Grab The Heroine and Run Away Ch. 103 (Xu Jiamu x Cheng Siying)
The hot search for Apex Biotech quickly faded, and in the research laboratory, Cheng Siying listened to her assistant vividly describe the online speculation about the incident.
“I went to the break room to get some water, and I overheard people from the adjacent department saying that President Ji got really angry and wants to fire everyone in the PR department.” The young man animatedly gestured and danced.
Cheng Siying picked up her coffee, took a light sip, and watched the bubbles in the cup without speaking.
Ji Yichen’s anger was genuine, but the so-called explosive fury and the news about firing people were definitely false. He cared greatly about his image, and he didn’t reveal his emotions easily. She had known Ji Yichen for many years and had never seen him in a disheveled state.
But he was definitely infuriated.
Cheng Siying looked at the phone that had been silently disconnected by her side, the clean screen displaying twelve missed calls.
“Researcher Cheng!” Outside her office, an assistant with an anxious expression knocked and walked in. “President Ji is looking for you.”
The assistant didn’t look too pleased, and the expression on the young man next to Cheng Siying was somewhat subtle.
He still remembered Cheng Siying’s seemingly light comment under the Apex Tech Weibo post, which had caused an enormous uproar.
Cheng Siying set down her coffee cup, her tone calm. “Which President Ji?”
The assistant hesitated for a moment, his smile looking forced. “Researcher Cheng, please don’t joke around. Which President Ji could it be other than your fiancé?”
“Of course, it’s your fiancé,” his tone was equally unkind.
“Oh.” Cheng Siying got up, glanced at the documents on her desk, thought for a moment, then lifted her foot to walk forward with her assistant. Not long after she left, another group of people walked in, holding boxes and immediately began packing things as they entered.
“What the hell are you doing!” Cheng Siying’s assistant shouted loudly. Other researchers were pulled away from their workstations by these people, watching them rummage through boxes and drawers.
“According to orders from above, Researcher Cheng is suspended pending investigation for violating company regulations. All items in the Biological Materials Research Lab are to be sealed and strictly monitored. No one is allowed to take anything away!” The leader, a tall and imposing man, spoke in a threatening tone. “This is an order from higher-ups, and we are responsible for its execution. If you have a problem, go talk to your superiors.”
The researchers exchanged bewildered looks, observing as the men shut down computers on desks, even taking away the mainframes, along with all physical books, files, and notebooks.
“That’s a manga I just bought today!” one of the male researchers shouted, “I’m calling the police, you’re stealing our stuff!”
The man collecting items glanced at the book in his hand, his lips twitched, and he placed the manga on the table.
“We’re not taking your personal belongings,” the leader among them said, “You can pick out your items yourselves, but they must go through our inspection.”
One of the researchers rolled their eyes and put away their notebook. As they packed their belongings, a group of onlookers stood nearby, watching their hands closely. Whenever they saw something related to materials, research, or experiments, they loudly ordered them to put it down.
“I won’t put it down! This is my own stuff. If you dare to take it, I’ll dare to call the police!” someone sneered, “I’ve been in this field for twenty years, and this is the first time someone has dared to do something like this to me. If you have the guts to detain me, don’t let me leave this door! Give it a try!”
The oldest man among the researchers slapped the table.
A group of bodyguards looked simultaneously at Ji Yichen’s secretary. The man frowned and said, “We’re just following the company’s orders. We’re not forcibly confiscating your personal items. Anything related to the company is not allowed to be taken by you.”
“Is the company trying to fire us?” a researcher slowly put on his clothes, “Fine, if the financial compensation is good enough, we’ll leave on our own.”
“Everyone, pack up your things and wait for Researcher Cheng at Ji Yichen’s doorstep. Let’s leave together,” the oldest researcher said, “Let the whole industry see how PeakTech eliminates dissenting voices. Once we develop something, they’ll kick us out the door as soon as we’re done.”
Ji Yichen’s secretary, responsible for this matter, smiled faintly, “Everyone, you’re joking. President Ji didn’t mean that. It’s just an internal department transfer within the company, looking to reassign all of you. PeakTech has many research and development departments, with numerous projects waiting for your research. As long as you achieve results, bonuses are definitely in store!”
“No need, just go ahead and fire us. Even if you don’t fire us, we’ll leave on our own!”
“Let’s go!”
Cheng Siying stood with her hands behind her back, led by Ji Yichen’s new chief secretary, as she entered the CEO’s office.
The CEO’s office was spacious, with brown flooring covered by a dark red carpet with golden patterns. Passing by the rosewood Eight Treasures screen, the landscape painting occupying half of one wall caught her eye. The entire room was decorated with grandeur, to the extent that Cheng Siying felt this office was quite incompatible with the words “technology.” It might as well be called Peak Palace.
Ji Yichen was sitting behind a two-meter-long tea table, his gaze lowered as he prepared tea. The fragrance of tea wafted through the air, mixing with the warmth and the gentle smoke rising from the sandalwood incense burner, veiling his face.
“Siying, why didn’t you answer the phone?” Ji Yichen’s voice was gentle.
Cheng Siying walked over. She wore a simple shirt and pants, a white work coat draped over them. Her hair was tied up, clipped at the back of her head with a light-colored plastic clip. A few loose strands fell from her ear, resting against her slightly pale face.
Upon hearing Ji Yichen’s words, Cheng Siying took her phone out of her pocket, looked at the unfamiliar number on it, and calmly said, “You changed your number?”
After Ji Yichen couldn’t reach Cheng Siying by phone, he delegated this matter to his secretary. However… a dark glint flickered in his eyes. Ji Yichen raised his gaze and extended his hand toward Cheng Siying, saying, “Sit.”
Cheng Siying didn’t hesitate. She pulled open the heavy rosewood chair and sat down. A cup of clear tea was pushed in front of her by Ji Yichen.
“I remember you’ve never liked these social media things,” Ji Yichen whispered. He held the handle of the teapot and poured tea slowly, “Why did you suddenly leave a message on Weibo?”
Cheng Siying sat upright and replied in a calm voice, “I didn’t have anything to do, so I just took a look.”
“Ji Yichen, you have someone you care about deeply, a girl with intense feelings. It’s not me, is it?”
Ji Yichen’s hand paused in its motion and he slowly put it down.
Cheng Siying asked innocently, “You don’t need to tell me her name. That’s your personal matter. However, should we dissolve our engagement?”
“Just kidding.”
Ji Yichen suddenly sighed, lowered his gaze, and said somewhat troubled, “Siying, I work every day and don’t have time for romance. Those things, they’re really something my assistant did behind my back. I had him say that to distance myself from it. One lie requires countless other lies to cover it up. This matter was my fault.”
Cheng Siying replied uninterestedly with an “Oh.”
The man across from her continued, “And what they call ‘suspicions’ are nothing more than my assistant deceiving Xiaozhou, borrowing money from him, and having him directly transfer the money to the florist’s account, using the opportunity to conceal his actions.”
“Both Xiaozhou and I didn’t expect him to do something like that,” Ji Yichen sighed deeply. “People’s hearts are unpredictable.”
Cheng Siying showed no interest and quietly looked at him.
The room fell silent for a moment.
“There’s one more thing—”
“So, the engagement isn’t being dissolved?”
They both spoke at the same time.
Dissolve the engagement…
Ji Yichen smiled faintly, “If you truly want to dissolve it, I’ll wish you happiness.”
Cheng Siying asked him, “What’s the matter?”
The man raised his hand, added water to her untouched tea cup, and said in a gentle tone, “Universal Pictures backed out of the contract at the last minute, breaking their promise. The company lost such a large deal, causing concern throughout the organization. You also know that this year, a lot of funds were spent on building the new production line, so… the research and development budget for your department will have to wait until all the funds are recovered before being allocated.”
Cheng Siying blinked.
“Also, because of this issue, the research and development departments need to be restructured. Until the funds from this batch of contracts are recovered, to save unnecessary expenses, the New Materials Department and the Chip Development Department will be temporarily merged.”
Temporarily merged?
Cheng Siying felt that this was the most amusing joke she had heard in her nearly thirty years.
If the New Materials Department and the Chip Development Department could merge, then the ornamental pine tree behind Ji Yichen could probably start calling him “mom.”
But, it didn’t matter.
Cheng Siying hooked her lips, lifted her finger to pinch the white porcelain cup on the tea tray. The cup was full of tea, and the pale tea liquid fell from her fingertip. She took a sip of the clear tea, and instantly, the fragrance of tea filled her lips. A slight bitterness was followed by sweetness between her lips and teeth.
The tea was good tea.
Cheng Siying thought to herself as she twirled the teacup with her pale fingertips and smiled gently.
In Ji Yichen’s eyes, Cheng Siying’s expressions were few and faint. When she smiled, she gave him a sensation as if a beauty was leaping out from a piece of paper. Ji Yichen was momentarily stunned.
“For company matters, as the CEO, you can make your own decisions,” Cheng Siying’s smile quickly faded. She looked into Ji Yichen’s eyes and said, “I intend to resign.”
Resign?
Ji Yichen’s eyebrows slowly furrowed. He thought about the incident where Universal Pictures left a comment on Cheng Siying’s Weibo. The suspicion that had been brewing in his mind since last night solidified in this moment.
“Siying, did other companies contact you?” Ji Yichen said, “Think it through. Once the research and development of the new materials are completed and the next generation of materials is introduced, who knows how many years that will be. I promise that as soon as the funds are recovered, we’ll immediately invest in the research and development department, allowing you to focus on your work.”
“No,” Cheng Siying responded decisively. She placed the white porcelain cup on the table, stood up, and addressed Ji Yichen, “I’ve made up my mind.”
“Since the advent of the new materials, the funding and equipment for continued research have been delayed. I’ve been idle for the past six months, and suddenly I feel… quite good,” Cheng Siying’s hands slid into her pockets. She smiled slightly at Ji Yichen, “It’s much better than the days when I used to work day and night, staying up late to analyze data.”
“I want to resign, go back home, and prepare for the wedding.”
Resign, go back home, prepare for the wedding?
Those six words left Ji Yichen somewhat dazed.
“Since you don’t have someone you love, and I don’t have anyone I’m fond of either, and we have a marriage contract, I’ll be waiting for you to come and marry me,” Cheng Siying said. “After marriage, I don’t intend to work. You can send me money regularly each month. I haven’t traveled before, and I plan to travel to various places around the world.”
She turned to face the rigid Ji Yichen behind the tea table and continued, “I’m waiting for you.”
After finishing her words, Cheng Siying turned around and walked away. At that moment of turning, the smile on her face vanished in an instant. Her eyes became heavy and murky, as if shrouded in dense haze.
Ji Yichen’s expression grew even more unpleasant. For the future of Peak Technologies, his fiancée must be a woman beneficial to the company. Cheng Siying, who was no longer interested in continuing her research, was just a burden to him and the company, a useless burden. Even if he married her, with her rigid personality, she wouldn’t be suitable for socializing, let alone attending events.
The man behind the tea table spoke coldly, “Wait.”
Cheng Siying halted her steps.
“I’m sorry, Siying. I deceived you.” Ji Yichen stood up, his hands braced on the table. He looked at Cheng Siying’s back with sincere eyes, “Actually, I already have someone I like.”
Cheng Siying turned around and raised an eyebrow.
Ji Yichen’s expression remained calm. “It’s not Xu Heran.”
Oh.
Cheng Siying answered in her mind.
“I really want to marry her, so, about the engagement…”
“Fine,” Cheng Siying suddenly said, “As an exchange, I have a condition.”
Half a month later, the news of Cheng Biotech’s separation from Peak Technologies didn’t cause any waves. Peak Biotech once again changed its name to Peak Technologies, although the words “biotech” didn’t appear on the building.
When Peak Technologies merged with Cheng Biotech, they took all of Cheng Biotech’s personnel, important equipment, and the right to use the new material technology. Now, as researchers left one after another, the usage rights of the new material technology were changed from ten years to thirty years. Within those thirty years, Cheng Siying couldn’t authorize the information about this technology to be used by others or companies.
Peak Technologies paid patent fees to Cheng Siying every ten years, with each payment halving the previous one.
Upon receiving the money, Cheng Siying transferred funds to the researchers who had once followed her to Peak. They shared a group chat, celebrating Cheng’s escape from the predicament.
“So, what do we do from now on?” Cheng Siying’s assistant asked, “Are we still researching the new material?”
Cheng Siying didn’t hesitate, “We’re researching.”
“Back to the old place?”
“Yeah, I’ve been at the research institute since leaving Peak. It’s more comfortable in my hometown, just lacks equipment,” someone said, “Let’s figure out how to attract investment.”
“Please, not another Peak?”
“But Cheng, how did you negotiate with Ji Yichen? And how did you manage to get patent fees?” someone asked.
“I read the newspaper. The original ten years turned into thirty years. Peak doesn’t believe that within thirty years, there will be materials surpassing the new ones,” someone said angrily, “We must develop better materials to show them!”
Cheng Siying typed slowly, “It’s all minor.”
“I’ll figure out the funding for the equipment.”
The separation of Peak and Cheng Biotech didn’t cause any ripples, but the news of Ji Yichen, the wealthy deputy CEO of Peak, and his fiancée breaking off their engagement, lingered in the entertainment headlines for a while.
As if trying to prove that he hadn’t lied, Ji Yichen appeared to address the public. Many “informed sources” came forward to tell the curious crowd that Ji Yichen and his fiancée had no feelings for each other. Ji Yichen indeed had someone he loved, and everything was a mistake due to an arranged marriage. He would marry the person he loved.
Just as the hot search appeared, it quickly disappeared from view. Peak’s PR team tried to manage it, but the hot search climbed only to fall down. All the news was suppressed, as if someone was intentionally keeping a watchful eye on them.
In the city of Beijing, at the Global Tech headquarters, in a neat and clean office, a finely featured woman’s fingers rested on a pen. Her fingers supported her chin, her gaze drifting out of the window, seemingly absent-minded.
After the man behind the desk finished reporting his work, Xu Jiamu withdrew her gaze, resting it on the man, staring into his eyes.
“You may go.”
“Looking forward to your response.”
A smile that couldn’t be concealed appeared on the man’s face. “Thank you, President Xu.”
Once the man left, Xu Jiamu’s executive secretary knocked on the door.
“President Xu, the news you asked us to monitor.” The secretary handed over the marked newspaper to Xu Jiamu and asked, “Should we have the managers of the R&D or Investment Department contact Miss Cheng?”
Xu Jiamu’s gaze quickly scanned the newspaper. On the paper, a woman with a slender figure and a cold expression paused for a moment. She set the newspaper aside, hooked her pen over it, and stood up.
“No need.”
The executive secretary was a bit puzzled. Xu Jiamu was paying close attention to Cheng Biotech and even had the PR team from Universal Entertainment continuously monitor Peak’s news across different sectors. Wasn’t this a good opportunity to invite Cheng Siying?
“I’ll go.” Xu Jiamu said, “Right now.”
Although Xu Jiamu grew up in Blue Country, her Mandarin was impeccable, without any oddities. The executive secretary hesitated for a moment, not doubting Xu Jiamu’s request. “Alright, I’ll have the driver prepare the car.”
In the park, Cheng Siying squatted by the lake, gazing at the water, when she received a call from her assistant. Her vacant mind gradually returned as she answered the call.
“Sister Cheng! Something’s wrong! You need to come quickly!”
The assistant’s excitement was palpable, as if the words were squeezed out from deep in his throat. “Xu Jiamu! The President of Universal Tech! The wealthiest Universal. She’s at the research institute looking for you!”
“Come back quickly!”
Cheng Siying’s mind was filled with a pair of blue eyes. She let out an “Ah” and softly responded, “Alright.”
After ending the call, the young woman who had been squatting for too long and had slightly numb legs stood up under the watchful gaze of the old man next to her. As she waited for her blood circulation to normalize, she considered pulling out her phone to ask her assistant how to use the ride-hailing app he mentioned earlier. However, before she could make the call, her assistant’s call came in again.
“Sister Cheng, you don’t need to come anymore! President Xu said she’s coming to find you. Are you at the old park?”
“Yes.”
Cheng Siying was a bit surprised. “Please don’t trouble President Xu. I’ll head there immediately.”
“But…” The assistant scratched his head. “President Xu has already gone.”
Alright.
Cheng Siying slowly squatted back down.
The old man beside her held a folding stool in his hand and approached. “Miss, I often see you here. Don’t let your worries get the best of you.”
Cheng Siying: “?”
“No.”
The old man wasn’t entirely convinced. He couldn’t believe that she often came here to stare at the lake for no reason.
The winter lake was calm, and the remnants of summer seemed to sway aimlessly in the water, casting a murky veil over the lake’s surface, making it hard to see beneath.
The old man pondered for a moment. “There are no insurmountable obstacles in life. You’re so young and beautiful. What’s bothering you? Tell the old man. Is it a matter of love?”
Cheng Siying thought carefully.
Troubled, but not by love.
“I’m watching the water.”
“Watching the water?” The old man furrowed his brows, wondering what kind of hobby that was. He raised his hand and pointed across the park. There was a bridge on the other side, and beneath it flowed a swift stream, splashing against the rocks, creating a gurgling sound.
“That water looks nice. Go over and take a look,” the old man said.
The stream over there was shallow enough to not even reach the ankles. Cheng Siying earnestly thanked the old man while he watched her closely. Slowly, she walked towards the direction of the bridge, arriving at her usual spot and crouching down.
She used to squat here frequently, but recently felt like changing things up a bit, only to find herself under the old man’s worried gaze.
Cheng Siying thought to herself that perhaps it’s better not to change one’s tastes so easily.
The park wasn’t small. Xu Jiamu, who had just gotten out of the car, looked at the lively park in winter, furrowing her brows slightly.
“President Xu, should I contact Miss Cheng?” Xu Jiamu’s secretary asked. She had obtained Cheng Siying’s contact information from Cheng Siying’s assistant.
“Let’s walk,” Xu Jiamu said.
The outskirts of Beijing were tranquil. The air in the park was refreshing, making it worth slowing down and relaxing.
However, Xu Jiamu strode quickly, keeping her gaze forward as the scenery entered her eyes. At this time, the park wasn’t crowded. When she saw a woman standing up slowly near the arched bridge from a distance, she raised an eyebrow involuntarily.
Estimating the time, Cheng Siying had driven from the research institute and should have arrived by now. She was planning to go to the entrance to welcome Xu Jiamu when she suddenly spotted a clean and white figure in the distance.
By this time, Xu Jiamu had walked in. She stood on the bridge, gripping the railing, and looked at Cheng Siying with a slightly puzzled expression in her blue eyes.
A thought emerged in her mind.
“Ji Yichen’s fiancée is deeply attached to him, very protective.”
Words she had said to her sister a long time ago resurfaced in her mind. Looking at the woman standing by the lake in the cold weather, her petite figure, the slightly red nose and cheeks from the icy air against her pale skin, Xu Jiamu’s fingers curled slightly.
Although Miss Cheng appeared emotionally stable, the fact that she was alone here must be because of the broken engagement with Ji Yichen. She must be feeling very sad.
Xu Jiamu’s mood slightly lowered.
At a time like this, what would people from Huaxia say to comfort someone?
Xu Jiamu’s usually astute mind hit a blind spot. A contemplative look appeared in her blue eyes, and before Cheng Siying could speak, she took the initiative and said, “Miss Cheng.”
“My condolences,” Xu Jiamu said.
Cheng Siying stood still, her expression blank.
Hmm?
Although she felt something was off, Xu Jiamu’s expression was too serious… Cheng Siying’s lips slightly parted, and in the faint light of that blue ocean in Xu Jiamu’s eyes, she slowly responded, “Thank you.”
The author has something to say:
Xu Jiamu’s secretary behind her: …
Secretary: Wait—never mind (laughs and cries).
Translator: Glariosa
Editor: Sinensis
Proofreader: Ruu
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