Cen Sen's remark was just an offhand jab, not something he dwelled on. With his busy schedule, once he left Mingshui, both family matters and personal affairs were pushed to the back of his mind, let alone reflecting on his own words and actions or considering the young lady's feelings.
At two in the afternoon, traffic swarmed around the CBD of the capital. The wind carried waves of heat, and the sun hung high and glaring.
It was the time after the lunch break when office workers returned to their companies, most holding paper cups of coffee, walking back in small groups.
Everyone chatted and laughed, relaxed and at ease. Only two girls working at Junyi, upon receiving a group notification, instantly dropped their gossipy expressions and hurried back to the office.
"So soon? I thought they might not come today."
"Who knows? If I could read these people's minds, I'd just go buy stocks blind. Come on, hurry up."
Junyi's headquarters consisted of two interconnected buildings near the financial center, standing tall and eye-catching with their geometric, staggered design.
The eastern building housed Junyi's most iconic luxury hotel, Junyi Splendor, while the other served as the group's main office building.
At 2:15 PM, the usually spacious lobby of the office building was packed with management staff, arranged in two neat rows from the lowest to the highest ranks, with team leaders standing at the outermost positions.
At 2:20 PM, three black cars pulled into the building's entrance one after another.
A Cadillac led the way, stopping in front of the right Roman column, while a Bentley in the middle came to an abrupt halt right in the center.
A young man in glasses stepped out from the Bentley's passenger seat, buttoning his suit as he walked to the rear door. He bent slightly and respectfully opened it.
Everyone held their breath, their eyes fixed on the car door, an inexplicable tension rising from the soles of their feet.
The afternoon sun was scorching, the road sizzling, and the leaves a translucent green. Amid the summer's noisy heat, there was a distant, serene stillness, as if captured by a slow-motion telephoto lens.
Cen Sen stepped out of the car and straightened up slowly.
With sharp eyebrows, bright eyes, and a clean, refined appearance, paired with his tall, slender frame, he exuded a natural coolness from where he stood. From a distance, he looked young and dignified.
Before anyone could react, the doors of the cars in front and behind opened simultaneously, and six assistants—three men and three women—stepped out. All wore professional attire, carried briefcases, and followed Cen Sen at a respectful half-meter distance.
Many high-level executives had come to welcome Cen Sen, but a few seasoned veterans deliberately stayed away, wanting to show the young man the true colors of the world.
The group walked inside expressionlessly. As they entered the elevator, someone suddenly stepped forward to press the floor button.
"Mr. Cen, I'm Secretary Yu, Assistant to Mr. Huang. You can call me Xiao Yu. Mr. Huang hasn't been feeling well lately and has been resting at home, so he couldn't come to greet you today."
Secretary Yu smiled ingratiatingly, appearing attentive and diligent, but his posture remained rigid. His tone was soft, yet carried an unmistakable air of condescension.
"Mr. Huang specifically instructed me to ensure you're well taken care of. If there's anything you'd like to see or need, just let me know."
The air fell silent for a moment.
Zhou Jiaheng stood at the side of the elevator, slightly bowing as he extended his right hand to clear the way for Cen Sen.After Cen Sen entered the elevator, Zhou Jiaheng finally turned around and said to the secretary, "Director Huang is getting older, so it's normal for him to feel unwell. Secretary Yu, please convey to Director Huang that he should rest peacefully and focus on gardening at home. He needn't worry about the group's affairs anymore."
"Since Mr. Cen has returned, he will take full control of Junyi. For veterans like Director Huang who have made significant contributions to the group, Mr. Cen will do his utmost to provide them with the best possible retirement life."
Retirement life?
Secretary Yu was momentarily taken aback.
But after speaking, Zhou Jiaheng didn’t wait for a response. He walked straight into the elevator, standing slightly behind Cen Sen, and changed the floor to the sixty-eighth.
As the elevator doors slowly closed, Cen Sen stood in the center, his expression gentle yet detached. From beginning to end, he didn’t spare a single glance for Secretary Yu, who had been sent ahead as a vanguard.
The group arrived at the long-unused chairman’s office on the sixty-eighth floor.
One of the assistants swiftly affixed a temporary nameplate to the door.
Two other assistants worked together, measuring and recording various data in the office to arrange desks, chairs, and furnishings according to Cen Sen’s preferences.
Chief Assistant Zhou Jiaheng opened his laptop and, via the company’s internal network, issued a pre-drafted notice to all employees:
"After deliberation by the group’s leadership, it has been decided that effective today, Mr. Cen Sen will be transferred from his previous positions as Director of Overseas Development and President of Junyi Australia Group to assume the role of President of Junyi Group. All departments are requested to actively cooperate with the transition work related to Mr. Cen Sen’s appointment. It is hoped that under Mr. Cen Sen’s leadership, Junyi Group will reach new heights."
The notice was signed by Cen Yuanchao.
Simultaneously, computers across the office area chimed with notifications of the new email.
Upon receiving this notice, the entire company erupted.
"Is Chairman Cen’s health really failing? That guy is only twenty-seven, right? Or twenty-eight? He’s way too young."
In the evening, after work, a team from Junyi’s marketing department organized a department gathering.
Usually, by the weekend, everyone tacitly hoped to return to their private lives. If colleagues crossed paths on the street, it was best to pretend to be strangers and not even greet each other.
But today, due to Cen Sen’s appearance, the atmosphere within Junyi was particularly restless. After work, many people gathered for drinks and gossip.
"What’s wrong with being young? He graduated from Harvard and led the Sicon acquisition at twenty-two. That deal even got Deputy Chairman Liu all worked up, but he resolved it effortlessly—clean and efficient."
"I know he’s capable. Wasn’t Water Cloud Pavilion also his project? It’s just... taking over the group directly feels a bit too young."
Another female colleague chimed in, "I don’t think it’s about being too young. It’s about being too handsome. He looks like a celebrity, which somehow feels unreliable."
"What’s wrong with being handsome? Would you rather stare at Manager Yu’s face every day?"
Manager Yu was the head of their marketing department, famously known for his "abstract" appearance.
The private room erupted in laughter, and the atmosphere suddenly lightened.
"So, does he have a girlfriend? It’d be a shame not to have an office romance with someone that good-looking," a female colleague teased.
A male colleague scoffed, mercilessly bursting the pink bubble that had just formed. "Girlfriend? He’s already married."
"Married?"
"No way, how come we never heard about it?""Who is his wife?"
"Married so young."
Everyone chimed in.
The gossip expert contributed real information, "His wife is from the Ji family."
"Which Ji family?"
"What other Ji family could it be? Of course, the Ji family of Huadian."
"...Do you know? He actually told me to kowtow all the way to the Potala Palace. Can you believe a man would say something like that? In my over twenty years of life, I’ve never met such a man, and you actually praise him? You clearly have no idea how mean he is! What sins did I commit in my past life... cough! cough..."
Inside the ginseng private hot spring at Shuiyunjian, Ji Mingshu—the very person being gossiped about by Junyi employees—was wrapped in a towel, furiously venting. She spoke so fast that she choked, instinctively pressing against the edge of the pool as she coughed uncontrollably.
Gu Kaiyang had listened to her rant for a full fifteen minutes, her stomach aching from laughter. As she handed Ji Mingshu a tissue, she also grabbed one to wipe away her own tears.
The hot spring water was just forty degrees, not too hot, but Ji Mingshu’s agitation made her feel breathless after only a short soak. "I can’t do this anymore, I’m getting out."
She stood up, wrapped herself in a dry towel, and walked toward the edge of the pool while tying up her long hair.
This ginseng private hot spring, exclusive to Ji Mingshu, was located in the deepest part of Shuiyunjian’s hot spring garden. A small pavilion had been built around the pool, with carved palace lanterns hanging from the eaves and antique screens surrounding it. During the day, one could see lush greenery and flowers, while at night, the scene transformed into a misty interplay of warm yellow lights and steam—two distinct atmospheres, each with its own charm.
The attendants waiting outside the screens, hearing the commotion, quickly fetched bathrobes and served tea.
Not long after, Gu Kaiyang also emerged. The two went to shower and then strolled toward the spa center, chatting along the way.
As they passed the VIP lounge, Gu Kaiyang suddenly stopped, nudging Ji Mingshu with her elbow and tilting her chin to indicate, "Jiang Chun."
Ji Mingshu paused briefly, following Gu Kaiyang’s gaze.
A server was placing a fruit salad in front of Jiang Chun, her slightly bent body blocking most of the view.
Even so, Jiang Chun spotted them through the gap and, with surprising boldness, called out their names, "Ji Mingshu, Gu Kaiyang!"
Ji Mingshu smiled, exchanging a knowing glance with Gu Kaiyang before leisurely striding inside, her long legs carrying her with ease.
"Miss Jiang, what a rare guest."
Ji Mingshu sat down boldly beside Jiang Chun, crossing her legs to the side and casually picking up a small silver fork to select a piece of cucumber from the fruit salad.
Jiang Chun looked Ji Mingshu and Gu Kaiyang up and down, suddenly remembering something. No wonder she couldn’t access all areas of the garden earlier, even with her VIP private hot spring annual card and Junyi black gold card—that particular hot spring belonged to Ji Mingshu.
She also speared a piece of fruit, forcing a smile as she said, "Long time no see. I heard your husband is back in the country. Last night, he accompanied Su Cheng to the Zero Degree banquet and even bid on a necklace? That necklace couldn’t be worth more than 1.2 million at most, right? Your husband bid over four times that—how generous."
Ji Mingshu replied nonchalantly, "Well, what can I say? Our Ah Sen has always been passionate about charitable causes."
Our Ah Sen...
Both Gu Kaiyang and Jiang Chun felt a shiver of disgust run down their spines.
Ji Mingshu then turned to Jiang Chun with a regretful, feigned smile. "It’s such a shame you weren’t there last night. Oh, by the way, why didn’t you go?"
The goosebumps that had just risen on Jiang Chun’s skin instantly receded, and her expression froze.Not long ago, in order to secure a front-row seat at a certain brand's debut show in the capital, Jiang Chun placed an order worth over four million without batting an eye. She flaunted her friendly relationship with the brand everywhere, hoping to hold her head high among the socialites who looked down on her.
But before the show could take place, the brand was jointly boycotted by several fashion industry giants due to severe plagiarism issues.
The brand's attitude remained arrogant, indirectly stirring up a storm of controversy. The matter spread and escalated, becoming so widely known that even passersby and bookworms were aware of it. In the end, the brand's reputation was ruined, and the show never happened.
In fact, the fashion industry rarely labels others as plagiarists, often explaining it away as trends, classics, or similar creative ideas. For this brand to firmly lock itself into the term "plagiarism" was no small feat.
Jiang Chun was furious. For three consecutive days, she called the brand's PR representative, hurling insults in a frenzy, but she couldn’t get her order refunded.
Because of this, she became a laughingstock in her circle and had to keep a low profile recently, rarely appearing in public.
Suddenly having her sore spot poked, Jiang Chun completely forgot the etiquette she had just learned. She bit into a piece of fruit with a loud crunch and said expressionlessly, "No time."
Fortunately, at that moment, her fiancé Yan sent her a message asking where she was, saying he would pick her up for dinner.
Her expression brightened, and she waved her phone at Ji Mingshu, her voice tinged with childish superiority. "Yan is coming to pick me up for dinner, so I won’t keep you company. By the way, why isn’t President Cen with you today?"
Ji Mingshu had seen all kinds of women who flaunted their relationships.
Unfazed, she casually brushed her long hair, revealing a red mark on the side of her neck just enough. Resting her chin on her hand, she said sweetly, "He’s busy with work. He usually spends time with me in the evenings." She even threw Jiang Chun a suggestive wink.
Jiang Chun: "..."
She really made her pretentiousness crystal clear.
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