“Xiao Wan, this Sima Boyong is a tough nut to crack!” Ouyang Shenhe, sipping his tea, frowned with a hint of worry. “The fact that he can rally the major martial arts sects against you means he’s adept at underhanded tactics. You must be careful.”
Wan Yunting nodded. He had already experienced Sima Boyong’s dirty tricks. Seeing the worried looks from his grandfather and father, he smiled, “Don’t worry, Grandpa. I can handle him.”
Ouyang Shenhe nodded, “I know your capabilities, but it’s always better to be cautious. Don’t let your guard down and fall into his traps again.”
“Mm.” Wan Yunting nodded seriously, then asked, “Grandpa, when are you heading to Wudang Mountain?”
Ouyang Shenhe chuckled, “In the next couple of days.”
Wan Yunting and Ouyang Zhixin nodded, understanding that their elder was choosing to spend his retirement in Wudang Mountain, so they didn’t try to dissuade him.
“Zhixin, Xiao Wan, the family is in your hands now, both of you.” Ouyang Shenhe looked at them, his son and his grandson, with a gratified smile. “With you two looking after the Ouyang family, I can finally live my retirement in peace.”
Ouyang Zhixin nodded solemnly, “Father, please rest assured, I will manage the family business well.”
Wan Yunting also nodded. Ouyang Shenhe then proceeded to share much of his experience on managing a family, a form of inheritance…
To celebrate Ouyang Zhixin’s ascension as the fifth-generation head of the Ouyang family, a banquet was naturally held that evening, inviting all the prominent figures of the capital’s high society. It was a grand affair, with invitations extended to VIPs from various sectors in the capital. Concurrently, news of Ouyang Zhixin becoming the patriarch splashed across the front pages of the capital’s newspapers, sparking widespread discussion.
To the common folk, Ouyang Zhixin taking over as the head of their family was merely a topic of envy and gossip. However, for the elite circles of the national business community, Ouyang Zhixin becoming the Ouyang family’s patriarch would inevitably impact many vested interests. Yet, today, the stock of the Ouyang Family Enterprise Group had been on a steady climb, a trend undoubtedly linked to Ouyang Zhixin assuming leadership…
Wan Yunting paid little attention to the family’s business affairs. After settling Zi Qing and Lan Xin, the master and disciple, into their new home, he drove alone towards the Capital Times Building. The headquarters of Chaoting Group had relocated to the Capital Times Building. Chaoting Group occupied almost the entire upper half of the building, and Wan Yunting’s arrival was unannounced.
As a conference room door opened, Fang Yanxi, clad in a light blue OL suit skirt with her long hair elegantly pinned up, revealing her graceful swan-like neck, sans any necklace or pendant, her peerlessly beautiful face and exceptional aura, exuded the powerful presence of a true queen of the workplace upon entering the work environment. Her serious expression and crisp, efficient speech allowed her to delegate important matters to her subordinates in mere sentences.
“What time is it?” Fang Yanxi walked towards her office. Her secretary, Lin Xiaoqi, glanced at her wristwatch and replied, “It’s 2:12 PM.”
Fang Yanxi pushed open the glass door of her office and entered, saying, “Notify all senior executives to convene a meeting at 3 PM.”
“Yes, Ms. Fang.” Lin Xiaoqi nodded, not following her into the office, and turned to relay the message. Unexpectedly, she almost bumped into Wan Yunting, causing Lin Xiaoqi to widen her eyes and exclaim, “Mr. Wan… Mr. Wan…”
Wan Yunting smiled, “Xiaoqi, inform them that the meeting will be at 4 PM instead!”
Lin Xiaoqi’s expression was bewildered, unable to process this for a moment. Wan Yunting looked at her and chuckled, “What, am I not the chairman and have no authority?”
“Ah, no, it’s just… I’ll go now…” Lin Xiaoqi, snapping back to reality, hurried off to convey the change in meeting time to 4 PM…
Inside her office, Fang Yanxi, seated at her desk, was unaware of the man’s presence just outside the door. She was intently reading an important document and didn’t notice when Wan Yunting pushed open the glass door. She mistook him for Lin Xiaoqi and said, “Xiaoqi, please take my lunch and heat it up…”
Then, a large hand reached over, picked up the cold, take-out meal placed beside the desk, replaced it with a thermos, and set it down. This finally caused Fang Yanxi to turn her head and look. Wan Yunting was smiling at her, saying, “I knew you’d be so focused on work that you’d forget to eat. I packed this lunch for you from home, eat up.”
Seeing the man return, but having received no prior notice, Fang Yanxi couldn’t help but give him a soft glare with her beautiful eyes. She put down the document and asked, “When did you get back?”
Wan Yunting reached out and gently brushed a strand of hair from her forehead, smiling tenderly, “Just this noon. I had lunch at home and came straight here.”
“You didn’t even tell me you were back…” Fang Yanxi moved his hand away, humming a little reproachfully.
“Isn’t this a surprise for you?” Wan Yunting quickly opened the thermos, laid out the dishes, and personally handed a bowl of soup to Fang Yanxi, saying, “Here, let me feed you…”
“Give it here, I don’t want you to feed me.” Fang Yanxi rolled her eyes at him. Although she was blaming him, she still felt he was thoughtful…
Wan Yunting sat on the edge of the desk, surveying the woman’s office, and asked, “How is it? Have you encountered any difficulties with the headquarters moving here?”
“Of course, there have been.” Fang Yanxi, while drinking the soup, glanced at him with a cold smile, “But do you have time to come back and solve them for me?”
Her retort made Wan Yunting a bit awkward. He chuckled, “You’re the CEO, you shouldn’t need me to teach you how to solve problems, right?”
“Heh.” Fang Yanxi let out a cold laugh and put down the soup. “You’re the chairman, so whatever you say goes.”
Seeing that she was not to be teased, Wan Yunting smiled helplessly, “If you want, I can give you this chairman position? I don’t really care for it anyway.”
“Sure.” Fang Yanxi’s beautiful eyes slanted at him, and she smiled, “I’d be very happy to be the chairman.”
Wan Yunting immediately took out his phone, “Alright, I’ll call Jiang Wenhao right now and have him announce that you will be taking over as the chairman of Chaoting Group…” As he spoke, he actually dialed Jiang Wenhao’s number. Enraged, Fang Yanxi stood up and quickly snatched Wan Yunting’s phone, hanging up. She scolded, “Wan Yunting, are you intentionally trying to anger me?”
“Haha, why would I be angry with you?” Wan Yunting laughed heartily, then directly embraced Fang Yanxi’s slender waist, which displeased the woman. “Let go of me, you scoundrel! You come back and immediately start teasing me, is that good?”
Wan Yunting didn’t let go, smiling, “I was just joking. Besides, I genuinely want to give you this chairman position.”
Fang Yanxi knew the man was joking and gave him a helpless, exasperated look. She let him hold her, then playfully chided him, “Then you should also consider if I’m qualified to be the chairman.”
Wan Yunting kissed her cheek and said with a smile, “You’re my wife, of course, you’re qualified. Besides, even if you lost the entire Chaoting Group, I wouldn’t feel heartbroken.”
“Get lost, who do you think you are looking down on…” Fang Yanxi pushed him away unceremoniously and sat back down. “If there’s nothing else, hurry back. I have an important meeting to attend later. Don’t just hang around me, it’s annoying… Ah… what are you doing…?”
The next second, the woman shrieked as Wan Yunting forcefully swept her into a bridal carry and entered a resting room within the office, a mischievous grin on his face. “No rush, I’ve already told Xiaoqi to change the meeting time to 4 PM, so we still have an hour and a half to get down to business…”
“Scoundrel, how could you change the meeting time? This is delaying important matters…”
“Heh heh, who told you I’m the chairman?” Wan Yunting said with a wicked smile, hooked the door of the resting room shut with his foot, and threw Fang Yanxi onto the large bed, pouncing on her like a famished tiger…
An hour and a half later, Wan Yunting emerged from the resting room, stretching comfortably. However, Fang Yanxi, her cheeks flushed, kicked him hard. “Go on, get out! You’re forbidden from coming to my office from now on.”
Wan Yunting grinned sheepishly, rubbing his backside where she had kicked him. He turned to look at Fang Yanxi, whose eyes were alluring and full of charm, and said, “Don’t stay too late. There’s a banquet at home tonight, so be sure to get there early.”
“Got it.” Fang Yanxi followed him out, completely satisfied. She turned back to her desk, sat down in her chair, tidied her clothes, and then took out a compact to reapply her makeup before the meeting. Her beautiful eyes flickered up, glancing at Wan Yunting, who hadn’t left yet. She said, “Speak. Is there anything else?”
“You’re still my clever and intelligent wife, nothing can be hidden from you.” Wan Yunting approached with an ingratiating smile. Fang Yanxi gave him a flirtatious yet disdainful look, put down her compact, and picked up the document again, her tone growing a bit colder. “You don’t need to say more, I have no objections!”
Wan Yunting’s expression faltered, and he felt a touch of embarrassment. He wanted to comfort her, but Fang Yanxi saw that it was exactly 4 PM. She picked up her documents and stood up, regaining her usual powerful queenly demeanor. She glared at Wan Yunting and said, “Alright, you can go back. I have to go to the meeting.”
Watching the woman’s exceptionally elegant figure push open the office door and walk out, Wan Yunting sighed with a touch of wistfulness. Shaking his head, he didn’t linger any longer. He left Fang Yanxi’s office and departed from the company, heading towards the Traditional Chinese Medicine Association…
At the Capital Traditional Chinese Medicine Association’s office, everything was proceeding as usual. Everyone also noticed the ethereal figure of Gu Luotang, who was busily moving about, drawing the attention of the association’s younger members, who admired Gu Luotang’s beauty and captivating aura with adoring glances…
However, a hint of worry flickered across Gu Luotang’s brow, catching the attention of her grandfather, Gu Yuanbai. Seeing her lost in thought and not paying attention to the meeting, he couldn’t help but ask, “Luotang, do you have any opinions?”
Gu Luotang instantly snapped back to reality. Facing the gazes of everyone present, she blushed with embarrassment, shaking her head and hastily saying, “Vice Chairman, I have no opinions.”
Gu Yuanbai, sensing his granddaughter’s preoccupation, decided not to inquire further in public. He stood up and said, “Alright, everyone, meeting adjourned.”
Liu He, Xue Xialan, and others nodded, tidied their belongings, and the meeting concluded. Gu Luotang, also preoccupied, tidied her things and walked out with everyone else. Liu He specifically asked with concern, “Luotang, are you alright?”
Gu Luotang turned to look at the refined and handsome Liu He, her expression unnaturally conveying a shake of her head. “Vice Chairman Liu, I’m fine.”
Liu He smiled, “If you have something, tell me. You don’t have to keep it to yourself.”
Gu Luotang’s expression froze. She seemed to guess Liu He’s intention, and she firmly shook her head, smiling, “Thank you for your concern, Vice Chairman Liu, but I’m truly fine.”
“Senior Sister, Brother Yunting is back.” At that moment, Qi Miaomiao’s voice called out from ahead. Upon hearing that Wan Yunting had returned, Gu Luotang’s eyes instantly lit up. She disregarded Liu He beside her and quickly walked outside. Indeed, she saw the man she longed for, talking with her grandfather, Gu Yuanbai, about something…