Assistant Chen knocked on the door. "Mr. Jing, General Shen from Huarui Group has arrived."
Jing Zeyou looked up and glanced at his watch. "Take him to the conference room. I'll be there shortly."
"Understood."
Jing Zeyou stood up, adjusted his attire, and picked up the documents on his desk before leaving the office.
"General Shen."
A man was sitting in the conference room waiting. He wore a crisp dark suit, with an equally well-dressed assistant standing behind him.
Seeing Jing Zeyou enter, he stood up to shake hands.
"Mr. Jing."
The man had handsome features with sharp contours, defined eyebrows, and deep, cold eyes that exuded indifference.
Even in a meeting with a business partner, his face remained expressionless, giving off an unapproachable aura.
This wasn't the first time Jing Zeyou and Shen Huaichu had met, but it was the first official meeting between Hengjing and Huarui Group.
Since Shen Huaichu's return, he had stirred up quite a storm in North river. Jing Zeyou was naturally aware of everything that had happened with the Shen family and Huarui Group recently.
Even now, Jing Zeyou admired Shen Huaichu, who was a few years younger than him.
The Shen family's Huarui Group was a financial conglomerate with businesses spanning banking, investment, insurance, and wealth management services.
As one of the top-ranking families in North river, the Shen family had been losing some of its luster in recent years. Their influence had even waned compared to the up-and-coming Wang Family, including their flagship Huarui Group.
But a few months ago, Huarui Group changed hands.
With Huarui's reboot, Jing Zeyou became interested in the company and in Shen Huaichu himself. He had even discussed Shen Huaichu with Jing Beicheng and shared his ideas about cooperating with Huarui.
Jing Beicheng strongly supported Jing Zeyou's ideas.
"Please, have a seat. I apologize for keeping you waiting."
Jing Zeyou sat across from Shen Huaichu and placed the documents on the table.
With only the four of them in the office, Jing Zeyou and Shen Huaichu began their formal strategic cooperation talks.
Meanwhile, at the Jing family residence
Jing Yi and Jing Zejun had chatted until midnight yesterday, so they didn't wake up until nearly noon.
Jing Beicheng was already in the living room watching the midday news.
Lin Ruiqing looked at the two sleepy-eyed girls and chuckled, "Good morning? It's almost noon now." If they had slept any longer, she would have gone to wake them for lunch.
Jing Zejun smiled sheepishly. They had indeed slept in quite late. Yesterday, they lost track of time while talking, and this morning they just couldn't get up.
"Since you're up, let's have lunch. Aunt Wang has already prepared the meal."
At the dining table, Jing Beicheng first ladled some soup for Lin Ruiqing. Noticing Jing Yi's gaze, he paused briefly before serving soup to Jing Zejun and Jing Yi as well.
"Thank you, Uncle!"
"Thank you, Dad."
Lin Ruiqing looked at the two beautiful girls before her and smiled contentedly.
"Zejun, take some time to rest these days. Go out and have fun with Yi. Don't rush into work."
Jing Zejun nodded. Even if this incident hadn't occurred, she had planned to take a break anyway.
She had just finished filming a drama, and with her current status and popularity in the entertainment industry, she couldn't seamlessly move from one project to another. Especially after filming "Monarch," she hadn't received many good scripts. She had really liked the script for "Sea Crabapple Still Blooms," but now with everything that had happened, she wasn't sure what would come next.
Lin Ruiqing seemed to think of something and said with a smile, "Or, you two could come on vacation with us."
Jing Zejun and Jing Yi both looked up, exchanging surprised glances.
Jing Zejun asked, "Mom, are you and Dad going on a trip?"
Lin Ruiqing nodded.
This was something Lin Ruiqing and Jing Beicheng had discussed a few days ago. During her recent hospital stay, Lin Ruiqing had thought about many things: how little time she had spent with her daughter, how neither of her sons had started families yet, and how she hadn't had much chance to get to know Jing Yi.
But what Lin Ruiqing thought about most was that even after all these years with Jing Beicheng, she felt she had spent the least time with him.
So they came up with the idea of going on a trip together.
Jing Beicheng remained composed as he picked up some bamboo shoots with his chopsticks and placed them in Lin Ruiqing's bowl. "Do you two want to come as well? I had originally planned to take just your mother sightseeing. If you want to join, I might need to rework the itinerary. After all, the places we like might not suit you..."
Jing Zejun listened to Jing Beicheng, unsure how to respond.
Jing Yi sneaked glances at Jing Beicheng and Lin Ruiqing.
[This doesn't sound like he's too keen on us joining...]
Lin Ruiqing looked a bit uncomfortable and pinched the person next to her. Jing Beicheng paused briefly but quickly regained his composure.
Jing Beicheng indeed didn't want their planned couple's getaway to be 'interrupted' by family members, even if they were the two girls he adored.
For him, there was a big difference between a couple's trip and a family vacation of four. They could always plan a family trip another time.
While Jing Yi continued to observe quietly, Jing Zejun pressed her lips together, suppressing a smile.
Lin Ruiqing glared at Jing Beicheng, "Your father has also retired from Hengjing. We don't have much to do these days, so we thought we'd travel and see the world while we still can."
Jing Yi nodded in agreement as she ate her spareribs.
[Retirement is the perfect time when you have both leisure and money. Of course, you should make the most of it and go see the world. Later, when you're surrounded by grandchildren, you might not want to leave even if you could.]
Lin Ruiqing strongly agreed. She wouldn't pressure her children to get married, but if grandchildren did come along, she probably wouldn't feel comfortable traveling so freely.
"Where are you and Aunt planning to go, Uncle?"
Although Jing Yi had no plans to join Lin Ruiqing and Jing Beicheng on their trip, she was still curious about their destination.
Lin Ruiqing looked at Jing Beicheng. She actually didn't know where they were going. Jing Beicheng knew her preferences and had arranged everything.
Jing Beicheng mentioned a few locations, and Jing Yi's expression went beyond simple envy.
"Wow! Uncle, you even took care of all the planning?!"
Lin Ruiqing smiled, "So, do you two want to come along?"
Jing Beicheng glanced over inconspicuously, and the girls quickly shook their heads. "Mom, I'll pass. I have some work to do after my break. What about you, Yi?"
Jing Yi hastily replied, "I'm not going either. I... I don't like traveling. I prefer staying at home!"
Jing Zejun lowered her head, trying to stifle a laugh.
A hint of amusement flashed in Jing Beicheng's eyes. "It's fine if you don't come. I'll give you each some money. You can use it whether you go out or stay at home."
Jing Yi and Jing Zejun thought to themselves: You really didn't want us to come along, did you...