"President Su, your phone has been ringing," the secretary said, though he hesitated to disturb his boss's peace. The name displayed on the screen, however, compelled him to speak up. "It's Miss Su calling."
Hearing the surname Su, Su Chen finally stirred.
He had been busy dealing with those people recently, leaving him exhausted both physically and mentally. Finally free from that whirlpool, Su Chen just wanted to be alone, having cut off all contact with the outside world.
However, he couldn't ignore Su He's call.
"Hello?" he said, gesturing for the secretary to leave, then swiped to answer the call.
"Su Chen, are you still in Nancheng? I need to see you." This was the first time Su He had addressed him so casually by name.
Su Chen paused, a slight curve forming on his lips unconsciously. "Say that again, I want to hear it?"
Su He: ...
Her momentum instantly deflated.
"Big Brother," Su He mumbled obediently.
"Say my name," Su Chen corrected, tugging at his tie.
Su He ignored him and got down to business. "What's going on between you and Xiaoxiao?"
The sudden question plunged Su Chen into a brief silence.
"Xiaoxiao? You mean your best friend?" Su Chen probed casually.
"Don't play dumb with me! Xiaoxiao told me you used to sponsor her." Su He wasn't trying to corner him, but rather to understand his attitude towards her best friend step by step.
"Oh, you're talking about that. Yes, that's true." Su Chen admitted readily. "Why would she suddenly mention me?"
"Because I'm in Nancheng." Su He dropped another bombshell.
"You're in Nancheng? When did this happen?" Su Chen suddenly stood up.
A hint of joy stirred within him.
He calculated the time, wondering how long it had been since he last saw her. He was supposed to return on the second day of the Lunar New Year, but he was intercepted at the airport. He had promised to give her a gift, but never got the chance.
"Where are you? I'll come find you," Su Chen said, grabbing his suit jacket, ready to leave.
But Su He interrupted him. "No, I don't have time right now. Xiaoxiao... she just had surgery, I need to stay with her."
Su Chen's steps faltered. "She... what happened?"
"She had a miscarriage, a severe hemorrhage, she almost didn't make it," Su He said these words softly, seemingly devoid of emotion, but in reality, she was brewing a storm.
A scumbag who bullies women!
Even if he was her own brother, she wouldn't let him off!
The words miscarriage and hemorrhage tightened Su Chen's brow. He remained stunned for a long time.
His silence made Su He sense something was amiss.
"Big Brother, you're from Nancheng too, can you help me investigate? I just want to know which irresponsible dog man bullied my best friend!" Su He said this intentionally to provoke him.
"Alright, I'll help you investigate." Su Chen, being the boss of a listed company, possessed a certain level of composure. After a pause, he added, "Is she... okay?"
"She won't die anyway," Su He replied perfunctorily. "Oh, I won't talk to you anymore. Remember to notify me when you have news."
With that, she hung up the phone.
Su He paced on the balcony, her suspicions confirmed.
Su Chen and Xiaoxiao were indeed involved!
Even though he had asked cautiously, she had still picked up on it.
He didn't seem to be entirely heartless towards Xiaoxiao. At least, he still cared about her. Based on this alone, Su He felt there was still room for reconciliation.
Afterwards, Su Chen called a few more times, but Su He didn't answer.
She needed to make him anxious first, otherwise, how could she test his sincerity? If he truly cared, he would find a way to see her. With this thought, Su He turned off her phone with a clear conscience and slept until noon.
*
The employees of Lu's Group clearly noticed that their boss was distracted during the meeting. While it wasn't very obvious, those accustomed to high-intensity work certainly felt his abnormality.
After the finance manager finished his report, there was a moment of silence.
Lu Yanbei snapped back to attention and asked a few questions in a neutral tone. "What's the next agenda item?"
The project manager stood up. "It's about the project in Fengxi Village. Although ninety percent of the people have signed contracts, a few stubborn ones are refusing to move."
"Can't agree on the price?" Lu Yanbei asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Price is one aspect. Several elderly residents say they've lived there their whole lives and would rather die there. Their children have tried to persuade them, but they just won't budge."
"They're old, it's not good to force them. If anything happens, they'll blame us."
"I think they're just asking for more money! I've seen people like this before!"
"But even so, we can't set this precedent! Otherwise, others will find out and start trouble again."
Lu's Group had already invested a significant amount of money in the Fengxi Village renovation project. The other partner companies were also eager for construction to begin smoothly. Dragging this out was not an option.
Lu Yanbei twirled his pen and said calmly, "Send someone to inquire about the backgrounds of those individuals and gather as much information as possible. Addressing the root cause is the key to solving the problem."
Verbal negotiations and back-and-forth haggling would only waste time.
At his suggestion, the people below nodded in agreement.
"That concludes today's meeting," Lu Yanbei said, seeing that time was almost up.
The punctual adjournment of the meeting made the senior executives a little unaccustomed.
"Isn't it good not to work overtime? Look at you all... do you like being abused so much!" Cheng Jue shook his head, watching them linger in the conference room.
"Assistant Cheng, is the boss preoccupied with something?" The administrative department manager, who was Cheng Jue's former classmate, had a good relationship with him and couldn't help but inquire privately.
Cheng Jue glanced at Lu Yanbei's retreating back and whispered, "The boss's wife has gone to Nancheng."
"I guessed it!" the administrative manager nodded emphatically. "Besides the boss's wife, who else could captivate our boss's heart?"
"Alright, stop gossiping." Cheng Jue patted him on the shoulder with his folder. "Just do your job well. If the boss really gets serious, neither you nor I could handle it."
"Got it, got it. Thanks, brother!"
The two left the conference room, chatting and laughing.
Lu Yanbei returned to his office and called Cheng Jue in. "Who is in charge of the Nancheng resort project?"
"It's Manager Qian from the branch company," Cheng Jue reported after thinking for a moment.
"I recall there were some issues with the financial report he submitted last month?" Lu Yanbei had an excellent memory and could spot minor errors at a glance.
Cheng Jue flipped through his notebook and said with admiration, "Yes, that's correct. Compared to the previous few quarters, the budget for the latest quarter exceeded by thirty percent. Because of the fine decoration, there were also more subsequent investments."
"Minglan Bay has been topped out, right?" Lu Yanbei asked again.
"Yes, around Christmas. There was also a grand event held at the time."
Lu Yanbei tapped his desk, a cold glint in his eyes. "Book a flight to Nancheng for tonight. I'll personally oversee this project."
"Yes," Cheng Jue replied.
"Also, I don't want anyone else to know about this matter," Lu Yanbei emphasized solemnly.