CHAPTER 17

This private plane has twenty seats, and has been remodeled to include an office area, a relaxation area, private resting rooms, and a bar. The cabin is highly flexible, allowing for over 20 different layouts.

The cabin height is low, and the noise is minimal, making the interior very comfortable.

The spring sky is a clear blue, with a sea of white clouds below. The earth beneath has transformed into a vast, primal chessboard, crisscrossed with rich colors.

At this moment, in the four-seat office area, there is a long row of sofas by the window.

A middle-aged man in a suit sitting on a brown leather sofa is speaking, "The ones captured in the photo are Mr. Zhang's wife's younger brother and the major shareholder of Liancheng Group... There have been scandals about this major shareholder before, saying he has a preference for underage boys..."

"Mr. Zhang wants to video call with you later..."

"I just need to know about this matter, let him handle it himself." the woman sitting across from him replied in a calm voice.

"Okay." the middle-aged man in the suit continued, "Mr. Jiang has invited you to play golf, he hasn't seen you in a while and wants to catch up."

Wei Zhuang raised an eyebrow slightly, neither confirming nor denying.

The middle-aged man in the suit paused and didn't continue.

Wei Zhuang's father had three marriages during his lifetime. The Jiang family is from his third wife's side and is a well-known foreign trade business in Shencheng, making it a strong family alliance with the Wei family, as well as one of Tonghua's shareholders. Mrs. Jiang is a few years younger than Wei Zhuang. after marrying into the family, she didn't have any children. After Wei Zhuang's father passed away, she quickly remarried and had no contact with the Wei family. However, the Jiang family still had some connections with Tonghua.

According to their seniority, Wei Zhuang has to address Jiang as uncle.

"Mr. Jiang's girlfriend, Ms. Wang, recently established an art foundation. It is said that she is particularly interested in the film industry and wants to get to know you." The man in the suit stopped there, waited for three minutes, and when Wei Zhuang didn't respond, he slightly raised his gaze.

Wei Zhuang turned her face slightly, the pearls at her ear glimmering faintly. She seemed not to have heard his words and showed no expression.

Understanding her silence, he proceeded with the next report.

After a while, he finished speaking and stood up to leave.

At that moment, the assistant sitting by the window got up, received a cup of coffee from a passing flight attendant, placed it in front of Wei Zhuang, and then returned to her seat.

The man in the suit earlier was one of Wei Zhuang's secretaries, while the assistant was her executive personal assistant, with a role distinct from the secretaries, focusing solely on her personal affairs.

The plane was now passing through the sea of clouds, with the brilliant sunlight directly shining on the fuselage and wings, creating a bright view and casting a honey-like glow inside the cabin.

The assistant, who looked to be in her late thirties, was of medium height and dressed in a stylish yet understated manner. Her name wasn't important, her identity was simply the boss's assistant. As long as the boss hadn't spoken, she remained quietly seated.

An hour before boarding the plane, she received a phone call.

It was Wei Jiabao who called her, warmly addressing her and asking, "Sister Gao, when will President Wei be available?"

The executive assistant politely replied, "Young Master Wei, President Wei is flying to London today and won't be back in Shencheng for three days."

"Sister Gao, please arrange for me to meet President Wei, I miss her." Wei Jiabao sweetly pouted.

The executive assistant suppressed a smile and said, "I am not responsible for President Wei's schedule arrangements."

"But sister, you must have a way, right? Oh, dear sister, please help me. I haven't seen President Wei in half a year!"

"I still need to consult President Wei. I'll call you back later, Young Master Wei."

"Okay, I'll wait for your call, Sister." Wei Jiabao replied cheerfully, slightly lowering his voice. "I am counting on you, Sister!"

The assistant didn't agree outright, she hadn't forgotten who her boss was.

After a moment of silence in the cabin, the executive assistant spoke up, "Young Master Wei has called me several times, saying he wants to meet you."

Wei Zhuang's gaze was still on the book in her hand. "What's he up to lately?"

The executive assistant said, "There's an actress named Xiang Xiaoyuan. Young Master Wei said not to give her the opportunity to act."

Wei Zhuang raised her eyelids slightly, her voice low, "Xiang Xiaoyuan?"

The assistant had been curious about this name, it was indeed intriguing. What kind of person would be worthy of such a name?

So she had looked up information on Xiang Xiaoyuan beforehand. She wasn't sure if her boss was genuinely interested after hearing the name, but it seemed like she didn't oppose her continuing, "Hmm, Miss Xiang is a top graduate from Huaxi, and her debut work was directed by He Kewen in 'Xiaowen.' However, this film didn't have a theatrical release, and her works are limited. Her previous work was with our company, 'Tonghua'..."

At this point, she paused slightly, noticing that Wei Zhuang showed no intention of stopping her. She continued:

"Mr. Wang participated in a TV series, and this Miss Xiang that Young Master Wei is paying attention to is also in that production. Young Master Wei quite likes her, but it seems Miss Xiang isn't interested, which led to some unpleasantness between them. That's why Young Master Wei made such a fuss."

The executive assistant paused for a moment and added, "Mr. Wang Ji, you've met once before. he was the last person who signed our confidentiality agreement."

"Mm," Wei Zhuang nodded, appearing indifferent as she continued reading.

The executive assistant waited a bit longer, and then Wei Zhuang said, "Tell him I don't have time to meet him."

"Okay." the executive assistant responded.

After that, the executive assistant didn't continue speaking.

Having been by Wei Zhuang's side for seven years, she was very familiar with the temperament of this boss. She spoke little, had a cold temperament, strict demands, rarely gave interviews, and there were very few private rumors about her. She was mysterious and had a great reputation.

Her mind needed to be extremely subtle, capturing any subtle movements of her superior, explaining necessary information, then adjusting accordingly based on her reactions, adding or not adding appropriately, and finally following orders and arrangements.

She grew up in a large family, being the second eldest with older brothers and younger sisters. The family environment was average, and she was undoubtedly overlooked.

From a young age, she knew that to excel, she needed to please her parents, accommodate her brothers, and yield to her sisters. She had to be a good girl but also make sure her parents didn't forget about her.

As a result, she became mature early, lonely, and adept at observing her surroundings. She either remained silent or spoke only when her words were pleasing to everyone. She was accustomed to filtering all information internally, thinking carefully before speaking, ensuring everyone was happy.

Thus, she developed this habit—speaking concisely on the surface while her mind was filled with abundant information. In the words of young people today, her mind was like a computer screen full of colorful barrage.

She was bright in her studies, a graduate student from a political and legal university. After spending a few years in a major company as a legal advisor, she had the chance to become Wei Zhuang's secretary and later her personal assistant.

Being the personal assistant of the big boss was not easy. You had to know a lot but not say too much. Being too smart was not okay, being too foolish was not okay either. Sometimes you needed to act clueless, and other times you had to be clever.

Fortunately, hard work paid off, with a salary that compensated for everything.

Wei Zhuang didn't have a high profile, as long as her requirements were met, she was not difficult to get along with.

After years of observation, the assistant concluded that the big boss, Wei Zhuang, was a person who was emotionally reserved and stingy with feelings. This was not a flaw but rather a characteristic.

The patriarch of the Wei family had three marriages in his lifetime, and he did not have many children. Wei Zhuang is the daughter of his first wife, who was said to be a stunning beauty with a very mysterious background. The two divorced early on, and given the passage of time, there is now no useful information available about her. His second wife was a doctor, and they had a son. The patriarch had intended to groom him as his successor, but the son, Wei Ting, had no interest in the family business. He followed his mother's footsteps and went to study medicine. He is now working at the affiliated hospital of Harvard Medical School and is an authoritative expert in oncology. The third wife did not have any children.

The executive assistant did not know about the boss's childhood and teenage years. However, the second wife of the patriarch was already pregnant when she entered the family, and within half a year, she gave birth to a son, who was only a year younger than Wei Zhuang.

She was born into a poor family, and although her parents showed favoritism, they were kind to her, and the family was relatively harmonious.

Every family has its own difficulties.

Perhaps the big boss's current temperament is related to her family upbringing. The assistant couldn't be sure, but one thing she knew for certain was that no one could interfere with Wei Zhuang's decisions, nor could anyone get close to her heart.

Not even Wei Jiabao.

Wei Jiabao was very young, not yet 23 years old, and outsiders may think that the age gap between them was too large, possibly suggesting that Wei Jiabao was the patriarch's illegitimate child. However, that was not the case. Wei Jiabao took his mother's surname, meaning they were not siblings, but mother and son.

The executive assistant knew a bit more than others, as permitted by Wei Zhuang, and there was one thing she absolutely could not reveal. Moreover, the relationship between this mother and son was not warm.

They hardly saw each other throughout the year.

Wei Jiabao often wanted to see Wei Zhuang but was frequently met with closed doors.

Wei Zhuang did not restrict him.

The assistant had only witnessed one instance.

On that occasion, she accompanied Wei Zhuang to Yangcheng, where Chen Yunxiu, He Chenying, and Cheng Yi were present, along with several A-list artists from Tonghua having a meeting indoors, while she waited outside.

Wei Jiabao walked in and said, "I just think her acting is terrible."

At first, he put on a facade, but upon seeing Wei Zhuang, he revealed his true self. He started causing a scene, acting like a spoiled child.

"I don't care, I just want to cut her scenes!"

The executive assistant smiled outside.

Her mind filled with a barrage of thoughts:

'This r@scal!'

'In fact, he doesn't have any major problems, what he has are just minor issues typical of the second-generation wealthy. He has a childlike nature and always wants to attract President Wei's attention.'

'But it's also possible that he's good-looking. I might feel this way because of his looks, perhaps others find him truly annoying!'

"I don't care, I just want to cut her scenes, President Wei!"

The assistant didn't understand why Wei Jiabao referred to Wei Zhuang in that way, indicating how distant their mother-son relationship was. However, since she had been by Wei Zhuang's side, she had never seen her show warmth toward anyone, not even her own child.

'Jiabao, President Wei means you can make full use of everything she gives you, but asking for kisses, hugs, or being held up is out of the question, silly child!'

'As long as you don't go too far, she won't discipline you! Just remember that you can't joke about Tonghua's film and television works!'

As expected, the executive assistant heard the familiar cold voice of the boss, "Once it's been filmed, it can't be deleted."

Wei Jiabao's ruckus abruptly stopped.

After a while, he heard his displeased response, "If it can't be deleted, then it can't be deleted."

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