40: Tall, rich and handsome?

China Merchants Bank Branch.

Xu Jia was organizing client information at her workstation.

Her phone vibrated.

She picked it up and glanced at it.

It was a message from her younger sister, Xu Yi.

"Sister, Brother Chen Qiu is my boss now?!"

Xu Jia was stunned.

She was a little bewildered.

Boss?

What boss?

Isn't her sister currently seconded to the newly established Cultural Industry Group?

That company was spearheaded by the city, and run by the Culture and Tourism Bureau and the Investment Group.

It was definitely state-owned and controlled.

How could Chen Qiu be her boss?

An absurd thought popped into Xu Jia's mind.

Surely Chen Qiu couldn't have acquired a state-owned enterprise... Even Xu Jia herself thought this idea was too outlandish.

She quickly replied to her sister's message.

"What's going on?"

"Explain it clearly?"

She stared at her phone screen.

Ten seconds passed.

No reply.

Xu Jia put down her phone, trying to continue working.

But every half minute, her gaze couldn't help but drift to her phone.

It was agonizing.

Five minutes later, the phone screen finally lit up.

She snatched it up.

"Sister, I'm so busy right now, I'll tell you over the phone tonight!"

Xu Jia held her phone.

She felt her blood pressure immediately rise.

An agonizing annoyance flashed in her eyes.

Then why tell me now?!

Are you messing with me?

Her curiosity was completely piqued.

Xu Jia lay on the table, utterly disheartened.

Her mind was now completely preoccupied with what was going on with Chen Qiu.

She couldn't focus on work anymore.

People's Hospital.

Infusion Hall.

Shao Shushuang, wearing a brown overcoat, leaned against the cold seat.

Only a little less than half of the medicine in the IV bag remained.

She felt a bit weak.

"I should have known not to go on that blind date!"

She felt depressed just thinking about it now.

It was a rare blind date.

It would have been fine if the man wasn't to her liking.

But she ended up getting the flu when she came back.

It left her frantic, and she even had to take half a day off to get an IV drip at the hospital.

The stainless steel chairs in the hospital were cold and slippery.

She dozed off for a while but couldn't rest well at all.

She opened her phone.

A stack of unread messages popped up on WeChat.

They were from a man named Huang Jun.

He was one of her many admirers, currently working at the Cultural Industry Group.

He liked to send her the latest news from there whenever he had nothing to do.

Shao Shushuang only bothered to respond to him occasionally because of this.

Otherwise, with Huang Jun's background and abilities, he wouldn't even catch her eye.

"Shuangshuang, I heard we have a major individual shareholder here..."

"Holy crap, Director Wang directly announced that this major shareholder would take office as President..."

"The new President is making big moves; he just got here and already dealt with Manager Ma from the Engineering Department. It seems he's establishing his authority..."

All day today, she had been receiving "first-hand big news" from Huang Jun.

As an insider at the Culture and Tourism Bureau, she knew better than anyone how much importance the Bureau placed on this project.

Such a major project, spearheaded by the Culture and Tourism Bureau and heavily invested in by the city.

And yet... there was an individual major shareholder holding 30% of the shares?

And he was parachuted in as President?

And became the chief planner of the Cultural Industry Park?

If she didn't know that Huang Jun wouldn't dare to lie to her, Shao Shushuang would have thought she was delirious from a fever and talking nonsense.

"I wonder how much the subsequent work will change..."

She thought silently to herself.

Just then.

A message popped up in the work Group chat specifically established by the Culture and Tourism Bureau for the Industrial Park project.

It was from Director Wang's secretary, Zhou Kai.

Zhou Kai: "@everyone, who is responsible for collecting and organizing the Gannan Hakka Intangible Cultural Heritage resources?"

Shao Shushuang was startled and quickly typed a reply.

"Secretary Zhou, I am responsible for it, and it's already organized."

Zhou Kai's message quickly appeared.

"The Cultural Industry Group needs to review these materials today. Xiao Shao, please make a trip and deliver the materials before closing time."

Shao Shushuang's finger, resting on the screen, paused.

Before closing time?

She looked at the time in the upper right corner of her phone.

"Doesn't that mean there's only a little over half an hour left?"

She wouldn't make it in time.

The worst part was that those materials weren't confidential documents.

For convenience, she had always kept them at home and hadn't brought them to the office.

Now, she couldn't even ask a colleague to help deliver them.

Shao Shushuang thought for a moment.

First, she replied in the Group chat.

"Received."

Then, she deftly pulled out the needle from her hand and pressed a cotton swab onto it.

She immediately called her roommate, Zhang Mantong.

The phone rang for over half a minute before it was answered.

"Hello, what's up?"

A light, charming voice came through.

It seemed to carry a slight panting sound.

Shao Shushuang's originally anxious expression suddenly became a little strange.

"What are you doing?"

"Riding a bike, what else?"

Shao Shushuang remembered.

This woman had indeed joined a cycling Group recently.

However, she wasn't really going cycling.

More importantly, it was to take photos and maintain her online persona as a "financially free Baimi."

"Are you cycling near Central Park?"

Shao Shushuang thought about it; Central Park was near their residential community.

It wasn't far from the Cultural Industry Group either.

"Yes, why?"

Shao Shushuang breathed a sigh of relief.

In that case, there would definitely be enough time.

She immediately spoke, asking Zhang Mantong to help deliver the materials.

"The stuff is on my desk in my room, a kraft paper bag. Just take it directly to the front desk of the Cultural Industry Group building!"

"I'll have someone wait for you at the entrance!"

"So urgent?"

"Quick, quick! I'll treat you to dinner tomorrow!"

"Okay, okay! Wait for me!"

Central Park.

A blonde, wavy-haired beauty with an explosive figure, dressed in a tight cycling suit, hung up the phone.

She stuffed her phone back into her waist bag.

"Girls, you all continue riding, I'm going back to help my roommate deliver something!"

She greeted her fellow cyclists.

Then she skillfully turned her bike around and pedaled her expensive road bike home.

Returning to the community, she rushed upstairs and retrieved the document bag Shao Shushuang mentioned.

Zhang Mantong looked at her sweaty reflection in the mirror, feeling a bit hesitant.

But she quickly pedaled her bike towards the Cultural Industry Group, her heart pounding.

If Shao Shushuang hadn't kept urging her, saying time was critical.

She would have at least taken a shower, put on makeup, and then taken a taxi.

"It should be around here..."

Zhang Mantong rode near the CBD Building, slowing down with some uncertainty.

She held the handlebars with one hand and took out her phone with the other to check her location.

"Hmm, it's here."

Zhang Mantong was about to put her phone away.

As soon as she looked up.

She saw a tall figure not far ahead, leisurely strolling on the sidewalk.

Her bicycle wasn't moving fast.

But she was holding her phone with one hand and the handlebars with the other, causing her to wobble a bit.

The worst part was that she was wearing clipless shoes today.

In her panic, she tried to pull her foot off the pedal.

But found it was stuck and wouldn't unclip.

Zhang Mantong panicked and let out a surprised cry.

"Hey, watch out..."

No sooner had she spoken.

She twisted the handlebars, trying to dodge.

But the bike still lost its balance.

She and her bike, from the side, took down the tall figure.

Fortunately, the roadside was a grassy green belt.

Two people and one bike both fell onto the grass.

Chen Qiu was momentarily stunned by the collision.

He instinctively supported the woman who fell into his arms.

His touch met warmth and tightness.

He was mentally and physically bewildered.

What happened?

What's going on?

I'm just walking along, and I get rear-ended by a bicycle?

A rich fragrance wafted into his nostrils.

This scent... he seemed to have smelled it in an LV store.

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry!"

Zhang Mantong was utterly mortified.

Lying in Chen Qiu's arms, she struggled frantically and finally unclipped her cursed clipless shoes.

The thought of her sweaty self rubbing all over a stranger's arms.

Zhang Mantong's face instantly flushed red with shame.

"Are you hurt?"

She quickly got up and reached out to help Chen Qiu to his feet.

Chen Qiu stood up.

His clear and handsome face made Zhang Mantong pause slightly.

However, her beautiful eyes quickly fell on Chen Qiu's clothes.

That business-style outfit.

Full LV.

Zhang Mantong was a loyal LV customer, so she recognized it at a glance.

Her heart skipped a beat.

I just randomly bumped into someone on the road, and he's a tall, rich, and handsome guy?

As Zhang Mantong's thought turned.

She embarrassingly discovered.

Her bicycle handlebars had scratched a tear in Chen Qiu's jacket.

"Handsome, I'm really sorry!"

"I have something urgent right now, please add me on WeChat, I'll compensate you for this clothing!"

Chen Qiu observed Zhang Mantong for a few moments.

Her alluring figure, tightly wrapped in the cycling suit, was almost the best he had ever seen.

Moreover, this woman seemed a bit familiar.

Had he seen her on a short video platform before?

"You scan me."

Chen Qiu took out his phone.

After they scanned each other's codes and became friends.

Chen Qiu watched her pick up her bicycle and walk somewhat awkwardly into the CBD Building.

He patted the grass clippings off his clothes.

"Cycling, huh..."

"It seems pretty good for cardiovascular exercise."

Chen Qiu felt he might also give it a try.