Marking My Arch-Rival [Rebirth] - Chapter 10

The young saleswoman had never experienced such a close-range beauty attack. Her cheeks immediately flushed red, and she stammered: “O-of course.”

She couldn’t help but peek at Ji Shihuan again: “You, you both look so good, so well-matched!”

“Thank you.” Ji Shihuan held up the safety manual she had rolled into a scroll, lightly tapped the young woman’s cheek with it, and smiled charmingly as she complimented her: “You are very cute, too.”

The gesture was a little flirty, but when she did it, it carried a unique, dashing charm. The blush on the young woman’s face spread all the way to her earlobes. She was so shy that she didn’t even notice she was walking out awkwardly, with both arms and legs moving simultaneously, as she retreated behind the table.

Ji Shihuan was in a great mood after flirting, but before she could revel in it further, she suddenly felt her left arm go empty—Jiang Boyan had already broken free from her arm and walked forward on her own.

She quickly chased after her, but Jiang Boyan’s attitude was colder than ever before. No matter what she said, Jiang Boyan’s expression did not soften.

Ji Shihuan was perplexed.

“Huh? Just because I stopped you from buying that barrier patch?”

Jiang Boyan acted as if she hadn’t heard her.

“That thing is no good. It’s completely non-breathable. If you wear it for too long, it’ll cause problems,” Ji Shihuan patiently explained. “Do you know why they don’t make an Alpha version? Alpha pheromones are strong. Wearing it for just a little while is intensely uncomfortable. They can only fool Omegas.”

She paused to catch her breath: “That girl was trying so hard to sell it. I couldn’t let her be embarrassed right then and there, so I had to find a way to stop you first.”

“You understand, right?”

Beneath a tall plane tree, Jiang Boyan finally stopped.

“Mm.” Her tone was very cold, and her eyes held a complex expression Ji Shihuan couldn’t read. “Thank you, Miss Ji, for your generous assistance.”

“Uh,” Ji Shihuan was taken aback, mumbling, “You’re speaking so formally…”

Jiang Boyan was facing her, but her gaze wasn’t on her. She preferred to stare at the heavily light-polluted neon signs on the street rather than look at Ji Shihuan’s stunning face.

Ji Shihuan felt annoyed.

She tapped the AO Safety Handbook, rolled up in her hand, against her palm: “Some people, you know, say ‘thank you for helping,’ but they can’t even spare a pleasant look.”

She asked: “What kind of logic is that?”

Jiang Boyan pulled at the corner of her lips in a perfunctory manner.

She spoke again: “I just feel that Miss Ji’s own charm is entirely sufficient. You really didn’t need to involve me in flirting with a young girl.”

“Oh.” Their thought processes were completely misaligned. Ji Shihuan frowned for a long time. “Are you that bothered by being called an AA couple? Afraid it will hurt your reputation?”

Jiang Boyan finally looked at her.

The street was bustling with people, not lacking in trendy, attractive young men and women. Ji Shihuan, dressed in classic black and white casual wear, was not only not overwhelmed but stood out as uniquely dazzling.

When the forsythia blooms, people flock to the mountains to admire them.

Jiang Boyan took a half-step back, trying to hide in the crowd.

“Alright, don’t be mad.” Ji Shihuan lowered her head, took her arm, and promised gently: “I won’t say it again in the future.”

The body temperature of another person came through the thin clothing. Jiang Boyan looked down and saw her even, slender finger joints.

Ji Shihuan didn’t have the small-fingernail preference common among some artists; her nails were neatly rounded.

Jiang Boyan wanted to ask what “future” there was between the two of them, but she felt it would be childish and kept her mouth shut.

Ji Shihuan saw her clearly sulking, sighed helplessly, and placed the safety manual in her hand.

“If you’re really interested in that barrier patch, there’s a sample pack inside this. Take it home and try it.”

This time, Jiang Boyan didn’t resist.

She silently accepted the manual, clenching it in her palm, creating an irreversible crease.

That night, Ji Shihuan returned home and received a transatlantic call from Shu Ni.

The transaction, which was expected to go smoothly, was stalled because the buyer was deliberately delaying the final payment. Shu Ni expressed her worries with anxiety.

“That company has been cooperating with us for several years. There have never been any problems before.” Ji Shihuan reassured her and then offered a viable suggestion: “Should I ask the original team to go over and assist you?”

Shu Ni hesitated for a moment and declined: “I think it’s better not to.”

This project was not just a simple transaction; it was Shu Ni’s badge of honor for her future promotion to Vice President. If the honor was divided by the original team, it would create an irreparable flaw.

“There shouldn’t be any major issues. I’ll wait and see.”

Ji Shihuan: “Alright.”

After discussing business, Shu Ni softened her voice and began to ask about her current situation.

“Shu Ni.” The spring night still carried some chill. Ji Shihuan picked up the cup on the table and took a sip of water, saying slightly hoarsely, “I’m a little tired.”

Shu Ni’s unspoken concern was completely blocked by that sentence.

“…Then rest early. We’ll talk about the rest when I get back.”

Ji Shihuan hummed in response.

She walked to the window and poured the completely cooled water into a potted asparagus fern.

“Come back soon.”

After the weekend, Ji Shihuan began working hard to find a new raw material supplier. She finished her business trip on Thursday afternoon and went straight to Huan Ji headquarters without even going home.

Nie Zheng continued as the CEO’s special assistant. When she returned, he brought the organized urgent documents into the office, waiting for Ji Shihuan to review them.

When a discussion about a specific asset sale project came up, Ji Shihuan raised an eyebrow.

“Hongxin wants to buy our lithium battery production line?”

Nie Zheng: “Yes.”

He selected key information to present: “They conveyed the acquisition interest through a third party. They are currently the highest bidder among all interested parties.”

Ji Shihuan: “Isn’t that great?”

“But…” Nie Zheng paused. “We held a small internal meeting yesterday. Most of the executives believe that since Hongxin is our competitor, we absolutely cannot sell the battery production line to them.”

With one party gaining and the other losing, selling the production line to Hongxin would only make Huan Ji more passive in future competition.

Ji Shihuan shrugged: “They don’t just disagree with selling it to Hongxin; they fundamentally disagree with me touching these assets at all.”

Huan Ji Technology was founded by Ji Shihuan’s parents when they were young. Now that the company had grown large, it inevitably retained many redundant and unprofitable assets.

In the past, Ji Shiqin was soft-hearted. People would use the excuse, “This is the factory your parents worked so hard to build, and the factory floor is full of veterans who have followed Huan Ji for many years,” to make him drop the idea of selling, allowing these operations to drag down the program’s efficiency like useless lines of code.

Ji Shihuan brought up the old topic after taking office, and those people thought they could get by with the same rhetoric.

But they hadn’t expected Ji Shihuan, a young woman, to have a colder heart than her brother.

“Don’t worry about them.” Ji Shihuan flipped to the back, saw the quoted price, and mentally evaluated it. “Sixty-seven million… still far from Hongxin’s bottom line.”

She looked at Nie Zheng: “Schedule a meeting with CEO Jiang from Hongxin. I’ll talk to her face-to-face.”

“Ah?” Nie Zheng was slightly surprised. “Contacting CEO Jiang directly?”

Selling assets usually involves a fixed process: quotation, counteroffer, further negotiation. The two sides sound each other out, and the final deal typically takes at least three months.

“Mm.” Ji Shihuan had the VAM agreement hanging over her head and couldn’t afford to waste much time. “After clearing out the trash assets, I have other things to do.”

“Understood.” Nie Zheng nodded.

Before opening the door to leave, he suddenly remembered something and turned to Ji Shihuan: “By the way, CEO Ji, Miss Shu has called the office several times, saying she couldn’t reach you.”

“I know,” Ji Shihuan said without looking up. “I was busy on the business trip and didn’t get the calls.”

Nie Zheng was a little confused.

Ji Shihuan had been out of town for the past few days, yet she had replied to every single work message he had sent her.

But he wouldn’t question Ji Shihuan’s word. He nodded: “Understood. She asked you to call her back when you have time.”

With that, Nie Zheng closed the door.

Hongxin also valued this acquisition project, and Jiang Boyan quickly responded, bringing her team to visit the following day.

Ji Shihuan arrived at the large conference room early, making final confirmations with her team.

She had only been in office for half a month, and the employees hadn’t fully figured out her temper. Seeing her blank expression, their voices were somewhat cautious.

In truth, Ji Shihuan was just a little tired. She had stayed up until 2 AM the night before and was forcibly awakened by her recent biological clock after only four hours of sleep. The employees’ reports involved a large number of technical terms and figures, and she had to concentrate fiercely to absorb the effective information.

As she listened, she heard footsteps outside.

Ji Shihuan looked up, sensing something, and her gaze met Jiang Boyan’s, who was being escorted down the hall by the receptionist.

Her eyes flickered, and then she curved her lips, pushing aside her fatigue to show her first smile since returning.