Volume One, Chapter Sixteen: Shattering Her Sense of Superiority

Working overtime until the early morning, Jiang Shuwei stretched her stiff neck and decided to continue tomorrow.

The next day, she informed Zhou Haixin about the opportunity she had secured. Confident she could complete the full set of drawings, she insisted that the recruitment continue, as well as the office relocation.

Jiang Shuwei sought out Manager Wang to hear his side of the outcome.

The moment Manager Wang saw her, he felt a nervous unease, as General Manager He had decided to lease the entire seventh through tenth floors to the Su family.

“What? Is that the result of your negotiation?” Jiang Shuwei sat down, a flush of anger coloring her delicate face. “The chairman has already allocated the eighth floor to me. You personally took his call. If you intend to change his decision, shouldn’t you consult him first?”

“Well…” Manager Wang broke out in a cold sweat.

“I need the eighth floor,” Jiang Shuwei said firmly. The reason she was fighting so hard was because He Jingcheng had cut off her order, and she saw no reason to yield any further.

“I’ll call General Manager He,” Manager Wang said, pale-faced, and left.

Shortly after, he returned and handed the phone to Jiang Shuwei. “Miss Jiang, General Manager He wants to speak with you.”

Jiang Shuwei lifted the phone to her ear and heard He Jingcheng’s angry voice. “Jiang Shuwei, do you really have to fight for this?”

“General Manager He, shouldn’t we discuss this first before you arbitrarily cut off my order without my consent?” Jiang Shuwei’s tone suddenly grew polite and distant.

He Jingcheng noticed the change and sneered coldly, “You already know?”

“You made it so obvious, of course it’s easy to find out.” Jiang Shuwei’s face was flushed with anger.

“Jiang Shuwei, Qin Weizhou would never offend me, so your orders are finished. You’d better give up the eighth floor quickly. Maybe then I can help you find other contracts,” He Jingcheng stated with certainty, implying that if she persisted, she was being ungrateful.

Jiang Shuwei’s voice was cold and resolute. “The eighth floor is not negotiable. I intend to finalize it. I will confirm with Grandpa shortly.”

“You…” He Jingcheng was furious.

Jiang Shuwei spoke quietly but with conviction. “If you have any objections, take them to Grandpa.”

With that, she hung up.

Manager Wang, visibly shaken, hurriedly asked, “Miss Jiang, did General Manager He agree to let you have the eighth floor?”

“If not, you can confirm with the chairman. I’m signing the contract today,” Jiang Shuwei said with a smile.

Manager Wang steeled himself and made the call. Upon receiving confirmation, he took out the contract. “Miss Jiang, please sign here. The chairman said to waive your rent for ten years.”

Jiang Shuwei was stunned. Ten years?

This was prime real estate—nearly one thousand five hundred square meters of office space. How much would the rent alone amount to?

Warmth surged in her heart. The only thing she could do was take her career to new heights. When she was wealthy enough, she would repay the old gentleman for these ten years of rent.

After signing and taking the contract, Jiang Shuwei prepared to leave.

Coincidentally, Su Mian arrived outside, ready to sign her contract.

When Su Mian saw Jiang Shuwei, a smug and disdainful smile curved her lips.

She casually remarked, “Today’s my contract signing day. Floors seven to ten—Brother Jingcheng said they’re all for the Su family. Jiang Shuwei, I remember you weren’t like this before. You never fought or scrambled for things. Honestly, I preferred the old you.”

Manager Wang stood nearby, his expression strained, wanting to say something but holding back.

Jiang Shuwei frowned. Su Mian’s arrogance had gone to her head again.

Su Mian crossed her arms, adopting a tone of kindly advice. “If you could just be quiet like before and not cause trouble, life would be easier. You’re offending Brother Jingcheng now. Who knows what will happen next.”

Jiang Shuwei replied coolly, “Are you so sure he’s going to marry you?”

Su Mian shot her a displeased look. “I just don’t want things to get ugly. After all, Grandpa He and Aunt Huang have treated you well. If you’re truly filial, you should be grateful—not make everyone unhappy.”

“Finished?” Jiang Shuwei was tired of listening to her nonsense. She raised the contract in her hand. “The eighth floor belongs to me now. We might be seeing a lot of each other. You’d better change that preachy, meddlesome attitude of yours.”

With that, Jiang Shuwei flipped her wavy chestnut hair and walked away, her stride full of confidence and grace.

“What?” Su Mian’s face darkened, glaring at Manager Wang. “What did General Manager He say? Weren’t we supposed to sign today?”

Manager Wang bowed apologetically. “I’m sorry, Miss Su. It’s the chairman’s order.”

Su Mian clenched her fists tightly, snorted softly, and turned to leave.

An hour later, Su Mian appeared in He Jingcheng’s office.

Her eyes were red with grievance, but her voice was gentle. “Brother Jingcheng, does Jiang Shuwei really dislike me that much? She must still be holding a grudge about that paper last time. That’s why she’s grabbing everything I want.”

He Jingcheng was frowning. Jiang Shuwei was becoming more rebellious, even daring to defy him.

“That’s my grandfather’s decision. I can’t change it. If you want, I can look for you another place…”

“No need,” Su Mian wiped away a tear resolutely. “This will do. It’s okay; Brother Jingcheng has already helped the Su family a lot.”

“All right. Just ignore Jiang Shuwei if you see her.” He Jingcheng nodded.

Su Mian furrowed her brow. “Brother Jingcheng, you said before that you told Qin Weizhou you were married to her, and Qin Weizhou canceled the cooperation immediately. So why…”

“I don’t understand either.” He Jingcheng called his assistant Shao Jie in.

Shao Jie stood respectfully. “General Manager He, any instructions?”

He Jingcheng pressed his finger against his lips and asked coldly, “Check if Jiang Shuwei has been secretly contacting Qin Weizhou.”

Shao Jie’s expression brightened. The madam secretly meeting another man? Is she restless and looking to stray?

Su Mian sat nearby, pursing her lips. Even if Jiang Shuwei sought out Qin Weizhou, there was no chance of a meeting. Everyone knew Qin Weizhou was allergic to women.

Almost no young women were ever near him. He was like a human shield against the opposite sex, with only his two close friends allowed within three meters.

So, even if Jiang Shuwei didn’t get the order, she still wanted to move her studio there just to spite her?

Such a manipulative and disgusting tactic.

“By the way, General Manager He, I suddenly remembered something. A few days ago, Crown Club called to ask about your experience at the club that night and wanted to do a survey,” Shao Jie reported.

He Jingcheng’s eyes narrowed. “I haven’t been to the club for over a month.”

Shao Jie knew He Jingcheng’s schedule best and recalled that all of He’s activities that day were work-related. There was no time for entertainment.

“Investigate thoroughly—who used my card to enter the club that night?” He Jingcheng ordered coldly.

Sipping coffee on the sofa, Su Mian suddenly had a thought.

Her eyes narrowed. “Brother Jingcheng, do you remember? I heard Qin Weizhou likes to go horseback riding on Wednesday nights. Could it be…”

He Jingcheng’s cold gaze flickered. “Jiang Shuwei knows about Qin Weizhou’s hobby and deliberately chose Wednesday afternoon to meet him at the club?”

“Whether or not that’s true, we’ll have to ask.” Su Mian set down her coffee. “Come on, Brother Jingcheng, let’s go together.”