Chapter 267: Bonus Doubled
Upon hearing the phrase "get married soon," Lu Yunque pinpointed the person who’d said it and gave him an approving look.
"Double your bonus this month."
The man’s face immediately lit up. He could always count on the CEO.
Yun Zijin shot Lu Yunque a glare. ’It’s way too early to be talking about marriage,’ she thought.
"Did I do something wrong? Don’t you want to marry me?"
Lu Yunque gave her a look that screamed, ’You heartbreaker!’ In response, Yun Zijin reached out and pinched his lower back.
A vein throbbed on Lu Yunque’s temple from the pain, but he managed to keep a calm expression.
The teasing crowd quickly dispersed, afraid that going too far would backfire.
After all, if they ended up not only losing the extra bonus but getting their regular one docked, it would be a total loss.
Once everyone had scattered, Lu Yunque and Yun Zijin began to seriously pick out their food.
Although it was all batch-cooked cafeteria food, it had to be said that it looked quite appetizing.
It might not be on par with a master chef, but it could certainly hold its own against the food from universities known for their delicious cafeterias.
After they chose their dishes and were about to find a place to sit, it became clear that the Lu Group employees were extremely invested in their president’s love life.
"President, we saved you a spot! A two-seater by the window!"
Yun Zijin looked in the direction he was pointing. She had to admit, it was a perfect spot.
The window was a floor-to-ceiling one, and their cafeteria was on the 40th floor of the Lu Group Building.
If Yun Zijin had a fear of heights, this location would have been an absolute minefield.
Fortunately, she didn’t have a fear of heights.
"This is great, thank you all."
"Don’t mention it, don’t mention it! It’s the least we could do."
’You all have really bent over backward for your president,’ Yun Zijin thought.
The two of them sat down opposite each other at the two-person table by the window.
"What’s the status of that mobbing incident from yesterday?"
It was such a vile incident that if Yun Zijin hadn’t already retained the lawyer Tang Yu, Lu Yunque would have absolutely sicced the Lu Group’s legal department on them for a lesson they’d never forget.
"The police went to the Xia Family’s home today, but... Zhang Yiqin has a fever and has fallen into a coma.
The J Bureau has already verified the situation. She really does have a fever and is comatose, so they can only wait for her to wake up."
’Still, this whole thing has been going on for so long, yet that father of hers, who cares so much about his reputation, has completely disappeared. I wonder what he’s up to.’
Lu Yunque was speechless. ’What convenient timing for a coma.’
The two chatted on and off, and their lunch ended up taking almost a full hour.
By now, only a few scattered people were left in the cafeteria.
After all, gossiping was one thing, but wasting one’s precious lunch break was another.
"All done?"
Seeing Yun Zijin put down her chopsticks and wipe her mouth with a napkin, Lu Yunque asked.
Yun Zijin nodded. "I’m done."
"Let’s go back to the office. I had some pajamas prepared for you in the lounge; you can wear them for your nap."
Lu Yunque had them prepared after the last time Yun Zijin napped in his lounge.
He hadn’t expected them to be needed so soon.
However, on the way back to the office, Lu Yunque received a call from Mo Bin.
Before long, Lu Yunque hung up. Just then, the elevator arrived.
They continued on to Lu Yunque’s office, talking as they went.
"What’s wrong? You look so serious."
’With that expression, you’d think the Lu Group was about to go bankrupt.’
"Xia Zhengguang contacted the people I sent to negotiate the purchase of the shares."
"They’re posing as overseas investors, but they’re secretly our people."
Hearing this, Yun Zijin’s eyes lit up. "He contacted them? Is he selling his shares? How many?"
’The more he’s willing to sell, the better.’
’Money was the one thing she wasn’t short on.’
"It’s not clear yet, but I doubt he’ll dare to sell too many the first time around."
’He’ll want the transaction to be kept quiet, and he’ll demand that they don’t publicize it.’
With demands like that, Lu Yunque didn’t even have to think to guess his scheme.
’It’s nothing more than a ploy to use the money from selling shares to plug a deficit, then buy them back at the original price once his own funds are liquid again.’
’Honestly, I’ve never met someone so naive.’
’Lu Yunque was even beginning to wonder if this was the real Xia Zhengguang.’
’After being steeped in the business world for so many years, how could he possibly think he could buy back shares at the original price?’
’Does he take everyone else for a fool?’
"What about Xia Zhiyun? Any movement on his end?"
Although Xia Zhiyun is the Xia family heir, he doesn’t hold many shares himself.
"That Xia Zhengguang... he’s not even willing to cede power to his own son."
’Then again, if he wasn’t so selfish and greedy, we wouldn’t be in this situation today.’
Lu Yunque shook his head. "With everything that’s happened today, the thought of selling his shares probably hasn’t even crossed his mind."
"I’ll have Mei Lin find someone to approach the other Xia family shareholders. The shares held by the minority shareholders add up to quite a bit."
Between the publicly traded stock and the minor shareholders’ shares, plus the portion Xia Zhengguang sells himself...
...by then, even if the Xia family father and son manage to present a united front, they’ll be powerless to turn the tide.
"That’s a good idea. Now, see if there are any of these pajamas you don’t like. If you don’t like them, I’ll get you different ones."
Lu Yunque pulled Yun Zijin into the lounge and took out several sets of pajamas he had prepared for her from the closet.
"They’re all very nice."
It was a thoughtful gesture, so Yun Zijin couldn’t bring herself to say she was unsatisfied.
’Still, Lu Yunque did have good taste. Most importantly, there were no fashion disasters among them.’
"Pick one?"
Yun Zijin casually picked out a nightgown and, holding it in her hand, looked at Lu Yunque.
"Are you going to take a nap with me?"
Lu Yunque froze on the spot, his eyes fixed on Yun Zijin. "I..."
"I’m going to change. Aren’t you leaving?"
There was a mischievous glint in Yun Zijin’s eyes.
Lu Yunque thought, ’...I guess I was getting ahead of myself.’
He decided he wasn’t going to let her get away with that. Lu Yunque strode forward, pulling Yun Zijin into his arms. "How about we nap together?"
Last time, they didn’t have an official status, but now she was his girlfriend. Lu Yunque’s courage suddenly swelled.
Yun Zijin looked up at Lu Yunque’s face, so close to her own, and felt her heart was about to leap out of her chest.
"I..."
In one smooth motion, Lu Yunque placed a hand on Yun Zijin’s waist, cupped the back of her head with his other—his fingers sinking into her hair—and lowered his head to kiss her.
After a long moment, he finally let her go, burying his face in the crook of her neck and taking a deep breath to calm himself.
"I’ll come in to get you at two-thirty. Be good and get some sleep. Don’t just lie in bed playing on your phone."
With that, he turned and quickly strode out of the lounge.
It took Yun Zijin a long moment to process what had just happened.
’Lu Yunque is getting more and more brazen!’
Once she’d recovered, she quickly went into the bathroom, changed into the nightgown, set an alarm on her phone, and settled in for her afternoon nap.
*
"Butler, a friend of mine needs me for something urgent, so I’m heading out. I’ll be back as soon as I’m done."
Xia Jiaojiao really couldn’t stand guarding the hospital room any longer, so she started making excuses to slip away.
The butler, of course, saw right through her, but he couldn’t be bothered to intervene. He gave a casual nod. "Very well, Miss."