Compete out of jealousy

Why Suddenly Establish a Branch in Jiang City(=Jiangcheng)?

Why would President Shen suddenly decide to establish a branch in Jiang City, and more importantly, why does she want to personally oversee it?

As soon as Shen Luoyan finished speaking, everyone couldn't help but whisper among themselves.

"President Shen, expanding the company and establishing branches isn't unusual," an experienced board member finally spoke up, frowning. "But setting up a branch in Jiang City doesn't seem appropriate."

"Mainly because it's too close to the headquarters. It doesn't make much sense."

"I suggest we consider Beijing instead. The influence there would be greater."

His words were reasonable, and everyone nodded in agreement.

"I think you might have misunderstood something," Shen Luoyan said, her voice cold as she scanned the room. "I didn't call this meeting to seek your opinions. I'm here to inform you officially that I will establish a branch in Jiang City. If anyone disagrees, you can leave now."

Everyone was taken aback by her firm stance. They exchanged uneasy glances, no one daring to speak up.

After all, Shen Luoyan had fought hard to reach her current position, even against her own parents. Her methods were rumored to be less than honorable.

When she first took over the company a few years ago, she showed no mercy, dismissing both founding members who had grown complacent and relatives who were not contributing effectively.

The results were immediate and impressive. With capable and decisive individuals taking key positions, the company flourished rapidly. After renaming it "Qinghan Entertainment," the company's growth became unstoppable, solidifying its place among the top three entertainment companies in China.

It had been a long time since they last saw Shen Luoyan act so decisively, and they remembered the fear she once instilled in them.

"I have no objections."

"Neither do I."

"As for the establishment of the branch in Jiang City, please let me know what tasks need to be done, President Shen..."

One by one, everyone voiced their compliance. In reality, it wasn't a big deal, and opposition wouldn't change anything anyway. Shen Luoyan controlled 70% of Qinghan Entertainment's shares, giving her almost absolute power to push through any decision.

The meeting concluded in under an hour, with Shen Luoyan personally overseeing the location selection while delegating other responsibilities.

### A Call to Su Qingli

Back in her office, Shen Luoyan pondered for a moment before dialing Su Qingli's number.

"Miss Su, this is Shen Luoyan," she said, her tone cold and commanding.

She could afford to be polite with rivals like Su Qingli in front of Lu Han, but not privately.

"Do you have something to discuss, Miss Shen?" Su Qingli responded, equally cold and unimpressed.

Shen Luoyan cut to the chase. "When are you free? We need to talk."

"If it's about business, like renting locations for filming, I've already said I'd give you a fifty percent discount on Lu Han's account," Su Qingli replied calmly. "But if you want to talk about Lu Han, sorry, there's nothing to discuss."

Shen Luoyan chuckled. "Are you afraid?"

Su Qingli laughed too. "Do you know what you're saying?"

"Of course," Shen Luoyan said coolly. "Your reluctance to meet me shows you lack confidence."

"Miss Shen, reverse psychology won't work on me. And it's not that I lack confidence; it's just unnecessary. After all, I'm the one getting married to Lu Han."

Su Qingli countered sharply, "And frankly, you don't really understand Lu Han, or more accurately, you don't understand the current Lu Han. Otherwise, you wouldn't have called me."

She knew Shen Luoyan probably wasn't aware of Chu Ruoyan, otherwise, she wouldn't be so confident. Lu Han's coldness towards Chu Ruoyan was still fresh in her mind, proving he had been deeply hurt emotionally and hadn't fully recovered.

Without a doubt, Shen Luoyan was likely the root cause of his emotional trauma. If Lu Han couldn't forgive someone who reminded him of her, how could he ever forgive Shen Luoyan herself?

Shen Luoyan fell silent. Su Qingli was right; Lu Han had changed too much, becoming inscrutable.

"Alright, since you insist on meeting, let's talk," Shen Luoyan conceded, feeling a bit melancholic.

"Why did you change your mind?" Shen Luoyan asked, puzzled.

"Because even without me, you have little chance of getting back with Lu Han. So, I figured, why not meet you? It's not like I'm afraid of you," Su Qingli laughed lightly. "I'm always available. Just call me when you're in Jiang City."

With that, she hung up.

Shen Luoyan rubbed her temples, unwilling to admit she had slightly lost ground in the verbal sparring with her rival. 

"You're quite a tough opponent," she muttered, quickly regaining her composure. "We'll see about that, Su Qingli."

### Back at the Lu Family Estate

Lu Han was supervising the delivery of auction items to his bedroom. He had to admit, the auction house worked efficiently.

"Brother, what are you doing?" Lu Xue peeked in, her eyes lighting up at the sight of the jewelry. "Wow! These are beautiful. Did you buy them all?"

Girls naturally loved such things. Lu Han looked up from verifying the list and smiled. "If you like them, take them."

"But aren't these for your future sister-in-law?"

Lu Xue picked up a sapphire necklace and playfully draped it around her neck, imagining outfits to match.

"No, I bought her something else. It should be delivered by now," Lu Han replied, finishing the inspection. Signing off on the final item, he had all seven pieces verified and signed for, then instructed the maid to escort the delivery staff out.

"Aw~ Brother, you're the best!" Lu Xue thought Lu Han had specially bought these for her and was moved to tears, jumping onto him in gratitude.

Lu Han instinctively caught her, feeling a kiss on his cheek. He didn't think much of it; Lu Xue always treated him like a real brother, and her excitement was understandable.

However, Lu Ming, who happened to pass by, saw the scene differently. Watching Lu Xue cling to Lu Han, her face flushed with happiness, Lu Ming clenched his fists tightly.

Lu Han, you came back to fight for the family fortune.

But now you're after Lu Xue too! 

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