Contractual Cohabitation GL - Chapter 7

Jing Xiaonan’s gaze was firmly locked on Ye Luochen’s face, who she was worried about, and met Ye Luochen’s eyes that were directed right at her.

Jing Xiaonan tried hard to discern her expression, but could only see a hint of surprise, a few points of pleasure, and some very vague feelings.

Before she could react, she heard General Manager Gao’s brain-short-circuiting words blurt out from across the conference table:

“I thought you were out on another date!”

Misfortune in friendship! Jing Xiaonan broke out in a sweat. Her trash-talking friend was truly next-level trash. But she had no mind to shoot daggers with her eyes now; she was focused on Ye Luochen, only to find that the hint of pleasure seemed to have vanished instantly, and she could no longer make out any joy in her expression. Ye Luochen looked at her with composed, expressionless beautiful eyes, saying nothing.

Jing Xiaonan subconsciously glanced quickly towards Qin Yan’s seat, confirming that Ye Luochen had not been suddenly possessed by the latter.

In the hurried exchange of glances, she didn’t notice that Qin Yan’s eyes narrowed slightly as she stared at Jing Xiaonan, then followed her gaze to fall searchingly upon Ye Luochen.

Gao Jiong looked at one, then the other, completely bewildered by the situation.

Manager Li was the first to break the silence, standing up to welcome her, shaking Jing Xiaonan’s hand with a very friendly smile: “The meeting was scheduled at short notice, which led to Deputy Director Jing having to rush here.”

“Not at all. Cooperating with the Maple Leaf Group is absolutely my honor,” Jing Xiaonan turned to exchange pleasantries with Manager Li, reverting to her refined business persona of cheerful conversation. However, after a few rounds of polite conversation, her gaze fell back on Ye Luochen, this time with a legitimate reason to look at the person.

“I’m afraid I have to trouble Manager Li to introduce this lady to me again.”

“Oh?” Manager Li showed appropriate surprise. “I thought Deputy Director Jing knew our Miss Ye.”

Jing Xiaonan’s brain spun rapidly, unsure if Ye Luochen had revealed the little secret of their date, or if her behavior in those few seconds upon entering the room was too obvious. She decided to reply vaguely: “I just find Miss Ye’s face familiar. Perhaps I’ve seen her on television or in the newspapers?”

Now, one person said the other’s name sounded familiar, and the other now said the first looked familiar. The gossiping instincts of the few business-savvy individuals seated there were immediately ignited, and their eyes collectively turned to Ye Luochen.

Ye Luochen’s expression remained unchanged; she simply turned her head slowly to look at Manager Li. Manager Li, having followed the Ye family for a long time, understood this clear signal. He immediately acted like a devoted subordinate and introduced Ye Luochen:

“This is Miss Ye Luochen, the granddaughter of our Maple Leaf Group Chairman, Ye Tiancong. Miss Ye is new to the family business and is not yet familiar with some aspects, so Chairman Ye ordered me, Li, to assist Miss Ye.”

He skillfully avoided mentioning Ye Luochen’s undetermined position within the Maple Leaf Group, while highlighting her direct lineage. He also placed his own status beneath Ye Luochen’s. Hmm… Jing Xiaonan nodded secretly. Manager Li must have some ability of his own to have climbed to this position at Maple Leaf.

Thinking this, Jing Xiaonan stepped forward and offered her hand to Ye Luochen, smiling gracefully and generously: “Miss Ye, I’m Jing Xiaonan.”

Ye Luochen also clasped her hand readily, gently uttering two words: “Pleased to meet you.”

The dozens of people who had been completely ignored silently cried out in their hearts: ‘Is your handshake not lasting a little too long?!‘

Exerting some strength secretly to pull free from the ‘wolf’s claws,’ Ye Luochen smoothed her skirt and sat down, tucking a strand of long hair behind her ear. Her face was calm and composed, and her heart… well, given that she was still alive, her heart must have been beating.

Jing Xiaonan pursed her lips, walked around to the Peng Ju side of the conference table, and sat in the seat vacated by Qin Yan, with Gao Jiong on her left and Qin Yan on her right.

Gao Jiong waited for her to sit down and then continued the previous topic. The entire meeting lasted two and a half hours. During this time, Jing Xiaonan spent more than half of the time smilingly looking at her counterparts across the table, while Ye Luochen’s gaze only shifted between the speaker and the documents in front of her.

“Then, I invite Miss Ye and Manager Li to report the results of our discussion to your company’s board of directors. We at Peng Ju await your good news.” While the meeting initially focused on discussing how the two parties could jointly profit greatly from this business while also reducing investment risk, this was only the start. Under Jing Xiaonan’s subtle guidance, the latter half of the meeting focused on the remuneration the Maple Leaf Group would give to Peng Ju Law Firm. The Maple Leaf representative’s intention was to give Peng Ju a considerable sum of money after reaching an agreement with the Australian milk powder factory, while the Peng Ju side proposed jointly establishing a company in Australia with Maple Leaf to handle the milk powder business, which would be beneficial for Peng Ju’s long-term profitability.

Ultimately, after Jing Xiaonan’s eloquent persuasion and her outlining of the benefits Peng Ju could bring to Maple Leaf, the Maple Leaf representative, Manager Li, and the noncommittal Miss Ye, compromised on paying Peng Ju the initial sum of money, as well as a long-term profit share. However, the final steps required reporting to the Maple Leaf board of directors and discussing the specifics of the long-term profit sharing.

Thus, both Maple Leaf and Peng Ju once again shook hands politely, expressing respect for each other. Jing Xiaonan stood up, straightened her well-tailored suit, and said: “I’ll see Miss Ye and Manager Li downstairs.”

All the way, Jing Xiaonan continuously had friendly conversations with Manager Li, only occasionally directing the topic toward Ye Luochen, who remained silent at her side.

Ye Luochen’s only response was the occasional cool, detached glance she gave them.

The group soon reached the parking lot downstairs. Manager Li was enthusiastically discussing Australian history and culture with Jing Xiaonan, but Ye Luochen seized the moment when he paused for breath to interject her farewell.

“Manager Li, I have something else to do, so I’ll be leaving first. I’ll contact you by phone.” After saying this with a slight nod, she turned and left.

Manager Li, who had been interrupted abruptly while discussing the impact of recent policies on the Australian dollar exchange rate, realized she was already several meters away. Just as he was considering whether to have someone escort the young lady, his thoughts were interrupted by Jing Xiaonan.

“Manager Li, I enjoyed our conversation very much today, and I believe the cooperation between Maple Leaf and Peng Ju will surely be smooth. I’d like to represent Peng Ju in inviting all of you to dinner tomorrow night, to taste the local specialties here in Melbourne. Will Manager Li be free to join us?”

Manager Li readily agreed with a beaming face, and after a few more formalities, Jing Xiaonan was finally able to disengage. She didn’t want to inexplicably walk out in the direction Ye Luochen left, instead of returning to the company, in full public view. She chose the opposite direction, then detoured back to the exit Ye Luochen had taken.

Because of the detour, Ye Luochen had already walked more than ten meters away by the time she reached the exit. Jing Xiaonan scanned the area and finally found her graceful silhouette. She jogged to catch up, calling out loudly as she ran:

“Luochen! Wait for me!”

Half of Ye Luochen’s mind had guessed she would follow. Hearing her voice now, she was not surprised. She sighed inwardly, stopped, turned around, and looked at Jing Xiaonan with calm composure.

Uh… Jing Xiaonan hadn’t expected her to actually stop. She froze for a moment, suddenly feeling awkward, especially under Ye Luochen’s cool, detached gaze. After a long moment, she stammered: “You, you, why don’t you walk two more steps? I, I haven’t figured out what to say to you yet.”

Looking at the other person’s stunned appearance, Ye Luochen felt a little like laughing. She lowered her head and rolled her eyes, then readily turned and continued walking forward.

Fortunately, Jing Xiaonan’s brain finally caught up with her pace.

“Luochen,” Jing Xiaonan caught up and stood slightly in front of her side: “I never thought I would meet you again in this way.”

Jing Xiaonan looked at her seriously, afraid that she wouldn’t believe or wouldn’t listen to her words: “That day, I truly didn’t know you were the young lady of the Maple Leaf Group, truly.”

Ye Luochen didn’t doubt this. Jing Xiaonan’s post was for everyone to see on the forum, and they only met because she chose to reply. Besides, looking at Jing Xiaonan’s attitude, she probably didn’t want to have any further involvement with a date partner of that nature. If she hadn’t been one of the Maple Leaf representatives, this person probably wouldn’t have appeared in her life again.

“So now you’re talking to the young lady of the Maple Leaf Group?” Her voice was clear and cool, yet still so pleasant to the ear.

“No, that’s not it.” Jing Xiaonan was confused by her statement but still answered seriously: “Haven’t I always called you Luochen?”

Ye Luochen gently snorted, the volume too low for Jing Xiaonan to hear.

Jing Xiaonan closed the distance by two steps, reaching a proximity where they didn’t have to shout to hear each other.

“I’m genuinely happy to see you again. You left without a word that day, and didn’t give me a chance to see you home.”

Ye Luochen listened to what she had to say quietly, not uttering a word.

“That day was the happiest day I’d had in a long time. I don’t know how to express my…” Jing Xiaonan frowned, unable to find the right words to express herself. “Today, when I knew you were in the Maple Leaf delegation, I definitely would have come to the meeting, no matter what.”

Her expression had gradually softened, and her eyes, although not looking at Jing Xiaonan, had become gentle as she recalled the events of that day. But when she heard the latter sentence, Ye Luochen seemed to suddenly remember something, and her beautiful eyes sharply refocused. She looked up directly at Jing Xiaonan, her expression cold, and her eyes complex.

Jing Xiaonan had been observing her attitude while talking, and this sudden change interrupted the expression of her feelings. She looked at Ye Luochen, a little bewildered, only to hear her say:

“I apologize for disrupting your original plans. Next time, I will suggest to Manager Li that we arrange a time suitable for both our schedules.” Her fingers clenched the hand-bag she was holding. “Thank you, Deputy Director Jing, for seeing me out. I believe I know the way now. Please return.”

With that, she turned and walked away without looking back. Jing Xiaonan watched her receding figure, opening her mouth, but ultimately saying nothing. Did she say something wrong? Why didn’t she notice that this woman could also be moody that day?

Shaking her head, she slowly walked back to the office building.