Why Aren’t You Cultivating Immortality? (GL) Chapter 21

Jing Tianzong, who was originally scheduled to arrive at Xiao Group in the afternoon, brought his assistant and Jingke’s purchasing manager to Xiao Group at nine o’clock.
The security guard at the gate saw the unfamiliar license plate and stopped their car directly. After learning they were from Jingke and had an appointment, he quickly let them pass. At the same time, he called the secretary office and notified Administration to hurry out and receive them.
Two black Audis stopped in the client parking spaces under the security guard’s guidance. Manager Wen from Administration brought several small underlings and rushed out to receive the guests with a face full of smiles, like a brothel madam welcoming clients.
“President Xiao, someone is knocking outside.” Bai Moqing saw Xiao Xing staring fixedly at her and ignoring the knock outside, so she kindly reminded her.
“Mm.” Xiao Xing withdrew her hand and straightened. Turning toward the door, she said, “Come in.” The warm smile on her face was already gone.
“President Xiao, Jingke’s people have arrived. Administration is already receiving them in the reception room.”
Bai Moqing recognized the speaker at a glance. Shoulder-length, slightly curled flax-blue-gray hair, and a kind smile like the girl next door. She was one of President Xiao’s other two secretaries.
“Mm. I will go over in a moment. The materials are all prepared, right?”
Wen Rushui nodded. “They are all ready.” Xiao Xing signaled for her to go first, then turned to Bai Moqing. “You come too.”
“Me too?” After asking, Bai Moqing remembered her identity. She was also President Xiao’s secretary. She quickly stood. “Yes, President Xiao.”
In the reception room, Manager Wen personally brewed top-quality Biluochun tea to receive the clients from Jingke. Before President Xiao arrived, she chatted with them like a hostess at a drinking party.
Jing Tianzong took a sip of hot tea. The scalding tea nearly burned blisters on his tongue. He glanced at Wen Xiuming, who sat opposite and was chatting with their purchasing manager Xiang Junnan, and interrupted them. “Manager Wen, you don’t need to stay with us. Go busy yourself.”
“Not busy, not busy. It is rare for President Jing to visit. No matter how busy I am, I have to stay here and receive you on President Xiao’s behalf. If I neglect you, President Xiao will fire me tomorrow, haha.” Wen Xiuming laughed and shamelessly stayed in the reception room. His gaze drifted and drifted until it landed on Jing Tianmu.
Jingke and Xiao Group had always had business dealings. Wen Xiuming knew Jingke’s purchasing and sales managers, who often came over. But the little beauty sitting on the single sofa was truly someone she had never seen before.
She wore delicate makeup and carefully made clothes. One look showed the fabric was not cheap. Such a woman was actually only a little assistant. Something was not right.
Jing Tianzong saw Wen Xiuming’s gaze often drifting toward his younger sister, eyes full of curiosity and probing. His face cooled. A mere Administration manager wanted to be a toad lusting after swan meat?
Just as he was about to speak and send Wen Xiuming away, the sound of high heels came from the corridor.
The reception room door was half closed, and the sounds outside were clear.
Wen Xiuming recognized from the footsteps that the person was his younger sister Wen Rushui. Guessing that President Xiao would arrive soon, he rose to say goodbye. “President Jing, our President Xiao is here. I will not disturb you anymore.”
After Wen Rushui entered, Wen Xiuming exchanged a glance with her and left.
Wen Rushui reached out to greet President Jing. “Hello, President Jing. I am President Xiao’s secretary, Wen Rushui. President Xiao will arrive shortly.” She was gracious and proper, neither humble nor arrogant.
Why wasn’t it Bai Moqing? Jing Tianzong calmly stood and shook hands with Wen Rushui like a gentleman. “Hello.”
Hearing that Xiao Xing was about to arrive, Jing Tianmu immediately grew nervous. Her little heart thumped wildly, and she could not sit still. Before she was ready, Xiao Xing appeared at the doorway. Slightly behind her was the woman who had carried Xiao Xing away that day, Bai Moqing.
That night, Jing Tianmu had been drunk. Through hazy eyes, she had watched Bai Moqing, who had drunk a whole bottle of liquor, hold Xiao Xing and leave. When Jing Tianmu chased after them, they had vanished. Jing Tianmu had almost suspected she had been too drunk and that her memory had gone wrong, mistaking a dream for reality.
When Xiao Xing entered the reception room, everyone stood. Jing Tianzong even took the initiative to step forward and exchange greetings. “President Xiao, we haven’t seen each other for a few days, and your aura is even better.”
“President Jing is the same.” Xiao Xing politely reached out and shook hands with Jing Tianzong. She also greeted Jing Tianmu. Then she glanced sideways at Bai Moqing, sat on the sofa, and said to the others, “Sit and talk.”
This time, Jing Tianzong had come to discuss cooperation on building a landmark five-star hotel in H City.
Xiao Group had hotels under its name, but they were only ordinary three-star hotels with extremely low profit rates. Xiao Xing intended to establish a hotel division and increase investment in hotels over the next three years.
Jingke had rich experience in hotel construction and management, and its Jingke Grand Hotel had an excellent reputation in the industry. It targeted middle- and high-end customers. Cooperating with Jingke was better than fumbling forward alone, so Xiao Xing had taken the initiative to propose cooperation.
Wen Rushui took two sets of materials from the folder, handing one to Xiao Xing and one to Jing Tianzong.
Jing Tianzong accepted the materials, flipped through two pages, then raised his head and asked Wen Rushui, “Can I have another copy?”
“Of course.” Wen Rushui had prepared four copies in total to avoid the awkwardness of being unable to provide an extra copy.
Jing Tianzong accepted the materials and passed them to Jing Tianmu, explaining to Xiao Xing, “The hotel side may be handed to Xiaomu in the future.”
Xiao Xing’s gaze moved to Jing Tianmu. She smiled and nodded. “Then I will have to trouble Miss Jing in the future.”
“No, no trouble.” Jing Tianmu stuttered uselessly, then opened the materials and read them seriously.
Standing behind Xiao Xing, Bai Moqing keenly sensed that Jing Tianmu’s feelings toward Xiao Xing were not ordinary.
Thinking of that night when Jing Tianmu had blocked wine for Xiao Xing, even wanting to drink in her place, Bai Moqing frowned. This girl was probably in love with President Xiao.
She swept a glance over President Xiao. President Xiao’s expression did not change much. Bai Moqing could not tell whether Xiao Xing knew Jing Tianmu had special feelings for her.
With President Xiao’s personality and depth, even if she knew, she could remain unmoved and show nothing.
Jing Tianzong roughly flipped through the materials, then turned his head and said something in a low voice by Xiang Junnan’s ear. Xiang Junnan stood, smiling broadly, and said to Xiao Xing, “President Xiao, I came to discuss product purchasing with Manager Liu, so I won’t disturb you and President Jing.”
Hearing this, Xiao Xing turned and instructed Wen Rushui to accompany Xiang Junnan to the Sales Department.
When Xiang Junnan left, he took two assistants with him. Only the Jing siblings, Xiao Xing, and Bai Moqing remained in the reception room.
“President Xiao, I will speak frankly. I have looked over this cooperation case. Everything else is fine, but regarding share ratio, Jingke wants five percent more.”
Xiao Xing lowered her brows and considered. Five percent more shares meant several million more yuan divided away every year. Xiao Group was providing the land and funding. Jingke was only providing hotel design and a management team. Even without Jingke, several million would be enough to hire a professional hotel management team. There was no need to concede on this. She refused at once. “Fifteen percent is already the highest share.”
“In other industries, Jingke may not dare speak, but in hotels, we are absolutely leaders in the field. I guarantee that what we provide will be the most professional management team. We can also copy the management model for you. Five percent in exchange for a management model. President Xiao, this deal will not lose money.”
When discussing business, Jing Tianzong seemed like a different person. His speech and bearing carried the aura of someone in power, not losing to Xiao Xing.
Xiao Xing’s fingers tapped twice on the sofa armrest. “Fine. Provide the management model, and the shares increase by five percent. I will revise these two points in the cooperation plan. As for the final contract, after our side revises it and both parties confirm there are no problems, then we will sign.”
“Mm.” Jing Tianzong smiled with satisfaction. Looking at Jing Tianmu, he said, “My younger sister will follow up on the later matters.”
Jing Tianmu had thought there would be many chances to interact with Xiao Xing afterward. Unexpectedly, the first meeting had settled the cooperation. She could not say whether she felt disappointed or happy.
On her face, she still had to look happy. Jing Tianmu smiled gently at Xiao Xing. “Happy cooperation.”
Jing Tianzong spoke at the right time. “I will have to trouble President Xiao to look after my younger sister. She just left school. If anything is improper, please take extra care.”
“Since Jingke trusts Xiao Group, Xiao Group naturally will not disappoint Jingke.”
Xiao Xing knew exactly what Jing Tianzong was planning, but on the surface, she would not embarrass him. She helped round off his words.
After settling the cooperation, Jing Tianzong remembered there was something at a subsidiary that needed handling, so he stood and said goodbye to Xiao Xing.
“President Xiao, there is something at my company I need to handle, so I will leave first.”
Jing Tianzong shook hands with Xiao Xing in farewell. After that, he turned and extended his hand toward Bai Moqing.
Bai Moqing hesitated, then shook it.
A courteous handshake should not last too long, especially between a man and a woman.
Xiao Xing narrowed her eyes and silently calculated the time. Jing Tianzong and Bai Moqing shook hands for three seconds.
Jing Tianzong noticed nothing. Bai Moqing felt the chill landing on the back of her hand, glanced at Xiao Xing, and quickly withdrew her hand.
She drank so boldly, yet she was so shy. Interesting. Jing Tianzong smiled, then turned to Xiao Xing. “President Xiao, you must bring Secretary Bai to dinner tonight. Last time, Secretary Bai drank me under the table. This time, I have to regain face.”
Xiao Xing raised an eyebrow and said lightly, “Of course Little Bai will come with me. However, she cannot drink. Last time, when she came to pick me up, President Jing was already drunk.”
She said no more. Xiao Xing and Bai Moqing escorted the Jing siblings out. Wen Xiuming had been waiting in the meeting room next door. Seeing them, he quickly came out.
Xiao Xing saw Wen Xiuming and walked them to the elevator. “President Jing, I still have work to do, so I will not see you two downstairs. Xiuming, escort them down.”
“Yes, President Xiao.”
Bai Moqing looked at Xiao Xing’s side profile and felt that she seemed a little unhappy.
The cooperation discussion had gone smoothly. What was President Xiao unhappy about?
While Bai Moqing was guessing, Xiao Xing suddenly turned. Their gazes met directly. Bai Moqing’s heart skipped. “President Xiao…”
Xiao Xing glanced at the materials in Bai Moqing’s arms and said nothing, but the meaning was obvious: follow me to the office.