Love on a Time Limit - Chapter 4

“Ah, I really shouldn’t have told you about this. Besides, the project is so small—anyone from our studio could handle it. There’s no need for you to personally take the photos.”

Song Ming drove to Yue Xi, where Ji Shan rushed out to meet her in a fluster.

As they walked toward the conference room, Ji Shan kept muttering regretfully, unable to stop.

“Are you done yet?” Song Ming was thoroughly annoyed by him.

“Done, haha.” Ji Shan forced a pained smile and pleaded meekly, “You’re my boss. Can we just focus on taking good photos and not torment the models?”

“I’ll play with whoever I want. Stop bothering me.” Song Ming ignored Ji Shan’s nagging and pushed open the conference room door.

Unexpectedly, the person inside looked somewhat familiar.

“President Song.” The client waiting in the conference room stood up smoothly and greeted her respectfully.

Song Ming raised an eyebrow. “You are…?”

“I’m Lin Yu, vice president of Jiaxin Arts. We met at the Four Major Joint Innovation Conference.” Lin Yu replied.

“Jiaxin…” Song Ming paused briefly. “A subsidiary of the Zhong Group.”

Lin Yu: “Yes.”

Song Ming’s relationship with the Zhong Group was somewhat delicate. The incident she caused back then was likely known to everyone in the company. She wondered what Lin Yu was thinking, standing here in Yue Xi’s conference room.

Song Ming turned to look at Ji Shan.

Ji Shan put on an innocent face, clearly signaling ‘this has nothing to do with me, I know nothing,’ and said, “It was President Lin who specifically requested that Teacher Song oversee the new Jiaxin ad campaign.”

Song Ming couldn’t be bothered with him and sat down on the sofa. “You’re here for me?”

“Yes,” Lin Yu nodded. “It might seem abrupt to come unannounced, but after hearing about your remarkable achievements since transitioning into photography, I had to set aside other considerations and ask for your expertise.”

Song Ming gave a noncommittal nod and asked an unrelated question: “What’s your Young Master Zhong up to these days?”

Lin Yu was taken aback. “You mean the second young master?”

“Right,” Song Ming confirmed. “Him.”

Lin Yu smiled. “The second young master is primarily involved in international trade now.”

International trade… Hmph. So, the power dynamics within the Zhong Group had shifted again.

Song Ming studied Lin Yu. Logically, someone from the Zhong Group shouldn’t have sought her out willingly. Unless…

Whose idea was it for him to come here?

Lin Yu: “May I ask what President Song thinks?”

Song Ming hesitated for a moment before asking, “When?”

Lin Yu visibly relaxed, his demeanor becoming more cordial. “The shoot starts in two weeks. If you have no objections, I’ll send you the product details and core concepts first.”

“Fine.” Song Ming replied absentmindedly.

After seeing Lin Yu out, Ji Shan collapsed onto the beanbag next to Song Ming and let out a long sigh. “You have no idea how difficult that guy was to deal with. It’s weird how docile he became in front of you.”

Song Ming remained motionless, propping her chin on her fingers, staring blankly at a distant mug.

Receiving no response, Ji Shan glanced at her warily, suspecting she was up to no good. “What’s on your mind, my dear President Song?”

“The Zhong Group.” Song Ming uttered the two words tersely, frowning as she leaned back into the sofa.

Ji Shan looked utterly confused. “What about the Zhong Group?”

What’s wrong with Zhong Shi… Song Ming listened to Ji Shan’s words, her mind filled with thoughts of that troublesome woman, Zhong Shi.

Song Ming didn’t really want to see her. Just thinking about that woman gave her a headache, yet whenever she remembered her, she couldn’t help but feel inclined to show Zhong Shi some leniency.

Truthfully, Zhong Shi didn’t deserve any special treatment from her. Making decisions influenced by personal feelings went against Song Ming’s principles—something she disliked. But inexplicable emotions pricked at Song Ming’s heart, impossible to ignore, occasionally bringing back memories that had long since faded from her life.

Forget it. Song Ming sighed inwardly.

“What about that… synchronized swimmer you mentioned?” Song Ming turned to Ji Shan.

Ji Shan: “…” My dear ancestor, if only you could act even slightly professional for once.

Song Ming had no intention of doing so. In fact, the moment she got the model’s information, she wanted to invite her out for afternoon tea.

Ji Shan scrambled over and grabbed Song Ming’s hand, his pupils shaking in disbelief. “President Song, have you lost your mind?”

Song Ming shot him an impatient glance. “Are you done yet?”

“No, no, no,” Ji Shan insisted, shaking his head. “You’re my star attraction—you need to protect your image!”

Song Ming desperately needed some distraction to shake off the strange feelings lingering in her heart. The model’s profile picture was a photo of herself—her eyes gentle in shape, yet her lips sharply defined, looking very kissable.

That’s the one, Song Ming decided impulsively, shaking off Ji Shan’s grip. “Go tend to your clients and stop bothering me.”

“Wait, wait! Old Zhou next door is hosting a drinking party tonight,” Ji Shan grabbed Song Ming’s sleeve again. “That guy knows how to throw a wild party—his gatherings are always lively. Forget afternoon tea, that’s so boring!”

Song Ming paused, glancing at the enlarged photo in her hand. She had to admit that a rowdy environment might be better at helping her shake off these unsettling emotions.

“Fine, let’s go.” Song Ming relented.