"Not too bad," Jiang Li said with her eyes closed and a smile on her face. "Everything is okay except that I'm swamped with work."
She really meant it.
Although she was exhausted every day, at least she felt comfortable and at ease.
"You've got quite an easygoing attitude," Sister Chen sighed and smiled helplessly. "Aren't you afraid that if the company doesn't do well, Mr. Xiao will give you a hard time?"
"That's his problem," Jiang Li raised her hand and rubbed the space between her eyebrows. "Since he dared to let me make mistakes, he has to bear the risks."
Hearing this, Sister Chen looked incredulous. "Lili, you've really changed."
The former Jiang Li would never have been so cold and indifferent when it came to matters related to Xiao Yanzhi.
She always used to think about Xiao Yanzhi. Most of the time, she would rather wrong herself.
For example, during the time when Su Jialan was hospitalized, she often lashed out and insulted others. But Jiang Li, who took care of her, never mentioned a single word to others.
She just endured it silently.
It was only when Sister Chen went to the hospital to pick up Jiang Li that she noticed the wound on her arm cut by a fruit knife.
At that time, Sister Chen said seriously to her, "Lili, for your own safety, you should tell Mr. Xiao about all this."
Jiang Li replied, "It's not necessary. It's not a big deal. There's no need to bother him. It wouldn't be good if it creates a rift between mother and son."
Such things happened all the time.
For a while, Sister Chen thought that even if the sky fell, Jiang Li would calmly shoulder the burden for Xiao Yanzhi.
But now, she finally started to think about herself.
"I feel like my little girl has finally grown up," Sister Chen sighed with emotion, and her smile became more genuine.
Sister Chen had watched Jiang Li grow up step by step. No one hoped more than her that Jiang Li would live a good life.
And it should get better and better.
---
In Beicheng, photos of Xiao Yanzhi and Qin Yaoyao attending a concert were taken. The reports were full of hype, but the contents were all very similar.
It was nothing more than that Mr. Xiao would grant whatever Qin Yaoyao asked for. He almost doted on her to the extreme.
Some people even staked out in front of the Swan Mansion that day and took photos of Su Jialan's car and Xiao Yanzhi's car. From this, they speculated that the two had met each other's parents and were probably already engaged.
Connecting these details together, it was hard not to make people think more.
The articles written by paparazzi and the media were more and more exciting. People who didn't know better would think they were reading a sweet and cute romance novel.
"Mr. Xiao, do you need me to send someone to remove these reports?" Xue An stood in the office and asked.
Xiao Yanzhi frowned, feeling a bit irritated. He raised his hand to loosen his tie. "Don't bother. Let them write whatever they want."
Xue An nodded. This was also the result he had expected at first.
But because of previous experiences, he didn't dare to randomly guess Xiao Yanzhi's thoughts. He had to ask about everything to keep his job.
Just as Xue An was about to leave, Xiao Yanzhi suddenly seemed to remember something and said to him, "How's the progress of the branch company?"
Xue An replied, "Everything is going smoothly. But because of resource and channel issues, it's still in an idle period for now."
Speaking of this, Xue An couldn't help but feel sorry for the people there.
Although it carried the name of Jiangyu's branch company, it couldn't get any benefits from the head - office at all. It was no different from fighting alone.
Xiao Yanzhi was holding a royal - blue pen in his hand and twirled it casually twice. "The progress is too slow and the efficiency is poor. Isn't the headquarters of Vitaly there?"
Xue An trembled. "Mr. Xiao, do you mean..."
"Jiangyu doesn't support idle people. Inform the people in the branch company that they must secure the new - season endorsement of Vitaly within a month. The spokesperson is to be determined."
His tone was lazy, as if he didn't think this was a difficult task. "If they can sign the contract, they can continue working. If not, tell them to come back immediately."
Seeing Xue An's shocked expression with his mouth wide open, Xiao Yanzhi frowned slightly. "Do you have any questions?"
How dare Xue An raise any objections? He immediately lowered his eyes and replied, "Yes, I'll go and inform them right away."
After leaving the president's office, Xue An wiped the fine sweat off his forehead. He couldn't help but feel sorry for them.
Vitaly was a global brand of Chinese ancient - style clothing. It was well - known internationally and belonged to the high - end luxury category.
Asking Jiang Li and the others to secure this new - season endorsement out of the blue was no different from throwing them into hell - mode.
Putting forward such a difficult requirement was almost like asking them to give up directly.
---
As it was approaching 6 p.m., the employees of the company were leaving one after another.
Just then, an uninvited guest came to Jiangyu.
Uncle Shao wheeled Su Jialan into Jiangyu and they passed through without any hindrance.
Many employees who hadn't left the company noticed them and looked at them curiously.
It was obvious that this was Mr. Xiao's mother, the mistress of the Xiao family.
Su Jialan was wearing a dark - purple cotton robe today, with a string of Buddhist beads on her wrist. Although she was sitting in a wheelchair, her noble and elegant aura was undeniable.
She looked just like a wealthy woman.
Just as Uncle Shao was wheeling her towards the president's office, they happened to meet Qin Yaoyao, who had just come out of the lounge and was waiting to go home from work with Xiao Yanzhi.
"Auntie, why did you come?"
When Qin Yaoyao saw Su Jialan, her eyes immediately lit up. Noticing that some colleagues were secretly watching, she immediately smiled with crescent - shaped eyes and showed great enthusiasm. "Next time, please let me know in advance so that I can go to the door to pick you up."
She had intended to show off in front of the employees of Jiangyu, but unexpectedly, Su Jialan didn't appreciate it. She said bluntly, "This is my son's company. Do I need to report to you before I come?"
Qin Yaoyao's smile froze instantly.
She never expected that Su Jialan would give her no face at all and make her lose face in front of so many people. She felt extremely stuffy in her chest.
"Auntie, I just wanted to greet you out of kindness. You misunderstood me," Qin Yaoyao pursed her lips, looking humble and flattering. "After all, you have trouble walking. I'm afraid you..."
"Presumptuous!" Uncle Shao, who had been pushing the wheelchair behind Su Jialan, suddenly scolded in a loud and forceful voice. "Who gave you the guts to offend Mrs. Xiao like this?"
Qin Yaoyao was startled. Seeing the increasingly ugly expression on Su Jialan's face, she knew that she had accidentally said something wrong.
Her hands began to tremble nervously. Her face turned extremely pale and her palms were sweating.
Feeling the increasingly oppressive atmosphere, Qin Yaoyao was too scared to look up. She just prayed that Xiao Yanzhi could hear the commotion outside and come to her rescue quickly.
Suddenly, Su Jialan asked, "Where's the necklace A Yan gave you? Why aren't you wearing it?"