Men's hardships are often things they can't talk about to others and have to silently bear alone, just like Chen Feng tonight.

First, he sat quietly in the hotel for almost an hour to regain some strength. After feeling a bit more energetic, he reluctantly drove to Guo Mengyao's cosmetics factory after her two consecutive phone calls urging him.

Her cosmetics factory is quite large, with not only production workshops, assembly workshops, and warehouses, but also a seven-story administrative building equipped with an elevator. Guo Mengyao's chairman's office is on the top floor, occupying nearly two hundred square meters, about one-third of this floor.

Opposite her office is a multi-function conference room, spanning four to five hundred square meters, while adjacent to the office is a reception room and product showroom, all lavishly decorated.

Since the second round of equity financing, the soft decoration of this floor reached a new level. Guo Mengyao even replaced her desk and executive chair with brand new ones, which looked bigger, more upscale, and certainly more expensive. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

The desk, larger than a bed, is made entirely of solid wood and is normal to cost hundreds of thousands. A new executive chair would not come cheaper than ten thousand.

Chen Feng was carefully observing the furnishings in her office when Guo Mengyao, who was seated behind the sizable desk, stood up and walked quickly towards him.

Next, before Chen Feng could say anything, she rushed at him like a hungry tiger, without even entering the resting area inside, handling him right on the sofa by the wall.

This feeling wasn't very pleasant for Chen Feng. If he hadn't turned the tables at the end letting her know his prowess, he'd feel even more upset.

He wished to retaliate tit-for-tat, but unfortunately, he was willing but unable, helplessly.

"What's going on with you today? You don't seem in good shape. Are you tired, or is it something else?"

After finishing, Guo Mengyao casually pulled up her tight jeans in front of him, speaking with a slight examination and teasing expression.

Of course, Chen Feng couldn't tell her the truth, so he had to feign exhaustion and said, "Don't you know I drove for more than six hours? It's National Day, and highways are terribly jammed, stopping and starting constantly. Sitting in the car for so long got me really agitated and tired. Initially, upon reaching Lin Nan, I planned to sleep well but then you called again."

Guo Mengyao chuckled, not dwelling on it, naturally saying, "That's not my fault. Do you know how long we've been apart? Missing you is normal. Besides, this kind of thing, what complaints can you have as a man? You surely wouldn't want me to find someone else, right?"

Her last words blocked all of Chen Feng's complaints. That's how it is with men; even if he treats you poorly and doesn't appreciate you, he doesn't allow you, a woman, to seek another man.

Chen Feng wanted so much to say generously, "Then go find another man."

But he obviously couldn't be so magnanimous, at least not at this stage, where inside he still didn't want Guo Mengyao to find other men.

Seeing Chen Feng not respond, Guo Mengyao smugly pursed her lips, quickly dressed herself, and returned to sit behind the large executive desk, stretching her long legs, turning back and forth in the chair with a relaxed and comfortable demeanor.

This scene and image, if genders were swapped, would resemble those unspoken rules in the workplace almost identically.

Chen Feng watched Guo Mengyao speechlessly, her expression like a fox that ate a chicken, making him increasingly uncomfortable.

So, while dressing, Chen Feng asked, "How's the business doing lately?"

Guo Mengyao's expression immediately stiffened. Although Mengyao Cosmetics' main business is fairly good, her plan to open branches hasn't been smooth.

Initially, she dropped the idea of expanding into third-tier cities due to Chen Feng's withdrawal of shares. But later, with the addition of two new shareholders, rapid liquidity increase, and her cosmetics further selling hotly, she couldn't resist and hurriedly opened specialty stores in five third-tier cities, or rather, prefecture-level cities.

The stores are up, but time has passed, and business remains lukewarm at best, none thriving, primarily operating at a loss.

This situation is certainly quite a blow for her as the decision-maker.

Recently, she's been hesitating whether to abandon the expansion into third-tier cities or to launch promotional campaigns in these few specialty stores, or to hire a celebrity to endorse and elevate Mengyao's brand prestige and recognition.

"It's okay,"

Guo Mengyao didn't want Chen Feng to know about her decision failure, so said no more.

However, Chen Feng heard about her poorly-managed specialty stores in third-tier cities from Fang Xiaoyue.

Fang Xiaoyue frequently sends him messages, though Chen Feng rarely responds.

Information about Guo Mengyao, particularly the bad stuff, from constipation lasting days to mouth ulcers, skin allergic rash outbreaks, even another admirer pestering Guo Mengyao, including her business struggles, are told by Fang Xiaoyue.

Chen Feng didn't know what motivated Fang Xiaoyue to tell him these things, but it certainly included jealousy.

The two were high school classmates, and initially Fang Xiaoyue entered the system, envied by all. She consistently carried herself high, or else at her age wouldn't still be single, all due to her pickiness.