Chapter 528: The Distant Female CEO
Chapter 528: The Distant Female CEO
Upon returning home, Nie Zan prepared some medicine for Lu Jiaxin to drink, instructing her to rest her voice. The servants and bodyguards in the Lu family's mansion found the day unusually quiet, a stark contrast to what they were accustomed to.
The two went for a walk in the garden after dinner, Nie Zan holding Lu Jiaxin's hand as they strolled. "You're the boss," he said. "You just need to review the plans and make the final call. There's no need to say too much."
After all, he had to deal with countless matters daily, and the thought of having to talk nonstop like Lu Jiaxin did was exhausting.
Lu Jiaxin nodded with a smile.
Nie Zan continued, "Just rest at home these next two days. Don't go to work."
Lu Jiaxin shook her head, indicating that she would try her best to minimize her speech in the coming days.
Hearing her hoarse voice, Nie Zan felt a twinge of pain. If he had known she would push herself so hard, he wouldn't have rushed her to return to work so soon. Ideally, she would have taken it easy until after her college graduation.
The next day, Lu Jiaxin went to work as usual, but she only discussed work with Susan and Xu Yue. Throughout the conversation, she mostly listened, chiming in with a word or two occasionally.
It took three days for her throat to recover, and she could finally speak normally again. However, the experience had taught her the value of her words, and she now chose them sparingly. Of course, it wasn't just about protecting her voice; it was also about cultivating an air of unapproachability.
On Friday afternoon, Zong Shi Meng called to invite her for afternoon tea.
Having worked a full week, Lu Jiaxin was also eager to unwind. She declined the offer of tea and instead suggested they go horseback riding. She had already learned how to ride, but her instructor advised her to practice more. Lu Jiaxin's goal was simply to be able to run, not necessarily to gallop at full speed.
Zong Shi Meng was also an adept horse rider. "Great!" she exclaimed. "This time, besides Xin Yu and Mei Tong, I'll also invite Hui Hui. She loves horseback riding and even owns a foal."
"Sounds good!" Lu Jiaxin replied.
During the weekend, Hu Zhi Feng, Tao Yong, and Su He Yuan also joined them. To avoid a repeat of the previous incident, Nie Zan decided not to invite Fu Ye this time. It was a rare holiday, and they wanted to relax and not end up returning home disappointed again, wasting a precious day off.
Hu Zhi Feng was also displeased with Fu Ye's behavior the last time. While he refrained from commenting on personal matters, bringing a notoriously difficult fiancee along was clearly a mistake.
After riding a few laps around the track, Lu Jiaxin and her friends sat down to chat. Previously, their conversations revolved around new clothing lines, jewelry, and investments. However, this time felt different.
As soon as Yu Mei Tong sat down, she said, "Jiaxin, the word around the company is that you're very strict and have incredibly high standards. The employees of Green Forest are all afraid of you. Everyone is working extra hard to keep their jobs, and no one dares to slack off anymore."
Zong Shi Meng teased, "Wow, who would've thought you'd be so formidable at the company, Jiaxin? I used to worry that your youthful face wouldn't command enough respect from your subordinates!"
Shi Yu smiled and said, "Jiaxin, I can't even picture you with a stern face. Come on, show us what you look like when you're angry."
Of course, Lu Jiaxin had no intention of putting on a display for them. She smiled and replied, "It was Ah Zan's idea for me to act like that. He said that it would make people fear me and not underestimate me because of my age. They'd take my words seriously."
She never expected that her serious expression would be so effective in deterring employees from slacking off. In that moment, she made a decision—from then on, she would embrace the persona of a distant and unapproachable female CEO.
Zong Shi Meng couldn't stop laughing. "I can't believe it! You're usually so cheerful, but at the company, you put on this stern face. I guess you're taking after Nie Zan, huh?"
"The first time I met Nie Zan, I noticed how little he spoke and how rarely he smiled," Lu Jiaxin explained. "It was only after I asked Zhi Feng about it that I learned he naturally doesn't like to talk much. But the people at the company don't know that, so they find him intimidating because he always looks so serious."
"When he took over Wansheng Real Estate, there were a few veteran employees who tried to pull rank and act arrogantly. Unexpectedly, he didn't tolerate it at all and fired them on the spot. The matter was brought to Old Master Nie, but to no avail. Nie Zan insisted on the dismissals. After that, the work culture at Wansheng Real Estate improved significantly."
Lu Jiaxin smiled and said, "The first time I met him, he had an unapproachable demeanor that was quite intimidating. Later, after getting to know him, I realized it was all an act, and he's actually quite a chatterbox."
Zong Shi Meng found this amusing. "What chatterbox? He only talks nonstop with you. With us, he's as stingy with his words as can be. Hu Zhi Feng even told me once that he wonders what kind of woman could put up with this personality of his."
Because Nie Zan always indulged Lu Jiaxin, Hu Zhi Feng secretly told her that he had misjudged the man. Nie Zan seemed like a completely different person now that he was in love.
Lu Jiaxin smiled and changed the subject. "Sister Shi Meng, your stocks must have gone up quite a bit, right?"
After the big drop, she had asked Lu Jiaxin for advice, and following her suggestion, she had invested 1.5 million Hong Kong dollars in stocks at over 2200 points.
Zong Shi Meng's face lit up as she said, "The one that performed the best went up by over 50%, and even the worst one went up by 18%. Jiaxin, thank you so much for the tip; otherwise, I wouldn't have dared to buy."
Initially, she had been too scared to buy when the stock market had crashed like that, but she also didn't want to miss out on an opportunity, so she had brought up the topic during a meal with Jiaxin. Hearing that Jiaxin was planning to enter the market, she had immediately instructed her stockbroker to buy as well. In just four months, she had made a profit of over 3 million.
Hu Hui Hui hadn't bought any stocks. She felt that the risk was too high and preferred to focus on buying property instead, a sentiment shared by Yu Mei Tong. Shi Yu, on the other hand, was feeling rather glum about the topic, as two-thirds of her stocks were still stuck from the stock market crash, and she hadn't managed to recover her losses yet.
After a short break, the five of them went riding again. This time, Zong Shi Meng, Hu Hui Hui, and Shi Yu had a race, while Lu Jiaxin and Yu Mei Tong rode their horses slowly behind them.
Yu Mei Tong asked, "Jiaxin, now that Mr. Nie has put you in charge of the jewelry company, why haven't you gone to the company at all in such a long time?"
Lu Jiaxin smiled. "For Wufu Jewelry, I'm only involved in deciding the company's development strategies and direction. I won't meddle in the day-to-day operations."
Fashion was her forte, and creating her own brand had been a dream of hers in her past life, so she had taken full control of that division. Jewelry, on the other hand, was a professional field, and Wufu Jewelry had been developing very well under Nie Zan's management these past two years. There was no need for her to interfere.
Upon hearing this, Yu Mei Tong sighed. "Jiaxin, the company hasn't been very stable this week, and many people think that you'll take over and strip Liang Total of his power. But since you haven't had any experience in the jewelry industry, they're all very worried about the company's future prospects."
After saying this, she raised her thumb and continued, "Jiaxin, with your vision, Wufu Jewelry will definitely do better and better, and it won't be long before you surpass Chow Tai Fook."
Lu Jiaxin smiled. "My goal is to make money, not to surpass anyone. Liang Total is more experienced than me in the jewelry industry, so it's best to leave the management to him."
It was a good thing to have someone else help her make money. Why would she want to do everything herself and tire herself out? Nie Zan managed several companies, and previously, he had also had to deal with the Nie family's matters, so he had been very busy. Now, he was a little more relaxed than before. However, yesterday, Nie Zan had mentioned that the government was putting a large housing estate out for tender, and he intended to bid for it. Investments in large housing estates like that required tens of billions of dollars, so one company alone couldn't handle it, and they would have to cooperate with other companies. Once the bidding started, Nie Zan would be busy again, but it was a good kind of busy, indicating that business was booming.
(End of Chapter)
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