If this were any other day, Yu Xiaoxiao would have already chirped that her perky peach was ready.
But right now she was too touched to catch his drift.
"A surprise? There's more? What kind??"
Seeing the anticipation in Yu Xiaoxiao's eyes, Jiang Cheng forced an awkward smile. "A deep clean has a lot of steps."
"Huh?"
"First we wash thoroughly, then massage by hand to stop the skin from drying and losing adhesion; once temperature and humidity are just right we move to the next stage."
At that, Yu Xiaoxiao finally understood exactly what he meant.
She rolled her eyes coquettishly. "Pervert. After all this time, do you still have enough in reserve?"
Well… any normal guy would already be 'menopaused.'
Thank heavens for that broken skill "Great Kidney Returns".
Otherwise Jiang Cheng would long since have become Young Master Kidney-Deficiency.
Of course he wouldn't ruin the mood by mentioning what had happened on the plane.
"Heh, I've been saving it all week just for tonight."
Hearing that, Yu Xiaoxiao's lips curved in satisfaction.
She reached out, took Jiang Cheng's knife and fork, and began cutting his steak herself.
Watching her smile as she fed him a piece, Jiang Cheng said, "Eat up—I already showered at the office…"
He ducked his head and sniffed. "Hmm…"
"In that case, how about unlocking a new map…?"
With a smile Yu Xiaoxiao rose, opened her arms, and welcomed Jiang Cheng into her generous embrace.
The next morning when Jiang Cheng woke, Yu Xiaoxiao was gone again.
But the clothes she'd laid out for him were already by the bed.
Knowing he had to go to the office, she'd considerately prepared a full formal suit.
Even the tie had been neatly pressed.
Seeing the outfit, Jiang Cheng felt the cozy warmth of an old married couple.
If he were just an ordinary man… marrying only this thoughtful, meticulous beauty would probably be happiness enough.
The thought flashed by as his wechat lit up.
It was Chen Xue'er reminding him to attend the noon meeting.
He strode into the company, ignored the covetous Girls, and headed straight for the conference room.
"President Jiang in shades today—so hot. I swear I felt something…"
"That fast? Does your husband know?"
"Wow, President Jiang is gorgeous. He didn't even look at me—I'm in love!"
"Don't bother. What's good about an icy guy who can't read your heart? Leave him to me—I love men who look down on me."
The conference-room door was already open.
Inside, Chen Jiaxue listened to the chatter outside and her aloof face showed helplessness.
When Jiang Cheng walked in, Chen Xue'er stifled her teasing look, stood formally, and greeted, "Chairman Jiang."
Her movement made the whole room rise in unison: "Good morning, President Jiang."
After a cool nod Jiang Cheng took the front seat; his aura froze the room.
But the instant he removed his sunglasses every woman, young or old, burned her gaze into him.
Men stay boys till death; women stay suckers for a Handsome Guy.
At those less-than-proper stares, Chen Xue'er coughed.
She wasn't Zhao Linger; her iron-faced reputation commanded respect.
One cough and everyone straightened, eyes front.
Today Chen Xue'er wore a tailored black business jacket.
Her coffee hair was styled in big, languid waves.
The outfit plus the sharp glance she'd just shot across the table screamed domineering female CEO.
A far cry from how she usually behaved in front of him.
She placed a folder before Jiang Cheng and whispered, "I've summarized today's agenda. Just follow the Q&A notes."
Though her voice was low,
everyone knew Jiang Cheng rarely came to the office;
if Pinduoduo's CEO weren't visiting today he probably wouldn't have shown up at all.
Handing him the file was last-minute cramming.
Realizing this, the seated executives grew even more nervous.
Chen Xue'er had repeatedly warned them: the president might be fuzzy on details; if negotiations stalled, they were to jump in with data.
Jiang Cheng nodded, flipped the pages perfunctorily, and asked, "Where's Supervisor Zhao?"
"A foreign-investment dataset is critical; I've got Linger on it. Don't worry, I'll handle the talks."
As she finished, a stir came from the doorway.
Four or five people appeared.
Chen Xue'er rose at once, smiling at the lead man. "President Huang, welcome."
"Manager Chen, hello."
With that, Huang Zheng's gaze met Jiang Cheng's as the latter stood.
Behind Huang, Pinduoduo CFO Old Li instinctively patted the valuation calculator in his pocket.
They'd all heard Xingchen's boss was young,
but seeing it still startled them.
So young it made him wonder: were they here to discuss investment or just going through the motions?
"President Jiang looks even younger than in photos." Huang smiled and offered his hand. "I've heard Xingchen Invest moves fast and sure—that TikTok stake of yours is a goldmine now."
Jiang Cheng clasped his hand, feeling the thin callus on Huang's fingertip—more a hands-on entrepreneur than a pen-pusher.
"President Huang is the impressive one," Jiang Cheng replied evenly, grip firm. "In three years you've built Pinduoduo to this scale. Last time I saw Red-Third's President Shen he groaned about missing a great target."
"Haha, are you teasing me, President Jiang?"
Huang released his hand, scanning Xingchen's investment layout spread across the table.
His gaze lingered half a second on the TikTok logo. "I hear Xingchen is eyeing the consumer sector lately—so does Pinduoduo count as a qualified target?"
Jiang Cheng gestured for him to sit, then took the opposite chair. "Qualified or not depends on President Huang's appetite."