A Paper Contract GL - Chapter 9

“No, mainly because I still have a wife and children at home…” Before Secretary Wu could finish, Chen Nan had already hung up the phone, but Secretary Wu was still calling into the phone, “General Manager… General Manager…?” Realizing Chen Nan had hung up, Secretary Wu muttered to himself helplessly, “What a strange person. How depressing. There are doctors and nurses here, so why do I have to be here?”

With everything set up, Chen Nan could finally go back for dinner. Before leaving, Chen Nan did not forget to instruct the staff: “Tighten security, and do not let any rumors spread, which would affect the restaurant’s reputation.” As she walked out the door, Chen Nan told her subordinates, “See you at midnight. I’m going out for a bit.”

After Chen Nan left, the subordinates exchanged glances. What? They didn’t hear wrong, did they? Midnight? Oh heavens! Did that mean today’s quitting time was dashed again? Working under a workaholic was truly difficult.

Chen Nan sprinted the entire distance to the parking lot and drove towards her grandfather’s house at 100 miles per hour. She initially thought she could make it in half an hour and still be on time, but she encountered a traffic jam halfway, completely blocking the road. By the time the police cleared the road and allowed traffic to pass, it was nearly eleven o’clock. Who eats dinner at eleven o’clock at night?

Chen Nan rushed home. Upon entering, she didn’t see a table full of dishes, but instead saw everyone lined up in front of her grandmother’s photo. Chen Nan suddenly remembered that today was her grandmother’s death anniversary. No wonder her grandfather called her so late for dinner. Her grandfather must have thought Chen Nan would remember and come back on her own, but in fact, Chen Nan had completely forgotten.

“I’m sorry, Grandpa, I’m late.” Chen Nan bowed slightly.

Chen Jiaxu had a sneering laugh on his face, watching Chen Yannian with schadenfreude.

Chen Yannian’s face was cold. “Hurry up and offer incense to your grandmother. We are only waiting for you.”

Chen Nan obediently walked to the front, offered incense, and kowtowed. Only then did everyone sit down at a table.

“Chen Nan, how has the turnover been for the hotels and restaurants you are responsible for recently?” Chen Yannian asked gravely.

“I apologize, Grandpa. That is company confidential information that I cannot discuss here. If you want to know, I have monthly reports that you should be able to see,” Chen Nan replied.

Chen Jiaxu, sitting nearby, wanted to say something but closed his mouth. With Chen Yannian present, it wasn’t his turn to speak.

Sure enough, Chen Yannian said, “Everyone sitting here is family, not outsiders. Moreover, I have already instructed Chen Yiran to proceed with the handover of the hotels and restaurants.”

“Grandpa! You!” Chen Nan hadn’t expected her grandfather to actually do that.

Chen Jiaxu laughed on the side and said, “Son, your grandfather is testing you this time. You must not disappoint him, understood? Your sister’s businesses are well-run. Now that they are in your hands, you must manage them even better.”

Chen Yiran looked troubled and said, “But, Dad, I’m not very good at managing. I’m afraid I’ll mess up…”

“Shut up! You’re saying you can’t do it before you even start? Are you still my son? Are you still Grandpa’s grandson?” Chen Jiaxu fiercely scolded his son.

Chen Nan narrowed her eyes, watching the two people sitting opposite her coldly. To Chen Nan, they were foreign invaders.

“Teacher Jiang.” Li Haitao peeked his head in and greeted Jiang Yuetong.

“What is it?” Jiang Yuetong was sitting at her desk memorizing lessons.

“Uh… Teacher Jiang, do you live near Haiyin Park on Binjiang Central Road?” Li Haitao asked timidly, his face slightly flushed.

“Yes, why?” Jiang Yuetong smiled slightly and adjusted her curly hair. Today, she was wearing a pure white chiffon dress with a slimming sweetheart V-neck design, exposing her beautiful collarbones. The double-layer satin ribbon design at the waist made her look both beautiful and graceful, like a little princess.

“Oh, nothing. I just drove here today, and I’m heading that way anyway. I can give Teacher Jiang a ride home,” Li Haitao said with a smile, walking up to Jiang Yuetong with a cup of tea.

“I’m sorry, I’m not going home first today. I have to go somewhere else. Thank you.” Jiang Yuetong checked her watch. It was already time to leave work. If Li Haitao hadn’t spoken up, she wouldn’t have noticed the time.

“Then where are you going? I can take you there,” Li Haitao said, unwilling to give up.

“Forget it. Where I’m going is the opposite direction of where you’re going. You should get busy. Maybe another time. I’m clocking out now.” With that, Jiang Yuetong grabbed her bag and left.

Li Haitao had tried to offer Jiang Yuetong a ride many times, but was always refused. Perhaps for men, the unattainable is the best, and failure only encouraged him. His feelings for Jiang Yuetong grew stronger.

In fact, Jiang Yuetong was supposed to have dinner with Chen Nan today. This was the first week of their contract agreement, and they had arranged to go for coffee this afternoon. Before leaving, Jiang Yuetong had checked the mirror countless times, but still felt a little unsatisfied. She thought, If only I had bought that three-eyed Korean purple lipstick on Taobao last week, I wouldn’t regret it now. In truth, Jiang Yuetong was already impeccably beautiful, but she still seemed dissatisfied. What Jiang Yuetong didn’t realize was that she spent more time dressing up to meet Chen Nan than anyone else, whereas for the blind dates her mother set up, she always dressed simply, sometimes not even putting on makeup.

Jiang Yuetong walked to the subway station. A car stopped in front of her. The person inside leaned out, and it was Li Haitao.

“Oh, how are you faster than me?” Jiang Yuetong was surprised.

“Yeah, why?” Li Haitao smiled slightly. “I suddenly remembered that a student who graduated and went to a great university came back to see me today and bought me a bouquet of flowers. It’s strange for a man like me to hold them, so I’ll give them to you.”

Jiang Yuetong took the flowers—bright red roses. She couldn’t help but wonder, Would a student give a teacher roses? Is he secretly in love with him? But maybe he really was.

Jiang Yuetong looked up at Li Haitao in the car and asked, “Did a female student give them to you?”

Li Haitao shook his head. “No, it was a male one.” Li Haitao’s explanation was meant to prevent Jiang Yuetong from misunderstanding, but it only confused Jiang Yuetong more. A male student giving a male teacher roses?

She was about to be late. Even though she wasn’t willing to go on this first date, being late was still a bad thing, right? So, Jiang Yuetong didn’t say anything more and walked into the subway station.

Li Haitao gazed blankly at Jiang Yuetong’s receding figure, hoping she would somehow figure out his feelings.

By the time Jiang Yuetong rushed to the coffee shop they had agreed upon, Chen Nan had already arrived.

Jiang Yuetong thought the meeting place would be similar to the last Starbucks. In Jiang Yuetong’s mind, all coffee shops probably looked alike, and the coffee would taste about the same. But the moment she opened the door and stepped into the Kaiou Coffee shop, she was somewhat shocked.

The long staircase flashed with sparkling fountain water, grand and magnificent. Crystal chandeliers bloomed on the ceiling everywhere. The ceiling was extraordinarily high, as tall as several floors, and the light from the chandeliers looked like stars in the night sky, or like scattered fireworks. The coffee shop was gilded and dazzling, hurting Jiang Yuetong’s eyes. Jiang Yuetong desperately wanted to shield her eyes with her hand, but she felt that doing so would make her look like a country bumpkin. The moment Jiang Yuetong walked in, she became cautious, as if afraid of stepping on a landmine. In reality, she was afraid of making a mistake. Although she wasn’t a celebrity walking the red carpet, what if she accidentally took a tumble? As Jiang Yuetong walked, she worried if her outfit was suitable. She had been unusually confident in her clothes, as many people had given her admiring glances on the way here, but once she was inside, Jiang Yuetong no longer thought so. She wasn’t sure if her Korean-style outfit could match the place. Jiang Yuetong felt that everyone who came here should be dressed in a European/American style, with long, gorgeous, noble gowns trailing on the floor.

Jiang Yuetong was lost in thought for a long time before she was led to a seat on the second floor by a server whose smile was so enthusiastic it stretched to his ears.

Chen Nan was sitting there.

Chen Nan was seated sideways, her legs long. The warm light of the coffee shop fell evenly on her, from her legs to her waist, and up to her face. Even her eyebrows seemed tinged with a faint gold, but her eyes were like frozen ice and snow, watching the slowly approaching Jiang Yuetong coldly.

Today, Chen Nan was dressed extremely simply as well—a white suit. The contrasting color on the lapel and cuffs broke the dull monotony, and the single row of metal buttons was undoubtedly the finishing touch, instantly highlighting Chen Nan’s personality and sense of style. Her aura was unmistakable. This outfit, from Armani’s latest collection, was undoubtedly a perfect match for this place.

“You’re late, you know?” Chen Nan narrowed her eyes and said unhappily, “Do you know how much my time is worth?”

Jiang Yuetong rolled her eyes at Chen Nan. “Money, money, money. Is that all you know? If you only care about money, I think we shouldn’t be sitting here, because I’m not someone who cares much about money.”

Chen Nan had no choice but to comply with the person her grandfather designated. She bit her lower lip hard and pointed to the seat opposite her. “Sit.”

“Tell me what you want to drink first.” Chen Nan snapped her fingers. The server obediently stood nearby. To be precise, the server hadn’t gone far. In such a high-end place, a server would naturally be positioned near every booth.

“I’ll have… coffee.” Jiang Yuetong thought for a moment. She wanted to taste the coffee here to see what made it so special.

Chen Nan tilted her head and looked at the server. “Did you hear that?”

The server nodded and left.

Chen Nan took a sip of her drink and said, “Actually, the best drink here isn’t the coffee; it’s the secret recipe orange juice. You can try it next time.”

Changing her posture, Chen Nan spoke lazily, “You are one hour, five minutes, and three seconds late.” Sitting on the incredibly comfortable leather sofa chair, Chen Nan put down her phone and looked at her watch, her posture arrogant. At work, she was a frantic person, but in life, she was a person who absolutely knew how to enjoy it.

“Yeah, so what?” Jiang Yuetong’s indifferent expression, showing she didn’t care at all, was about to drive Chen Nan crazy. “I am late, but our agreement didn’t say I couldn’t be late, did it?”

“You.” Chen Nan leaned forward angrily. She suddenly noticed the roses Jiang Yuetong had placed on the table. Chen Nan smiled slightly, placing one hand on the wooden table, bringing her face close to Jiang Yuetong’s. She narrowed her eyes and said, “If you say you were late because you were buying me roses, perhaps I can forgive you.”