Chapter 161 - 158: Awkward! Mixed Up the Priorities!

Chapter 161: Chapter 158: Awkward! Mixed Up the Priorities!

An inexperienced young woman might blush and feel intimidated upon seeing it, but a woman who had weathered the storms of life would simply find it impossible to keep her hands off.

The female colleague carefully finished measuring his fair, firm, and tight hips, then squatted down to measure his legs.

May watched the highly suggestive scene with a racing heart. Swallowing hard, she forced herself to look away, silently warning herself that she couldn’t keep watching. If she kept looking, she was going to lose her composure.

Ten minutes later.

The physical measurement data collection was complete. The female colleague uploaded the data into the system, while May enthusiastically led Su Yunzhou to the reception room to rest. On the road, she suddenly became much more talkative, a stark contrast to her previous measured professionalism. She even dropped subtle hints to fish for information about Su Yunzhou’s background.

Meanwhile, in the design department.

The gold-medal designer, Ma, stared at the near-perfect male body modeling data sent over from the physical testing department in sheer disbelief. As a veteran designer, he had built thousands of human body models and knew standard physical proportions like the back of his hand. Although he was somewhat skeptical of the numbers, his boss and that beautiful President Xia were breathing down his neck. He quickly inputted the data, and an AI-generated model soon appeared on his computer screen.

He then projected his initial draft—created based on the earlier suggestions from his boss and the beautiful woman—onto the large central screen. Men’s sportswear was actually quite straightforward; once the primary color palette was locked in, the remaining details simply catered to management’s tastes. As an experienced designer, Ma no longer stubbornly clung to his own ideals of perfection. Instead, he made micro-adjustments to satisfy the demands of his boss and clients. Such were the compromises brought about by age and experience.

Examining the AI model on the large screen, Xia Wanqing offered her feedback, asking if they could secure a more prominent placement for the Ze Feng Investment logo.

Zhou Wanquan looked at the stunning and elegant President Xia. Despite her charm, he firmly held onto the company’s bottom line in his heart. He would compromise where he could, but on non-negotiable points, he would not yield an inch.

While they were discussing the design, Zhou Wanquan’s phone rang. Catching a glimpse of the caller ID, he immediately stepped outside. It was Chairman Ye’s secretary. The man was known as the corporate group’s ultimate insider; not the slightest rustle of leaves could escape his watchful eyes.

The moment he answered the phone, his suspicions were confirmed.

"President Zhou, did Mr. Su head over to your department?" Secretary Zhang asked right away.

"Huh?" Zhou Wanquan grunted, his sharp instincts tingling. The secretary’s immediate priority hadn’t been President Xia, but the athlete.

Secretary Zhang continued, "Mr. Su is Chairman Ye’s VIP guest. You must ensure he is exceptionally well taken care of. If anything goes wrong, you’ll bear the consequences."

"Secretary Zhang, rest assured. You know how reliably I handle things, don’t you?" Zhou Wanquan replied.

Though he maintained a calm facade, he was panicking internally. He frantically reviewed their earlier interactions, wondering if he had used an inappropriate tone or said anything offensive. He assured himself that he probably hadn’t. Aside from acting slightly aloof earlier, he hadn’t done anything blatantly wrong. Still, it was mortifying to realize he had completely mixed up who the primary VIP was! However, May was excellent at handling interpersonal relations, so he figured there shouldn’t be any major issues on her end.

"Good," Secretary Zhang said over the line. "As long as you understand the gravity of the situation. Under no circumstances should you neglect him. That’s all."

After hanging up, Zhou Wanquan immediately called May. Upon learning they were in the reception room, he strictly instructed her to provide the most enthusiastic service possible. He then hurried back to the design department and addressed Xia Wanqin.

"President Xia, Mr. Su is currently resting in the reception room. I believe that when designing a competition uniform, it’s crucial to consult the athlete’s own suggestions. Would you please accompany me there?"

Xia Wanqing gave a slight nod of approval.

Urged by President Zhou, the gold-medal designer grabbed his iPad and drawing tools and headed toward the reception room as well. Ma felt more than a little disgruntled. It was one thing to cater to the whims of two corporate executives, but now he had to take design notes from an athlete? What a joke. But as a corporate drone, he had no real say in the matter.

A moment later.

Walking at a brisk pace with a serious expression, President Zhou arrived at the reception room. The moment he pushed the door open, a brilliant smile bloomed across his face.

"Mr. Su, did the physical measurements go smoothly?"

"It was fine," Su Yunzhou replied.

Noting the young man’s lukewarm attitude, Zhou Wanquan immediately turned to his secretary, May, who was standing to the side. "How could you just serve Mr. Su mineral water? Have you forgotten what I told you? Hurry up and brew a pot of my prized Da Hong Pao tea!"

May’s expression faltered slightly at the scolding. She felt a flash of unwarranted grievance and confusion, but as a seasoned secretary who had worked alongside President Zhou for years, she understood his temperament well enough to play along. Without a word of complaint, she turned on her long, elegant legs and headed for the door.

Su Yunzhou waved a hand dismissively. "There’s no need for that. Mineral water is perfectly fine for me."

Not showing a hint of awkwardness, Zhou Wanquan shot May a look, silently signaling her to stop. He then turned back to the designer, speaking with overflowing enthusiasm. "Ma, bring up the concepts and ideas we discussed earlier and show them to Mr. Su. An athlete’s thoughts and suggestions are of the utmost importance. We must prioritize his feedback above all else."

Hearing her boss’s overt flattery, May finally realized that this particular athlete—who possessed some very notable physical traits—was not just some ordinary guy. Meanwhile, the gold-medal designer, Ma, was thoroughly annoyed, but he had no choice but to bow to his paycheck. Zhou Wanquan’s complete 180-degree attitude shift as a sly old fox made the hierarchy undeniably clear.

Ma respectfully ran through all of his design concepts. Su Yunzhou barely reacted, simply telling the room that he was happy to leave everything in President Xia’s capable hands. Xia Wanqing offered a faint smile, having anticipated this exact outcome. Su Yunzhou’s ability to pass the buck was truly second to none.

The rest of the meeting proved rather dull. Su Yunzhou casually scrolled through his phone while listening with half an ear. By the time they finalized the design layout, it was a quarter past four in the afternoon.

Zhou Wanquan and his secretary, May, politely escorted the two of them all the way down to the underground parking garage. They watched as Su Yunzhou opened the door to the Panamera, ushered the elegant President Xia inside, and drove off. Only then did Zhou Wanquan let out a long, slow sigh of relief. He could only pray that Mr. Su hadn’t found his earlier attitude offensive. He mentally blamed Secretary Zhang for not calling sooner; the delayed warning had caused him to completely misidentify who the real VIP was!

On the way back.

Su Yunzhou checked the GPS navigation. Seeing that there was heavy traffic ahead, he called Liu Yiyi. She was incredibly understanding, mentioning that the delay would actually give her time to head home and change her clothes first. She had already booked a restaurant, and the two agreed to meet up at Taikoo Li.

Sitting in the passenger seat, Xia Wanqing inexplicably felt a twinge of discomfort. Su Yunzhou hadn’t tried to hide his conversation from her. It sounded like President Su had a dinner date with a lovely woman tonight. But... why did she care? Xia Wanqing shook her head, trying to dispel the sudden, mild displeasure bubbling in her chest, and shifted her focus to the music playing in the car.

Coincidentally, the song currently playing was a bit... overly romantic.

Xia Wanqing suddenly spoke up. "President Su, why don’t you just drop me off here? I can catch a cab back on my own. Since you have plans tonight, there’s no need to go out of your way to take me home!"

Su Yunzhou flatly refused. "I’m not about to make my partner catch a cab by herself."

A faint smile graced Xia Wanqing’s lips as she replied with subtle implication, "Aren’t you afraid your little girlfriend will get angry? Most young girls will throw a tantrum if you keep them waiting too long."

Su Yunzhou shook his head and replied naturally, "I don’t have a little girlfriend. Besides, we’re just having dinner..."

Xia Wanqing didn’t quite catch the rest of his sentence, but upon hearing him deny having a girlfriend, the knot of discomfort in her chest inexplicably vanished.

Noticing that Xia Wanqin was looking a bit exhausted, Su Yunzhou spoke up again. "I know you’ve been working a lot of overtime lately. I might not understand the company’s daily operations, but you need to make sure you’re balancing work and rest."

"Hmm?" Xia Wanqing let out a soft laugh. "Don’t worry about me. I’m perfectly healthy!"

Glancing at a row of shared bicycles by the sidewalk, Su Yunzhou suggested, "Why don’t we set a date to go cycling? My road bike has been gathering dust lately, and I think it’s starting to hold a grudge against me."

Recalling what had happened during their last cycling trip, Xia Wanqing’s smile deepened. "Sure! Let me check my schedule." After a brief pause, she continued, "I should be wrapped up with work by three-thirty tomorrow afternoon. How about we go for a ride in the evening?"

Su Yunzhou nodded. "Sounds like a plan!"

Once the topic shifted to cycling, Xia Wanqing became much more talkative. Accompanied by their cheerful banter, they soon arrived at the entrance to her residential community.

Stepping out of the car, she waved at him. "Drive safe!"

"I will," Su Yunzhou replied. "See you tomorrow."

Xia Wanqing watched the Panamera drive away before heading upstairs to her apartment. The moment she pushed open her door and spotted the couch, she immediately threw herself onto it. Since she had gotten off work a bit early today, she figured she would tidy up the apartment in a little while. After that, she would figure out what to wear for tomorrow’s ride!

She quickly justified her eagerness, telling herself not to overthink it. She just hadn’t worn her cycling gear in a long time, so she naturally needed to dig it out of the closet in advance. Yes, that was the only reason!

She snuggled deeper into the cushions. The sofa was just so unbelievably comfortable. In fact, it almost felt like it still carried the lingering warmth of...