C24 It Came By Accident

At three o’clock sharp and not a second later, Ruan Hanyu, dressed in a well-ironed suit, walked into the conference room.

Seeing his entrance all the senior executives of the Ruan family stood up. Every one of them was silent and holding their breaths.

Ruan Hanyu was always very punctual to meetings. It was a rule of his that he should never be late. And he held fast to this rule, always appearing right on time.

Ruan Hanyu’s strictness was also applied to his employees and therefore, he allowed them no room for error.

Mu Qingzhu had just woken up. The meeting was about to start and she was going to be late. In order to avoid any tardiness, she rushed over to the conference room, barely able to catch her breath in time.

Ruan Hanyu had just glanced at the clock when he noticed a figure standing near the front of the doorway. He turned his head to see Mu Qingzhu, standing there at the door with a trace of embarrassment on her face. Her appearance was still a mess. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying, her hands were newly wrapped in fresh gauze, and in her left hand, she had brought with her a notebook.

“Glad you can come. Please sit down.” He gestured toward an empty seat beside him.

Mu Qingzhu did as she was told but inside she was shocked to the core.

She never expected to be seated right next to Ruan Hanyu.

Seated opposite her was Qian Anrou.

Her appearance was very put together. Not a hair was out of place. She was dressed to the nines in a beautiful and seductive outfit. Her almond eyes showed that she was a person full of confidence and pride.

Her phoenix eyes looked closely at Mu Qingzhu, not missing a single detail. The corner of her eyes of her brows scrunched slightly out of displeasure. It was obvious she was at an advantage as she chided Mu Qingzhu in a stern voice. “Miss Alice, I’m sure Special Assistant Liu has already informed you that the meeting is to be held at three o’clock sharp. Please know that tardiness is greatly frowned upon. Be sure to follow the company’s rules in the future.”

Her demeanor was full of righteousness as she mercilessly let Mu Qingzhu know she was on the wrong side. Mu Qingzhu could only sit there quietly listening to her words, unable to look up at her.

“Humph!” Ruan Hanyu snorted and his bright gaze fell on Qian Anrou. Qian Anrou’s face darkened visibly when she noticed his change in mood, but she did not say anything else.

“If there’s nothing further, then let’s begin.” After clearing his throat, his eyes happened to glance at the wound on Mu Qingzhu’s hand. Though this woman was sitting right next to him, her whole body was turned away from him, leaving half of her back for him to view.

Seeing her discomfort, the corner of his mouth lifted slightly.

This was all done on purpose, right? Thinking about the events that had transpired at noon, she obviously still held a grudge.

“Director Ruan, preparation for all the equipment is underway, including the items needed for the party. Please take a look for yourself.” Special Assistant Liu, dressed from top to bottom in professional attire showed his shrewdness and capability in getting the job done. His clean-cut appearance and elegant temperament were a perfect fit for the Ruan Group’s professional business style.

“Alright.” Ruan Hanyu nodded, signifying his ‘ok.’ Taking the list from Special Assistant Liu, he looked over the items on the list. After that, he handed the paper to Qian Anrou.

Qian Anrou delicately held the paper with her slender fingers. Her brows were high on her forehead and her smile was arched and refined. She said in a straightforward manner, “Director Ruan, you don’t need to worry. I’ll handle the layout of the venue. I promise you once I’m done decorating the premises that the venue will be to the level of style and opulence of the upper-class at home and abroad. I guarantee you will come away satisfied.”

Ruan Hanyu nodded his head. He did not doubt Qian Anrou’s capabilities in this arena. As the daughter of a supermarket magnate, she only had to use her family’s influence in order to set up such a venue. Not only that, but her immersion in fashion and style since childhood made her just the person to make the venue into the trendiest party A City has ever seen.

“In regards to the press conference, let us mainly focus on the sales of the luxury cars. The numbers must be so good they will automatically impact the global market. Our main objective for this year is for our Ruan Group to cause such a sensation in Asia and beyond that our influence on the global market will no doubt be solidified.” Ruan Hanyu’s words were clear and decisive, carrying with it feelings of dominance and determination. After having said this, Ruan Hanyu looked at Qian Anrou’s fingers tapping on the table.

Mu Qingzhu really did not understand Ruan Hanyu’s motive. It would make sense for an employee like her who did not sign an official contract to be absent in such a meeting like this. Usually, not even an executive would have clearance to participate in this kind of meeting where all the company’s business secrets were laid out in the open.

However, Ruan Hanyu had made it known that he wanted her to come.

Not only that, but he had also arranged for her to be seated next to him.

She had no understanding of his intentions, but she knew that she, herself, was honest in her heart, so all these things didn’t really matter in the end.

“Director Ruan, please take a look at this batch of designs that our Ruan family’s designers have implemented.” Yang Kai from the Design Department held out the stack of design paper with both hands, giving Ruan Hanyu a slight bow. He continued to stand there, answering Ruan Hanyu’s questions from time to time.

Ruan Hanyu’s brows slightly furrowed as he asked question after question. He considered each answer thoughtfully. Not a trace of emotion was evident on his face.

After an inconceivable amount of time, he turned his attention to Mu Qingzhu, who had been sitting there quietly the entire time.

“Miss Alice, I’d like to ask your opinion on these designs.” His pupils were dark, and the look in his eyes was deep and impenetrable.

Mu Qingzhu had been sitting there quietly, watching the entire meeting proceed. She noticed when Ruan Hanyu looked at Qian Anrou, his eyes were full of praise and appreciation. But when he turned to ask her a question, the look in his eyes was unclear and muddled. She could even detect doubt in his eyes.

It was clear he did not trust her!

Mu Qingzhu could not help but sneer in her heart.

Only then did she understand Ruan Hanyu’s intent for calling her here. He only wanted to humiliate her further.

Originally, she had a place here, but once the divorce was finalized, she no longer had any associations with this company. She even began to feel that her presence at this meeting was meaningless.

The corner of the mouth lifted slightly and she reached out her left hand to take the design. She turned it around in her hand and without further consideration, tore the paper into little pieces and threw them into the garbage can beside her.

“Mu Qingzhu, what is the meaning of this?” Qian Anrou’s face was pink from anger and she immediately spoke up. “What kind of attitude is this? You are clearly not showing any respect for other people’s work. Do you know that this is the work of several senior designers in our company, who have worked hard to give you the results that you have just torn to pieces and have tossed aside without further thought? This is something they have worked on for the past couple of days and nights and you just casually threw it into the garbage can. What gave you the audacity to do so?”

At that moment, Mu Qingzhu only used her mouth to lightly blow the paper scraps from her hands all the while blinking her beautiful eyes. She faced Qian Anrou’s righteous expression head-on, even giving her a cute smile.

She pretended to not notice the anger directed at her.

All eyes were on her. Confusion, dissatisfaction, and even anger could be felt in the room.

Ruan Hanyu also watched her with a steely gaze. His brows were arched in a beautiful black peak on his forehead. His expression was altogether calm. There was no emotion on his face, so people would have a hard time gauging his thoughts.

“Miss Alice, please explain yourself.” A middle-aged designer at the senior level stood up and spoke out. His voice expressed his dissatisfaction.

In the Ruan family, everyone looked up to him. These designs were mainly designed by him. It took him several sleepless nights to pick his brain, but it took Mu Qingzhu only a matter of seconds to tear them apart in front of Ruan Hanyu. It was obvious she had not looked them over carefully. This was embarrassing and a slap to his face.

In addition, her actions had put her on center-stage. And it might be a while before she would be able to make her exit.

It was very well for a woman to show talent, but it was not good for her to let this talent get to her head.

Whispers could be heard in the crowd.

In all the meetings hosted by Ruan Hanyu, this was the first person to act out in such an impudent manner!

Everyone looked at Ruan Hanyu for guidance on how to react.

Ruan Hanyu’s expression was calm and composed. It seemed especially in this case that he was becoming lenient. Everyone in the company knew of their former relationship. Inwardly, they were all guessing at what kind of play Director Ruan would maneuver to next.

Everyone could sense Qian Anrou’s heated rage and Mu Qingzhu's cold indifference. His ex-wife and mistress were all in the same room. Could this be good?

The atmosphere of the room was becoming awkward.

Ruan Hanyu took that moment to snort coldly while scanning the crowd with his dignified gaze.

In that instant, the whole place fell silent.

The male designer, feeling the mood in the room had shifted, also sat down.

Yet Mu Qingzhu was unfazed. She touched her chin with one hand and shook her head slightly at Ruan Hanyu’s questioning gaze.

Qian Anrou’s imposing figure sitting opposite from her was staring at her righteously.

Mu Qingzhu smiled lightly and said in an indifferent tone, “Director Ruan, if I’m not mistaken, you are driven to design a car model that exceeds the world’s expectations, am I right?”

Ruan Hanyu straightened his back as if the chair he was sitting in was not comfortable. His long legs were crossed before him and his large hands were supporting the soft cushion on his back. Eager to hear more, he leaned forward slightly and nodded his head.

“If that is right, then these designs are not fit for approval. Though they might be appropriate for the upper class of A City, they would find difficulty breaking into the world market. Since they are not up to standard, of course, they should be discarded. Their standard is such that they should be destroyed.” She did not mince her words. She spoke in a calm and concise tone.

During the years she had spent in the United States, she had come to recognize that the state-owned cars regulated there were not up to par with European expectations. Though they looked very beautiful, they, in fact, after a time became very tiresome to the eye. Not only could they not satisfy the people of Europe, but their impracticalness also made them substandard in the eyes of the United States public.

When she had first walked in, she had already laid eyes on the design model displayed on the screen, and right then, she had decided that it was not good enough!

It was very difficult for a person with a fully developed mind to change his thinking, especially that of a middle-aged man.

It was better to completely destroy the artwork and start anew. As long as the previous contexts existed, it would involuntarily influence the mind of the creator, thereby, further hindering the creative process.

In order to escape its limitations, this national car design must start from scratch!

Thus, with only a sweep of the room, this was clear to Mu Qingzhu at a glance!

“You act so big.” Qian Anrou’s heart surged with anger. She gave Mu Qingzhu a contemptuous smile and said with disdain, “If that is the case, Miss Alice, then please take out your design plans and show us what we are missing out on.”

“No.” Mu Qingzhu stared back at her aggressive eyes unflinchingly and shrugged her shoulders. Her answer left no room for compromise.

“Your answer is ‘no’?” Qian Anrou did not hide her sneer and her heart was full of disdain. With a fake smile, she said, “This means that the car you designed was just by accident. Or could we say that you don’t have this ability at all?”

“That could all be possible.” Mu Qingzhu did not deny anything. She had designed that car for Ruan Hanyu under a strenuous timeline. She was so involved in her money situation that this had left her in a bad mood the entire time she was designing the car. When she was finished with the car design, she was left wondering if she could have designed a better model. Therefore, she did not hide her doubts. She answered Qian Anrou’s questions to her best ability, her eyes bright and her face calm and controlled.

Her whole demeanor was genuine and sincere. She was not faking a single thing, unlike Qian Anrou at the moment.

“Inviting me is your intention, but I didn’t have to come,” she then said slowly and calmly.

As expected from her personality, Qian Anrou had fully recovered and her face was full of smiles. With a crafty look on her face, she turned her dark and bright eyes to secretly size up Ruan Hanyu.

You can see now that this woman has no such capabilities at all. Don’t be fooled by her outward appearance. She had acted out blindly when designing the car models. Such a thing came by accident. The thought secretly delighted Qian Anrou in her heart.

At this moment, the expression on Ruan Hanyu’s face was veiled. No one could tell his thoughts.

“Don’t forget you have your duty.” With a slight turn to his head, he stared intently at Mu Qingzhu.

“Of course, I will not abandon my duties. I will take your words to heart. But Director Ruan, don’t forget your goal. It has only been two or three days, and the designs you have come up with have all proved lacking. To me, inspiration is not such a thing that can be achieved. Rather beautiful inspiration just comes to you at the most random and surprising moments. It will come to you the moment you least expect it. And that is the nature of life. If you don’t want to rush towards a modest success with your luxury car models, then you will just have to wait for for the right moment for inspiration to come to you.” Mu Qingzhu’s beautiful brows were slightly arched on her forehead and her smile was balanced, not too condescending or overbearing.

Ruan Hanyu felt his cold heart warming up. A wave of comfort overcame him.

Feeling deeply moved, he immediately avoided her smiling face and turned his head away from her.

This damn woman! How could she be laughing delightfully at this time? And why was he so affected? Could it be that he was beyond cure? Her every move and shift in posture made him seize up with emotion.

This was all too inconceivable!