Chapter 106#
When Ji Yang descended to the first-floor lobby, he ran smack into Old Peng coming out of the other elevator.
“Dear God, you—” Old Peng skidded to a stop, rushed forward and threw an arm around him, whispering, “Be on your best behavior in a bit, okay? Own up to your mistakes, make your stand. He’s the big boss of Jianyuan after all. We have to make it clear that this public relations crisis will be dealt with quickly and won’t affect our partnership.”
Ji Yang looked at him and deliberately said, “Nothing’s been dealt with yet. Are you sure that’s not just empty talk and big promises?”
“Big bosses—what else do they like besides grand boasts?” Old Peng patted his shoulder. “Just get through this for now. As for what comes next, we’ll discuss it then.”
Ji Yang nodded. “Understood.”
It was at that moment that a commotion came from the revolving doors.
Jianyuan’s people had already entered ahead of them.
Quite an entourage.
A dozen or so individuals, all dressed in minimalist black-and-white professional attire, walked in one after another in a staggered formation. The imposing aura they exuded naturally made everyone around them stop in their tracks.
The person at the very front was also the most conspicuous.
He was wearing a formal suit today, his overcoat left unbuttoned. His height alone, along with the way he carried himself, was enough to make anyone feel pressure.
Ji Yang glanced at Old Peng, who stood beside him looking so shocked he seemed to have a lump in his throat. He genuinely feared the man would pass out from holding his breath.
The rest of the department staff who had come down with Old Peng to greet them weren’t faring any better.
Nie Xu spotted them and walked straight over.
He stopped in front of Ji Yang and asked naturally, “Why did you come down?”
Ji Yang replied with a half-smile, “The big boss graces us with his personal visit—Yiyuan is truly honored. It’s only right.”
Nie Xu glanced at him. To his credit, he didn’t do anything overly intimate in front of others. Instead, he nodded at Peng Jiaying and offered a greeting, “President Peng.” His gaze then swept over each of the others as he said, “We’ve all met before. Please, make yourselves comfortable.”
Old Peng’s professional integrity didn’t allow him to just stand there doing nothing.
So Ji Yang watched as the man, his face as stiff as a corpse’s, extended his hand toward Nie Xu: “P-President Nie, what an honor—truly an honor.”
Ji Yang couldn’t hold back a laugh from the side.
Nie Xu cooperated and shook it. “We met just half a month ago.”
Old Peng’s expression only grew more interesting.
What he remembered was a “Nie Assistant” who had drunk with him, offered guidance on numerous issues, and come to visit Yiyuan as a family member just half a month ago—a top-tier elite in the bodyguard profession, the capable right-hand man of the late old master of the Ji family.
Now he was being told this man was the big boss of Jianyuan???
As Nie Xu’s group was led upstairs by the company staff, Peng Jiaying grabbed Ji Yang from behind, indignant: “Why didn’t you tell me? I lost so much face.”
Ji Yang patted him back just as he had patted his own shoulder earlier and sighed, “Think about it carefully. How many times did I hint at you?”
Peng Jiaying froze on the spot.
He was right. Ji Yang had told him that the boss of Jianyuan’s surname was Nie, and had hinted that the “professional employee” identity was just for show.
No wonder.
Only now did Peng Jiaying see the light.
Why Ji Yang had chosen to affiliate with Jianyuan—and why Jianyuan not only let Yiyuan operate independently but also invested in them.
Peng Jiaying was speechless: “If you’d just told me clearly that the person behind you was him, how many days of worry and anxiety could we have saved?”
“My friend, aren’t you being a little too naive?” Ji Yang shattered his fantasy. “Do you think I’m that charming? Falling in love with me at first sight the moment you meet me? You’re overthinking it. Besides, Yiyuan relies on its own strength. Stop scheming all day. Where’s your original aspiration and stubbornness?”
Peng Jiaying shot him a sideways look: “The stubbornness where we landed in the police station the very day we met?”
Ji Yang: “…Never mind then. I’m devoted to doing good these days. No more losing propositions.”
Peng Jiaying pivoted: “Are you two really not love at first sight?”
Ji Yang asked with devout sincerity: “Would you fall in love with someone who assaults you one moment and says they love you the next?”
Peng Jiaying answered with certainty: “I’d think they were out of their mind.”
Ji Yang laughed in exasperation: “Well, you’re actually right about that. He really is out of his mind. So you should be glad he didn’t kill me back then—otherwise, forget Yiyuan, there wouldn’t even be zero.”
They went upstairs.
Yiyuan’s reception room was too small, so everyone moved directly to the conference room.
Ji Yang and Peng Jiaying whispered to each other as they sat down on one side of the long table.
Ji Yang had just pulled out his chair when he felt Peng Jiaying’s hand on his shoulder suddenly jerk away as if scalded.
Ji Yang was baffled: “What are you doing?”
Peng Jiaying coughed, glanced up at the seat directly across from them, then looked away and muttered to Ji Yang: “Even though you two didn’t get together right from the start, I think your Boss Nie’s possessiveness is a bit terrifying.”
Ji Yang followed his gaze. Nie Xu was seated directly across from him, head bent as he discussed document contents with someone beside him.
Ji Yang whispered in suspicion: “He’s a proper person. That’s probably just your imagination, isn’t it?”
Peng Jiaying cried foul.
Just now Nie Xu had clearly looked at his hand!
Too bad there was no surveillance footage.
This bit of whispering went unnoticed by anyone. The two groups quickly settled into their respective sides of the conference table.
Compared to a young, free, and open-minded company like Yiyuan, Jianyuan across the table appeared far too formal, professional, and serious. This left most of Yiyuan’s people nervous and fidgety, as if they’d been dragged in for a lecture.
Yet Nie Xu didn’t speak first. The representative was a thirty-something young man in a suit standing beside him.
The man said: “Everyone, please don’t be nervous. We’re here today mainly to handle two matters. First, finalizing the renewal of our previous cooperation contract. As for the second matter—” At this point, Jianyuan’s staff handed out a document to each person. The young man continued: “This is a public relations plan tailored to Yiyuan’s current crisis, along with a full list of litigants. All legal proceedings will be fully handled by Jianyuan’s legal team. Offline risk management likewise—Jianyuan will guarantee the progress of our cooperation and compensate for any losses Yiyuan may suffer. As for the online side, Yiyuan is the expert, so we’ll leave that to you. That’s the overall direction. If anyone has different ideas, feel free to raise them—we’re happy to discuss.”
As soon as these words came out, the entire conference room erupted in hushed discussion.
Everyone had assumed Jianyuan was here to assess investment risks, only for them to crush the risks outright. The public relations plan was exemplary—and within such a short time frame, they’d already compiled a list of lawsuits.
Some people at Yiyuan still weren’t quite convinced. One asked: “What are the conditions? Are they related to Yiyuan’s newly expanded route business model?”
The Jianyuan team members exchanged glances and all broke into smiles.
They shook their heads: “No conditions.”
“No conditions? Really, no conditions?”
Peng Jiaying had fully figured it out by now.
Isn’t this obviously all for Ji Yang?
Peng Jiaying immediately said: “Of course we believe you when you say there are no conditions. Since Jianyuan is stepping forward in the capacity of a parent company, we’re entering a deep, boundless partnership moving forward—we’re essentially one family…”
Such broad platitudes, for the current Peng Jiaying, came effortlessly.
What followed was finalizing the details and implementation specifics. Nie Xu didn’t lead the charge, merely adding occasional clarifications during discussions. It was evident that the team he’d brought was highly professional and efficient, and their attitude toward him was nothing less than the deference of subordinates to a superior. The meeting’s objectives were far too clear and preparations far too thorough, and it concluded in less than an hour.
The meeting adjourned, and with clear divisions of labor, everyone dove straight into the busy work.
Ji Yang had been like an outsider the entire time.
Everyone in the conference room had left.
Ji Yang watched the man still sitting across the table flipping through the meeting notes, then simply leaned forward onto the conference table, looked at him, and said: “Actually, I could have handled this myself.”
“I know.” Nie Xu glanced up at him. “But this would have made you angry.”
Ji Yang said lazily, admitting it: “A little, yes. But not to the point of losing my rationality. Actually, I really want to know where that file ended up. Uncle Yu said—my mother entrusted it to him, saying the key to opening the file was with me. But I’m very sure that among all my memories, there’s no mention of any clue related to a key.”
Nie Xu: “This can’t be rushed. Let’s wait for the interrogation results.”
Ji Yang nodded.
Then he asked: “You never made a public appearance at the previous signing ceremony, but now you’re showing up like this as Jianyuan’s behind-the-scenes boss?”
Nie Xu set down the meeting notes and stood up, walking over.
He leaned against the edge of the table beside Ji Yang, turned sideways and bent down: “It’s just that I won’t go out of my way to make a big fuss about it now. There was never any need to hide it in the first place. Anything concerning you is no longer just your concern alone.”
Ji Yang was still in his leaning-forward posture, just turned sideways to face him. His hand crept over gradually, and his pinky hooked around the hand Nie Xu had braced on the table.
“Boss Nie,” Ji Yang teased. “How come I never realized you were this smooth?”
Nie Xu let him harass him: “What counts as smooth?”
“You, right now.” Ji Yang listed it off for him: “Never stingy when it’s time to spend money. Always one step—or several—ahead of expectations. Does the talking when things come up and never the talking when they’re done. Oh wait, you do talk now too. Sweet nothings roll right off your tongue.”
“And you’d call those sweet nothings?” Nie Xu brushed the hair from his forehead. “They’re not sweet nothings. They’re just the truth. And only for you.”
For the first time, Ji Yang felt genuinely outmatched. His heart was racing.
Remembering Peng Jiaying’s words, Ji Yang scratched at his palm and asked curiously: “When exactly did you start liking me this much? I always thought even if there was some attraction, it was just a tiny bit.”
“I’m not sure,” Nie Xu said.
Ji Yang went bold: “Did you really fall in love with me at first sight?”
“No.” Nie Xu denied it without a moment’s hesitation. “The first time I met you, weren’t you five?”
“Scram.” Ji Yang swatted him. “You know what I’m talking about.”
Nie Xu laughed and answered honestly: “Not that either. At best, you caught me off guard, and the timing was just right.”
Ji Yang still shuddered at the memory: “Good thing I was relatively restrained back then. If I’d said to your face that those whip marks on you looked incredibly hot, that wouldn’t have been catching you off guard—that would have been suicide.”
“Even that wouldn’t be the case.” Nie Xu caught his fidgeting hand, bent down, and said in a low voice: “At most, I’d just return the favor.”
Ji Yang’s eyes went wide: “You’d blame that on me too?”
Nie Xu: “Absolutely. I’ll go easy on you.”
Ji Yang’s ears went numb. He knew this wasn’t a good topic.
He denied it: “I was talking nonsense. Pretend you didn’t hear anything.”
Nie Xu raised an eyebrow: “I’m taking it as a reminder. What material would you prefer? Cowhide for flexibility, woven for durability, rosewood for the feel…”
Ji Yang shot up from his chair, reached over and clapped a hand over Nie Xu’s mouth, gritting his teeth: “Shut up.”
Nie Xu took the opportunity to pull him in by the waist, a barely perceptible smile deep in his eyes.
Just as Ji Yang’s mind had been so thoroughly distracted from the internet fiasco by these few words, he had no idea that outside the conference room, everyone was speculating about what they were discussing in there.
Someone worried: “The big boss isn’t keeping Little Director Ji behind to lecture him, is he?”
Another said: “How could he? It’s not even Little Director Ji’s fault. It’s already bad enough for him—even if only as Jianyuan’s boss, a few words of comfort would be normal, right?”
“But Boss Nie hid it way too well, didn’t he? We’ve been calling him Assistant Nie this whole time. Thinking back on it now, I want to slap myself twice.”
“Who doesn’t?”
“But judging by my observation, Boss Nie strikes me as someone who draws a very clear line between personal and professional. I hope Little Director Ji doesn’t get chewed out.”
It was at that moment, during the peak of the online rumors’ momentum, that no one expected the first to respond was neither Ji Yang himself nor Yiyuan’s official statement.
It was a lawsuit from Jianyuan Group.
The account that had originally stirred up the drama, along with the PR company pulling the strings behind the scenes, topped the list of litigants, charged with defamation and extortion.
Clicking into Jianyuan Group’s official website:
Latest Corporate News:
The behind-the-scenes boss of Jianyuan issued a joint statement in the name of the Group and personally: Regarding this smearing and rumor-mongering incident, Jianyuan’s legal team will pursue it to the fullest extent of the law.
The announcement specifically stated:
From the moment this statement was issued,
No participant shall attempt to contact Jianyuan’s legal department, nor will any form of apology, mediation, or explanation be accepted.
Everyone who read the announcement understood.
What “clear line between personal and professional”? The favoritism was so brazenly out in the open.