Chapter 185 Do You Believe in Fate?

Chapter 185: Chapter 155: Do You Believe in Fate?

She slurped the delicious but scalding-hot noodles one small bite at a time.

Her mother finally emerged from the residential complex, flustered and rushed. "Jingshi! Mom’s late! You must’ve been worried sick. I was so caught up in a business meeting I didn’t even realize it was already afternoon."

Jiang Jingshi’s mother saw her daughter eating instant noodles.

She was a little surprised. "You bought this yourself?"

Jiang Jingshi finished chewing and swallowed the noodles in her mouth. Recalling what Lin Zhengran had just told her, she said, "Yeah. Are you done with work, Mom? I was hungry, so I used the money from the glove compartment to buy it."

Jiang Jingshi’s mother stroked her daughter’s head and praised her. "You’re so resourceful, Jingshi. Just watching you is making me hungry. I’ll go buy a cup for myself, and we can eat together in the car."

"Okay."

With that, she went to the convenience store, bought a cup of instant noodles, and got some hot water. Then, mother and daughter sat in the car and began to eat.

As they ate, Jiang Jingshi’s mother added, "I just closed a huge deal. Your dad is going to be so happy tonight. Our family might be getting a lot richer from now on!"

The young Jiang Jingshi gave a gentle smile.

But as she ate her noodles, she gazed out the window in the direction Lin Zhengran had disappeared, blinking her enchanting peach-blossom eyes.

In the blink of an eye, more than a decade passed. She never forgot that childhood incident—it always remained in the back of her mind—but Jiang Jingshi never gave it much thought. She never dwelled on who that boy was or what kind of man he had grown up to be.

All she remembered was a small episode from her childhood that had made her fall in love with instant noodles.

That is, until a few months ago, when fate led her to discover that there was a boy in her sister’s class far more talented than her.

Then, she’d coincidentally run into Lin Zhengran at a convenience store over a cup of instant noodles.

After their chat in the car, Jiang Jingshi dreamed of Lin Zhengran that very night—and unexpectedly, she also dreamed of the boy from her childhood.

In her dream, their faces vaguely overlapped.

It caused Jiang Jingshi to wake with a start the next morning.

Because of this, almost immediately after waking up, she had her secretary, Pan Lin, investigate where Lin Zhengran had attended kindergarten and where he used to live.

She wanted to see if her suspicion was true.

To her surprise, the coincidence was staggering. The fierce-looking little boy from all those years ago was indeed Lin Zhengran, her own sister’s deskmate!

So, after meeting Lin Zhengran again at the taekwondo and music competitions, and then learning he was the one she was engaged to, Jiang Jingshi had been at home with her sister and grandfather, looking at his file and thinking, ’He was mine to begin with. It was just a twist of fate that he was betrothed to my sister. Now, it’s time he came back to me.’

...

"President Jiang? President Jiang! Your noodles are ready!"

Outside the Jiang Group headquarters, Jiang Jingshi, lost in thought, was snapped back to reality by Pan Lin. Her eyes refocused. "What is it?"

Pan Lin glanced at the cup of instant noodles beside her, which were getting soggy. "Your noodles have been steeping for seven or eight minutes... Any longer and they’ll be inedible."

Jiang Jingshi looked at the noodle cup, murmured an acknowledgment, and quickly picked it up to peel back the lid.

She gave them a quick stir with her fork. They weren’t too far gone.

Seeing Jiang Jingshi in a daze, Pan Lin glanced at the driver. He was a long-time employee and, understanding the unspoken cue, discreetly stepped out of the car so as not to overhear anything private.

Once he was out of the car, Pan Lin said to Jiang Jingshi, "President Jiang... why don’t you go home and get some rest? You seem a bit tired today."

Jiang Jingshi took a bite of her noodles. ’The taste hasn’t changed much in over a decade.’

"I just rested for a bit in Zhengran’s office, so I’m feeling much better. I’ll finish my noodles, then head back to Zhengshi Music. I want to see how Zhengran runs a meeting."

Pan Lin gave a faint, resigned smile. She knew President Jiang just wanted to go back to get another look at President Lin.

"Alright, but... you’ve never worked yourself this hard before. It’s obvious you’ve been dealing with a lot more lately. I’m worried about your health. Didn’t President Lin also tell you to get more rest?"

Bringing up Lin Zhengran proved effective. Jiang Jingshi replied, "I’m fine, but you have a point. I won’t stay late at the office tonight; I’ll go home and rest."

"Okay."

Jiang Jingshi took a few more bites of her noodles, chewing thoughtfully. "Pan Lin."

"Yes, President Jiang?"

"Tell me..." She stared at her noodles and asked, seemingly out of nowhere, "If a girl is three years older than a guy, is that too big of an age gap?"

Pan Lin chuckled. "Of course not. Isn’t there an old saying? ’A wife three years older is worth her weight in gold.’ It’s perfectly normal for a man to be with a woman three years his senior. Couldn’t be more normal, really. Besides, I’m a year older than my husband, and he always tells me he wishes I were three years older."

"He really says that?"

"It’s true, President Jiang, I’m not kidding. Besides, you’re still so young."

Jiang Jingshi ate a few more bites of noodles. "Do you believe in things like fate?"

Pan Lin chuckled and answered honestly, "To be honest, President Jiang, I’ve never experienced anything like that myself, but I do believe it exists. And from what I can see... you and President Lin are definitely fated to be together."

Jiang Jingshi looked up at her.

Her gaze made Pan Lin’s heart flutter with anxiety, and she started to break out in a nervous sweat.

Pan Lin quickly added, "It’s true! Otherwise, how could such a coincidence happen after so many years? Even if President Lin doesn’t seem to remember yet, fate is fate. If it’s there, it can’t be broken."

Jiang Jingshi didn’t reply, just smiled gently. "It’s normal to forget. I only just remembered myself, didn’t I? By the way, you’ve been working a lot of overtime with me lately, right?"

"Uh, yes..."

Jiang Jingshi said, "The New Year is coming up. I’ll add an extra month’s salary to your year-end bonus this year. Consider it a little something extra for you." She set down her noodle cup. "Let’s head back to Zhengshi Music."

Pan Lin was delighted. "Thank you, President Jiang."

She saw Jiang Jingshi gaze out the window and noticed the earrings she was wearing today.

’I think I know why President Jiang wants to return to Zhengshi Company today... She just put on those earrings this morning.’

’And she’s been wearing earrings in this style a lot recently.’

’If I’m not mistaken... President Lin must have picked them out, right?’

The driver got back in, and the car headed back toward Zhengshi Music Company.

「Meanwhile, in the main lobby of Zhengshi Music.」

This afternoon, Lin Zhengran had started by giving everyone a lecture full of practical, no-nonsense knowledge.

At first, everyone had been deeply skeptical of this President Lin. He was just too young, and as a complete unknown with no influence in the music industry, he was a nobody to them.

But as Lin Zhengran began his lecture, their perception of him changed dramatically within minutes, shifting from skepticism to admiration.

Much of what Lin Zhengran discussed wasn’t new information; after all, the fundamentals of music are fairly finite.

But for some reason, when President Lin explained things, his words just seemed to click.

Everyone could internalize his advice, understand it with ease, and quickly identify the problems in their own singing.

One by one, their stunned expressions turned to shock as they thought, ’So this is what it takes to be the boss. The man is genuinely skilled.’

After he finished the main lecture, Lin Zhengran began giving temporary, one-on-one guidance, spending a few minutes with each person to point out their individual weaknesses.

After that lecture, everyone eagerly lined up for their turn to be coached by Lin Zhengran.

And just as they now expected, everything Lin Zhengran said was useful information, with no empty platitudes.

The results were immediate. A singer who often struggled with a certain song would, after a little guidance from Lin Zhengran, instantly grasp the proper vocal techniques.

The singers couldn’t help but be in awe of their young boss’s incredible talent.

Even Wang, who was watching from the side, was frequently shocked into applause. She had known for a long time how talented Lin Zhengran was.

After all, Jiang Xueli had been trained personally by him.

But since Lin Zhengran had never formally taught anyone before, the full extent of his abilities had been unknown. Now, with just a few simple pointers, Wang was convinced: the young man was a true genius, a one-in-a-million talent.

’It figures,’ she thought. ’An ordinary person could never be a match for Jiang Jingshi of the Jiang Group.’

Soon, a Rolls-Royce pulled up outside the company, and Jiang Jingshi and Pan Lin walked into the lobby.