"Yu Xin, this is no laughing matter," Jin Tang was the first to exclaim, trying to persuade her.
Jiang Yu Xin's words, in effect, placed her on the edge of a knife.
The Jiang family's current revival relied entirely on their cooperation with the Lu Corporation.
Anyone could imagine the heavy burden on Jiang Yu Xin's shoulders.
Who could guarantee that such a matter would be free from accidents and unforeseen changes?
A slight misstep would be equivalent to cutting off one's own retreat.
The term "military order" itself indicated that there would be no good outcome.
Conversely, Li Chong Lou appeared calm and did not try to stop anything, as if it had nothing to do with him.
This made Jin Tang's face twist as he snapped, "Useless! Speak up!"
"Yu Xin is forced to sign this military order because of you, yet you cower like a turtle when the time comes."
"You were so brave earlier, why are you speechless now?"
Despite the scolding, Li Chong Lou was not angered; instead, he chuckled, "Worrying about things that will never happen, a fool's busywork."
"Since Yu Xin dares to agree, she has the confidence to back it up!"
"What relation are you to her? Why are you concerned?"
These words, delivered without mercy, turned Jin Tang's face ashen.
Actually, when Jin Tang was worried about Jiang Yu Xin, Li Chong Lou had a slight change of heart towards him.
Love stems from the heart, it is human nature, and it has nothing to do with morality.
Jin Tang's affection for Jiang Yu Xin was no secret, and he wasn't so narrow-minded as to mind it, as long as no illicit means were used.
Furthermore, he was actually grateful to Jin Tang.
If it weren't for this brat, he wouldn't have bothered to enter the conference room, naturally missing this scene of internal conflict within the Jiang family.
Although Jiang Tao and his son had been eliminated, the Jiang family was still not a unified entity.
Everyone wanted to protect their own interests, even if this camel was already skin and bones, they still wanted a piece of the pie.
Since this was the case, it was better to take this opportunity to thoroughly eliminate these root causes of trouble.
This was also why Jiang Yu Xin had unhesitatingly asked them to resign.
"You," Jin Tang sputtered, choked with anger.
Before he could say another word, Jiang Yu Xin coldly interrupted, "Enough, my decision is made!"
"If the cooperation with the Lu Corporation fails, I, Jiang Yu Xin, will voluntarily resign my position as Deputy General Manager and permanently withdraw from the company."
Before she could finish, a document was thrown from Jiang Hong Liang's hand onto Jiang Yu Xin's desk. "Words without proof are like paper. Sign it as evidence."
"Hold on. Yu Xin can sign this military order, but what if she succeeds?" As Jiang Yu Xin was about to write, Li Chong Lou gave her a look and said calmly, "Not all the risks should be borne by her."
"You men, uncles and aunts, should also set an example."
"How about this: if the cooperation is successful, Jiang Hong Liang, you and those who are in cahoots with you will retire and live out your days in peace."
"Do you—or—dare?"
As he spoke the last words, a fierce glint flashed in Li Chong Lou's eyes.
Staring at Jiang Hong Liang, a sense of dread washed over him, and a strong sense of resistance welled up in his heart, feeling his dignity challenged.
Steeling himself, he called out, "Fine!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he realized his mistake and desperately wanted to retract it.
His goal was to pressure Jiang Yu Xin to complete this task so he could reap the benefits.
But now, provoked by Li Chong Lou, he had rashly agreed to retire after success, which meant he would no longer have any say in future profits.
He had fallen into the trap!
He couldn't help but curse, "You little bastard, you dare to trick me? I'm still young, why should I retire?"
"Brother Liang, that's not fair. They are all juniors. As an elder, your word should be your bond," Jiang Hong Yi replied coldly.
This fellow, in league with several others, first troubled his son-in-law, and then ganged up to bully his daughter.
As the General Manager, he couldn't say anything.
But having agreed, he now wanted to renege? Dream on!
Jiang Hong Liang's expression twisted, and he and his close associates looked extremely displeased.
Jiang Yu Xin, without raising her head, finished writing the military order. Following Li Chong Lou's suggestion that both parties have conditions, she signed her name and pushed it towards Jiang Hong Liang.
"Uncle Tang, you brought this up. Sign it, and don't make me look down on you."
Jiang Hong Liang's face turned pale, his eyes bloodshot, wishing he could tear Li Chong Lou limb from limb. But ultimately, he could only sign his name under everyone's gaze.
He then pushed it over to Jiang Hong Yi for safekeeping.
At the same time, he angrily threw the pen several meters away.
His eyes were filled with extreme malevolence.
His heart seethed with hatred, cursing, "Just you wait, if I don't get any benefits, no one else will!"
He had already decided that after the meeting, he would immediately find a way to sabotage this cooperation.
He would make Jiang Yu Xin and her father leave the company, and then, with no one in charge, he would take over and slowly plot his moves.
Cooperating with the Lu Corporation was not easy, but destroying it was incredibly simple.
With matters having reached this point, the meeting naturally ended on an unpleasant note.
Jiang Hong Yi sighed and, accompanied by several of his cousins, left the conference room, as he had other matters to attend to.
Jiang Yu Xin tidied up the documents, gave Li Chong Lou a deep look, and said, "Since you're my secretary, come with me, and I'll fill you in on the situation."
Li Chong Lou nodded.
He mused that since he didn't need to go to Donglin for now, the hotel matters weren't urgent for a few days.
So, he followed behind Jiang Yu Xin, ready to leave.
Just then, Jin Tang's deliberately lowered voice sounded in his ear again, "Li Chong Lou, seeing as it's for Yu Xin's sake today, I won't bother with you. We'll meet again."
"I'll be waiting," Li Chong Lou replied indifferently.
It had to be said that a person's character changes with their environment.
If it were the same as when he was reborn, filled with hatred and anxiety, he would have long since crushed a person like Jin Tang under his heel and trampled on him.
He wouldn't have wasted any more words on him.
But circumstances had changed. His mother was still alive and well, and his wife had clearly changed quite a bit.
He would also face the future in a much better state.
Jin Tang was merely a clown, a mere spectacle.
Leaving the conference room, Li Chong Lou followed Jiang Yu Xin to her office.
*Click.*
Jiang Yu Xin first locked the door, and then the icy expression on her face gradually melted. Her tone softened as she said, "Today, they used you as a chess piece. I'm sorry you were wronged."
"Things like this used to happen often. I'm used to it," Li Chong Lou replied with a hint of surprise.
There was a time when Jiang Yu Xin wouldn't have cared at all if he was humiliated, as long as her own face wasn't affected.
Yet today, she was actually comforting him.
Although the comfort was extremely awkward, it was enough to show that her heart was undergoing a significant transformation.
She was moving towards the idea of being together.
"I asked you to come in because I want to talk about the Lu Corporation," Jiang Yu Xin said, her pretty face slightly flushed. She quickly covered it up, "We've submitted our bid. The Lu Corporation is a large entity, and I don't know if you've heard of Lu Yun Xu."
Upon hearing Lu Yun Xu's name, Li Chong Lou's eyelids twitched slightly, and he nodded gently.
Just as he was about to explain his relationship with Lu Yun Xu, he heard Jiang Yu Xin continue, "She personally met with me."
"Although she didn't say it explicitly, I could tell she was implying that this bidding process could be manipulated, specially prepared for our Jiang family."
"I thought about it for a long time but couldn't figure out her intention."
"However, just before the meeting, I received news that our bid had entered the first round of selection, which is why I had the confidence to make a bet with Uncle Tang."
"I wanted to ask you, is this matter being orchestrated by your friend?"
So that was what she was asking about. Li Chong Lou secretly breathed a sigh of relief, thinking his wife had found out about his frequent interactions with Lu Yun Xu and was going to interrogate him.
If it were him from before, he wouldn't have felt the slightest bit of nervousness.
But now, his heart felt a little uneasy.
It seemed that true concern indeed caused one to be flustered.
Li Chong Lou decided to play dumb, "It shouldn't be. Such backroom dealings, especially with the young lady of the Lu family personally overseeing it, who would dare to be so bold?"
"I think perhaps Lu Yun Xu felt that you were a reliable person after meeting you."
"And you are both women, so there's a sense of shared understanding."
No one would believe this, but he couldn't reveal the truth now.
Otherwise, he would have to explain everything from the beginning, and as long as the fundamental issue of his rebirth couldn't be explained, anything else he said would be in vain.
"Your idea is too naive," Jiang Yu Xin looked at Li Chong Lou with surprise. "Such a huge business deal, simply for that reason?"
"Impossible, absolutely impossible."
"Of course, I also know that you certainly don't have that much influence to affect the Lu family's actions."
"There must be other reasons behind it. I need to investigate this matter thoroughly, for the sake of prudence."
Saying so, she fell into thought and slowly walked back to her desk.
She opened her computer and typed with lightning speed, checking the information.
She had completely forgotten about Li Chong Lou.
Li Chong Lou didn't mind, simply watching his wife work quietly. Her focused expression was extremely captivating on her already cold and beautiful face.
He hadn't had the opportunity to gaze at her so unrestrainedly before. Now that he was her secretary, he was indeed taking advantage of the proximity.
"You… why are you staring at me? Go busy yourself," Finally, during a break to stretch, Jiang Yu Xin noticed Li Chong Lou staring at her. Her pretty face rapidly turned crimson, and she waved her hand as if to chase him out.
*Knock, knock, knock…*
As soon as she spoke, there was a knock on the door.
Li Chong Lou took the opportunity to open the door. It turned out to be Jin Tang.
The moment he saw him, the smile on Jin Tang's face froze abruptly. He said displeasedly, "Why are you still here?"
"I'm Yu Xin's secretary, where else would I be?" Li Chong Lou retorted.
"Fine, then just stay and watch." A sly glint flashed in Jin Tang's eyes. He walked into the office and took out a jewelry box from his pocket.
Opening it, he revealed a pair of crystal tinkling bracelets.
He walked up to Jiang Yu Xin, held up the bracelet, and said, "Yu Xin, this is something I worked hard to get through a friend."
"This is Van Cleef & Arpels' limited edition crystal tinkling bracelet for this year, a treasure that money can't buy."
"It's for you!"
These words made Li Chong Lou, who was about to leave, stop in his tracks.
Extremely arrogant.
He was actually giving a gift to his own wife right in front of him.
This was no longer a simple matter of trying to steal someone's partner.
If one can bear it, but this is unbearable!
"Thank you for your kind intentions, Jin Tang. Since it's so precious, give it to your future girlfriend." Jiang Yu Xin glanced at Jin Tang and smiled, raising her arm as she said, "I already have a bracelet, one that my husband gave me."
One sentence caused Jin Tang's expression to completely freeze.
It also caused a sweet warmth to rise in Li Chong Lou's heart.
Jiang Yu Xin was actually wearing the white jade bracelet he had bought her all the time. It seemed his efforts were not in vain.