As soon as Nie Zhan returned home, he prepared medicine for Lu Jiaxin to drink, not allowing her to speak. Then, the servants and bodyguards at the Lu Family Mansion felt that today was unusually quiet, almost excessively so, and they found it awkward to adjust.
After dinner, the two of them went for a walk in the garden. Nie Zhan held Lu Jiaxin’s hand and said, "You’re the boss, you just need to make the final decision on their proposals, there’s no need to talk so much."
Every day he had to deal with so many things, if he talked non-stop all day like Lu Jiaxin did, he would have lost his voice.
Lu Jiaxin smiled and nodded her head.
Nie Zhan added, "Just rest at home for the next couple of days, don’t go to work."
Lu Jiaxin shook her head to indicate that she would try not to talk at all for the next few days.
Hearing her hoarse voice, Nie Zhan felt distressed. If he had known she was so determined, he wouldn’t have urged her to start work so early; at the very least, he would have waited until she graduated from college.
The next day, Lu Jiaxin went to work as usual, but she only discussed work with Susan and Xu Yue. Basically, the two of them did the talking, and she just listened quietly, occasionally interjecting a word or two.
After resting her voice for three days, she was able to talk normally again, but with the incident on the first day, she now cherished her words like gold. Of course, it was not only to protect her voice but also to seem aloof and hard to approach.
On Friday afternoon, Zong Shimeng called to invite her for afternoon tea.
Lu Jiaxin, after a week of work, also wanted to relax. She didn’t feel like going for afternoon tea and suggested horseback riding with Zong Shimeng instead. She had learned to ride, although the instructor had advised more practice. Lu Jiaxin’s requirement was to be able to gallop, not necessarily to race at full speed.
Zong Shimeng could also ride horses and was quite skilled at it: "Sure, let’s do it. This time, besides Xinyu and Meitong, I’ll also bring along Huihui. She loves horseback riding and even raised a foal for herself."
Over the weekend, Hu Zhifeng, Tao Yong, and Su Heyuan also came along. Concerned about a repeat of last time, Nie Zhan outright said he wouldn’t invite Fu Ye this time. It was rare to have a holiday and if everyone ended up having their spirits dampened like before, it would be a waste of a perfectly good day off.
Hu Zhifeng was also dissatisfied with Fu Ye’s behavior from the last time. Personal feelings aside, knowingly bringing an attention-seeking fiancée into the mix was his fault.
After arriving at the riding club and going around a few times, Lu Jiaxin and her friends sat down. Previously, they would talk about the latest fashion and jewelry, and then they would discuss investments, but this time was different.
Yu Meitong immediately started after sitting down, "Jiaxin, there are rumors in the company now that you’re very strict and have high expectations. Everyone at Green Forest is afraid of you. To keep their jobs, everyone is giving their utmost effort, and nobody dares to slack off anymore."
Zong Shimeng jokingly said, "Wow, I didn’t realize you were so formidable at the company, Jiaxin. I used to worry that your youthful appearance wouldn’t command respect from your subordinates!"
Shi Xinyu chuckled, "Jiaxin, I really can’t imagine what you look like with a stern face. Why don’t you show us one right now?"
Lu Jiaxin naturally wouldn’t show it to them, and she said with a smile, "Ah Zhan told me to learn that look, saying people would be afraid of me and wouldn’t underestimate me because of my age, or take my words lightly."
She never expected that because she kept a straight face, the staff stopped slacking off at work. In that moment she decided, from now on she would take on the persona of a high-cold female CEO.
Zong Shimeng laughed uncontrollably, "I mean you’re usually so cheerful, why do you put on such a serious face at the company? You’re acting like you’re learning from Nie Zhan!"
"The first time I met Nie Zhan, I noticed he spoke little and didn’t like to smile. I only found out after going home and asking Zhifeng that he’s a naturally quiet person. But the people at the company don’t know that, and they find him unapproachable because he always wears a serious expression."
"When he took over Wansheng Real Estate, a few of the older employees tried to pull rank. They didn’t expect him to fire them outright without coddling them. The matter even reached Old Master Nie, but to no avail, Nie Zhan insisted on the dismissals. Afterward, the working atmosphere at Wansheng Real Estate improved a lot."
Lu Jiaxin said with a smile, "The first time I saw him, he was so standoffish it was almost scary. But after getting to know him, I realized it was all just an act; the guy is actually a chatterbox."
Zong Shimeng said amused, "What chatterbox, he’s only that talkative with you. With us, he’s stingy with his words. Zhifeng even once told me he didn’t know how any girl could put up with his temperament."
Because Nie Zhan was so accommodating to Lu Jiaxin, Hu Zhifeng privately told her that he had misjudged him in the past. The guy became a completely different person when in love.
Lu Jiaxin, smiling, changed the subject, "Sister Shimeng, your stocks must have gone up quite a bit, right?"
After a major drop, she consulted Lu Jiaxin, and following her advice, at about 2200 points, she bought 15 million Hong Kong Dollars worth of stocks.
Zong Shimeng said beamingly, "The highest one went up by over fifty percent, and even the least profitable one increased by eighteen percent. Jiaxin, I owe it to you, otherwise I wouldn’t have dared to buy."
Originally she was afraid to bottom-fish when she saw the stock market crash, but she was also worried about missing out, so she discussed this topic with Jiaxin over a meal. Hearing that Jiaxin was preparing to enter the market, she immediately asked her stockbroker to buy. In just over four months, she made more than three million.
Hu Huihui didn’t buy stocks, feeling they were too risky and considered buying property more secure. Yu Meitong shared this sentiment. Shi Xinyu didn’t sell two-thirds of her stocks during the market crash and still hadn’t recovered her investment, so this topic was a downer for her.
After a break, the five of them went horse riding again. This time Zong Shimeng, Hu Huihui, and Shi Xinyu were racing, while Lu Jiaxin and Yu Meitong rode leisurely at the back.
Yu Meitong said, "Jiaxin, Mr. Nie has left you in charge of the jewelry company. Why haven’t you turned up at the office for such a long time?"
Lu Jiaxin replied with a smile, "For Five Auspicious Jewelry, I’m only involved in the company’s development strategies and direction. I won’t meddle in the day-to-day operations."
Fashion was her forte, and creating her own brand had been a dream in her past life, so she took full control of that sector. Jewelry, however, required expertise, and in the past two years, Five Auspicious Jewelry had been doing very well under his management. There was no need for her to interfere unnecessarily.
Upon hearing this, Yu Meitong felt somewhat emotional, "Jiaxin, the company has been a little unsettled this week. Many people think that you’ll take over and diminish Director Liang’s authority. But since you’ve never dealt with jewelry before, everyone is worried about the company’s future prospects."
After speaking, she gave a thumbs up and said, "Jiaxin, with your vision, Five Auspicious Jewelry is definitely going to get better and better. It won’t be long before it catches up with Chow Tai Fook."
Lu Jiaxin replied with a smile, "My goal is to make money, not to surpass anyone. Director Liang knows more about jewelry than I do, so it’s best to leave it in his hands."
Having someone else making money for you is a great thing—why get involved in everything and tire yourself out? Nie Zhan manages several companies and had to take care of Nie Family matters before, so he was very busy. Now, he’s a bit more relaxed than before. However, yesterday Nie Zhan told her the government was tendering for a large-scale housing project, and he was preparing to bid. A project requires an investment of tens of billions, and it’s too much for one company, so cooperation with other companies is necessary. Once the bidding starts, Nie Zhan will be busy again, but being busy is good—it means business is thriving.