Chapter 112 Three days is too short.

Xie Qingcen had already anticipated Ruan Liuzheng's answer. He smiled without surprise, then opened his lips, his eyes slowly deepening.

"Now that everything is settled, shouldn't you also tell me why you drank last night?"

He lazily slid onto the sofa behind him, his tall and straight figure instantly sinking into the soft sofa, his dark eyes fixed on Ruan Liuzheng.

His clear and elegant eyebrows were tinged with a hint of seriousness.

Ruan Liuzheng knew that her stomach was not good, so normally, she would never touch stimulating substances such as alcohol.

She would not joke with her body.

But last night, she acted on impulse.

She ignored her own health and drank such a high concentration of alcohol. If Xie Qingcen had not been using medicinal food to nourish her stomach these days, she would probably have suffered last night.

Xie Qingcen gently raised his eyes, the depth of his dark eyes was slightly deep, and the corners of his thin lips gradually curled up.

His expression was solemn.

The aura around him changed imperceptibly, and there was a slight sense of oppression.

Ruan Liuzheng's palms tightened, and she felt an uncontrollable tension in her heart. She rarely felt the urgency of being greeted by an elder.

Even though she knew Xie Qingcen was doing this for her own good and out of concern for her, but...

Ruan Liuzheng's scalp tingled. She took a deep breath, suppressing the strange feeling in her heart, her voice trembling slightly, which she didn't notice.

"I just wanted to drink for a while. And my stomach is not as fragile as I thought. It's okay to indulge once or twice occasionally."

She smiled lightly, her tone pretending to be relaxed.

Xie Qingcen's expression did not change. He glanced at Ruan Liuzheng lightly, and the corners of his thin lips were still tightly tightened.

His eyes were dim and his emotions could not be discerned.

But Ruan Liuzheng keenly sensed his anger beneath the calmness. She unconsciously lightened her breath, slightly closed her eyelids, bit her lip and said, "Yesterday was the first time I heard my mother's name from someone other than me since she passed away..."

She paused for a moment and took a deep breath, "I'm very happy that there are people in this world who can remember my mother besides me."

Ruan Liuzheng raised her eyes, a hint of water flashed in her eyes, but her eyes were still tough, stubbornly not letting the tears overflow.

Like a white magnolia in the rain, weak and tenacious.

Xie Qingcen's heart tightened.

His throat tightened unconsciously, and his dark eyes stared at Ruan Liuzheng steadily, with a little distress in his eyes.

He closed his eyes, forcibly suppressing the discomfort in his heart, then opened his eyes, raised his hand and hugged Ruan Liuzheng in his arms, his eyebrows and eyes softened.

"There are many ways to miss someone, and it doesn't necessarily require alcohol. Besides, your body won't allow you to do that."

Xie Qingcen lowered his eyes, tightening his grip around Ruan Liuzheng. A hint of tenderness shone in his dark eyes.

His voice was clear and melodious, "But it won't happen again!"

...

In the afternoon, Ruan Liuzheng arrived at Suofan on time. She went to the office, first turned on her computer, then plugged in a USB drive and sent the list

she had compiled yesterday to Rosent. It included the talented painters she had noted from the exhibition, as well as art students who hadn't yet entered the workforce.

Wen Jiming's call for submissions was open to all adults, regardless of profession, so Ruan Liuzheng discovered many unique and innovative works.

It was a pity she could only participate for one day; otherwise, she might have gained so much more.

Ruan Liuzheng leaned back slightly in her chair, twirling a pen casually between her fingers.

She thought of yesterday's exhibition, and a feeling of regret remained. But Mr. Wen's exhibition, even if it lasted only one day, was worth it.

She couldn't be too greedy.

Ruan Liuzheng let out a soft breath, silently reassuring herself. Then, she picked up the desk phone and called her assistant, Annie.

She hadn't been able to attend the meeting this morning. While she didn't know what excuse Xie Qingcen had used to ask for her leave, she still needed to know what was going on.

After all, this matter concerned Suofan's development, and Ruan Liuzheng couldn't afford to be careless.

A few minutes later, Annie knocked on Ruan Liuzheng's office door, clutching several documents. She was dressed in a standard business suit: a white blouse with a black skirt.

The fabric was smooth and drapey, creating an air of elegance and sophistication.

Like her entire person, she was decisive yet exuded a uniquely feminine sensuality.

Though a bit nearsighted, she opted for light-colored contact lenses, eschewing the old-fashioned black glasses.

This suited her age and her penchant for beauty, creating a stylish look.

Ruan Liuzheng sat quietly behind her desk, watching Annie slowly approach. A flicker of satisfaction crossed her cool eyes.

Annie's work ethic and keen understanding of the industry were both impeccable.

Only after she stood still in front of Ruan Liuzheng did Ruan Liuzheng slowly retract her gaze, her posture straight, her brows cold.

"Annie, please compile a copy of this morning's meeting materials and send it to me later."

Annie nodded, smiling and handing the document to Ruan Liuzheng. Her voice was crisp and respectful, "I've compiled it. Director Ruan, please take a look!"

After working together for so long, Annie knew a thing or two about Ruan Liuzheng's temper, so when she received Ruan Liuzheng's call, she guessed Ruan Liuzheng's purpose.

Without Ruan Liuzheng's instructions, she directly brought the morning's meeting materials.

Annie politely handed the documents to Ruan Liuzheng, then stood quietly there, dutifully repeating to Ruan Liuzheng the contents that the documents could not express.

Ruan Liuzheng listened as he flipped through the document, scanning the contents at a glance.

Suddenly, her brows furrowed slightly, her gaze fixed on a certain item on the document. She raised her eyes, "The Hanfei Group's bidding?"

"I remember Hanfei Group had no connection to our Suofan business. What's the matter with this resolution?"

Ruan Liuzheng spread the document out on her desk, her scallion-white fingertips gently tapping on the contents, her beautiful brows furrowed tighter and tighter.

A hint of doubt flickered in her eyes.

Hearing this, Annie paused in her report. She lowered her eyes, followed Ruan Liuzheng's gaze, and paused for a moment.

Then, as if remembering something, she opened her mouth and said, "Hanfei's business is indeed not related to our company, but Hanfei just recently announced a statement, inviting all art design companies in the industry to bid, to solicit promotional posters for their new projects."

Ruan Liuzheng's fingertips paused slightly, she raised her eyes and looked at Annie, frowning, "But what does this have to do with Suofan? Now is the Internet age, and they are still a cutting-edge company. Their project promotion should not involve art, right?"

Annie pursed her lips, she took out her mobile phone, and purposefully flipped through an announcement message and showed it to Ruan Liuzheng.

She explained, "If we really follow Hanfei's standards from last year, their project promotion certainly had nothing to do with Suofan. But this time, they've explicitly stated they're abandoning their outdated ideas and innovating across the board."

"So they're trying to use hand-painting to achieve fundamental innovation?"

Ruan Liuzheng, after reading the message on her phone, immediately grasped the key point in Annie's words and raised her eyes. "Mr. Luo is participating in the bidding process to leverage Hanfei's influence to promote Suofan and, in turn, elevate Suofan's position within the industry?"

Annie nodded. "Yes, and Mr. Luo announced at the meeting that this matter is entirely your responsibility. Within three days, our design department must come up with a proposal that will wow everyone."

Her voice gradually lowered, and by the end, she was almost hesitant to meet Ruan Liuzheng's expression.

Hanfei Group's bidding process is notoriously strict, and this time, it's open to all art design and art-related companies. It's like a thousand troops crossing a single-plank bridge.

Coming up with a perfect, flawless proposal in three days is incredibly difficult.

Mr. Luo was clearly trying to make things difficult for Ruan Liuzheng.

Upstairs, Rosent seemed to have heard Anne's thoughts. The moment she looked up, Ruan Liuzheng's computer chimed, signaling an incoming message.

Ruan Liuzheng's attention shifted instantly, her gaze calmly fixed on the computer on her desk. Her delicate features were composed, a

calm expression unmistakable.

With a blank expression, she clicked on the message box and opened the document Rosent had sent.

The moment she saw the contents, Ruan Liuzheng's expression finally broke.

She silently gripped the mouse, a sneer escaping her throat.

Her cold eyes fixed on the computer before her, the radiant blue light casting a faint chill on her otherwise pure features.

After a long silence, Ruan Liuzheng withdrew her gaze from her indifferent expression. She stood up, expressionlessly picking up the documents on her desk. Then, looking up, she briefly addressed Anne.

With a slightly hurried pace, she left the office.

Ruan

Liuzheng made her way unimpeded to Rosent's office and knocked on the door with a blank expression.

There was a hint of anger on her jade-like face.

Without waiting for Rosent's consent, she pushed open the office door and walked straight to Rosent's desk with a tense expression.

Her cold eyes were slightly sharp.

She opened her lips, her voice slightly cold, "Three days is too short."

Without any preparation, Ruan Liuzheng directly stated her purpose, her beautiful eyebrows and eyes were tinged with a bit of coldness.

Rosent smiled slightly, he raised his hand to push the glasses on the bridge of his nose, and a hint of white light passed through his light blue eyes.

He spoke in a gentle tone, "I believe you, and I will grant you three days of vacation so that you can give full play to your talents."

"But the time can't be postponed, because Hanfei Group will hold a private banquet in three days, and we must finalize the final plan on that day."

Ruan Liuzheng frowned, "Do you want to contact the person in charge of Hanfei in advance?"