Charlotte kneaded her clothes in panic. "I've always been the one who decides for the company..."
"He's Rick Jane."
So, he wouldn't care if it wasn't Rick?
Shane was so done with her logic that he laughed in disbelief.
If it was another company that gave her a 200,000-tons worth of order, and she accepted it and handled it successfully, he would only think that she was outstanding, but that person was Rick.
Setting the past aside, he was no friend or foe in the current situation. Helping him was a form of friendship, but it was only natural if they didn't. Besides, even though no other company could take a 200,000-ton worth of order at a time, he could split it up for multiple companies.
Asking Charlotte was the best solution, but not the only solution.
"I..." Charlotte wanted to say that she wasn't thinking too much about it, but anything she said now seemed like an excuse.
"After this order, he will still ask you for help."
"Then I'll reject him directly..."
"Reject? You have already cooperated with Jane Corporation. If your future production is less than the amount of the order you rejected, everyone would probably think that part of our plane has broken down. And if your future production is more than the amount you rejected, then everyone will think that you were not capable of producing the amount he asked for."
Shane was extremely sensible.
He was speaking from the perspective of a man who had a history with her, telling her that she made a hasty decision for accepting the order this time and that she didn't consider carefully enough. Then, he spoke from a successful businessman's perspective, reminding her that she shouldn't accept orders that will not benefit the company next time.
Faced with his rationality, Charlotte felt extremely embarrassed.
On the face of it, she seemed to be able to take over a company on her own and manage everything perfectly. But actually, she was still not qualified.
Countless companies went bankrupt every year. They might be outstanding people, and their staff might be excellent too, but they still went bankrupt in the end. They often thought that it was only a matter of luck or that they only made a false decision. But in fact, the risk of bankruptcy was hidden in every eddy.
The butterfly merely flapped its wing before the tornado set off.
The more she thought about it, the more anxious she felt. "Then what should we do now?"
"We? You were the one who made the decision."
At that moment, the porridge was served.
Shane scooped some porridge into a bowl, put it in front of her, and carefully seasoned the porridge for her. But his face was still cold and expressionless like he didn't care about her, like a robot.
Charlotte silently ate her meal. She kept thinking about all the possible solutions in her mind, but in the end, she still didn't know what to do.
Actually, a bowl of tofu jelly was already enough to fill up her stomach. And since there was an awful lot of porridge, Charlotte simply stopped eating.
Since she couldn't finish all of it, she decided not to eat the porridge at all.
She put down her bowl and chopsticks.
Shane was still eating. She didn't want to disturb him, so she picked up her phone and read the latest news.
Nothing was interesting on the news. They only said that the number of people who caught influenza had increased recently and reminded everyone to protect themself.
She guessed it right. The flu didn't seem that simple this time. Otherwise, the government wouldn't have ordered citizens to stay at home and take good care of themself.
"Are you full?" Shane put down his chopsticks after a while.
"Mhm." She came back to her senses and nodded at him.
Lets go.
"Then, the rest of the porridge... Wait a minute, I'll ask them for a box."
Charlotte went over to find the owner and asked him for a box.
Shane was sitting in the same seat. In the midst of the cacophony, he, who was calm and quiet, seemed to be out of place.
Soon, Charlotte came back. She cautiously poured the porridge into a larger box and put the side dishes into a rectangular box. After carefully closing the lid, she put the box into a plastic bag, held up the bag's handle, and tied it into a
bowknot.
"Are you planning to eat porridge for the next few days?" Shane asked.
"This porridge is quite delicious, and you might not come home every day. So, if I'm alone, I can just heat it in the pot."
"Okay."
His attitude was still neither cold nor warm.
Charlotte followed Shane and left the restaurant with him.
She was once again struck by the difference.
The liveliness behind her and the cold wind in front of her formed a stark contrast that made her feel uncomfortable all over.
Charlotte couldn't help but shudder. Even her teeth were chattering.
Suddenly, she felt warmth on her shoulders, and she was pulled into a warm embrace by the person beside her.
Charlotte was startled. She raised her head to look at him.
The scattered street lights reflected in her pitch-black pupils, forming a sea of stars.
"Are you cold?" he asked.
"Yes, I'm cold." She moved closer to him.
Shane took off his suit to cover her shoulder. "We'll be at the parking lot soon. Hang in there."
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Single Mom's Sweet Husband (Charlotte)