A Twist in the Road

In front of the Hilton Hotel, Song Mingyang opened the car door and stepped out, greeting the group from Shihong Group with a beaming smile.

Zhang Yang also stepped out of the car, taking the opportunity to glance at the three people from Shihong Group behind him.

The middle-aged man walking in front was likely Director Hong, the marketing director of Shihong. Behind him followed a man and a woman, both young. The woman, in particular, had short, ear-length black hair, a refined temperament, and looked quite capable.

Zhang Yang couldn't help but take a few extra looks.

Seeming to sense his gaze, the woman turned her eyes toward him with a hint of inquiry.

Zhang Yang did not look away; instead, he offered a natural smile and a nod, acknowledging her presence.

"Old Hong, long time no see! We're not leaving tonight until we're drunk, and I've got some arrangements lined up for you later," Song Mingyang said, draping an arm around Director Hong's shoulder with the familiarity of an old friend.

Director Hong kept his expression stiff. "You're too kind, President Song. Let's just have a simple meal tonight."

Sensing the distance in his tone, Song Mingyang paused for a split second, but he recovered quickly, ushering the group into the hotel as if nothing had happened.

By evening, inside a private hotel dining room, waiters brought in dish after dish until the table was overflowing with a lavish feast.

Song Mingyang opened a bottle of fine wine, filled Director Hong's glass, and began to toast and urge him to eat with excessive enthusiasm.

"Old Hong, come on, let's have another one."

"Well... President Song, let's go easy on the alcohol. It ruins business. Let's talk about the real matters at hand," Director Hong said, covering his glass with his hand and offering a polite smile.

Song Mingyang's expression shifted once more.

If they didn't drink to their hearts' content, the cooperation would be far from reach. What was going on?!

Throughout the meal, no matter how hard Song Mingyang tried to liven up the atmosphere, it remained flat. The other party wouldn't take the bait, and whenever the topic of cooperation came up, they would deflect and talk about something else.

From across the table, Zhang Yang noticed that Song Mingyang even had beads of sweat on his forehead.

"Old Hong, after we finish eating, let's go sing some karaoke and relax," Song Mingyang suggested warmly as the meal drew to a close.

"As for the evening activities..." Director Hong opened his mouth, just about to speak.

"Director Hong, we don't have anything going on tonight anyway, and it's been a while since I've sung," the woman accompanying them suddenly interjected.

"This... alright, let's go then." Director Hong looked at the woman and, to everyone's surprise, agreed immediately.

After nine o'clock, the group found a high-end KTV and booked a room.

Song Mingyang was a VIP here; the moment the manager saw him arrive, he was at his beck and call, rushing to bring over fruit platters and snacks.

Song Mingyang, never one to be stingy, waved his hand and ordered plenty of expensive liquor.

Inside the dim room, Zhang Yang sat to the side, picking at the fruit platter and watching Song Mingyang hover around the guests, relentlessly urging them to sing.

"Director Hong, why don't you start us off?" Song Mingyang said, handing the microphone to him.

"This..." Director Hong looked at the woman beside him and, surprisingly, handed the microphone to her first. "How about..."

Watching this scene, Song Mingyang narrowed his eyes and took a closer look at the woman.

"Then I shall make a fool of myself." The woman took the microphone without hesitation or false modesty, stood up, gracefully selected a song, and began to sing softly in the corner of the room.

She sang "Scarborough Fair" with a distinct British flair.

When the song ended, Director Hong clapped and cheered, showering her with praise.

"Wonderful! It's practically as good as the original!"

Song Mingyang blinked, seemingly realizing something in an instant, and immediately joined in with his own stream of flattery.

Under the collective praise, the woman sat upright in the dim light, a faint, excited flush appearing on her face.

"President Song, I'm going to the restroom." Seeing several grown men fawning over a young woman, Zhang Yang figured his own flattery wouldn't be missed, so he stood up, using the restroom as an excuse to get some fresh air.

Stepping out of the KTV, he was met with a refreshing evening breeze.

Although it was late, the nightlife in Magic City was just beginning. In the short time Zhang Yang stood at the entrance, several groups of flushed, tipsy guests walked in one after another.

"Hey, you... why didn't you go up and sing?" a voice suddenly came from behind him.

Zhang Yang turned around to see that it was the woman who had accompanied the Shihong group.

"I'm not a good singer. If I went up there, I really would be making a fool of myself," Zhang Yang said with a shake of his head as he watched her approach.

"Just sing for fun; it's not a competition. By the way, you're a planner from Mingyang Advertising, right? I felt you had some good ideas during dinner," the woman said, walking up to his side and looking him over with a smile.

"I handled the planning for your previous project, Bishui Yuntian," Zhang Yang said, recalling the past.

He remembered that project vividly; it was the longest one he had worked on since entering the industry, the one with the most revisions and the most demanding client. The exhaustion and frustration were hard to put into words.

"I see," the woman said, a look of realization dawning on her. "Then let me ask you: if you were to draft a proposal for our new project, what would be your general approach?"

Zhang Yang was speechless. If he had the ability to come up with ideas on the spot like that, would he still be a lowly planner?

However, seeing the expectant look in the girl's eyes and remembering that Shihong's latest project focused on refined and elegant new Chinese-style villas, he managed to cobble together a few versatile, crowd-pleasing remarks.

"I've looked at Shihong's current project. It seems you've hired experts from the Academy of Fine Arts for the landscaping, and the villas are modeled after ancient courtyard houses, focusing on a carefree state of mind—'sitting and watching the clouds roll and unfurl, quietly listening to the flowers bloom and fall'..."

Though his words were generic, they weren't entirely baseless; after all, he had worked on Shihong's projects before and had a grasp of their stylistic thread.

As he spoke, his points were concise and to the point.

The woman listened, nodding continuously, seemingly impressed by Zhang Yang's ideas.

"The idea is quite fitting, and you put it well. By the way, what time is it? We should probably head back up soon. I was planning to..."

"It's still early, just past ten." Zhang Yang glanced at his wrist.

"Oh?" The girl's eyes lingered on his wrist, her expression turning suddenly surprised. "You wear such a fine watch, yet you work here as a junior planner. Could it be that you're just experiencing life?"

Zhang Yang was certain that the girl's background was far from ordinary; after all, in real life, few people could identify such a luxury item at a glance.

"Work is work, and life is life. That doesn't really conflict, does it?" Zhang Yang pondered for a moment, wondering if he should take the initiative to introduce himself, when the other party reached out her hand first.

"Let's get acquainted. I'm Tang Leyi." The girl smiled as she extended her hand.

"Zhang Yang." Zhang Yang shook her hand, which clearly had never known a day of manual labor, and said as if offhandedly, "The chairman of Shihong Real Estate, I believe his surname is Tang, isn't it?"

Tang Leyi smiled but said nothing.

The two returned to the private room along the same path. Everyone's gaze shifted toward them in unison—or more accurately, toward Tang Leyi.

"Director Hong, Mingyang Advertising has been our long-time partner. Regarding the business for this new project, why don't we settle on Mingyang Media?" Tang Leyi seemed to possess the authority to make the final decision with a single sentence.

Director Hong quickly stood up and agreed.

Song Mingyang stood up as well, tentatively asking, "Director Hong, this is..."

"President Song, this is actually our chairman's daughter, Miss Tang Leyi. She is currently in full charge of the group's marketing and publicity." Director Hong finally revealed the truth from the side.

"So it is Miss Tang!" Song Mingyang's expression instantly turned ecstatic and excited. "Miss Tang, please forgive our poor hospitality, it really has been inadequate!"

Watching his boss, who usually enjoyed such prestige within the company, act this way, Zhang Yang sighed once more at how difficult it is to be a boss.

The more glorious one appears in public, the more... behind the scenes.

"No rush, I have one more condition." Tang Leyi wore a smile, but she suddenly looked at Zhang Yang. "I just chatted with Zhang Yang from your company and found him quite impressive. Therefore, for this project, my suggestion is that I hope he takes the lead."