Chapter 192

As the end of the year approached, Beijing had been visited by several rounds of heavy snow. The bare branches, wrapped in silver frost, stretched out alone in the biting cold wind, revealing a sense of desolation, like an aging person.

The All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce work summary meeting was held at the Municipal Conference Center. The meeting summarized and exchanged work content for the 2025 fiscal year and deployed key work tasks for 2026.

The attendees of the meeting were from all levels of the Federation of Industry and Commerce... financial institutions...

Aside from the leaders' speeches, the meeting process also included speeches by entrepreneur representatives.

Last year, the person who gave the summary speech was Su Mingyan, and this year it was Huo Jingcheng.

Relying on the Huo family, supported by a famous noble family, and the company he was in was one of the best in the country, he was undoubtedly a rare and ideal candidate.

Huo Jingcheng was nonchalantly clutching his speech draft, glancing down at it from time to time to commit the content to memory. That leisurely air of his hadn't changed at all, his two long legs naturally crossed together as he leaned back in his chair.

It was still early for the meeting, and the attendees were entering one after another.

Huo Jingcheng had memorized most of his speech draft when his peripheral vision caught a tall, slender figure gradually walking from the back to the front, still looking calm and composed.

The conference center lights were bright, making his brows and eyes look even deeper.

Huo Jingcheng turned his head to look at Su Mingyan, who was approaching from afar, and raised his hand to casually straighten his suit collar.

The seating for the meeting was arranged by the staff. He and Su Mingyan were in the same row, but separated by two or three seats.

Huo Jingcheng originally thought that when Su Mingyan saw him, he would at least come up to greet him, but he didn't expect Su Mingyan to glance at him faintly and then sit down unhurriedly.

The hand holding the speech draft tightened suddenly.

Chen Zheyan had come with the Design Institute today, and his seat was further back, giving him a clear view of the interaction between the two.

Seeing his Third Brother get snubbed, he laughed uncharitably, curling his long fingers to tap on the chair armrest.

You have to know, over the past half year, Huo Jingcheng had run to the Su family more times than he had returned to the Huo family.

But Su Mingyan wouldn't even look him in the eye.

People in the circle speculated: until the final day of coming to propose marriage, Su Mingyan probably wouldn't let go and accept this brother-in-law.

The problem buried in their hearts had been solved, and the two of them had returned to the days of "confrontation" but also "colluding."

However... currently, there was only "confrontation."

Chen Zheyan sighed, drawing a life lesson from his own experience: Sure enough, the brother-in-law is hard to please.

While his thoughts were wandering, Huo Jingcheng stood up unhurriedly, raised his hand to straighten his flawless tie, and took the nameplate from the table into his palm.

If the mountain won't come to me, I will go to the mountain, so he walked toward Su Mingyan in a leisurely manner.

Su Mingyan was holding his phone in one hand, looking at today's news, when a thick shadow suddenly fell beside him, covering him.

His eyes lifted slightly, and after seeing clearly who was standing in front of him, he lowered his eyelids again. The gaze that had originally been cast to the front left refocused on the phone screen in his hand, his expression indifferent and focused.

Immediately after, a voice came to his ear.

Chen Zheyan laughed as if watching a show. Just as he was guessing how the plot would develop next, Huo Jingcheng swapped seats with someone, even bringing the red nameplate with him.

Huo Jingcheng was playing with the acrylic plate in his hand, his distinct fingers leaving a few fingerprints on it. He lifted his eyelids to look at Su Mingyan, who was calmly reading the news beside him, and hooked his sharp eyebrows. "Big Brother."

Chen Zheyan in the back row looked at the sky speechlessly:... Brother, how did you just call him "Big Brother"? He hasn't even agreed yet, and you're just shamelessly sticking to him.

Su Mingyan was also startled by this "Big Brother" of his. He was stunned for a moment, then lifted his eyelids to glance at him in surprise, his expression bland. "Who are you calling?"

"Big Brother, is there a problem?"

"..." Su Mingyan.

——

Su Ruoyun saw this meeting at 3:30 in the afternoon.

The lobby of the "One River Tobacco" tea house had a TV, which was playing the news channel.

The tea house had hired a new tea artist. It was her first day at work, and she didn't know how to serve customers, so Su Ruoyun spent the day guiding her.

Seeing a familiar figure appear on the screen, Su Ruoyun, who was about to get up, sat back down on the stool, intending to finish watching this video before returning to the backyard.

Beijing had already started heating, so she had taken off her coat. Inside, she was wearing a white long dress and knee-high boots, which made her look tall with long legs.

She sat on the stool, resting her chin on both hands, her expression focused on the big TV screen in front of her.

The man was wearing a loose, pure black jacket, which set off his broad shoulders. His brows and eyes revealed a hint of confidence, full of aura, and he stood tall and straight behind the podium.

Su Ruoyun rarely saw Huo Jingcheng in a political setting.

The well-tailored pure black jacket made him look noble and handsome, yet with a hint of inexplicable ascetic seriousness, like a high-ranking leader.

The content of his speech was concise and sharp, hitting the pain points of the industry with every word, causing other leaders and entrepreneurs to nod frequently, their eyes full of admiration.

The employee cleaning the table noticed her unblinking gaze and asked with a smile, "Boss Lady, do you like watching the news channel, or do you like watching the person speaking?"

Employees cleaning tables rarely had contact with customers, so she didn't know that Huo Jingcheng and Su Ruoyun had a close relationship and were boyfriend and girlfriend.

The Boss Lady was easygoing, and the simple joke was just a passing remark. She didn't intend to get a response from the Boss Lady and prepared to move to another table to continue cleaning.

Unexpectedly, Su Ruoyun nodded seriously and replied to her: "I like both."

The employee looked surprised, her hand holding the rag pausing.

The speaking time was short, just a few minutes. Su Ruoyun finished watching the video, gathered her skirt, and then got up to walk back to the backyard to tidy up things.

Huo Jingcheng had promised that after the meeting ended, he would come to pick her up for dinner.

Her fair face was stained with a faint red by the winter wind, and she hurried into the backyard to warm up.

When Su Ruoyun finished organizing her belongings, she also received a message from Huo Jingcheng. He said he had an appointment with Su Mingyan tonight and they could only have dinner together tomorrow.

Su Ruoyun: "..."

——

The meeting ended at 4:30. In winter, the days are short, the sun sets quickly, and the cold wind howls by.

After Huo Jingcheng left the venue, he prepared to drive to the "One River Tobacco" tea house to find Su Ruoyun, but was stopped by Su Mingyan.

"I'm going to find... Ruoyun." Huo Jingcheng forcibly swallowed the two words "Zhuzi" and explained.

Su Mingyan took a long step forward, lifted his long eyelashes, and looked at him for a few seconds, deliberately asking back in a difficult way: "Didn't you just call me Big Brother?"

"..." Huo Jingcheng.

In the end, Huo Jingcheng's mission to pick up Su Ruoyun after work failed.

?? This "Big Brother" isn't so easy to call.

? Little Zhuzi: You big liar.

? Proposal tomorrow, must read.