Chapter 567 - 582: Patent Yu

With a cheap-looking grin, Jiang Xia threw all his composure and dignity to the wind. He jogged over, waving his hand as he ran toward An Ning and her group.

The executives behind him had a sudden epiphany. They quickly followed Jiang Xia, realizing it was crucial to remember this woman, An Ning.

When An Ning heard Jiang Xia’s voice, she thought she was imagining things.

She knew Jiang Xia was here, but wasn’t he supposed to be in a meeting?

"An Ning—"

"Are you done with your business?"

An Ning looked at Jiang Xia’s strange posture as he walked and asked, "Did you throw out your back?"

Like a peacock unconsciously showing off his feathers, Jiang Xia stopped in front of An Ning in a peculiar pose. His brain short-circuited as he blurted out, "No way! My back is great!"

The executives who had followed him were so flustered by Jiang Xia’s remark that they started looking at the sky, the ground, themselves—anywhere but at Jiang Xia.

’Would the legendary cold and ruthless President Jiang silence them for witnessing this?’

After blurting that out, Jiang Xia’s face flushed red. He scrambled to find something to say, "I mean, I’m good at any game I play."

"I mean, I play ’proper’ games. I don’t touch anything improper at all."

"Not that I’ve ever encountered anything improper myself. I just heard about it from others, I mean—"

In an instant, the more Jiang Xia tried to explain, the more of a mess he made. An Ning just looked at him with an expression that seemed to say, ’Are you sick? Because I can treat that.’

Jiang Xia decided to just shut up and change the subject. "Here to play some golf?"

This pointless line of questioning made the seasoned veterans of romance behind him anxious on Jiang Xia’s behalf.

’So the wolf is interested?’

’But does the maiden return his feelings?’

Just by looking at An Ning’s face, it was impossible to tell.

But a moment later, the executives found themselves thinking that the two of them actually looked quite good together.

"No, we’re here to eat. I heard the food at the restaurant here is delicious, so we thought we’d play some golf while we’re at it."

"Right, right! They have a lamb pilaf here that’s very authentic. I was just thinking I should tell you to come try it next time I saw you."

"Really? If you say it’s good, then it must be."

The two of them started chatting about just how delicious this lamb pilaf was.

Yu Zheng and the others weren’t the least bit surprised by their conversation; it was all very routine for them.

The executives, however, were sneaking glances at An Ning, trying to commit to memory the woman who could make President Jiang lose his mind.

It couldn’t be helped. At that moment, Jiang Xia genuinely looked as if his brain had packed up and left.

Since Jiang Xia was staying, the executives didn’t leave immediately either. They even took advantage of a gap in the conversation to press several business cards into An Ning’s hand.

An Ning didn’t have a business card. She simply said calmly, "Hello, I’m An Ning."

Before An Ning spoke, the executives had thought she was merely someone President Jiang was interested in. They considered her important, but not *that* important.

But when An Ning faced them with a calm and confident demeanor, possessing an aura that even outshone Jiang Xia’s, the executives felt for the first time that her background was likely not so simple.

This sense of her being "not so simple" grew as she joined the conversation. She could speak knowledgeably about every one of their industries, and more importantly, she even mentioned things that were considered trade secrets, causing cold sweat to break out on the executives’ backs.

"Don’t be afraid. I won’t go around talking about it."

An Ning’s words did little to soothe the executives’ hearts.

Jiang Xia stood to the side, grinning like a fool with a look of adoration on his face. He just listened and watched, not saying a word.

An Ning didn’t explain further, simply turning to call for Yu Zheng.

"Yu Zheng, is it time?"

"If we leave now, we’ll be right on time."

Yu Zheng’s answer delighted An Ning. She called to her three children, telling them it was time to go eat.

It was only then that the executives noticed Yu Zheng, who had been standing off to the side.

"Patent Yu!"

"Patent Yu, what are you doing here?"

’Patent Yu?’ An Ning thought about it. ’I guess that fits.’

Yu Zheng took a step forward, gestured toward An Ning, and explained, "I’m accompanying my boss for a meal."

His words were down-to-earth, but the executives both understood and didn’t understand.

Patent Yu’s boss... that would mean she was the inventor of the patents.

Which meant...

"My God, we were truly blind to the greatness before us. How rude of us, how rude."

"Our apologies, our apologies. It took us this long to recognize you."

"It’s such an honor. No wonder you knew about industry inside information. It was my mistake for being so short-sighted."

The executives apologized profusely while also expressing what an honor it was to meet her.

An Ning waved her hand dismissively. "Please, don’t be like that. I don’t like it. And you don’t need to worry about me. As long as everyone is patriotic and abides by the law, I won’t revoke the patents."

"You pay the money, I sell the patents. It’s just a fair transaction."

With that, An Ning called to her children and the nearby Jiang Xia to get going.

"Hey, coming! I have a good bottle of wine stored here. It’s perfect for drinking with lamb."

"Really? That’s great."

The group walked ahead, while the executives followed behind, looking at each other with a mix of complex emotions.

President Jiang and the patent mogul... for a moment, they couldn’t say which of the two was more formidable.

The group, five of whom were VIPs among VIPs, entered the club’s restaurant.

The restaurant manager personally came out to greet them, only to find the group sitting at an outdoor table, each ordering a plate of lamb pilaf.

The pilaf chef in the back kitchen was repeatedly warned that he absolutely had to make it perfectly. He cooked the meal under immense pressure.

Somehow, from that day forward, the lamb pilaf became the club’s most important dish. Many executives and VIPs would come just to eat a plate of it.

After the down-to-earth meal, Jiang Xia hitched a ride in Yu Zheng’s car and took off.

The executives left standing at the entrance had a lot they wanted to say, but at the same time, didn’t know how to say it.

"How about we play another round?"

"Just us. No outsiders."

"Absolutely. We have to talk this out, or I won’t be able to sleep tonight."

Filled with a gossipy spirit, the executives went for another round, eager to vent their curiosity and speculations.

Meanwhile, An Ning and Jiang Xia returned to her current home. This was Jiang Xia’s first time visiting.

Seeing the location, the neighborhood, and the size of the house, Jiang Xia’s first reaction was that he still needed to work harder to earn money.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t afford it; it was that a place like this couldn’t be bought.

Jiang Xia stayed for dinner. Afterward, as Yu Zheng was seeing him out, he met Yu Zheng’s eyes at the door and asked, "You’re not leaving?"

"President Jiang, I’m the butler."

Jiang Xia shot him a jealous look and departed in sorrow.

Time marched on. After An Ning finished her business with the power company, her schedule freed up.

Jiang Xia, who had thought he would finally be able to see An Ning every day, went to visit the next day only to be informed by Yu Zheng that she had taken the three children on a trip.

Her return was scheduled for September 1st.

Standing at the door, Jiang Xia stared speechlessly at the sky. ’At this rate, when will I ever successfully win her over?!’

He had no choice but to leave and throw himself back into his work to keep busy.

Meanwhile, An Ning was truly taking her three children to explore every nook and cranny, leaving their mark on every city they visited.

As September 1st approached, An Ning brought the three children back home.

Once everyone was settled in, she was summoned away again by a phone call from An Guoming.