After Xu Yan concluded her conversation with Qian Kun, she promptly returned to the company to provide a report to Cheng Ji.

After listening to her words, Cheng Ji pondered with his chin resting on one hand for a while before asking Xu Yan, "What do you think about the extra 2% rebate?"

"Qian Kun knows his own strength. Both we and Xinlan Group know his strength too. Not only are we dependent on his assistance within the province, but even in distant locations. Therefore, it's normal for him to raise the price." Xu Yan analyzed.

"Do you really believe that Xinlan Group will give him an extra 2% rebate and discount policies?" Cheng Ji asked again.

Xu Yan tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and said, "Xinlan Group is currently experiencing immense pressure. From my understanding, Jiang Han is expected to yield some concessions to Qian Kun and engage in offline competition with Meisi Group."

"What do you think? Should we pay Qian Kun the extra rebate?" Cheng Ji asked again.

Xu Yan shook her head. "No."

Cheng Ji smiled and asked, "Really? Your reasons?"

Xu Yan hesitated for a moment and then said firmly, "Meisi Group is on the rise now. It's his loss if Qian Kun doesn't sell our goods. With so many distributors, there's no need for us to rely on him."

Cheng Ji threw down his pen and said, "We shall grant Qian Kun the rebate he desires, on the condition that he procures an adequate amount of merchandise from us for inventory. I want you to personally visit the distributors in other cities."

Xu Yan frowned. "You want me to go on a business trip?"

"Is there any problem?" Cheng Ji asked.

"Absolutely! While I'm away on a business trip, there's no one to tend to the two kittens back home." she said.

Cheng Ji thought for a moment and said, "I will take care of the kittens in my home until you return, and then I will give them to you."

That seemed to be the only way.

When Xu Yan returned to the villa in the suburbs after work, she heard the sound of Wuyou and Wulv and saw them crawling out of the cat room. They opened their mouths and meowed to welcome her.

She changed her shoes and put down her bag. She squatted down to comfort the kittens. "Mom is back. Were you obedient at home today?"

"Meow!" Wuyou and Wulv replied. Their adorable demeanor brought her amusement.

She first filled two spoonfuls of cat food for the kittens, and then changed the water. While the kittens were eating, she headed to the room to clean the cat litter. After finishing these things, she went to cook for herself.

She ate too much at noon, so she could just make some noodles in the evening. She didn't work at Meisi Group before, so she was quite willing to cook at home. Now that she didn't have enough time, she could only prepare simple meal for herself.

While preparing the noodles, she simultaneously braised a chilled duck leg for the kittens.

After dinner, she had nothing else to do. She took out her mobile phone to record a video for the kittens. She had a new account on the short video platform, mainly recording her own vegetable garden and her two kittens' daily lives.

She had already accumulated thousands of fans.

After that, she uploaded the video to the computer and began to edit it.

-

Jiang Han had been suffering from a stomachache for half the afternoon. Having a pile of tasks to handle after work, he had to work overtime at the office. By the time he realized that he was hungry, it was already dark outside.

He placed an order for takeout. As he was halfway through his meal, Cheng Xu gave him a call, inviting him out for a drink.

It had only been two years since Cheng Xu got familiar with him, so Cheng Xu didn't know that Xu Yan used to be Jiang Han's assistant.

"I'm not feeling well in my stomach today, and I'm still working overtime at the office." He refused politely.

Cheng Xu said irritably, "Why are you working overtime? You're the boss, after all. You have the ultimate authority in the company. No one would dare to criticize you if you postponed it until tomorrow."

Hearing his angry tone, Jiang Han asked, "What's wrong with you? Have you grown weary of women?"

Cheng Xu snorted and said, "Not all of them. I'm just really pissed off by a certain woman. I'm not feeling well, so come out and have a drink with me. If you can't handle alcohol, I have no problem with you opting for some soothing herbal tea."

At this point, Jiang Han couldn't refuse anymore. He asked for the address, turned off the computer, and drove over by himself.

On his way to the pub, Kang Cheng phoned him to share the intel he had gathered.

"Xu Yan and her family live in a private rental apartment in Tianqiao Home. Over the past few years, her father has lacked a stable living environment and dedicated much of his time to alcohol consumption. Her mother is a garment factory worker. Her younger sister, a junior college graduate, currently serves as a clerk in a small company."

Kang Cheng reported all at once.

Upon hearing this, a cloud of anger descended upon Jiang Han's face. "Does Xu Shangrong constantly depend on his wife and daughter?"

Kang Cheng noticed his displeasure and whispered, "That's what I found."

"Okay, I know. I'll hang up." He hung up the phone impatiently.

Before Xu Shangrong went bankrupt, he ran a factory. Although not paramount in scale, the Xu family enjoyed a comfortable standard of living. After Xu Shangrong's bankruptcy, Xu Yan repaid the debt of 30 million yuan for him. Once Xu Shangrong secured any job, his family would no longer endure financial hardships.

Instead of earning money to support his family, he drank alcohol?

He was not a qualified father and patriarch.

Jiang Han suddenly felt a trace of sympathy for Xu Yan. Perhaps it was because of her unbearable family and his refusal that she left Canghai City and went to Xia'an City.

Her profession was far from glamorous. Working with corpses all day had left her thoughts in an extremely morbid state.

He drove all the way to the bar with a gloomy face. It was not until he saw Cheng Xu that his expression eased a little.

Sima Ye was also there. He was the son of a local manufacturing company owner, destined to become a prominent figure in the manufacturing industry, and shared mutual friends with Jiang Han.

Cheng Xu had already drunk a few glasses of wine. Seeing that Jiang Han had arrived, he was about to pour him a glass of wine. Jiang Han covered his cup and said, "Stomach warming tea would be fine. Drinking alcohol today is quite unsuitable for me."

Sima Ye, seeing the situation, filled up his own cup and raised it to Cheng Xu, saying, "It's just drinking, buddy. I'll accompany you."

Jiang Han took off his coat, sat on the leather sofa, and asked, "Who's the woman that angered you?"

Cheng Xu immediately complained, "I'm starting to wonder if my cousin's brain is malfunctioning. He has appointed a woman as the sales consultant."

Jiang Han knew it was Xu Yan, so he asked calmly, "She's just a sales consultant, and you're the vice president. Why do you feel uncomfortable with her?"

Cheng Xu said, "She's the sales consultant of the president's office. She can deny the proposal of the Marketing Department. She is usurping my role and assuming the responsibilities of a vice president!"

Sima Ye laughed and said, "Why don't Cheng Ji just directly appoint her as the vice president?"

Cheng Xu snorted and said, "You are right. She can reject the proposal I passed. I asked Cheng Ji if I have the power to veto her proposal. Guess what he said?"

Sima Ye was still smiling. "I guess you don't have the right to deny her."

Cheng Xu pounded the table excitedly and said, "He said if there are any issues, we can have a meeting to discuss it again! Do you think he's targeting me?"

Jiang Han pressed between his eyebrows and said, "That's true, it does seem like it."

Sima Ye asked, "Is she very capable?"

Cheng Xu said in low spirits, "She played a modest role in the sales boost Meisi Group experienced this year at the E-commerce Festival."

However, he immediately changed to a disdainful tone and said, "But you didn't expect that she would make such a stupid suggestion at the meeting today."

Jiang Han leaned forward and asked, "What;s her suggestion?"

Upon witnessing his behavior, Cheng Xu rolled his eyes and shrewdly said, "This is our company's confidential information. I can't tell anyone from Xinlan Group."

Jiang Han picked up the bottle of wine and poured it into the glass, saying, "Come on, I'll drink with you tonight!"

Cheng Xu laughed. "I won't tell you even if you get me drunk."

Jiang Han knew that Cheng Xu wasn't being discreet enough. With just a sufficient amount of alcohol, there was nothing he couldn't make her reveal.

Just as he was pouring the wine, Cheng Xu said in a low voice, "I think Cheng Ji likes her."

Jiang Han instantly tensed up, fixing his gaze upon him and inquired, "Are you sure?"

"How does she look?" Sima Ye asked curiously.

Cheng Xu pouted. "She's quite beautiful and has a good physique. She possesses alluring feminine qualities that men find irresistible" He said that with a hint of lewdness.

Jiang Han suddenly had the urge to raise the bottle and smash it on Cheng Xu's head.

He didn't know why he had such a heightened sensitivity toward any news related to Xu Yan. In the past, he had an unconventional bond with her. Besides, they had been separated for three years. He shouldn't have any unnecessary thoughts.

Sima Ye did not notice Jiang Han's expression. He chimed in, "It could be due to Meisi Group's underperformance in sales. He is pinning the responsibility on you."

Cheng Xu exclaimed enthusiastically, "Why am I being held responsible for everything? My plan was executed with his approval. Before he assumed control of Meisi Group, he was engaged in academic research, which left him with inherent limitations. Shouldn't the blame lie elsewhere?"

Jiang Han was deeply dissatisfied with Cheng Xu's cynicism. He took a sip of his wine and asked, "So, Cheng Xu, how do you propose Meisi Group sustain its sales?" Jiang Han was deeply dissatisfied with Cheng Xu's cynicism. He took a sip of his wine and inquired, "So, Cheng Xu, how do you suggest Meisi Group maintains its post-festival sales momentum? Any strategies on your mind?"

Cheng Xu shook his head. "No, but we recently made a significant sale, which requires some time for the market to absorb. The sales volume adheres to market trends."

Jiang Han looked at him with a feigned smile. "I went to Qian Kun this morning and bumped into Xu Yan, the sales consultant."

Cheng Xu was shocked. "You met her? Why did she visit Qian Kun?"

"You, as the vice president responsible for marketing, have a very narrow perspective!" Jiang Han sneered. "Of course, she visited Qian Kun to discuss a collaboration for offline sales."

Sima Ye asked, "Doesn't that mean that she's going to compete with you for resources?"

Jiang Han crossed his arms in front of his chest and smiled contemptuously. "For now, she is not a qualified competitor for us in acquiring resources."

Cheng Xu was furious. "This woman is not good. She is too scheming. She didn't mention the future sales issue at the meeting, but instead went to see the distributor privately. It's very unscrupulous!"

His words were harsh. Jiang Han retorted, "As a vice president, you didn't expect the sales issue either."

Sima Ye noticed that something was wrong. He pressed his chin down and glared at Jiang Han. "Why do I get the impression that you've been advocating for this sales consultant?"

Jiang Han snorted, "Am I? I'm just telling the truth. She managed to boost Meisi Group's sales in just three months. She's quite capable."

He felt a pang of pain upon saying that. In the past, she used to be timid and kept a low profile when she was with him. However, after joining Meisi Group, she began to showcase her talents and abilities.

She was the person he had taught, yet she had left. Initially, he didn't show any concern about it. But things would be different if she worked for his competitors.

Cheng Xu pouted and glanced at Jiang Han with a hint of dissatisfaction, remarking, "Sure, she may have a slight edge over me, but there's no need for you to keep harping on it. After all, we're brothers, you should support me, right? I did mention that Cheng Ji liked her. Have you fallen head over heels for her after just one encounter?"

Jiang Han said coldly, "As a vice president, you lack critical thinking skills. Cheng Ji must possess some level of cultivation, for he has tolerated your presence for many years."

Sima Ye attempted to alleviate the situation. "Don't phrase it like that. Let's have a drink instead."

Cheng Xu looked down on Xu Yan. Although she had an indifferent face, she could seduce men.

There was a brief silence in the private room. The three men just drank and did not speak.

After a while, Cheng Xu suggested, "It's boring for us to drink alone. Why don't we call a few girls in to accompany us?"

Sima Ye shook his head. "I'm not interested in this."

Jiang Han received a phone call. After answering it, he heard his cousin Jiang Yan excitedly say, "Brother, we're going to have a car race with some guys tonight. Will you join us?"