Chapter 129: If I Say You Can, You Can

Xu An'an was already nervous; she had put a tremendous amount of effort into this proposal, not only by researching online but also by seeking advice from experts. Some of those experts were people she had interviewed before, and she had built a decent rapport with them.

What if it didn’t even pass?

Anxiety mounting, she asked weakly, "Is it completely unusable?"

"Who else did you show this to before showing it to me?" Jiang Li countered, his gaze scrutinizing. When Jiang Li put on a stern face, he looked like a lion that had just woken up—his eyes and the aura he exuded were incredibly intimidating.

Xu An'an tightened her grip on her fingertips. "I just showed it to Gu Yang."

Jiang Li flipped the document in his hand and tapped the bottom right corner with his fingertip. "So, these notes were written by him?"

If Jiang Li hadn't pointed it out, Xu An'an truly wouldn't have known. She leaned in to look and realized they were just a few minor suggestions.

"Is there a problem with that?"

"You actually showed him first?"

Realizing the reason for Jiang Li’s anger, Xu An'an almost spat out a mouthful of blood. She rubbed her temples, fearing that if she didn't, she might lose control and punch him.

Seeing Xu An'an remain silent, Jiang Li scoffed coldly, "Who is more important, him or me?"

Xu An'an was full of question marks. She felt that Jiang Li was acting like a jealous, petulant primary spouse. It made him seem both cute and ridiculous.

Suppressing a smile, Xu An'an said with a straight face, "Why did I show Gu Yang first? You can interpret it this way: because you are the most important. After all, you are the one putting up the most money, so of course, it had to be checked repeatedly before being presented to you."

"I'll let it slide this time." Jiang Li picked up the document again and flipped through it. "Next time, regardless of whether it's good or bad, you must show it to me first."

Xu An'an promised solemnly, "No problem!"

Only then was Jiang Li satisfied. After a careful review, he felt there was nothing that needed a major overhaul, though a few small details needed further refinement.

"Not bad. Let’s go with this."

"No more changes needed?" Xu An'an was pleasantly surprised. She had braced herself for at least three rounds of revisions, never expecting it to pass on the first try.

Jiang Li gave a soft hum of agreement.

Xu An'an felt a bit insecure, mostly because Jiang Li seemed a bit perfunctory. Yet, if they really went through with this, the initial investment would exceed a hundred million!

Was this just a case of "the wealthy being willful"?

She struggled internally, wondering if she should suggest one more revision.

As if he knew what she was thinking, Jiang Li raised his eyes. The light shimmered in his gaze, clear and resolute. "I said it’s good, so it’s good. Have more confidence in yourself."

For some reason, Xu An'an suddenly felt at ease. Her confidence seemed to surge all at once.

Taking the opportunity, she brought up the matter of the brand ambassador. As if afraid he might refuse, she made sure her face was impeccably clean. "Look, isn't my skin exceptionally good? I've almost finished all the ointments you gave me."

Jiang Li reached out and pinched her cheek; the texture was excellent, like a freshly peeled egg.

"Fine, it’s you."

"Tell me, how much of a spokesperson fee do you want?"

Xu An'an hadn't really thought about that. She hadn't invested much money in this project, but if it succeeded, she stood to make a tidy profit. Getting a spokesperson fee on top of that was an unexpected bonus.

"I don't really understand these things. You decide."

"Aren't you afraid I'll underpay you?"

"Second Master is wealthy and generous; how could you possibly underpay me for such a small amount?"

"That’s hard to say. The new vice president will most likely be Jiang Yu. Do you think he'll be content just being a vice president? He might be eyeing my position, so I have to plan for a rainy day and save my money." Jiang Li said it as if it were a casual remark, but in reality, it was a probe. He wanted to know how Xu An'an would choose if Jiang Yu were to climb the ladder, provided he had a high chance of success.

"Him? He isn't even worth one of your fingers."

This was absolutely not flattery on Xu An'an’s part; it was completely heartfelt and escaped her lips before she could think.

Noticing Jiang Li looking at her with a curved smile, her face flushed. "Ahem, it's getting late. I'm going to sleep!"

Watching her flee, the curve of Jiang Li's lips deepened. Under normal circumstances, he would have followed her. But this time, he decided to give her some time to compose herself. Based on that last sentence alone, he could conclude that he held significant weight in her heart.

Lost in thought, Jiang Li closed his eyes, and a faint, gentle smile seemed to slip from his lips. He reached out to stroke the fat cat in his arms, making its tail wag with contentment. Xu An'an, who had been sneaking a look, quietly snapped a photo of the scene.

Seeing that Jiang Li hadn't followed her in, she found it quite strange.

Was he actually addicted to stroking the cat?

Still, the image of the man and the cat was incredibly harmonious.

...

After handing the proposal to Jiang Li, Xu An'an returned to her routine of being busy at the magazine office every day, while Jiang Li became increasingly occupied, to the point where he stopped coming home to sleep.

Jiang Yu, on the other hand, began calling Xu An'an every few days.

Xu An'an was annoyed beyond measure.

Eventually, Jiang Yu showed up at the magazine office, clutching a beautiful bouquet of roses, looking at her with soulful eyes. "An'an, I'm here to pick you up from work."

Instantly, the entire office was in an uproar. No one knew Xu An'an had a fiancé, and she had never revealed it; if she hadn't been forced into it, she would never have had anything to do with Jiang Yu.

She said coldly, "Come outside with me."

Not wanting to be treated like a performing monkey, she walked quickly out of the office, inwardly cursing that the small size of the magazine office was a drawback—there was no security, and anyone could just walk in.

Once outside, the fake smile on Jiang Yu’s face vanished. He felt that Xu An'an was pushing her luck and regretted coming here in person.

"What is wrong with you lately? In the past, you'd get angry when I was too busy to see you. Now, when I call, you brush me off, and when I come to see you, you give me a cold shoulder?"

"Do you have any idea that I'm human too, that I also..." get tired and exhausted.

"I don't know." Xu An'an interrupted him coldly. "If you're truly that aggrieved, then let's just break off the engagement."

Seemingly unable to believe his ears, Jiang Yu’s face soured instantly. "What did you say? Break off the engagement? Are you having another one of your unrealistic fantasies?"

"Let me tell you something."

"Grandmother invited Master Yuanji, who divined that your destiny is excellent, so I am definitely going to marry you. Can you finally rest easy now?"

"Are you f***ing sick, or do you just not understand human speech?" Xu An'an’s patience was disintegrating. Before Jiang Yu could speak again, she swung a punch at him!

Feeling a gust of wind against his face, Jiang Yu froze in terror. His eyes went cross-eyed, staring fixedly at the fist that had stopped only a few centimeters from his face, and he gulped hard.

If that punch had actually landed, wouldn't his face have caved in?

Seeing Jiang Yu so easily intimidated, Xu An'an scoffed, unavoidably thinking of Jiang Li. If it were that "dog of a man," how would he have reacted?