Chapter 26: Honey~

In her two years working in the industry, An Ling had never run into anyone she knew.

As for her face blindness, having dealt with it for so long, she had naturally figured out the trick to interacting normally with others.

For people with a friendly tone who gave a good first impression.

—Smile, nod, and stay quiet.

For people with a rude tone who gave a bad first impression.

—"None of your business."

As long as she didn't say any names, and waited for the other person to accidentally reveal their identity, everything would be sorted out.

Having confirmed her transfer to an executive producer role, An Ling's first step was to go see her former colleagues.

Two years ago, when she was working, she had only had one meal with Ms. Chen Minhuai and made an exception to take a commemorative photo together.

It couldn't be helped, she was a fan of Ms. Chen!

Ms. Chen Minhuai was a renowned producer in the industry, excelling in films, TV dramas, and variety shows alike, with every project she touched becoming a major hit.

Back then, An Ling had gone to great lengths to contact this teacher, sending her project proposals via email numerous times.

Until one time, she was finally noticed, and Ms. Chen proactively contacted her to ask if she was interested in joining the production.

From then on, An Ling collaborated with Ms. Chen on several projects. Although she never showed her face or revealed her real name, the name Ah Leng gradually spread within producer circles.

They even joked that Ah Leng must be Ms. Chen Minhuai's prized disciple, kept hidden away like a treasure.

It's just that no one expected, not even An Ling herself, that such an accident would happen over these past two years.

After finalizing the meeting place and time with Ms. Chen, An Ling finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Having disappeared so suddenly two years ago, just a meal wouldn't be enough; she also needed to prepare a gift as an apology.

Knowing Ms. Chen Minhuai liked fountain pens, An Ling made a special trip to the mall but couldn't find a suitable one.

She suddenly remembered the fountain pen on the man's desk in Shen Linyan's office from her previous visit; it had looked very nice.

She originally planned to ask Shen Linyan for the purchasing channel, but only found out the news when she got home.

"Shen Linyan isn't coming back for dinner tonight?"

Hearing the voice, Auntie Cheng poked her head out from the kitchen: "That's right, the sir said he has a business dinner tonight. Didn't he tell you?"

An Ling changed her shoes and glanced down at the empty message interface on her phone.

Her movements paused slightly. She lowered her eyes and then, as if nothing was wrong, turned off her phone.

"No."

-

Inside a top-tier club, the atmosphere in the private room was harmonious. Most of those present were presidents of moderately well-known construction companies.

Everyone laughed and raised their glasses for toasts, but their peripheral glances were subtly fixed on the man in the central seat.

The man was dressed in a suit, handsome in appearance, with an indifferent expression. His long legs were casually crossed, and his slender fingers held a cigarette. He looked down at his phone casually, his demeanor noble and aloof.

The eldest son of the Shen family, the newly appointed head of the Shen Corporation this year, the youngest among the powerful elite.

Previously, at social gatherings, everyone had still looked down on this returnee young master, thinking Shen Zhong was crazy to hand over a large corporation directly to his eldest son.

But now, the Shen Corporation's land development project had everyone coveting a piece.

Hence, this dinner gathering was arranged. Having finally managed to invite this man, everyone was secretly looking for an opportunity to curry favor.

Someone took the lead, stood up, and walked over with a smiling toast, handing over a business card with a laugh.

"Chairman Shen made tens of billions as soon as he took office. Young people indeed have far-sighted vision. I heard Chairman Shen is planning another development. Our company would also very much like to cooperate with Chairman Shen. Perhaps we could achieve even greater success. What does Chairman Shen think?"

The implication, between the lines, was to get a slice of the pie.

The table instantly grew restless, with dozens of pairs of eyes closely watching the man's attitude.

Shen Linyan, however, put down his phone, glanced up nonchalantly, casually took the business card, his brows relaxing, his tone gentle and pleasant.

"Cooperation? That sounds quite good."

The man's deep voice carried a hint of interest, as if he was somewhat intrigued.

The visitor was President Sun from a construction group. Seeing this, he was delighted and quickly added, "Yes, Chairman Shen has just taken office, so you might not know our company well. This cooperation could also strengthen our ties, leading to more collaborations in the future."

His tone was respectful, his smile amiable, but inwardly he couldn't help but sigh that the young were indeed easier to talk to than those old foxes.

The man lowered his eyes and chuckled softly, casually extinguishing his cigarette in the ashtray, his movements carrying an unhurried, aristocratic air.

"Cooperation is certainly possible, but there must be some benefits, right?"

President Sun's eyebrows lifted with joy; of course, he had come prepared.

Just as he was about to speak, the man's careless voice sounded abruptly in his ear.

"For a company at your level, I'm afraid offering ten percent of your shares would be needed to show sincerity."

The scene fell silent in an instant.

Everyone around was shocked, whispering and exchanging words in hushed tones.

"Ten percent?"

"This young master Shen has quite an appetite."

"Ten percent is a bit excessive..."

Ten percent?? That's practically equivalent to being a minor shareholder!

This was hardly cooperation; it was clearly a disguised takeover of another company.

President Sun's expression also changed upon hearing this.

What a joke.

He forced a difficult smile, "Chairman Shen is still too young... some words are perhaps a bit too..."

"Then five percent."

The man slowly lifted his eyelids, a faint curve remained at the corner of his mouth the whole time, yet there wasn't a trace of a smile in his eyes. His dark pupils sent a chill down one's spine.

"Otherwise, did you think I came here to do charity?"

At this, almost no one in the room dared to speak.

They suddenly realized just how this recently returned young master had so swiftly ascended to the position of head.

In the corner, An Zhou quietly drew in a sharp breath and took a sip from his glass.

Good grief, he hadn't wanted to come. A friend had insisted on dragging him here, saying there was a big deal.

Probably knowing about the marriage alliance between his An family and the Shen family, they wanted him to make the connection.

For goodness' sake, because of that girl An Ling, in the few months since their marriage, he didn't know how many losses he had suffered at Shen Linyan's hands.

Had he known it was Shen Linyan, he would have died before coming.

Remembering his sister's words, An Zhou felt like helplessly rolling his eyes.

Just who exactly was the one suffering losses here!

He still couldn't resist, silently pulling out his phone to message his unlucky sister.

[You really should come see how Shen Linyan acts at these business dinners.]

Then you'd know exactly who's suffering losses.

The other party replied quickly: [You're with Shen Linyan?]

[Yeah, happened to be at the same dinner.]

Before he could explain the situation, An Ling asked again:

[Is Shen Linyan busy right now?]

An Zhou thought he might have been busy earlier, but he certainly wasn't busy now.

Who would dare go up and talk to him?

[No, he's not busy. Why do you ask?]

As soon as he sent the message, the girl on the other end went silent.

An Zhou puzzledly tapped her avatar: [Where'd you go?]

Meanwhile, on the other side, Shen Linyan had just picked up his glass and taken a sip.

His phone on the table suddenly vibrated.

He paused, picked it up to look, his gaze halting momentarily, then the corner of his mouth involuntarily curved up.

An Ling: [Hubby~ ( ́⌣`ʃƪ)]