Volume One, Chapter 16: President Ji Has a Girlfriend Now

After finishing his shower, Ji Yanli lay on the bed waiting for a long time, but there was still no sign of Shu Xingruo. The longer he waited, the more irritated he became. His brow furrowed deeply—didn’t she like him very much? Why was she in no hurry?

Unable to bear it any longer, he got up to check. Ji Zhixu’s room was already dark.

She was actually sleeping in the child’s room!

Ji Yanli’s throat tightened painfully. This woman—she actually refused to share a room with him?

What right did she have? It was clearly her who had taken the initiative back then.

He stormed back to his room, his chest aching with anger. “Let’s see how long she can hold out.”

When he woke up in the morning, Shu Xingruo was already gone.

He was filled with doubt. What exactly was this woman up to lately? Out of pride, he didn’t dare call her to ask.

With the National Day holiday approaching, Shu Xingruo had taken leave for Ji Zhixu. The elderly couple planned to take him abroad for a trip.

Yesterday, the office equipment finally arrived. Yue Ling had hired temporary workers to clean it thoroughly, and Shu Xingruo went out to purchase office supplies.

Chen Yunu, a seasoned HR professional, arranged recruitment for the company’s needs—accounting, research and development, sales… she handled it all.

Some hires were internal referrals, some were poached from other companies, and others recruited online.

Using every possible channel and method, Shu Xingruo felt incredibly fortunate to have such a competent assistant.

After completing all the procedures for the agency company, she went downstairs to Dongsheng Bank to open a corporate account, which took over three hours.

On her way out, she encountered Su Rongze, who had just finished inspecting the work. He was surrounded by a crowd.

Among them, he stood out strikingly—tall and slender, dressed in a bespoke suit, his handsome face exceptionally prominent.

Suddenly, Shu Xingruo thought that Ji Yanli must have looked something like this at work. He had never allowed her to visit the company.

Thinking of Ji Yanli, Shu Xingruo wanted to slap herself. Such a man was unworthy of her longing.

Su Rongze also noticed Shu Xingruo but did not greet her, merely nodding in acknowledgment.

She returned a faint smile, and they passed each other.

Back in the office, Shu Xingruo handled some paperwork. The main task for the afternoon was interviews.

Chen Yunu had invited various talents. At this pace, recruitment would be completed before the National Day holiday.

Once the team was fully assembled, the next step would be to prepare experimental data and bid proposals.

It was going to be another busy period. Fortunately, her son had been taken out to play; otherwise, she really wouldn’t have had the time.

Busy all the way until the National Day holiday, Shu Xingruo did not travel but instead dove into the lab to continue working overtime.

On the third day, she drove to the resort to treat Gan Jinglian.

Su Rongze was there as well. Seeing him, Shu Xingruo was somewhat surprised. “Aren’t you going out to have fun?”

Su Rongze half-joked, “I was looking forward to the medical prowess of such a healer as yourself!”

Yesterday, Ji Guangtong had called him, saying that Gan Jinglian had begun to regain some consciousness and had recognized him.

Su Rongze had flown back to Haishi overnight, eager to visit her at the resort.

He cared deeply for Gan Jinglian. Now that his grandmother was paralyzed and mentally unclear, he had been heartbroken for a long time.

The sudden news of her improvement made his heart leap with joy even more than seeing good financial reports.

Shu Xingruo took Gan Jinglian’s pulse, her expression calm and unreadable.

This made Su Rongze restless yet hesitant to ask, fearing it might disrupt her treatment.

Without a word, Shu Xingruo took out acupuncture needles from her kit and began the treatment.

About half an hour later, she rewrote a prescription and handed it to Su Rongze.

Nervously, he asked, “Is there hope for my grandmother’s recovery?”

Shu Xingruo smiled gently. “There is great hope. The cerebellar hemorrhage has completely stopped. The rest will depend on time. Have her take this medicine for half a month, and I will come back then.”

Su Rongze pulled out his phone to add her on WeChat. “I’ll transfer your treatment fee.”

He sent her ten thousand yuan. Shu Xingruo raised her phone, asking, “Mr. Su, what does this mean?” As a doctor, she disliked receiving money in such a way. If it were to earn money, she could have simply raised her consultation fees.

Su Rongze quickly explained, “This is a token of my gratitude. You have done so much for my grandmother; this amount is nothing. You must accept it, or I would be unhappy.”

He watched her expression carefully as he spoke. Her face was neither pleased nor displeased. She replied lightly, “Alright, thank you for your kindness, Mr. Su.”

Carrying her medicine box, she began to leave. The building manager of Dongsheng informed Su Rongze that she had been working late alone every day recently.

Su Rongze remarked, “Your husband is off traveling to Beijing with his little... ‘secret admirer.’ You don’t need to exhaust yourself like this.”

Shu Xingruo blinked at him. “I’m not pushing myself for his sake. I just want to get the experimental data as soon as possible. Let him do whatever he wants.”

She paused and looked at him. “How do you know they went to Beijing?”

Su Rongze’s voice was cool. “I didn’t specifically inquire; they were just too conspicuous. I heard they applied for a special flight route and took a private plane. The entire business district of Haishi knows.”

Shu Xingruo felt a pang in her heart, as if someone had twisted it painfully. She remembered how, years ago, when she suggested taking Ji Yanli’s private plane, he had harshly humiliated her, saying she was unworthy and would never have that chance in this life.

Clearly, she had no weight in his heart, while He Xin was his cherished favorite.

Her face paled slightly. Su Rongze noticed immediately and quickly apologized, “Sorry, I didn’t know you still cared about him.”

Shu Xingruo lowered her gaze, her long lashes covering her eyes.

She whispered, “I don’t care—I just feel sorry for my own money. A private plane trip is very expensive.” Saying this eased her own pain a bit.

This answer surprised Su Rongze. A sly smile suddenly appeared on his face. “Yes, at least several hundred thousand for a single trip.”

Shu Xingruo snorted. “A spendthrift.” Her expression returned to normal as she continued toward her car.

Today, the temperature in Haishi dropped sharply. There was a thirty-yuan discount for every twenty spent. Shu Xingruo was lightly dressed and shivered from the cold.

Su Rongze asked, “Want to soak in the hot springs? The weather today is perfect for it.”

“No,” Shu Xingruo refused. It was too awkward to go to the hot springs with a man.

Su Rongze said softly, “Your husband goes out every day with his mistress, openly and shamelessly. Everyone knows Ji Yanli has a new girlfriend. And yet you still uphold your virtue—no wonder they dare to dance on your head.”

Shu Xingruo was unfazed by his provocation. “Not everyone is as immoral as he is.”

Su Rongze’s expression faltered—was she accusing him of seducing a married woman?

“I just think you don’t need to push yourself so hard.”

“Thank you for your concern, Mr. Su, but I don’t find it exhausting.”

Driving back to the city, Shu Xingruo first went home to put on a coat, then returned to the lab.

At four in the afternoon, her phone rang. It was He Hong, the shared father of both Shu Xingruo and He Xin.