After clarifying the sequence of events, Su Yanyi called a meeting with only five people present. Since they had not yet found someone to replace Sun Minyi as her assistant and Sun Minyi had not yet resigned, she was not included in this meeting. Su Yanyi unceremoniously signaled Kang Zhong to block Sun Minyi from entering the meeting room.
The attendees were all key decision-makers at Splendid Entertainment and trusted allies of Su Yanyi. Apart from Su Yanyi and Kang Zhong, there were the Vice President He Mingyang, the Chief Financial Officer Cao Yawen, and the head of Human Resources, Zhang Tianze. The five of them together had enough authority to make any decision regarding Splendid Entertainment.
The meeting lasted for more than an hour. At first, everyone was surprised by what Su Yanyi said, but soon they all eagerly joined the discussion.
Su Yanyi's intentions were straightforward and twofold: one was to suppress and acquire Sky King Entertainment, controlled by the Wang Family; the other was to plan and anticipate Qin Jiran's future career development. The oldest among them were not yet forty, all at an age of ambitious fervor. This time, with Su Yanyi's major move, everyone was excited, keen to flex their muscles and really get to work.
Su Yanyi was pleased with everyone's reaction. Together, they devised a rather flawless acquisition plan, and then they began discussing the future development of Qin Jiran. Being well-acquainted with the entertainment industry, they quickly drew up a plan for Qin Jiran, not only focusing on his domestic growth but also with the aim of breaking into the international market, which satisfied Su Yanyi.
After the serious discussion, Cao Yawen, one of only two women present and the Chief Financial Officer, couldn't help but indulge in her gossipy instincts. She asked Su Yanyi with evident curiosity, "President Su, you're really promoting Qin Jiran. Could it be that you have some sort of relationship with him? Don't tell me that even our President Su has been smitten?"
As Cao Yawen finished speaking, the rest of them looked at Su Yanyi with shining eyes, clearly just as curious.
Su Yanyi's face remained cool and expressionless as she spoke in an extremely calm tone, "We're already married. He's under my protection, so naturally, I'd promote him."
Her words were like a landmine, instantly stupefying everyone present.
"Married? When did you get married? How come we didn't know? It's such a big deal, and you didn't tell us; that's not very friendly of you." Despite the fact they were boss and subordinates, after working together for many years, Cao Yawen and the others had a good relationship with Su Yanyi, close enough to be considered friends, or they wouldn't dare to gossip so openly about Su Yanyi's rumors.
Su Yanyi glanced at Cao Yawen and calmly said, "I'm telling you now, aren't I? If you want to give a gift, you can do so right now."
"You didn't even invite us to the wedding, and you still expect a gift? No way!" As the Chief Financial Officer, she would never agree to a losing deal!
"The wedding banquet hasn't happened yet. I'll let you know when it's planned." Prior to this, Su Yanyi hadn't thought about the wedding banquet, but now it seemed worth considering. It would be an excellent occasion to go public with their relationship, which could potentially cause some trouble but also get rid of some. The only concern was Qin Jiran's opinion, as the public revelation would impact him more significantly.
"Alright, I'll definitely give a big red envelope by then. Tsk tsk, Qin Jiran, huh? President Su, do tell us, how did you two get together? To think you fell in love right under our noses and we had no idea. You have quite the talent for keeping secrets." Cao Yawen continued to gossip, and she couldn't help but imagine two icebergs together, tsk tsk, wondering who would freeze whom first. Just the thought was a bit terrifying.
Su Yanyi remained silent. She felt no need to answer that question; she didn't recall ever having any kind of romantic relationship with Qin Jiran.
Zhang Tianze was comparatively steady and had been listening quietly without speaking, but He Mingyang couldn't hold back anymore and interjected, "Come on, tell us how our Iceberg Queen was conquered by the Iceberg Best Actor. How do you two get along? Do you have any common interests? Aren't you afraid of being frozen to death by each other? Ah, why Qin Jiran of all people? Isn't it said that couples should complement each other to last? Are you two really suitable for each other?"
"You're the one who'll freeze to death with all that talking. I bet you'll end up with a chatterbox, and the two of you will annoy each other to death," Su Yanyi snapped unhappily. Why say she and Qin Jiran were incompatible? She thought Qin Jiran was quite a good man—handsome, well-built, deeply loyal, and most importantly, he was devoted to her. She didn't think there was a better man than Qin Jiran.
To say that Su Yanyi was deeply in love with Qin Jiran at this point wouldn't be quite true, but her feelings for him were also not something that could be easily described in a few words. It definitely wasn't merely touched by his actions; it naturally included some affection, more or less.
"Even if it's two chatterboxes together, it's still better than two icebergs. Tell me, do you two have common topics to talk about?" He Mingyang, unconvinced, proclaimed. With a girlfriend count in triple digits, he considered himself highly experienced and absolutely could not believe that two icebergs together could foster love—how cold!
"Work," Su Yanyi considered seriously before answering.
"Tch, couples in love don't just talk about work all the time, how boring," He Mingyang dismissed, with an air of condescension and a clearly disdainful expression.
Su Yanyi had always been an unattainable flower in his eyes, and he had even thought such a formidable woman might never marry! But now, without making a sound, she had gotten married, and to an artist like Qin Jiran, no less. How could he not be surprised? When he thought about how similar Su Yanyi and Qin Jiran were in temperament, it seemed even more improbable to him.
Zhang Tianze, who had been listening, seemed to have thought of this as well and asked with some concern, "Yeah, do your families agree with your marriage?" What Zhang Tianze really wanted to ask was whether they were happy together, but he felt somewhat embarrassed to ask it outright and so phrased it differently.
"They know," Su Yanyi wasn't particularly perceptive about these issues and didn't catch the hidden meaning in Zhang Tianze's words.
Cao Yawen, listening by the side and growing impatient, blurted out, "Who pursued whom between you two? Do you truly like him? Are you happy with him?"
Faced with such straightforward questions, Su Yanyi understood them and thought about it seriously but couldn't find an answer.
Like or not like? Happy or not happy? What degree constitutes liking someone? How does one define being happy together? Su Yanyi was unclear about these definitions. She just felt that being with Qin Jiran was pressure-free and because she trusted him, she could be more straightforward in being herself, which felt quite comfortable. Yet, it was difficult to label that as liking, wasn't it?
Su Yanyi's silence made the others glance at each other but, knowing when to stop, they didn't press further. There was clearly some story between Su Yanyi and Qin Jiran, and as for what it was, they would just watch and figure it out.
...