The Creator's Grace (GL) - Chapter 2
Tonight’s press conference was held at ILLI, Chi Corporation’s luxury hotel brand.
By 7 o’clock in the evening, all the invited media and Chi Corporation staff had arrived at the hotel. They were setting up in the hotel’s Chinese restaurant, hanging up electronic screens, turning on projectors, placing name cards and various materials, and neatly arranging small gifts for the media on the round tables.
The camera risers were stable, and the cameras were in position.
Partners from the energy industry and Chi Corporation passed through the crystal doors of the outer area, signed their names on the backdrop, took photos, and then entered the venue. They drank, chatted, and waited for the main figure to appear.
Chi Yu sat in an inconspicuous corner, holding a glass of wine, unnoticed by anyone around her for the time being.
The rich, sweet scent of flowers and the aroma of sweet biscuits wafted from the wine glass into her nostrils from time to time.
She only smelled the wine; she didn’t drink it.
She liked this wine, but she needed to stay sober.
“Is it true that the CEO of Yidai Technology, Wang Yan, was driving drunk last night and got run over by a truck?”
“You heard about it too? I think this matter is a bit strange.”
Two media personnel sat down at the round table next to Chi Yu. They placed their cameras and phones on the table, took a few sips of water from their backpacks, and then began to gossip in low voices.
One of them, a man with a buzz cut, said, “I’d believe it if it were anyone else, but I don’t believe it about Wang Yan.”
The other, a small girl wearing glasses, didn’t understand. “Why?”
“That guy Wang Yan chased after his precious wife for so many years. They just got married last year. He’s constantly hitting the gym, trying to bulk up. He cherishes his life a lot, so how could he be driving drunk?”
“Your meaning is?”
“It’s probably because of the fight for the lunar region’s energy resources. That woman surnamed Ran…”
The buzz-cut man made a chopping motion with his hand. The small girl with glasses turned pale.
“Is this woman so terrifying? That’s murder! This is a society ruled by law. It’s just doing business, how can it involve murder?”
“You’re so naive! So many people around the world are eyeing the big cake that is lunar region energy right now. Whoever grabs it will dominate the new energy market for the next fifty years or even longer. That’s the future of Earth! What’s killing someone? You’re young, you don’t understand. These capitalists aren’t even afraid of losing their heads for profit, let alone getting rid of a person or two. That woman surnamed Ran, not to mention competitors, even for the top seat of the Chi empire, even her own sugar daddy and old flame…”
The buzz-cut man was in the middle of his wild speculation when he happened to notice a delicate and beautiful woman looking at him not far away.
Chi Yu was blessed with naturally bright and charming eyes. Her eyes always seemed to hold a smile, and even when she had no expression, people felt she was radiating a friendly smile.
The buzz-cut man’s heart fluttered at the smile of such a beauty. To show off that he had inside information, he spoke even more excitedly:
“It’s said that Ran’s old flame, Chi Li, didn’t commit suicide at all. That Ran Jin is the murderer. This woman’s private life is extremely chaotic. Her lover had just left, and the next thing you know, she was at the police chief’s house, staying there all night and not coming out. And then, naturally, Chi Li’s death report became ‘suicide’…”
The girl with glasses gasped, “Hiss, you can’t tell! But I had a pretty good impression of this Ms. Ran. I followed her for a shoot once, and she’s really beautiful. I’d say there aren’t many A-list celebrities who are better looking than her now. She’s a bit cold, but how should I put it? She felt quite sincere.”
“Heh, sincere? A venomous woman like her specializes in deceiving naive young people like you.”
Just then, a commotion came from the distance. Ran Jin had arrived.
The two of them immediately grabbed their equipment to take pictures. Chi Yu put down her wine glass and followed them.
The buzz-cut man snapped photos rapidly and exclaimed while reviewing them, “She’s truly beautiful, and truly venomous. Look at this face, who wouldn’t like it? She’s the darling of the masses and the treasure of capital. With her lover dead, those ignorant fools feel both pity and excitement, wishing they could pile mountains of gold and silver in front of her, willing to spend a fortune just to win a smile from her. This time, her ability to secure the lunar region’s energy resources is entirely due to her superb social skills.”
The girl with glasses secretly asked in his ear, “Wasn’t it exchanged for some special favors?”
The buzz-cut man chuckled slyly, “Who can say for sure?”
The two of them were engrossed in their conversation when Chi Yu walked past them and casually splashed a glass of wine on their faces, shocking them both.
The two were stunned by the splash. The buzz-cut man roared, “Are you fucking looking for a beating?!”
The buzz-cut man wiped his face with one hand, trying to grab Chi Yu.
Before his hand could reach her, a person ran over, beads of sweat on their forehead, and said to Chi Yu with a gasp, “Second Miss, you’re here! I’ve been looking for you everywhere!”
The buzz-cut man’s hand hung in mid-air, his jaw dropped.
The person who came was one of the Chi family’s butlers, Brother Chen, who was also the middleman the buzz-cut man had gone through many connections to find. Without Brother Chen’s introduction, he wouldn’t have been able to come in to take pictures tonight.
The Second Miss that Brother Chen referred to… could it be Chi Li’s legendary younger sister?
Chi Yu said a few words to Butler Chen, who nodded and left, giving the buzz-cut man a wary look before he did.
Chi Yu didn’t leave. She still wore a smile and waited in place for them to come over and continue the confrontation.
The two of them looked at each other for a moment without speaking and then silently disappeared into the crowd…
••••
Ran Jin, surrounded by a group of people, went up to the stage to speak.
Her black formal attire was as consistent as ever, having almost become her signature look.
From a distance, Ran Jin seemed to have applied a light layer of makeup. Her usually bright peach blossom eyes showed signs of redness, which diminished her usual amorous look, adding a touch of weariness and aloofness.
Under the light, the light makeup looked like no makeup at all, but Ran Jin’s features were naturally striking, so even with a bare face, she possessed a radiant charm.
Ran Jin stood in front of the large LED screen, speaking calmly about the lunar region’s new energy mining rights. All the data was in her mind. Without the assistant’s help with a PowerPoint presentation, her speech was fluent and confident.
Ran Jin introduced to everyone the earth-shattering new changes that new energy would bring to the world in the future.
It would be applied to aerospace technology, deep-sea exploration, nuclear power, and other fields. It would also penetrate daily life in areas such as heating and power supply, information dissemination, and smart homes, and it would give birth to countless unimaginable intelligent technologies.
Ran Jin unveiled Chi Corporation’s major plan for the underwater theme park, a project that would definitely be realized within the next five years, causing continuous exclamations from the audience.
Chi Corporation’s ambitions were already considerable. Unexpectedly, the sudden death of Chairman Chi Li had not caused too much impact on the Chi Group. After Ran Jin took over, this behemoth was actually running faster and more smoothly.
Chi Yu sat at the back of the crowd, gazing at Ran Jin under the spotlight.
“…I believe that the next fifty years will belong to new energy, and also belong to the Chi Corporation.”
Ran Jin placed the electronic pen on the podium, supported herself on the tabletop with both hands, her eyes shining brightly. “This is a new starting point for the Chi Corporation, and also a new starting point for the global energy industry. Everyone only needs to do one thing – closely follow in Chi’s footsteps.”
Ran Jin’s words were sharp, full of confidence, even an aggressiveness that could be described as disdain for other energy companies.
This woman was only 29 years old, but she was already a new business magnate that made people tremble with fear.
Ran Jin’s series of speeches excited the media.
Once tonight’s live broadcast and press releases were sent out, they would definitely hit many people where it hurt and stir up a bloody storm in the energy industry, which was exactly the scene the media was most eager to see.
••••
After the live broadcast ended, Ran Jin discussed a few important matters with Chi Corporation’s shareholders. Then, Xiao Yang from the planning department came over and invited Ran Jin to the ball.
“Ball?” Ran Jin refused directly. “I never dance.”
“This…”
Xiao Yang was young and had just joined the planning department not long ago. She was usually quite lively, but being suddenly rejected by Ran Jin in such a large setting flustered her. She ran back to their planning department’s Manager Xu for help.
After hearing this, Manager Xu immediately put on a bright smile and came over to persuade Ran Jin, “President Ran, I told you about the ball before, didn’t you agree? Why are you going back on your word now? No, you absolutely have to dance tonight! I’ve already informed the media!”
Manager Xu, a woman in her early forties who was well-maintained and had a beautiful face, used a combination of bossiness and coquettishness before whispering in Ran Jin’s ear, “After that tough speech you just gave, don’t you want to win back some positive image? Please!”
Ran Jin couldn’t stand Manager Xu’s public displays of affection in the first place. She also glanced at the extremely awkward Xiao Yang, whose face had turned red, and realized that she had been too harsh on the innocent young girl because of her own reasons.
But her personality was such that she never knew how to coax people or say nice things.
“Just one dance,” Ran Jin conceded.
Manager Xu’s eyes lit up, and she immediately called someone over. “Quick, take President Ran to change into a dress!”
“I’m not wearing a dress,” Ran Jin said. “I’ll dance in this.”
“…Alright.” Being able to get the boss to dance one song was enough for Manager Xu. She didn’t dare to push her luck further. Dancing in a formal suit might even become a topic of conversation.
As the music began, a wave of onlookers dispersed, but the media didn’t leave. They were all waiting to capture Ran Jin dancing.
The dance floor was already filled with people from the Chi Corporation and their partners, couples dancing gracefully.
Ran Jin had never been enthusiastic about entertainment, and she was truly not good at things like dancing.
Lu Siqing walked over from the other side of the crowd, lifting the hem of her dress.
She was the rescuer Ran Jin had called for.
Originally, Manager Xu had wanted Ran Jin to dance a song with the CEO, but Ran Jin didn’t like physical contact with others, so she called Lu Siqing to come and help.
“You only remember to look for me when you need something? Luckily, I was worried about you and didn’t leave, otherwise, what would you have done?”
Lu Siqing teased her on the phone.
“Stop joking around, it’s a matter of life and death, hurry up,” Ran Jin said before hanging up. Soon after, she saw Lu Siqing arrive to save the day.
Lu Siqing was a police officer and had always loved beauty. Outside of work, she always had an air of being dressed to the nines wherever she went, so her attire wasn’t out of place for this impromptu rescue.
On the contrary, it made Ran Jin, in her business suit, look even more out of place on the dance floor.
Lu Siqing was about to walk through the crowd to reach Ran Jin when a pair of dancers glided past her, blocking her view.
By the time she turned her gaze back to Ran Jin, she found that Ran Jin already had a dance partner.
“What a boring press conference.”
Forcefully taking Ran Jin’s hand, Chi Yu, wearing a gorgeous long dress and exquisite makeup, naturally led Ran Jin onto the dance floor.
Ran Jin smelled the familiar perfume, and her heart tightened. When she looked up, a young, beautiful, and familiar face appeared before her.
Her slender eyes carried a bewitching and dangerous air, and the half-smile made the color on Chi Yu’s lips look even more vibrant.
“Isn’t this a banquet? There’s not even a bite to eat. How has our Chi Corporation become so stingy under your management?”
Chi Yu’s gaze didn’t fall on Ran Jin’s face but looked ahead as she led her in a graceful dance.
When Ran Jin clearly saw who was leading her and holding her hand, her first instinct was to break free.
“I won’t force you,” Chi Yu said. “But if you don’t mind the hard-earned business slipping through your fingers, you’re welcome to leave.”
Ran Jin’s eyes narrowed, and her voice became uncharacteristically urgent, “You made a move on the lunar orbit?”
“Am I not worthy?”
Chi Yu’s smile was charming and a little sweet. If one didn’t hear the content of her words, anyone would mistake her for saying something particularly sweet and happy to Ran Jin.
Ran Jin knew that Chi Yu’s major had always been lunar orbit studies. All the people she knew were experts in the field, and she had started interning at the famous Galactic Transit Authority last year.
Over the past few years, all the people Chi Yu had associated with were authorities in the field of stellar orbits.
Chi Li had boasted about her younger sister’s capabilities in front of her countless times.
No matter how much effort she had put into seizing the lunar region’s mining rights, once the lunar orbit was blocked, Chi Corporation’s smelting and transport ships wouldn’t be able to land on the moon, and everything would be in vain.
At the same time, the huge daily fees for mining rights, docking, maintenance, and labor would severely damage Chi Corporation, which was already over budget on this project.
Ran Jin looked directly at the still composed Chi Yu. “Did you do all that last night for this?”
Ran Jin had considered the worst-case scenario, but Chi Yu had pushed the worst-case scenario even deeper and more painfully.