Chapter 33: You Ruined Your Own Life

Faced with Director Shi’s inquiry, Jiang Yue appeared somewhat flustered.

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, looking unnatural, and stammered, "He... he hasn't had much time lately... he's gone out of town."

"Oh, I understand. Mr. Chu must be very busy." Director Shi smiled and said, "Ms. Jiang, please tell him for me that the children at the home miss him very much. Tell him not to worry, to focus on his work, and that we all support him."

Jiang Yue did not dare to look into Director Shi’s eyes. She shifted her gaze and nodded, saying, "Alright, I will pass the message along."

Jiang Yue, you really don't blush when you lie! Where are you going to pass the message to me? Director Shi, I miss the children too, but I am already dead.

After Director Shi left the room, Jiang Yue remained alone. She paced back and forth, pausing occasionally, then sat on the bed for a moment. I could not tell what she was thinking, but she seemed burdened by heavy thoughts.

In this room, I did not have many belongings, but they were all precious to me. After glancing around the room, she began to mutter to herself: "Chu Jianghe, you had such a good life; why did you have to meet me?"

"I am not stupid, of course. I know you loved me, but I didn't love you!"

"You truly loved the wrong person. Don't blame me for ruining your life; it was you who ruined your own life."

I had expected her to express some remorse, but it seems I expected too much. Even now, she does not feel she did anything wrong.

Yes, I shouldn't have fallen in love with you. But you shouldn't have provoked me if you weren't going to love me back! You gave me hope, only to shatter it with despair, and you say you did nothing wrong? What an absolute absurdity!

She stayed in the room for a while longer until a phone call came in, apparently about business. After a brief reply, she prepared to leave. Before she walked out, she took the fountain pen with her.

***

Jiang Yue rushed to the company in a hurry and headed straight for the conference room. It was already filled with core staff and senior management. Even though she was late, they dared to be angry but did not dare to speak out.

After Jiang Yue sat down listlessly, someone finally lost their patience and spoke up: "General Manager Jiang, we agreed yesterday to meet at ten this morning. It is nearly eleven now. If you have something urgent, could you at least give us a heads-up?"

The speaker was the business department manager, Rao Tao. Because of his strong performance, he dared to speak the truth on such occasions. Jiang Yue knew his value, so she offered a brief apology before diving into the meeting.

Rao Tao then continued, "Let me start with our situation. Our department has recently received notices of contract termination from seven companies, three of which were long-term clients."

"I have brought this up before, but we haven't reached a viable solution. What do you think, Ms. Jiang?"

Before Jiang Yue could respond, the finance department spoke up: "The situation in finance isn't looking good either. Costs for several projects have exceeded the budget, and payments are consistently delayed."

Jiang Yue’s brow furrowed into a deep frown. She looked at the finance director with a grave expression and asked, "How long has this been happening? Why haven't I received any feedback?"

"I brought it up last week, but you told me to discuss it in a later meeting."

Jiang Yue fell into silence, and the others began to whisper among themselves. It seemed the company was facing a very complex situation. I had told her before that this was an era of digital technology and new media; if she insisted on sticking to old operational strategies, she would inevitably be eliminated by the market. But my words were like a light breeze to her—she hadn't paid them any heed at all.

After a long silence, Jiang Yue finally said, "I will find a way to make up for the financial deficit. As for the business department, are there any suggestions?"

Rao Tao replied immediately, "Ms. Jiang, I actually spoke with Mr. Chu about this previously."

"Chu Jianghe?"

"Yes, Mr. Chu was always concerned about the company's state and proactively sought me out to talk." Rao Tao let out a self-deprecating laugh. "At the time, I didn't pay much attention to it, thinking he was just trying to impress you, so I didn't mention it."

"Tell me, what did he discuss with you?"

Rao Tao said sternly, "He had long suggested changing our operational mindset, moving toward new media, mastering new marketing tools, and integrating digital technology and artificial intelligence with creative development."

Rao Tao paused, then continued, "I’ve given it serious thought since then, and I’ve looked into the market. It is true that many competitors have already started moving in this direction."

Jiang Yue’s brow remained tightly knitted. After a moment of contemplation, she said, "But we don't have talent in those fields."

"We can hire them. Besides, Mr. Chu gave me a proposal for a digital operation model at the time. Would you like to see it, Ms. Jiang?"

Jiang Yue nodded, and Rao Tao handed her the proposal.

Back then, I was genuinely thinking of the company. Even though I had no expertise in management, I had plenty of time, so I made it a point to learn. I even consulted several of my classmates and university professors, all of whom told me that reform was necessary. I spent three months writing that proposal, hoping to help Jiang Yue. But she wouldn't even look at it, so I had to go to Rao Tao, as I knew his words carried weight in the company.

Jiang Yue was finally reading the proposal I had written with genuine focus. About two minutes later, she set it down and looked up.

"Rao Tao, go handle this. There are still many parts of this plan that can be optimized. Go work on it."

After the meeting, Jiang Yue returned to her office. She took out the proposal Rao Tao had given her and studied it carefully again. It was impossible for Jiang Yue not to realize that such a proposal could not have been written so well without immense effort. And since I was an outsider, she must have realized that. There was only one possibility: it proved that I had truly poured my heart into it.

Jiang Yue frowned throughout the entire time she read the document. She rested her chin in her hands, as if deep in thought. Suddenly, she took out her phone and dialed a number.

"Officer An, please continue your investigation into the Chu Jianghe case. Whatever you need me to assist with, I will cooperate fully."