After Flirting with the God-Tier Beautiful Tycoon - Chapter 53.1

Chen Yi arrived at the bar. In the conference room, a few people sat scattered about. Once the meeting ended, Chen Yi escorted them to the elevator, waving goodbye with a professional smile.

The moment the elevator doors closed, her smile vanished, replaced by a sharp, icy expression.

Suddenly, she was stung by a ray of sunlight from the window. She instinctively raised her hand to block the light, but retracted it a second later. Slowly lowering her arm, she walked toward the window, facing the light.

She rested her hands on the safety railing, staring blankly outside. He Zhong and her assistant stood at a respectful distance no one dared disturb Chen Yi when she was deep in thought.

The light wrapped around her softly, yet she couldn’t feel a trace of warmth. It wasn’t even as warm as the rain in Haishi.

She missed Haishi. Though it wasn’t her hometown, it felt intimate. Everything there was so beautiful, like a colorful lie.

Chen Yi closed her eyes and let out a soft laugh, murmuring to herself, “‘Artist’s Sanctuary’? That plot of land is so remote. Unless someone is missing a few gears, who would ever develop it?”

As she spoke, she took out her phone, staring at the chat box with Shen Xiaojiang and falling into a pensive silence.

“Xiao Qi.” Old Man Bai’s voice came from behind her.

Chen Yi locked her phone and turned to meet the old man’s weathered, cloudy eyes.

“Master Bai.” She tucked her phone away and walked respectfully toward him.

“Back from looking at the Haishi project?”

Chen Yi froze for a moment before nodding slowly.

Old Man Bai glanced at her sideways. “It’s just a small seaside city. Low foot traffic, lacking in business opportunities.”

Chen Yi smiled politely. “I don’t think so.”

“Oh?”

Chen Yi lowered her head and supported the old man as they walked to the window. “Since it’s surrounded by the sea on three sides, all for one tourism could work. Coincidentally, there’s a large plot of land there that’s been abandoned for years. The developer fled, and the government isn’t involved…”

“All-for-one tourism? A business that loses money just to make noise isn’t that the kind you hate? Besides, Xiao Qi, if the land has been abandoned for years and the government won’t touch it, what future could it have?” Old Man Bai toyed with the walnuts in his hand, his expression calm.

“But…”

Old Man Bai interrupted her. “No more ‘buts.’ Mr. Li and Mr. Shao will be arriving shortly. To give you more opportunities to prove yourself, I’ve arranged for them to stay at the Xinghui Hotel under your name. You have no objections, I presume?”

Old Man Bai was essentially Chen Yi’s mentor; she respected him deeply.

“Of course not.” She put on her composed, courteous mask.

Old Man Bai’s face wrinkled into a smile. “Good. They’ll be staying in Nancheng for a while until the chairman election is over. Among them are financial tycoons and tech upstarts. When you take the chairman’s seat in the future, they can help you.”

Having finished, Old Man Bai brushed past her, raising a hand to pat her shoulder with significant weight. “Xiao Qi, you must consider not just the present, but the future. Don’t let your heart be clouded by small matters.”

He emphasized the words “small matters” heavily.

“Don’t let me down.”

In the last two years, the old man had rarely spoken such heavy words. Chen Yi’s heart trembled.

“Yes, alright. Thank you, Master Bai.” Chen Yi smiled as she saw him off.

Once the old man’s figure disappeared, the corners of Chen Yi’s mouth sank. Her face turned ashen.

This Nancheng… it truly was rotten to the core.

Leaving the bar, Chen Yi drove aimlessly through the streets of Nancheng. Without realizing it, she found herself at the pet shop where Shen Xiaojiang worked part-time.

“Feifei Pet Shop,” Chen Yi whispered to herself.

Just then, she saw Shen Xiaojiang walk out. In her dark world, a beam of light broke through again. The heavy burdens on her shoulders could only be temporarily set down the moment she saw Shen Xiaojiang.

Chen Yi rolled down the car window, propping her arm on the frame, a faint smile touching her eyes.

“Xiao Yue, are you sure we should write the promotion slogan like this? When did our shop start providing this service?” Shen Xiaojiang moved the promotional light board to the entrance, scratching her neck thoughtfully.

Sister Meng was away on maternity leave, and Xiao Yue was a new employee hired by the shop manager.

“I asked the manager; she said writing it this way is fine.” The girl finished speaking and gave Shen Xiaojiang a sweet smile.

Shen Xiaojiang nodded with a neutral expression, then picked up a marker to continue drawing.

“Photos of pets and their owners?” Chen Yi looked at the slogan, the smile in her eyes deepening. “Interesting.”

“Sister Jiang, your apron strings are loose. Let me tie them for you,” Xiao Yue said, moving behind Shen Xiaojiang.

The moment she heard this, Shen Xiaojiang stopped writing and turned abruptly, grabbing her own apron strings with a distant attitude. “No need, I can do it myself.”

Xiao Yue startled, blinking rapidly in embarrassment. “Oh, alright then. I’ll get back to work.”

“Okay.”

Seeing Xiao Yue go inside, Shen Xiaojiang sighed. She felt the loose strings behind her, shook her head, and resumed writing the slogan. On a whim, she drew a simple little cat face in the empty space at the end. It wasn’t particularly professional, but it was very cute.

A series of clicks from high heels sounded behind her. Shen Xiaojiang noticed; they sounded familiar. Just as she was about to turn, a finger pressed against her shoulder.

“Don’t move.” The woman’s voice sounded as if it had been soaked in wine intoxicating.

Soft and ethereal, it drifted through the not so quiet street, possessing a power that was both incredibly gentle and incredibly strong. It was a voice that commanded love and sparked the imagination.

Shen Xiaojiang looked up and saw the owner of the voice reflected in the glass door. She was wearing a black qipao, her flaxen shoulder length hair framing her collar. A few strands caught the wind, dancing into gentle waves.

At that moment, Chen Yi also looked up, meeting the eyes of the Shen Xiaojiang who was watching her through the glass.

“What are you laughing at?” She leaned close to Shen Xiaojiang’s face, her eyes half-squinted and dangerously charming.

The corners of her narrow eyes shimmered with a faint light, like a white fox in the dark night clearly there to seduce, yet appearing so sacred that one didn’t dare desecrate her.

Seeing that Shen Xiaojiang didn’t answer, Chen Yi tilted her chin. Her lips parted slightly as she gently bit the tip of her tongue. She let out a soft “tsk,” pulled the apron strings tight with some force, and let out an upward inflected “Hmm?” from her throat.

“Ah…” As the strings suddenly tightened, Shen Xiaojiang let out a low gasp.

Suddenly, a crisp, beautiful laugh sounded in her ear. It was like the wind chimes on the door as long as there was a breeze, she could jingle and gasp all night long.

Shh, don’t speak. Just nourish me.