In a hazy blur, she heard Shen Jinci’s indulgent words, "Whatever you do is right."
His voice was too soft, Bian Yue had already fallen asleep and heard nothing.
Her sleeping face tranquil, she nestled in his arms, trusting him entirely.
Shen Jinci had never been trusted before; his past was too dark, so much so that even the thought of glancing back at it now felt blood-soaked.
Bian Yue didn’t know that after she fell asleep, Shen Jinci sat alone in the study for a long time.
He held the collaboration document between Honey and Lixing, flipping through it over and over again, before taking a lighter nearby and lighting it without hesitation.
The flames flickered in his hand, the fire devouring the pages, burning to ash little by little in his grip...
When Bian Yue woke up, Shen Jinci was already asleep by her side, holding her as he always did. His long lashes rested on her peaceful sleeping face, beautiful like a painting.
Bian Yue rarely saw someone whose appearance changed so drastically between sleep and wakefulness.
No matter how gentle Shen Jinci’s demeanor was during the day, one could tell he had a cold aura, that deep down he was a very indifferent person. But now, lying beside her, he was elegantly beautiful, an impeccable face.
Bian Yue raised her hand, cautiously touching his brows and eyes, her heart suddenly stirring.
These coming days were bound to be busy with the premiere of "Shengshi Yan"; there was no room for error.
She had many people to meet today, foreseeably hectic, yet looking at Shen Jinci, she somewhat couldn’t bear to get up.
Bian Yue herself didn’t realize, a smile played at her lips.
Under her gaze, Shen Jinci eventually slowly opened his eyes.
His eyes dark and deep, carrying a just-awoken languor, he asked softly, "When did you wake up?"
Bian Yue said, just a few minutes before you.
"Busy today, too?" Shen Jinci stroked her hair, "Take care of your health."
"I know, you too, take care of yourself," Bian Yue replied, and then, thinking for a moment, she leaned in to kiss his cheek.
The young girl’s face was a bit red, her lips curled in an uncontrollable smile, she said, "Mr. Shen is truly a feast for the eyes."
Shen Jinci chuckled, raising an eyebrow, the tone betraying no emotion, "Flirting with me again?"
"After all, today’s busy, teasing you is like recharging," Bian Yue said. "Shen Jinci, you don’t mind."
"Of course not, just this weekend, can Miss Bian make some time?"
"You forgot?" Shen Jinci sighed, raising his hand, his knuckles gently tapped against Bian Yue’s forehead, "This weekend, it’s your birthday."
Bian Yue’s eyes widened suddenly, "Ah, is it my birthday already? I really did forget."
Shen Jinci thought to himself, she really was too busy, indeed full of concerns.
A wave of tenderness surged over him, Shen Jinci gently pulled Bian Yue’s arm, pulling her into an embrace, "It’s okay... I’ll remember it for you."
Bian Yue’s smile deepened between her brows, and she nodded vigorously, her eyes bright within his embrace. She said, "Yes, I know, you will remember everything for me."
"This afternoon, I’ll have Shen Zhaoli finalize the cooperation details with you at Honey. He will contact you in advance."
The sudden words from Shen Jinci made Bian Yue stiffen unconsciously.
She really wasn’t a good actress; all her emotions were like transparent glass, with nothing concealed, and Shen Jinci could only pretend not to see them.
"This afternoon?" Bian Yue’s voice was one of surprise.
"What’s the matter? Is there a problem?" Shen Jinci looked intently at Bian Yue, his voice soft and tender, "If you think that the cooperation needs to be postponed, you can tell me."
"Jinci, I know you’ve put a lot of effort into the cooperation between Honey and Lixing. So, I will be careful with any decision I make," Bian Yue paused, her expression sincere, "Can you give me a little more time?"
"Yueyue, the board of directors at Lixing is already pressuring me; I can’t wait any longer. If you really want to stand on your own in the business world, you can’t expect me to keep making concessions for you." Shen Jinci’s voice was calm, merely stating a fact, yet Bian Yue looked at him somewhat unexpectedly.
His sudden switch to business talk was something Bian Yue was unaccustomed to.
At this moment, she clearly and distinctly realized that Shen Jinci, indeed, had shown her the heavy favoritism that Lu Zhonian had mentioned.
Bian Yue knew that Shen Jinci was right now.
So she lifted her smile, saying softly, "Okay, then I’ll wait for Shen Zhaoli to come to me."
Shen Jinci’s heart seemed to be gripped tight; he looked at Bian Yue, emotion of unwillingness spreading.
In the prolonged silence, he kissed Bian Yue’s forehead, whispering softly, "My Little Yue, you’ll stand by my side, right?"
Bian Yue’s smile deepened; feeling the love-filled kiss from Shen Jinci, she said, "Yes, I will."
The morning meeting at Lixing Group today went exceptionally smoothly.
The cooperation with Honey, which had been at a standstill and mired in controversy, was suddenly relaxed today by Shen Jinci, who agreed to the board’s demand to add a professional manager to Honey and also reduced the investment share.
This meant that Lixing would be directly interfering with Honey’s internal decisions in the cooperation.
For the board of Lixing Group, this decision was enough for each to take a step back.
"Mr. Shen is indeed clear-headed, knowing what the right decision is. At the previous board meeting, I was quite disrespectful to Mr. Shen. I would like to apologize to Mr. Shen here."
"Yes, if Honey can become an asset to Lixing in the future, it is naturally a welcome development for all of us. You and Miss Bian are husband and wife after all, and there’s really no need to be so strict."
Everyone had their say, but in summary, they all seemed to be satisfied with the outcome.
Shen Zhaoli frowned, not understanding as he looked at Shen Jinci’s unflinching face.
Until everyone left the meeting, Shen Zhaoli remained sitting; he looked at Shen Jinci, who was about to stand up, and said coldly, "Brother, don’t leave just yet, I have something to ask you."
Shen Jinci sat back down, and with only the two of them left in the meeting room, he placed a contract in front of Shen Zhaoli, "This is the new cooperation agreement I’ve drawn up. Find some time this afternoon to discuss it with Tong Bian Yue."
Shen Zhaoli frowned, "A new one? Was there something wrong with the previous one?"
Seeing that Shen Jinci didn’t answer, Shen Zhaoli picked up the proposal and began to leaf through it.
Having read half of it, Shen Zhaoli put the proposal down, very astonished, "Are you sure you want me to discuss the cooperation with Bian Yue ? Shen Jinci, this is really talking business. I thought you would at least leave some benefits for Bian Yue."
"She’s too kind-hearted; I can’t let it continue," Shen Jinci said, looking at the proposal Shen Zhaoli had tossed onto the table, his eyes without a single ripple, "The first lesson I need to teach Bian Yue is to learn to be ruthless."