After Flirting, She Runs Away, Chasing the White Moonlight to the Ends of the Earth - Chapter 2

Monday.

Following the morning rush hour traffic, Ning Nai inched forward at a snail’s pace.

At eight in the morning, her assistant Nicole had already begun briefing her on the three design firms scheduled for meetings today. Considerate of her boss needing to focus on driving, Nicole opted for a voice message to summarize the key points.

It had to be said—this kind of assistant was truly invaluable.

Ning Nai even found the traffic jam slightly more bearable. While others were stuck in lonely gridlock, she was simultaneously being fed work updates.

This art of upward management was indeed impressive.

Arriving at the 35th floor of LNVM headquarters,

Ning Nai strode into the office with an air of authority, dressed in a nude silk blouse with a small stand-up collar, high-waisted wide-leg trousers, and champagne-colored seven-centimeter heels.

Nicole followed closely behind, reporting, “President Ning, everything in the office has been set up. The meeting starts in ten minutes.”

She placed a freshly brewed plain latte on the desk, left three stacks of documents, and exited.

The rich aroma of coffee quickly filled the air. Ning Nai took a sip of her latte and picked up the thickest file among them—

“Qing” Design was already her predetermined choice.

The only reason she was meeting with three firms today was to go through the motions. If not for her recent appointment as CMO of the headquarters, she would have outright dismissed the other two based on her usual decisiveness.

The other two firms were far inferior to “Qing” in both qualifications and caliber—it was like comparing heaven and earth.

Ning Nai couldn’t fathom how they had even made it onto the shortlist.

But those who made the list were never there by accident. She still had to save some face for her colleagues at headquarters.

But face was just that—face.

10:00 AM.

Nicole kept wiping sweat. Within an hour, two groups had already left the conference room. This was highly unusual—since when were vendor selections this abrupt?

After hearing just the first slide of the presentation, President Ning would say, “Alright, got it. Send over the materials.”

Meeting adjourned.

What kind of meeting rhythm was this?

Was President Ning subtly expressing dissatisfaction with her arrangements?

The finance director, Mike, quietly asked, “What’s going on? Since when do we review proposals like this?”

Nicole didn’t dare say much, only offering a polite smile. “President Ning must have her own plans.”

10:15 AM.

The conference room was prepped once more.

With one minute left before the meeting, everyone had arrived—except for the representatives from “Qing” Design. Nicole was sweating bullets for them.

The door opened.

A woman in a soft beige suit walked in, poised and elegant, and took her seat—it was Ning Nai.

Nicole’s heart raced: Wow, this “Qing” Design really knows how to put on airs. All the client’s leadership is here, and they still haven’t shown up.

Just as she was about to mentally write off this vendor,

The sharp click of heels echoed from the hallway.

Click, click, click.

Bang—

The glass door swung open, revealing a tall figure in a striking black blazer and red dress, capturing everyone’s attention.

Nicole glanced at her phone: Right on the dot. Not bad, “Qing” Design.

Ning Nai remained seated in the host’s chair, sipping her coffee with effortless grace, not even sparing a glance at the flustered representative—until a business card was slid toward her.

“President Ning, hello. ‘Qing’ Design—Lu Jin’an.”

A faint ripple of surprise stirred in Ning Nai’s chest. Only then did she properly look up, taking in the woman before her.

Jet-black, voluminous curls were neatly tied back. The exquisitely tailored red dress was paired with a black blazer, adorned with a delicate crystal brooch.

She was a far cry from the flirtatious woman seen at the bar last night—now appearing professional and elegant.

Her beauty radiated from within, and when she smiled, there was a hint of rebelliousness.

For a moment, Ning Nai was dazed. What kind of coincidence was this? Running into someone she hadn’t seen in ten years twice in 24 hours—and this time, in a professional setting.

Ning Nai nodded politely, accepting the minimalist business card.

Founder of Qing Design, Lu Jin’an.

She clearly remembered the person listed as the responsible party in the documents was Xu Kun. Now, a founder had appeared—were they lovers? Married?

No, Lu Jin’an had been with a woman yesterday.

What was going on?

Ning Nai found it amusing—why was she even speculating about things unrelated to the project?

Quietly collecting herself, she noticed Lu Jin’an had already begun the presentation.

Admittedly, though Lu Jin’an had a well-established reputation as a playgirl, she still had a professional side. Her expertise in design was truly impressive.

From the very start, Ning Nai found herself unable to look away.

Time flew by.

The attendees were surprised—this time, Director Ning had actually sat through the entire PowerPoint presentation, and she even seemed satisfied.

Nicole wiped the sweat from her forehead again: Qing Design, you better not mess this up. Whether we land this project today depends entirely on you.

Selecting these third-party partner companies was the assistant’s job, and it was anything but easy.

God only knew how many emails Nicole and the departments had exchanged before finalizing these three candidates.

Normally, after the meeting, as the responsible party for the client, Lu Jin’an should have taken the opportunity to network with Director Ning—especially since Ning Nai remained seated in the guest of honor’s seat, showing no intention of leaving.

It was clear she was quite pleased.

Yet, after the presentation, Lu Jin’an merely nodded at Ning Nai and walked straight out of the conference room.

Just like that.

She didn’t even come over to bid farewell face-to-face or leave a stronger impression.

Nicole’s heart sank: It’s over. We’re done for! She had never encountered such an unprofessional representative before.

What kind of client partner is this?!

Ning Nai was still mulling over some of the creative ideas in the proposal—some had genuinely moved her. But when she turned around, Lu Jin’an was already gone.

Fine. Being this self-absorbed and disregarding the client’s presence is exactly the kind of thing Lu Jin’an would do.

Ning Nai had already made her decision. The project would be awarded based on merit—attitude could be dealt with later. Lost in thought, she reached the elevator.

“Director Ning~”

A soft voice called from behind. Turning, she saw the tall woman with curly hair tied up.

“Apologies, did I miss something?” Lu Jin’an smiled apologetically, phone in hand—she must have just finished a call.

Oh, so she hadn’t left—just stepped out for an important call.

Ning Nai replied indifferently, “You have impeccable timing, Ms. Lu.”

The remark carried multiple interpretations—none particularly flattering.

Yet Lu Jin’an actually laughed. Up close, her striking beauty was infectious. With a hint of curiosity, she asked, “Director Ning, have we met somewhere before?”

They maintained the standard one-meter distance of strangers, but it already felt uncomfortably close.

Ning Nai cleared her throat. “I… don’t recall. Are you from an arts background, Ms. Lu?”

Ever since she first laid eyes on Lu Jin’an, Ning Nai had been harboring a question in her mind: How did that former delinquent girl, who hadn’t even finished high school, become the founder of Qing Design?

Could she be some wealthy investor who bought her way in?

Although Ning Nai wasn’t one to rigidly value formal education, she knew that professional training could determine the starting point of artistic creation.

Lu Jin’an replied calmly, “You’re right, Director Ning. I studied fine arts for four years and visual arts for two. Of course, those were just the basics. True artistic creation only really begins afterward.”

Her words were modest, and Ning Nai couldn’t help but glance at her again.

As they were leaving, Lu Jin’an suddenly seemed to remember something. She extended her slender, fair hand with a smile and said, “Director Ning, I hope we have the chance to collaborate.”

It was a polite, businesslike handshake—somewhat old-fashioned and unexpected from someone like Lu Jin’an.

Ning Nai found it amusing.

She, who never shook hands, broke her own rule and briefly touched those elegant fingers, responding noncommittally,

“Well then, see you later, Professor Lu.”

Back in her office upstairs, Ning Nai mulled things over before making a call. “Yes, look into this person for me. I’ll send you the details later.”

Today’s encounter had left her deeply intrigued by the contradictions Lu Jin’an embodied.

If Lu Jin’an was as unremarkable as she had imagined, then who was that poised, eloquent, and highly professional woman who had commanded the stage earlier?

What had she been through all these years?

Still, no matter how accomplished she was in her career, it couldn’t erase the chaos of her personal life.

Ning Nai had witnessed yesterday’s dramatic confrontation firsthand.