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墨書 Inktalez
"Are you saying that I can exchange my body for huge profits?" Lan Xin'en scoffed.
This was not just a profit; it was an astronomical sum, something she could never earn in her lifetime. Why wouldn't she accept it? This was a stroke of luck that had fallen from the heavens—why not take advantage of it?
Having a child could grant her any wish. Where on earth could she find such an opportunity?
She felt incredibly fortunate!
"Do you really have to describe our relationship in such terms?" He disliked her self-deprecating tone. "Can't you see this as us getting to know each other? Because I like you, I'm willing to do everything I can to please you."
"So this is your way of showing affection? First, you forcibly claim her, and then you slowly entice her with benefits." It was a rather clichéd plot, yet she found herself deeply ensnared.
She had never considered using her body to exchange for wealth she could never accumulate in her lifetime, but since such incredible fortune had landed in her lap, wouldn’t it be a waste not to make the most of it?
What right did she have to refuse?
"Xin En!"
Did she really have to treat him this way? He had tried every means to make amends; why couldn't she understand? Or perhaps she sensed his guilt and his growing attraction to her, and was deliberately teasing him?
Even so, all he wanted was an unbreakable bond.
"You can say whatever you like; I don't care."
＊ ＊ ＊
She was cold. From the first time he met her until now, she had given him the impression of being as frosty as ice; no matter how much dignity he offered or how much he sacrificed from the Beiheng Group, he had never seen her smile at him—not even a perfunctory one. Why was she so indifferent towards him while showing warmth and kindness to the senior executives in the conference room?
It was truly difficult to earn a smile from her, worth more than gold.
"Then for this new project proposal, I hope to assign it to Manager Lu," Lan Xin'en said with a gentle smile, her eyes sparkling with mirth.
"President, Manager Lu's last serious delay in the delivery schedule resulted in us missing the opportunity. If we hand this matter over to him again..." The general manager hesitated, recalling the previous incident that had caused significant issues. He was reluctant to let the development department manager take charge again.
Lan Xin'en raised an eyebrow, looking at Manager Lu, who remained silent and did not defend himself. She continued to smile lightly. "The last time was due to someone leaking confidential documents within the company. Otherwise, we wouldn't have faced delays that caused us to miss our chance and even had to modify the design at the last minute. Such coincidences are rare; it wasn't Manager Lu's fault. Blaming him for this would be unfair and could harm the team's spirit. Therefore, I believe we should give Manager Lu another chance and hope that all department managers can work together on this new proposal."
"Yes," several senior executives nodded in agreement.
"Well then, this meeting is adjourned," Lan Xin'en announced as she saw no objections from anyone. She pushed back her chair and was the first to leave the conference room.
Zhong Li Ming Jie noticed this and nodded to the other executives before following her back to the Taiwan Bei Heng Group President's Office.
"I never knew you were such a cheerful person," he remarked somewhat begrudgingly.
The smile he longed for seemed so easily accessible to others, while he could only consider finding a position within the company just to see her smile during meetings.
"Is that so?" She raised an eyebrow, making an effort to ignore him.
What exactly did this man want? Hadn't he said he didn't want anyone to know his whereabouts? If that were true, why was he coming to work with her and sitting behind her? During the meeting, she had felt a burning gaze piercing into her back, making it difficult for her to speak coherently.
If it weren't for her solid foundation over the years, she might have embarrassed herself.
"Isn't it?"
Seeing that she showed no interest in engaging with him, he shrugged it off and pulled a chair to sit directly across from her. Resting his chin on his hands atop the table, his captivating gaze fixed on her as she busily typed away on her computer.
She was truly busy! Whether at home or in the office, she was so occupied that she barely had time for him, which made him feel quite aggrieved.
"If you're bored, I suggest you go home and spend some time with Xiao Fan or take a walk somewhere. I can have the driver take you," she said. It was hard for her to focus on work under these circumstances; even ignoring him was challenging.
"I just want to stay here," Zhong Li Ming Jie said with a captivating smile.
He could watch her all day, observing the expressions she rarely showed in front of him, seeing her unabashedly display her charm before his eyes; it was far better than going home to stare at his son.
"But you'll distract me from work," she replied, trying hard to keep her composure.
"Why?" He rested his chin on his hand, smiling innocently.
Lan Xin'en glared coldly at his infuriating smile, forcing herself not to lash out and tear that face apart.
"I've already said it. The company is currently in a state of preparation. I have a lot to organize, and I really can't entertain you. If that's the case, why don't you just go back to England?" She wanted him to get far away so she wouldn't have to see him again. "After all, you'd be happier there, wouldn't you?"
In England, there were plenty of women waiting for his attention; why wouldn't this disheartened nobleman just return and indulge himself?
Surely, he didn't need to go through such trouble to keep an eye on her?
"Who said that? My career is here, my home is here. How could I be happy in a foreign land?" He only wanted to stay here because she was here.
"Do you really think so?" Lan Xin'en scoffed, subtly mocking him. "But I remember Xiao Fan saying he has many aunts... It doesn't matter how many aunts there are, as long as you pick one who treats Xiao Fan well."
"I've said I won't get married. No matter how many women there are, it doesn't matter; they're just distractions in life." Zhong Li Ming Jie truly couldn't believe that she felt nothing for him. She had always ignored his efforts, taking them for granted as if they were owed to her.
"Life needs some variety. I don't think I could ever dedicate myself to work like you do."
He did feel guilty towards her, but no one would compensate for something for ten years, would they?
If it weren't for the feelings backing him up, he could easily forget about her. Even if they met again in the future, he wouldn't treat her with any special consideration.
"That's because you're fortunate; you don't need to worry about material things at all. Of course, you wouldn't be overly anxious about work since you lack nothing." Her expression must have looked unpleasant, and her tone was probably harsh as well. Yet the fire inside her burned fiercely, making her want to bite him in frustration.
“Who says I lack anything?” Hmph, is there really anyone in this world so fortunate? Or perhaps, is there anyone in this world completely devoid of desires? With wealth comes the desire for power; with power comes the desire for influence; with influence comes the desire for fame. She was always racing forward in her career, wasn’t it all just to satisfy her own aspirations?
I really don’t know when she will stop this pointless game.
“So what do you lack then?” In such a bleak economy, if a homeless person on the street heard his words, they would probably beat him to death.
Besides, he was someone who could summon wind and rain at will; she truly didn’t understand what more he could possibly want.
“I lack a woman I love.” His charming eyes were deeply fixed on her, unwavering and intense.
Without her, he could still live; he could still spend each day in despair. But with her, his life would be more complete; at least he wouldn’t feel lonely in the depths of night.
Lan Xin'en was taken aback, her cold smile instantly frozen, leaving her speechless.
＊ ＊ ＊
After a long pause, Lan Xin'en forced a laugh and asked, “You don’t even want to get married. What do you need a woman you love for? Don’t you think that’s redundant?” She didn’t want to ask who that woman was, but since he said it like that, it meant he must have someone in mind.
She felt ashamed of her one-sided thoughts; she actually took his past confessions seriously. But he wasn’t wrong—no man could endure being ignored by a woman for ten years, or merely being used for his wealth and power.
If it were her, she would also distance herself from such a relationship. Moreover, there might be more than just her among the women who had heard his confessions.
And his implied confessions seemed to have ceased two years ago… It turned out he had already found someone he truly loved.
“I’m not getting married because she won’t marry me.” Zhong Li Ming Jie gazed at her directly and noticed her smile had become somewhat stiff. He couldn’t help but add, “But that woman dislikes me. She would rather work than be with me. My personal worth pales in comparison to the power attached to me; so I’m not as fortunate as you think. I haven’t obtained what I truly desire. Xin En, I’m poor and have nothing.”
It seemed he hadn’t made himself clear enough, but was this the right time? He didn’t know. This playboy of the dating scene was invincible in conquest but that was merely during the act of seduction.
“Is that so? Then heaven is quite fair after all.” She forced a laugh, her fingers lightly tapping on the keyboard without any awareness of what she was typing. Her mind buzzed with noise, leaving her scalp tingling.
“Alright, I need to get to work. It’s better if you don’t stay here. After all, I’m working hard for you and making money for you. If it affects my work, you’ll be the one at a loss.”
In the past, she had always detested his confessions, seeing them as a form of disguised atonement. She didn’t need that kind of hypocritical love; however, she didn’t truly hate him. If she had really hated him, she wouldn’t have stayed in Beiheng or kept thinking about him.
But she lacked the courage to tell him that she couldn’t forgive herself for forgetting Lin Guangying and falling for him in just a month. She couldn’t even believe that she felt no guilt toward Lin Guangying at all.
Could it be that she had never truly loved Lin Guangying? Or was she simply a vain and fickle woman?
Thus, she found herself trapped in a quagmire, unable to move forward or back. She didn’t want to respond to Zhong Li Ming Jie, nor did she want to confront her own self-criticism. She just wanted to let time pass, even if it meant spending a lifetime doing so.
“It doesn’t matter; losses are irrelevant. I don’t care,” he said, but what he truly cared about was whether she could stop those hands of hers, whether she could look at him while he spoke and not ignore his existence anymore. “Do you really like this job that much?”
More than he did?
Lan Xin'en paused, looking up at him incredulously. “If I didn’t like it, why would I do it? Why would I have set such conditions back then? Just by looking at my performance, you should be able to tell how driven and ambitious I am in my work.”
She was lying; she only believed that staying here meant she could see him at least once a year, that their relationship wasn’t as simple as it seemed.
“Why do you have to work so hard?” This job was exhausting; before handing it over to her, he had put in quite a bit of effort himself. “What are you really after? Don’t you want to settle down?”
“Well, that depends on how each person defines ‘settling down,’ doesn’t it? I feel like I’ve already settled down.” She lowered her gaze, avoiding his penetrating eyes. “The job is stable with significant growth potential, and it allows me to push any new ideas without reservation. I find it quite interesting; there’s nothing wrong with it. Besides, given the company’s current situation, we’re not at the stage of merely maintaining; we should still be expanding.”
“And what do you think that means?” There’s nothing wrong with a woman being career-driven, but he didn’t understand her motivations. “Haven’t you thought about yourself?”
Didn’t she want someone to lean on? Was she too strong-willed or was he too weak?
“Of course I think about myself first before considering the company,” she replied defiantly. “Even the dullest person would do that!”
But why was he asking this? Was small talk with her really enjoyable for him? He shouldn’t lack for such company.
"What do you plan to do with your life from now on?" For the past ten years, all he had seen of her was work, work, and more work. He couldn't see where she had taken the time to care for herself.
The woman beside him was not foolish enough to think that having a child would grant her control over Beiheng Group. No one would willingly take on such a thankless task; especially since she had managed to run the company without losing a single penny, and had even helped it grow significantly.
Her thoughts were always elusive to him.
If she hated him, why would she go through all this? If she loved him, she wouldn’t need to do any of it either. What kind of feelings did she really harbor for him?
Was he merely a man who had taken her against her will, or was he someone she utterly despised?
"In the future, I will focus all my energy on work first. At the very least, I want Beiheng to be on equal footing with the other three multinational groups of the Zhongli Family." Was this a business report? If he was genuinely interested in hearing it, she wouldn’t mind sharing her plans with him; after all, he was the rightful decision-maker.
"And then?" he asked gently.
"Then I’ll gradually expand Beiheng's product sales worldwide, establishing sales points and marketing networks in various countries. If we can reduce costs a bit more, the downstream companies will perform better."
"And then?"
"Huh?" She didn’t understand.
Her plans were so far-reaching; what she spoke of was merely a blueprint. If he pressed her for more details, she would struggle to respond.
"If one day you have mastered the economic pulse, seized any advantage in Electronic Technology, and gained fame and power beyond your wildest imagination; then what? What do you want to do?" He lifted his long lashes slightly, his deep and affectionate gaze no longer fierce and domineering. In front of her, he was just a man longing for love.
"I..." She didn’t know.
She had never thought about such a distant future. She simply lived one day at a time, naturally waiting for time to pass and delivering her work results to him when the moment came.
She hadn’t considered what she would do when everything finally fell into place.
"What kind of future do you really want?" Is it worth dedicating all your youthful years to work? Wouldn't such a life be too barren? "Is this how you plan to spend your entire life?"
Lan Xin'en lowered her head in silence, but suddenly she heard her secretary's voice over the phone: "President, the director from Changliu Enterprises is here for a visit."
"Let him in," she replied, her mood having plummeted to the depths, tinged with sorrow.
"You should answer my question first before letting him in," Zhong Li Ming Jie said, looking at her with displeasure.
"This is a business matter; nothing is more important than that. Besides, your question lacks constructiveness, so I see no need to respond." Hearing a knock at the door, she immediately called out, "Come in."
The door opened, and an older man entered alongside a younger one. She deliberately ignored Zhong Li Ming Jie standing beside her but suddenly caught sight of the man following the chairman of Changliu Enterprises.
"Guang Ying?" Zhong Li Ming Jie murmured before her.
It had been ten years since he last saw him; he thought he had vanished from this world.
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