Passion ignites!
Ten days until the inaugural "Hechuan Miss" model selection competition!
Inside the An Corporation International building, the first competition committee meeting officially commenced.
Ping An disliked being here, especially after seeing a security guard furtively avoiding him, which filled him with a sense of vexation. His last visit was to demolish the building; today, however, he was representing the "contractor," cautiously presenting a work proposal to the "client."
Feeling disgruntled, Ping An walked dejectedly to the elevator bank and suddenly spotted a beautiful woman.
Wan Rou, the sole representative from An Corporation International for this event, was respectfully waiting at the elevator entrance. The elevator doors were open, and the "Number One" sign above them asserted the exclusivity of this elevator, inaccessible to ordinary individuals.
Ping An recognized this woman. She had attended his wedding with his mother and was not only An Jing's current right-hand woman but also his "administrative secretary" in terms of personnel.
"Director Ping, please take this elevator..." Wan Rou politely gestured him to enter.
"No, thank you. I'll wait for this one," Ping An replied with a perfunctory smile to Wan Rou.
Without further pleasantries, Wan Rou returned his smile and took out her phone, making a call.
"Clear Elevator Number Six for passengers. It will go directly to the first floor immediately." Wan Rou maintained her courteous tone, yet her words exuded an unquestionable absolute authority.
Is this even possible? Ping An had indeed heard Wan Rou's arrangement and glanced at her again, somewhat surprised, noticing she still maintained her initial respectful demeanor.
The elevator in front of Ping An descended at a visible speed and slowly stopped on the first floor.
"Please, director. I'll see you upstairs," Wan Rou said, stepping into the "Number One" elevator only after the ordinary one opened.
Undeniably, the "small incident" of arranging elevators did not make Ping An feel any better; on the contrary, it left him slightly dejected. The newspaper assistant trailing behind him, however, looked at his "acting director" with adoration, impressed by his influence within such a large enterprise.
Ping An, of course, did not speculate on the assistant's thoughts. He calmly found his seat in the vast conference hall, sat down, and quietly awaited the meeting.
It was indeed a grand event in the fashion world. The attending guests, almost all in formal attire, were a sight to behold. Particularly, a woman wearing purple sunglasses drew significant attention the moment she entered.
"Who is this beauty? Tsk tsk, her outfit screams elite figure in the fashion industry!"
"Absolutely. I know her. She's the representative from Shengtian Culture. It's rumored that she's not only the sole representative of Shengtian Culture in Hechuan but has also become the manager of the Hechuan region. She's only 27, can you believe it?"
"Whether she's impressive or not, I don't care. I only know that whoever marries her must be truly remarkable!"
"Hey, hey, hey, look! That's the remarkable figure you were talking about – Ou Erjian from Zizai Trade, one of the investors in this event. It's said that last night, during the initial meeting, he proactively invited the representative from Shengtian Culture for a late-night snack, but was rejected."
"A game of push and pull, wouldn't you say? Ou Erjian, you know, in the Hechuan business circle, only Director An Jing can be compared to him right now."
"Quiet down, look, Ou Erjian is walking towards her."
The representative from Shengtian Culture, or Director Ou from Zizai Trade, naturally would not be seated in the back like Ping An, the "contractor." The beautiful woman, following her name tag, found her seat, precisely in front of Ping An. Normally, such a stunning woman would be a feast for Ping An's eyes. However, he had too much "homework," and after hastily sitting down, he buried his head in the documents. It wasn't until Ou Erjian reached him that he was roughly shoved.
"Excuse me, my boss needs this seat," a burly man with a braid said impolitely.
"Oh, let me see." Ping An, thinking he had mistaken his seat, got up and checked the name on the chair. Finding his own name, he scratched his head and said somewhat innocently, "Apologies, this seat is mine."
"Oh, I know, but please vacate it now. Our boss needs it, right now," the man with the braid insisted.
"It's not impossible! But where should I sit?" Ping An stood up and looked around, noticing that many seats were already occupied.
"Who are you to ask? Figure it out yourself!" the man with the braid continued to be unreasonable.
At this point, even Ping An, a fool, would realize they were looking for trouble. He, of course, was not someone to be trifled with.
"Why do you need my seat?" Ping An didn't want to escalate the situation.
"Please make way. I need to discuss something with the lady in front of you." The man with the braid remained silent, and Ou Erjian spoke up.
Ping An turned to look at Ou Erjian and thought that this man truly looked like a pampered pretty boy. Considering that changing seats wouldn't be a major issue and not worth getting angry over, he nodded, vacated his seat, and turned to leave.
"Director Ou, this is his seat. Isn't this a bit excessive?" the woman in front of Ping An spoke. "I have nothing to discuss with you. You should return to your own seat."
Such a familiar voice—Ping An, who had taken a step, froze. Could this voice be...?
"He's just a nobody. Does he dare not give me face by changing seats?" Ou Erjian said dismissively after seeing Ping An move. "Do you have anything to discuss? Why don't we chat for a while?"
"I have nothing to discuss with you, but, excuse me, I have matters to discuss with him."
So familiar! This was that person's voice! How could it be? Ping An turned back incredulously, staring intently at the woman sitting in the front row. The woman, at that moment, was also staring intently at Ping An and continued, "That's right, Director Ping. I am the representative from Shengtian Culture. My name is Lin Zexu, but you can call me Lin Dang!"
Three years ago, on the night of a murder scene—
"My name is Lin Zexu, but you can call me Lin Dang!"
Three years later, at a fashion gala—
"My name is Lin Zexu, but you can call me Lin Dang!"
That person, yes, the one he had yearned for day and night, she was back!
Ping An stood motionless, staring at the woman who called herself Lin Dang. After speaking, she slowly stood up, removed her sunglasses, turned around slowly, and gave Ping An a sweet smile.
"Lin Dang, it's really you! It's really you!" Ping An was overjoyed, almost leaping with happiness!
"Long time no see. Hello! Lin Dang, Shengtian Culture!" Lin Dang politely extended her hand to Ping An.
A handshake? Ping An looked at Lin Dang's outstretched hand, momentarily dazed, but quickly regained his composure.
"Long time no see. Hello! Ping An, Hechuan Daily!" Ping An's heart was filled with excitement, but the handshake from the other party seemed to put a halt to his anticipation, surprise, and joy.
"For our future collaboration, I'll be counting on your guidance, Teacher Ping." Holding Ping An's hand, Lin Dang could feel his warmth and excitement, but she maintained her polite demeanor throughout.
"Of course, of course!" Ping An's eyes welled up. He tried hard to remain rational. "How have you been all these years?"
"I've been fine, fine!" Lin Dang seemed to ignore the tears in Ping An's eyes. She maintained her initial politeness, and distance, then answered with a smile, slowly withdrawing her hand.
Ping An was still immersed in the joy of their reunion. How could he let go of a clasped hand?
"All these years, I've missed you so much, I've always..." Ping An couldn't quite let go, and his rambling made him appear quite ridiculous to outsiders.
"Teacher Ping," Lin Dang politely interrupted him and decisively withdrew her hand. "Let's talk about work today."
"Yeah, don't you know your place?" Ou Erjian, standing nearby, noticed Ping An's change and felt utter contempt seeing him clinging to the woman's hand.
"Oh, oh, let's talk then." With an empty hand, an empty heart, Ping An's rationality finally returned.
Just then, Wan Rou, in charge of the meeting, suddenly walked onto the stage.
"My apologies, we have encountered an unforeseen event. Today's meeting will be postponed to tomorrow. Director Ou and the heads of the other four media companies are requested to come to the small conference room now." Wan Rou finished speaking and hurried away.
"Let's go, Miss Lin, we have a meeting to attend." Ou Erjian naturally placed his arm around Lin Dang's back and then cast a provocative glance at the still-distracted Ping An.
"Certainly, Director Ou, please!" Lin Dang responded with a smile, seemingly not resisting Ou Erjian's unwelcome touch.
"Lin Dang, I..." Seeing Lin Dang about to leave, Ping An, absentminded, chased after her.
"Teacher Ping? Please mind your status. We are going to a meeting, and you are not welcome there!" Ou Erjian shoved Ping An and then, with Lin Dang, turned and left without looking back.
Ping An stood rooted to the spot as if his soul had been snatched away, watching Lin Dang's receding figure, hoping she would look back. But she had walked away, gone outside, the door closed, and nothing remained.
"Director, shall we go back too!" The assistant, having drunk plenty of beverages, seemed oblivious to what his boss had just experienced.
"Let's go!" Ping An rubbed his face fiercely and turned to leave.
In the corridor outside, a man in a black Zhongshan suit, smoking a pipe, stared at Ping An with a smile.
"Indeed, a once-devoted heart can easily change, yet we say the devoted heart changes easily!" The man in the Zhongshan suit seemed very familiar with Ping An and appeared to be relishing the unfolding drama.
"Get lost! You old gossip! Get lost before I get angry. Don't you know I haven't respected you for a long time?" Ping An retorted without even looking at him.