"Here, take it. Let's have dinner first and then afterwards you can talk to Bess. Did you say something
mean? Young people are often impulsive. You might just regret it in the future."
Jacob waved his chopsticks in the air. He seemed to be recounting his own past experiences.
"Yes. You're right. You and Sara are the best example." Noah livened up. He had no appetite but still
decided to pick up some food.
"Okay. As long as you think it through." Jacob let out a soft smile and reached his hand out to pour a
glass of wine for Noah.
Noah held up the glass. "By the way, don't tell Sara this. She might get a bad impression of me."
"It's none of your business if I tell her. Besides, why do you still care about what Sara thinks of you?"
The ends of Jacob's mouth formed a deep frown. He remembered the impression he had left on Bess
before. What Noah said seemed to be reasonable enough.
"You don't understand how a girl's friends' opinion can influence her impression of a man." Noah shook
his head. 'Who said that Jacob's EQ had improved?' He hadn't noticed.
"You're right." Jacob sighed. He recalled how him and Sara didn't get along with each other at first, so
he'd better not tell it to Sara.
After they had dinner, Noah left hurriedly. They didn't get married but Bess was fuming with rage that
she stormed home. In the future, if she got this angry again, would she make a huge fuss out of it?
Jacob stared at Noah as he quickly went on his way. He then let out a deep sigh. The Shi Group was
suffering from a decline period. Although two hundred million is a modest amount, it was not easy for
the company to place two hundred million dollars for its working fund.
He had hoped that Noah would hold on, and nothing would happen to his company. Otherwise, the
money he loaned Noah would not be repaid to the Shi Group.
Jacob rubbed his temples. It was sunny outside. The sun that shone in the springtime didn't scorch the
skin. It beamed on people's bodies softly, making their appearance look sickly as they walked under the
blazing sun.
Jacob narrowed his eyes as he walked briskly inside the company. Since James was still in the
company, so Jacob didn't need to worry too much.
But if he hadn't gone to the company, he would receive a flood of complaints from the directors.
Not long after he had entered the company, he overheard two directors. They discussed that the CEO
hadn't come to work until the afternoon.
Jacob slightly peered his eyes. The new company regulations had just been announced and resent
was apparent in everyone's faces. Now that Jacob heard what they said, he couldn't possibly rebut.
What they said was right.
As soon as Jacob got to his office and prepared to sit down, he heard a knock on the door.
"Please, come in." Jacob lowered his head and proceeded to flip through his documents. Lately, he had
gotten increasingly annoyed just by reading these documents. It had stressed him out and made him
unkind.
"Jacob, where have you been today?" James asked anxiously as soon as he entered.
"I have something I need to deal with, so I don't come to the company. What's the matter?" Jacob
raised his head and met his eyes. His face displayed a look of indifference.
"Nothing. I just wanted to tell you that the company has been in a tough spot. It's best that you come to
the company on time every day." James' mouth formed a deep frown. If it weren't for the fact that he
couldn't cover the matter, he would never have informed Jacob about it.
"Please take a seat, James… You can tell me slowly. So, what's wrong with the company?" Jacob
raised his eyebrows. He had a hunch about what was going on.
"The last time we announced the new regulations, Jonathan wasn't present, right? So, when he didn't
come to the company today, we sent someone over to inform him. As a result, when he finally arrived
at the company, he asked to see you. I told him a few words to drive him away, but he told me he got
the goods. He said that even the company's own CEO couldn't arrive on time, so they decided that they
wouldn't arrive on time either."
At that time, James was so furious that he couldn't come up with a response. The thought of Jonathan
made him realize that it would be a big trouble for Jacob in the future. Before, he could comfort
Jonathan. But ever since Jacob was appointed president, he couldn't negotiate with him. He had no
choice but to fight against him.
"Well, if that's it. It's not that big of a deal. Uncle James, you don't need to worry. I'll come to the
company on time from now on." Jacob frowned. His face showed that he was slightly displeased.
Once James had left, Jacob asked Cindy to come by his office.
Cindy adjusted her glasses with her finger and lowered her head. "Mr. Jacob, what can I do for you?"
Jacob looked up from his papers. He stared at Cindy as he let out a small sigh. He then stood up from
his chair. He made his way to Cindy and circled around her two times. It made her nervous and
confused. She didn't know what to do.
"What's wrong with you today, boss…" The CEO's strange behavior rattled Cindy.
"Am I usually this serious? Does it scare you?" Jacob stopped pacing and returned to his seat.
After he had returned to his seat, he placed his feet on top of his desk. He had never done that before,
but today he felt as if he should sit like this.
"Are you afraid of me?" Jacob scowled. He was deeply saddened that the person he trusted the most
feared him.
"No… I don't think so. Why would you ask that?" Cindy tried to steady herself. She thought about all
she had done for the company and that it was sufficient. The thoughts eased her mind.
"Forget it. I just want to know how people see me in this company, although it doesn't really bother me
nor matter. But I think it's worth giving a thought."
Jacob straightened his clothes, as if he couldn't care less about the answer she would give.
Cindy flushed. She looked slight embarrassed. 'Does the president know something? Maybe that's why
he's acting so strange.'
"I don't quite understand what you mean by that…" Cindy directed her eyes to the ground and spoke in
a hush voice. She was confused and couldn't understand what he meant by that.
Jacob let out a deep sigh. It seemed like the opinions of those in the company of him were not good.
Otherwise, why didn't his assistant say anything about it?
"Forget it, I know. But as a man in such a high position, I couldn't really have time to attend to all
matters. So sometimes, if I happen to do something wrong, please forgive me."
Jacob narrowed his eyes. He looked a bit tired and worn down.
Cindy felt dejected. "Mr. Jacob, I can actually understand why you behave like that. No one is perfect. It
doesn't matter if other people fail to understand you. All you need to do is just follow your heart."
As Jacob heard this, he grew sadder. For as long as he could remember, he had seen a lot of things go
downhill and simply not work, even though he spent a lot of time on it. It had been simply affected by
the situation. Jacob was sad but he knew he had to regain his composure.
"I see. On the start of the workday, you should inform me if there are comments about me from the
employees or directors. If I do something wrong, I'll make sure to correct it immediately. But if I believe
that I have committed no wrong, then I won't change it."
Jacob opened his eyes and grasped the documents beside him. He didn't look up anymore. Although
he felt dejected, he didn't know what else to say.
"Okay, boss. I'll be going back to work now. Call me if you need anything." Cindy lowered her head and
left.
Being a man in such a high position, he couldn't possibly know what his employees thought of him. But
it was the first time that he had asked his assistant Cindy such a question.
Of course, Cindy wouldn't tell Jacob what his subordinates thought of him. Apart from asking whether
the company could manage to pay their salaries on time every month, they would also guess whether
the company would hit a big bump in the future and head straight to bankruptcy. Naturally, the office
space was the place of spreading gossip.
In conclusion, it would be best if Jacob was unaware. Gossip was dreadful so were the rumors. These
were not good things.
Jacob was tired and lay on his chair with his legs drooping. Now he was not as passionate as he was a
few years ago when he first joined the company. But these were trivial things. The priority as of now
was that he was no longer in the state of mind that he used to be in.
Years ago, he was filled with youthful vitality.
It was said that doing something one didn't like would consume all the enthusiasm in that person. In
reality, even if it were something he did like, time would wear him out too.
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