Qin Fen adjusted his glasses and said nothing, but his gaze lingered on Jiang Cheng's face for a second.
He understood it very clearly in his heart.
On the surface, this matter looked like letting Wang Congcong act as a "glove" to block risks for Jiang Cheng.
But looking at it from another perspective.
These days, people who want to be a glove for Jiang Cheng could form a line from Guomao to Xierqi.
Why?
Because Jiang Cheng is not greedy.
When he eats meat, he will definitely leave some broth for you.
If he eats the meat, does he shoulder the risk?
No, he leaves the risk to you.
But he also gives you a large piece of the meat.
Fierce Cat signs these girls and makes money; Jiang Cheng, as the major shareholder, gets dividends.
If money is lost or people start cursing, they curse Fierce Cat; it has nothing to do with Xingchen.
The risk belongs to Wang Congcong, and the meat also belongs to Wang Congcong.
Is this called being a "glove"?
This is called leading you to make money while also providing a safety net for you.
It's just that the way he provides a safety net is...
If something really happens, you shoulder it, and I'll give you a hand.
But the premise is that you have to be able to shoulder it first.
Once Qin Fen understood this point, he sighed softly.
These days, being qualified to be this glove is already a skill in itself.
Fang Yuan, who was on the side, watched Jiang Cheng silently. She suddenly discovered that when this man spoke and acted, he always seemed to think several steps ahead.
Not the kind of overthinking that comes from being calculating, but rather—
He knows what to take and what not to take. He knows what things are fragrant when held in one's hand and what things will leave a fishy smell if touched.
This sense of propriety is harder to master than making any amount of money.
---
[Meanwhile · Pengcheng · Conglomerate Name Headquarters]
Xu Jiayin sat in his office, with a document placed in front of him:
"Request for Instructions Regarding the Suspension of Operations and Personnel Placement of the Evergrande National Song and Dance Troupe"
He stared at that document for a long time.
After sighing, he opened a photo album that was placed beside him.
2015 Annual Meeting...
2016 Mid-Autumn Festival Gala...
2017 Reception for a certain important guest...
The girls in the photos all had flowery smiles, wearing gorgeous dance costumes and dancing gracefully under the spotlight.
Back then, he sat below the stage, accepting everyone's compliments.
"President Xu has a good eye!"
"President Xu's song and dance troupe is even more professional than the CCTV Spring Festival Gala!"
"President Xu is the one who truly understands art!"
Now, he had to sign this document personally.
Xu Jiayin glanced out the window.
Once, he was a part of this bustling street scene.
Now, it seemed like everything was gone.
He didn't know how much longer he could sit in this position and keep watching.
More than ten minutes later, he finally signed it.
The moment the tip of the pen touched the paper, his hand shook slightly.
Immediately after, he put down the pen, leaned against the back of the chair, and closed his eyes.
After an unknown amount of time, he opened his eyes and picked up the phone:
"...Notify Troupe Leader Liu that the song and dance troupe... will begin to disband. The compensation plan should follow the highest standards. In addition..."
He paused: "Release the news, and try to find good future prospects for them externally..."
There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the line, and then a voice came through: "...Understood, President Xu."
...
After finishing the meal, several people walked out of the restaurant.
Wang Congcong was still grumbling about the song and dance troupe, while Qin Fen and Wang Zheng were beside him giving him ideas on how to make contact, how to speak, and how to drive down the price.
Jiang Cheng trailed half a step behind, walking side-by-side with Fang Yuan.
"Are you full?" he tilted his head and asked her.
Fang Yuan nodded: "I'm full."
"Was the food okay?"
"Yeah, this restaurant's food is delicious."
Jiang Cheng smiled: "Then next time I'm back, I'll bring you and Ying'er here to eat together."
Hearing this, a flicker of unnatural light flashed in Fang Yuan's eyes.
She always felt that the ambition of this young man in front of her was anything but ordinary.
At the entrance, Wang Congcong and the others got into their respective cars. Jiang Cheng's car also drove up, and the driver got out to open the door.
"Let's go, I'll take you back to the company." Jiang Cheng stepped aside to let Fang Yuan get in first.
Fang Yuan was startled for a moment, then gave a soft "Mm" and bent down to enter the car.
The car entered the main road and drove toward Company Name.
After getting into the car, Fang Yuan subconsciously took off the coat she was wearing.
Having just finished a meal and it being noon, it happened to be a bit hot.
After taking it off and placing the coat on her lap, she realized that this action wasn't quite appropriate.
Although she was also wearing a short-sleeved shirt underneath.
But it was a tight-fitting V-neck short-sleeved shirt.
With Fang Yuan's figure rating of 95, plus her profile being extremely similar to Zhou Ying's.
Jiang Cheng found this a bit hard to resist.
Noticing Jiang Cheng's gaze, Fang Yuan could only pretend to look away nonchalantly.
After all, if she put it back on after taking it off, it would not only be a bit forced but also somewhat hurt Jiang Cheng's pride.
She found that she cared more and more about what Jiang Cheng thought of her.
Fang Yuan leaned against the seat, watching the street scene recede through the car window.
The noon sun was a bit intense, but the air conditioning in the car was set just right, the leather of the seats felt soft, and the entire space was so quiet that only the faint sound of the engine remained.
She suddenly felt that this feeling was very strange.
It was clearly just a meal, clearly just a ride back on the way, but sitting in this car, she had an indescribable sense of peace.
Perhaps it was because the way he served her food at the table earlier was so natural.
Or perhaps it was because when he talked about those business matters, he wasn't showing off or flaunting, but just chatting normally with friends.
But she could hear that in those words, there was a lack of "defensiveness" toward her.
He didn't avoid these topics just because she was present.
Nor did he deliberately try to make her understand or not understand.
He just... let her stay by his side.
As if she were a part of this circle.
As Fang Yuan was thinking, she suddenly realized the car was almost at Company Name.
Just then, her phone rang.
She looked down and saw the caller ID: Wang Wei.
Her brow twitched slightly as she answered unnaturally.
"Hello, Deputy Director Wang?"
On the other end of the line, Wang Wei's voice came through with an ambiguous smile: "Supervisor Fang, the meeting is about to start. Why haven't you come to the conference room yet..."
Fang Yuan's tone was calm: "Yes, I took two hours of leave from the manager."
Wang Wei chuckled, "How is it that I heard you were picked up by a rolls-royce at noon?"
Hearing this, Fang Yuan said nothing.
She felt she had no need to explain herself to Wang Wei.
Seeing that Fang Yuan ignored him, Wang Wei continued.
"Supervisor Fang, you were specifically sent by President Jiang to manage the finances, so your position is quite important. As for me, I'm just kindly reminding you to mind the impression you make during working hours. After all, the company is full of wagging tongues, and it won't sound good if word gets out."
Fang Yuan's fingers tightened slightly.
But her tone remained steady: "Thank you for the reminder, Deputy Director Wang. I'm already on my way back and will arrive at the company shortly."
"Oh, arriving shortly?" Wang Wei drawled. "Alright then, I was just checking. After all, those of us in finance need to leave a good impression, wouldn't you say?"
Fang Yuan rolled her eyes.
She didn't respond to that: "Does Deputy Director Wang have anything else?"
"Nothing else." Wang Wei smiled. "Go ahead and get busy."
The call ended.
Fang Yuan held her phone and said nothing.
The car was silent for a few seconds.
Jiang Cheng's voice sounded, asking unhurriedly, "Was that Wang Wei?"
Fang Yuan turned to look at him and nodded.
Jiang Cheng gave a small smile and didn't offer any comment.
But Fang Yuan understood that smile.
It was the kind of smile that said, "I know exactly what kind of person he is."
That's right; back when Wang Wei followed her own father, he was an old scumbag.
One could only say it was lucky her father was a romantic at heart with no hobbies other than fishing.
Otherwise, with an old buddy like Wang Wei around, she probably would have had several mysterious siblings popping up around her by now..."}],