"I’ve also seen the news that’s been going viral on social media and online."
Dong Shanshan sat down next to Wu Jun, turned to him, and teased, "These people believe anything they hear. They’ve really done a number on our CEO Wu."
Wu Jun smiled. "In front of you, Shanshan, what kind of CEO am I? Don’t tease me."
Dong Shanshan was twenty-eight years old, one year older than Wu Jun. But because she was an avid fitness enthusiast and took great care of herself, she turned more heads on the street than an eighteen-year-old girl.
She owned five large hotel chains in the city and was the customer who used the largest volume of rice among Wu Jun’s first batch of clients.
After receiving a complimentary gym membership, Wu Jun had come to this gym to work out and coincidentally ran into Dong Shanshan. Only then did he learn that this gym was also one of her businesses.
By Wu Jun’s estimate, Dong Shanshan’s net worth was at least several tens of millions. She was a bona fide young, wealthy woman, and his own current achievements were hardly worth mentioning in her presence.
Although he hadn’t known Dong Shanshan for long, she was incredibly loyal. With rumors running rampant these past two days, many restaurants had stopped ordering, and quite a few had even returned their stock. Yet, she continued to place her orders without fail. One of the membership cards he had given out today was for her.
"Did you offend someone?" Dong Shanshan dropped her playful tone and got straight to the point.
"A competitor, you could say," Wu Jun said, turning to face Dong Shanshan. "The rumors spreading online and the paid trolls slandering Hongyun Rice are all the work of He Qingfeng, the general agent for Meng Zalang."
"Meng Zalang, He Qingfeng..." Dong Shanshan thought for a moment. "I’ve heard about him in my circles. They say he’s not a good person—a real black-hearted guy. Besides selling rice, he also owns a few auto repair shops and several 4S dealerships."
"Is that so? I thought he was just a rice seller like me. I didn’t expect him to be a big boss with assets in several industries." Wu Jun was a little surprised to hear this. All he knew about He Qingfeng was his name and his role as the Meng Zalang general agent.
Dong Shanshan said with a puzzled look, "That doesn’t make sense, though. His business is quite large. It shouldn’t be worth his while to use so many dirty tricks against you over a little rice business."
"I guess you’d have to ask him what he’s thinking." Wu Jun shrugged and chuckled.
Dong Shanshan warned, "This guy, He, is said to be very vindictive. The workers at his repair shops are all from his hometown. Rumor has it that he once led a group of his mechanics to trash a competing auto repair shop. Wu Jun, you’d better not push things too far with him, or he might drop all pretenses and start playing dirty."
"Thanks for the warning, Shanshan. Whatever game he wants to play, I’ll play along." Wu Jun smiled, completely unfazed. He stood up. "It’s getting late. I’m going to go wash up and head home. See you later."
With that, Wu Jun turned and strode toward the sauna.
Dong Shanshan watched Wu Jun’s retreating back, wondering where he got his confidence from.
If He Qingfeng wanted to play dirty, Wu Jun couldn’t be happier.
’So what if you have a lot of guys? Can you really round up a hundred or so people?’
With the 100 Farmers from [Resource Tycoon] backing him up, Wu Jun was already being very low-key by not walking sideways through Shimen City.
After washing up, Wu Jun changed his clothes and took the elevator down to the underground parking garage.
Underground Parking Garage, Level B2.
The elevator doors opened.
Wu Jun stepped out of the elevator, pulled out his car key, and pressed the unlock button. A short distance away, the car chirped twice as it unlocked.
He pinpointed the location by the sound and started walking toward his parking spot.
In the distance, not far from his parking spot, Wu Jun saw a woman with a great figure standing there, dressed in a black, form-fitting dress.
The woman had her back to him and was on her phone.
"Thank you for your trouble. I’ll figure something else out," the woman said into the phone. After hanging up, she stomped her foot in frustration. The heel of her high heel struck the ground with a sharp CLICK-CLACK.
’Her voice sounds a little familiar...’ Wu Jun thought as he heard her speak. He felt like he’d heard it somewhere before. It was soft and melodic, very pleasant to the ear.
After stomping her foot, the woman let out a frustrated sigh, ran a hand through her hair, and turned around, her eyes meeting Wu Jun’s.
"Miss Jiang, what a coincidence." Once he saw her face clearly, Wu Jun recognized her. No wonder her voice had sounded familiar. He took the initiative to walk over and greet her.
"You are...?" Seeing Wu Jun again after so much time, Jiang Yi didn’t recognize him at first. She looked at him, her beautiful eyes filled with confusion.
The last time he had met Jiang Yi was at the KFC across from the Industrial and Commercial Bank branch. Back then, Wu Jun had just secured his trademark and his business was just starting out; he was a one-man army.
Now, Wu Jun had his own company with dozens of employees, earning hundreds of thousands a day. His entire demeanor was completely different from before.
Even Ma Siyu had commented that one must look at Wu Jun with new eyes after even a short separation, as he was developing more and more of a big boss’s charisma. It was no wonder Jiang Yi didn’t recognize him at first glance.
The last time they spoke on the phone, Jiang Yi had only remembered his rice, not him. Now, meeting in person, she still didn’t recognize him. Wu Jun felt a little awkward and said with a sheepish laugh, "I’m Wu Jun, the guy who sells rice."
"Oh... Mr. Wu, hello. What a coincidence." With Wu Jun’s reminder, Jiang Yi’s memory was jogged, and her expression became slightly awkward.
’He didn’t see me throwing that little tantrum just now, did he?’
Wu Jun asked Jiang Yi, "Are you in trouble? Is there anything I can do to help?"
"This car has blocked mine in, and I can’t get out," Jiang Yi said, turning and pointing to a car beside her, a hint of grievance in her voice.
Wu Jun followed her finger and saw a white Volkswagen Lavida parked outside a spot, completely blocking a dark blue Smart car that was parked inside.
Wu Jun still remembered the little car Jiang Yi drove and recognized it as hers at a glance.
Wu Jun asked her, "Did you call to have the car moved?"
"I’ve called three times, but they can’t reach the owner," Jiang Yi said, glancing at the delicate, rose-quartz-colored watch on her pale wrist. "I’ve already been waiting here for over ten minutes."
"Some drivers are just..." Wu Jun sympathized with her plight.
That order from the Industrial and Commercial Bank... even though Jiang Yi had only given him a phone number, it had been a huge help. Now that he happened to find her in trouble, Wu Jun couldn’t just stand by and do nothing.
Even if that weren’t the case, Jiang Yi was a rare beauty with an elegant air. When a woman like that needed help, only a completely dense guy would ignore her, right?
Wu Jun asked Jiang Yi, "How about this, I’ll give you a ride home first? You can take a taxi back here tomorrow to get your car."
"Oh, I couldn’t possibly impose. I’ll just go out and hail a cab myself. Thank you, Mr. Wu. Bye-bye." Jiang Yi refused with a smile, waved to Wu Jun, and spun around gracefully.
As she turned—SNAP! The heel of her high heel plunged right into the drainage grate on the floor.
"Ah!" Panicked, Jiang Yi shrieked as her body tilted and she began to fall sideways.
The sudden change in tone caught Wu Jun completely off guard. He was stunned for a fraction of a second, thought, ’Holy crap!’, and then took a huge stride forward, extending his arms out straight, like he was receiving an imperial edict.
Wu Jun was standing less than two meters away from Jiang Yi. That, combined with his long legs and large stride, allowed him to just barely catch her, saving her from an intimate encounter with the ground.
Jiang Yi’s dress was thin, the fabric was soft, and her body was supple. The sensation of catching her felt like catching a large, hundred-plus-pound fish.