Fatal Desire

Chapter 8 Don't you recognize me?
wishful thinking!

Qiao Yifan tugged at his collar and said disdainfully, "I've already reached a pretty good agreement with President Zhou. You'd better head back home immediately, or you'll be humiliated!"

Upon hearing this, Song Xi and Shang Shixu exchanged a silent glance.

really.

The Qiao family also wants a Sino-Swiss cooperation project.

"It's not even dark yet, and President Qiao is already dreaming," Song Xi said. "His sleep quality is quite good."

Qiao Yifan gave an arrogant snort, took out a business card and handed it to her: "I happen to be short of an assistant. You seem pretty smart. If you want to switch jobs, feel free to contact me anytime."

Openly poaching people is a clear provocation against the business world.

Song Xi held Qiao Yifan's business card between her fingers, glanced at it, and then handed over her own business card.

"Reciprocity is reciprocated."

She was just a lowly secretary, and Qiao Yifan didn't want to accept the job, but the girl was so beautiful that he couldn't bear to refuse her.

"A wise man submits to circumstances; I'm resigning now..." Qiao Yifan glanced at the name and position on the business card, his words abruptly stopped, and his pupils suddenly dilated.

Gan!
She's not some lowly employee; she's clearly the president of Morningside!

Damn it, he's messing with him!
"President Qiao, I look forward to seeing you again." Song Xi maintained a gentle smile throughout. After speaking, she followed her secretary into the CEO's office.

Shang Shixu remained silent for a long time, but at this moment, a joyful smile couldn't help but spread across his face.

The secretarial staff watched the whole thing and secretly laughed. They never expected to see such a farce at work.

Qiao Yifan realized what was happening and, enraged, cursed, "How dare you play me for a fool! You're asking for trouble!"

He clutched the business card in his palm, crumpled it violently, and said angrily, "Once Morningside goes bankrupt, you'll all be begging me!"

The carpet swallowed the sound of high heels walking. The office was quiet, with only the faint rustling of papers being turned and the sound of pens signing papers.

Zhou Ji'an sat in a wheelchair, wearing a brown notched lapel suit, and was signing a document with his head down.

Zhongrui is a family business of the Zhou family, and Zhou Ji'an serves as the CEO of Zhongrui, as well as the future manager of the Zhou family.

He had a good relationship with Zhao Yansen.

The secretary invited Song Xi and Shang Shixu to sit on the sofa in the reception area, smiled and asked if they would like tea or coffee, and then said, "Please wait a moment."

"Thank you."

Zhou Ji'an leaned back in his wheelchair, his right hand resting on his temple in a slight circular motion, as if he were looking at documents or taking a break.

They were completely left out in the cold.

The tone of those in positions of power.

Normally, Song Xi wouldn't bother with this kind of person, but now they're discussing a collaboration; she's the service provider, and the other party is the client.

Song Xi and Shang Shixu stared at each other for two seconds, a vague sense of unease creeping into their hearts.

Zhou Ji'an handed the signed document to his secretary, whose quick-witted assistant immediately grabbed the wheelchair handle and pushed him out of the office.

Upon seeing this, Song Xi and Shang Shixu immediately stood up and walked towards Zhou Ji'an.

"Mr. Zhou."

The assistant pushing the wheelchair stopped. Zhou Ji'an lifted his eyelids, his eyes holding a hint of emotions that Song Xi couldn't quite fathom.

"Mr. Zhou, I am Shang Shixu from Morningside Biotechnology," Shang Shixu introduced. "This is Song Xi."

Looking at Song Xi's sincere and calm face, Zhou Ji'an said gently, "You won't recognize me after returning to China?"

His tone was like the edge of an ocean wave, the boundary of which was not very clear.

"Brother Ji'an, how have you been?" Song Xi said calmly. "I'm so sorry, I only found out about your hospitalization when I got back, and I haven't been able to visit you."

Not everyone was unaware of the relationship between Song Xi and Zhao Yansen. Zhou Ji'an and Zhao Yansen were childhood friends, and Zhou Ji'an had met Song Xi a few times. In fact, because Zhao Yansen treated her like a precious treasure, Zhou Ji'an also treated her like a younger sister out of affection for him.

In the past, Zhou Ji'an would have said, "It's okay."

But now, he looked at her for a short while.

The atmosphere became tense.

Song Xi said, "We've come today to talk to you about..."

The assistant pushing the wheelchair understood Zhou Ji'an's meaning and interrupted, "Excuse me, Mr. Song and Mr. Shang, Mr. Zhou is going to attend a board meeting now."

“Then we won’t bother Mr. Zhou any longer.” Song Xi reacted quickly, putting on an impeccable smile. “We can wait until the meeting is over.”

Zhou Ji'an raised his hand and waved two fingers, signaling his assistant to push the wheelchair.

After Zhou Ji'an left.

The secretary came in and asked Song Xi and Shang Shixu again what they needed.

Being on someone else's turf, Song Xi and Shang Shixu found it inconvenient to speak, so they mostly waited quietly.

In winter, the sun sets early, and as night falls, the streetlights along the city's many streets light up one by one, twinkling like the Milky Way.

The secretary pushed open the door and entered.

"President Song, President Shang, we don't know when President Zhou's meeting will end. Why don't you go back first and we can reschedule for another day?"

The people at Morningside Biotech are quite persistent; even with President Zhou so blatantly and deliberately making things difficult for them, they're still going to wait.

“Sure, when would be a convenient time for you, Mr. Zhou?” Song Xi showed no impatience whatsoever, her tone remaining gentle and composed throughout.

"We'll be going to the golf club on Saturday and Sunday," the secretary told Song Xi, providing the specific time and address.

After thanking them, Song Xi and Shang Shixu left the Zhongrui Building at a leisurely pace.

“Zhou Ji’an is probably preparing to sign a contract with the Qiao family, which is why he’s keeping us waiting like this,” Shang Shixu comforted her. “Don’t be discouraged, Qiao Yifan is after me.”

Qiao Yifan couldn't stand Shang Shixu's success and repeatedly sabotaged his cooperation, something Song Xi knew. But Zhou Ji'an summoned them to Zhongrui and then deliberately ignored them, which probably wasn't because of Qiao Yifan.

Song Xi pondered to himself.

As they stepped out of the revolving door, Shang Shixu tilted his head and asked her, "Are we going to the golf club?"

"Go!" Song Xi said with high spirits. "They haven't signed a contract yet, so we must seize every opportunity."

Shang Shixu had reservations. "Judging from Zhou Ji'an's actions today, he probably won't give us a chance to discuss cooperation on Saturday."

Song Xi laughed heartily: "When soldiers come, we'll block them; when water comes, we'll dam it."

She hailed a taxi, said goodbye to Shang Shixu, and said, "Let's go, everyone go home."

The driver started the car, and Song Xi, sitting in the back seat, took out her phone, turned off the WeChat group messages that popped up, and refreshed it several times.

Zhao Yansen has not yet accepted her friend request.

Didn't you see it, or do you not want to add it?
*
A custom-made, jet-black Maybach cruised along the bustling streets. Luo Xiao sat in the passenger seat, methodically reporting on his work:

"Regarding the site selection and bidding for the science park project, Professor Fei would like to schedule a time to discuss it with you in person."

All day long, from morning till night, there were no other messages besides a friend request.

Zhao Yansen held his phone in one hand, glanced at it, his brows furrowing slightly, then casually tossed it aside and tossed it into the leather seat.

"In addition, the restructuring of the branch of the Prosecutor's Office is just this week. Academician Cao has invited you many times. He is an old friend of your third uncle."

Luo Xiao was halfway through his business, waiting for Mr. Zhao's next instructions, when unexpectedly, the man finished looking through his phone and issued his decree:

“Back to the alley.”

(End of this chapter)