Chapter 61 Part 2

Zhu Ran recognized him: Song Jiangheng from business development, who had brought in the brand sponsor for this collab.

He was here to check progress.

Zhu Ran straightened his sore back. “Engineering said they’d do it tomorrow. I was afraid it’d be too late, so I started.”

“Those idiots… Never mind, stop for now.” Song Jiangheng set a bag on the small table. “I brought midnight snacks. Eat first, then I’ll help.”

Zhu Ran didn’t want to owe favors and moved to refuse, but Song Jiangheng laughed. “Don’t be polite. You’re my junior at least. It’s the least I can do.”

Zhu Ran was surprised. “You’re from A University too?”

Song Jiangheng nodded. “Two years ahead of you, business school.”

Zhu Ran was starving anyway, so with that, he didn’t push back.

After eating, Song Jiangheng made a call. Hanging up, he told Zhu Ran engineering would show tomorrow and not to worry.

Zhu Ran was stunned—didn’t expect the help. But since it was Song Jiangheng’s project tied to his KPIs, it made sense. He thanked him and accepted gracefully.

“Head home and rest,” Song Jiangheng said. “Big shareholder’s visiting tomorrow for an inspection. Creative’s the core department—you don’t want slip-ups.”

He was just an intern, hardly core, but Zhu Ran knew it was well-meant and didn’t argue. He locked up and left.

No subway near the studio. Zhu Ran stood at the entrance to hail a cab when Song Jiangheng pulled up. “I can drive you.”

Zhu Ran declined, but the location was remote, nearing midnight—no rides in minutes.

Song Jiangheng chuckled. “First time here? Tough spot for cabs.”

“Then, sorry for the trouble.” Zhu Ran hesitated, then got in the passenger seat. “Just to the subway stop.”

“No big deal. I’m heading that way anyway—I’ll drop you home.” Song Jiangheng insisted, turning the wheel to leave the studio.

Streetlights lit his wrist, and Zhu Ran noticed the watch.

Gold bracelet, emerald-green face… No, not that model. Design and details differed, though the accessories were similar.

Song Jiangheng waved a hand in front of his face, grinning. “Why keep staring at my hand?”

“Your watch,” Zhu Ran snapped back. “I have one like it.”

Song Jiangheng smiled. “Guess we’re fated then.”

Zhu Ran turned to the window, saying no more.

He tried hard not to think of anything from Hong Kong Island, but closing his eyes brought endless flashes reminding him of Huo Boyan’s existence—impossible to shake.

That night, Zhu Ran dreamed of Huo Boyan again, and the next morning, he snuck to the bathroom to wash his underwear once more.

The dream wrecked his sleep. Yawning nonstop, he entered the office to find everyone eyeing him oddly.

Puzzled, he then saw Zhao Luyao—who usually looked down his nose—suddenly smile at him warmly. “Hard work today, classmate Zhu.”

Zhu Ran gave him a baffled glance and ignored it.

He knew Zhao Luyao didn’t like him. From day one, the guy had been nasty to him—maybe to everyone. Zhu Ran didn’t care; he was there to work, not make friends. No point engaging.

Until he checked the work group chat. Wu Tong had added Zhao Luyao, saying they’d co-lead the shoot.

After the group announcement, she called Zhu Ran into her office, hinting at Zhao Luyao’s background. Apparently, Zhao had leveraged it to tag along with the big shareholder’s company tour and tried to steal the whole project. Wu Tong had fought to keep Zhu Ran’s spot but let Zhao join.

No wonder the weird passive-aggression earlier. Zhu Ran felt uneasy but said nothing. The boss had already gone to bat for him.

Plus, he did need help. As an intern with no clout, leading even a small project was tough. Veterans weren’t cooperating, and Zhao could fill the gap.

Zhu Ran shared the project flow and progress with Zhao Luyao, then got back to work.

Just then, several black official cars pulled up to the main entrance.

The casual group chat exploded.

[Alert: Spotted the new shareholder!]

[So hot, omg—is that a shareholder or a celeb?!]

Everyone swarmed to the windows.

Zhao Luyao leaned on the sill, locking eyes with the man and blushing.

So handsome…

And handsome with real class.

Zhu Ran had zero interest in shareholders; he cared if the project would go smoothly.

In the social media era, print mags were shrinking—even giants like VOG saw declining financials year after year.

For this HQ board director’s visit, Editor-in-Chief Zhou Shuang led execs downstairs to greet him, with China region major shareholder Zhao Sheng hosting.

The director looked extremely young, with a kindly, affable demeanor. He called a meeting, acting humbly like he was there to learn, playing the part perfectly.

Yet no one dared slack off.

This young director had just jailed his own uncle, cleared his parents’ long-ago car crash murder, then packed his grandfather off to a nursing home and seized control of Huo Corporation’s billions. Far from the harmless front he showed.

After the meeting, he said he’d like to tour departments and see operations, even having his assistant prep gifts for all staff. So thoughtful, impossible to refuse.

Midway through work, the director announced downstairs that everyone prep—the new director was inspecting.

Zhao Luyao startled, grabbing his mirror to touch up foundation and lipstick. Recalling the face from the window, he blushed again.

Zhu Ran popped in earbuds to zone out; he hated interruptions while creating.

Soon, footsteps approached outside. Everyone straightened, feigning diligence.

“No need to tense up. I’ll just look around, won’t bother you.” The new director’s tone was mild and smiling, voice young-sounding, looks strikingly handsome.

Zhao Luyao couldn’t help glancing up with a smile.

Zhao Sheng kept accompanying them. He glanced at his nephew and took the initiative to bring up the topic. “This is VOG’s creative department, which mainly handles fashion, art, and photography. All the print creatives for VOG magazine are done by them.”

The director, who had shown little interest in the other departments before, now took the initiative to ask the creative department’s employees, “What projects are you working on recently?”