Shen Xuyan returned to Gangcheng.
"Tsk, just tell me how ridiculous this is. In a mid-to-high-end mall less than a kilometer from our company, we couldn't get a single ad."
Jiang Ruoqi clasped her hands behind her back, turned to look at Duan Jinchen, and sighed at the large, eye-catching window display at the mall's first-floor entrance: "Tell me, when your dad comes for his inspection in a couple of days, do you think he'll include outdoor advertising rate as part of his evaluation?"
"Of course I want to run outdoor ads, but with the annual budget we have, I can only do it in my dreams."
The new week was off to a rough start from every angle.
A husband who tried to "live separately" despite being unable to see her, a boss from headquarters who suddenly decided to inspect, an assistant with ten thousand questions, and friends about to go on holiday.
Jiang Ruoqi's headache grew worse; she felt only one step away from becoming a mad concubine locked in a cold palace.
That morning, at the weekly meeting, she went through the usual feedback from each group and assigned tasks based on progress. After covering the routine matters, she didn't forget to inform everyone about the boss's Christmas inspection.
The exchanged looks around the table were too obvious. Only Duan Jinchen's presence kept them from being too blatant. But Jiang Ruoqi had been through that stage herself; catching two eye signals was enough to guess the gist.
Either they envied the extra Christmas holiday in Gangcheng, or they marveled at the boss's excess energy—still wanting to run around for work during a holiday.
Actually, Jiang Ruoqi felt the same way.
Or maybe she just missed her lost Christmas holiday.
So, two hours before the end of the workday, Jiang Ruoqi vowed to escape the sunless office. She dragged Duan Jinchen over to a nearby mall for a stroll.
A few hundred meters from the office building, there were several mid-to-high-end shopping centers. Not the top-tier luxury spots in Xinhai, but given the prime location, even Glint, as a sub-brand of the group, couldn't just open a counter there without a fight.
Sure enough, without doing any research beforehand, Jiang Ruoqi couldn't find their tiny counter among all those big names.
Duan Jinchen walked half a step behind her, listening to her lament and resisting the urge to roll his eyes: "Our great President Jiang, please open your eyes! Look at what district this is! What location! And what brands are on those ads! Even the group's established old brands can't squeeze into those ads. Do you really think Glint stands a chance?"
Jiang Ruoqi found that reasonable and nodded thoughtfully. But after a moment's consideration, she added with a smile, "I think it's more about not paying enough. No need to put ourselves down like that."
"If you insist on saying that, it just proves that our employees' efforts alone are far from enough. The key is for the company to work hard enough. When the group becomes world-renowned, window ads like those won't need to be fought over—they'll be given to us for free."
Jiang Ruoqi paused, feigning sudden realization, then added, "Case closed! Assistant Duan, if your dad isn't satisfied with our department's work, remember to use this excuse to gaslight him."
"...Psycho."
Duan Jinchen couldn't take it anymore. He turned away and rolled his eyes again, taking a few deep breaths to suppress his exasperation: "If the old man isn't happy, I'll definitely tell him that President Jiang, transferred here by the group, skipped work to go shopping and does nothing productive every day."
"Young master, in our line of work, this is called market research. And speaking of doing nothing productive, last week I asked you to study promotional cases of jewelry brands similar to Glint, and you haven't given me any feedback. No response on anything—everyone knows who's slacking off."
"Wow, Jiang Ruoqi, put your hand on your heart. Lately, I've been worked like a donkey every day. When do I have time to study that stuff?" Duan Jinchen nearly jumped, quickly stepping around the decorations to face her. Walking backward, he insisted she clear his name.
This was indeed a famous shopping center nearby—high ceilings, warm-toned lighting that wasn't dim, and floor tiles so clean you couldn't find a single footprint.
The first floor was dominated by luxury brand counters for bags, clothing, watches, and jewelry. Passing by different brand entrances, the scent of perfume was unique to each brand's beauty line.
No need for detailed analysis—it was all the smell of money.
Ignoring Duan Jinchen, Jiang Ruoqi looked around, seemingly lost in thought again.
"Jiang Ruoqi! You're ignoring me again!"
Duan Jinchen, fed up with being constantly overlooked, complained incessantly: "Why are you always like this? You get distracted mid-conversation. You can't be like this during meetings or reporting to the old man, can you?"
"Of course not." Jiang Ruoqi denied immediately.
Duan Jinchen got it: "Fine, I'm just not worth it."
The young master had a clear picture of his place now, quietly wondering when he could stand on his own, get a position with real power, and mold Jiang Ruoqi to his will.
Lost in his fantasies, he naturally ended up distracted.
Suddenly, Jiang Ruoqi reached out and grabbed Duan Jinchen's arm.
Duan Jinchen immediately shut up, flinched, and took a step back, trying to shake her off: "What are you doing? Just because I talk back, you're going to get physical?"
The young master was still walking backward, not watching where he was going. Just as he turned around, he slammed into the protruding glass of a window display.
"You're blocking my view of the ad," Jiang Ruoqi said innocently. "Also, I was trying to warn you about the glass behind you."
"But now... I don't need to see it anymore."
Duan Jinchen rubbed his forehead, too angry to speak. He stammered "I, I, I" for a long time before finally swallowing his anger: "Jiang Ruoqi, you were sent by the old man to torment me!"
"Probably not intentionally, but people often find me difficult. You're not the first." Jiang Ruoqi accepted the compliment and patted his shoulder with a sigh.
After suppressing the tsundere weirdo, Jiang Ruoqi looked away from the giant couple-ring ad and searched for the same style and similar ones on the official website, taking screenshots of them all.
Afraid that Duan Jinchen would cause trouble if left quiet, she casually chatted while searching, not letting him idle: "Where is our counter? Is it in the jewelry section?"
"It is, but the traditional jewelry section is downstairs." Duan Jinchen answered grumpily but still obediently led the way beside her.
Duan Jinchen was tall. When he looked down, he caught a glimpse of the screenshots Jiang Ruoqi was saving. He couldn't help but say, "Stop looking. This brand's industry standing? Forget about gaslighting my old man; even my brother's grandchildren won't catch up. Referencing their marketing plan is completely pointless for the company."
"As long as it's meaningful to me," Jiang Ruoqi shot him a glance. "Personal need, nothing to do with the company."
With that, she forwarded the screenshots to Sophia.
Her marriage to Meng Shang had been fast-forwarded eight times. She hadn't bought anything—not even a pair of wedding rings. It looked like a hastily arranged match.
Well, it kind of was.
Anyway, that wasn't important.
What mattered was that Dr. Meng worked from eight in the morning to midnight at the hospital. These days, they communicated entirely through WeChat messages. Jiang Ruoqi asked him when he'd be off; Meng Shang replied hours later that he had a patient or an emergency and told her to eat and sleep without waiting for him.