boyutpedia Chapter 158 Same Faction
Chapter 158 Same Faction
The procedures for extending the bank loan have been largely completed this morning; only the signing of the joint liability guarantee agreement by the actual controller, Shang Yibo, remains.
Zhou Yanruo accompanied the bank and notary office staff to the hotel lobby, where they were to have lunch at the buffet restaurant on the first floor, and then Shang Yibo would have his visa interview in the afternoon.
While I was giving instructions to my secretary, I received a message that Shang Yibo had arrived at "Lianyi Fuyuan". I glanced at the time and it was not yet 11 o'clock. I could arrange Shang Yibo's visa interview first, and then have lunch. After lunch, they could go back, and Shang Yibo would not be delayed in his afternoon schedule.
She instructed her secretary to notify the bank staff, and to prepare the documents in front of her, awaiting her instructions. Then, she took the escalator from one side of the lobby towards the "Lianyi Fuyuan" on the second floor.
Shang Yibo readily accepted Zhou Yanruo's arrangement, and soon after, her secretary led the bank and notary office staff into the private room. With thorough preparation beforehand, the work was naturally efficient, and Shang Yibo quickly completed the face-to-face signing of the agreement.
Just as the staff finished tidying up and left, there was a gentle knock on the door of the private room. Ding Jiajia's face, beaming with a bright smile, appeared on the doorframe. She playfully knocked twice on the half-open door, signaling to the people inside to pay attention to her arrival, and said with a hint of mystery, "Yibo, Sister Yanruo, look who I brought?"
Upon hearing this, Shang Yibo and Zhou Yanruo both turned their gazes toward the doorway. Seeing this, Ding Jiajia's smile widened. She deftly stepped aside, making way for them, and at that moment, an unexpected figure appeared before them—Jian Zheng.
"Hello! Everyone!" As soon as Jian Zheng stepped into the private room, he raised his arms and made a warm greeting gesture, his face beaming with the joy of reunion. "Our old friends are gathered together again today, aren't you surprised? Aren't you excited?"
Upon seeing this, Shang Yibo couldn't help but laugh out loud, teasing, "You really are everywhere! What are you doing here? Did you have super hearing and super eyesight, just to join in the fun?"
Seeing that everyone present was happy, Ding Jiajia immediately seized the opportunity and proudly took over the conversation: "Haha, I ran into President Jian in the hotel lobby. He was planning to go to the first floor for the buffet by himself, so I told him that Yibo had just returned from the film set in Zhuocheng and was currently at the Huaiyang cuisine restaurant on the second floor with Sister Yanruo. President Jian asked, 'Can I come with you?' I said, 'Of course!' and so we came up together." After saying that, she winked mischievously, as if she was very satisfied with her cleverness.
Zhou Yanruo glanced at the smiling Jian Zheng and said lightly, "What a coincidence. Jian Zheng, you're staying at the Yishang Hotel again this time. It seems you've been spending quite a bit of time in Beijing lately."
Jian Zheng chuckled and sat down next to Shang Yibo as soon as he entered. He didn't answer Zhou Yanruo's question, but instead said evasively, "In a few days, I'm going to Huizhou with him. We'll go there together to see an old friend." Ignoring Zhou Yanruo's expression, he looked at Shang Yibo slyly, "Right? When are you leaving? If things go smoothly for me these next few days, I can go with you."
Zhou Yanruo had mixed feelings. She only learned last night that Rongchang Capital and Hongliang Group were involved. If the two companies' interests were intertwined, it wouldn't be good for Rushang Group. She didn't know what the gathering of the three parties at Hongliang Group last night would be like. She had been busy since early this morning and hadn't had time to discuss this matter with Chairman Chu.
Now, Jian Zheng has reappeared here, trying to establish a connection with her and Shang Yibo. They are on different sides, and their positions are naturally different. Through Zhou Yanruo, Jian Zheng got to know Shang Yibo, and subsequently invested in film and television dramas, becoming the largest investor in Shang Yibo's current project.
Thinking back, every time Jian Zheng appeared in front of her and Shang Yibo, President Fang and Chairman Chu would nervously warn them to pay special attention and not to let their guard down.
In this light, the chance encounter between Jian Zheng and her at the charity banquet that night may not be as simple as it seems. If it was a calculated scheme, then is the Jian Zheng sitting in front of her now the same Jian Zheng from back then?
Shang Yibo's focus, however, was on Jian Zheng's mention of going to Huizhou to see Zhang Qian. Based on his fragmented memories, he had deduced that Zhang Qian was a witness to many of the unclear events. Only by meeting him, along with Jian Zheng, could he piece together the past events.
More than two months have passed since Shang Yibo reunited with Jian Zheng, and he's still preoccupied with trivial matters. Indeed, everything Shang Yibo is doing now is, in his view, "trivial matters" compared to trying to figure out the truth about what happened in the second half of 1999. He hasn't been able to find the time and energy to seriously sort out the clues. If he can really find Zhang Qian this time, with his help, the information will be more complete.
Seeing that Jian Zheng had already sat down next to him casually, Shang Yibo greeted him, "Huaiyang cuisine, is that alright? Zhou Yanruo has already ordered. In a bit, take another look and add anything else you'd like to eat."
Jian Zheng drawled, "No need. Yan Ruo and I are from the same hometown, so she knows what I want to eat. Luckily, I ran into Jia Jia, otherwise I would have gone to a buffet by myself. It's so nice here; I can eat hometown food and get together with you all."
Ding Jiajia was delighted to hear Jian Zheng mention her, and quickly got up to pour a cup of tea for him. “President Jian, this chance encounter is a sign of fate. We just returned to Beijing this morning and will be staying here for two days to shoot advertising materials. Yibo has a very tight schedule. If we hadn’t run into each other today, who knows when we would have seen each other again.”
"By the way, Sister Yanruo, have the documents that need Yibo's signature been signed yet? When President Jian and I came in just now, I saw several staff members just leaving. Were they there to sign documents? I don't think they were employees of the group; I've never seen them before."
Zhou Yanruo rolled her eyes at Ding Jiajia and replied briefly, "The work here is finished. After lunch, let's go straight to the photography studio."
Jian Zheng said, "They are staff members from the bank and the notary office. Bank loan extension contracts usually need to be signed under the guidance of staff members, and photos need to be taken on-site for record-keeping." His words seemed to be both an answer to Ding Jiajia's question and an indication to Zhou Yanruo and Shang Yibo that he knew everything.
Zhou Yanruo said coldly, "You seem to know a lot about this. This has nothing to do with you. It's very impolite to ask about other people's company matters."
“I apologize for being so abrupt, but it wasn’t really meddling in other people’s business. After all, we have a cooperative intention, so it’s understandable that I did some preliminary due diligence on Rushang Group beforehand.” Jian Zheng’s tone was neither friendly nor sarcastic. After saying this, he turned to Shang Yibo and said, “Yibo, you haven’t been involved in the operation of Rushang Group? You’ve only been focused on being a big star? This is really unlike you.”
Shang Yibo listened to Jian Zheng and Zhou Yanruo's barbed conversation, not quite understanding why, but vaguely sensing something was amiss. Realizing Jian Zheng's tone had shifted towards him, Shang Yibo instinctively followed Zhou Yanruo's tone and replied, "Right now, you should know very well what I want to do, shouldn't you?"
After all, Shang Yibo and Zhou Yanruo are in the same camp, and always will be.