Although it was just yesterday that she met her, Miao Ying had a pretty good impression of this older sister. She was mature, gentle, generous, and poised.
So, at this moment, Xiao An’s behavior left her a bit confused.
Amid her complex emotions, Xiao An sat in the back seat but didn’t dare to meet Zhou Wang’s eyes.
While Zhou Wang casually started a conversation with her, showing no abnormal behavior, just very normal small talk, Xiao An gradually began to relax.
As the car passed over the Qiantang River Bridge, Zhou Wang, who was discussing river management, suddenly changed the topic:
"Xiao An..."
"Hmm?"
"Was it me who initiated it?"
"Ah... Mr. Zhou, I, I don’t quite understand what you’re talking about..."
Xiao An immediately crossed her legs in a bit of a panic.
"Don’t worry, my driver can’t hear us."
Zhou Wang pointed to the partition that had somehow been raised between the front and back seats, signaling Xiao An not to be nervous.
Xiao An glanced at it and finally relaxed a bit. Still, she didn’t dare look Zhou Wang in the eye, only stammering:
"Last night, Mr. Zhou... you were a bit drunk. In the middle of the night, I was worried about you, so I checked on you... Mr. Zhou, it was a mistake, you... you don’t have to worry about it..."
"Did I force you?"
Clearly, Zhou Wang wasn’t listening for that. He simply leaned in closer to Xiao An, staring into her eyes.
Xiao An wanted to dodge, but hearing Zhou Wang’s question, she quickly shook her head: "No, there was no forcing..."
"Can you be a bit more specific, Xiao An?"
Zhou Wang was evidently not satisfied. He furrowed his brows slightly and leaned even closer.
Although there was an armrest in between, Zhou Wang was tall enough that most of his body was already leaning over, leaving Xiao An feeling trapped with nowhere to evade. She clutched the sides, breathing rapidly, her chest heaving up and down. The atmosphere was both ambiguous and tense, making Xiao An a bit dizzy.
But facing Zhou Wang’s piercing gaze, the blushing Xiao An, although a bit embarrassed, finally confessed the truth:
"It was Mr. Zhou who pulled me over, but then... I was the one who initiated it."
Upon hearing the definite answer, Zhou Wang nodded.
Just when Xiao An thought it was over, Zhou Wang spoke again: "And the measures?"
Is this an interrogation?
Zhou Wang’s serious demeanor made it increasingly shameful, adding a hint of subtle annoyance in her heart. However, Xiao An, no longer an inexperienced girl, restrained her embarrassment with effort and replied:
"Mr. Zhou, I’ve been... tied."
With Zhou Wang’s doubts dispelled, he finally sat back.
Xiao An adjusted her slipped skirt and was about to straighten up when she heard Zhou Wang abruptly say:
"You have Principal Luo’s contact information, right?"
"Which one... Ah, you mean Principal Luo of Magic City Pinghe School?"
As Xiao An spoke, she already realized something, her heart pounding.
"Hmm, contact him later. There’s no need to send gifts anymore. Just take your daughter and handle the procedures."
Zhou Wang smiled softly.
"I... Mr. Zhou..."
Xiao An was evidently a bit emotional and was about to say something when Zhou Wang waved a hand.
"To me, it’s a small matter... Let me make a call."
Seeing Zhou Wang about to make a call, Xiao An finally quieted down, just clutching the hem of her skirt, lost in thought.
Zhou Wang indeed made a call, but he also took the opportunity to check the system notifications...
Ding!
[Cherish the kindness, the host is detected giving roses, with fragrance remaining on the hands, obtaining "Incomplete Wolong Fortune Bag" x1]
[Note: Under the influence of "Mythical·Wolong Realm," An Rou has been corrected to "a woman of relatively high quality," and the reward has been reset.]
Ding!
["Incomplete Wolong Fortune Bag": please choose two out of the following rewards]
[1, "West Lake Four Seasons Hotel" 0.3% shares]
[2, Cash Red Envelope x1]
...
Hmm?
Could this fortune bag even contain shares?
Zhou Wang was quite surprised, but the shares were only 0.3%, which seemed insignificant.
Of course, assuming West Lake’s valuation was 1 billion, the shares’ market value would be 3 million, but Zhou Wang wasn’t sure about West Lake Four Seasons’ actual value...
After thinking about it, Zhou Wang decisively gave up the first option, as such a small amount of shares would be troublesome to cash in, wouldn’t provide much dividend, and being just a small, unnoticeable shareholder probably wouldn’t carry much influence, which felt uninteresting.
Ding!
[The host opened the Cash Red Envelope, receiving a cash reward of 1.66 million]
As the system notification sounded, Zhou Wang also received a bank deposit message.
Nice, another hundred plus W collected, bringing Zhou Wang’s cash to nearly 16 million.
"Hello, Mr. Zhou, are you listening?"
Zhou Wang, in a good mood, snapped back to reality, and hearing the crisp female voice on the phone, he quickly responded:
"Sorry, I got distracted for a moment. Miss Lin, please continue."
The person talking to Zhou Wang was the elder sister of Lin Dong, Hermes’ sales representative, Lin Xiaoxiao, who was currently serving as the assistant to the executive president of Hermes’s Greater China. Although titled as an assistant, in Hermes’s vertical management structure, she was considered part of the executive team.
"Mr. Zhou, just to inform you, Ms. Kelly and I have just gotten off the highway and are about to enter the Hang City area..."
"Okay, sorry for the trouble of making you run this errand."
Zhou Wang apologized with a smile, suddenly feeling some movement beside him.
"Mr. Zhou, what are you talking about?"
Lin Xiaoxiao replied with a smile, her mature voice pleasant to hear, "Even without discussing the cooperation, Ms. Kelly has long wanted to meet you... Mr. Zhou? Are you still there?"
Mid-sentence, Lin Xiaoxiao noticed Zhou Wang falling silent again, asking curiously.
At this moment, seeing Xiao An leaning over, Zhou Wang couldn’t stop her in time, and he hurriedly replied:
"Sorry, Miss Lin... uh, the reception is a bit deep, no, I mean, the signal is not good... so, see you at the company?"
"Alright, Mr. Zhou, see you soon!"
After Lin Xiaoxiao hung up, Zhou Wang raised an eyebrow, about to lightly smack the mischievous Xiao An’s hand when it was caught by her, leading it toward...
...
At noon, in a private reception room inside Wuyou Media, after waiting for a while, Zhou Wang saw the hurriedly arriving Zhang Shihao.
Tonight would be the grand event of Wuyou Night, meaning Zhang Shihao was bound to be extremely busy today. It wasn’t only Zhang Shihao; hardly anyone from Wuyou Media was around today. When Zhou Wang arrived, it felt like an empty nest.
Zhang Shihao wasn’t in the company either, and Zhou Wang had to call him, prompting his hurried arrival. Had it not been for Zhou Wang, Zhang Shihao might have ended up cursing:
"What the hell couldn’t you say over the phone, forcing me back to the office?"
Upon seeing Zhang Shihao, Zhou Wang extinguished his cigarette with a smile and greeted him:
"Bro, if it were any normal matter, I’d let it go, but this one really needs you physically present. I can’t make the decision."
"What exactly is so mysterious?"
After drinking together last night, their relationship had grown closer, making Zhang Shihao more casual in his speech with Zhou Wang.
Zhou Wang was about to speak when his phone rang, signaling him to wait a moment before answering:
"Hello, Xiao An... you’ve picked them up? Alright, you and Tao Zi bring them up directly..."
After hanging up, Zhou Wang smiled at Zhang Shihao, "Bro, we might as well wait a little, they’re coming up soon..."
"What exactly is happening?"
Zhang Shihao couldn’t curb his curiosity.
"Here’s the thing, I found another sponsor for Wuyou Night, though it might not just be a sponsor. How we cooperate may need further discussion. Overall, it seems they’re willing to collaborate..."
"A new sponsor?"
Zhang Shihao paused, then hesitated, "Bro, it’s not that I want to reject your favor, but the exhibition will open in the afternoon. It seems late to introduce a new brand now..."
Before Zhou Wang could say anything, a group of people entered from the entrance, mostly women, including a blond, blue-eyed foreign woman, estimated to be in her forties or fifties.
Zhou Wang greeted them with a smile, exchanged pleasantries, and then turned to introduce the blonde lady to Zhang Shihao, "Mr. Zhang, let me introduce you. This is Ms. Kelly, the current executive president of Hermes’s Greater China..."
"Hermes?"
Zhang Shihao was taken aback, then smiled, "You can’t possibly mean to say that Hermes is the brand considering partnering with us... No way!"
Zhang Shihao had initially been joking, but as he said it, he suddenly realized. If not Hermes, then why was its executive president here?
Suddenly, Zhang Shihao looked at Zhou Wang in shock, unable to help blurting out a curse.