"My future princess, you don't like it?"
Meng Jingwei admired Shu Yao inexplicably.
A woman unfazed by money or power was indeed a rare find.
"What's so good about being a princess? I'm living more freely and comfortably right now. Besides, Anthony isn't a good person either." Mentioning Anthony soured Shu Yao's mood.
She waved her hand, "Let's not talk about him. Anyway, I don't care, I lost my client today, you have to treat me to a meal."
"Of course, of course."
Meng Jingwei nodded in agreement.
A smile played on her bright cheeks, but her gaze towards Shu Yao was somewhat deep.
Could she really be trusted?
After so many experiences, Meng Jingwei dared not trust anyone easily.
She had once trusted Xiao Cheng, only to be greatly disappointed in him.
The waiter served the food, and the two sat together, eating and chatting.
Shu Yao, while cutting her fillet steak, asked Meng Jingwei, "How is your company doing now? Do you want me to introduce some business to you?"
"It's very slow, we'll take it step by step."
"Several people in my company are getting married, I'll introduce them to you later."
"You're being so good to me?"
Unsolicited kindness often hid ulterior motives.
Meng Jingwei felt their relationship wasn't close enough for Shu Yao to save her at all costs, nor for Shu Yao to proactively introduce business.
In fact, by normal human reaction, Shu Yao should have been furious after she ruined her cooperation with Li Fu'an.
But she hadn't gotten angry. Instead, she patiently explained.
Meng Jingwei took a bite of steak with her fork, chewing as she pondered.
Was she being too suspicious, or was there really something wrong with Shu Yao?
It was impossible to know for now; she could only observe slowly.
"Isn't that obvious? You are now Madam Qing's adopted granddaughter. I have to cherish you. Otherwise, if Master Qing and Yao Yao Cosmetics cancel their cooperation, wouldn't I lose a lot?"
"That makes a lot of sense."
They ate and chatted, and after the meal, they parted ways.
...
A few days later, Leng Qing's wedding planning company gradually attracted clients.
Within a month, the company's business began to pick up, and even the planning team was insufficient. Meng Jingwei hired more employees.
The company's performance gradually improved. Although directly related to operations, it was evident from the clients' words that most of them came specifically because Meng Jingwei was Madam Qing's adopted granddaughter.
Frankly speaking, she had risen to prominence solely due to this identity.
This feeling was not good; instead, it gave Meng Jingwei a sense of frustration.
The reason she was willing to be Madam Qing's adopted granddaughter was for the backing of the Qing family, ensuring no one would dare to harm her, or even her adoptive parents.
She was already shamelessly leveraging the Qing family's influence, and now even her livelihood depended on the Qing family's favor, making her feel uneasy, guilty, and inexplicably vexed.
It felt as if her years of study were useless, making her feel like a useless burden waiting to be fed.
Meng Jingwei obtained the company's monthly income and expenses from the finance department. The revenue had reached over four million yuan!
For a newly established company, this was a delightful achievement, but Meng Jingwei knew that without her identity, their store's performance might not even reach fifty thousand yuan.
"Wow, Sister Wei, our company's business is booming!"
Seeing the revenue, her assistant Shi Ran was overjoyed, dancing with excitement. "With this revenue, our annual income could reach fifty million."
Even Lin Meng, the planning director, nodded with satisfaction. "When I worked at my previous wedding planning company, during its best period, it only achieved what our company is doing now."
"Hahaha, Sister Wei is amazing! Sister Wei, our colleagues have worked hard for a month, shouldn't we take them out to relax?"
Shi Ran made a suggestion.
Meng Jingwei nodded, "Yes, I've already booked a hotel. We'll have dinner first, then go sing."
Regardless, the colleagues had worked hard for a month and deserved a reward.
"Yay! Sister Wei is so good! I'm going to tell our colleagues now!" Assistant Shi Ran skipped out of the office.
Lin Meng, wearing maternity clothes and a thick coat, looked up at Meng Jingwei and asked, "The company's performance is very gratifying, why do you seem unhappy?"
Meng Jingwei placed the company report on the desk, crossed her arms, and leaned against the conference table, sighing. "You're so smart, how could you not see?"
Assistant Shi Ran was a fresh graduate, but Lin Meng was different.
She had worked hard in the company for many years and knew Lan Cheng's affairs, if not intimately, then certainly very well.
Half of the clients who came to the company for wedding planning were known to Lin Meng, or she learned their identities through conversation.
Being so perceptive, how could she not know why Meng Jingwei was dejected?
Because the weather was getting a bit cold, Lin Meng held a cup of hot water, took a sip, and sighed, "Of course, I can see. If it were me, I wouldn't be happy with such performance either. Instead, I would feel useless, like a parasite."
After speaking, she chuckled awkwardly, "I'm sorry, I might be... a bit too blunt."
"You're right."
Meng Jingwei turned to look at her, shrugging. "A parasite, yes, exactly like a parasite."
That evening, the company had a team-building event, first dinner, then karaoke.
Meng Jingwei mingled with her colleagues in the bar for a while, finding it uninteresting, so she left the private room.
As soon as she opened the door and reached the entrance, she encountered someone.
"What a coincidence, you're here too?"
The person who appeared was Chu Xue, the daughter of the Chu family in Lan Cheng.
Her long hair cascaded down her shoulders. She wore a tight black and red hip-hugging dress, with a white cardigan over it, exuding a fashionable and stunning aura.
Through the private room door that Meng Jingwei hadn't closed yet, Chu Xue saw many people seated inside. She smiled and said, "These are your company employees, right? I heard your wedding planning company is doing very well."
"So-so."
Meng Jingwei knew Chu Xue was not to be trifled with and didn't want to play polite. "I have something else to attend to, I'm leaving."
She bypassed Chu Xue and left.
Unexpectedly, the woman behind her turned and said, "Miss Meng's luck is truly great. Ascending to prominence overnight, transforming into a daughter of the Qing family. Your status is truly different from before."
Meng Jingwei's steps faltered, her brows furrowed slightly, and a hint of displeasure flickered in her eyes. She turned to look at Chu Xue, her tone deepening, "Miss Chu, what do you want to say?"
Chu Xue clasped her clutch bag, her slender fingernails scratching her limited edition Hermes bag, her red lips curving slightly. "Fate brings us together. Miss Meng, why don't you come to my private room for a bit? I can introduce you to some socialite friends. You're part of high society now, and you must expand your network. It will be useful in the future. For instance, your wedding planning company, if you weren't Madam Qing's adopted granddaughter, why would those people rush to your company?"
Her taunt hit its mark, piercing Meng Jingwei's soft spot.