The Ceo‘s Caged Melody

The next day, the entire entertainment section of the C City Business Daily was dominated by reports of Jiang Muwan, the new Deputy General Manager of Huazhong.

Some even dug up the past between Jiang Lin and his ex-wife Hua Rong, the once passionate love affair from their youth that, once exposed to the light of day, was either the subject of envy or the talk of the town.

The older generation of entrepreneurs in C City, when speaking of the marriage between Hua Rong and Jiang Lin, the seniors couldn't help but sigh with regret.

People of Jiang Lin's generation would simply comment, "What a pity," and then quickly move on.

The news about Jiang Lin and Hua Rong didn't float around for long before it was taken down, but even in that short time, Jiang Muwan had achieved her goal.

Given Huazhong's standing in the business world, even if Jiang Lin did not act, the old man would not allow this negative publicity to affect the group's operation.

In just two days, everyone in C City knew that Jiang Muwan was the child of Jiang Lin and his former wife Hua Rong, with no connection to Yang Shan whatsoever.

Early in the morning, the atmosphere at the Jiang Family's old house was anything but harmonious, with Yang Shan, who was usually gentle and considerate, now wearing a cold expression.

The reason was well known to everyone.

Jiang Sinan, sitting aside, was extremely thoughtful in bringing this up with his mother, who tried her best to maintain a steady voice in response.

In the end, breakfast concluded.

Yang Shan followed Jiang Lin upstairs and no sooner had the door closed behind them than she blurted out her question, "Why is it that recently the news always has Jiang Muwan taking main stage?"

"Among all the celebrities, heroes, artists, political affairs, and public livelihood in the country, is there really nothing else to write about? How come it's Jiang Muwan, that young girl, making the front-page headlines day after day?"

No matter what, Yang Shan couldn't believe that this had nothing to do with Jiang Muwan. Ever since she returned to C City, Yang Shan had felt a constant pressure, growing more intense each day.

"With Huazhong being a leader in C City, garnering public attention is nothing unusual. Don't overreact," replied Jiang Lin, who saw nothing unusual about the situation. On the contrary, he viewed the indirect publicity for Huazhong as beneficial.

However, for Yang Shan, a wife who had a hard time seeing past the old times, this was infuriating.

"Am I overreacting? Today's reports are about you and Hua Rong; will they target us tomorrow? Will they target Sinan the day after? And will they eventually publish that incident of Jiang Muwan's attempted murder?"

Yang Shan's words were laced with a roaring tone, each question raised higher than the last.

Perhaps it was her words that prompted Jiang Lin to consider another perspective, as he looked deeply at her.

Seeing her face flushed with rage, he raised his hand to her shoulder in a soothing manner, reassured her, "I won't let you or Sinan suffer any grievances, be at ease."

That morning, the flurry of news was forcefully suppressed.

Fu Jing entered Jiang Muwan's office with a newspaper in hand, placed it before her, and spoke calmly, "Just as I thought."

Jiang Muwan knew early on that the news wouldn't last long.

If Jiang Lin did not intervene timely, the old man wouldn't allow the news to spread like wildfire.

Nevertheless, it was enough.

Sometimes, things do backfire.

"When Yang Hu was reassigned, he left behind two messes, one is the Chengdong Food Street development case, and the other is the current North City Street renovation case," said Jiang Muwan, pushing a file folder across the table for Fu Jing to see.

The latter pulled up a chair and sat down, flipping open the folder that Jiang Muwan had pushed over.

Her eyes lingered on the contents.

The latter was not in a hurry, walked over to the side coffee table, poured herself a cup of tea, and sipped it delicately.

It was undeniable that Yang Hu was a person who knew how to enjoy life; the office's tea table, carved from a whole log of golden nanmu wood, featured a serene charm as the water trickled down while tea was made.

At the desk, Fu Jing, looking through the documents in her hands for a while, turned to look at Jiang Muwan, her words harbouring a hint of depth, "Was this given to you by Jiang Lin?"

The latter nodded.

"This is a power move," Foo Jing quickly offered her opinion.

And in response to her, there were nods again.

As Jiang Muwan started her new position, Jiang Lin dumped all the problems Yang Hu left behind onto her.

The message couldn't be clearer.

If she handled it well, all would be fine.

But if she didn't, even if Jiang Muwan took the position of executive vice president, she would not win everyone over.

Jiang Lin looked kind and friendly on the surface, but anyone would fear being usurped by a newcomer, even if it was his own daughter.

"What do you think?" Fu Jing crossed her legs and leaned back in her chair, her serene gaze landing on the woman sipping tea on the couch.

Seeing that she appeared unfazed and remained quite calm, slowly finishing her entire cup of tea.

"New officials do not settle old scores," she said and then slowly placed the cup on the table.

"He took the money and wants me to clean up this mess, wishful thinking," she uttered the words soberly, without a ripple, just a simple statement.

"Contact the people leading these two issues, leak the news to them that this can't be done, and send them looking for Yang Hu."

"Okay," Fu Jing said, standing up and leaving.

Jiang Muwan had never worried about Fu Jing's efficiency in handling tasks.

On April 15th, a light rain showered C City in the evening, lasting no more than two hours before it stopped.

That night, Jiang Muwan, having just taken her new position, invited the management cadre below her out for a dinner to -- as she put it -- bond.

Before leaving work, she invited Jiang Lin, who frowned slightly and candidly stated, "I have an appointment with the Investment Promotion Office tonight."

Muwan hissed, pausing to think and then offered, "Why don't I cancel the engagement now and reschedule for another day?"

Anyone who had ever been a leader would know this was not appropriate and raised his hand to stop her, "It's the same if you guys get together another day, have fun tonight."

Jiang Muwan nodded and thanked him.

Turning around, the obedience on her face disappeared, replaced by a coldness.

Lanting Restaurant was a favorite gathering spot for the city's elite and officials, partly because of its tasteful décor and partly because it was hidden away -- perfect for discreet dining and discussions.

Understated luxury.

That night when Jiang Muwan arrived, all the management was already there. As she entered the courtyard, Fu Jing looked behind her to see if anyone was following.

She was relieved to see there was not.

The dinner that night was deliberately planned for when Jiang Lin had his appointment with the Investment Promotion Office.

The purpose was to keep him from coming.

Fu Jing came up to her, whispered something in Muwan's ear, and the latter frowned and nodded to show she understood.

Lanting Restaurant was a quaint old western-style building hidden in the city center. Surrounded by lush bamboo, ivy covered its walls, leaving only a black wooden door, modest yet secretive, unrecognizable as a high-end restaurant to anyone who had not been there before.

"Do you know who that person following Jiang Muwan is?"

On the second floor of Lanting, two people stood by the window, perfectly capturing the movements of Fu Jing and Jiang Muwan.

The man held a cup of tea in his hand, slowly stirring it, and glanced sideways at the person beside him, waiting for an answer. The other person glanced back at him, "Someone from the Fu Family in the Capital."