Which 'Me' Is the One You Love? [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Lu Shen felt that he had been exceptionally unlucky lately. Embarrassing himself at a company meeting was a minor issue, but losing the data on his computer was a major catastrophe.

Lu Shen didn’t have the habit of backing up his files. Consequently, after his computer was trashed, he had to work day and night, pulling overtime just to barely reconstruct that business proposal before the signing date.

By the time he had painstakingly finished the proposal and intended to finalize the contract, the client they had originally agreed with changed their mind. They now demanded a 5% profit concession before they would be willing to sign.

“President Lu, it’s not that I’m changing my mind on a whim, but rather that your company’s strength doesn’t seem as reliable as previously claimed,” the person in charge of Chuanbai Company said with a smile. “I wonder if President Lu has noticed that you seem to have a bit of… ‘negative press’ online.”

“If we were to abandon Xia Shang’s company to cooperate with you, it would have a slight impact on Chuanbai’s corporate image,” the manager said, picking up his coffee cup and taking a small sip.

“Negative press?” Lu Shen’s heart skipped a beat, and he had a bad premonition. Thinking carefully, the only bad news recently was that embarrassing incident during the meeting.

“President Lu doesn’t know?” The manager set down his cup, feeling he needed to reconsider his choice of partner. It had been a week, and Lu Shen still seemed completely oblivious. Was such a person truly worth collaborating with?

Compared to Lu Shen, who owed his position to his father, Xia Shang—who had built her company into a powerhouse single-handedly—seemed like a much better choice in every way.

“Since President Lu has objections to our proposed plan, there’s no rush for cooperation. It won’t be too late to contact me once you’ve thought it through.” Zhou Bai, the head of Chuanbai, was a decisive man. Having sensed Lu Shen’s unreliability, he immediately began to secure a way out.

While more profit could be squeezed from Lu Shen, still…

“Wait, Manager Zhou. A 5% concession is a bit much. I can offer a 3% profit concession at most.” Lu Shen chose to take a step back; he didn’t want the efforts of the past half-month to go to waste.

“President Lu, perhaps you misunderstood me. I’m saying the details need further discussion. I will send over a new contract when the time comes.” The more Lu Shen retreated, the more Zhou Bai felt there was something wrong with him, making him even less willing to cooperate.

…

Jiang Zhou didn’t know what was happening on Lu Shen’s end. Her contribution was limited to dropping a tiny virus into his computer; the subsequent fallout wasn’t her concern.

However, the intermittent system pings over the last few days were enough to let her know that Lu Shen was definitely having a hard time.

“President Xia, the head of Chuanbai Company is here. He’s in the visitor’s lounge,” the new assistant reported at the office door.

“Understood, I’ll be right there.” Xia Shang stopped her work. Before she could even speak, Jiang Zhou handed her the necessary documents.

“All the relevant files are inside.” Jiang Zhou had prepared in advance.

“Good. Let’s go.” Xia Shang took the folder and, without even flipping through it, held it firmly.

The head of Chuanbai, Zhou Bai, was in his early thirties. Reaching such a position at his age meant he was quite capable and successful.

“President Xia, long time no see. Your company’s business has expanded quite a bit,” Zhou Bai said, standing up and extending his hand as Xia Shang entered.

“Long time no see, Manager Zhou.” Xia Shang gave a polite, brief handshake and sat down across from him.

“I won’t waste time with pleasantries. Here is the contract I’ve drafted. Take a look.” Xia Shang opened the folder and pushed the contract toward him.

Jiang Zhou sat beside Xia Shang, observing Zhou Bai out of the corner of her eye. Since the head of the company had come personally, it seemed Lu Shen’s deal with Chuanbai had indeed fallen through.

“President Xia, there’s no general issue with the contract, but the duration seems a bit long. We could sign annually instead,” Zhou Bai said, quickly scanning the document. “As for the pricing, I hope President Xia can be a bit more flexible.”

“Annual signing is too inefficient for us.” Xia Shang’s finger tapped the table. “If it’s an annual contract, Chuanbai might need to sign a supplementary agreement. The profit ratio is already our baseline.”

“President Xia, let’s discuss the contract slowly. No rush.” Zhou Bai smiled, his gaze subtly sweeping over Xia Shang and Jiang Zhou. “I wonder if President Xia is free to have a casual dinner together tonight?”

Xia Shang hesitated for a moment. It was normal for heads of two companies to dine together while a contract was pending to discuss details.

But today…

“My apologies, but I already have an appointment tonight.” After a moment of hesitation, Xia Shang chose to decline.

“An appointment? That’s unfortunate.” Zhou Bai was surprised by the refusal, though he didn’t let it show on his face.

Both Xia Shang and Zhou Bai were stubborn regarding their respective profits. By the end of the meeting, they hadn’t reached an agreement, and the discrepancy was still quite large.

“I will relay your terms to the company. We will revise part of the content as appropriate.” After two hours of negotiation, Zhou Bai couldn’t help but feel a bit fatigued.

This Xia Shang was truly difficult to deal with; he couldn’t gain a single advantage over her.

“Thank you for your trust, Manager Zhou. Personally, I would still prefer to cooperate with Chuanbai.” So what if Zhou Bai hinted at backing down? Her baseline had been clear from the start.

“I look forward to our next meeting,” Zhou Bai said with a fake smile. Thinking from another angle, if someone as difficult as Xia Shang became a partner, it would actually be more secure, wouldn’t it?

[Ding! Restoration Progress +2. Current Restoration: 45/100.] The system chimed again.

…

“Xia Shang, what appointment do you have tonight?” Jiang Zhou flipped through her little notebook. “There aren’t any banquets to attend tonight.”

Xia Shang frowned and turned to look at her. “You forgot?”

“Eh? I forgot what?” Jiang Zhou froze and checked her notebook again. There truly was nothing scheduled.

Xia Shang pursed her lips. “You promised. We’re having a barbecue in the yard tonight.”

“Ah?” Jiang Zhou blinked. “The ‘appointment’ you mentioned… was our barbecue?”

“Otherwise? Does a promise between you and me not count as an appointment?” Xia Shang countered.

Damn, Xia Shang can be really smooth sometimes!

“Of course it counts! We’ll go buy the ingredients as soon as we clock out!” Jiang Zhou’s mood skyrocketed.

Xia Shang had turned down a business dinner just to be with her. It seemed—heh—she wasn’t so dense after all!

…

Barbecuing is easier than formal cooking. Seeing Xia Shang standing there looking a bit bored, Jiang Zhou began to teach her step-by-step.

“Grill for about three minutes, then flip it over.”

“If you like, you can brush on a layer of honey.”

“At this stage, you can brush on the oil and sprinkle some salt and pepper.”

Xia Shang had never done this before. She did exactly what Jiang Zhou told her to do, being exceptionally well-behaved.

“Here, try my handiwork.” Jiang Zhou picked up a fresh skewer and held it out to Xia Shang.

Xia Shang’s hands were busy with the oil dish and the brush, so she simply tilted her head and took a big bite.

“Sss—hot…” Xia Shang pulled back, her voice sounding uncharacteristically aggrieved.

“Why did you just bite it like that…” Jiang Zhou quickly set the skewer aside. Feeling both pained and amused, she opened a can of beer and handed it over. “Quick, take a sip.”

Xia Shang took a sharp breath and, holding the can with Jiang Zhou’s help, took a mouthful of beer.

“How is it?” Jiang Zhou asked with concern.

Xia Shang forced the beer down and frowned. “It tastes pretty bad.”

“…” Jiang Zhou paused. “I meant, how is the burn?”

“It hurts,” Xia Shang uttered a single word.

“Remember to blow on it next time.” Jiang Zhou was helpless. What happened to Xia Shang’s “coldness” and “rationality”? She was acting like a child.

“Okay.” Xia Shang nodded and went back to focusing on brushing the oil.

Beer didn’t taste that great, but you had to have a few bottles when eating skewers to get the full experience. After eating and drinking for over an hour, they were both stuffed. Only after bathing and lying in bed did they start to digest.

“Xia Shang, do you like me?” Jiang Zhou asked, bringing the question into the open for the first time.

“I should… like you.” Xia Shang’s answer was without hesitation.

“What do you mean ‘should’?” Jiang Zhou shifted her body, lying on her side to face Xia Shang.

“Sleeping with you makes me feel very comfortable.” Xia Shang’s second answer was a bit slower, likely as she thought it through. “Eating and working with you is the same.”

“And that’s ‘liking’?” The corners of Jiang Zhou’s mouth began to rise, but her tone remained skeptical. “Can’t friends be like that too?”

“Holding hands, hugging, kissing—I don’t feel any resistance doing these with you at all,” Xia Shang replied quite rationally. “If that counts as being friends, then you are my first friend.”

Jiang Zhou’s grin widened. Steadying her heart, she spoke in a forced, calm voice: “But, if you like me, shouldn’t it be more than just kissing me?”

“If you don’t mind, I can do more.” Xia Shang still answered instantly.

Jiang Zhou silently swallowed. “Oh? Do more?”

“Yes.” Xia Shang mimicked Jiang Zhou, lying on her side to face her. “May I? Jiang Zhou.”

Damn it, why ask? You ask so bluntly, am I supposed to answer just as bluntly? Do I not want my dignity?!

“You may,” Jiang Zhou gave a definitive answer.

Dignity can wait until later!