Spellbound Hearts - Chapter 103 - Keeping One's Heart Amidst the Glitz and Glamour

What kind of man do you like?

If this question is asked between people of the same gender, it usually doesn’t pose any problem; at most, it’s just idle chatter or gossip.

But when asked between people of different genders, no matter how pure their relationship may be, there’s always a hint of ambiguity once the question is posed.

Staring at the message from ‘Qiu Lin,’ Ji Xuan had to reply: Someone gentlemanly.

Song Zhaoli: Like who?

Ji Xuan: Wu Rui.

Ji Xuan’s reply was decisive, causing Song Zhaoli’s slender fingers to pause on the screen on the other end of the phone.

Ji Xuan: Assistant Qiu, I have things to attend to here. Let’s chat when we have time.

Song Zhaoli: Alright.

Closing the phone, Song Zhaoli remained outwardly calm, though his gaze was terrifyingly dark.

After a few minutes, Song Zhaoli spoke in a deep voice, “Qiu Lin.”

Qiu Lin shivered, “President Song, yes?”

Song Zhaoli asked expressionlessly, “Do you think Wu Rui is gentlemanly?”

Having learned from previous experiences, Qiu Lin dared not answer recklessly, “He’s… alright.”

Song Zhaoli raised an eyebrow, “Alright?”

Qiu Lin braced himself, “Just… so-so, average.”

Even the smartest people have moments of self-deception.

Just like Song Zhaoli now.

He knew Qiu Lin was merely placating him due to his ‘intimidation,’ but hearing Qiu Lin say ‘average’ was more comforting than hearing him praise Wu Rui’s gentlemanliness.

After Qiu Lin spoke, he saw through the rearview mirror that Song Zhaoli’s cold expression had softened somewhat, and he secretly breathed a sigh of relief, internally reflecting: Making money isn’t easy; cherish what you earn.

Meanwhile, after putting down her phone, Ji Xuan first organized the contents of her suitcase briefly, then picked up her phone to check Yu Hui’s schedule in Changsha.

Yu Hui had arrived this morning, reportedly for a real estate project.

But Ji Xuan checked several major projects in Changsha and found none with Bi Sheng’s investment.

After confirming repeatedly, Ji Xuan picked up her phone and dialed Wang Peng’s number.

Once connected, Ji Xuan didn’t bother with pleasantries and directly asked, “Assistant Wang, are you sure President Yu came to Changsha for project investment?”

Wang Peng answered hesitantly, “Manager Ji, that’s what my investigation concluded, but if you ask me to confirm, I really can’t be sure.”

Ji Xuan frowned at his words, “Who did you investigate this with?”

Wang Peng said, “I have a friend who’s a minor leader at Bi Sheng; I heard it from him.”

Ji Xuan, “Alright, I understand.”

Wang Peng, “Why? Manager Ji, did I investigate incorrectly?”

Ji Xuan replied indifferently, “No, you carry on with your work.”

After hanging up, Ji Xuan’s face darkened a bit.

She had worked at several companies before, where there was intrigue, but no one ever dared to tamper with major issues like ‘projects.’

Indeed, the bigger the forest, the more diverse the ‘birds.’

In small companies, leaders are usually direct; any slight disturbance could lead to you packing up and leaving.

But in large companies, it’s akin to ancient times where the emperor is far away; the ‘county official’ is not as good as the ‘current official,’ and the higher-ups are oblivious to the matters below. When something goes wrong, the project leader inevitably takes the fall.

Even if others are implicated, the most they’ll face is demotion or salary reduction.

Ji Xuan ran these thoughts through her mind, picked up her phone, and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window to make a call.

The call was to a former colleague in Yancheng named Su Yan. She remembered that last year, during a project competition with Bi Sheng, this colleague had some contact with Yu Hui.

When the call connected, the voice on the other end was surprised but smiling, “A rare guest indeed, Manager Ji still remembers to call me.”

Ji Xuan smiled and replied, “Don’t tease me, I have an urgent matter.”

Su Yan responded generously, “Go ahead, as long as I can help, I won’t hesitate.”

Ji Xuan didn’t beat around the bush and directly asked, “Do you remember Yu Hui?”

Su Yan said, “I remember, the president from Bi Sheng who competed with us for the project last year.”

Ji Xuan, “Yes, when you had contact with him, was there anyone with a Changsha accent around him, or…”

Before Ji Xuan could finish her ‘or’ question, Su Yan interrupted, “Are you trying to ask if President Yu has any scandals?”

Ji Xuan admitted, “That’s part of it.”

Su Yan, “Why are you suddenly inquiring about this?”

Having worked with Ji Xuan for years, Su Yan knew Ji Xuan was never one for gossip.

Ji Xuan explained frankly, “The company I’m currently with intends to acquire a project under Bi Sheng. I heard he’s on a business trip to Changsha this week, but upon arriving, I found there’s no Bi Sheng investment project here, so I thought…”

Coming to Changsha under the guise of a business trip, without official business, there must be some unspeakable private affair.

Ji Xuan’s intuition was sharp, and Su Yan lowered her voice slightly, “There is indeed someone, but whether that woman is Yu Hui’s lover, I’m not sure. Yu Hui is very considerate towards her.”

Ji Xuan asked, “What kind of woman is she?”

Su Yan said, “A woman from Changsha, seven or eight months pregnant. They all call her Yun-Jie, and outwardly she’s said to be Yu Hui’s secretary…”

Secretary…

After ending the call with Su Yan, Ji Xuan stood by the window and looked outside for a while.

In this society, amidst the bustling traffic, people’s hearts are restless.

Few can keep their heart amidst the glitz and glamour.

As Ji Xuan was pondering, the phone in her hand beeped.

Ji Xuan glanced down, and a Weibo notification popped up on the screen: The President of Song Group is about to get engaged!!