Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Zhou Shiqing watched the contract in Shen Muyun's hand, then cast a sidelong glance at Xiao Chen, who stood nearby, head bowed, his expression unreadable. Zhou Shiqing was on the verge of cursing aloud, wondering why everyone he relied on turned out to be so unreliable. What terrible streak of bad luck was this?

He truly wanted to slap Xiao Chen a couple of times, but this was not the moment.

Zhou Shiqing’s lips twitched slightly. He curled his fingers and tapped the table beside him. "Even if the contract is drafted, there’s no guarantee it’ll be signed smoothly. And even if it is signed, who knows what might go wrong during its execution? Don’t you think so, Shen Muyun? Don’t be so arrogant."

Shen Muyun smiled. "You’re right. A contract requires the right timing, favorable conditions, and harmony—missing any one element won’t do. As for execution, I don’t anticipate any issues for Shen Corporation. You needn’t worry about such trivial matters. Xiao Chen, the meeting is about to start. Aren’t you going?"

"Oh, oh, right away, right away. I’m heading over now."

Shen Muyun turned and left the break room, hearing a dull thud behind him—like a cup hitting the floor.

When he arrived at the meeting room, there were only three or four people present. Shen Liuyun’s complexion looked poor, likely still reeling from the contract issue. Shen Muyun had long heard that Shen Liuyun was meticulous in his work, so this mishap must have been particularly frustrating. As for Lu Huainan, he remained as gentlemanly and elegant as ever, offering Shen Muyun a slight smile.

Shen Muyun placed the contract on the table next to Shen Liuyun. "President Shen, here’s the document you requested. I’ve corrected all the errors. Please take a look."

Shen Liuyun’s expression improved slightly. He picked up the contract, flipped through a few pages, and seeing that the mistakes had indeed been fixed, nodded in satisfaction. His demeanor softened noticeably.

"President Lu, my apologies for keeping you waiting. My... my new assistant isn’t yet familiar with the company’s procedures, and there were some minor flaws in the contract. Fortunately, it didn’t cause much delay."

Lu Huainan glanced with interest at Shen Muyun, who was sitting in a corner. "It’s fine, as you said—it wasn’t much of a delay. If everything is in order, shall we begin?"

Shen Liuyun opened the pre-prepared PPT, and the content appeared clearly on the projection screen.

This move left Shen Muyun dumbfounded. Damn, there was a proper contract all along? And here he was, running around anxiously, even spending all the credits he’d painstakingly saved. His mood instantly plummeted—was this some kind of joke?

"President Lu, this is our basic plan for the development of the northern district. There’s a lack of strong commercial centers in this area, so building a business district is essential."

Lu Huainan glanced at the PPT, then stole another look in Shen Muyun’s direction.

"This approach will not only aid commercial development but also help boost employment rates. The Jiangcheng municipal government has always been committed to youth employment, and we’d be contributing to that effort. We could also build an amusement park here—the target market, aimed at children, looks quite promising."

Lu Huainan lowered his head, pen in hand, sketching and jotting things down on paper as if taking notes. Occasionally, he looked up to review the PPT content, then glanced toward Shen Muyun again, a slight curve forming at the corner of his mouth as he noticed Shen Muyun nodding off.

"Over here, we could build schools, though that would require investment attraction. It depends on Lu Corporation’s specific plans. Education is something we can’t overlook."

Lu Huainan nodded as he listened to Shen Liuyun’s explanation. After flipping through a few pages of the contract, he said, "President Shen, I think this proposal is quite well done. Let’s finalize the contract as is."

Shen Liuyun paused, surprised that the contract could be signed so easily. Shen Corporation and Lu Corporation had negotiated before, but those discussions always ended without results. Perhaps the title of "family friends" was just that—a title. As competitors, interests always come first.

"Alright, then the contract is settled. We’ll need to draft further documents for the specific plans later. For now, happy cooperation."

Shen Liuyun and Lu Huainan signed the contract, stamped it with the company seal, and finished with seamless efficiency. Shen Muyun clicked his tongue—wasn’t this some system-scripted plot? What role did he even play here?

He stretched lazily in his corner and casually glanced around. If he’d known it would be this straightforward, all that earlier worry would’ve been unnecessary. And that Lu Corporation president seemed to keep looking his way.

Was this the person the System said he needed to win over? He was certainly handsome—Shen Muyun’s type—but would it really be that easy?

"Since the contract is signed, shouldn’t we have a meal to celebrate? Consider it a victory banquet."

Lu Huainan flipped through the documents, head still lowered.

"Sure, it’s been a while since we’ve gathered like this. Work has been busy lately, leaving little personal time."

Lu Huainan closed the file in his hand and placed it on the table. "Then let’s make it 8 PM. Family members are welcome."

Shen Liuyun looked momentarily lost, then smiled wryly. "What family? I’ve always been single. Does President Lu have someone in mind?"

"You could say that, or not. President Shen, family is fine too. We'll be there or be square—8 PM."

Shen Muyun mulled over what had just happened and volunteered to clean up the meeting room. Shen Liuyun didn’t stop him, just gave a few instructions before leaving. Shen Muyun casually dusted the table, wiped it down, and then left the conference room.

Before he could return to his office, he ran into Zhou Shiqing, who hadn’t left yet, at a corner.

"Zhou Shiqing, the contract is set in stone. Anything else you’d like to say? And this is Shen Corporation—are you treating it like a public park?"

Zhou Shiqing glared furiously at Shen Muyun’s smug expression, wanting to act but knowing he couldn’t win, wanting to retort but lacking Shen Muyun’s sharp tongue.

"Shen Muyun, it’s just a contract, not some earth-shattering matter. Business has its ups and downs. Besides, the company’s successor is your brother. You? Shen Muyun, what can you do besides solving problems with violence?"

"Oh? How did you know I’m a follower? I’ve been tailing my brother since we were kids—whatever he says, I do. We’re just that close. Are you jealous? That’s not something you can envy your way into. What, trying to drive a wedge between us brothers?"

Zhou Shiqing kicked the wooden wall panel beside him hard. Whether it was the force or just bad luck, a crack split through it.

"Wow, Zhou Shiqing, that’s vandalism. Shen Corporation’s decor is consistent, and if I recall correctly, this wall panel was imported from Italy. What should we do about this?"

"What should we do? I’ll pay for it. It’s just a wall panel. Shen Muyun, don’t get too cocky."

Zhou Shiqing turned and stormed off.

Shen Muyun shrugged at his retreating figure. "No skills, just a fox borrowing the tiger's ferocity."

The more Zhou Shiqing thought about it, the angrier he became. Why did everything good happen to Shen Muyun? The contract swap plan was flawless—how did it go wrong? It seemed Xiao Chen was an unreliable pawn. The Chen family had been with Shen Corporation for decades—what a strategic error. But... this Shen Muyun, he needed to think of a way to teach him a lesson. Otherwise, this anger felt stuck in his chest, unbearably frustrating.

Zhou Shiqing checked his WeChat—Shen Liuyun was still pinned at the top. "Brother Liuyun, congratulations on signing the contract so smoothly."

Shen Liuyun glanced at his phone on the desk, saw Zhou Shiqing’s message, and casually replied, "Thanks."

Then he immediately tossed the phone farther away and focused on the work at hand.

Seeing Shen Liuyun’s cold response, Zhou Shiqing fully understood—Shen Corporation was determined to cut ties with Zhou Corporation. So what? Fortune shifts like the tides—this was only the beginning.

Shen Muyun returned to his workstation, slumping into his chair, feeling inexplicably tired. Hearing footsteps, he looked up.

"Young Master Shen, President Shen mentioned earlier—don’t be late for the victory banquet tonight."

Shen Muyun grunted vaguely. "Yeah, I know. Xiao Chen, you’ve been with the company for so many years; you should know the rules. What happened earlier—I can turn a blind eye, but that’s out of respect for your father. Uncle Chen was a key contributor to the company."

Xiao Chen, sitting at his desk, was slightly taken aback by Shen Muyun’s words. "Uh, yes, my father was a partner back in the day."

"What happened in the breakroom—I’ll assume you were temporarily led astray. As for the contract, I’ll take the blame. I hope you understand—this is Shen Corporation. Shen Corporation has treated you well. That slap was because you were in the wrong. What do you think?"

Without Zhou Shiqing as his backer, Secretary Chen naturally didn’t dare say much and could only accept it passively.

"Young Master Shen, thank you for your generosity. I, well, I was temporarily led astray. If not for your slap, I might not have come to my senses."

"There’s a victory banquet tonight. You can leave early."

Xiao Chen nodded sheepishly. "Okay, understood, Young Master Shen. See you tomorrow then."

Seeing that Shen Muyun had nothing more to say, Xiao Chen felt relieved—thankfully, things had wrapped up neatly. He immediately jumped up from his seat and scurried away like a scared animal.

Shen Muyun closed his eyes to rest, but a noisy voice rang in his ears. "Host, Host! Bad news, bad news! Zhou Shiqing’s favorability has crashed!"

Shen Muyun rubbed his eyes. "System, didn’t you say favorability doesn’t matter?"

"Well, well, Honored Host, it doesn’t matter only if it stays within a certain range. Right now, I can see—Zhou Shiqing’s favorability has dropped to minus one hundred. You need to be wary of him. He might not act directly, but who knows what heinous acts he might do!"

"Hey, System, you never mentioned this before."

The System replied matter-of-factly, "Well, Honored Host, you never asked either. This... could be considered my oversight. But, but, how should I put it? The System still hopes for your safety."