Chapter 458: Wen Ruan and Liu Qingning

3:30 PM.

Yunxi Building, Songmei Apparel.

"Let's go, Qiuqiu, time for the meeting."

Cheng Qiuqiu saved her file, picked up her laptop, and stood up to follow her colleague toward the conference room.

Her fingers unconsciously rubbed the edge of her laptop, feeling a bit uneasy inside.

Today, the art director hired by the company from the 4A agency (Nebula International) was officially arriving.

The attendees were mainly colleagues from the brand visual group and the live-streaming visual group.

This meeting would determine the final direction of the brand's visual system, as well as whether her designs could be kept.

In other words, she was the protagonist today.

She pushed open the conference room door.

Zhao Mingwei, a colleague from the strategy group, was already waiting there. He smiled and pointed forward: "The video conference is already connected. This is the senior designer from Nebula International Group, Lin Zishan, Director Lin."

Cheng Qiuqiu's gaze landed on the large LED screen.

On the screen was a woman in her thirties, wearing a sharply tailored casual women's suit, her hair neatly tied behind her head, her expression confident and composed.

Behind her was a bookshelf displaying several design trophies and art books.

She appeared professional and authoritative.

"Hello, colleagues at Songmei, good afternoon." Lin Zishan's voice came through the speaker.

"Director Lin, good afternoon." "Good afternoon."

After a brief exchange of pleasantries.

Everyone sat in their seats and introduced themselves in turn.

After chatting with each other for another ten minutes or so.

Lin Zishan's gaze swept across the screen, her tone gentle yet unquestionable: "Qiuqiu, I have already looked at your design draft. I feel this process of the ribbon deforming is too complex and not direct enough. Consumers don't have time to interpret these details; we need a simpler, more impactful visual symbol."

Hearing this, Cheng Qiuqiu paused and explained: "My original intention was to convey the brand's elegance and fluidity through the details of the ribbon; this is also the soul of our brand's clothing."

Following that, she explained her design philosophy.

"You must have been doing graphic design before, right? UI and UX?"

Listening to Lin Zishan's condescending words, Cheng Qiuqiu pursed her lips, "Um, yes."

As a flying consultant, the other party had certainly already seen the resumes of these designers.

"Brand visual design must consider practical effects, which is very different from your previous work." Lin Zishan's tone became serious, "Your overly artistic way of expression, while pretty, is difficult to resonate with in the market. What we need are symbols that can quickly grab consumers' attention, not art pieces that require interpretation."

"Then what do you mean?" Cheng Qiuqiu's voice was somewhat low.

Lin Zishan's tone was very firm, "It can be made more concrete! You could even directly use a piece of fabric folded into the shape of a letter; this is both close to the industry attributes and easy to remember."

Lin Zishan continued to speak.

Cheng Qiuqiu lowered her head, her lips tightly pursed.

This was a finished product she had worked hard on for a long time, staying up late to complete. She had originally been full of confidence, feeling that what she had done was excellent.

She had even shown it to Tang Song during the semi-finished stage.

But now, it was being described as very poor by a professional, and it might even slow down the company's branding progress.

She had indeed never engaged in commercial brand visual system design, and doing this logo and color scheme had relied on her past experience; even if she wanted to refute, she didn't know where to start.

For a moment, she felt somewhat flustered.

Although there were many changes in her heart, to the colleagues outside, she appeared exceptionally cold and distant at this moment.

Lin Zishan was clearly stimulated by her attitude, her brows furrowed, "Qiuqiu, I am here to provide professional advice, not to argue with you. If you have any opinions, you can bring them up now."

"I—" Cheng Qiuqiu raised her head, her expression tense, "I will design another version."

She knew her own shortcomings: she was not good at communicating with people, nor did she know how to tactfully let others accept her ideas.

Lin Zishan shook her head, "I feel you don't understand what I mean. I hope you will discard your previous design habits and seriously consider commercial viability—"

Just at this moment, the conference room door was gently pushed open.

"Tang Zong!" "Tang Zong!"

The employees stood up immediately.

Lin Zishan in the video conference also greeted him.

Cheng Qiuqiu remained sitting there, her gaze looking at Tang Song who appeared at the doorway.

Today, he was wearing a casual light blue shirt, appearing very clean and refreshing.

Between his slender, fair fingers, he was casually spinning a signature pen, flexible and fluid.

"Good afternoon, everyone." Tang Song nodded with a smile, "How is the chat going? I feel Qiuqiu's design is very excellent; is there anything that can be refined?"

Hearing his words, Cheng Qiuqiu's lips trembled, and she lowered her head, not daring to look into his eyes.

Senior sister had recruited her, given her such high wages and benefits, and Tang Song trusted her so much.

Yet the things she produced did not meet the requirements.

If Tang Song knew, how would he view her?

Would he think she wasn't suitable for this job? Would he want to replace her? Or simply outsource it to a professional design company to produce? Then what use would she have in the company?

For a moment, all kinds of negative emotions flooded in.

Self-doubt, depression, shame, inferiority—she even had the thought of resigning immediately and fleeing Yancheng.

Lin Zishan's tone returned to being gentle: "Tang Zong, I just feel the design isn't commercial enough and didn't take market demand into good account, so I offered some opinions. Everything is for the sake of work; I hope your company's colleagues can understand."

Just as Tang Song was about to speak, a crisp system notification sound suddenly rang in his ears.

"Ding! Detected that the player has encountered a matching scene and target, special item 【Dream Flower Seed】 has been triggered."

"Cultivator 【Cheng Qiuqiu】 has been locked."

Immediately after, within Tang Song's line of sight, a golden, shimmering seed drifted up from his body and slowly landed on Cheng Qiuqiu's forehead.

At the same time, a progress bar appeared above her head.

【Cultivating 1%】

Tang Song raised his eyebrows, looked at Cheng Qiuqiu with a strange gaze, and said calmly: "Thank you for your hard work, Director Lin. Your achievements and experience are what our design team lacks. Qiuqiu's personality is relatively introverted and she isn't very good at communicating with people, but she is very excellent, and her designs have a lot of spirit."

As he spoke, he gently patted Cheng Qiuqiu on the shoulder, his voice gentle yet firm: "Qiuqiu, if you have any problems, you can come to me to communicate, anytime."

Cheng Qiuqiu's body trembled slightly, and she gently bit her lip.

"Okay, Tang Zong, I understand." Lin Zishan revealed a bright smile on her face, "Sorry, Qiuqiu, my attitude just now might have been a bit bad."

As a well-known designer and a core employee of Nebula International Group, being arranged to guide this college student who had just graduated, she naturally wanted to show some authority to facilitate future work.

However, she had also been instructed by her superiors that this Tang Zong was the boyfriend of the company director, Wen Ruan, and absolutely could not be offended.

Now that the other party had arrived in person, her little thoughts clearly had to be restrained.

"Alright, let's continue the meeting; I will discuss it with you all." Tang Song sat down directly beside Cheng Qiuqiu.

Soon, the meeting restarted.

Cheng Qiuqiu's gaze landed on the screen, but her heart had gained a trace of inexplicable stability.

She secretly glanced at Tang Song beside her and found his gaze was looking at her, seemingly hiding some emotion she couldn't understand.

Cheng Qiuqiu's heart jumped, and she hurriedly sat up straight.

Tang Song's gaze flickered slightly, his slender fingers still casually twirling a fountain pen.

According to the introduction of the 【Dream Flower Seed】, this seed was meant to absorb the darkness and negative energy within the "cultivator's" heart.

He never expected that the seemingly cold and composed Qiuqiu actually had an unknown side to her heart.

It seemed her coldness didn't just stem from her personality.

This sense of the unknown gave him a strong desire to explore, as if lifting a layer of mysterious veil would reveal a brand-new world.

However, the seed had just been planted and still needed some time to sprout.

Once it sprouted, he would have a wonderful connection with her.

Thinking of this, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly, and his gaze landed on Cheng Qiuqiu again, carrying a trace of imperceptible anticipation.

After a while.

"Buzz buzz buzz—" Tang Song's phone suddenly vibrated.

【Wen Ruan: "I've arrived in Shencheng; I'll see your first love tonight."】

【Wen Ruan: "Hmph hmph, if she dares to bully me, I'll let her feel the weight of 130 pounds!"】

Tang Song's eye twitched, his thoughts instantly drifting to Shencheng, over 2,000 kilometers away.

Shencheng Bao'an International Airport.

The lights were bright, and the terminal was bustling with people.

The flight landed slowly, the cabin door opened, the indicator light for the exclusive passage lit up first, and soft light spread across the floor of the passage.

Wen Ruan stood up and walked out of the VIP passage with her assistant, Wang Dandan.

A sexy and hot figure, exquisite outfit.

Along the way, she attracted many gazes.

The pick-up staff who had been waiting for a long time immediately came up to greet her, bowing slightly: "Director Wen, the car is already prepared."

"Because it is currently the evening peak period, it will take about 50 minutes from Bao'an International Airport to the Raffles Hotel."

"Mm, thank you for your hard work." Wen Ruan nodded slightly, her gaze sweeping over the busy traffic outside the airport.

As someone who loves to travel and once worked part-time writing travelogues on a public account, she had naturally been to Shencheng before.

She also had some old friends here.

However, arriving this time, her state of mind and insights were completely different.

The staff at Juqing Juqing Hui Jin directly helped her arrange a private jet, with luxury car pick-up and drop-off, customized itinerary, and security throughout the journey.

It also made her realize for the first time the change in her own status.

Silently arriving at the parking lot, the waiting security driver took the luggage from Wang Dandan's hands and put it into the trunk, then respectfully opened the Maybach car door for Wen Ruan.

The car was filled with a faint scent of sandalwood, the seats were soft and comfortable, isolating the noise of the outside world.

After the car started, Wen Ruan leaned back in her seat to rest her eyes, her slender fingers gently tapping on her knees.

Wang Dandan looked through the information on her phone and began to report the upcoming itinerary to her: "Tonight's reception dinner is set for 7:30, and the location is the hotel's multi-functional banquet hall. The organizer specifically emphasized that this dinner has invited many important clients and partners, and they hope Director Wen can attend. Tomorrow morning at 9:00—"

The assistant's voice remained steady and clear, but Wen Ruan's heart began to become chaotic.

Liu Qingning, Tang Song's childhood sweetheart, his first love.

For her, Tang Song stayed in the Imperial Capital for 3 years, interacting with Liu Qingning as an ordinary person.

Later, it was also because of Liu Qingning that he returned to Yancheng and had the subsequent experience of "blind dating" with her.

Her importance to Tang Song was beyond doubt.

And now she had to take the blame for this dog of a man, bearing Liu Qingning's "oppression" with her own strength and competing with her head-on.

If Su Yu knew, she would have to kowtow to her!

6:00 PM.

The group arrived at the Raffles Hotel.

The marble floor reflected soft light, and a faint floral fragrance drifted in the air.

The check-in process was concise and efficient; the staff had clearly made preparations in advance, and their attitude was enthusiastic and professional.

After getting the room card, Wen Ruan took the elevator to the executive suite located on a high floor.

Outside the floor-to-ceiling window, the sunset glow filled the entire space, dyeing the sea surface into a piece of gold, making one feel refreshed. Wen Ruan stood in front of the window, her gaze looking into the distance, her expression carrying a trace of faint contemplation.

Wang Dandan whispered: "Director Wen, do you need to rest for a while?"

"No need, time is tight." Wen Ruan responded casually, took off her suit jacket and handed it to Wang Dandan, then turned and entered the bathroom to start tidying up her makeup.

After she came out, Wang Dandan had already neatly hung her clothes in the walk-in closet.

Wen Ruan changed into a formal dress, paired with earrings and high heels.

After carefully grooming herself in front of the mirror, Wen Ruan gently touched the 【Oath Necklace】 on her neck, a bright smile appearing on her face.

This necklace was a token between her and Tang Song, carrying her expectations and firmness for the future.

The story of Liu Qingning and Tang Song was indeed moving.

But in terms of her feelings for Tang Song, she didn't feel she was less than anyone else.

Her feelings, while not long-lasting, were hot and sincere enough.

Anyone who wanted to snatch away her happiness, she would not retreat even half a step.

"Director Wen, there are 15 minutes left before the dinner starts." Wang Dandan reminded her in a low voice.

"Mm, let's go!" Wen Ruan turned around and stepped out of the walk-in closet, her pace composed and elegant.

"Ding—" The elevator door opened slowly.

Led by a waiter, the two arrived in front of a banquet hall.

After showing the electronic invitation.

The reception staff of Qingning Technology became even more enthusiastic, "Thank you, Director Wen, for taking time out of your busy schedule to attend tonight's event. We hope you have a pleasant evening, please come in!"

Wen Ruan said thank you and stepped into the main door.

The melodious sound of a violin came toward her, accompanied by the sound of clinking glasses, and the atmosphere was warm and grand.

People were coming and going in the banquet hall.

The crystal chandelier refracted dazzling light, and the long table was filled with all kinds of delicacies.

With Wen Ruan's arrival, she instantly attracted many gazes in the venue.

Low discussions arose in the crowd.

Assistant Wang Dandan took the red wine from the waiter and handed it over.

Wen Ruan took it casually but didn't rush to integrate into the crowd, her gaze scanning the venue as if looking for something.

Their eyes met in the air, and her heartbeat began to accelerate.

Wen Ruan's gaze froze on the figure walking toward her in the crowd.

Her jet-black hair hung down naturally, she wasn't tall, and her appearance was fresh and cute.

She was wearing a professional-style suit skirt, and her full chest was high and prominent.

She was a very standard beauty with a baby face and a large chest.

Wen Ruan took a deep breath, suppressed the fluctuation in her heart, a bright smile appeared on her face, and she took the initiative to greet her: "Hello, Qingning, very happy to see you."

"Hello, Wen Ruan." Liu Qingning's voice was soft, but it carried a trace of imperceptible trembling.

She raised her head, looking at the tall and voluptuous woman in front of her, a trace of complex emotion flashing in her eyes.

The real Wen Ruan was even more outstanding than she had imagined.

A dark blue silk dress, the hem of the skirt slightly trailing on the floor, perfectly outlining her sexy body curves.

Her features were gorgeous and charming, her eyes bright and confident, and she exuded a mature and fascinating charm in every gesture.

This was Wen Ruan, the woman who "snatched away Tang Song."