Jiang Han sat at the head of the small conference table in his office with a gloomy face and a sense of oppression.

In addition to the executives who were ready to attend the victory banquet at the scene, all the relevant persons who had returned home were also called back by Kang Cheng.

The cards table that was originally placed here had been taken away.

Jiang Han glanced at the attendees and asked, "What is our recent marketing strategy?"

The vice president, who was in charge of the sales, adjusted his glasses and replied, "We conducted online pre-promotions, hosted live streams featuring our spokesperson, and distributed promotional giveaways. The data feedback has been promising."

"How can we account for the decrease in our sales while Meisi Group's sales, on the contrary, are increasing?" He asked, without any expression.

The vice president said helplessly, "Meisi Group's plot live broadcast is too eye-catching. After being on trending for a few times, the brand has soared to unprecedented heights, as if propelled by a rocket."

Jiang Han asked Kang Cheng, "If my memory serves me well, didn't the shareholders of Meisi Group force Cheng Ji to step down three months ago? Can it be true that he actually accomplished such remarkable progress within such a limited period of time?"

Kang Cheng thought for a moment and replied, "Yes, it was three months ago. They said that if the sales did not pick up by the end of the quarter, they would exercise the shareholder's right to dismiss Cheng Ji."

Jiang Han sneered and said, "He hasn't been able to boost Meisi Group's sales for the past three years. Did he eat some magic potion that can help him in the past three months?"

No one dared to answer.

Jiang Han continued to ask, "What has Meisi Group done in the past three months?"

The marketing director replied, "They optimized the product categories, redesigned the packaging for different customer groups, invested in high-quality video bloggers, and most impressively, created a plot live broadcast room."

Jiang Han often watched the live broadcasting room. It was said that they hired an actress from a film company to host it. His performance quality and stage control ability were both very strong, surpassing the capabilities of Xinlan Group's relevant person.

Jiang Han looked even gloomier than before. He asked, "How did Cheng Ji suddenly become enlightened?"

The vice president for marketing pursed his lips, looked up at him, and said with a little hesitation, "Mr. Jiang, it appears that Meisi Group's actions bear resemblance to Xinlan Group's practices."

Everyone present looked at him. Jiang Han narrowed his eyes and asked, "Do you mean that Cheng Ji has hired someone from our company?"

The vice president wiped his forehead and said, "It's highly probable."

Jiang Han said to Kang Cheng, "Go and check immediately to see which former executives who left us have joined Meisi Group."

As Kang Chengsheng was about to leave, Jiang Han suddenly remembered something, "Three months ago, when we went to Xia'an City to discuss cooperation, did Cheng Ji also go there?"

Kang Cheng nodded. "Yes. He went to the funeral parlour in Xia'an City at that time."

Jiang Han said forcefully, "Go and find out who he met."

Kang Cheng was in a dilemma. "He went to the funeral parlour. He may attend someone's funeral."

Jiang Han said angrily, "The Cheng family's roots lie in Canghai City. If he, as an important person from the Cheng family, attended the funeral in Xia'an City, it suggests that the deceased held considerable importance to him. By investigating that, maybe we can find out the person who helped him gaining money!"

Kang Cheng did not dare to reply. He left the president's office in a hurry and went to work on his computer.

-

The Meisi Group had an outstanding performance, and Cheng Ji was thrilled with the results. To celebrate, he went out for a late-night snack with his subordinates and drank a lot, causing him to oversleep the following morning. Consequently, he arrived at the company much later than usual.

At three o'clock in the afternoon, Cheng Ji was still inebriated, thus he assigned his cousin and vice president, Cheng Xu, some menial tasks. He then instructed the driver to transport him to Xu Yan's suburban villa.

He had lent the villa to Xu Yan. After inviting her to return from Xia'an City, she expressed her intention to solely act as a behind-the-scenes consultant, without attending any company meetings or working directly in the office. Furthermore, she preferred to be addressed by her English name, Kirs.

At that time, he was in urgent need of her guidance, so he didn't think much about this strange request. Gorgeous women have always enjoyed certain privileges, especially considering her previous role as Jiang Han's assistant.

However, it was strange that after she resigned from Xinlan Group, she did not continue to work in the skincare industry. Instead, she went to Xia'an City, a second-tier city, and became a medical examiner.

Because of her insufficient qualifications, she had been working as an assistant medical examiner for three years. Her salary was ridiculously low.

He had learned all of this from his private detective.

He rang the doorbell at the door. After a while, Xu Yan came to open the door. Cheng Ji held up the meat and wine in his hand and said with a smile, "Let's celebrate tonight. You contributed a lot to the success of Meisi Group."

Xu Yan glanced at it and said calmly, "I have the ingredients for tonight's dinner. Take these back and enjoy them yourself."

After that, she turned around and walked into the room. Cheng Ji followed her and asked with interest, "What are you going to cook for dinner?"

Xu Yan did not answer. She went straight to the kitchen, put on the rubber gloves, and continued to deal with the pork lungs in the pool.

The pork lungs appeared reddish-purple and required constant rinsing with water. Only after ensuring the removal of blood within the lungs, would the lung leaves attain the proper gray and white hue, which was suitable for cooking. It took a lot of time and patience.

Most people would not make pork lungs soup at home.

Seeing that she was skillfully handling the pork lungs, Cheng Ji felt scared. He recalled his solitary presence outside the autopsy room at the Xia'an City Public Security and Criminal Investigation Bureau, patiently waiting for her to complete the autopsy, which lasted for two hours.

He was facing a psychological obstacle for visiting her at the funeral house at night. It actually made no sense.

However, he felt the need to convey his earnestness.

Leaning against the door, he swallowed and asked, "Xu Yan, are medical examiners very bold and afraid of nothing?"

Xu Yan replied indifferently, "It's not that I fear nothing. I'm not afraid of the deceased, but of the living."

Cheng Ji asked, "Why?"

Xu Yan glanced back at him, as if looking at a fool, and said, "When a person is dead, they can't do anything."

Cheng Ji was at a loss for words. In that moment, he sensed a slight sensation brushing against his feet. Glancing downward, he discovered two adorable, tiny kittens - one calico and one tortoiseshell.

He instinctively found them unattractive and walked out the door. "Do you like cats?"

When Xu Yan saw the two kittens, her indifferent face softened. "I picked them up by the roadside. Their mother and brothers were killed by a car."

Cheng Ji expressed his dismay, "Do you have to choose such unattractive ones? The calico cat's coloration is mottled and doesn't appear pleasing to the eye." Especially the tortoiseshell cat, whose face had several colors.

He didn't want them even someone paid him.

Upon hearing this, Xu Yan concealed her tenderness and reverted back to her usual indifference. "They are feline creatures. What distinguishes the noble from the lowly? The calico cat possess remarkable intelligence and striking beauty."

Cheng Ji knew that she was unhappy, so he tactfully retreated to the sofa and played with his mobile phone.

-

Kang Cheng hesitated outside Jiang Han's office, his hand raised to knock on the door before retracting it.

Jiang Han saw his assistant's reaction through the surveillance camera. Making his way over, he opened the door and spoke with a brusque tone, "Are you planning to resign? No need to fret, I'll take care of it."

Kang Cheng forced a smile. "No, Mr. Jiang."

He can feel his guilty conscience and embarrassment in his tone.

Jiang Han looked him up and down. "Then why did you linger at my door for so long without coming in?"

Kang Cheng took a deep breath, made up his mind, and said, "Mr. Jiang, I have found out who Cheng Ji met when he went to Xia'an City last time."

After that, he stepped in and closed the door. Jiang Han said sarcastically, "You look so cautious. Anyone oblivious to the truth may mistake our communication for an underground syndicate employing secret codes."

Kang Cheng didn't take the boss's teasing seriously. He checked Jiang Han's expression first and felt that he would not be furious after hearing the news. He then said.

"Mr. Jiang. The person Cheng Ji went to meet is called Xu Yan."

"What did you say?" Jiang Han narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists.

Sensing the boss's mood swings, Kang Cheng braced himself and said, "It's Xu Yan, formerly employed as your personal assistant."

Jiang Han went blank for a moment. He sat back in his chair and asked after a while, "And then?"

Kang Cheng told him everything he had found out. "Xu Yan is an assistant medical examiner at a legal appraisal center. Cheng Ji went to Xia'an City to invite her to work for him in Canghai City. Now she is temporarily living in his villa in the suburbs."

Jiang Han gestured to him. "You can leave now. I'll call you if I need you."

Kang Cheng nodded, respectfully left, and carefully closed the door.

Jiang Han lit a cigarette and leaned back in his chair. As smoke billowed upwards, an image fluttered into his mind. Nestling into the cozy quilt draped across the bed, she ventured, her voice infused with both cautiousness and anticipation, "Can I be by your side always?"

He narrowed his eyes at her and uttered haughtily, "You were merely dispatched by the Xu family to settle the debt. How dare you aspire to remain by my side constantly? I am not a dumping ground for refuse."

Upon hearing these words, the woman was overwhelmed with shame and could not bear to reveal her face. After a while, she put on her clothes and left, leaving him a stubborn back.

She did not appear again after that. He did not look for her. They had made a pact to use her three years of youth to repay the thirty million yuan her father owed.

He remained committed to business ethics.

He chain-smoked cigarettes in the office until her taste buds were overwhelmed by bitterness. He dialed Kang Cheng's number and uttered, "I need to step out for a moment. If there's any urgent matter, delegate it to the other vice presidents."

After grabbing his coat, he went to the underground parking lot by elevator and started his car, driving towards the suburbs.

-

Xu Yan had been washing the pork lungs for two hours. After rinsing the pork lungs, she sliced them and cooked them in boiling water. Once the foam was removed, she cut them into smaller pieces and gave them a final rinse.

She placed the freshly cleaned lung slices into a basket to allow them to air dry. Meanwhile, she diced the ginger and sautéed it in the oil pan before adding the lung slices. The pan-fried slices took on a slightly golden hue, after which he transferred them into a casserole for stewing.

She planted radishes in the vegetable garden in the backyard of the villa. She didn't like going out when she returned to Canghai City. In addition to raising cats and working, she spent the rest of her time on planting vegetables.

Cheng Ji slept on the sofa for a while and woke up to the strong smell of pepper.

Xu Yan liked pepper and added a lot of it to the soup.

She scooped out two bowls of soup from the casserole and was about to drink it when the doorbell rang.

Cheng Ji looked at her and asked, "Did you have an appointment with a friend?"

Xu Yan took a sip of the soup, shook her head, and said, "It's not my friend. It's your friend."

Cheng Ji was surprised. "My friend? My friend can't come here to find me."

"Jiang Han is your friend, isn't he?" she said calmly.

"Jiang Han?" Cheng Ji almost jumped up. "Why? Why is he here? We're competitors. He has no reason to come to me."

"He's here for me." Xu Yan put down the spoon and was about to open the door.

Cheng Ji was stunned. "Why did he come here for you? How did he know you were here?"

"Because he is Jiang Han." Xu Yan stood up from the stool, dressed herself, and made her way to the entrance of the yard.