Chapter 259: A Bit of a Thrill

The plan to elevate the Delivery Team into a full-fledged company was something Miss Jiang had been mulling over for quite some time.

Originally, the Delivery Team was set up to support the development of Shi Ning Ji. But the more she thought about it, the more she realized that with how wildly successful food delivery companies had become in the future, it would be a waste to treat it as just a side project.

So she figured, why not take advantage of the current abundance of capital and the still-untamed market to plant a seed now?

Who knows? In a few years, it might grow into a towering tree, no less impressive than Shi Ning Ji or Xiaoning Electric Bicycle.

Three companies—scattered, they’d be stars across the sky; united, they’d complement and strengthen each other.

By then, in this city of Jiangzhou, who would dare talk back to her?

Even the second-in-command would have to—

“Ning Ning! What are you standing around for?”

“Hurry up and wash the mop for me!”

“Oh, oh! Coming!”

The world may be vast, but nothing is bigger than Mom.

Miss Jiang pouted in reluctant protest, then jogged over to her mother.

She took the mop and carried it to the public restroom a dozen meters away.

Rinsing, wringing.

By the time Miss Jiang finally dragged the wet mop back, she had barely stepped into the store when she saw a graceful, elegant woman standing inside, browsing the clothes.

She wore a cream-colored fitted dress that hugged her figure.

“Boss, what do you think of this one?”

She pointed at a long-sleeved wool top with floral embroidery at the chest and asked gently.

Before her mother could respond, Miss Jiang raised an eyebrow and stepped forward quickly.

“Great taste, miss.”

“You’ve got an eye for our best-selling piece.”

“Really?” The woman smiled softly, took the top off the rack, and held it up in front of herself, checking her reflection in the nearby mirror.

“What do you think? Does it suit me?”

“Perfectly.” Miss Jiang exchanged a glance with her mother, then stepped around to stand in front of the woman.

“This piece—whether it’s the cut, the style, or the pattern—”

“Everything about it complements your temperament.”

“Oh?” The woman turned to look at Miss Jiang with a bright smile. “And what kind of temperament do I have?”

“Gentle, elegant, graceful, poised. Like a tulip—deep and captivating.”

At that moment, Miss Jiang’s words flowed like honey.

She praised the woman in front of her to the skies, as if she were a one-of-a-kind gem.

“Really?” The woman covered her mouth, her eyes crinkling into a charming smile.

“So how much is this top?”

“Two thousand…”

As soon as the words left her mouth, her mother, who had been silent until now, froze.

She opened her mouth to say something, but the woman had already nodded.

“Alright.”

She pulled out a small purse and took out a stack of bills, counted them, and handed them to Miss Jiang.

But Jiang Ning didn’t take the money. Instead, she turned to her mother and said,

“Mom, you take the payment.”

That snapped her mother out of it.

But instead of doing as Jiang Ning said, she accepted the money, pulled out two hundred-yuan bills, and handed the rest back.

“Sorry, my daughter’s just talking nonsense.”

“This top is only 210 yuan. I’ll knock off the change—just give me 200.”

Hearing that, the woman looked at Tian Cuilan in surprise, then turned her gaze to Jiang Ning with a knowing smile.

“Thank you, jiejie.”

That one word—jiejie—made Miss Jiang’s temple twitch.

Once the woman left the store with her purchase in hand, Miss Jiang narrowed her eyes.

Ignoring her mother’s lecture on ethics and morality, she threw out a quick “I’m going to change the diapers” and walked out of the store.

Sure enough, under a nearby phoenix tree, the woman stood quietly.

Jiang Ning strode over without hesitation.

“Well, well.”

“President Shang, what brings you to National Day Road?”

“Huayao’s clothes not to your taste anymore? Or did Wanfu Mall run out of good stock?”

“You actually came to a tiny 8-square-meter shop to buy clothes?”

Despite the sarcasm dripping from her words, Shang Jie’s expression remained calm and composed.

She simply said, “Can we talk?”

Hmm?

Something’s up.

Miss Jiang couldn’t help but give Madam Shang a thorough once-over.

Same face as always.

Delicate nose, cherry lips, almond-shaped eyes, and arched brows.

Her naturally wavy black hair cascaded down her shoulders.

Elegant and beautiful.

But today, something about Madam Shang—her eyes, her demeanor—carried the vibe of a dramatic romance magazine.

That piqued Miss Jiang’s interest.

She glanced back at the busy store, then pointed ahead.

“Sure, let’s go.”

The two of them walked side by side for about a dozen meters before Madam Shang finally spoke.

“Your mom’s doing well.”

“She’s alright. Just a bit hot-tempered sometimes.”

“She probably doesn’t know about your situation, does she?”

Miss Jiang didn’t answer that.

Instead, she changed the subject directly.

“Alright, spill it. What’s going on?”

“What made you want to chat with your rival?”

At that, Shang Jie fell silent for a moment, then let out a soft sigh.

“I’ve applied to transfer to the Ningzhou branch.”

What?!

That caught Miss Jiang completely off guard.

Because based on what she knew about this woman—

Stubborn, unyielding.

Though she looked gentle as water…

But she was the kind of person who, once she set her mind on something, wouldn’t back down easily.

So.

For a woman with that much ambition to give up a career she had spent years building from the ground up, and then move to a different city to start over…

There had to be a story behind that.

If not, Jiang Ning would write her name backwards.

“Wanna talk about it?”

However.

Faced with Jiang the Gossip’s probing question,

Madam Shang remained as calm and composed as ever, taking slow, steady steps forward.

Seeing this,

Miss Jiang realized this woman probably wasn’t going to open up on her own.

And in situations like this,

It usually meant there was something she couldn’t talk about.

So…

“Money issues?”

“Problems with the kids’ education?”

“Or maybe…”

“You and your husband aren’t doing so well in bed?”

That last line—

Even someone like Shang Jie, who had weathered many storms, stumbled a little at that.

Then she turned around with an angry glare.

“You little brat, what nonsense are you spouting?”

Faced with the scolding,

Miss Jiang looked completely innocent.

“What can I do?”

“You won’t tell me, so I’ve got to guess.”

“Besides, that old man’s not exactly young anymore.”

“Maybe he just…”

“Shut up!!”

Watching Madam Shang’s face flush red, Miss Jiang let out a mischievous giggle but didn’t push any further.

She smacked her lips,

Plucked a leaf from a nearby tree,

Snipped off the ends,

Flattened it,

Then pointed at a bicycle parked by the roadside not far away.

“Wanna bet I can toss this leaf into that basket?”

Hearing this,

Shang Jie didn’t answer the question. Instead, she sighed helplessly.

“Jiang Ning, stop acting like a child, will you?”

That made Jiang Ning scoff.

“What’s wrong with being a child?”

“Have you ever beaten one in a fight?”

As she spoke,

She raised her hand, mimicking a technique from her past life, and flung the leaf with force.

It flew about two meters before a sudden gust of wind blew it right back.

Miss Jiang looked a bit embarrassed.

Just as she was about to redeem herself,

Madam Shang suddenly spoke.

“Jiang Ning.”

“Let’s work together.”

Five minutes later.

Miss Jiang stood at the intersection, watching that graceful figure slip into a black sedan.

After the car slowly drove away,

She reached up and rubbed her chin.

Work together?

Now that was interesting.

It wasn’t the first time the other woman had proposed a collaboration.

But this time was clearly different from before.

Whether it was about sharing information, exchanging personal resources, or even revealing the future direction of Hongsheng Group…

This time, it actually felt like a genuine willingness to cooperate.

Unlike last time,

When she just slammed a contract on the table with an overbearing attitude.

Wait a second.

As she mulled it over, Miss Jiang suddenly thought of something and rubbed her chin again.

She carefully recalled what Madam Shang had said just now, and the way she looked when she said it.

For some reason,

She suddenly had a strange feeling.

It was as if…

That woman was trying to win her trust.

But weren’t they supposed to be rivals?

They’d fought so fiercely before.

And now…

Slowly,

Miss Jiang narrowed her eyes slightly.

She tried to detach herself from the situation, viewing it from a third-person perspective, and replayed everything that had just happened.

In that instant,

She understood.

Like a clever little fox deep in thought,

She licked her lips.

When a woman can no longer find a sense of security where she is,

She’ll instinctively start looking for a new one.

So…

Was Madam Shang trying to build herself a way out?

In that moment,

Miss Jiang suddenly felt like she was seducing someone else’s wife into doing something bad.

Tsk…

Kinda thrilling…

(End of this chapter)