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Page 18
Chapter Thirty-Six: Setting Sail 4
The captain then steered the boat no further afield, as there were few guards on board and its only advantage was its powerful engine and speed. So he chose to stop near a small island with a nice view.
The island was lush with vegetation, its beaches were as white as snow, and its waters were crystal clear, with schools of fish frolicking in the water. The group excitedly disembarked, enjoying the fresh sea breeze and warm sunshine.
Su Chang led everyone on a stroll around the island, enjoying the beautiful scenery. They saw all sorts of strangely shaped rocks and colorful flowers.
Jiang Lai couldn't wait to jump into the sea for a swim, Andy was leisurely sunbathing on the side, Guan Juer was busy collecting seashells, Qu Xiaoxiao and Qiu Yingying were building sandcastles on the beach, and Fan Shengmei was pretending to be elegant while taking pictures with her camera, recording these beautiful moments. She would occasionally move closer to Su Chang. Su Chang stayed on the shore for a while, not wanting to pay attention to Fan Shengmei, and then jumped into the sea to play with Jiang Lai.
Everyone was enjoying the bounty of nature, seemingly forgetting all their troubles.
Su Chang swam over to Jiang Lai, gently stroked her arm, and said with a smile, "You swam very well."
Jiang Lai turned her head, looked at Su Chang with a gleam in her eyes, and said with a jealous look on her face, "You're not bad either, why did you come over instead of staying in the flower bushes?"
"Are you jealous?" Su Chang teased.
"I didn't."
Jiang Lai stubbornly refused to speak, and Su Chang simply watched her quietly. Then the two smiled at each other and began to play in the water.
Their bodies were pressed tightly together, feeling each other's warmth as the waves rose and fell.
Su Chang said softly, "This place is so beautiful, just like you."
Jiang Lai replied, "Really? Am I beautiful?"
Su Chang scooped up seawater and splashed it on Jiang Lai's face: "Whether someone is beautiful or not cannot be judged by words alone, but by actions."
After saying that, he kissed Jiang Lai's lips tenderly and affectionately. At that moment, they seemed to forget all their troubles and worries, leaving only their love for each other.
"Brother Su Chang, Sister Jiang Lai."
Just then, a shout suddenly came from not far away.
Qu Xiaoxiao's sudden appearance interrupted Su Chang and Jiang Lai's sweet moment. She swam towards them, laughing loudly.
Su Chang and Jiang Lai quickly separated, looking at Qu Xiaoxiao with some embarrassment.
"What are you two doing sneaking around here!" Qu Xiaoxiao said, blinking her eyes as she splashed water at the two of them.
"It's nothing, Xiao Qu, stop fooling around," Jiang Lai said, trying to explain as she dodged the question.
"I saw it all!" Qu Xiaoxiao playfully pointed at Su Chang and Jiang Lai: "But it's okay, I won't tell anyone."
Su Chang smiled helplessly, while Jiang Lai glared at Qu Xiaoxiao.
"Okay, okay, don't be angry, Sister Jiang Lai. I just came to call you guys to go eat!" Qu Xiaoxiao took Jiang Lai's hand: "Let's go, let's go try Fan Shengmei and the others' cooking. Although it's not as good as Su Chang's, it still tastes pretty good."
After saying that, she pulled Jiang Lai and swam towards the shore, leaving Su Chang behind. Watching Qu Xiaoxiao's retreating figure, Su Chang mentally cursed, "Next time, I definitely won't bring so many people out. Isn't this ruining my plans?"
Once ashore, everyone sat together to enjoy the food. Qu Xiaoxiao kept telling jokes, making everyone laugh, especially Jiang Lai, who laughed particularly heartily.
Su Chang watched Jiang Lai silently, his eyes full of doting affection. He would occasionally put food on Jiang Lai's plate, paying attention to her every move.
"Thank you, Brother Su Chang." Jiang Lai felt Su Chang's gaze and lowered her head shyly. She was no longer as domineering as she had been when they first met, and looked like a little lamb.
"Hey, you two, stop showing off your love! I'm so envious! Have some consideration for us single folks!" Qu Xiaoxiao joked.
"Hahaha! Everyone gets some." Su Chang wasn't shy at all and served food to all the women. After all, how could a playboy not take care of everyone? Jiang Lai didn't seem jealous or anything, and unusually stayed quietly by Su Chang's side.
After lunch, everyone strolled around the island, chatted, and enjoyed the beautiful scenery. In the afternoon, they packed up their belongings, the crew cleaned up the trash, and prepared to return home.
"This trip was really enjoyable, and I hope we'll have the chance to travel together again in the future," Fan Shengmei said.
“Yes, we can go out and have fun more often in the future,” Jiang Lai echoed.
"No problem, just let me know if you want to go out and have fun. Once the private restaurant opens, we probably won't have as much time to go out and have fun." Su Chang didn't refuse.
Around 7 p.m., the yacht returned to the port, and everyone was back on land, finally feeling grounded. Everyone was a bit tired, so Su Chang said goodbye to the captain and manager, and then everyone drove back to Joyful Song, each going home and finding their own bed.
Su Chang and Jiang Lai returned to the 23rd floor. As soon as they put their suitcases down, Su Chang hugged Jiang Lai and started kissing her passionately. They then engaged in a fierce battle, fighting all the way from the living room to the bedroom. The temperature in the room grew hotter and hotter, and their clothes flew around. Then they entered the paid phase.
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The next morning, sunlight streamed into the room through the window. Su Chang and Jiang Lai lay embraced on the bed, their breaths mingling. Their bodies remained pressed tightly together, as if unwilling to separate.
Jiang Lai's face was filled with a happy smile. She gently stroked Su Chang's cheek and said, "Last night was really great, Brother Su Chang."
Su Chang smiled, hugged Jiang Lai tightly, and said, "You too, baby. Every moment with you makes me feel incredibly happy."
They smiled at each other, their eyes filled with love. Then, they chatted sweetly, enjoying this warm moment.
Finally, Su Chang gently kissed Jiang Lai's forehead and said, "Get up, darling. Today we'll go see how the private restaurant's renovation is going. I'll tell you something later."
Su Chang still felt that since they had already had a relationship, as his first woman, he decided to let Jiang Lai be in charge of managing his assets. If she didn't want to go to the company all the time, he could find a professional manager. Otherwise, what was the point of having so much money?
Jiang Lai nodded, got up and put on her clothes. They washed up together, then left the room, went downstairs, and drove towards the private restaurant.
The two arrived at the private restaurant and saw that the renovation was almost complete, with a unique and tasteful style. Gan Jing was not there. Su Chang nodded in satisfaction, and Jiang Lai also praised it highly.
Afterwards, Su Chang explained his idea of starting an asset management company to Jiang Lai. Jiang Lai was surprised, but also happy and touched.
“I believe you can manage these assets well.” Su Chang looked at Jiang Lai affectionately. “Moreover, this way you can break free from your family’s control and have more freedom to choose the lifestyle you like.”
Jiang Lai gratefully grasped Su Chang's hand: "Thank you for your trust in me, Brother Su Chang. I will definitely do my best."
"Haha! It's alright. If I ruin it, I'll just become your live-in son-in-law and live off your wife," Su Chang joked.
"Alright, then I'll work hard to squander all your assets and strive to marry you as soon as possible... Haha..." Jiang Lai laughed as she spoke.
Chapter Thirty-Seven Tan Zongming
Since Su Chang handed over all the property certificates and equity agreements to Jiang Lai, Jiang Lai has been personally taking charge of setting up the industrial management company. She is always out early and back late and is rarely seen. Su Chang, on the other hand, either stays at home or goes to check on the store's layout and furnishings.
That morning, Jiang Lai finished breakfast and went out. Su Chang was curled up on the sofa with her laptop, searching online for items related to Tang Dynasty culture, when suddenly the doorbell rang.
Su Chang had no idea who would come to her house at this hour. She put down her laptop, slipped on her slippers, and went to open the door. When she opened the door, Su Chang was filled with surprise.
"Andy? Didn't you go to work today?"
"Su Chang, I have something I'd like to ask you for help with, but I don't know if it's convenient for you?" Andy looked at Su Chang with a troubled expression.
"Okay, come in and talk about it." Su Chang didn't agree immediately, but could only invite Andy into the house first.
After the two sat down, Su Chang poured Andy a cup of tea. He didn't like coffee and would make tea at home every day.
"Just tell me what's on your mind."
"Su Chang, it's like this, I met a netizen named Qidian on a tech website. We met while playing Sudoku, and now Qidian keeps inviting me to dinner. I don't know if I should go or not," Andy said without any hesitation.
After listening attentively to Andy's story, Su Chang pondered for a moment and then asked, "So what are your feelings about this Qidian? What kind of person do you think he is? Have you ever rejected him before?"
Su Chang knew, of course, that Qi Dian was Wei Wei, an extremely self-centered and petty person, but he didn't intend to tell Andy right away. What could he say? Did he think he knew it from watching TV dramas in his past life?
Andy frowned, bit his lip, and said, "I can't really explain it. I just think he's very smart, and from what he says, he seems quite knowledgeable and knows a lot... I've refused him a few times, but he hasn't given up on me."
Su Chang nodded, crossed her arms, and analyzed, "It seems that the other party already knows you are a woman, and he is very smart with a lot of tricks up his sleeve. He probably wants to ask you out to see what you look like. If you are pretty, he will want to continue dating you. If you are ugly, he will probably just treat it as meeting a male online friend and will not contact you again. Moreover, I guess he will pretend to be poor when you first meet."
Actually, he wasn't analyzing anything; he wasn't a psychology major. He was just telling Andy what Wei Wei was doing in the TV series. He didn't want Andy to have too much contact with this scoundrel; what else could he do besides cause Andy trouble?
"How is that possible? Can you tell me how you knew?" Andy looked at Su Chang in disbelief.
"Hehe! Actually, if you want to know if I'm right or not, it's very simple. Just accept his invitation, and I'll go with you to see him." Su Chang didn't bother with analysis; he simply offered to accompany her to see Wei Wei. He hadn't teased anyone in a long time.
Andy looked at Su Chang gratefully: "Thank you, Su Chang. Okay, I feel much more at ease with you coming with me."
Su Chang smiled and patted Andy on the shoulder: "Don't be shy. Just accept Qi Dian's invitation first, and we'll see when. I'll go with you then."
"Okay, then, can I borrow your computer for a bit? Is that alright?" Andy agreed without hesitation.
Su Chang didn't say much, and handed the laptop to Andy, who quickly started working on it.
Not long after, Andy turned to Su Chang and asked, "Do you have time for lunch today? He invited me to lunch at a restaurant next to Shengxuan. Don't you own 5.5% of our company's shares? Old Tan has been wanting to meet you for a while now. How about we go to the company together?"
Su Chang thought about it and, since she had nothing else to do today, agreed.
"Okay, wait for me a moment, I'll go change my clothes."
"Okay." After agreeing, Andy quickly typed on the keyboard again, then closed the page and placed the laptop on the coffee table.
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Half an hour later, Andy and Su Chang appeared at Shengxuan Group. Su Chang had also been to Zhongcheng Group before, and he felt that they were two completely different companies. Zhongcheng only had three floors, while Shengxuan Group directly owned its own Shengxuan Building.
As soon as the two arrived in the lobby, the receptionists started gossiping when they saw Andy and Su Chang enter. After all, Su Chang's handsome appearance and the fact that Andy had never brought anyone to the company before led to speculation about the relationship between Andy and Su Chang. Moreover, Andy, who was usually cold and aloof, was unusually warm and friendly today, and everyone guessed that Su Chang might be Andy's "puppy dog." Su Chang naturally heard the gossip, but he didn't seem inclined to explain. He figured the rumors would be dispelled when his shareholder status was announced.
Su Chang and Andy took the elevator directly to the top floor, where a man exuding an air of nobility had been working in his office for some time. This man was none other than Tan Zongming, the helmsman of Shengxuan.
Seeing Andy bring in a strange man, Old Tan was a little suspicious, but he still politely stood up to greet him.
"Who is this?"
"Tan Zongming, this is Su Chang, the upstairs neighbor I mentioned to you, the one who owns 5.5% of our company's shares."
Andy gave a brief introduction. Old Tan suddenly understood and then warmly shook Su Chang's hand.
"So it's Mr. Su, welcome, welcome! I've been wanting to meet you for a long time, but I haven't had the chance." Tan Zongming immediately became even more enthusiastic: "Mr. Su, are you here today to tour the company or hold a meeting so you can learn about the company's situation, and perhaps we can arrange a position for you..."
"Hehe! No need, Mr. Tan." Seeing that Tan Zongming was about to continue, and that he didn't know he would be working like a slave in the company, she immediately waved her hand to interrupt: "I came here today to accompany Andy to meet her online friend at noon. Anyway, I had nowhere to go, so I came to see where the company is. Besides, my purchase of Shengxuan's shares is just an investment. I still have great faith in Mr. Tan's abilities. As long as I can get dividends every year, I don't care about anything else."
"Haha! I see. Well then, how about we sit down and have a cup of tea?" Tan Zongming invited, gesturing towards the sofa.
"Sure, as long as it doesn't disturb President Tan's work, then I'll take it." Su Chang didn't refuse, since he would inevitably have to deal with Tan Zongming later.
"Okay, you guys chat first, I'm going to work now," Andy said, seeing that there was nothing else to do.
“Okay, Andy, you go ahead and get busy. Call me at noon,” Su Chang replied.
After Andy left, Tan Zongming and Su Chang started chatting. Tan Zongming kept trying to get information out of Su Chang, wanting to know how he accumulated his wealth and whether he had any connections. Su Chang, on the other hand, kept dodging the question. The two foxes continued to probe each other.
Chapter Thirty-Eight: Singularity
Around noon, Tan Zongming led Su Chang to Andy's office, where Andy was buried in a pile of documents, working diligently.
"Andy, it's time to go." Looking at the woman working so diligently, Su Chang felt quite charming, but Tan Zongming had no choice but to interrupt.
"Okay, just wait a moment, it'll be ready soon." Andy replied without looking up when he heard Su Chang's voice.
Su Chang shook his head and chuckled helplessly, then looked at Tan Zongming, who also shrugged helplessly.
"That's just how she is; she works like crazy."
"Can't you find her a few assistants?" Su Chang said with some dissatisfaction, feeling a pang of heartache as she looked at the thick stack of documents on the table.
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