Chapter 375 - 371: Loving My Love

Zhou Lu's eyes widened in disbelief. The "Chief Operating Officer," commonly known as a COO, was a core executive responsible for the company's strategic operations, with immense managerial authority.

She had thought it would be great enough if Jiang Xia offered her a department head position, but she never imagined it would be COO! Given D Station's current business sectors, she would have full authority over almost everything, second only to Jiang Xia and Li Weiya.

In terms of her old TV station, this was nearly equivalent to a deputy station director. And since she was being parachuted directly into the role, it was bound to stir up some internal resentment.

"President Jiang, I've only just arrived. Isn't this position a little too high?"

Jiang Xia took a sip of tea and smiled. "I have the utmost confidence in your abilities, Chief Zhou. I believe that under your leadership, D Station will flourish. As far as I'm concerned, there's no one more suitable for this position than you."

Li Weiya watched silently from the side, a smile on her face but saying nothing.

Her own strong suit was animation, whereas Zhou Lu came from a background of producing video content for a television station. Making her D Station's Chief Operating Officer was, indeed, a perfect fit.

Zhou Lu bit her lip and clenched her fists, remaining silent for a long moment. Jiang Xia's offer was so generous that the pressure it placed on her was immense. She didn't know if she could handle the responsibility.

If she not only failed to effectively promote D Station's development but actually caused the company's performance to decline, her tenure would be considered an abject failure.

After a long pause, she met Jiang Xia's gaze and steeled her resolve.

"President Jiang, President Li, give me six months. If I haven't improved D Station's content within six months, I will voluntarily resign."

Jiang Xia considered this for a moment, then nodded.

'Six months is indeed enough time to prove if someone is up to the task.'

"Don't rush, take it slow. I have great faith in your abilities, President Zhou. D Station's top priority is to establish our original content ecosystem, create a complete ACG cultural sphere, and become the most beloved cultural community for young people."

Zhou Lu nodded. With her professional expertise, she could easily discern D Station's development model: on one hand, acquiring excellent animated resources and managing their own IPs; on the other, vigorously supporting UP creators to produce original content, all to increase user retention through high-quality service and media.

Jiang Xia extended his hand with a broad smile. "Welcome aboard, President Zhou."

Zhou Lu shook his hand and said earnestly, "Thank you for this opportunity, President Jiang. I'll do my best."

◇

That evening, Li Weiya arranged a banquet at a hotel to welcome Zhou Lu. She also invited the heads of D Station's major departments so they could all meet and get acquainted.

Back home, Jiang Xia lay soaking in the bathtub. He'd had a little to drink at the banquet, and his head was now a bit fuzzy.

Lin Yanwan came in, wrapped in a bath towel. After a quick rinse in the shower, she slipped into the bathtub to soak face-to-face with him.

Jiang Xia slowly caressed his wife's slender, delicate legs. Her skin felt exceptionally smooth underwater.

'No wonder our neighbors in Japan are so fond of filming bathtub scenes. The experience really is something else.'

He gently moved his foot lower. Blushing, Lin Yanwan curled and uncurled her toes as gentle ripples spread across the water's surface.

Jiang Xia let out a soft breath. "Darling, how about we buy a house this summer?"

Lin Yanwan paused, surprised. "Are we moving out of here?"

"Based on the real estate trends from my past life," Jiang Xia chuckled, "the market will start to recover this year, and the entire country's housing market will see explosive growth. If we buy a house now while prices in the Imperial Capital are still relatively low, it'll be like saving enough money to buy several more houses down the line."

'He still remembered when the average price in the Imperial Capital was sixty or seventy thousand per square meter. Many people worked their fingers to the bone for a year and still couldn't even afford to buy a bathroom.'

"I've been keeping an eye on property prices in the Imperial Capital. Last year, it was around ten thousand per square meter, and now it's already twenty-two thousand."

He sighed softly. 'The real estate industry truly is a pillar of the national economy. All you have to do is buy property early, do nothing, and then sell it for a high price a few years later. Your assets multiply just like that.'

'This was also why there were so many real estate speculators in my past life during the decade from 2010 to 2020. You didn't need extensive financial knowledge or to take massive risks playing the stock market or investing in biotech. After all, if you bought, you profited. You could easily double your investment in a year.'

'Sometimes, Jiang Xia even considered taking his funds and dabbling in real estate. It was a matter of housing for 1.3 billion people, a market worth tens of trillions. Even if he only took a small slice, the returns would be unimaginable.'

'But after giving it some thought, he decided against it.'

'For one, it felt unconscionable. In his past life, he himself had been a "mortgage slave" and knew how hard it was to make those payments. He didn't want to inflict that same pressure on other ordinary people.'

'For another, working in the ACG industry was enough for him in this life. So what if he earned more money? You can't take it with you when you die. Having enough to live on was all that mattered.'

'As for housing, one place to live was plenty.'

"Prices are rising so fast," Lin Yanwan remarked wistfully.

'If they weren't already financially independent, an ordinary person trying to buy a house in the Imperial Capital on their salary would find it more and more impossible the longer they waited.'

"It's only going to rise faster in the next couple of years. Speaking of which, I need to convince my godmother and her family to buy a place in the Imperial Capital soon. If they miss this window, it'll cost them several times more later. They can't just rent forever, right?"

"True."

Jiang Xia chuckled softly. "So, baby, what do you want to live in? A villa? A nice low-rise house? Or maybe a large single-story flat?"

Lin Yanwan looked at him, her smile wide. "Is that even a question? A villa, of course."

"I think a villa is the best option, too."

'In terms of privacy and comfort, villas were in a league of their own compared to other types of homes.'

"But even now, a single villa costs several million at minimum. Are you really willing to buy one?"

Jiang Xia raised an eyebrow, grabbed her hand, and pulled her into his embrace. "Are you doubting your husband's earning potential?"

The bathtub water sloshed, and Lin Yanwan cried out in surprise as he wrapped his arms firmly around her slender waist.

'She couldn't help the blush that crept onto her face. How could she possibly doubt him? If she ever dared to nag him even a little in bed, she'd be so sore the next day she absolutely couldn't get up.'

"We're in the middle of a bath, what are you doing~" she cooed softly.

She looked up at Jiang Xia and saw his face was flushed. The alcohol, amplified by the hot water, was clearly going to his head.

"I want to get intimate."

The faint scent of alcohol was on Jiang Xia's breath. His head was spinning, and his hazy gaze fell upon his wife's pale collarbone before he lowered his head and gently kissed it.

Lin Yanwan tilted her neck back, her body swaying with the gentle ripples of the water like a beautiful mermaid.