So It Turns Out You’re a Fox Spirit (GL) - Chapter 15
In the office, Xu Xuan was reviewing a large pile of documents. She started working right after graduating from college, beginning as the lowest-level clerk in the company, and now she was the CEO of a 4A company. In less than ten years, with no backing and without resorting to shady practices, she established her own success! Countless media outlets wanted to report on and interview her legendary career, but she turned them all away.
Logically speaking, accepting media interviews could significantly boost a company’s visibility, which many businesses actively seek. However, Xu Xuan was an exception; she was aloof, arrogant, and rarely acknowledged anyone. Perhaps, CEO Xu’s pride had largely elevated Leader’s reputation, and interviews would indeed be superfluous.
Just then, her private cell phone suddenly rang. Who would dare to call her private number during working hours? Without even looking at the caller ID, Xu Xuan answered.
“What, you finally have time to call me?”
“How about treating you, the busy person, to a meal~”
“Sure, the usual place tonight?”
“The usual place.”
At the scene of an accident, Huang Chenchen was giving a live broadcast of a two-car rear-end collision.
A light rain began to fall slowly, and night had completely descended. Huang Chenchen was wearing a yellow raincoat, making her look bloated like a giant pineapple. The bangs on her forehead, battered by the wind and rain, were clumped into small wisps, making her look almost like San Mao (a popular comic character).
Therefore, being a reporter is really not a job for humans. Huang Chenchen deeply felt this. Putting aside everything else, when would she ever settle down her lifelong relationship? She had just made dinner plans with a handsome guy, only to receive a call from the station that there was a fire somewhere! Or a black workshop somewhere! Or a naughty child fell into a ditch somewhere ==. So what if you had a date with a handsome guy? So what if you were woken up halfway through your sleep? As a reporter, wherever there’s news, there you must be. Upholding justice and punishing evil are all your responsibilities!
Xu Xuan drove her flashy Ferrari along the familiar street. “The usual place” was a home-style noodle shop. She used to eat there often right after college graduation. Now, almost ten years later, that noodle shop had become an old established brand in W City. Turning left at the traffic light intersection and driving for about five minutes, Xu Xuan had to stop her car because of a sudden traffic accident.
Actually, the rear-end collision was not serious, but the two car owners were stuck arguing over the compensation issue, unable to reach an agreement. Xu Xuan sat in the car, feeling a bit impatient, so she got out. The rain had stopped by then.
“Could you please make way?”
Huang Chenchen was vigorously conducting her live broadcast, rapidly transforming everything in front of her eyes into a torrent of eloquent words, making it incredibly vivid. It wasn’t until her gaze swept over Xu Xuan and the flamboyant Ferrari behind her that Huang Chenchen recognized her immediately. Isn’t this the CEO Xu she had been pursuing for so long?
The scene was chaotic. The two car owners were arguing endlessly. Huang Chenchen was directing the photographer, narrating, and trying to mediate all at once. She wished she had three mouths! The onlookers were pointing and whispering, seemingly eager for more chaos. The entire street had erupted, and naturally, no one paid attention to Xu Xuan’s request. It was the first time in her life that CEO Xu had been ignored like this. Fueled by anger, she walked straight up and snatched the microphone from Huang Chenchen, “How much?”
Just those three words, simple and blunt. The two car owners who were arguing were stunned by this powerful woman, and the surrounding crowd also focused their attention on Xu Xuan and the luxury car parked not far away! What is news? This is news! Huang Chenchen quickly told the cameraman to point the camera at Xu Xuan and keep shooting, shoot, shoot while they could!
“However much the compensation is, I’ll pay!” Xu Xuan really didn’t want to waste time with them here. She disdained to say more than one word about problems that could be solved with money.
…
Huang Chenchen, with her “giant pineapple” hairstyle, stared dumbfounded at the way CEO Xu solved the problem. This woman was truly… sharp enough! The accident was ultimately resolved by a check from Xu Xuan.
Just as Xu Xuan finished “clearing” the street and was about to get into her car, Huang Chenchen directly blocked her way, “Is this how you, CEO Xu, solve problems?”
Xu Xuan instantly recognized Huang Chenchen, the little reporter who had been relentlessly pursuing her recently, and whose skin was quite thick! “Otherwise? Do you want me to let you, this useless giant pineapple, solve it? Also, if you don’t want to lose your job, don’t talk nonsense.”
Watching Xu Xuan drive off in her sports car, Huang Chenchen inhaled a lungful of exhaust fumes behind her! “What? She called me a giant pineapple!”
“Sister Chen, you do kind of look like one…” The people in her team couldn’t help but laugh…
“Threatening me! And calling me a pineapple! That dead nouveau riche!”
“Sis, why are you so late?” Fu Jin had been sitting in the noodle shop for a while.
“There was a situation on the road.”
The year Xu Xuan graduated from college, because of some unpleasant things, she moved out of her family’s home and came to W City to work hard. Thinking back, those times were truly tough. She couldn’t bear to spend money, and she didn’t have any, so she often filled her stomach at that little noodle shop. At that time, Fu Jin had just started university at A University. Although Xu Xuan had completely cut ties with her family, she had a very good relationship with her cousin. She often told Fu Jin back then, “You are my only family.”
Looking at the noodle shop, it had been renovated several times, and it was hard to see the traces of the past. Fu Jin thought that this place carried unpleasant memories in her cousin’s heart, but Xu Xuan seemed unable to forget it. Almost every time they met, Xu Xuan would choose this place. She said that she didn’t know where she would go in her life, but this noodle shop was like her ‘starting point’… she would never forget it.
“Do you remember the first time we came here? You ordered the beef noodles for me, the most expensive one.” Fu Jin recalled the past. At that time, Xu Xuan had just started working and was strapped for cash, yet she still used her remaining ten yuan to order a bowl of beef noodles for Fu Jin. She always said, “A sister should take care of her younger sister.” To this day, no one would have thought that the girl who couldn’t even afford beef noodles back then now had the ability to buy all the noodle shops in W City…
No one knew the bitterness in Xu Xuan’s heart better than Fu Jin.
Today, she ordered beef noodles again. The presentation had become prettier, there was less beef, and the price was higher.
“Sis, do you regret it? You gave up everything for her.” Fu Jin still remembered vividly her cousin holding her hand and telling her that she had fallen in love with a girl and that she had to be with that girl, at any cost. Since then, the Xu family was turned upside down. Although the Xu family had three generations in politics, Xu Xuan ultimately did not become the political elite everyone expected. Instead, for that girl, she went to a strange city and started from scratch. That girl never appeared again. Who she was no longer mattered…
What’s the difference between regretting it or not?
“Are you still alone?”
“Aren’t you alone too?”
Fu Jin was rendered speechless by Xu Xuan. That’s right, wasn’t she still alone?
Xu Xuan never liked reminiscing about the past like this. What was over was over; there was no need to keep feeling sad about it. Just like now, she could still nonchalantly come to this noodle shop to eat noodles; this was a sign of letting go. “Anyway, let’s talk about you! How does Miss Fu have time to come and have noodles with me?”
“I’m here to work for you, CEO Xu. How much salary will you pay me~”
Xu Xuan had always wanted to invite Fu Jin back to China to develop and make her the second largest shareholder of Leader, but Fu Jin had always refused. Hearing her say this today, could it be that she was willing to come back? “Are you saying you want to come back to China for development? I would naturally be thrilled. The position of a major shareholder has been reserved for you for many years.”
Fu Jin shook her head and explained, “I know your company recently partnered with Donghai Real Estate on a project, and I’m very interested in participating. Is it feasible for me to be the art consultant?”
“So you’re looking for a short-term cooperation~ But the Donghai Resort Villa project hasn’t been finalized yet. We can only take the order if we win the bid. Besides, aren’t you going back to England soon? You still have research projects at hand. Can you manage it?”
“The research paper won’t be finished anytime soon, so I’ve applied to postpone my return to England for half a year. I have plenty of time. The courses at A University are also relatively light. Wouldn’t it be good to use my free time to share some of your burden? Actually, I know the chairman of Donghai Group, and I’ve also indicated that I will be cooperating with Leader to take over this project. The Donghai side has also expressed agreement, and they should be contacting you for negotiations these two days. So, as long as you hire me, you won’t need to bid, and this big piece of juicy meat will be yours!”
Professor Fu, who had always been dedicated to academia, would actually go to such lengths and use her personal connections for a project that didn’t directly concern her? Even with connections, a multi-million cooperation project would definitely require some effort to secure. Xu Xuan could hardly believe it, “How did you know about this? This kind of behavior is unlike your usual style!”
Why would she do this? Fu Jin recalled a certain person looking dejected and annoyed at the banquet that day, and she felt a little sympathetic. It seemed Le Xiaoyao was really eager to take on this project, which was why she went to such lengths to sneak into the banquet and foolishly confront Yang Qigang for an argument with zero chance of success. If Le Xiaoyao knew that she could finally take on this project, she would surely be smiling in her sleep, right? Thinking of this, Fu Jin couldn’t help but smile faintly and said to Xu Xuan, “As for how I know, I won’t tell you. I know you, Xu Xuan, are always smart, and you’ll definitely hire me.”