Please Marry Me (GL) - Chapter 20

In the conference room of Jiayu Group, five or six people sat below the dais. Yin Lei stood before the silver screen, presenting the coating solution her team had finalized over the past few days.

“Jie Yiqian and Peng Heng collected data on thirteen manufacturers of architectural coatings. After a comparative analysis of price, profit, transportation loss, compatibility, production cycle, yield, and several external factors, we believe that Manufacturer No. 6, Zuo Renhao, is our optimal choice.”

Yin Lei gestured for her teammate to scroll up the PPT. “First, compatibility. Zuo Renhao’s coatings have better hydrophobic and oleophobic properties than the other twelve; they have a twenty-year reputation. Second, his factory is closer to the client’s construction site than the others, which could save approximately 200,000 in transportation losses… Finally, the estimated price is between 40 million and 43 million, well within the 55 million limit set by the real estate mogul. This concludes the proposal.”

Shen Siyun, sitting at the far right of the conference table, studied the plan thoughtfully. “The coatings from Manufacturers No. 3, 8, and 10 are nearly identical to Zuo Renhao’s. Zuo Renhao is more expensive because of his twenty-year reputation. Have specific evaluations been done on the other three?”

Yin Lei answered without hesitation: “Yes. Although Zuo Renhao is more expensive, his advantages in other areas—such as lower loss during transport, storage, and application—compensate for the price difference. Compared to Zuo Renhao, the only advantage No. 3, 8, and 10 have is price; in all other aspects, they fall far short.”

Shen Siyun leaned forward, fingers interlaced on the table. “Do we know anything about Zuo Renhao himself? How certain are we that we can reach an agreement?”

Yin Lei replied, “Rumor has it he’s approachable and easy to talk to. However, it’s said that since his 50th birthday this year, he has delegated all company operations to his son, Zuo Jinrong. Very little is known about Zuo Jinrong, not just by us but even by their long-term partners. As for the success of a collaboration, it’s hard to say at this stage.”

“There are no failed collaborations, only interests that haven’t aligned.” Shen Siyun signaled her approval of the plan. “Get to work on it. Meeting adjourned.”

After the meeting, Yin Lei immediately organized her team and assigned tasks. By the time everything was finished, it was already time to clock out.

As she was tidying her desk, a message arrived from Jiang Yi.

Jiang Yi: [Manager Yin, are you off work? I was wondering if I could treat you to dinner today?]

The question was followed by a cute cat emoji.

Jie Yiqian bumped into her on the way out and asked casually, “Team Leader, want to grab dinner at the cafeteria?”

Yin Lei put her phone away. “No, I have plans.”

Jie Yiqian shrugged. “Alright then.”

Over at Qiguang Trading, Lin Fei and Yan Zhijie huddled tensely around a screen. When they saw Yin Lei agree to dinner, they both breathed a sigh of relief.

“Impressive, babe! You must have ‘social butterfly syndrome’ or something to actually land a date with her.”

Lin Fei found it a bit unbelievable, but then reasoned that while Jiang Yi was new to Qiguang, she had at least two or three years of experience. She wasn’t a total novice; perhaps she just had exceptional communication skills.

“Jiang Yi, do you want to borrow my car?” Yan Zhijie offered, trying to help.

Lin Fei shook her head. “Better not. We’ll drop her off. That way, if she doesn’t get any info during dinner, she can use the ‘I don’t have a car’ excuse to ask Yin Lei for a ride. It increases their contact time.”

Yan Zhijie agreed. “Exactly. Opportunities are created. Jiang Yi, hurry up and get ready. We’ll head to the restaurant early to scout.”

After agreeing on the location, Jiang Yi rushed to a Japanese restaurant called Chuju Shiwu.

Since it was late summer, Jiang Yi wore a casual cream-colored “cherry” dress. The 3D cherry patterns popped against the fabric—understated yet eye-catching. She paired it with a soft apricot cardigan, perfect for the mild weather. She had recently changed her hair color to a tea-chestnut brown; her soft French curls draped over her left shoulder, making her look elegant and poised.

After Lin Fei and Yan Zhijie dropped her off, Jiang Yi took her seat, wearing silver kitten heels and carrying a small white handbag. A few minutes later, Yin Lei arrived.

Yin Lei’s outfit was much simpler: a half-sleeved white shirt and high-grade grey trousers. Her shirt was tucked in, making her look sharp and tall. The top two buttons of her loose shirt were undone, revealing a straight collarbone—a look that was clean, fresh, yet lazy and comfortable.

She still wore the green-faced quartz watch. Seeing that Jiang Yi had arrived before her, Yin Lei glanced at the time in surprise. “I don’t believe I’m late.”

“You aren’t. I just came early,” Jiang Yi said with a smile. She sensed Yin Lei was an extremely disciplined person—the type who would usually be the first to arrive at any function.

Jiang Yi called the waiter over and picked up the menu. “What would you like to eat? Or rather, what do you usually like?”

“I’m fine with anything. As long as it isn’t wasabi, I like all Japanese food.”

Not picky at all… Jiang Yi didn’t know whether to be happy or sad about this; her plan to start a conversation through food was likely going to fail.

The waiter approached with a smile. “You can scan the QR code to order.”

…God is on my side.

Jiang Yi quickly scanned the code, opened the mini-program, and handed her phone to Yin Lei. “Manager Yin, you order first. Don’t be shy.”

“Just call me Yin Lei.” Yin Lei took the phone, her eyes scanning the screen. She made her selections quickly. “Here you go.”

Jiang Yi excitedly tapped on the selected items, but her face immediately fell. “Just a bowl of tonkotsu ramen and foie gras sushi? Are you trying to save me money?”

Yin Lei was silent for two seconds before saying, “No.”

The silence was subtle. Jiang Yi understood—she was trying to save her money.

“I might be a new employee, but I can afford a Japanese dinner without any stress. Besides, this place isn’t expensive. Trust me, you won’t break my bank.”

Jiang Yi wrinkled her nose in disapproval and looked back at the phone, muttering, “How can you get full on just that? Japanese portions are tiny, it’s not like hearty Northeast Chinese cuisine.”

“Let’s get the set for two. It has foie gras and glass shrimp nigiri, eel rice, a sashimi platter, avocado salmon salad, tonkotsu ramen, and scallion beef tongue. That should be enough for us.”

“Let me see if there are any new items…” Jiang Yi scrolled through the menu intently. “I’ve never had this Saikyo-yaki Silver Cod. Shall we try it?”

Yin Lei sipped her tea. When a woman asks “shall we try it,” it’s the same as asking “are you hungry”—there is usually only one answer. “Mhm, sure.”

“Let’s start with that then. We can order more if we’re still hungry.” After submitting the order, Jiang Yi felt satisfied.

She didn’t forget her mission. Before the food arrived, she propped her chin on her hands and gazed at Yin Lei with a gentle, shimmering look. Suddenly, she remembered something. “By the way, you probably don’t even know my name yet, do you? I’m—”

“Jiang Yi.” The woman across from her beat her to it.

“Oh, so you knew.” The lipstick Jiang Yi wore today was particularly beautiful—a rich maple-leaf brown. When she spoke, her bright teeth and red lips were captivating.

Yin Lei shifted her gaze slightly, focusing on the tip of Jiang Yi’s nose. “I saw the name you registered in the infirmary.”

“Ah, right. I thought you heard it from She—” Jiang Yi cut herself off, realizing she was veering off track.

That day, Shen Siyun had been so aggressive, calling her by her full name in such a tone as if Jiang Yi had committed some great sin against her.

“I heard you’re married?” Yin Lei asked casually.

Jiang Yi nodded. Remembering the woman named Xie Fulan and that “snitch” phone call, she was afraid Yin Lei would think she was a loose woman. She quickly explained, “But I have nothing to do with Shen Siyun anymore. She’s just being petty and picking on me because of her wounded pride.”

“Your relationship sounds quite complicated,” Yin Lei smiled, seemingly not misunderstanding.

Relieved, Jiang Yi decided to dig deeper. “Which university did you attend?”

Yin Lei: “Yingyu University.”

Yingyu University was one of the top schools in the country, sprawling and prestigious. But its even more famous offspring was the independent research institute—the Yingyu Academy of Sciences. That was a place only PhDs could usually enter.

“What a coincidence! My wife is a chemistry professor at the Yingyu Academy of Sciences. Technically, does that make me your ‘Mistress’?”

As soon as she said it, Jiang Yi felt she was overstepping. She quickly added, “Don’t get the wrong idea. I’m not trying to pull rank. You’re a senior I look up to.”

“It’s fine.” Yin Lei didn’t seem to mind. “Jiang Yi, you said your wife is a chemistry professor. Is her name Song Rao?”

“Yes! You know her?”

“I sat in on her classes a few times. I eventually stopped because I couldn’t understand them, and I gave up the idea of changing majors.”

“It seems we really do have a connection.” Seeing the food arrive, Jiang Yi dropped the topic. “Quick, try it.”

Halfway through the meal, Yin Lei took a call.

“You’re saying… Zuo Jinrong is going to Nanming City for a vacation tomorrow?” Yin Lei frowned. “Did you find out how long he’ll be gone?”

“…Mhm, I see. I’ll discuss it with President Shen tomorrow.”

Jiang Yi put down her chopsticks and picked up her phone. Pretending to chat, she secretly messaged Lin Fei: “Zuo Jinrong vacation Nanming City.” She asked her to find out who he was.

Lin Fei and Yan Zhijie were eating hotpot next door. When they saw the secret report, they perked up. After a quick search, they became extremely excited, ignoring their food.

Lin Fei: [Jiang Yi! This guy’s father is a coating manufacturer! That famous Haocheng Paint commercial on TV? That’s their brand!]

Jiang Yi was thrilled. Mission accomplished!

“Jiang Yi, who are you chatting with?” Yin Lei asked, noticing her excitement after putting her phone down.

“Ah, just a friend. We’re talking about some gossip.” Jiang Yi suppressed her excitement so as not to blow her cover. “Some very interesting gossip.”

Whether out of genuine interest or just a desire to keep the conversation going, Yin Lei actually asked, “Can you tell me? I’d like to hear how interesting it is.”

“Oh.” Jiang Yi blinked, her mind racing. In a stroke of quick thinking, she shared a piece of gossip she had heard recently.

“So, there was this rich lady who fell for a female college student. she pursued her relentlessly, even following her into the classroom to sit in on lectures. But the professor called on the rich lady to answer a question. She couldn’t do it and kept looking at the student to bail her out. But the student ignored her. The rich lady probably never felt so slighted; she actually cried right there in front of everyone.”

Jiang Yi paused. “But she didn’t give up. For a whole month, she was like a persistent little cockroach, accompanying the student to every class. I heard they eventually got together, but supposedly they broke up soon after. I’m not sure about the ending.”

“Professor Song Rao told you that gossip, didn’t she?” Yin Lei raised her eyes, her expression unreadable.

“Y-Yes.” Jiang Yi met her gaze. When Song Rao had told her that story, she had found it hilarious. But the woman across from her wasn’t smiling at all.

An uneasy feeling crept over her. “Wait… have you heard it before?”

Yin Lei nodded. Jiang Yi breathed a sigh of relief. If she’d heard it already, no wonder she didn’t find it funny. She reached for a piece of sushi, but the next second, she froze.

“Jiang Yi,” Yin Lei said quietly, “did you ever consider that I was that college student?”