CIATB Chapter 537 You've really made something of yourself.
Chapter 537 You've really made something of yourself.
Zhao Yuan stood there, his eyes filled with complex emotions.
He watched as Yu Huan, guided by Luo Bin, turned and left, her figure receding into the distance until she disappeared around the corner, completely out of his sight.
Looking back on her relationship with Yu Huan, the gap between them seemed to be widening.
Back in college, this 'love rival' whom he looked down upon is now doing very well.
In contrast, he not only felt stagnant, but also had a sense of frustration that he was regressing.
A feeling of tightness in my chest grew stronger and stronger, but I couldn't release it no matter what I did.
After leaving Jiangxin Building, a gentle breeze blew and the warm sunset shone on me, but it couldn't dispel the chill in my heart.
He looked up at the fiery clouds on the horizon. The setting sun was hidden behind the clouds, and its magnificent colors made him dizzy.
Suddenly, everything in front of Zhao Yuan seemed to become a vortex, and he began to feel dizzy.
In an instant, everything went black...
On the other side, Yu Huan followed closely behind Luo Bin.
The two walked through the front desk lobby and into a spacious corridor.
After turning left and right, at the end of the field of vision, an elevator equipped with a fingerprint recognition device appeared.
Luo Bin led Yu Huan straight forward, pressed his thumb on the fingerprint scanner, and muttered, "What a hassle! The chairman's office on the top floor can only be reached by taking this elevator. I really don't think it's necessary."
There was a hint of sarcasm in his words.
Yu Huan simply smiled and did not respond to the question.
He secretly pondered that Luo Bin and Luo Ruiyang shared the same surname, so their relationship must be extraordinary; otherwise, Luo Bin would not have spoken so casually in front of him.
Thinking this, Yu Huan couldn't help but feel curious and asked, "Excuse me, what is your relationship with Uncle Luo Ruiyang?"
As soon as the words were spoken, the elevator doors slowly slid open to both sides, revealing the European-style interior of the cabin.
Luo Bin stepped inside first, turned around, and pressed the button for the '55' floor.
He looked at Yu Huan, who followed him into the elevator, and replied with a smile, "It is indeed my father."
"I see." Yu Huan stopped and sniffed the faint fragrance. She said slowly, "Mr. Luo, I've met your two younger siblings before. They seem to have a good relationship with you, always calling you 'brother' this and 'brother' that."
The elevator ascended silently and smoothly without any noticeable bumps or jolts.
“I’m the eldest in my family, and I’m in my thirties now, so there’s quite a big age gap between me and my two brothers. My dad is quite strict when it comes to education, and I tend to spoil my younger siblings a bit.” As Luo Bin spoke, he turned to look at Yu Huan with a smile on his face and continued, “Since you call my dad ‘Uncle,’ don’t be so formal. Just call me by my real name or ‘Brother Luo’.”
Yu Huan thought to herself that Luo Ruiyang's eldest son was indeed very talkative.
Although it was their first meeting, he felt much closer to him after just a few words.
"Brother Luo, you're so much older than me, it would be impolite of me to call you by your real name." Yu Huan smiled brightly.
Luo Bin raised his hand and pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses on the bridge of his nose, saying, "Brother Yu, my father has mentioned you before. He spoke highly of you, saying that you have achieved great success at a young age and that your future career is limitless."
Yu Huan responded modestly, "That's too kind of you. I've just been lucky to gain a little bit of fame."
"Times make heroes!" Luo Bin waved his hand. "My dad has a keen eye. It's not easy to get his approval. Especially for young people like us, there are very few who can catch his eye."
"Really? If that's the case, then it's truly an honor for me to have Uncle Luo's appreciation," Yu Huan said with a smile in her eyes.
Luo Bin said with a smile, "Brother Yu, you're too modest."
Just as the two were talking, the elevator came to a smooth stop on the 55th floor.
The elevator doors slid open silently, revealing a vast space that exuded luxury.
Yu Huan immediately noticed a large mahogany executive desk.
Opposite the executive desk, a leather sofa is arranged in a semi-enclosed shape, and the matching coffee table is also made of mahogany.
Several large paintings hang on the walls, adding a strong artistic atmosphere to this space that combines meetings and offices, making it look less business-like.
Yu Huan looked up and saw the rolling Yuelu Mountains stretching out before her through the expansive floor-to-ceiling windows.
He couldn't help but exclaim, "This is truly a wonderful place!"
"Yes, the view here is quite good, especially on a clear day." Luo Bin nodded in agreement.
The two turned right in unison, their steps never faltering, and arrived at a short corridor.
There is a door on each of the left and right sides.
Luo Bin quickened his pace and arrived at the door on the left. He turned back and smiled at Yu Huan, saying, "This is the tea room, and the conference room is right next to it. They're all chatting in the tea room."
Yu Huan nodded knowingly in response.
After Luo Bin finished speaking, he raised his hand, grasped the doorknob, and gently turned it, pushing the door inward.
Yu Huan was more than half a head taller than Luo Bin. Looking over Luo Bin's head, Yu Huan could see his uncle's profile, sitting casually at a large tea table with a cigarette in his mouth.
A number of entourage members stood around him.
Those sitting down, besides my uncle, were Luo Ruiyang, Lao Dai, the vice chairman of Nanxu Group, and a woman with a gentle demeanor, wearing a light blue cheongsam, who was pouring tea.
Luo Bin led Yu Huan to the tea table by the window and said with a smile, "President Wei, I've brought the person over to you."
Upon hearing the sound, the uncle turned around and looked behind Luo Bin, where he saw Yu Huan wearing a mask.
He quickly took the cigarette from his lips, flicked the ash into the ashtray, and joked with a smile, "Hey, Xiao Yu's here! Come on in, come on in!"
Sitting to the left of the woman in the cheongsam, Luo Ruiyang greeted her warmly, "Xiao Yu, it's been a while, you've gotten even more handsome!" Upon hearing this, Yu Huan took off her mask and casually stuffed it into her pocket, a bright smile on her face, and replied casually, "Uncle Luo, it's been a while, you look even more energetic!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he called out "Uncle" and "General Manager Dai" in turn.
Old Dai nodded repeatedly, looking Yu Huan up and down. Speaking in a thick Beijing accent, he said half-jokingly, "Little Yu, you've really made something of yourself. Now you're a big celebrity, radiating energy and spirit. You've definitely become much more handsome!"
When Yu Huan saw her uncle point to the empty seat next to him, she immediately understood and went forward to sit down.
He responded to Lao Dai, saying, "Please don't joke with me. I'm hardly a big celebrity; at most, I'm just a minor internet celebrity."
Luo Ruiyang laughed and picked up the thread: "Xiao Yu, it's good for young people to be humble, but don't underestimate yourself. You've already achieved a lot at such a young age."
“That’s true, it’s remarkable.” Luo Bin casually pulled out a chair from the outside of the tea table and sat down, echoing the sentiment.
"Thank you for the compliment." Yu Huan cupped his hands in a slightly humorous gesture.
Luo Ruiyang then said, "Xiao Yu, I've dealt with you so many times, and I know you don't smoke, so I won't stand on ceremony and go through all that formality!"
"Uncle Luo, I'll just have tea," Yu Huan replied.
Amidst the pleasantries, the woman in the cheongsam smiled and gracefully used tea tongs to pick up the teacups and place them on the coasters in front of Yu Huan and Luo Bin.
Then, she said softly, "Please have some tea."
Yu Huan smiled and replied, "Thank you."
A glance at the small incense burner emitting wisps of smoke on the inside of the tea table made him think to himself that Luo Ruiyang was indeed a big boss who knew how to enjoy life.
At this moment, my uncle's expression turned serious. After taking a deep drag of his cigarette, he slowly said, "There's a saying that the development of Wuling depends on the east of the city. Plot A61 is a key planning area in Wuling's urban area. Luo Bin, you've been investigating in Wuling for several months. You must know the city's planning inside and out. The level of support you receive is absolutely unparalleled."
“Yes, Mr. Wei is right.” Luo Bin quickly nodded in agreement.
With a cigarette between his fingers, Lao Dai waved behind him, and immediately a well-dressed entourage member stepped forward and handed him a folder.
As Lao Dai opened the folder, he said with a smile, "This is also the first project of Nanxu Group in Wuling. It is of great significance. We still hope to create a first-class urban complex in the country and make a good start in Wuling."
He lightly tapped the planning map on the document with his finger and continued, "Judging from the current municipal planning, the supporting facilities around plot A61 are quite complete, with transportation, education, and medical care all readily available and of very high quality..."
Seeing that they had gotten down to business and were discussing things one after another, Yu Huan felt it was inappropriate to interrupt.
So I calmed myself down, focused my gaze on my nose, and silently savored the tea.
And so, after a considerable amount of time, until the three CEOs had signed several rounds of documents, Luo Bin suddenly changed the subject and chatted casually: "It's quite a coincidence, actually. When I went downstairs to pick up Brother Yu earlier, I happened to see him run into his classmate."
After he finished speaking, everyone's eyes turned to Yu Huan.
Uncle raised his sparse eyebrows slightly and asked with a smile, "Oh? It's not the same one we met when we had hot pot last time, is it? She also works at Jiangxin."
Yu Huan put down her teacup, a smile playing on her lips, and replied, "It really is that one, quite a coincidence."
Luo Ruiyang flicked his cigarette butt into the ashtray and said with a smile.
"This classmate of Xiao Yu's was recommended by a friend of mine. Since he asked for the job, I couldn't refuse, so I arranged a substantive position as deputy department manager for him. But last time I saw him, he seemed to have a bit of a grudge against Xiao Yu; he was really aggressive with his words. I thought I shouldn't let this affect our friendship, so I spoke with my subordinates and had him take charge of some minor tasks, as a way of giving my friend an explanation."
These seemingly casual words had already determined the trajectory of Zhao Yuan's life.
Originally, Zhao Yuan was riding high after his job change, receiving a promotion and a raise, with a bright future ahead of him. However, he suddenly suffered such neglect, and the huge sense of loss he felt was unimaginable.
Yu Huan instantly understood why Zhao Yuan had lost his smug arrogance when facing him, and why his words had instead carried a sour tone.
And then there was that seemingly calm expression, yet one that couldn't hide the complex emotions of resentment.
It turns out there was another reason behind it.
Uncle laughed and said, "Young people are impulsive sometimes, and they can easily get into arguments over trivial matters—Xiao Yu, what exactly is it about your classmate that's causing this conflict?"
Upon hearing this question, Yu Huan still had a smile on her face and replied, "Actually, it's nothing serious. It's just that back in college, we both had feelings for a female classmate, and then we couldn't stand each other, which led to some conflicts."
Uncle immediately exclaimed "Oh!", grinned to reveal his big gold teeth, and joked, "Then I'll have to talk to Yourong about this."
Upon hearing this, everyone burst into laughter.
“She knew.” Yu Huan said indifferently.
Luo Ruiyang took a puff of his cigarette, but spoke with a cheerful smile.
"In my opinion, things are definitely not as simple as Xiao Yu makes them out to be. After all, this classmate of his used to work in the same department as him and even held a management position. Giving up a good job in the public sector to come and work for my private company, it's probably not that simple to say that the conflict is just because of a female classmate. Of course, I can't pry too much into her affairs, since it's her privacy."
Yu Huan hadn't expected Luo Ruiyang to be so detail-oriented.
After a moment's thought, a slightly troubled look appeared on his face as he explained, "Uncle Luo, the reasons here are indeed a bit complicated and it's not convenient to go into details, since it also involves some matters at work."
Luo Ruiyang glanced at the sky outside the French windows and saw that it was already quite dark.
He smiled and waved his hand, saying, "Alright, let's leave it at that. It's getting dark, let's go get some food first."
"I'm starving! My stomach's rumbling!" Old Dai exclaimed in a thick Beijing accent.
Luo Ruiyang said, "I heard from Lao Wei that Xiao Yu is hosting today?"
With a sincere smile on his face, Yu Huan immediately replied, "I am grateful for Uncle Luo's help with what happened at Orange Isle last time. I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude."
"I've already thanked her. Your wife's friend, is she an agent? She sent over a case of Moutai a few days ago, left it at the front desk, then called my secretary and left. I wasn't at the company at the time." Luo Ruiyang said with a smile, leaning on the table with one hand as he slowly stood up.
"I see..." Yu Huan stood up with the others, remembering that Sister Ru had indeed mentioned this before, that she wanted to send Luo Ruiyang a case of Moutai, and she actually did it.
He then changed the subject, saying, "Uncle Luo even gave me a bottle of Moutai commemorating the factory's 60th anniversary; that's a rare treasure. Besides, it's just a meal. It's a great honor for me to be able to treat all these elders to a meal." (End of Chapter)