When Fu Shengyuan arrived at the club, he was momentarily stunned by the revelry before him.
All eyes converged on him.
Wan Yu nudged Jian Xi with her elbow. "Hey, as a CEO second to none, he probably wouldn’t kind of scene, would he? Do you want to go out and spend some time with him alone?"
Under the dim lights, Jian Xi was dressed casually, out of sync with everyone else, yet strikingly beautiful and bewitching. A simple T-shirt, tied at her waist, added a touch of fashionable flair, revealing a small section of her tender, pale skin. Her slender waist was perfectly showcased, her figure more symmetrical than a model’s. Even in tight jeans, her golden-ratio physique was accentuated. Paired with her seaweed-like long, curly hair, she resembled a languid Persian cat.
Fu Shengyuan’s gaze landed gently on her. "Miss Jian is truly beautiful."
His gentlemanly praise, devoid of any hint of lust, was pure appreciation, which was pleasant and likable.
Jian Xi smiled. "President Fu is just joking. You’ve seen countless beauties; what am I in comparison? I was really busy today. You don’t mind joining us here for a get-together, do you?"
The new internet celebrities and stars, upon seeing Fu Shengyuan, nearly had their eyes popping out.
This was the renowned CEO second only to Si Yuhuan, yet more low-key than him, his news barely seen anywhere in the world.
The Tianyao Group he led grew subtly, with rumors of his net worth being in the hundreds of billions—a true diamond bachelor.
Someone in the crowd joked, "Stick with Miss Jian, and you can see the big CEO every day."
Suddenly, everyone was abuzz.
If it weren’t for Jian Xi, they would never get to meet such a person in their lifetimes.
The girls inside looked at Fu Shengyuan with eyes that could have burned holes into him.
"Miss Jian, is he pursuing you?"
The bolder girls were already getting restless.
Jian Xi responded with a smile, "Just an ordinary friend."
Perhaps not even that.
Unexpectedly, Fu Shengyuan openly admitted, "Miss Jian hasn’t agreed yet, but I’ll pursue her. It’s fine."
"Wow!" Wan Yu, her boisterous friend, was the most excited. She raised her glass to him, completely at ease. "Then let’s toast in advance to our great President Fu winning the beauty’s heart!"
Jian Xi glared at her. Her friend must have lost her mind; she’s pregnant!
Wan Yu put her arm around Jian Xi’s shoulder, whispering in her ear, "What are you afraid of? Just give it a try. What if he likes your type—a young woman, and pregnant at that? He’d get to be an instant dad! How tempting."
She shouldn’t have let Fu Shengyuan come here!
Such a miscalculation!
She’d forgotten Wan Yu was crazy enough to do anything.
Now, Wan Yu had already run up to Fu Shengyuan and started promoting her friend. "Our Xixi is super great—capable, highly educated, and even a musical talent. You know Seld, the number one master of international music, right? At the banquet last time, he publicly announced that if our Xixi were willing, he would take her as his final disciple. Sadly, our Xixi didn’t agree; her heart’s not in it. If it were me, I would’ve scrambled to be the first in line."
"And also, at such a young age, she created the Yaowang Brand and entered the international market. Such accomplishments are insanely awesome, right? And... OUCH, OUCH, OUCH, be gentle, my ear!"
Before she could finish bragging about her bestie, Jian Xi grabbed her ear and pulled her aside.
"Keep talking, and you can finish the legal work yourself from now on."
"No, I’ll keep my mouth shut." Wan Yu gestured zipping her lips while repeatedly giving Fu Shengyuan meaningful glances.
Come on, give it your best shot!
Fu Shengyuan cooperated by making an ’OK’ gesture.
Jian Xi pressed her forehead. What a miscalculation; what was all this nonsense?
"Let’s go, let’s get out of here."
She tossed the legal contract she had just reviewed and edited to Wan Yu and pulled Fu Shengyuan away from the "madhouse of chaos."
「They left the club.」
The two found a relatively quiet coffee shop.
"Sorry, I don’t eat in the evening, so I can’t treat you to a meal just yet. I owe you one."
Fu Shengyuan didn’t care at all. "Being with you, anywhere is good."
Jian Xi was speechless. These sweet nothings came so naturally to him.
"Also, my friend doesn’t have a filter, so don’t mind her. She just gets a bit wild around people."
"She’s very cute, and I think everything she said is right. A woman as wonderful as you must be cherished. Otherwise, if someone else snatches you away, I’ll be crying my eyes out."
Fu Shengyuan looked at Jian Xi, his eyes brimming with love.
Jian Xi was silent again. She kind of wanted to run away.
The atmosphere was too strange; her heart couldn’t take it.
Fu Shengyuan, adept at gauging the mood, changed the subject. "Is there a problem with the Jian Group?"
Jian Xi raised an eyebrow, her gaze sweeping over him.
He chuckled. "The circle is only so big. The Jian Group ranks among the top ten in Beijing, so it’s not surprising that various companies are paying attention, is it?"
"Yes, there’s a minor issue. After all, we’ve just transitioned, and there are still some problems to overcome."
Jian Xi poked the coffee in her cup but didn’t drink it.
She was pregnant, after all, and had drastically cut back on coffee.
Lately, she drank mostly fruit juice.
The doctor said fruit juice was good for the baby’s skin and highly nutritious.
The increasingly disciplined, healthy diet and lifestyle made Jian Xi feel that, aside from the vomiting, this pregnancy had been quite manageable.
"If you need any help, just say so. You don’t have to be polite with me."
Jian Xi politely declined, "No need. Actually, President Fu, we aren’t that familiar."
"Have you heard of—no, I should ask, do you believe in love at first sight?" Fu Shengyuan gazed earnestly and passionately at the woman before him.
Jian Xi felt her heartbeat quicken for a moment under the intensity of his burning gaze. "Sorry, I only believe that beauty can be captivating. Love at first sight only exists in books. In today’s society, value is more important than affection."
He chuckled softly. "Miss Jian, you really don’t understand romance, do you?"
Doesn’t she understand?
She understood it all too well.
Unfortunately, she had wasted her romance on someone unworthy, and it had long since turned to ashes.
"Never mind, it’s okay. I’ll slowly prove my sincerity. For example, the Jian Group’s current trouble isn’t fundamentally a complex issue arising from the transition. Have you considered that it might stem from flaws left over from the very beginning?"
Fu Shengyuan didn’t keep her in suspense. "When you began the transition and cooperated with the Haohan Group, there were some avoidable flaws. The partner company didn’t correct them, so their shortcomings were only exposed at a critical moment..."
Jian Xi slammed the table and shot to her feet.
"Si Yuhuan, you bastard!"
She grabbed her bag. "Sorry, I must be going. We can meet another day."
With that, Jian Xi rushed out.
What Fu Shengyuan had told her couldn’t have been clearer: the Jian Group’s problems were inextricably linked to Si Yuhuan.
No wonder he had been so kind as to help her elder brother solve problems, even showing up at their doorstep, making their mother treat him so politely.
That conniving bastard who played with people’s hearts!
He knew all along that the Jian Group had problems but didn’t mention them. He was just waiting for today, for the Jian Family to come begging him, wasn’t he? That treacherous, scheming old fox! She wanted to skin him alive!