From Secretary to Capital Queen

Chapter-8

The first time Xu Sitian came to the company, she had a huge impact on Ning Meng both visually and mentally.

This girl was at least 1.7 meters tall, and her legs alone seemed to be almost 1.6 meters long. She sported wavy permed hair, wore a cinched - waist shirt and a hip - hugging skirt. With every step she took, she exuded charm and fragrance. Ning Meng felt that she was an extremely appealing girl, both in appearance and aura. So much so that it made Ning Meng feel a pang of envy. They were both young girls, yet Xu Sitian was so captivating while Ning Meng felt like a withered and rough piece of old bark.

That night when she got home, Ning Meng let down her ponytail, took off her glasses, and used an electric curling iron to give her hair some curls. Afterward, when she looked at herself in the mirror, she didn't think she looked good at all. Gazing at the mirror, she only had one thought: she suddenly had a craving for a bowl of instant noodles.

Women are sensitive beings with a stronger sixth sense than men. Thus, Ning Meng could sense that Xu Sitian, this Beijing - born girl, had feelings for Lu Jiming. And it was a rather deep - seated affection.

But what about Lu Jiming? At work, he barely managed to maintain the guise of an industry elite. However, after work, his true nature as a playboy emerged. Just like his other wealthy second - generation friends, he loved drinking, having a good time, and flirting with girls. After a night of drinking, those flirtatious remarks would fade into oblivion. To put it bluntly, he still lacked the sense of cherish towards girls.

Xu Sitian was also a smart girl. She didn't degrade herself by going to bars to cozy up to Lu Jiming under the influence of alcohol. During the numerous times Ning Meng was dragged by Lu Jiming to be his part - time driver after work, she never once saw Xu Sitian.

Xu Sitian was also involved in the financial field. Just half a year after starting work, leveraging her family connections, she enrolled in an EMBA program. Although she didn't meet the admission requirement of being under 30 years old, such rules seemed not to apply to the wealthy. In this way, she became classmates with a group of successful individuals of various age groups. She frequently tried to arrange project - related meetings between successful people and Lu Jiming. Although the final cooperation success rate wasn't very high, this girl's roundabout way of courting a man was truly ingenious and dedicated.

This time, the Ms. Shi Ying brought by Xu Sitian was also her EMBA classmate.

In the meeting room, Shi Ying introduced the project situation to Lu Jiming. The proposed investment target was an industrial company that had completed its share reform. The securities firm where Shi Ying worked was providing tutoring to the company and making preparations for its listing. Before the listing, they aimed to find a strategic investor with strong financial capabilities to act as an endorser. Prior to coming to Jiming Capital, they had visited numerous well - known institutions, but those institutions either offered very low valuations or imposed a plethora of additional conditions, resulting in failed cooperation.

"Coincidentally, during our EMBA class reunion the other day, I brought up this matter with Xiao Xu. She mentioned you, Mr. Lu. She said that you're young and promising, and most importantly, you two grew up together and know each other inside out. She was so enthusiastic that she insisted on bringing me here for a chat. After meeting you today, what Xiao Xu said is indeed true. Mr. Lu, you're truly a young talent!"

Lu Jiming repeatedly said, "You're too kind, too kind." However, Ning Meng secretly noticed the self - satisfied smile lines on his face, which blatantly revealed his arrogance as if he was thinking, 'Yes, I'm incredibly handsome and wealthy.' Fearing that Shi Ying would notice and see through his haughtiness, she quickly rose to refill Shi Ying's teacup with hot water. Afterward, she placed the cup on Shi Ying's left - hand side, positioning the handle in a way that was convenient for Shi Ying to pick up.

Such a small detail earned her an approving look and a smiling "thank you" from Shi Ying. Xu Sitian glanced at Ning Meng, and her gaze was much colder and more polite.

Ning Meng sat back next to Lu Jiming and continued taking meeting minutes. Lu Jiming asked Shi Ying, "May I ask, Ms. Shi, who are the two signing sponsors for this IPO project?"

Ning Meng had attended numerous meetings with Lu Jiming, and as a result, she had naturally picked up a lot of key business points. For an IPO project, if the signing sponsors were experienced, capable, and responsible individuals, they could effectively identify and manage various project risks. Only such a project would instill confidence in investors.

Shi Ying smiled and replied, "Coincidentally, the other signing sponsor is also a woman. Her name is Qian Fei." Upon hearing this name, Ning Meng suddenly raised her head.

Lu Jiming noticed Ning Meng's unusual reaction and turned to look at her. "What's going on? Do you know the Ms. Qian that Shi Ying mentioned?" Ning Meng quickly composed herself and replied calmly, "No, I've only heard of her." She then turned to Shi Ying with a proper smile and said, "Before I graduated from college, she gave a lecture at our school. Her personal journey of struggle inspired me to bravely become a migrant worker in Beijing."

Shi Ying smiled again and said to Lu Jiming, "Mr. Lu, perhaps in a few years, you'll also groom a 'Ms. Ning' like her!" Lu Jiming laughed twice. "Hey, she and Ms. Qian are not the same type. She's never worked on a project before and can only handle secretarial and administrative tasks."

Ning Meng lowered her eyes and stared glumly at the notepad. She heard Shi Ying asking Lu Jiming about the company's previous investment projects and performance. After Lu Jiming mentioned the names and incomes of several major projects he had led, he stumbled a bit.

"There are also some projects managed by my subordinates. Please wait while I call the heads of the project departments to come and provide a supplementary introduction." Ning Meng took a silent breath. She then raised her head and said, "Mr. Lu, Ms. Shi, how about I give it a try and provide a supplementary introduction first?"

She had to review all the project documents that required signatures before presenting them to Lu Jiming. For many medium - sized projects, Lu Jiming didn't even examine them carefully. Before signing, he would listen to her summarize the key points. If he deemed it okay, he would sign; if there were issues, he would send them back to the project department for resolution. For many small projects, Lu Jiming simply authorized the vice - president to handle them. The vice - president would then issue a summary report at the end of the year, and Ning Meng was well - versed in the content of that report. So, in the entire company, no one was more familiar with all the projects than she was.

Ning Meng concentrated and thought for a moment. The projects she was familiar with immediately became clear in her mind and were neatly categorized. She knew which projects were invested in last year, their durations, and the expected investment returns; which projects were currently in progress this year and at what stage; and which were reserve investment projects and their current progress status. For projects with confidentiality clauses, she was cautious and only referred to certain companies by name.

Her voice was gentle and flowing. After her introduction, she received sincere praise from Shi Ying. "Mr. Lu truly has an eye for talent. You have so many capable people around you, such as Xiao Xu and Secretary Ning. They're outstanding women! With some training, Secretary Ning will surely be a great asset for handling projects in the future!"

Lu Jiming laughed heartily. "Ms. Shi, you're really good at complimenting. You're overpraising my secretary." Xu Sitian cast a sidelong glance at Ning Meng and forced a dry laugh.

Before the meeting concluded, Lu Jiming and Shi Ying finalized the cooperation intention and also reached a preliminary agreement on the time schedule for the follow - up cooperation. Lu Jiming instructed Ning Meng, "Create a group chat, add all the people responsible for project coordination later, and send the meeting minutes and project progress arrangements as a project memorandum to the group." Ning Meng nodded in agreement.

Shi Ying smiled across the meeting table. "Secretary Ning is not just a secretary. She does the work of a project professional!" She then exclaimed sincerely, "I wish I had an assistant like Secretary Ning!" This time, Lu Jiming responded promptly. "Ms. Shi, please don't try to poach her from me. It took me countless attempts to find such a reliable secretary. Please show mercy!"

Shi Ying was quite emotional. "Your secretary is truly exceptional, so proper and capable!" She then changed the topic and looked at Ning Meng. "When you poured water for me earlier, you deliberately placed it on my left - hand side. May I ask how you noticed that I'm left - handed?" Her question caused the other two people in the meeting room to turn their gazes towards Ning Meng, as if four spotlights were trained on her.

Ning Meng was momentarily flustered, feeling as if someone would shove a microphone into her mouth at any moment. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and composed herself. Her voice was soft and steady as she said, "When you were introducing the project situation earlier, you were constantly using your left hand to gesture. Initially, when you went to drink water, the cup was on your right - hand side. You first attempted to pick it up with your left hand, but it was out of reach, so you switched to your right hand. When you finally picked it up, the cup wobbled a bit."

After Ning Meng finished speaking, Shi Ying was even more impressed. She kept saying to Lu Jiming, "Mr. Lu, where can I find such a talent?" Lu Jiming became almost protective of Ning Meng. He quickly emphasized once again, "Ms. Shi, we've agreed. You can admire her, but please don't try to steal her away. It would be extremely difficult to replace her!"

Shi Ying laughed heartily. Xu Sitian couldn't hold back and interjected, "What's the big deal? If there's a real need, I can lower myself and fill that position for you!" When she said this, Xu Sitian didn't even spare a glance at Ning Meng. She just smiled brightly at Lu Jiming.

Lu Jiming chuckled twice. "I can't afford to have you do such menial work, Miss!" Their conversation made the joy Ning Meng had felt from being recognized and praised vanish in an instant. One of them said "lower oneself", and the other said "menial work". So, in their eyes, she clearly didn't belong to the same level. She almost got carried away by Shi Ying's praise and Lu Jiming's protectiveness, thinking too highly of herself. But in reality, she was just a humble worker, in sharp contrast to their "nobility".