

The moment he finished, the hairy crabs were served.

“President Li, eat~”

“President Jiang, you’re treating me this time!” Li Bin pointed at Jiang Shu and laughed.

“Of course. If it’s not enough, order more.” Jiang Shu looked at Zhang Mingyue. “President Zhang, eat too.”

Zhang Mingyue didn’t hold back. He loved money, food, and beautiful women. Those were his three favorite things in life. He was the first to pick up his chopsticks.

Jiang Shu put away the two contracts and sighed softly. Ji Lianxing looked at her, eyes full of worry.

Feeling her gaze, Jiang Shu quietly shook her head. She reached across the table and squeezed Ji Lianxing’s hand, telling her to eat.

Throughout the meal, Li Bin kept urging Jiang Shu and Zhang Mingyue to drink. Even if Jiang Shu didn’t want to, she still had to drink. The fifty three degree Moutai was poured into small clear cups, and Jiang Shu drank at least three.

Ji Lianxing kept her head down and ate. She didn’t enjoy the meal at all. First, seeing Jiang Shu forced to drink for work made her feel bad. She thought of how many dinners Jiang Shu must’ve been through like this.

Another reason was the gaze beside her. Zhang Mingyue kept looking at her from time to time. That chilling look carried bad intent.

The king crab tasted good, but Ji Lianxing felt like she was chewing wax. After Zhang Mingyue looked at her more than ten times, she finally couldn’t take it anymore and put down her chopsticks.

Jiang Shu was the first to look over. “What’s wrong?”

Ji Lianxing shook her head. “It’s nothing, President Jiang. I’ll go to the restroom.”

She quickly walked out of the luxury restaurant and went straight to the restroom. At the sink, she washed her hands and splashed some water on her face, trying to wash away that uncomfortable feeling.

She realized that although Jiang Shu was rich, she wasn’t free in some ways. She was a high level boss, yet she still had to bend to certain rules. From those three cups of Moutai, Ji Lianxing knew Jiang Shu didn’t want to drink.

People like Zhang Mingyue and Li Bin gave her no good feelings. She believed Jiang Shu felt the same. But for work, she still had to smile and deal with them. Having power and money meant carrying more dissatisfaction. Maybe everything was fair in its own way.

Ji Lianxing turned off the tap, pulled a paper towel to dry her hands, and threw it into the bin. She walked out of the women’s restroom and saw someone standing at the door.

Zhang Mingyue. He really was like sticky gum, and an expired kind.

“I didn’t know Miss Bella also works part time as a little assistant?” Zhang Mingyue leaned on the wall and smiled smugly.

Ji Lianxing ignored him and tried to walk past. He reached out and blocked her way.

“Oh, my mistake. Or should I say our Xiao Ji is also called Bella, and singing at bars is your side job?”

“President Zhang, didn’t nine years of compulsory education teach you how to respect women?” Ji Lianxing’s tone turned cold. Her eyes were sharp as she looked at his face. She suddenly thought his face looked like the chayote* from Plants vs Zombies.

*Squash

“I respect you.” Zhang Mingyue showed a sleazy smile. He pulled out a business card and slipped it into Ji Lianxing’s suit pocket. “Same words, Miss Bella. If you need anything, call this number.”

Ji Lianxing grabbed the card and threw it on the ground. “You’re annoying.”

Zhang Mingyue didn’t get angry. He bent down, picked up the card, and stuffed it back into her pocket. “Keep it safe. Don’t lose it. Maybe one day you’ll come looking for me.” His smile grew wider. “Or I’ll look for you.”

Ji Lianxing was about to talk back when Jiang Shu’s voice came from behind.

“Xiao Ji.”

She turned around and saw Jiang Shu standing not far away. Jiang Shu waved at her. “Come here for a moment.”

Ji Lianxing didn’t think twice and walked toward Jiang Shu. She didn’t want to see this garlic-scented chayote even for a second.

When she reached Jiang Shu, Jiang Shu’s face was a little red. The alcohol was probably kicking in. But there wasn’t much alcohol smell on her. There was more fragrance, a light clean scent that eased Ji Lianxing’s mood.

Jiang Shu held her hand and asked in a low voice, “What did he do to you?”

“Nothing.” That was true, aside from Zhang Mingyue handing her a business card.

“I saw him talking to you as soon as I came out. Ignore him. He has a bad character. Go back in and eat.”

“Mm.”

Ji Lianxing thought Jiang Shu would go in with her, but she didn’t. Jiang Shu pushed her into the private room and stayed outside alone.

In the long hallway, Jiang Shu stood by the door. She glanced at Zhang Mingyue once, didn’t hesitate, and walked toward him.

“Hey, President Jiang.”

“Zhang Mingyue.” Jiang Shu called him by his full name. “Stay away from her.”

“Huh? The little assistant?” Zhang Mingyue smiled in an exaggerated way. “She’s pretty cute. I just wanted to tease her.”

Jiang Shu didn’t accept his way of lightening the mood. She looked at him with a stiff face. “She’s someone I brought.”

“Sorry, sorry.” Zhang Mingyue clicked his tongue lightly and tapped his own head. “I forgot President Jiang really protects her company’s staff. My mistake, my mistake.”

Jiang Shu held back a breath of anger and wanted to let it out. But Zhang Mingyue was the client, and making trouble now wasn’t wise.

“Excuse me.” Jiang Shu brushed past him and went into the room.

At dinner, they didn’t eat much food, but they drank a lot.

Jiang Shu didn’t drink every time. Whether she drank or not depended on how big the deal was. Like tonight, even if she didn’t want to, she had to.

By nine thirty, Li Bin and Zhang Mingyue were drinking against each other. In the end, both collapsed, and their assistants sent them home.

Jiang Shu and Ji Lianxing stayed to pay the bill. Twelve thousand. Ji Lianxing saw the number on the receipt.

When they walked out of the restaurant, a gust of wind blew, and Jiang Shu felt a little dizzy.

Ji Lianxing had already called a designated driver. She pulled Jiang Shu into the car. They sat in the back seat, and Jiang Shu leaned on Ji Lianxing’s shoulder.

“Why did you drink so much?” Ji Lianxing asked.

“I had to.”

“Was it like this before too?”

Jiang Shu closed her eyes. “Before, Li Xiangyan drank. But his stomach hasn’t been good lately.”

Ji Lianxing felt heartache. She reached out and touched Jiang Shu’s forehead. It was a bit hot.

“Are you hot? Are you dizzy?”

Jiang Shu nodded. “Hot, and dizzy.”

Ji Lianxing was about to pull her hand back, but Jiang Shu frowned and held it down. “Just keep it on my head. It’s cool. It feels good.”

“Okay.” Ji Lianxing switched hands to cool her, and put her other arm around Jiang Shu’s shoulders, holding her in her arms.

The light in the car was dim. Outside the window, streaks of light passed by. Bright and dark overlapped and fell on Jiang Shu’s cheeks from time to time. Under the alcohol, her skin turned a dark pink.

Seeing Jiang Shu frown, Ji Lianxing used her fingers to smooth it out.

Her gaze naturally fell on Jiang Shu’s eyelashes. She looked closely. Each one was clear, curved, and long. She had a very perfect nose bridge, paired with full lips. The dark glossy lip color carried temptation.

It was the fragrance on her body. A faint scent slipped into the nose. When tasted closely, it carried a trace of alcohol and made people dizzy.

Ji Lianxing was watching closely. The next second, Jiang Shu opened her eyes. In her expressive eyes was a charming glow.

The small space seemed even more fragrant. Even Ji Lianxing, who hadn’t drunk, felt a little dizzy.

Their eyes met, and there was extra light in both gazes.

Jiang Shu’s cheeks were flushed. She looked at Ji Lianxing and thought she was very beautiful.

She lifted her head. Her lips lightly brushed Ji Lianxing’s lips, then she kissed Ji Lianxing’s cheek. Without her usual dominance, there was instead a bit of shy youth.

At that moment, the car entered a tunnel. The light was swallowed, and the view went dark.

Ji Lianxing held Jiang Shu’s hand, lowered her head, and pressed her lips to Jiang Shu’s lips. Her black hair blocked the side of her face and blocked the mirror’s view.

The driver was driving seriously. 

They were kissing seriously.