Chapter 362: 362 Choices

The next morning, Chen Xu had just woken up when he received a call from Secretary Jin, saying that Secretary Wen had regained consciousness.

This was good news. He got dressed and rushed to the hospital, where he saw Secretary Wen, who had just awoken not long ago, in the intensive care unit.

Her parents were there too, and they were very excited to see their daughter wake up.

Secretary Wen soon fell asleep again.

The doctor had already checked on her and said her condition was stable. It meant she had narrowly escaped death.

Chen Xu didn’t stay long; after comforting the elderly couple, he left.

Now that Secretary Wen was awake, he finally felt relieved and left the subsequent matters to Secretary Jin. He then prepared to take a trip back home.

With Secretary Wen injured and needing time to recover, someone had to replace her during this period, otherwise, Secretary Jin, who was already handling a lot of affairs, would be overwhelmed.

Secretary Jin had not mentioned hiring a new secretary before, but surely, she had already started selecting one. She was always so thorough.

“She is shouldering more responsibilities now; it seems I’ll have to give her a raise,” thought Chen Xu, sitting in the car.

Currently, Secretary Jin was his most capable assistant in business, and in some ways, she acted as his representative. However, among his companies, aside from a minor stake in the noodle house chain, she did not have shares in any others. By that measure, even Xuling’s CEO Liu Shanshan had more than her.

Thus, he compensated her as much as possible with her salary. Each time he took on a new project, he would give her a raise.

As his businesses expanded, hiring more secretaries became essential. In the future, it would be necessary to categorize the business and assign different people to take charge of different sections. That would be more rational.

After all, since Secretary Jin had started working with him, she had never taken a day off, working more than ten hours each day. This was not normal; sustained long-term, it would surely lead to illness.

Chen Xu took this matter to heart and planned to hire several new secretaries while Secretary Wen was recovering. Once trained, they could help alleviate Secretary Jin’s workload.

He liked to employ secretaries, not for any improper reasons, but because they were efficient. Each company, project, and laboratory he started had a manager.

Old Tang managed the 2003 noodle house chain, Liu Shanshan was in charge of Xuling, and the data centers and labs each had their heads. Still, he couldn’t neglect these businesses entirely. Having someone to directly monitor the first-hand situation was necessary.

But those sent couldn’t disrupt the companies’ operations–not as overseers but as watchers. This role was perfect for secretaries.

Sitting in the car, Chen Xu outlined a new framework, which he planned to discuss with Secretary Jin. As for whether it would work well, that could be adjusted over time.

At that moment, the car stopped. He had arrived home.

Lately, his parents had been busy decorating the new house. Chen Xu had only stayed for two days before leaving, and since it wasn’t the holiday season, his parents were occupied with the decor and had no time for him; home seemed even more boring.

Back at the company, he interviewed new secretaries while filtering through candidates needed in the medical field.

A few days passed, and Luo Xiyun and Yang Jinxia still had not returned. Bai Jinxuan’s concert was about to begin, and the day before the event, Chen Xu took a flight to Modu.

This was Bai Jinxuan’s first solo concert–an event of great significance for her. Naturally, he wanted to be there in person to show his support.

This time, he came alone. Secretary Wen had moved from the ICU to a regular ward, but she was still far from returning to work. The newly hired secretaries were still in their probationary period. With Secretary Jin swamped with work, he had to come by himself.

As soon as he turned on his phone upon landing, he received a call from Luo Xiyun, “Dear, where are you?”

Chen Xu knew from the use of this endearment that nothing good would follow.

Usually, Luo Xiyun would call him by his name. Only when she had a grievance with him would she address him as “dear.”

He replied, “In Modu.”

Luo Xiyun’s clear voice came through from the other end of the phone, “What a coincidence. I’m in Modu too.”

Chen Xu asked, “When did you come back? Why didn’t you notify me in advance?”

“I took yesterday’s flight. I came here to discuss a collaboration, thinking you weren’t around, so I didn’t tell you. Unexpectedly, you’re here too.”

Chen Xu could imagine the smile on her lips and felt somewhat helpless as he said, “Oh, really? Where are you now?”

“At XX Hotel, are you coming over?”

Chen Xu had already booked a room at the hotel where Bai Jinxuan was staying, right next to hers. Now, Luo Xiyun’s appearance was disrupting his plans.

Could he say no?

“I’ll be right there.”

“I’ll wait for you.”

Chen Xu hung up the phone, exited the airport, hailed a taxi, and gave the driver the address.

He then sent a WeChat message to Bai Jinxuan, telling her he might not stay at the hotel that night.

This actually didn’t affect her much. She still had the rehearsal, and with so many people around her, it was impossible for her to sneak off to his hotel room unmonitored.

At least within the hotel, there was no chance for them to meet.

Still, it was only right to give her a heads up.

Chen Xu found it troubling for tomorrow’s concert. Luo Xiyun’s sudden trip to Modu at this time was certainly no coincidence.

Truth be told, under normal circumstances, he would be overwhelmed by his relationships with the three women in his life. Managing his time alone would leave him mentally exhausted. Even without working and excluding sleep, alternating his time between the three wouldn’t leave him with many hours.

And on important occasions, like Valentine’s Day, whom should he spend time with?

It was an irreconcilable conflict that was bound to explode one day.

Fortunately, he had connected the dream device to the network. In the dream world, eight hours equated to a year, affording him plenty of time to be with them. Plus, it ensured they didn’t feel neglected.

You could say it saved his life.

But that didn’t mean they were content to accept the existence of the others. They rarely mentioned the other two among themselves, but that didn’t mean there weren’t any thorns in their hearts.

Chen Xu could guess that Luo Xiyun’s sudden move was meant to trouble him.

What would he do if Luo Xiyun asked him out tomorrow? Should he go with her or attend the concert?

It was a troubling dilemma.

At this moment, Chen Xu felt extremely fortunate. Just imagine if the dream device hadn’t been connected to the network; he might have had to face such choices daily. The thought was terrifying.