"Chairman Shu, actually, what happened was this construction worker from god-knows-where offended Miss Su Yuqing in the elevator, so that’s why she was so angry," Su Yuqing’s secretary hurried out to salvage the situation. She was terrified of really missing this opportunity, because if Su Yuqing was finished, she wouldn’t be spared either.
"A construction worker? You mean him?" Shu Ya pointed at Hao Jian and asked the assistant.
"Yes, yes, yes, that’s him!" The assistant hadn’t realized Shu Ya’s face was gradually darkening and nodded emphatically in agreement.
"Do you know who he is?" Shu Ya asked gravely.
"Him? Isn’t he just a construction worker?" The assistant was stupefied.
"Ha, a construction worker, he is my husband!" Shu Ya declared sternly.
"What?"
Su Yuqing and her secretary’s faces turned pale in an instant. This man dressed like a construction worker was actually the husband of Hua City’s business queen?
There had always been rumors about Shu Ya’s husband, who was said to be an extraordinary figure, even the Four Young Masters of Hua City had to look up to him.
But Su Yuqing had never expected that this plainly dressed man was her husband?
"Can’t you buy some proper clothes? Always being looked down upon like this has made me lose face too," Shu Ya grumbled.
"What’s the use of dressing up? Isn’t it just a case of ’all that glitters is not gold’?" Hao Jian chuckled coldly, his gaze fixed on Su Yuqing, obviously mocking her.
Shu Ya helplessly shook her head, then turned to look at Su Yuqing and her secretary, who were practically petrified, and scoffed coldly, "Miss Su Yuqing, you really think highly of yourself, don’t you? I pay you to shoot advertisements, yet you insult my husband in my group’s building and deny him the elevator. It makes me wonder, is this your group or mine?"
"Of... Of course, it’s your group," Su Yuqing said stiffly, already realizing she had made a grave mistake.
"Oh, so it is my group," Shu Ya pretended to have an epiphany, "then what gives you the right to boss people around in my group? You’re still a B-list celebrity and you’re already so arrogant. If you actually became famous, wouldn’t you even look down on Boss Sun?"
The Boss Sun mentioned by Shu Ya was naturally the boss of Su Yuqing’s entertainment company.
The moment Su Yuqing heard this, her legs went weak. If Boss Sun found out she had been throwing her weight around in Shu Ya Group and offended the one person she should never have, she might very well be permanently sidelined.
"Chairman Shu, I realize my mistake, please don’t tell our boss about what happened today. Otherwise, I’m ruined!" Su Yuqing pleaded, dropping to her knees before Shu Ya, a pitiful sight in contrast to her previous haughty demeanor.
Her career had just started to take off. If she were to be sidelined now, all her previous efforts would be in vain.
"I won’t actively call Boss Sun, but if he asks, I won’t hide the truth. And as for the role as the image spokesperson for our group, you don’t fit the bill, so the contract is null and void. Now, you can get lost!" said Shu Ya unceremoniously.
Shu Ya had no liking for the holier-than-thou attitude of this green tea bitch like Su Yuqing. If she didn’t make her realize her mistake, Su Yuqing would never know how vast the world is.
In a flash, Su Yuqing’s face turned ashen. Cancelling her role as a spokesperson was the same as indirectly signaling to her boss that she had offended Shu Ya, wasn’t it?
"Chairman Shu, please give me another chance!" Su Yuqing begged tearfully.
But Shu Ya was unmoved, "If you don’t leave now, I’ll have to call security."
Su Yuqing was now beyond tears, looking at Shu Ya’s cold face, she felt a chill rise from the soles of her feet to her crown.
"Let’s go, Miss Su Yuqing." Su Yuqing’s secretary quickly helped her up, her expression not much better, because she knew Su Yuqing was definitely finished.
She could also tell that no matter how much Su Yuqing pleaded, Shu Ya wouldn’t pay her any attention.
Instead of wasting more time there, it was better to leave earlier.
Su Yuqing’s tears gushed uncontrollably like a breached lake, her complex gaze flickered to Hao Jian for a moment before she left with a heart full of grievances.
She couldn’t understand how a seemingly guaranteed opportunity for fame had slipped through her fingers just like that.
At this moment, she regretted her actions so much that she felt sick. She walked out of Shu Ya’s office, lost and helpless, and left the Shu Ya Group. What lay before her was an endless sidelining of her career, and her dreams of stardom came to a definitive end—all because she had offended a man named Hao Jian!
After Su Yuqing left, Shu Ya finally turned around and said to Hao Jian, "Get your things ready tonight, You’re coming with me to France on a business trip!"
"To France? What for?" Hao Jian asked, puzzled.
"Yuan Shanshan’s jewelry design won the championship at the Goldsmith Jewelry Design Competition. We’re going to accompany her to France to accept the award and take the opportunity to promote our group as well as discuss cooperation prospects with local entrepreneurs," Shu Ya explained.
"The Goldsmith Jewelry Design Competition? That’s quite impressive. It’s known as the Oscars of the jewelry world. This girl has finally made her mark," Hao Jian said, happy for Yuan Shanshan. Her hard times were finally over.
"She’s impressive? I think you’re the impressive one. Don’t think I don’t know—she told me her inspiration came from you!" Shu Ya said with a sneer.
Hao Jian scratched his head sheepishly, "I just blabbered a bit; it was mainly her own design, wasn’t it?"
Shu Ya gave Hao Jian an exasperated look and then laughed helplessly, "You... I really don’t know what to say about you. A casual remark from you can turn into a brilliant idea. The foreign media praised Yuan Shanshan’s work as bold and delicate, daring to use a niche concept like ’mother’ as a design theme, and using gold, considered a low-end material, to create eye-catching and heartwarming jewelry. If they knew that the idea actually came from someone else, I wonder what they would think."
"Don’t, please don’t. I have no desire for fame. Let her keep the credit," Hao Jian said, waving his hands dismissively. He was already famous enough lately and really didn’t want to be more so.
"Even if you wanted the fame, I wouldn’t allow it. Having the reputation attributed to Yuan Shanshan benefits our group more. After all, she is our designer, and her ability to create such remarkable jewelry will surely be seen as related to the cultivation she received from our group. In such circumstances, our group’s notoriety will also rise," Shu Ya stated, her mindset always on business and profit.
Compared to Hao Jian, Yuan Shanshan, a designer at Shu Ya Group, needed the fame even more.
"Since it’s just about receiving an award, wouldn’t it be fine for just you to go? There’s no need to drag me along, right?" Hao Jian said reluctantly. What could he possibly do there?
Then, a mischievous smile crossed Hao Jian’s face as he thought of something, "Wife, you’re not already used to having me by your side and can’t bear to leave me, are you?"
"Haha," Shu Ya scoffed twice, looking at Hao Jian as if he were a monkey, "I’m just worried that by the time I return home, there will suddenly be a second, third, fourth, fifth, and even sixth or seventh mistress!"
Hao Jian’s face turned dark.
...
Leaving Shu Ya’s office, Hao Jian realized he hadn’t visited Yuan Shanshan in a while and decided to swing by her department.
It was lunchtime at the moment, and all the employees had gone out to eat, leaving the design department deserted. Hao Jian smacked his forehead, thinking he was foolish for not considering that Yuan Shanshan would be out for lunch as well, and his trip here seemed to have been in vain.
Hao Jian was about to leave when he suddenly heard arguing from the head of the department’s office. Now that Yuan Shanshan was the head, it was naturally her inside, but there was also a man’s voice.
"Young Master Dong, I’ve made it very clear, there’s no possibility between you and me!" Inside the office, Yuan Shanshan faced a handsome young man with anger on her beautiful face. She was gradually losing her patience with his persistent entanglements.
"Shanshan, why won’t you accept me? You are talented, and I am wealthy. If we joined forces, we could definitely launch a business even more splendid than Shu Ya Group!" Dong Xingui pleaded earnestly, unable to understand why Yuan Shanshan would not accept him. He had the looks and the wealth, and many coveted a place by his side but never caught his eye.
Dong Xingui was an overseas returnee and the son of a shareholder in the company. Thanks to his outstanding performance and his father’s backing, he had climbed up to a directorial position soon after joining the company.
A while back, he had a chance encounter with Yuan Shanshan and fell for her at first sight, launching a vigorous pursuit since then.
But regardless of his efforts, Yuan Shanshan felt nothing for him, and thus she never responded.
During the lunch break, when all the employees were out, Dong Xingui came to bother her again.
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Dong Xingui was determined to win Yuan Shanshan over, not only because she was beautiful but also extremely competent. This time she even won the Oscars of jewelry design; with this title alone, she could live worry-free for a lifetime. If he could marry Yuan Shanshan, Dong Xingui could use her fame to start a new jewelry business, and possibly surpass the Shu Ya Group in the future.
Hao Jian, listening intently outside the door, couldn’t help but reveal a cold smile on his lips. Yuan Shanshan could be said to be his protegee. Dong Xingui thought he could just poach her? What did he think he was?
But Hao Jian didn’t step in immediately because he wanted to hear Yuan Shanshan’s answer. If she planned to go with Dong Xingui, there was nothing more to be said.
Fortunately, Yuan Shanshan was not swayed by Dong Xingui and rebuffed him with a sneer, "Even without you, I can make my way to the top on my own!"