Lu Yanchen's chauffeur drove Shi Nian back home. It was exactly 6:30 a.m.
Seeing the young mistress arrive in a different car, Wanwan rushed to greet her.
"Young Mistress, the chauffeur went to pick you up about an hour ago," Wanwan reported quickly.
She only said that so Shi Nian wouldn't think the chauffeur had failed to show up. The last thing she wanted was to be the only worker left in the mansion.
Noticing her distress, Shi Nian didn't bother explaining the details. She simply nodded and said, "Inform him of my arrival. We'll head out in an hour."
The chauffeur who had driven her had already taken the car away after she alighted.
"Young Mistress, would you like some breakfast?" Wanwan asked, following after her.
Before Shi Nian could reply, her stomach rumbled—loud enough that even Wanwan noticed.
"Young Mistress, I already prepared your meal. I'll heat it up and bring it to your room," Wanwan said quickly, trying to keep a straight face after seeing her mistress's stunned expression. Then she hurried off to the kitchen.
Shi Nian feigned ignorance and walked away. She still needed to freshen up, eat, and review the proposal again.
Thinking back to how she had hurriedly left the Lu residence, she realized Lu Yanchen must have brought her to his private home in the city. Luckily, it had been his own place—otherwise, she wouldn't have known how to face her overly enthusiastic future in-laws from memory.
…
The chauffeur arrived just as Shi Nian finished her meal. Not wanting to waste time, she continued reviewing the proposal in the car.
Shi Nian instructed the chauffeur to head to the investment company she had chosen. It was located in the city's top business district.
RainCloud Investments was a subsidiary of the Bosi Group—one of the highest-grossing firms in the country, even ranking second in the world market. Only a company like that could afford to risk investing in BaiYue at this time.
Shi Nian knew Shi Wang would try to block her from gaining outside investments, so she went directly where his reach could never extend.
She looked up at the bold insignia: RainCloud Investments.
This would be the first deal she handled entirely on her own in this life. Business wars had their own kind of intrigue; if she couldn't fight physically, then a business war was the next best thing.
Pushing those thoughts aside, Shi Nian entered the building.
After confirming her appointment with the receptionist, she was led to a conference room where the meeting would take place.
Inside, several others were already seated. They were all here for the same reason.
RainCloud had announced its investment plan for the year, with only ten open slots. Five companies had already been handpicked; the rest would be chosen through proposal screening.
There were ten participants in total. As Shi Nian glanced around, she recognized several faces—competitors she had already studied thoroughly. They were all strong opponents. Even the weakest among them had better market prospects than BaiYue.
Still, she wasn't discouraged. Experience had taught her never to underestimate anyone in the business world.
Shi Nian sat at her assigned seat and reviewed her documents once more.
The RainCloud representatives soon entered the room, and the meeting began without delay.
The first phase was a screening process to eliminate companies that didn't meet the requirements.
When the results were announced, six groups remained. Shi Nian was among them, as were the five competitors she had already marked as threats.
The first phase lasted the entire morning. By the time it ended, it was already afternoon.
"Next on the schedule is lunch at the cafeteria," one of the representatives announced, leading them out of the conference room.
The group exchanged curious glances until the representative smiled and added, "The cafeteria here at RainCloud employs master chefs. The meals are no less than those at a five-star restaurant."
Everyone nodded in understanding.
Shi Nian, however, wasn't interested in the food. No matter the quality, she had tasted it all before.
As they walked into the cafeteria, she suddenly felt someone watching her.
She had noticed it earlier but dismissed it as simple curiosity from employees. Yet now, the gaze lingered.
Instinctively, she glanced upward, but saw nothing.
Maybe I'm being overly sensitive. This is a public place, after all, Shi Nian thought, pushing the feeling away. There was no malice in it.
She was wrong.
In an office overlooking the cafeteria, a pair of dark eyes followed her every movement.
"Why is she here?" a cold voice asked.
Assistant Bo stepped out from behind the man. "Miss Shi's company is seeking investment for their new production line."
"Hmm." The man gave a low sound of acknowledgment. He had received the report Assistant Bo compiled about Shi Nian but hadn't read it thoroughly. At least now, he knew her name.
Just when Assistant Bo thought that was all, the man said calmly, "Inform them—I'll be attending that meeting."
…
Shi Nian and the remaining group returned to the conference room with the representatives after lunch.
Earlier, the room had been empty. But when they came back, three men were already inside.
They immediately recognized one of them—the leader of the RainCloud representatives who had been with them during lunch.
Halfway through the meal, he had excused himself. Seeing him here wasn't surprising, but the way he now stood before the other two men caught their attention.
Although the remaining group of participants didn't recognize the two newcomers, the RainCloud representatives did.
At least, they recognized Assistant Bo—and from his manner, they could guess the identity of the man he stood behind.
There was only one person Assistant Bo would act so respectfully toward:
the Chairman of the Bosi Group.
When the realization sank in, excitement rippled quietly through the room.
The chairman himself had come to their small subsidiary.
The representatives from RainCloud were momentarily stunned. They exchanged glances filled with the same expression—disbelief and pride.
This year, they would have something to boast about: the big boss of the Bosi Group had appeared at their company.