Chapter 369: Such Strong Support

The Vice President of Business Operations was still in his office, thinking Yang Hui’s visit to President Zong was just a courtesy call to get acquainted. He never expected to be summoned the very next second.

When he entered the general manager’s office, he saw Zhang Chun, Zong Lan, and Yang Hui chatting and laughing together. It was the first time he’d ever seen his female boss laugh so happily.

Seeing him enter, Zong Lan immediately gave her instructions. “I have two urgent matters for you to handle right away. First, Yanghe Commerce’s brand placement. Have all stores speed things up. I want those spots available by the end of the month. If anyone can’t deliver, both the project director and the VP of business operations will receive the lowest possible mid-year evaluation. Second, proceed with renewing all of Ruijing Commerce’s leases under their existing terms. Arrange for marketing budget support immediately. If there’s no budget for it this month, reallocate the funds from elsewhere. If you need to go to the regional division or headquarters, President Zhang and I are right here, so give us immediate feedback.”

‘Holy cow.’ The VP of Business Operations was stunned. ‘This level of support is even greater than what President Tian offered back in the day. Good thing I already made arrangements.’

“Yes, ma’am. Regarding the placement for Yanghe Commerce’s two brands, I already sent out the request this morning. I’ll follow up on the progress daily from now on. As for Ruijing Commerce, I’ll get on it right away. However, for a few of those locations, we’ve already reached an agreement with the next tenant. The contract has been sent out.”

Zong Lan waved her hand dismissively. “Then negotiate with them to retract the agreement. Offer them some compensation from other areas. If they don’t agree, just breach the contract and pay the penalty fee.”

‘Damn… ‘

This even shocked Yang Hui. When he heard the VP say the contract with the new tenant was close to being signed, he had already resigned himself to losing those stores. Things would be fine if Xinyue Group could negotiate a smooth exit, but if the other party refused, a forced breach of contract would damage their reputation. Yet, Zong Lan had made the decision without a moment’s hesitation.

The VP thought the same thing. He glanced over at the regional director, Zhang Chun, only to find him completely unopposed. ‘This is unbelievable!’ After confirming his orders, the VP left the office to make the arrangements. He was inwardly relieved that he had shown Yang Hui some consideration recently, both in dealing with the Zhao Rui situation and when Yang Hui had called a few days ago to halt the evaluations on Ruijing Commerce’s stores.

‘Otherwise,’ he thought, ‘if he’d held a grudge over that misunderstanding with Huang Lingyu, my life would have become very difficult.’

Zhang Chun’s phone rang. He pulled it out and glanced at the screen. “You two talk. I need to step out and take this call. It’s the CEO.”

Once Zhang Chun had left, Yang Hui suddenly felt a little awkward alone with the beautiful general manager. The office fell into a strange silence. After a long moment, he broke it, speaking to Zong Lan. “President Zong, thank you, truly. I’m honestly a bit overwhelmed by this level of support.”

Zong Lan’s expression suddenly turned strange. The hairs on Yang Hui’s arms stood on end; he couldn’t understand her reaction.

Zong Lan’s eyelashes fluttered. As she looked at Yang Hui, a moist sheen surfaced in her eyes. Her hands were folded over her linen skirt, her knuckles turning white. Outside the window behind her, the leaves of a sycamore tree suddenly rustled—

Just as Yang Hui was at a loss for what to do, she spoke. “President Yang, I’m the one who should be thanking you.”

‘Now I’m even more confused.’ She had just done him a huge favor, so what could she possibly be thanking him for? Just as he was about to ask, Zong Lan’s next words left him stunned. “Thank you for taking in Du’Er.”

‘Du’Er?’ Yang Hui’s pupils constricted. He suddenly realized that the contours of Zong Lan’s eyes and brows were strikingly similar to Wenren Du’Er’s—about seventy percent so. They had the same upturned phoenix eyes, and even the curve of her neck as she lowered her head was identical.

‘No, in many ways she also resembles Wenren Meng.’ Their jawlines both carried a characteristic sharpness veiled in softness. The downward curve of Wenren Meng’s lips when she smiled was a perfect mirror of the smile Zong Lan had just worn.

“You—Du’Er? Are you…?”

An answer was on the tip of Yang Hui’s tongue, but he could hardly believe it. ‘Could the person the Wenren Family has been searching for for almost a year have suddenly appeared right in front of me? And as Xinyue Group’s regional general manager, no less? But… isn’t she part of the Zong Family?’

She nodded. “I am Wenren Du’Er’s mother—Wenren Lan.”

Before Yang Hui could ask why she went by Zong Lan, she began to explain on her own. “When I was very young, I was adopted by a wealthy businessman from the Zong Family and raised by them. Over a decade ago, I was sent to Qingzhou. That’s when I met Du’Er’s father. We married and had Du’Er. A little over a year ago, a major crisis occurred, and I was urgently recalled. To protect my family here from danger, I couldn’t explain anything to them. I chose to leave without saying goodbye. At the time, I didn’t know how long I’d be gone, so I gave my father a sum of money and asked them to look after Du’Er for me. I never expected so much would happen after I left. Thankfully, you took her in. Otherwise… I truly can’t imagine what would have happened. So, President Yang, you are my savior!”

Her description was simple, but Yang Hui knew the “major crisis” she mentioned must have been an internal matter within the Zong Family. He imagined that for a great family like that, such crises were likely fraught with peril. He had never experienced anything like it and couldn’t begin to fathom it. Since Zong Lan didn’t elaborate, and he knew that powerful families all have their secrets, he understood it wasn’t his place to pry.

He also gathered that she must have gone looking for Du’Er after arriving back in Qingzhou.

Just then, Zong Lan said, “I’ve already seen my sister, but I haven’t had her tell Du’Er yet. I was originally planning to wait until I finished my work in the next day or two to visit you in person and express my gratitude. I never expected that, by such a coincidence, President Zhang would arrange for me to meet you today.”

Yang Hui thought back. ‘No wonder Wenren Meng seemed a little different these past two days.’ He figured she was probably waiting for the right moment to tell him her sister was planning to visit.