Chen Yan looked at Yu Qiao Qiao with a bit of surprise and then asked, "Qiao Qiao? What are you doing here?"

Yu Qiao Qiao smiled at Chen Yan and said, "We're on summer break now. So, I came to help out at the company."

Reminded by Yu Qiao Qiao, Chen Yan suddenly remembered that it was indeed the summer break. Yu Qiao Qiao didn't have classes and would, of course, be at the company.

He couldn't help patting his head, feeling a bit guilty as he said, "Look at my memory. I've been so busy recently, I completely forgot."

He couldn't help asking, "Did you move all your stuff back home during the holiday?"

Yu Qiao Qiao wasn't upset or angry about being forgotten by Chen Yan. She obediently nodded her head and then quietly explained, "We have a car at home. I also got my driver's license. With Brother Ying's help, I moved everything back."

Chen Yan then felt relieved.

He glanced at his watch, seeing there was still some time before the meeting was due to start. Then he simply opened his office and said to Yu Qiao Qiao, "Come. Let's sit in the office for a while."

Following Chen Yan into the office, Yu Qiao Qiao quietly explained, "Actually, I've heard from Sister Rou and Sister Man Man that you've been really busy lately. So, I didn't want to disturb you."

"Today, Phoenix asked me to come to the game company for something."

Seeing how well-behaved Yu Qiao Qiao was, the apologetic look in Chen Yan's eyes deepened. He gently touched Yu Qiao Qiao's hair and said tenderly, "Silly girl. You coming to see me isn't a disturbance."

"You are the most important person to me."

Hearing Chen Yan's sweet words, Yu Qiao Qiao's cheeks flushed with red, and she bashfully lowered her head, then whispered, "I know..."

"But I can't really contribute much to your work, and I don't want to hold you back."

Chen Yan gently smiled, held her in his arms, and comforted her, "You won't hold me back. Having you makes me want to work harder."

Seeing that Chen Yan wasn't the least bit upset with herself, Yu Qiao Qiao comfortably rested her head against his chest, embraced in his arms.

At that moment, holding Yu Qiao Qiao, Chen Yan felt extremely content as he looked down at the young girl.

Compared to their first meeting three years ago.

The young girl seemed to have changed quite a bit.

Her face was rounder, her body fuller, and her expression more confident.

But what hadn't changed was her dependence on him, her fondness for him.

Chen Yan felt that having her love in his life was truly a stroke of luck.

Thinking this, Chen Yan suddenly remembered something: It had been three years... He had met Yu Qiao Qiao three years ago. So, Yu Qiao Qiao must be about to start her senior year and then graduate, right?

With this thought, Chen Yan looked down at Yu Qiao Qiao and asked, "Qiao Qiao. After this summer break, will you be a senior?"

Yu Qiao Qiao obediently nodded her head and said, "Yes."

"Not just me, Brother Ying, Sister Nuan Nuan, Lu Lu, Nana, Pingping, all of us will be seniors."

She paused, then looked up at Chen Yan and asked, "Chen Yan. We don't have many classes in our senior year. We'll mostly be doing internships at companies and just need to complete some papers."

"Can I... intern at your company?"

Hearing Yu Qiao Qiao's question, Chen Yan almost laughed out loud.

He shook his head seriously, "No."

Seeing Chen Yan respond this way, Yu Qiao Qiao felt a bit disappointed.

She couldn't help but utter a soft "Oh," lowered her head, and quietly said, "Then I'll go look for other..."

She hadn't finished her words when Chen Yan interrupted her.

"You indeed can't intern. Because the position of Deputy Director at the Charity Organization was always reserved for you."

"I'll arrange things in the next few days, then help you with the formal paperwork for employment."

"Anyway, since you're here for the summer, let's start working now."

Hearing Chen Yan's words, Yu Qiao Qiao waved her hands hurriedly, feeling a bit flustered as she said, "I can't do it. This year, I've been really busy with my studies and haven't been involved in the charity organization at all."

"I came back to help recently and saw that things have really changed a lot."

"I feel like I'm floundering when I try to help out there."

"I don't know how to be a Deputy Director."

Chen Yan smiled and patted her head, saying, "Don't worry. Even if you don't know, there are still me and Sister Yao."

Sister Yao was the manager of the charity organization that Chen Yan and Yu Qiao Qiao had chosen together in the past.

This organization had developed so well during this period, largely thanks to her efforts and the assistance from the Charity Federation of Qindong Province.

Yu Qiao Qiao still wanted to refuse, but Chen Yan simply bent down and blocked her mouth.

Initially, Yu Qiao Qiao was a bit resistant, but she was quickly conquered by the tenderness and gradually closed her eyes, softly wrapping her arms around Chen Yan's back, accepting Chen Yan's assertiveness.

The kiss lasted for over a minute.

Yu Qiao Qiao felt like she was almost suffocating.

Her mind went blank, her body went limp, and she became oblivious to everything else.

At last, when Chen Yan let her go, she finally had a moment to catch her breath.

At that time, seeing her face flush red, both pure and desirous, Chen Yan smiled again and patted her head before saying, "Alright. Listen to me on this one. I will arrange everything properly."

Adding to that, he said, "You should understand. The reason I do charity work is all because of you."

"So, you should come and help me properly. Don't run away."

"Because..."

"I only trust you."

Having said all this, Chen Yan glanced at his watch and noticed five or six minutes had passed by; he guessed that Yang Rou and He Mengxue had probably arrived by now.

So he said to Yu Qiao Qiao, "I need to go to a meeting now."

"Wait for me patiently in the office."

"I've been a bit busy lately and haven't looked after you. Let's have a good chat later."

Hearing Chen Yan's arrangement, the typically soft-natured Yu Qiao Qiao nodded weakly in agreement.

Seeing her agree, Chen Yan turned and left the office.

Looking at Chen Yan's departing figure, Yu Qiao Qiao's lips unwittingly curled into a slight smile.

She felt every minute and every second she spent with Chen Yan was sweet.

It was like adding an extra scoop of sugar to the plain water of life.

She liked the time spent with Chen Yan.

But she wasn't a greedy girl. She knew Chen Yan was busy, so when he was busy, she was willing to wait quietly by his side.

She still remembered when she left the dormitory, Yang Nuan had asked her: You and Chen Yan are so close, but you don't see him often, doesn't that hurt?

Yu Qiao Qiao answered, "Hurt? Not really. Because even when I can't see Chen Yan, I haven't forgotten him. Instead, I silently miss and think of him."

At that time, Zhao Ying curiously asked: What's missing?

Yu Qiao Qiao, "Missing, it means every time my phone rings, I hope it's him."

"Every single time."

She could endure loneliness, withstand missing him, and just wanted to continue on well with Chen Yan...

...

After leaving the office, Chen Yan headed towards the conference room.

As he approached the conference room's door, Yang Rou came out from inside.

**Chen Yan called out to her,** "Sister Rou? Have you been waiting long?"

Yang Rou glanced at Chen Yan and calmly shook her head, "No. I had just arrived at the company when you bumped into Qiao Qiao."

"I thought you would be a while longer, so I wanted to head downstairs to get a file."

**Chen Yan smiled and said,** "No, I asked Qiao Qiao to wait a bit. Let's start the meeting first."

Yang Rou nodded coldly.

The two of them walked into the conference room.

As they passed by Yang Rou, Chen Yan heard her say, "Mr. Chen. Just by looking into her eyes, I can tell she's a good girl."

"You should cherish girls who still carry purity in their eyes because they haven't experienced much and still have beliefs."

"They deserve to be loved."

Hearing Yang Rou's words, Chen Yan paused momentarily.

Then he just casually smiled and entered the conference room.

Inside the conference room, He Mengxue was busily typing away on a laptop. Given her serious demeanor, she seemed to be handling official business.

Chen Yan raised his hand to greet her, then motioned for Yang Rou to sit down.

After settling in his seat, he started discussing the reason he had called the two women there, "The reason I've called you two here is because I have a preliminary idea. I'd like to hear your opinions and see if you have any suggestions."

Hearing Chen Yan's words, Yang Rou and He Mengxue looked towards him, curious about what Chen Yan wanted to discuss.

Then they heard him say,

"It's like this. Our companies are doing very well now. I also have quite a bit of cash on hand. So, I'm thinking of venturing into the industry on Qin Island."

"In this venture, the goal isn't to make money but to provide more job opportunities for the local residents and create an influential brand for the place."

Hearing Chen Yan's words, Yang Rou and He Mengxue started to think deeply.

Chen Yan didn't continue speaking, just watching them, giving them time to think.

Finally, it was Yang Rou who took the initiative and asked, "Has Director Chen come up with an idea yet?"

Upon hearing Yang Rou's question, He Mengxue also turned her gaze toward Chen Yan.

Chen Yan, noticing both individuals looking at him, nodded slightly and replied, "Yes."

"My idea is to create a beverage."

As he spoke, Chen Yan briefly outlined his reasoning.

Consequently, He Mengxue and Yang Rou once again found themselves deep in thought.

After a moment, it was He Mengxue who took the initiative and said, "Chen Yan, I think your idea might actually work."

Her mind whirred rapidly before she added, "Because... I recently had a similar idea myself."

Chen Yan looked toward He Mengxue.

He Mengxue closed her laptop and then explained, "Recently, due to having to investigate the conditions of various companies, I've been frequently traveling."

"When I traveled, and when I visited the various companies, I noticed that some of the modern perceptions are indeed changing."

"In the beginning, people only wanted to eat enough and drink enough."

"Later, people wanted to eat well and drink well."

"And now, people want to eat healthily and drink healthily."

"Along with the popularity of concepts such as fitness, calories, and sugar content, more and more people are pursuing healthy, sugar-free beverages."

"I couldn't help but think of some of the zero-sugar, zero-calorie soft drinks abroad."

"These types of beverages were very popular overseas at one time and still are an important category of beverage."

"However, in our country, for some reasons, there are still no such type of beverages available."

"After hearing you mention this, I started wondering... maybe we could try this direction?"

Upon hearing He Mengxue's words, Chen Yan fell into deep thought.

He felt... the concept really seemed promising.

His constitution had improved to +9, and to maintain it, he had also started focusing on a healthy diet while engaging in fitness regimens.

While researching online, he discovered that many people were also focusing on the same area as him.

So... this might really be an opportunity.

Thinking of this, Chen Yan turned to Yang Rou and asked, "Sister Rou, what's your opinion?"

From the moment He Mengxue brought up this matter, Yang Rou had been deep in thought.

And hearing Chen Yan addressing her,

She lifted her head and replied, "Director Chen, I'm not familiar with this area, so I can't offer any particularly valuable advice."

"However, if I were a consumer, I would find the concept of a healthy beverage quite interesting."

Seeing that Yang Rou also felt positive about the idea, Chen Yan felt even more reassured.

He told He Mengxue, "Mengxue, draft a preliminary proposal in the next few days. I want to take a look and study it."

He Mengxue nodded in agreement.

While the two were exchanging ideas, Yang Rou pondered for a moment, then spoke up, "Director Chen, while I think your approach to developing industry is not problematic,"

"and it indeed is strongly supported by the nation,"

"however,"

"the physical economy has been consistently sluggish, and the profit margins are very low. I think you should give it a try, but don't neglect the core business."

Chen Yan knew that given Yang Rou's character, her speaking up to give advice meant that she truly considered him one of her own.

So he replied with a smile, "Don't worry. I won't forget about our group's core industry."

"This beverage company, I'm treating it like a charity organization, not really looking to profit from it. It's just to benefit the community."

Hearing Chen Yan's positioning of the new company, Yang Rou finally relaxed.

After all, the film company was at a crucial juncture of development right now, and the success of "Medicine God" had given Chenlu Film a dominating stance.

Yang Rou had never been so close to achieving her revenge.

If at this time, Chen Yan suddenly decided to delve into the physical economy and neglected the film company, she would be inconsolable...

The three continued their conversation for a while longer, confirming that their ideas were sound, and since Yu Qiao Qiao was still waiting in the office, Chen Yan didn't linger any longer and decided to dispel the meeting.

However, as he was about to leave, Chen Yan couldn't help but remember what Yu Qiao Qiao had said earlier.

Besides Yu Qiao Qiao, Yang Nuannuan and Zhao Ying were also on holiday, and they would soon face internships in their senior year.

With this in mind, Chen Yan looked at Yang Rou and asked, "Sister Rou, is Nuannuan currently on holiday at home?"

"Has she ever thought about coming back to work for the company?"

"After this summer vacation, she'll have her internship in her senior year. Working at another company wouldn't be as good as working by your side."

"We can also use her previous performance in the company to determine her rank directly."

Upon hearing Chen Yan's words, Yang Rou paused momentarily and a hesitant look appeared on her face.

After a moment, she said, "I'll talk to her when I get home."

Chen Yan nodded, then turned his gaze toward He Mengxue.

"Mengxue, do you have any plans tonight?"

After the meeting was adjourned, He Mengxue picked up her laptop, preparing to go back and continue with her work.

After all, once her work was done, she still had the "Beverage Factory Report" that Chen Yan had commissioned her to write.

Later, upon hearing Chen Yan mention Yang Nuannuan, she immediately became alert and slowed her pace, erecting her ears to listen to the conversation between Chen Yan and Yang Rou.

But, who knew, Chen Yan didn't play by the book.

He really was all business, and after asking about Yang Nuannuan, he asked her a question next.

Hearing Chen Yan's question, He Mengxue was stunned for a moment, then reflexively said, "Oh... I'm not busy."

After finishing her sentence, He Mengxue came back to her senses and started guessing...

Did Chen Yan ask if she was busy because he wanted to invite her to dinner?

The thought that Chen Yan might want to invite her out made He Mengxue a bit excited.

After all, this was one of the few times Chen Yan had taken the initiative to ask her out!

Just as she was fantasizing about it, Chen Yan said, "Oh, that's good."

He added, "Could you do some overtime and help me look up the equity structure of Weibo? It doesn't have to be particularly secretive, just the publicly available information is fine."

"I've recently taken an interest in it."

Hearing Chen Yan's words, He Mengxue was almost unable to react.

Just... this?

Asking if she was busy just to have her work overtime?

He Mengxue almost thought the Chen Yan in front of her was not the real one.

You should know that Chen Yan was the one who hated to see employees work overtime the most.

How could he make such a complete turnaround now?

Actually... Chen Yan was also quite helpless.

Now, since Zhao Ying had graduated and would be interning next year,

Chen Yan then had to quickly make proper arrangements for her.

Otherwise... If she stayed too long at the Zhao Family and Zhao Xuan arranged a different job for her, Chen Yan would find it difficult to poach her back from Zhao Xuan's hands.

You must know, one of Zhao Ying's career directions was media, an area that Chen Yan valued highly.

So, once Zhao Ying slipped away, Chen Yan really would be the one left crying without tears.

And these tasks, he could actually handle himself. But since he was spending tonight with Yu Qiao Qiao, he wouldn't have time, so he had to entrust it to He Mengxue instead.

At this moment, He Mengxue looked at Chen Yan, feeling increasingly aggrieved.

She felt she was the distinguished young lady of the He family! Once, she was an unquestionable figure in Qin Island Bay! The real boss lady! And yet, she ended up being toyed with by Chen Yan like this!

She really wished she could throw Chen Yan into a frying pan and fry him until golden brown on both sides to soothe her resentment!

So...

She took a deep breath.

Then, with a salute and a forced smile on her face, she said, "Alright, task guaranteed~~"

Chen Yan failed to notice her insincerity, feeling satisfied as he patted her on the shoulder, saying, "Thanks. I appreciate it~"

After speaking, Chen Yan left the meeting room.

And as soon as Chen Yan left, He Mengxue's face immediately fell, and she looked utterly aggrieved.

She watched Chen Yan's departing figure, feeling extremely humble.

And the key was, she felt so humbled that she didn't even know what to do to win Chen Yan's heart.

'Chen Yan... how can I win you over? Is it a burlap sack or sweet talk that's needed...'

Perhaps because women are generally more attentive than men, although Chen Yan hadn't noticed_mDSSHe Mengxue's changing expressions, Yang Rou had seen it all.

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