Chapter 512: Famous in Xiangjiang 1

October 27, 2023, Friday, cloudy, 22°C~28°C.

7:00 AM, the sky was just brightening.

Lin Muxue opened her eyes slowly, turned her head, and saw that the other side of the bed was already empty.

Clearly, the ambitious and scheming Yan had started another day of self-disciplined business travel.

She sat up, stretched, picked up the action camera on the bedside table, and switched to the front-facing lens.

A face with exquisite maintenance and three-dimensional features appeared in the lens, skin fair, lip color soft.

"Good morning~" Lin Muxue showed a bright smile on her face, greeting the lens: "Luna is currently on a business trip in Xiangjiang; today I'll take everyone to experience my busy day from a first-person perspective."

Switching to the rear lens, the details in the room unfolded one by one.

The electric curtains rose slowly, the morning light of Victoria Harbour shone in, the sea surface shimmered, the silhouettes of high-rise buildings on the opposite shore were hazy, and clouds flowed slowly in the sky. Immediately after, Norah Jones's lazy jazz played on the speakers. Lin Muxue stepped on the hotel's soft carpet and walked into the bathroom.

The lens swept over the bath towels, slippers, toothbrush cups, and the throw pillow at the end of the bed, all printed with "Luna" embroidered in fine gold thread.

Those in the know would naturally appear in the comment section of her video, pointing out that this was the top-tier treatment only super VIPs of the hotel could enjoy, allowing her to show off invisibly.

"Many sisters asked me about this hotel; the thoughtful service really has nothing to complain about~ The toiletries are also the La Mer I usually use; I suggest friends with mixed-oily skin apply this essence thickly at night, the effect is super good—"

After washing up, she put on a pure white silk morning robe from LV, and draped an ivory-colored knitted cardigan from Chanel over it.

Makeup done, she recorded all the way out of the room, heading to the 45th-floor executive lounge to enjoy a top-tier buffet breakfast.

There were very few people in the lounge, the Hong Kong skyline outside the floor-to-ceiling windows was as clear as a painting, and the space was quiet and elegant.

Returning to the suite, she filmed a few more segments of choosing accessories and changing outfits.

Picking up her bag, she walked out of the hotel, switched her phone to a shooting device, and headed to the Central Financial Center Phase II.

The mirrored wall reflected a tall and slender figure, high heels tapping on the marble floor, her gait light and confident.

The elevator rose all the way, arriving at the 38th floor.

She smiled and greeted colleagues of different skin colors in the hallway.

Passing through a quiet corridor, she pushed the door and walked into the general assistant's office located at the very end.

The windows were bright and the room clean, the furnishings low-key and expensive.

Skillfully setting the camera on one side, adjusting the angle, aiming at the exquisite desk in front of the floor-to-ceiling window.

The lens finally froze on her figure as she slowly turned and walked toward the window.

The suit was slim-cut, the lines smooth, elegant and confident.

Outside the window, the city skyline of Central unfolded in layers in the morning light, high-rise buildings standing side by side.

After filming the video, Lin Muxue walked quickly to the camera and clicked play to check the shooting effect.

A satisfied smile appeared on her face.

Then she sat back at the desk, opened the computer, and began to edit the video [173/53KG|A day in the life of a financial female executive on a headquarters business trip vlog].

This was her first time publicly disclosing her company information in a video.

After all, this was the financial center of Xiangjiang, the most expensive hub, and Rongliu Capital was not some small shrimp that couldn't be shown. Revealing a bit of identity in this office building would not appear abrupt, but rather could set off her status even more.

Looking at the video on the screen, the smile on Lin Muxue's face became brighter and brighter.

As if she had already foreseen the scene of likes and comments flooding in on social platforms.

This business trip to Xiangjiang was nominally to familiarize herself with the headquarters' operations, but in reality, it was mainly to attend the LVMH Group's event and expand her circle.

Tang Zong hadn't arranged any substantive work for her, and she was happy to be leisurely and free.

Enjoying the travel, privileges, and reverence wholeheartedly.

After ten o'clock in the morning, the video editing was completed, she stretched, walked to the floor-to-ceiling window nonchalantly, and watched the bustling street scene of Central outside for a while.

Then she opened the office door, preparing to go out for a walk to familiarize herself with the environment.

Just as she stepped out of the door, she inadvertently caught a glimpse of the door to Shen Yuyan's office next door being slightly ajar, with faint conversation and laughter coming from inside.

Lin Muxue's footsteps paused, her eyebrows furrowed.

She walked to the door, raised her hand and knocked twice, then pushed the door and entered.

The indoor light was soft, the atmosphere lively.

Besides Shen Yuyan, there were also Financial Director Alice, Brand and Public Relations Director Vivian, Operations Director Harlan, and Senior Investment Manager Arthur.

Shen Yuyan stood in the middle of the group, listening earnestly while occasionally adding her own insights.

Lin Muxue stood at the door, the smile on her face somewhat stiff.

A strong sense of unease rose from her chest, dense like needle pricks.

It was as if rows of glaring red characters lit up in her mind: Warning! Warning! Warning!

The people in the room noticed the movement at the door and turned their heads one after another.

"Morning, Luna."

"Good morning."

Several greetings rose and fell.

Shen Yuyan had a smile on the corner of her mouth, her tone gentle and appropriate: "Morning~, Luna, you just happened to come over; shall we chat together?"

She was still wearing that gray suit that Lin Muxue had mocked, but her temperament was exceptionally confident and composed.

As their eyes met, it seemed as if an electric current swept through the air.

"Sure." Lin Muxue forced the corners of her mouth up, walked into the room, her pace as elegant as ever.

Then, the discussion became lively again.

"The first draft of the TS (Term Sheet) is already out; the valuation adjustment mechanism (valuation adjustment mechanism) terms from the PE side in the US are quite tough, but looking at it from another perspective, it's not impossible to negotiate—"

"We can design a progressive valuation adjustment mechanism to lock in the interests of the core team while setting a controllable IRR threshold."

"I see their VC background from the previous round of financing isn't bad, so I estimate there's quite a bit of room for negotiation."

Shen Yuyan had a shallow smile on the corner of her mouth, her expression steady and focused, both rational and relaxed.

She nodded in response from time to time, distilling key points, and occasionally adding details, her words clear and her posture capable and confident.

Lin Muxue stood to the side, trying hard to maintain a dignified smile on her face, but felt like she was sitting on pins and needles.

She could understand, but mostly it was "understanding the surface."

One reason was that she knew very little about the projects the company was currently undertaking; the other was that for many professional terms, she only knew a little bit based on the data she had memorized before, unable to go deep, and easily exposing her shortcomings once she opened her mouth.

Looking at Shen Yuyan, she was an entrepreneur who had fought from the front line, had eaten the financing meal, and had seen due diligence tables.

Even with complex valuation adjustment terms, she could quickly dismantle the core logic.

Financing rhythm, valuation anchor points, IRR, repurchase mechanism, shareholding ratio—she said it easily, and others listened naturally.

It could be called like a fish in water.

Lin Muxue was suddenly a bit dazed.

It had only been the third day in Xiangjiang, and Shen Yuyan had already stood firm in the headquarters' executive circle.

Without needing to deliberately disguise or flatter, she could integrate into it by relying on her own content and ability, mastering the rhythm, and winning respect.

Instead, she, the general assistant, holding the title of VP, was like a decoration, a mascot.

No wonder Shen Yuyan stayed up late to look at materials and got up before dawn.

An unprecedented sense of crisis rose quietly, enveloping every inch of her thoughts.

If it developed according to this trend, Shen Yuyan would soon make the two words "assistant" truly solid.

Perhaps in the future, she would really snatch her position away bit by bit.

Although Tang Zong had promised to cultivate her into the "closest personal assistant," there was no Shen Yuyan at that time.

This green tea looked quite good, and she was also the school beauty from Tang Zong's university days, also having the bond of a best friend.

If she changed Tang Zong's mind because of her outstanding performance, then—

Thinking of this, Lin Muxue felt a chill down her spine, a coldness rushing from the soles of her feet to the top of her head.

Good for you, scheming bitch!

No wonder the workplace is all about anti-involution; you are trying to mess with me, Emperor Muxue!

Absolutely cannot sit still and wait for death!

But in terms of ability, she was indeed inferior to Shen Yuyan.

In this regard, she was naturally at a disadvantage and had to change her perspective.

Lin Muxue's thoughts turned rapidly, gradually calming down.

Facing Shen Yuyan, her greatest advantage was her relationship with Tang Zong, as well as the connections with Tang Zong's other women.

In the final analysis, Tang Zong was the foundation.

She had to firmly guard this point and provide more emotional value and life connections outside of work, which Shen Yuyan could never compare to.

But this was not enough.

She had to make up for the lessons and catch up with the progress.

Originally, the MBA from Imperial College was just a background board for her to show off her status and gild herself, and coming to Xiangjiang was even more for filming vlogs and posting on Douyin.

But now it seemed that she couldn't be too salty.

This MBA had to be learned for real.

She had to make "Emperor Muxue" worthy of her persona.

Besides this, there was one more point that was crucial: reshaping the "sense of status."

She was not a companion accompanying the run, not a vase by the desk.

She was a general assistant, a VP-level management layer, and Shen Yuyan's actual superior in position.

Since that was the case, she had to suppress the ambition of this scheming green tea from the posture of a "superior"!

She took a deep breath, her eyes clear and sharp in an instant.

Taking advantage of the short gap when everyone changed topics,

She spoke up nonchalantly: "Shirley, I'm quite interested in this investment project. Later, I want to communicate with Mr. Tang separately. You organize a complete set of materials and send it to my email before getting off work. Remember, it must be detailed."

Shen Yuyan was slightly stunned, but quickly reacted, nodding with a smile: "Okay, no problem."

Lin Muxue's expression was natural, she smiled and nodded to the executives present, then turned and left elegantly.

Returning to the office.

She immediately put away the camera, turned off the viewfinder, and the desktop instantly returned to calm and professional.

After sitting down, she opened the online learning system of Imperial College and clicked into the corporate finance module.

Putting on her headphones, she began to listen to the lecture earnestly.

A strong desire to win and a sense of crisis made her emotions high, and her memory became better and better.

This was a state she hadn't had for a long time.

She suddenly remembered what she looked like when she first entered Juling Huijin.

At that time, she seized every moment to memorize words, attend English intensive classes, and familiarize herself with project deal cases.

She was indeed not a talented player, but she had really fought hard.

When did she start to slack off?

[Exclusive Credit Black Card]

It was after getting this card, with a monthly limit of 150,000 US dollars and unparalleled VIP treatment.

During this period, her mailbox was filled with invitations from luxury brand SAs and private bank client managers.

All kinds of things she wanted to buy before but couldn't bear to, all appeared on her body and in her home.

In fact, she had already floated to the sky.

Because of her growing environment, she was most sensitive to money, and it could also bring her the most "sense of security" and "satisfaction."

The appearance of this card gradually distorted some of her thoughts.

Tang Zong also saw this point in [Whispers of Human Nature], which was why he had been suppressing her growth speed.

If she were like Zhao Yaqian, financially free from the beginning, she would probably really be swallowed up by desire and completely become a "socialite" who only knew how to enjoy herself.

And the appearance of Shen Yuyan, her resume, ambition, and powerful execution ability, forced her to wake up.

4:00 PM.

Special Assistant Office.

A pale golden halo appeared on the skyline outside the window.

Shen Yuyan sat at the workstation by the window, her fingers flying across the keyboard.

After organizing the documents one by one and sending them to Lin Muxue's corporate email, she let out a long breath.

No matter what, at the headquarters side, she couldn't expose any discord with Lin Muxue.

Once the core executives at the headquarters noticed it, it would not only affect her personal professional image but might also make Tang Zong feel displeased. She paused slightly and reopened the archived company organizational structure chart.

Staring at that organizational structure list, her gaze gradually became deep. Having stayed at the headquarters for two days, she had already noticed some abnormal details.

For example, the attendance rate of the executive team was abnormal.

Theoretically, with both her and Lin Muxue appearing at the Xiangjiang headquarters as assistants representing Tang Zong, it should be an opportunity for the core executive layer to appear together, or at least there should be a symbolic welcome arrangement.

But the reality was far from it.

Vice President Simon in charge of fundraising, William Zheng, head of the M&A and Cross-border Investment Department, Legal Compliance General Counsel (GC) Liu Jiachen, HRD Yao Meicun—

These seven executives she marked as "key figures" on the structure chart were all absent.

Not asking for leave, not rotating posts, but collectively out of touch without any signs.

She had inadvertently mentioned it to Vivian and others in the pantry, but the answer she got was: "Not very clear, seems to be doing some internal adjustments," "Participating in a confidential project, maybe cannot be disclosed to the outside."

Ambiguous, evasive.

But the more vague it was, the more it showed the unusual nature of the matter.

According to her own judgment, these people were likely temporarily drawn to participate in some extremely important, extremely sensitive capital operation or strategic project.

The project might have affected the trend of the securities market, as well as the next development of Rongliu Capital, which was why a "cutoff-style gag order" was made even internally.

Thinking of this, Shen Yuyan's mind began to run at high speed.

This was an opportunity.

Although she wasn't sure of the specific content, at least she could be sure that this was a very valuable information crack.

It was the key for her to break through Lin Muxue's shadow!

Tang Zong was about to arrive in Xiangjiang.

At that time, perhaps she could use the excuse of assisting with headquarters affairs to probe and ask about it sideways.

Just at this moment.

"Buzz buzz buzz—"

The phone screen vibrated and lit up.

Shen Yuyan looked down; someone in the [Class 2, Grade 1] high school classmate group had @ed her.

Clicking into the group chat interface, messages jumped out one after another:

[Cheng Ziwei: "@Shen Yuyan @Bai Menglin @Ji Yingying, just heard that you are all in Xiangjiang now? Wow, the three most amazing girls in our Class 2 are actually going to reunite."]

["Yingying and Yuyan also went to Xiangjiang? Are they both on business trips?"]

["Pity I'm busy with work, otherwise I would definitely have gone too; I'm in Shenzhen, so close."]

Shen Yuyan's eyebrows lifted slightly, and she clicked directly into Ji Yingying's Moments. Sure enough, a dynamic jumped out, posted two hours ago.

[Ji Yingying: Landed in Xiangjiang; while on a business trip, I can also see two high school friends, feeling excited.]

Below was an old photo from high school—a group photo of her, Bai Menglin, and Shen Yuyan.

Youthful and beautiful, eye-catching.

Clearly, this high-spirited high school competitor had started building a stage for her "glorious return home."

In fact, her relationship with Ji Yingying had never been good.

Contrary to her, Ji Yingying's family conditions were extremely affluent; her parents were both in industry, and the family assets exceeded ten million.

Generous with money, loves wearing famous brands, arrogant, a typical "little white rich beauty."

In her student days, Ji Yingying was extremely concerned about "sense of presence" and often competed with her.

After graduating from high school, the two almost never contacted each other again.

Coming to Xiangjiang this time, it was clearly aimed at her.

Just then, another prompt popped up in the group.

[Bai Menglin: "@Yuyan, it's not a business trip; she changed jobs recently and is now doing a director assistant role at a private equity fund headquartered in Xiangjiang, so amazing! It's at the IFC in Central; we should be gathering often in the future."]

Once the message came out, the group exploded instantly.

Shen Yuyan's gaze flickered, and the corners of her mouth rose quietly.

Immediately after, Li Yingying replied immediately.

[Ji Yingying: "@Yuyan, you hid it deep enough; this is a big good thing! I'll treat tonight, the three of us will have a good gathering and celebrate for you!"]

[Shen Yuyan: "Since it's celebrating for me, of course I should be the one to treat."]

[Ji Yingying: "I'm in charge of investor relations at the company, and I often entertain clients, so I have some resources in this regard; let me arrange it. How about 'China Club' in Central, Xiangjiang? You and Menglin are right next to it."]

As soon as the words fell, there was another commotion in the group.

Many people were clearly unfamiliar with this name and searched for it one after another.

Within a few minutes, screenshots kept scrolling in the group.

Looking at the classmates' screenshots and explanations, Shen Yuyan also roughly understood the origin of this restaurant.

This was one of the most iconic high-end private clubs in Xiangjiang, located on the 13th to 15th floors of the old China Bank Building in Central.

It adopted a strict invitation system, and the membership fee once reached as high as 150,000 Hong Kong dollars; members were mainly financial elites, tycoons, and well-known figures in the entertainment industry.

It was a typical gathering place for capital and elite circles.

After deliberating for a moment, Shen Yuyan replied: "Alright, then thank you Yingying, you're generous."

"Buzz buzz buzz—"

A new message popped up.

[Lin Muxue: "Shirley, I've already read the email you sent; there are some places I'm not very clear about, come to my office."]

Shen Yuyan looked at the message, the corners of her lips hooked, and she got up, picked up her laptop, and walked out.

Arriving in front of the office next door, she knocked gently.

"Luna." She greeted in a gentle tone.

"Shirley." Lin Muxue sat behind the desk, her posture elegant, pointing to the seat beside her: "Come, there are a few points I want to ask you about."

"Mm, okay."

After the two sat side-by-side, Lin Muxue really asked questions one by one, from structural explanation to data logic, asking in detail, her tone also unusually sincere.

Shen Yuyan raised her eyebrows slightly, observing the other's expression while explaining, but ripples couldn't help but rise in her heart.

Although the previous Lin Muxue was "claws and teeth" on the surface, at least she didn't hide anything and was still easy to deal with.

Now suddenly changing her attitude, it made people somewhat hard to fathom.

Don't know what bad intentions she has.

The sky gradually darkened.

Approaching get-off-work time.

Lin Muxue closed the materials in her hand, turned her head, and smiled: "Hard work, Shirley; I'll treat tonight, Lung King Heen, you'll definitely like it."

Shen Yuyan shook her head: "Sorry Luna, another high school classmate of mine just arrived in Xiangjiang today, and we've already arranged to have dinner at the China Club tonight."

"Oh?" Lin Muxue raised her eyebrows, her smile unchanged: "Then forget it, I'll treat you another day."

"Mm." Shen Yuyan looked at her watch: "I have to go pack up my things and get ready to leave; see you later, bye bye."

"Bye." Lin Muxue watched her back, her thoughts floating slowly.

China Club?

She had heard of it long ago, and actually quite wanted to go join the fun.

Just at this moment.

"Ding-a-ling" the phone rang.

[Mo Xiangwan]

Lin Muxue answered immediately: "Hello, Sister Xiangwan."

"Good evening, Muxue, off work yet?"

"Mm, just finished packing."

"It's like this." Mo Xiangwan's voice was as gentle and steady as ever: "For tomorrow's LVMH private banquet, I've arranged for two people to accompany you to help you get to know more connections."

"Okay, Sister Xiangwan, sorry to trouble you."

"Why be polite, they'll add your WeChat later."

"Understood~ Thank you."

"Alright then, rest early, bye."

"Bye."

Not long after the call hung up.

A friend request popped up on the WeChat interface; seeing the nickname and avatar, Lin Muxue's heart jumped slightly.

[Bei Yuwei / requests to add you as a friend.]

A friend request popped up on the WeChat interface. Seeing the nickname and avatar, Lin Mu’s heart skipped a beat.

【Bei Yuwei/Requests to add you as a friend.】