CH 26

Translator’s Note: The original website I was using is back up so I’m going back to that one for the sake of consistency. As I said before, it’s subdivided differently for a few chapters (but not this one, both were divided into three parts) so it doesn’t actually make a difference overall. Anyway, don’t you love the ambiguity of the chapter title? Is it Du who is going to convince Jiang Jun to stay, or is it Yuan Shuai who keeps her? Another meaning for 留住is not just asking somebody to stay, it’s also “to keep someone for the night.”

Also I present to you two glorious gifs of Yuan Shuai and Du, credit to ohsehuns @ tumblr

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“I mean, I want to resign.”

Du’s smile suddenly froze and the corners of his mouth flattened a little. He looked at Jiang Jun, his expression unreadable.

“What exactly do you want to do?” Du sighed, took off his glasses, and rubbed his forehead.

Jiang Jun looked away from him uneasily and explained in a low voice, “I… I really need to rest and change to a more leisurely job.”

Du looked at Jiang Jun, his expression still indecipherable.

Back then, during her interview that year, Jiang Jun had been full of confidence when she told Du: “I won’t lose to anyone in the IBD department.”

At that time, she had just been a young woman, with neat short hair, soft and pink upturned lips, vivid black and white eyes that were sharp and bright, and a face like white jade. It was a pity that her ears were a bit large. Du found it amusing when he looked at the tips of her ears, which showed through her black hair. In physiognomy, it was considered difficult to tame women with such ears.

They talked about everything under the sun for two hours and still felt like they weren’t finished.

Putting aside her academic qualifications, Jiang Jun’s ability to react extremely quickly, her comprehension of things, and her clear logic and expressive communication surprised him endlessly. It was undeniable that Jiang Jun was outstanding, but what he wanted was someone exceptional. She was a diamond in the rough with excellent color, and he considered himself the best cutter.

He maintained pressure on Juno, grinding away her impetuosity, and training her endurance with the most boring and trivial work. When they worked overtime late at night, he followed behind her secretly, listening to this little girl yelling and cursing viciously in the stairwell. Du laughed as he thought about how straightforwardly this young woman vented, with more expletives than even he knew.

He liked to hear the Beijing accent that inadvertently slipped out of this young woman, which was particularly delicate, crisp, and sweet.

He liked to see the brilliant light of her eyes, and how even when they were red and swollen, they were still full of confidence and perseverance.

He was compelled and broke precedent for her time and time again, giving her strength and hoping for her to grow. He longed for the day when he could stand side by side with her at the highest peak, laughing at the world.

At the moment of her promotion to President of IBD Asia Pacific, Du felt an uncontrollable excitement in his heart. He knew that his Juno’s wings had spread and that he had done everything to prepare for their future. He thought that his dream would soon come true, yet today she said: “I want to resign.”

Du buried his face in his hands for a moment before raising his head and asking, “What exactly do you want to do?”

Jiang Jun looked away anxiously. “I… I really need to rest, I feel like I’m almost dying of exhaustion.”

“Okay, then take a break! Six months? A year? Turn off your phone and don’t think about or bother with anything. Once you’ve had enough rest, then come back.”

She looked at Du in surprise. “If I do that for just two months, my position in MH will no longer exist.”

“As long as you take a good break and take care of your health, don’t worry about the rest, I’ll take care of it.” Du held her hand, his tone firm, “As long as I’m here, no one can touch you.”

“Du, actually I…”

Du covered Jiang Jun’s mouth with some trepidation, “Stop talking, don’t say anything, please.”

He gave Jiang Jun wings, but she wanted to fly out of his sky. Where did she want to go? GT?

At this time, all the employees who had left due to the changes in MH’s top management were taken in by GT, and they brazenly stole a lot of business from MH. Now MH was rumored to have been set up by Juno, and there were even rumors that Juno has agreed to become the vice president of GT China. The American side of the company pressured him several times to investigate the matter carefully. He knew the ins and outs of the whole story very well, but he trusts in his Juno even more. Even after seeing the recommendation letter she wrote to Zeus, he still trusted her. He believed that Jiang Jun was just soft-hearted and couldn’t bear to see Sally’s future ruined. She has always been like that; when she was emotional she was like a different person, and even if she got pulled into the storm, she had no scruples.

At this moment, a name came to Du’s mind: Zeus. They had crossed paths before and that man was deeply shrewd, leaving Du no choice but to guard against his tactics.

Juno said he was her cousin. They lived in the same apartment, wore the same sweater, and he had been holding Juno’s wallet in his hand. Yin Zhe had also said before that Zeus was not Jiang Jun’s cousin at all, and that this person was extremely treacherous. Could it really be Zeus?

Jiang Jun looked at Du and he held her hand tightly, his expression downcast. He had always been insufferably arrogant and thought of everyone as beneath him, but now he said, “Don’t say anything, I’m begging you.”

This man had picked her out of more than a hundred newcomers, and had devilishly forced her to accumulate enough capital in the shortest possible time to become formidable. He had arranged everything for her, and the only thing he had required of her was her hard work and persistence. Without Du, there would be no Juno today. If Juno is a sharp sword, then Du is her shield. He draws the boundaries for her, protects her comprehensively, supports her, and allows her free rein to whip on her horses, so that even when she was reckless or presumptuous, she would not suffer the slightest harm.

There was no denying that Du is a good boss and even more so, a good judge of talent. Jiang Jun’s eyes glistened with water as she bit her lip and nodded.

Du breathed a long sigh of relief in his heart.

In the end, she just didn’t have the heart to go through with it. He knew where Jiang Jun’s weaknesses lay, and by aiming exactly there, he had struck a fatal blow.

When they were parting, Du nagged at Jiang Jun like he was a mother, telling her to ignore the company’s affairs and to just rest well. Jiang Jun joked, “Then I’ll give you my cell phone, cut off all contact with the outside world, and just be an idle person.”

Du actually even agreed, “That’s good too, it won’t delay things.”

Jiang Jun asked sensitively, “Did something happen?”

“No, I’m just worried about your health.” Du smiled, “Can you tell me your private number now?”

Jiang Jun told him the number, and also casually threw her work phone to him, making a slashing gesture. “If there’s a problem with the item in my hand, I’ll put you in surgery.”

“Don’t worry, you won’t miss out on the end of the year bonus.” Du put away the phone and said, “Let’s go eat, Ritan has a new private restaurant with very authentic Huaiyang cuisine. I already have a reservation.”

“No, I can’t, I have to go home to take my medicine.”

“Then I’ll take you back home first and we’ll go after you take your medicine. There’s a very restorative soup there.”

Jiang Jun turned him down. “No, I’m sick of drinking so much chicken soup and fish soup every day. Once I’ve had enough rest, I’ll treat you.”

Du, acting unusually considerate, picked up Jiang Jun’s purse. “All right, you should go rest early then and I’ll send you back.”

“Don’t, I live in an alleyand the company car is too big, you won’t be able to even drive in at all. I’ll go by myself, it’s not far anyway.”

Jiang Jun opened the door of the tea room and bowed respectfully, “Boss, take care.”

Du walked out the door and then turned back again. “I forgot to warn you, don’t be playing crazy and refusing to contact me. You can call, email, or use whatever social media app you want, but you need to keep me updated.”

“Don’t worry.”

“Take care of yourself.”

Jiang Jun was about to wave goodbye, but unexpectedly Du walked back in again.

“What is it that you want to tell me?” Jiang Jun asked helplessly. “It’s not like this is a life and death farewell, do I really have to send you off for eighteen miles*?” [T/N *Referring to the classic tragic love story of the Butterfly Lovers, where Liang Shanbo sent off Zhu Yingtai to her home and accompanies her for 18 miles. The phrase now is used to describe unnecessary and exaggerated goodbyes between people.]

“Does your cousin Zeus want to take you to GT?”

Jiang Jun didn’t know how to answer, and after thinking for a few seconds, she said, “Ever since I entered the industry, he’s always wanted to pull me over.”

“You’re not allowed to go, once you’re had enough of messing around, come back and work for me.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t go to GT.”

After sending Du away, Jiang Jun returned to the private room and carefully recalled every word she had heard today from the beginning to the end. Yin Zhe, acting very strangely, had told her to be careful of Yuan Shuai. She could take it as just nonsense, since Yin Zhe got stupid ideas into his head from time to time. He had always hated Yuan Shuai very much even back then and had always told her to stay away from him, saying something about how from the first glance it was obvious that he was just a playboy with rich parents, with no good intentions. But why did Du also bring up Yuan Shuai? Was it only because of how Sally and the others are stealing business? It shouldn’t be that. With just a few of them, how much business could they have actually taken in such a short period of time, and just how big of a wave could they have really made?

Jiang Jun had some regrets about giving Du her phone. At least she could have backed up her contacts to her personal phone. Now when she wanted to hear the gossip, she couldn’t find anyone to ask. She was deaf and blind, as if she really had become an idle person.

Yuan Shuai came to pick her up and take her home, and seeing Jiang Jun’s cowering look, he knew that she must not have succeeded.

“I want to ask you about something.”

Yuan Shuai shoved the medicine in his hand at Jiang Jun. “Take your medicine first and then you can ask whatever you want.”

Jiang Jun swallowed the big nasty pill in one gulp and asked pleasantly, “Are you managing the IBD again?” (IBD = investment banking division)

“Yes, but it’s just the mainland part of IBD, didn’t I already tell you about this?”

“Anything else?”

“What do you want to hear?”

Jiang Jun poked his forehead. “Are you trying to take over the whole Asia-Pacific business while you’re at it? Don’t tell me that Sally and the others stealing clients have nothing to do with you. Without your support, would they dare try to tear down this old lady’s stage just based on their minor capabilities?”

“You silly girl!” Yuan Shuai laughed. “Why would I want your little bit of business? Wasn’t it all done just to help your old acquaintances? You should know clearly that they must be approved by GT in the shortest time possible, otherwise it’ll be useless even if I try to help them.”

He lightly pecked the tip of Jiang Jun’s nose. “Don’t worry, it won’t happen anymore in the future. Sally and the others will soon be transferred to Beijing to work there. Of course, their base will still be in Hong Kong. I won’t treat your people badly. Are you satisfied, boss lady?”

“Of course I’m not satisfied, I’ve only been away for a few days and others have pried business away from me. How do I have the face to go back and meet people?” Jiang Jun said very indignantly. “Did you play a dirty trick? Did you let loose the rumor that I’m going to GT or something else?”

Yuan Shuai shook his head innocently. “No, I didn’t say anything. It’s just that you were sick at just the wrong time and the people who were doing things had disappeared. What else could your group of clients have done?”

Jiang Jun thought about it and concluded that her illness was indeed too untimely, so she relaxed, put her arms around Yuan Shuai’s neck, and kissed him exaggeratedly. “This isn’t so bad.”

“Are you done with your questions?” Yuan Shuai tilted his head and looked at her, “Is there anything else you want to tell me? For example, that you are not intending to resign, and so on.”

As soon as Jiang Jun heard this, she was immediately dejected, and she stammered out a bunch of reasons. Yuan Shuai looked at her, the four words he expected all but written on her face.

“I’m sorry, but I will do my best to take care of the family.”

Yuan Shuai smiled and tugged at Jiang Jun’s ears. “My life is so hard, I married a workaholic as my wife.”

“My husband is still magnanimous.” Jiang Jun happily took his arm, “Let’s go, the husband and wife duo will return home.”

On the way back, she casually asked, “Have you seen Yin Zhe?”

Yuan Shuai didn’t speak, holding the steering wheel and focusing intently on the road ahead.

Yin Zhe was just a nuisance compared to who Yuan Shuai most worried over: the person who was behind Yin Zhe, Du. If Yin Zhe told Du what he knew, there would be a problem.

He had a long history with Du. Some years ago, when Yuan Shuai was still in GT’s IBD department, he had a subordinate named Linda. As soon as she got promoted, she defected and took his big clients to Du. Of course, Yuan Shuai couldn’t just sit idly by and had tried his best to disrupt those businesses and to attack Linda through various channels. At that time, Yuan Shuai’s boss told him tactfully that Linda was Du’s mistress and told him not to do anything too extreme. Yuan Shuai didn’t bother to pay attention. He firmly believed that any mercy for a traitor was the equivalent of cruelty to himself.

Soon Shuai Yuan was promoted and then transferred to take charge of FID’s business. On the day he officially took office, he took the initiative to ask Du to play ball. A few days later, Du invited him to dinner and they had a very good conversation.

Since then he has worked with Du privately several times. After all, the two of them are focused on different business and there is no direct conflict of interest. Rather that letting their energy be consumed by another strong opponent, it was better to use each other to get what they each needed.

Du is a thousand year old fox. He is well versed in the rules of the game, so he can decisively and calmly take on the ever-changing situations in MH.

They are very similar in some respects. They are both unscrupulous about getting what they want and there is nothing that cannot be exploited, no one that can’t be sacrificed, except for Jiang Jun.

From the very beginning, as early as right after Jiang Jun suddenly emerged as a new force and became Du’s trusted lieutenant, there were rumors of their ambiguous relationship. At that time, Linda was still with Du and their relationship was relatively stable.

At that time, Jiang Jun was just a rookie in the workplace and she didn’t take it into much consideration, but just felt that Linda always bullied her, which was unbearable. In front of Yuan Shuai, with her arms on her waist like a porcelain vase with two handles, she swore to the sky: “It’s either her or me. If she’s there, I’m out, and if I’m there, she’s out!”

Yuan Shuai suspected that Du deliberately wanted to provoke Jiang Jun and Linda into fighting, and he supported Jiang Jun in order to use her to contain Linda. As long as the mediation between the parties was brilliantly done, discord between employees is always the most desirable thing for a boss to see.

But Jiang Jun is a person who has always persisted in fighting against evil forces all the way to the bitter end. The whirlwind started by this little girl was not something that ordinary people can handle. Coupled with Yuan Shuai’s deliberate suggestions and provocations on the side, the situation became far beyond Du’s control.

The situation back then was very delicate. On one hand was the sudden emergence of Jiang Jun, and on the other side was Du’s trusted aide Linda. The two fought each other both openly and covertly, entangled in this fierce struggle.

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T/N: So, the story behind the very first of JJ’s takedowns! What do you guys all think of Du? He’s like that awful mentor who ends up making you into what you are, for better and for worse, but when you’re finally an adult you can look back and realize how wrong it really was. I guess in today’s terms, you could say he was trying to groom Jiang Jun to be his future ideal business partner or, possibly, wife. JJ obviously still has mixed feelings about him, she admires and respects him still and is manipulated once again by him. But at the same time, I like that there’s a bit of depth to Du’s character and that in a way you do feel sorry for him. I can see how Jiang Jun could have easily lost her way and sense of self, to the point that she actually becomes like Du, if not for Yuan Shuai and his persistence in loving her.

How much of Du’s panic over the thought of Jiang Jun leaving MH is real and sincere? I think at lot, actually. He’s a lonely divorced workaholic with little else in his life to make him feel fulfilled or wanted, so he puts all his energy into his battles in the business world, which ultimately he also seems to realize is meaningless.

Anyway, while translating this chapter, I just kept thinking of Alanis Morissette’s song Hands Clean, it’s worth checking out here!