I Have 10 Trillion Dollars only Usable For Simping
Chapter 441: Gentlemen’s agreement

Chapter 441: Gentlemen’s agreement

"What’s happened?"

The television was on, broadcasting the evening news.

Jiang Chen held his phone, the chat box displaying Pei Yunxi’s avatar.

Given the special relationship between Shi Zhenhua and Pei Yunxi, he wondered what she would think if she knew of this accident.

Would she be pleased?

Or would it stir feelings of empathy?

"There was a little issue with my thesis, my advisor asked me to come back and handle it, nothing serious."

Jiang Chen typed out a message and sent it over.

He knew that Pei Yunxi was not someone who gossiped, but he couldn’t broadcast such matters.

On the other end, it showed ’typing’, then it went back to normal, Jiang Chen didn’t wait for a reply when the doorbell rang.

Jiang Chen turned his head, looking at the door.

"Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong..."

It should be Shi Qianxi.

He pocketed his phone, got up, and walked over to open the door, but the person outside was somewhat unexpected.

"... Aunt Meng."

"Do you have time for a chat?"

Jiang Chen glanced around subconsciously; Shi Qianxi was nowhere to be seen.

"Please come in."

He quickly stepped aside, politely making space.

Meng Meiling stepped into the room.

Jiang Chen closed the door behind her.

Although their first meeting wasn’t very friendly, it was undeniable that she was a very strong and rational woman.

Her composure could remain even as Mount Tai crumbled before her.

This was what truly defined a lady of high society.

Not something those actors in TV dramas could portray.

Meng Meiling, showing no signs of weakness, sat down on the sofa and glanced at the television.

Jiang Chen walked over and picked up the remote from the coffee table, turning off the TV.

"Although we haven’t met many times, I think we are not strangers to each other, so I’ll skip the pleasantries,"

Meng Meiling started speaking.

Jiang Chen nodded, "Please speak your mind, Aunt Meng."

Meng Meiling was truly extraordinary, as she crossed one leg elegantly over the other, "I want to discuss Qian Qian with you."

Jiang Chen didn’t rush to speak. He looked at the woman who resembled more of a sister than a mother to Shi Qianxi, giving an impression he was all ears.

"You are a smart man, and some things I suppose I do not need to explain. Qian Qian must have told you everything by now. We don’t know when her father will wake up, given the current situation, I must prepare for the worst."

"Does Aunt Meng wish for Miss Shi to temporarily take Mr. Shi’s position?"

Jiang Chen, who could have remained silent, took the initiative to speak up.

A sentence with three different forms of address.

Meng Meiling’s tone became focused, and her gaze towards the young man carried a mix of uniqueness and undisguised admiration.

"Qian Qian has told me everything; you don’t need to call her Miss Shi."

Jiang Chen was dumbfounded.

Exactly what had that lady told her mother?

"You’re correct, a secret can be hidden for a while, but not forever, before the news breaks out, a new manager must be introduced to stabilize the situation. There is no better candidate than Qian Qian,"

Meng Meiling was frank.

This was Jin Hai’s highest level of secrecy; logically, the former matron of Jin Hai shouldn’t be discussing it with an outsider like him.

"Aunt Meng, I’m not sure if it’s my place to say this."

"Jiang, although there might have been some misunderstandings between us before, by now you should understand that I’m telling you all this because I don’t consider you an outsider,"

Jiang Chen nodded, "Then I will speak frankly, Aunt Meng. I personally think that Qian Qian... might not yet be ready to take on such a heavy responsibility."

Meng Meiling remained composed, "Do you believe she lacks the ability?"

"She is too young, and I fear she’s not at all mentally prepared to take over Jin Hai. I’m worried she won’t be able to handle it,"

Meng Meiling watched him in silence for a moment.

Jiang Chen didn’t try to guess what the other was really thinking. With his experience, he probably didn’t even have the ability to fathom the inner world of someone like Meng Meiling, so he simply stated his own thoughts very candidly.

"Auntie Meng, electing a new leader to stabilize the hearts of the people is indeed urgent, but Qian Qian is not the most suitable candidate. I believe that the most suitable candidate should be Auntie Meng yourself."

"Me?"

Jiang Chen nodded.

"Regardless of status or prestige, you are undoubtedly deserving and can also give Qian Qian more time to adapt."

"You really do care about her."

Meng Meiling said softly, and it was not until then that her demeanor seemed to truly soften.

"You’re right, but there’s one thing, at the end of the day, my surname is Meng, not Shi."

Jiang Chen fell silent.

The other party was finally being completely candid.

To think she would say something like that.

He did not understand the internal structure of Jin Hai, but one could imagine that in such a large business empire, fierce struggles for power and factional conflicts were inevitable.

With Meng Meiling taking the stage, whether she wanted it or not, the Meng-led forces would definitely rise to power, an unavoidable event.

Unless she was willing to break with her own family.

But was that possible?

She wasn’t Shi Zhenhua; to stabilize Jin Hai, she would need to rely on "Meng-allied" figures like Meng Jiye.

So this was essentially an unsolvable problem.

"Jin Hai belongs to Qian Qian, and that is something no one can change, nor should they try to change. That’s why the position must be filled by Qian Qian, whether she wants it or not."

Whether it was her father or her mother, the level of indulgence they had for that lady was extraordinary.

Jiang Chen inwardly sighed and at the same time couldn’t help feeling somewhat touched.

The woman sitting not far from him was a purely devoted mother.

"Have you and she talked about it? She doesn’t agree?"

Meng Meiling nodded. "That’s also the reason I came to you. I hope you can help me persuade her."

Jiang Chen was silent, truly taken aback that she had come to him with this request.

"Little Jiang, right now, that girl is likely to listen to you the most. If you advise her, she will certainly agree."

Jiang Chen remained silent for a good while, hesitating to speak. Finally, he let out a bitter smile.

"Auntie Meng, this is really difficult for me."

"I understand."

That position might seem glorious and prestigious, but it was also fraught with deep and dire challenges.

If the lady herself willingly took the position, well and good. It would have nothing to do with him, and he would carry no burden. But if he were to push her into it, the situation would be quite different.

"Little Jiang, although her father has fallen, I, as her mother, am still here. I won’t let anyone bully her. But there are some responsibilities that she must take on herself."

"Auntie Meng, can’t we choose someone else?"

Meng Meiling shook her head without hesitation.

"Right now, no one’s word is more effective than yours, not even that of a mother like me."

"Auntie Meng..."

Jiang Chen seemed to have something difficult that he couldn’t express.

"I know what you’re worried about. Rest assured, I won’t interfere in the affairs between you young people anymore, but there’s one thing for which I hope you can make a promise to me."

Jiang Chen, caught off guard, still reflexively replied, "What’s that?"

"You must promise me that Jin Hai will always bear the Shi surname."

Jiang Chen was stunned.

"Just consider it the request of a mother, please."

This woman of noble origins, filled with a legendary aura, might never have lowered her stance to such a degree before.

Jiang Chen breathed out softly, smiling, "Auntie Meng, with mere words, do you really dare to trust me?"

"Before I stepped through the door just now, I might not have been able to answer, but now, I trust you."

Meng Meiling did not show any hesitation, or doubt.

"Auntie Meng, don’t you need some sort of written agreement from me?"

To be precise, Meng Meiling, whom he was meeting formally only for the second time, shook her head, her relaxed smile no longer concealing a trace of fatigue.

"Let’s consider it a gentleman’s agreement between us."