Chapter 31: The Contract

When Wen Yan’s call came through, Jiang Mian was on her phone searching for information. Seeing a name that had not appeared for so long, she realized with a start that she had forgotten to block him. Without hesitation, she hung up and promptly added him to her blacklist.

As if her phone had suddenly become much cleaner, she felt quite pleased. She rose and headed downstairs. Xiao Li and a few other employees were still in the studio, huddled together and whispering about something. Seeing her come down, Xiao Li turned around immediately. "Sister Mianmian!"

"Hey, have you all eaten yet?" She rubbed the back of her neck and scanned the room, noticing no signs of takeout packaging.

Xiao Li scratched her head, looking a bit embarrassed, and turned to the other two. "Not yet, we forgot."

"Let's go to the little restaurant nearby and grab a bite then." She remembered there was a small eatery in the industrial park that stayed open quite late. If they went now, it should still be open.

Since Jiang Mian suggested it, they didn't refuse. They tidied up their things and headed out with her. The lights in the villa were left on, as Jiang Mian planned to return shortly.

The small restaurant was run by a man in his fifties who served home-style dishes and fried rice. Many people in the park frequented the place, mostly because the prices were quite affordable.

"Boss, are you still open?" Jiang Mian asked as they approached. The owner was squatting at the entrance, scrubbing a wok.

He looked up, saw her, and immediately stood up with a smile. "Still open! You can sit inside or outside, wherever you like."

In Beijing, the temperature in June was already starting to climb, but the evening breeze was gentle and quite pleasant. After consulting the three others, they all decided to eat outside and took their seats. The restaurant was kept very clean by the owner; though small, it felt cozy.

Seeing there were four of them, the owner whipped up four dishes and a bowl of soup. When it was served, Xiao Li couldn't help but exclaim, "Boss, this looks and smells absolutely amazing!"

Jiang Mian smiled. He was a veteran cook, after all; he certainly had the skills. As she ate, Jiang Mian was lost in thought. She had just finished two design drafts, but she had no idea where they would end up. Although things had seemed calm lately, there was no telling what kind of underhanded tricks Jiang Zhouyi might be pulling behind the scenes.

With the engagement banquet of Jiang Zhixuan and Wen Yan over, he was probably racking his brains on how to get the Wen family to support him. Relying solely on his own meager abilities, he could never prop up the Jiang Corporation; if the company eventually collapsed, he would likely be the biggest tumor of all. Jiang Mian would never allow such a thing to happen.

Just then, she felt a sharp, pungent taste in her mouth. She grabbed a napkin, lowered her head, and spat the offending piece out. Xiao Li, who was chewing, looked over at her and saw her brow furrowed in concentration. She sighed. "Sister Mianmian, what are you thinking about? You're not even focused on your food."

She had accidentally bitten into a large chunk of ginger without even looking. It was easy to see why she looked so uncomfortable. She felt a bit embarrassed and used another napkin to wipe her mouth. "I was thinking about the design drafts; I got a bit distracted."

"Focus on your meal first. We can think about it after we're done; there's no use rushing it now," Xiao Li said, feeling a pang of sympathy. She knew that given the studio's current situation, Jiang Mian didn't have to push herself so hard. But she also knew how much heart and soul Jiang Mian had poured into this studio; it wasn't something she could just abandon. Even though people say, "As long as the green hills remain, there’s no fear of running out of firewood," one still had to strive to see the results.

After the meal, Jiang Mian urged the three of them to head home early. Unable to sway her, Xiao Li and the others hailed a taxi and left. Jiang Mian walked back to the studio alone, her mind still turning over the same questions—what was the next move?

As it turned out, Jiang Mian was right. If she didn't take the initiative to reach out to them, they would surely create trouble for her. When Jiang Zhouyi's assistant arrived at the studio, he was blocked at the door by Xiao Li. Her expression was cold; she was not at all welcoming to anyone from the Jiang family. "I'm sorry, you cannot enter."

The man was Jiang Zhouyi's assistant, having served him for several years. He was well aware of the volatile, "deep-water and scorching fire" relationship between Jiang Zhouyi and Jiang Mian. It was understandable that her staff wouldn't let him in. "Then could you please ask Ms. Jiang to come out? I truly have business with her."

Someone had already gone upstairs to notify Jiang Mian. When she came down, the assistant was standing outside the door, wearing a black suit and holding a briefcase, looking strictly professional. Seeing her emerge, a flicker of awkwardness crossed his face. Jiang Mian had no interest in making things difficult for a mere employee. Her gaze lingered on the briefcase for two seconds before she looked away.

"What is it?"

The assistant cleared his throat and hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Mr. Jiang has a document he would like you to sign. You may take a look at it."

He didn't have the heart to explain what it was exactly. He took the document out of his briefcase and handed it to Jiang Mian. After flipping through a few pages, she pulled out her phone to take photos of it. Mindful of the assistant, she looked up. "Mr. Jiang doesn't mind if I consult a lawyer, does he?"

"Er..." Honestly, Jiang Zhouyi had only told him to bring the contract for Jiang Mian to sign; he hadn't mentioned whether she could consult a lawyer. The assistant nodded. "That is entirely up to you."

She nodded and quickly sent the photos to the lawyer who worked with her studio. The reply came back quickly: "If you sign this contract, your shares in the Jiang Corporation will be transferred to Jiang Zhixuan, making her the shareholder with the most leverage. Also, you will be prohibited from working in the Jiang Corporation or any related industries in the future. There is a trap here."

Not only did they want to strip her of her shares, but they also wanted to cut off all her paths to survival? Was Jiang Zhouyi truly this delusional? When he sent someone to deliver this contract, was he grinning from ear to ear?

Jiang Mian clenched her fists, slammed the contract shut, and shoved it back into the assistant's arms. The cold sneer on her face was impossible to hide, and she gritted her teeth. "Go back and tell him: if he has the guts, he can come and see me himself."

Sending someone else to deliver a contract—what kind of skill was that? He had banked on her being too decent to take her anger out on a mere employee, hadn't he?

The assistant nodded, not wanting to disturb her further, and turned to leave. He had done his job and would relay her words; Jiang Zhouyi had no reason to take his frustration out on him.

Once he was out of sight, Xiao Li rushed out of the room, pointing in the direction the assistant had left and cursing. "What a jerk! Who does he think he is, treating our Sister Mianmian like this!"

"One day, we will reach the pinnacle, and then we'll be able to challenge them without a shred of fear!"

Xiao Li's words were meant to be comforting. The corners of Jiang Mian's eyes were slightly red. She patted Xiao Li's shoulder, signaling her to go back inside and not to get angry over people and things that didn't matter.