ORCBRB – Chapter 78
Chapter 78
At ten minutes to nine, Sang Shi'an followed Jian Cenyu into the Jian Corporation's senior management meeting room.
Jian Zhenyang was inside, fuming at the senior executives about Huaxing's stock market situation. When Jian Cenyu entered, Jian Zhenyang's displeased gaze swept over, and upon seeing Sang Shi'an, he seized the opportunity to lash out, as if he’d been looking for one. “Jian Cenyu, is the company’s regular meeting a place where you can bring any random cat or dog?”
The other executives’ attention was drawn by this thinly veiled insult. At first, they thought Secretary Gu was on leave and someone else was filling in, but wasn't Secretary Gu standing right behind Jian Cenyu?
Jian Cenyu didn't even spare Jian Zhenyang a glance, treating him like a stray dog barking on the roadside. She led Sang Shi'an directly to a seat opposite Jian Zhenyang and instructed Secretary Gu, “Add a chair next to me.”
Jian Zhenyang was completely ignored. An executive from his faction glanced back and forth, sensing something was amiss, and spoke up to support him. “Junior CEO Jian, have you hired a new secretary? You came to the company late, so you might not know that our corporation has its own system for hiring based on academic qualifications and experience.”
Jian Cenyu had openly dealt with several of Jian Zhenyang's cronies the day before. Unable to find fault elsewhere, Jian Zhenyang was now using such a trivial matter to annoy her.
Jian Cenyu looked up, her tone light. “A current student from Yanjing University, interning with me for the winter break. Are those qualifications sufficient?”
As the top university in Yancheng, its students were the best from every city. Of course, the qualifications were more than enough.
But the executive was there to find fault with Jian Cenyu. When one attempt failed, he immediately switched to another.
“An intern? An intern has even less reason to be brought into the meeting room.” The executive was determined to help Jian Zhenyang vent his anger. “Even if you want to bring someone to the company to gild their resume, Junior CEO Jian, this isn't the way to do it, is it? Even though you're the CEO's daughter, I must remind you that the meeting will involve many company secrets.”
Another person beside him chimed in, “That's right. We're not trying to make things difficult for you. After all, you're the CEO's daughter, so you can bring as many people into the company as you want. Today you help someone pad their study abroad history, tomorrow you help someone else with their job experience. Won't our Jian Corporation become a charity?”
Sang Shi'an understood. These two were implicitly and explicitly accusing Jian Cenyu of violating company regulations. It didn't matter if the employees believed it or not; as long as it could tarnish Jian Cenyu's reputation even a little, it was a win for them.
Across the entire Jian Corporation, with so many relatives and side branches being placed in positions, Jian Cenyu was far from being as guilty of nepotism as Jian Zhenyang.
Sang Shi'an couldn't help but chuckle. From the current situation, it seemed as though Jian Cenyu was abusing her power for personal gain, bringing a student in to pad her resume.
Before coming, she had imagined corporate factional struggles to be much more sophisticated. To think they would pick a fight over such a trivial matter, Sang Shi'an couldn't help but feel a bit of sympathy for Jian Cenyu.
After the two executives finished speaking, they waited for Jian Cenyu to argue with them, hoping she would get angry enough to leave the meeting room. Unexpectedly, before Jian Cenyu could react, the new secretary she had brought with her started laughing.
As if she were watching a play.
Whose play?
Theirs, as if they were performing a comedy routine.
Noticing their gazes, Sang Shi'an coughed lightly as if she’d been caught, and her smile faded.
After all their nitpicking, the target didn't even take the bait. The faces of those on Jian Zhenyang's side immediately turned uglier.
The atmosphere in the meeting room became extremely awkward. Only Jian Cenyu, as if no one else was there, handed a document to Sang Shi'an. “What we'll be discussing later is the project cooperation with the business association. You can familiarize yourself with it first. Write down anything you don't understand, and I'll teach you after the meeting.”
Sang Shi'an took it and immediately said, “Okay, I understand.”
Jian Cenyu nodded, then turned to call over Secretary Gu and gave her a few instructions about the meeting's agenda.
As nine o'clock approached, the executives for the meeting arrived one after another. Those who came in later saw Jian Zhenyang and Jian Cenyu already seated inside and, fearing another major incident at the company, sat bolt upright and exchanged glances.
In the last ten seconds before nine, the meeting room doors opened again. Jian Zhihuan walked in, dressed in a sharp black suit. As he reached the head of the table, his gaze fell on Sang Shi'an, and a smile appeared on his usually stern face. “An'an, what are you doing here?”
Sang Shi'an had long expected that her identity wouldn't remain a secret, but as long as it wasn't a company-wide HR announcement, she could accept it. So she put on a sweet smile. “Uncle Jian, I'm interning with Cenyu Jiejie. I hope I'm not causing any trouble for you all?”
“What trouble could there be? When your mother mentioned it before, I thought she was joking. Who knew your family would really be willing to let you come over?”
Jian Zhihuan had always been kind to Sang Shi'an. Firstly, because she was the daughter of the Sang family, and he wouldn't be as strict with a friend's child as he was with his own daughter. Secondly, he wanted to stabilize Jian Cenyu's position in the company as quickly as possible. Sang Shi'an represented Shengyu Corporation's stance, so her presence was a great help, even if she just sat in the office like a mascot every day.
“What can a sophomore like me understand? When I went to my brother's place before, he just complained about this and that. I had no choice. Only Cenyu Jiejie isn't annoyed by me and is willing to teach me, so I shamelessly came over.” Sang Shi'an's tone was soft but not fawning, which was very endearing to elders.
Jian Cenyu also added at the right moment, “She also contributed to the business association's project, which will facilitate the handover with Shengyu. The projects are all just starting, so she can keep up with a lot of the progress over the winter break.”
With her reminder, the executives who hadn't yet guessed Sang Shi'an's identity finally realized who she was. On good terms with Jian Zhihuan's family and involved with the Shengyu project—she had to be from the Sang family, right?
The Sang family had originally made their fortune in steel and had since expanded the entire group into many new industries. Generations of accumulated wealth had made the Sang family incredibly powerful.
They weren't foolish enough to think Sang Shi'an had been kicked out by her family. With so many of Jian Corporation's projects tied to Shengyu, it was obvious that Jian Cenyu had specially invited her. All that talk about gilding resumes and company secrets…
“As an outsider listening in on Jian Corporation's secrets in the meeting room, will it have a bad influence?” Sang Shi'an's gaze swept over the executives who had been nitpicking earlier, finally landing on Jian Zhihuan with a troubled expression.
Jian Zhihuan immediately knew which side was causing trouble. He shot a cold, intimidating glare at those executives, then turned to Sang Shi'an and said, “I'll take responsibility if anything happens. You just stay at Jian Corporation and don't worry.”
Sang Shi'an smiled. “Then I'll have to trouble you, Uncle Jian.”
This pre-meeting interlude quickly passed, and the topic of today's meeting was the cooperation with the business association.
Now that the participating domestic enterprises in the business association had been decided, the project cooperation was put on the agenda. In recent years, foreign pharmaceutical companies had become increasingly arrogant, raising their prices and purchase quantity requirements for drugs, and there had even been incidents of targeted drug shipments with specific shelf lives.
The higher-ups intended to reform the medical insurance drug catalog, but they would also implement stricter checks on the efficacy of the selected drugs. Starting with pilot programs in certain cities, the first phase of government investment was expected to exceed one hundred billion yuan, and suitable replacements for many commonly used drugs had yet to be found.
It wasn't that there were no drug formulas, but there were too few pharmaceutical companies that could achieve the same level of purity as foreign companies, and mass production was also a major technical challenge.
Therefore, even with many companies in the business association, some categories could only be handled by Jian Corporation.
“Our production lines are always at full capacity. If we take on more, we'll probably have to hire many more workers, and the raw materials and equipment are a significant expense. Junior CEO Jian, you didn't mention this in advance when you were negotiating…”
Some people objected based on the company's production lines, while a few others, under Jian Zhihuan's gaze, made things difficult for Jian Cenyu. Their responses were all that suddenly changing production lines would be very troublesome, unless the budget was increased, but the company's funds were very tight.
In truth, not all of these people were genuinely opposed. Many knew the importance of this project, but they hoped Jian Cenyu could fight for more time.
But how could the government's policy be changed for a single company?
The scheduled date for the drug reform could not be delayed by a single day.
This was Jian Corporation's one and only chance.
And the reason for the company's tight funds… they looked at Jian Zhenyang, who was sitting opposite Jian Cenyu, and sighed helplessly.
During the days Jian Zhenyang was being investigated by the securities regulatory commission, those who were already jealous of the Huaxing project's opening trend kicked him while he was down. The stock price plummeted, and Jian Corporation lost a large sum of money trying to protect Huaxing's stock.
Jian Zhihuan remained silent for the time being, quietly watching Jian Cenyu. A lot had happened in the company while he was away, giving him many new insights into his daughter. He wanted to see if Jian Cenyu had prepared for this matter in advance.
“Participating in the business association was a unanimous vote by everyone present. Now, because of the Huaxing project's funding shortage, you're all starting to shirk responsibility, thinking you can pretend nothing happened?”
Jian Cenyu scanned the crowd and made a decisive statement. “The higher-ups have already issued the documents. The production lines must be adjusted, whether they can be or not. Otherwise, by this time next year, you'll all be out on the streets with me.”
The faces of those who had just objected changed. “Junior CEO Jian, is… is it that serious?”
Jian Cenyu calmly asked him back, “Who do you think you're cooperating with?”
For a moment, the meeting room was dead silent.
Seeing that everyone had quieted down, Jian Cenyu called out, “Secretary Gu.”
Secretary Gu stood up in response, and the projector at the front of the room was turned on. “Regarding the company's production lines, Junior CEO Jian has already re-divided them according to the types of products being manufactured…”
By the time the meeting ended, it was already past one in the afternoon.
After finishing lunch and returning to the office, Sang Shi'an walked over to sit opposite Jian Cenyu's desk and asked, “Listening to Secretary Gu's analysis of the production line adjustments, many drug lines with existing inventory can be diverted first. So the production line issue is solved, but what about the funding? I saw the cost accounting in the file you gave me. Does the company have money now?”
“The company doesn't have money, but I do.” Jian Cenyu found another document and handed it to Sang Shi'an. “To help Jian Zhenyang save Huaxing, the old man voluntarily sold one percent of his shares for me to sell. That money is in my hands now.”
Sang Shi'an estimated the value of one percent of Jian Corporation's shares and let out a silent ‘wow’.
She propped her head on her hand and thought for a moment, then understood. “So you deliberately used the company's money to save Huaxing first, making all the executives panic, and then you'll take out this money to save the company? If Jian Zhenyang finds out, it won't be easy to clean up.”
“Jian Corporation is Huaxing's backer. When Huaxing was in trouble, were Jian Corporation's shares that easy to sell?” Jian Cenyu didn't acknowledge this. “I can't just sell off Grandpa's life's work for cheap, can I? I only got the money today.”
Sang Shi'an chuckled softly and gave a thumbs-up. “Junior CEO Jian is brilliant.”
After Old Master Jian had decided to split the family assets, the Jian family's shareholdings had not changed for nearly twenty years. In the past month, first Jian Zhenyang and then Old Master Jian had been forced to sell off one percent of their shares.
Sang Shi'an looked at Jian Cenyu and suddenly said, “I love you.”
Jian Cenyu froze, her reaction identical to Sang Shi'an's that morning when she had heard the same words.
After finally saying what she had been holding back for half the day, Sang Shi'an's mood relaxed. Having made her move, she unromantically let out a yawn, her eyes watering.
Jian Cenyu helplessly touched Sang Shi'an's face and suggested, “Want to take a nap on the sofa? I'll lock the door, no one will come in to disturb you.”
She was a bit sleepy, but Sang Shi'an was somewhat disdainful. “The sofa is so small. Why don't you even have a break room? No wonder those executives at Jian Corporation don't take you seriously.”
Jian Cenyu had only been back in the country for half a year. Even without Jian Zhenyang's influence, the senior management was still in an observation period with her.
Jian Cenyu accepted Sang Shi'an's disdain, walked over, and pulled her into her arms, negotiating softly, “How about I hold you while you sleep? I promise I won't let you fall.”
Sang Shi'an reluctantly agreed. They went to the sofa, and she leaned against Jian Cenyu's lap, her body brushing against Jian Cenyu's waist and abdomen. She wriggled and squirmed, wanting Jian Cenyu to coax her to sleep.
But before Jian Cenyu could even reach out her hand, Sang Shi'an cried out in pain from pressing on her chest.
“Still hurts?” Jian Cenyu gently laid Sang Shi'an flat.
“It hurts. Could it be inflamed?” Sang Shi'an's lips turned down in a pout as she started acting spoiled. “It's all your fault.”
Jian Cenyu rubbed her bitten lower lip, coaxing, “How about I put some medicine on it for you? I have some mild ointment here.”
Sang Shi'an murmured her agreement.
Jian Cenyu went to a drawer to find the ointment. Sang Shi'an's gaze followed Jian Cenyu. The office curtains had been drawn earlier. In the dim light, Sang Shi'an looked at the desk and was once again reminded of what had happened there last night.
She mentally cursed herself a few times, warning herself not to get any wild ideas, when Jian Cenyu sat back down.
“Why is your face so red? Is the office heater set too high?” Jian Cenyu's fingers touched Sang Shi'an's cheek as she asked in confusion.
“Maybe it's because I just came in from outside.” Sang Shi'an turned her head, trying hard not to look at Jian Cenyu.
Just then, a cool breeze slipped under the hem of her clothes. Sang Shi'an was startled, realizing Jian Cenyu's hand had slipped inside and was already on the clasp of her bra.
Jian Cenyu said, “Sit up a little. With you lying like this, I can't unhook it.”
“I—” Sang Shi'an suddenly didn't want the medicine anymore. She sat up and dodged to the side. “I can do it myself.”
Jian Cenyu watched her quietly for two seconds, then lowered her voice. “Shy?”
Sang Shi'an was so angry she wanted to bite someone. “I already said you don't need to bother!”
The more she tried to hide, the hotter her face became. She knew it must be completely red without even needing to look in a mirror.
Jian Cenyu couldn't stop laughing. She pulled Sang Shi'an over and pressed her onto her lap, her hand deftly undoing the clasp. “Bear with it, I'll be as quick as I can.”
Sang Shi'an: …
Sang Shi'an had heard similar words countless times, always when Jian Cenyu was tricking her in bed.
This time would end, but there would always be a next time. Fast and slow made no difference.
Sang Shi'an warned Jian Cenyu, “This is your office, after all. Can you watch what you say?”
Jian Cenyu's hand, coated with ointment, covered her. The cool ointment had a minty freshness that gradually melted under her palm, becoming warm.
Sang Shi'an couldn't help but let out a muffled groan, not from the pain of the medicine, but because her whole body was tensing up. Especially when Jian Cenyu touched the very top, she couldn't control her trembling.
Jian Cenyu also noticed Sang Shi'an's rising body temperature. She gave her a meaningful glance, and seeing Sang Shi'an's warning look, she swallowed the words she was about to say.
Applying the medicine took less than a minute. When Jian Cenyu went out to wash her hands, Sang Shi'an grabbed her coat and wrapped herself tightly, looking as if she had been thoroughly cooked.
When Jian Cenyu returned, she sat beside Sang Shi'an again. “Sleep. I'll stay here with you.”
Sang Shi'an opened her eyes and looked at her. When Jian Cenyu lowered her head, they were actually very close, their breaths mingling as if they could kiss in the next second.
Yet Jian Cenyu remained perfectly composed. Every time Sang Shi'an wanted to do something, she would pretend not to understand and show a questioning expression.
After a few times, Sang Shi'an got annoyed. She shifted her body down, intending to move away from Jian Cenyu.
“Secretary Sang.” Jian Cenyu held her down, asking with a low laugh, “Not planning to take a nap? Do you want to start working?”
Jian Cenyu's hair was tied up today. Wisps of hair framing her face fell down as she lowered her head, softening her usual cool and unapproachable aura.
Sang Shi'an was completely captivated by this look. Hearing Jian Cenyu deliberately teasing her, she grabbed Jian Cenyu's shirt collar in a fit of pique and pulled her down.
She kissed this infuriating woman.
Lunch break was for resting. She had no intention of working overtime.
Jian Cenyu smiled silently, letting Sang Shi'an kiss her. She wrapped her arms around Sang Shi'an's waist, pulled her up, and settled her into a more comfortable position, holding her tightly in her arms.
Sang Shi'an's peripheral vision caught the office door. Forgetting if Jian Cenyu had locked it when she came back in, she immediately tried to remind her, “The door… door, mmmph!”
Jian Cenyu pressed on the small of Sang Shi'an's back, a deep kiss telling her whether the door was locked or not, making it impossible for her to think about anything else.
Sang Shi'an got the message. She obediently draped her hands over Jian Cenyu's shoulders and kissed her back. The thought that from today on, she could legitimately stay by Jian Cenyu's side every day made even the air feel sweet.
A few minutes later, the tip of her tongue was sore and numb. Sang Shi'an struggled to tap Jian Cenyu's shoulder with her fingertips. “No more.”
Jian Cenyu let her go, letting out a deep, equally shaky breath.
“What should I do? I'm starting to regret recruiting you to the company.”
“Oh—but your father already announced my identity in front of the senior management. If I get fired after just half a day, how embarrassing would that be?” Sang Shi'an drawled sarcastically.
Jian Cenyu found her adorable and couldn't help but laugh. “Alright, that would indeed be bad.”
“So you'll just have to work a little harder and bear with it.” Sang Shi'an was like a lazy cat, putting on airs and flicking her tail. “After all, I'm so good-looking. It must be very difficult to resist.”
Her post-kiss voice was sweet and soft. Jian Cenyu held Sang Shi'an, feeling her body heat, and smiled contentedly. “Yes, I'll try my best.”
After the lunch break, Jian Cenyu had another pile of work. Sang Shi'an was assigned some simple, easy-to-handle tasks. She didn't disturb Jian Cenyu at all, quietly typing away at a small desk nearby.
After work in the evening, Jian Cenyu had a dinner engagement and took Sang Shi'an along.
She had thought it would be with a partner from the business association, but when they walked into the private club, she saw Sang Shiyue.
Incense wafted from a burner on the elegant square table. Sang Shiyue was standing alone by the floor-to-ceiling window, on the phone. Seeing the two of them, he quickly wrapped up his call, hung up in a few sentences, and waved them over. “I'll have someone come in to order.”
After the food was served, Sang Shiyue stared at the suit Sang Shi'an was wearing and asked, “You really went to intern at Jian Corporation?”
Before Sang Shi'an could answer, Sang Shiyue said with a look of having seen through everything, “Pathetic.”
On matters concerning Jian Cenyu, Sang Shi'an didn't dare to openly refute Sang Shiyue, only muttering under her breath, “You're so capable, why don't you get married and show me?”
Sang Shiyue's hand, holding his chopsticks, paused. He slowly put them down. “Come on, say that again.”
Sang Shi'an immediately clamped her mouth shut and shook her head frantically.
After successfully intimidating Sang Shi'an, Sang Shiyue finally got down to business with Jian Cenyu, talking about having acquired fifteen percent of Huaxing's shares.
After Huaxing's stock market turmoil, Jian Corporation had rushed to protect the stock, but retail investors still sold off many loose shares at low prices. Even many veteran small shareholders, after Jian Zhenyang was taken away, couldn't resist the price Sang Shiyue offered and sold their shares.
Sang Shiyue hadn't even used a proxy, openly sweeping up shares on the market. The shares he now held added up to a full fifteen percent.
Before Jian Cenyu could speak, Sang Shi'an anxiously blurted out, “Brother, why would you buy Huaxing's shares? That crappy company is about to go bankrupt.”
“The European policy might not actually come through. Besides, are stock market shares meant for retirement? Even those retail investors are profiting from the price fluctuations. Europe's future policies have no direct relationship with the people in the stock market right now.” Sang Shiyue was clearly aware of this. He pointed to the food on the table, signaling Sang Shi'an not to interrupt.
It wasn't that he didn't want Sang Shi'an to participate, but after learning about her relationship with Jian Cenyu, he still couldn't get used to seeing the two of them in the same frame.
It was too heartbreaking.
So if Sang Shi'an could be a little quieter, his heart could feel a little better.
Sang Shi'an picked up her chopsticks and obediently started eating again.
Only then did Jian Cenyu start talking to Sang Shiyue. “Fifteen percent of the shares is enough. If Jian Zhenyang comes to me, you can sell these shares back to him. If he doesn't, there's a considerable price difference in the market now. You can make a good profit by selling them.”
Sang Shiyue had checked Huaxing's stock price before coming. If he sold now, he could make at least two or three hundred million. He was very satisfied with this deal Jian Cenyu had brought to him and reminded her, “The shares I hold are not a small amount. If I sell them all at once, investors might think there's more turmoil, and the stock price will fall again.”
Jian Cenyu wasn't worried about this. “I still think Jian Zhenyang will come to me.”
Sang Shiyue's interest was piqued. “You're that certain Jian Zhenyang has another move for the Huaxing project?”
Sang Shiyue's shares would directly affect Huaxing's shareholder meetings and would also greatly shake Jian Zhenyang's control over Huaxing. Whatever Jian Zhenyang wanted to use Huaxing for, with Sang Shiyue's entry, everything would be constrained.
What Jian Cenyu wanted to test was the extent of Jian Zhenyang's resistance to this matter.
Just like the quick money Sang Shiyue had made on Huaxing this time, he could easily earn it just by buying and selling. In comparison, the profits of the pharmaceutical industry where Jian Corporation operated were nothing.
Jian Zhenyang had been at Jian Corporation for many years but had never intended to truly understand the industry. Plus, he had gone to great lengths to coax the old master into helping Huaxing go public. How could his ambition stop at a company less than a tenth the size of Jian Corporation?
“If he had honestly aimed for the position of Jian Corporation's heir from the beginning, and since he joined the company so many years before me, Jian Corporation would have changed hands by now. But everything he's done these years has either been to raise funds for himself or to develop projects like Huaxing. Do you think Jian Zhenyang is that stupid?”
A waiter came in to serve a new dish. Jian Cenyu put on disposable gloves, peeled a lobster for Sang Shi'an, and continued, “A friend of mine who used to help people with many projects abroad reminded me that Huaxing might just be a tool Jian Zhenyang has placed in plain sight.”
Sang Shiyue watched the clean lobster meat being placed in Sang Shi'an's bowl and subtly looked away.
He frowned and commented, “Jian Zhenyang's ambition is a bit too big.”
Jian Cenyu said, “It's just a speculation. Whether there's anything else behind it depends on whether he takes the initiative to buy back the shares from you.”
Since it was their company's business, and Jian Cenyu wasn't certain yet, Sang Shiyue didn't press for too many details. He put down his chopsticks and raised his glass. “Fine. When the time comes, whether to sell or transfer these shares, you can just let me know.”
Jian Cenyu took off her gloves and elegantly picked up her glass of juice. “Okay. I couldn't find anyone else to help with this on short notice. I haven't thanked you yet for your help, Brother.”
Sang Shiyue: …
Sang Shiyue choked on his wine and coughed violently for half a minute before he could calm down.
Sang Shi'an looked at the unfazed Jian Cenyu, trying so hard not to laugh that her stomach hurt.
After dinner, Sang Shi'an had a sudden urge to go shopping at the mall.
Jian Cenyu had originally thought that Kitty wanted to add to her wardrobe and readily agreed, but when they got to the mall, it turned out to be—
“Cenyu Jiejie, do you think this set of pajamas is pretty? Aren't you about to start a relationship? Shouldn't you update your wardrobe?”
The sales associate nearby immediately cast an enthusiastic gaze at Jian Cenyu. “Oh, so this young lady is buying pajamas? What style and fabric do you like?”
Jian Cenyu had already guessed what Sang Shi'an was up to and gave her a silent warning with her eyes.
Sang Shi'an raised an eyebrow, unafraid, and pulled the sales associate aside, saying, “You can tell my friend here is a bit of a slow burn, but her partner likes things passionate and unrestrained. You see, it wasn't easy to win this person over. It's hard to change her personality during the day, but if she gives a little surprise at night, won't everything fall into place?”
The sales associate had worked at this counter for three years and had seen all sorts of customers. She understood Sang Shi'an's words almost instantly. “I understand, I understand. Our brand is designed by veteran European and American artists. Your friend has such a great figure, she'll definitely look good in them.”
Sang Shi'an nodded repeatedly and pulled the cold-aura-emitting Jian Cenyu to the display case the associate had recommended.
It had to be said, Westerners were more open-minded than the Chinese. Sang Shi'an looked at the nearly transparent pajama sets the associate recommended, and the ears hidden under her hair immediately turned red.
This seemed a bit too much.
Jian Cenyu frowned and asked, “Are you really buying this?”
Sang Shi'an had been hesitant, but after Jian Cenyu's question, she immediately said, “Of course. Don't you want to make your partner happy?”
Since Jian Cenyu was the one buying the clothes, the sales associate immediately started her sales pitch. The aesthetic appeal and lightness were a given, but the main feature was that the pajamas were not sewn together below the waist.
“You can wear this pajama set the whole time you're doing it.”
Sang Shi'an imagined the scene, then suddenly felt Jian Cenyu's gaze on her again and subconsciously shook her head. “This seems a bit—”
“Get one for her too,” Jian Cenyu interrupted Sang Shi'an.
Sang Shi'an: ?
Sang Shi'an strongly refused, “No—”
Jian Cenyu looked at Sang Shi'an gently. “I seem to remember your partner likes this kind of thing too.”
Her partner did indeed like it, but Sang Shi'an suddenly didn't like it anymore.
The thought of wearing these clothes meant her life was in imminent danger.
Ten minutes later, the two of them walked out of the lingerie store.
It wasn't just the pajama sets; Jian Cenyu had also picked out several sets of underwear for Sang Shi'an. Sang Shi'an wished she could just throw the shopping bags in the trash.
Just as she had this thought, she heard Jian Cenyu's voice. “An'an.”
Sang Shi'an's raised hand froze. “What?”
Jian Cenyu held out her hand. “Your bag of clothes looks a bit heavy. Let me carry it for you.”
Sang Shi'an: …
When they got home, looking at the three bags of clothes temporarily displayed on the entryway cabinet, Sang Shi'an suddenly realized that disaster would strike tonight.
She would soon be forced to wear clothes even more outrageous than cosplay outfits.
“Um, don't you think this apartment is a bit far from Jian Corporation?” Sang Shi'an slowly lifted her foot but didn't take off her shoes, pressing herself against the front door.
Jian Cenyu said, “It does get congested during the morning rush hour. Do you want to move?”
Sang Shi'an nodded repeatedly, putting on a very serious expression. “I have another apartment near Jian Corporation. Why don't we pack up and move there tonight?”
To make her escape attempt seem less obvious, she added, “That way we can sleep in for an extra half hour tomorrow morning.”
Jian Cenyu considered for a moment, then raised a question. “But doesn't the apartment need to be cleaned beforehand? And don't we need to buy new furniture?”
Sang Shi'an said, “It's fine, there's definitely a bed. We can just make do for tonight.”
Jian Cenyu turned to look at Sang Shi'an, skeptical. “You can make do?”
Sang Shi'an said righteously, “For you to get more sleep, it's no big deal for me to endure a little hardship. You have to deal with Jian Zhenyang recently, so you must ensure you get enough sleep.”
“So An'an is being so considerate of me.” Jian Cenyu smiled and touched Sang Shi'an's hair. “But I already have plans for tonight. If you could just put up with a little inconvenience, would you do me a favor?”
Sang Shi'an let out an uncertain ‘huh?’, her first thought being about work. “Is there something I can help you with?”
“It's very simple.” Jian Cenyu's hand on Sang Shi'an's head pressed down, pulling her into an embrace. She said in a low voice, “Go change into the new pajamas.”
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