Back at the office not long after, the assistant came dashing into the CEO’s office.
“President Lin, the young master of Chen Group is here!”
Lin Wen frowned. “Didn’t we already sign the contract? What’s he doing here?”
Still, he brought me along to the meeting room.
Inside, a familiar-looking young man sat waiting.
“Hey, sis!” The guy’s eyes lit up when he saw me.
He jumped up. “Sis, I finally found you!”
“You?” Lin Wen was surprised.
I squinted at him. “And you are...?”
The guy looked crushed, then fished two hundred yuan from his pocket. “This....remember?”
Suddenly I got it. “Oh, it’s you! The duck!”
“Pfft!” Lin Wen couldn’t hold back a laugh.
“Yeah, sis.” The guy leaned in, eyes sparkling. “So, when are you gonna cash in that night?”
I calmly sipped my coffee. “Next time, for sure.”
Lin Wen cleared his throat and stepped in front of me, blocking the guy’s view. “Hello, I’m Lin Wen, CEO . And you are?”
“ Chen Zeyan .”
“I heard about the contract,” Chen Zeyan said, suddenly serious. “But honestly, I don’t think your company is worth two hundred million in investment.”
Lin Wen narrowed his eyes. “So you’re backing out?”
Chen Zeyan flopped onto the couch, fiddling with his phone. “Not exactly. Two hundred million isn’t much to us anyway.”
I was getting impatient. “So what do you want?”
“You come work for us, and the two hundred million goes to Lin Group” Chen Zeyan said, looking right at me.
Wait, am I suddenly a hot commodity?
I was stunned, almost moved to tears. After being fired by four companies in a row, who knew one day I’d be fought over?
I was genuinely touched.
“No way!” Lin Wen shot back. “Investment is about the company’s future, not my employee.”
“Well, the money’s with me.” Chen Zeyan grinned. “If you agree, maybe I’ll even throw in another two hundred million.”
“Xu, see the guest out.” Lin Wen’s face darkened. He grabbed my hand and pulled me out.
I was confused. “Isn’t more investment a good thing? Why turn it down?”
Lin Wen dragged me into his office, ears a little red. He glanced at me. “I just don’t like his attitude. I built this from scratch. If he won’t invest, someone else will. I’m not so desperate I need a woman to get funding.”
Classic macho pride.
I patted his shoulder. “Relax. If things get tough, I’ll support you.”
“Great comfort,” Lin Wen said, rolling his eyes. “Next time, don’t comfort me.”
He slumped into his chair and sighed. “At least we got the debt back. Now I just need to land a sponsor, and we’re out of the woods.”
Running a company is tough.
I lounged on the sofa, grateful I wasn’t a CEO.
“Forget it. Come with me to a banquet tonight.” Lin Wen pulled a bank card from his pocket and handed it to me. “Go buy something nice to wear.”
I looked down at the card, unimpressed. “This is haute couture. One dress costs tens of thousands...”
“Yeah, yeah.” Lin Wen stuffed the card in my hand and shooed me away.
I went home, dug out a dress from my closet, looked good enough to me and promptly napped until evening.
The banquet was at the Ocean Joy Hotel, hosted by the richest man in the city. Every CEO and socialite was there.
Lin Wen’s face grew serious when he saw me get out of the car. “Where’d you get that dress?”
I blinked. “Bought it.”
“You bought it?” Lin Wen sucked in a breath. “Great, it’s probably a fake. Should’ve sent Xu with you. My bad.” He shrugged off his jacket. “Put this on. Maybe no one will notice.”
I draped his jacket over my shoulders and promised, “Relax, it’s real.”
Lin Wen sighed. These mortals. As if Su Nianci would ever buy a fake.
I linked arms with him and strolled into the hotel.
“You hang out here and grab some food. I’ve got business to handle.” Lin Wen parked me by the dessert table.
Score! My dad never lets me eat sweets ,always nagging about my weight.
I was happily stuffing my face when...
“Sis?” A surprised voice behind me.
I turned. Chen Zeyan was standing there, delighted. “You’re here too?”
I offered him a dessert. “Want a bite?”
“No, gotta watch my figure.” Chen Zeyan shook his head.
I nodded. “Good, you’ve caught my attention, man.”
Two minutes later, we were both pigging out.
Who cares about dieting? Eating is life.
“This one’s good. Try it!”
“Pour me a glass of wine!”
“My dad’s not here, I can eat as much as I want”
Suddenly, the lights dimmed. Then a spotlight hit the stage.
A middle-aged man stood there. Everyone knew him: Su Rushan, the richest man in Huaguo.
Chen Zeyan and I ignored the speech, too busy with dessert.
“Sis, are you sure you don’t want to join Chen Group?” Chen Zeyan asked, eyes shining. “I’ll triple your salary. Money’s no object.”
I burped, flopped back on the sofa. “Do I look broke to you?”
Chen Zeyan’s eyes brightened. “Then you must need people. How about me?”
I: ... “Thanks, but no thanks.”
Chen Zeyan pounded his chest in mock agony. “So cruel!”
“Full yet?” Lin Wen walked over, eyeing Chen Zeyan warily. “Stay away from my employee.”
“What, you control their love life too?” Chen Zeyan shot back.
“I....”
Lin Wen was about to answer when Su Rushan, the tycoon, walked over.
CEO Syndrome - Chapter 5
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