Sober and beautiful, my husband and son begged for my forgiveness on their knees.

Ning Yao was on her way to meet the person in charge when Lu Mingjin called. She hesitated for a few seconds before answering.

"Is something wrong?"

Hearing her cold tone, Lu Mingjin's courage, which had been bolstered by encouragement, waned by half. "You...I..."

Seeing that he couldn't speak for a long time, Ning Yao said calmly, "If you have nothing to do, get some rest. I have things to do, I'll contact you later."

"and many more."

Lu Mingjin sensed that she wanted to hang up, so she quickly spoke up, then whispered, "Mom, I didn't feel well last night and I threw up. Could you... could you make me some eight-treasure porridge?"

Ning Yao's heart skipped a beat when she heard his cautious and aggrieved voice.

In the past, upon hearing that he was sick, she would have dropped everything and rushed to take care of him without hesitation.

"I'm sorry, I have something very important to do right now, I don't have much time."

Lu Mingjin's courage completely vanished, and tears welled up in her eyes from feeling so wronged.

He sobbed softly, "Okay, goodbye Mom."

Ning Yao thought he would make a scene and cry to try to achieve his goal, but he didn't.

She was feeling down, unsure whether to be happy or sad.

Zhong Yunche noticed her change in mood and asked gently, "What happened?"

Lu Mingjin hadn't hung up the phone yet, and Lu Jingmo clearly heard the man's voice on the other end, his face suddenly turning gloomy.

He snatched the phone away, but before he could say anything, Ning Yao hung up. The phone creaked under his grip.

"Dad." Lu Mingjin was frightened by his expression and looked at him with some fear.

Lu Jingmo immediately composed herself and handed the phone back to him. "It's okay. If she doesn't agree, Dad will talk to her."

Lu Mingjin's grievances immediately dissipated, and she looked at him with admiration, "Thank you, Dad."

On the other hand, Ning Yao did not explain her private matters to Zhong Yunche, but simply glossed over them.

Zhong Yunche's gaze darkened slightly, and he didn't press the matter further.

The two quickly met with the person in charge, who immediately recognized that the quality of this sample was even better than the final draft and praised them highly.

Ning Yao and Zhong Yunche had just breathed a sigh of relief when they heard him say, "There's a problem right now. Some leaders have changed their schedules and have asked us to move the sports meet forward by three days, to Sunday. It's a bit tight on time, but it's a task that must be completed. Can you do it?"

Although the tone was one of negotiation, the words conveyed an unyielding and assertive force.

Ning Yao and Zhong Yunche were both surprised by this change, but they knew they couldn't refuse, otherwise all their efforts would be in vain.

Ten minutes later, they returned to the car, both feeling somewhat heavy-hearted.

But they weren't the type to wallow in self-pity, and they quickly began discussing solutions.

After both sides offered solutions and then rejected them, and things seemed to be heading towards a dead end, Zhong Yunche suddenly spoke up, "President Ning, I have a solution, but..."

Ning Yao was at a stalemate when she saw him hesitate, so she immediately pressed him for an answer, "What's the solution? Just tell me."

Zhong Yunche pursed his lips before raising his head and looking directly at her, "Seek cooperation with the Lu Group."

Ning Yao fell silent for a moment.

Zhong Yunche knew that his suggestion wasn't good, but there was no better way at the moment.

He had prepared his speech and was about to earnestly persuade her to agree.

Unexpectedly, Ning Yao suddenly laughed, "Your idea is good."

Zhong Yunche asked in surprise, "You don't object?"

Ning Yao's pretty face was full of openness and relief. "I have no reason to object. Although my relationship with Lu Jingmo is a bit special, it will not affect our win-win cooperation. It's just that he may not want to see me, so you may have to handle the negotiations."

Upon hearing her words, Zhong Yunche's gentle eyes lit up with a smile. "Alright, I will do my best to achieve the cooperation."

At the Lu Group, Yang Qian had just left Lu Jingmo's office when he received an internal phone call.

"Assistant Yang, there is a Mr. Zhong Yunche here who says he has urgent business to discuss with President Lu. What would you like to do to make arrangements?"

Yang Qian felt the name sounded familiar.

Suddenly, he remembered—wasn't she Ning Yao's subordinate?

Why did he end up at the Lu family's place? Could it be... that something happened to Ning Yao?

Yang Qian asked the receptionist to wait a moment, then hurriedly knocked on Lu Jingmo's door and reported Zhong Yunche's visit to Lu Jingmo.

“Zhong Yunche?” Lu Jingmo’s tone was indifferent. After a moment of contemplation, he said, “Go check the news about Ning Yao’s meeting with the organizers today.”

Soon, Yang Qian found out that the sports meet would be held ahead of schedule and immediately informed Lu Jingmo.

Lu Jingmo immediately understood the reason for Zhong Yunche's visit, and his thin lips curled up coldly, "Tell Zhong Yunche that I only do business with people who are sincere."

……

Shattered Star Company.

Upon hearing Zhong Yunche's account, Ning Yao realized that Lu Jingmo was forcing her to see him.

"It seems he already knows about the sports meet being moved up."

Zhong Yunche nodded, "This news wasn't blocked; Lu Jingmo will find out as soon as he inquires."

Xiao Xiao was quite indignant upon hearing this. "If that's the case, then President Lu must know that we sincerely want to cooperate with him. So why would he say something like that? Is he trying to lower our price?"

Wen An was also a little worried. "The purpose of this project is to expand our brand awareness. The profit margin is very thin. If the Lu Group really wants to deliberately lower the price, then we'll be in trouble."

Ning Yao smiled calmly, "What's meant to happen can't be avoided. Since he wants to see me, then I'll go and meet him."

After arranging a meeting time with Yang Qian in the afternoon, Zhong Yunche immediately sent Ning Yao over.

Upon arriving at Lu Jingmo's top-floor office, Yang Qian stopped Zhong Yunche in the meeting room, saying, "President Lu said he wants to speak with Miss Ning alone."

Zhong Yunche frowned in displeasure, but Ning Yao calmly said, "Then you can wait here."

Yang Qian was slightly surprised to see that Zhong Yunche indeed remained silent and calmly sat down.

After leaving the BOSS, Ning Yao was like a pearl that had been wiped clean of dust and regained its brilliance, radiating a warm and dazzling light.

Ning Yao walked into Lu Jingmo's office.

Lu Jingmo was still dealing with something. When he saw her come in, he didn't say anything and simply gestured for her to sit down on the sofa next to him.

Ning Yao sat down with a calm expression.

A few minutes later, Lu Jingmo, having finished his business, loosened his tight tie and looked at her.

"I only have ten minutes, you can start now."

He sat proudly in his office chair, his features sharp and slightly aloof, his eyes revealing an undeniable indifference and authority.

It was as if a superior was scrutinizing Ning Yao.

Seeing that he was starting to put on airs, Ning Yao smiled slightly and said, "Are you mistaken? I'm here to discuss cooperation, not to beg you to cooperate."

Lu Jingmo scoffed, "The Lu Group has no shortage of projects, but your 'Shattered Star' project can't afford to lose."