Marcus Chow could already imagine it—winning the bid, then handing the brand over to Cecilia Gu with an air of charity, watching her look at him with gratitude and adoration.
"Hehehehe." Marcus Chow was lost in his fantasy, his laughter growing more and more timid.
Today, representatives from each company would give speeches. As a supplement to the bidding documents, the organizers would consider both the proposals and the capabilities of each company before deciding the final winner.
Actually, they didn’t really want to sell.
But they really couldn’t hold on any longer.
There were more than two thousand workers in the factory—relatives, friends, classmates, all tangled together. Laying off anyone would draw public outrage and accusations of betrayal.
But if they didn’t cut staff and streamline operations, the factory would be dragged down sooner or later.
So they could only grit their teeth and sell the factory, handing over the brand and formula along with it.
That’s why they had to be extra cautious.
When it was time for the twenty-six companies to speak, Cecilia Gu went on stage as Danni Cosmetics’ representative to give her speech.
If it were the old Cecilia Gu, she’d have struggled to handle this kind of situation.
But after years of experience, Cecilia Gu had transformed, becoming a capable business leader.
Rona Muir watched Cecilia Gu speak confidently on stage with her PPT, and couldn’t help but smile warmly.
Her close friends had all grown up.
It really was something to be happy about.
Marcus Chow watched Cecilia Gu interact with the crowd, and the more he looked, the more he liked her.
He really did have good taste.
The goddess he liked wasn’t just beautiful, classy, and charming—she was truly talented too.
Ah, why hadn’t he met this goddess sooner?
If he’d known there was such an amazing goddess in China, he never would’ve wasted so much time fooling around abroad!
"At Danni Cosmetics, we are fully confident that we can make the most of every condition to ensure a perfect brand transition. We also believe in streamlining and cutting the excess, allowing the original factory to be revitalized." Cecilia Gu concluded, "Thank you, everyone. I’m Cecilia Gu, Vice President of Danni Cosmetics."
Thunderous applause erupted from the crowd.
After stepping down from the podium, Rona Muir rushed over to Cecilia Gu and gave her a big thumbs up.
Cecilia Gu smiled and said, "So? We didn’t embarrass Danni Cosmetics, right?"
"How could we?" Rona Muir replied with a playful grin. "You’ve always been amazing."
Next up, representatives from other companies took the stage to give their final presentations.
Cecilia Gu and Rona Muir listened attentively, quietly weighing their own strengths against the competition.
After listening closely, it was clear that Danni Cosmetics had a strong chance of winning.
At that moment, it was the Zhou family’s turn to take the stage.
Marcus Chow, representing the Zhou family, stepped onto the stage in a flamboyant suit.
He stared at Cecilia Gu for a long moment before finally breaking into a meaningful smile, straightening his clothes, and declaring, "This time, the Zhou family is determined to win."
The crowd below erupted in a wave of exclamations.
Everyone came hoping for a successful bid, but no one had been so blunt about it before.
The Zhou family sure is arrogant, huh?
Cecilia Gu couldn’t help but glance over at Marcus Chow. When he saw her looking, his heart almost leapt out of his chest with excitement.
Marcus Chow gave a light cough, pretending to be composed as he said, "No matter if it’s financial strength or foundation, the Zhou family is more than capable of making this brand shine. That’s all from me. Thank you!"
Marcus Chow immediately put down the microphone and walked off stage.
The discussion in the room grew louder.
The hosts looked visibly displeased.
But the Zhou family was really hard to fault, so all they could do was pretend nothing had happened and carry on.
Rona Muir glanced at Marcus Chow and whispered to Cecilia Gu, "That Marcus Chow is bad news. You should keep your distance. The way he stared at you on stage just now—he’s definitely up to no good."
Cecilia Gu replied casually, "I’m already married. If he’s got guts, let him go head-to-head with Charles Yin."
Rona Muir burst out laughing. "Exactly! You’ve got someone to protect you. Let me tell you, Marcus Chow’s reputation overseas is terrible. Joe Qi is a playboy too, but he’s way more decent than Marcus. Joe only messes around with people from the entertainment industry—it’s all consensual. But Marcus... I’ve heard he’s forced several respectable young women to give in to him. Honestly, his reputation is awful."
Cecilia Gu’s expression turned serious. "Now that you mention it, I really should be careful. You never know what a lunatic like that might do."
"Yeah, exactly," Rona Muir agreed.
Rona Muir opened her bag, pulled out a spray, and shoved it into Cecilia Gu’s hand. "Ping Shan gave this to me for self-defense. You take it."
Cecilia Gu was about to refuse, but then remembered that both she and her sister had been kidnapped before. There are always people out there full of malice.
So it’s always best to be prepared.
Cecilia Gu accepted the item from Rona Muir and slipped it into her pocket.
During the break, everyone went out for refreshments.
Worried about Lin Feng’s health, Rona Muir went back to her room first. Cecilia Gu sat alone on a sofa in the corner, picked up some afternoon tea, and slowly savored it.
Marcus Chow spotted her from afar. Ignoring everyone else, he strode straight over to Cecilia Gu, flashed a flashy smile, and said, "Miss Gu, may I sit..."
Cecilia Gu looked up, saw it was him, and stood up with a blank expression. She picked up her cup and walked away without a word.
Marcus Chow’s words got stuck in his throat, leaving him speechless.
Many people around couldn’t help but snicker.
They were all enjoying the show.
Who was Cecilia Gu, after all?
She was the young madam of the Yin family!
And Marcus Chow still wanted to flirt with her? That’s like an old man climbing a tree—asking for trouble!
And who was Charles Yin?
He was fiercely protective!
His wife and children were his Achilles' heel. He wouldn’t let anyone touch them—not even look at them the wrong way!
(This chapter isn’t finished yet ^.^ Please click next page to continue reading!)
Marcus Chow thought he was hot stuff just because he was from the Zhou family, and dared to covet Cecilia Gu!
The Zhou family might be big shots in X City, but this is N City—Yin family territory. Acting so cocky on someone else’s turf? Sooner or later, he won’t even know what hit him!
No one bothered to warn Marcus Chow. If Charles Yin took him down, that’d be great—they’d have one less strong competitor.
Seeing everyone laughing at him, Marcus Chow lost his temper and kicked the table.
Crash!
With one kick, the table was flipped onto the floor.
Food and drinks scattered everywhere, making a total mess.
The whole room fell silent.
Marcus Chow was about to explode, but when he turned and saw Cecilia Gu’s icy stare, he froze.
For some reason, a chill ran down his spine and he forced himself to hold back.
He couldn’t scare his little fairy.
He couldn’t leave a bad impression on her.
With a dark look on his face, Marcus Chow turned and strode away. Only then did the hotel staff show up, quietly cleaning up the mess and replacing the food and drinks.
"That Marcus Chow is just too much," a woman standing next to Cecilia Gu couldn’t help but complain. "He thinks he can do whatever he wants because he’s from the Zhou family. But this isn’t his hometown, X City. He should know his place."
"X City’s GDP can’t compare to ours in N City," Xiao Wang muttered. "And S City’s GDP is several times higher than X City’s!"
The woman smiled and flattered Cecilia Gu, "Of course. The financial power of the Yin Group is way beyond those little families."
Cecilia Gu simply smiled and didn’t respond.
After returning to her room, Rona Muir saw Lin Feng sitting on the balcony, staring blankly at the view outside.
"Are you feeling any better?" Rona Muir asked with concern.
Lin Feng heard Rona Muir’s voice and seemed to snap out of it. He still looked a bit pale, but was obviously much improved.
"I’m fine now," Lin Feng replied with a smile. "Are you done with work?"
"Just a break in the middle," Rona Muir answered with a smile. "I was worried about you, so I came to check. I’m the one who brought you to the resort—if you got sick, it’d be my fault, wouldn’t it?"
Lin Feng’s smile faded a little. "No, it’s nothing. I probably just wasn’t used to the water here. I’ve already taken some medicine, so I’m fine. By the way, Rona, about Marcus Chow…"
Rona Muir looked at him intently. "Hmm?"
"No matter what he says, don’t believe him, okay?" Lin Feng looked at Rona Muir with pleading eyes.
Rona Muir studied Lin Feng, trying to read his expression. "What would he say?"
Lin Feng quickly looked away, mumbling, "Nothing."
Just then, Rona Muir’s phone buzzed.
The break was over; she had to return to the meeting.
"Get some more rest. I’ll go back to the meeting now," Rona Muir said gently. "Let’s go out for dinner tonight."
"Okay," Lin Feng replied obediently.
As soon as Rona Muir left, Lin Feng pulled out his phone and called his agent. "If I break my contract now, how much would the penalty be?... Don’t ask, just calculate it... What? That much?... How much cash do I have on hand?... Got it."
After hanging up, Lin Feng’s face grew even more grim.
He’d been too naive.
He thought even if the Zhou family blacklisted him, he’d have enough money to live on.
But he’d forgotten about the endorsement contracts—breaking them meant paying ten times the penalty!
Once he paid everything back, he’d have nothing left!
Charles Yin, where are you?
I really can’t hold out much longer!
Marcus Chow is totally shameless—if he’s after me, fine, but I’m worried he won’t give up on Cecilia Gu!
If something unexpected happens, there won’t be time to fix it.
Lin Feng kept praying, hoping Charles Yin and his team would see the private messages he sent them soon.
He’d already sent dozens of messages to Charles Yin—come on, since he used his main account to warn them, couldn’t they check just once?
But in his inbox, all those messages were still unread.