Chapter 5: Once the project is secured, the manager's position is hers!

Upon learning the ins and outs of the situation, the leadership was furious. Yet, this result was, in a way, expected. Ultimately, weighing the pros and cons, the leadership made the final decision to order them to head home the following day.

But was that really the end of it? Wen Jianan was unwilling to let it go. This was not just a chance for a breakthrough for her company; it was her first opportunity to face Liang Yuxiu in person. She wanted to prove that she could excel. However, in the end, she was not the one who had the final say.

The flight back to Miancheng was scheduled for the following evening. Early that morning, Wen Jianan received a call from Cheng He, asking if she had time for dinner. She declined. Upon learning the reason, Cheng He was quite surprised. "Then, how about lunch?"

Wen Jianan thought for a moment and agreed. They met at the Western restaurant where they had their previous blind date. Wen Jianan felt that since she had no interest in Cheng He and was leaving anyway, it would be best to clear things up regarding the matchmaking arrangement.

As they sat facing each other, she forced herself to stay composed and smiled lightly. "Your parents asked you to invite me again, didn't they?"

Cheng He looked up at her. To be fair, Wen Jianan was a gentle, intelligent, and sincere woman, possessing a quiet resilience. Coming from a scholarly and respectable family, and being quite attractive, she was a rare find in the matchmaking market. Her father was also a fellow student of his aunt's, so their backgrounds were well-known to each other. Because of this, the Cheng family would not allow Cheng He to be willful; they insisted he spend time with her.

Cheng He smiled without answering, and Wen Jianan knew the answer. "I'm heading home tonight. I will make things clear to my parents; we can be friends." After all, Cheng He was a friend and business partner of Liang Yuxiu. Wen Jianan did not dare to truly pursue a relationship with him, lest things become suffocatingly awkward in the future.

However, it was clear that Wen Jianan had underestimated the situation.

Landing in Miancheng that evening, she returned home to find her father working overtime. Her mother, Tan Fang, had just finished prepping for the next day's lessons and had made a bowl of hot noodle soup for her. Wen Jianan was famished and was about to dive in when Tan Fang frowned and scolded her. "You're a young woman; be a bit more refined."

Wen Jianan sighed helplessly, picked up a mouthful of noodles, and blew on them gently. Only then was Tan Fang satisfied. She sat across from her and asked, "How are things with young Cheng?"

Wen Jianan intended to wait until she finished eating to discuss this, but since she was asked, she answered truthfully.

As expected, Tan Fang’s brows furrowed, and her expression turned stern in an instant. "How could it not be a good fit? Even your father says the boy is excellent. Are you trying to trick your elders by getting him to help you lie? I’ve always said that your being too headstrong since you were a child was never a good thing!"

"Just tell me, how much worry have you caused your father and me over these years? When we wanted you to study finance, we had a stable, decent job lined up for you at the bank, but you refused. In the end, you didn't even consult us about your marriage or your divorce. Wen Jianan, are we even your parents?"

Wen Jianan felt mentally and physically exhausted. She couldn't swallow the half-chewed noodle in her mouth. "Of course you are..."

"Then listen to us this time. If you don't want to see your mother hospitalized with another heart attack, then just honestly continue seeing young Cheng. If things go well, the two families can meet at the end of the year and settle the marriage." Tan Fang used the same tone on Wen Jianan that she used on her students. "You were young before, and your father said to let you explore, so we let you have your way. Now you are nearly thirty; how many years do you have left to waste? I have so many relatives, classmates, colleagues, and friends—which of their children causes their parents as much heartache as you do? You’re not a child anymore; think it over properly!"

With that, she retreated to her room, leaving Wen Jianan feeling utterly hopeless.

*Buzz, buzz—*

Her phone vibrated gently. Wen Jianan picked it up listlessly, glanced at it, and pressed her lips into a thin line. She ignored it.

Her father, Wen Shaoru, arrived home just before midnight. As a surgeon, he knew Wen Jianan had returned from her business trip and had hurried home right after finishing his surgery. Upon entering, he sensed the heavy atmosphere in the house. He walked to Wen Jianan’s room and knocked before entering. Seeing her slumped on the sofa, he smiled meaningfully. "Upset your mother again?"

Wen Jianan sighed and explained the situation briefly. Wen Shaoru stood on his wife's side this time. "I can understand why you didn't like the previous candidates, but this time, I’ve met young Cheng, and I think he’s quite good."

"Your mother is getting older, and her health is failing. Her only wish is to see you settled and supported for the rest of your life."

Wen Jianan couldn't help but think of Tan Fang’s two heart attacks. The first was when she had secretly registered her marriage to Liang Yuxiu without telling the family; the second was when she had divorced him without a word. From marriage to divorce, three years had passed, and yet neither Wen Shaoru nor Tan Fang had ever laid eyes on that son-in-law. Wen Jianan found it laughable herself—how had she been so infatuated that she was willing to alienate everyone she loved just to be with him?

The next morning, Tan Fang’s expression remained sour, and she treated Wen Jianan as if she were invisible. When Wen Jianan went to take the porridge she had served, Tan Fang moved it away. Helpless, Wen Jianan agreed at the table to continue seeing Cheng He.

But this was not a surrender. She simply felt that after being so reckless for so many years, it was time to be more sensible. Besides, even if she agreed, Cheng He might not; then, her mother would have nothing more to say.

"Mother only wants what is best for you; no one wishes for your happiness more than I do." Tan Fang’s expression turned from cloudy to sunny, and she grabbed Wen Jianan’s hand tightly.

Wen Jianan said nothing.

After breakfast, she went to work. Having flown all the way to Yancheng only to fail to secure the project and suffer humiliation, Wen Jianan was reprimanded by her immediate superior during the morning meeting. The manager had been targeting her for a long time, ever since she had competed for the position of team leader six months ago and ousted his niece, a grudge he had held ever since.

Wen Jianan just looked at him coldly. "I didn't secure the project this time, but in all honesty, even if you had gone yourself, what chance of success would you have had?"

Just as the big boss walked into the conference room, Wen Jianan’s manager was standing stiffly, slamming the table and shouting. Seeing the big boss, he instantly turned into a shrinking turtle. "Mr. Wei..."

Everyone stood up. Wei Ming nodded, signaling them to sit. He was the owner of Feidu Company, only thirty years old, young and handsome—a classic "diamond bachelor." Many in the company had their eyes on the position of "boss's wife," but Wei Ming only had his eyes on Wen Jianan.

"I’ve heard about what happened. It was expected. Manager Zhang, there is no need to be so harsh." He then looked at Wen Jianan. "Team Leader Wen, what do you think?"

Wen Jianan pursed her lips. "I want to try again."

She still refused to give up. Before leaving Yancheng, she had heard from Cheng He that Kunteng would be using a bidding process to decide the final partner. Getting a spot to bid shouldn't be difficult, and if she lost because she wasn't good enough, she would accept it. But to be denied without even a chance to try? She wasn't convinced.

"Easily said, but how will you try?" The manager began to mock her.

Wen Jianan couldn't be bothered with him. "I have some acquaintance with Director Cheng of Kunteng; getting a bidding spot shouldn't be difficult."

"Getting a spot is one thing; whether you can win the project is another. In my opinion, since you won't win anyway, why bother with the useless effort?"

The manager was the only one in the entire company who didn't want her to win the project, because Wen Jianan’s performance had been outstanding over the past two years, and the next step up was his own position.

"Manager Zhang, are you so afraid that I'll win this project? Are you worried that I'll squeeze you out, too?"

Everyone knew his hidden agenda, but having it pointed out by Wen Jianan in front of everyone caused him to lose his composure. He declared that if Wen Jianan could win the project, he would give her his manager’s chair!