145: Li Yuran, who is self-deprecating

As Jiang Chen ate, he recalled the young interns he had met earlier, and then thought of his cousin, Li Yuran, who was interning in the Group's Investment Department.

During this busy period, Jiang Chen had already arranged for her to intern at the Group, but he had been too busy with Group affairs to inquire about her work.

Although Li Yuran lived at home, their meeting times were usually staggered; when Jiang Chen returned home, she hadn't finished work, and when Jiang Chen was about to leave, Li Yuran had already left earlier than him.

Thinking of this, he unlocked his phone and sent a message to Li Yuran, asking what she was doing, if she had eaten, and if not, to come to the Group's executive restaurant to eat with him.

While planning to eat together, Jiang Chen also intended to ask her about her work situation and if she was getting used to it.

Meanwhile, in the office area of Investment Department Group Four on the 57th floor of the Group, Li Yuran was frowning, looking at the dense financial statements on her computer screen.

Her desk was piled with thick project documents, and her notebook on the right side was already filled with various data and standards.

After asking Li Yuran's preference and seeing her interest in investment, Jiang Chen arranged for her to intern in the Investment Department.

As an intern, she joined the Investment Department and was assigned to an analyst. She was currently organizing a preliminary due diligence report for a potential investment. This task was heavy and time-sensitive, making her, who wasn't from a professional background, a bit flustered.

Although this job was secured through connections, Li Yuran never thought of boasting about Jiang Chen's relationship.

She didn't even dare to tell anyone about her kinship with the Chairman. Her fellow interns were all exceptionally brilliant individuals.

Most of them graduated from top financial or prestigious universities in the country; their internship resumes alone were dazzling. They constantly used professional jargon she had never encountered and discussed complex models whose names she couldn't even pronounce properly.

And she, Li Yuran, was just an undergraduate student who graduated from an ordinary normal university, majoring in a field completely unrelated to the investment industry. Apart from fluent English, she had no comparability with them.

No, perhaps it should be said that fluent English was the standard here.

So, Li Yuran felt a bit inferior.

Whenever she saw her colleagues easily analyze financial reports and confidently ask questions during team meetings, her inferiority would quietly emerge. She would also envy and wish to become such a person, but in reality, it was more self-doubt.

She knew there was a huge gap between her and her colleagues with prestigious university backgrounds, so she could only work harder than others, striving to learn to compensate for her shortcomings in education and experience.

During her internship, she was almost always the first to arrive at the office and the last to leave every day.

She eagerly took on the tedious data organization tasks that others were unwilling to do. When she encountered problems she didn't understand, she would first consult materials herself, and only humbly ask colleagues and seniors for help if she still couldn't figure it out.

Coming to the Investment Department was her own choice; she didn't want to back out. She didn't want to let down her parents' good intentions, and even more, she didn't want to let down Jiang Chen's arrangements for her.

It was already past 12:30 PM. Most colleagues had already gone to the cafeteria to eat, and the office area seemed somewhat empty. Li Yuran pinched her tired brow and did some eye exercises to relieve her sore eyes.

After all this, Li Yuran got up and went to the pantry to get a cup of coffee and two small snacks, preparing to make do with this for lunch today.

Beep-beep—

Her phone vibrated, and the screen lit up.

Li Yuran put down her coffee cup, took out her phone, and saw that the sender's name was her cousin's note. Her movements paused, and a hint of imperceptible surprise flashed in her eyes.

She quickly unlocked her phone to check the message. When she saw Jiang Chen asking if she had eaten, and if not, to come to the Group's executive restaurant on the 8th floor to find him, her heart still skipped a beat, feeling somewhat surprised and sudden.

She quickly replied, "Okay, Cousin, I haven't eaten yet. I'll be right there."

Putting down her phone, Li Yuran took a deep breath, trying to make her expression appear calm and natural. Even though Jiang Chen was her cousin, thinking of his status and achievements still made her a little nervous.

Especially now that she was within the Group.

Li Yuran returned to her workstation, briefly saved the files on her computer, then picked up her employee ID and phone, walking steadily towards the elevator lobby.

The elevator smoothly arrived at the 8th floor. Li Yuran stepped out and immediately saw the half-open door of the executive restaurant at the end of the corridor.

She took a deep breath, composed herself, and walked towards that direction with light and slow steps.

To be honest, it was her first time here. Usually, at the company, she tried to avoid any place where she might interact with Jiang Chen, fearing that their relationship would be discovered.

Now, having to walk into this exclusive restaurant, which only Group executives could enter, she couldn't help but feel a little nervous.

She even quickly rehearsed in her mind what to say and what not to say when she met Jiang Chen later, afraid that her words or actions might be inappropriate, embarrassing her cousin, or causing unnecessary trouble.

Reaching the doorway, she quietly peeked inside and saw Jiang Chen sitting by the window, his posture tall and straight. Across from him sat Secretary Zhu, the Board Secretary, and the two seemed to be conversing in low voices.

Seeing that there were only the two of them in the restaurant, Li Yuran quietly breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, there were no other executives. Her earlier tension was mostly due to fear of being noticed by a Group of Group executives and of others knowing her relationship with Jiang Chen.

Li Yuran walked over softly, stopped beside the empty seat next to Jiang Chen, and quietly called out, "Cousin."

Jiang Chen turned his head at the sound. Seeing her, a gentle smile appeared on his face, and he pointed to the chair beside him: "Yuran, you're here. Sit down."

Zhu Zhe also nodded politely to her as a greeting. She naturally knew who Li Yuran was, as she had personally handled Li Yuran's onboarding.

"Thank you, Cousin."

After thanking him, Li Yuran then greeted Secretary Zhu with "Hello, Secretary Zhu" before carefully sitting down and gently placing her employee ID at the corner of the table. She noticed that a brand new, untouched set meal was already placed on the table in front of her.

"Knowing you hadn't eaten, I just had the kitchen prepare it for you. See if it suits your taste. If you don't like it, I'll have the kitchen make you something else," Jiang Chen said casually, pointing to the set meal.

"Thank you, Cousin, no need, no need. This is very much to my liking," Li Yuran said, somewhat overwhelmed, and quickly picked up her chopsticks.

Zhu Zhe had finished her vegetable salad by then. She wiped her mouth and quietly said to Jiang Chen, "Chairman Jiang, you and Miss Yuran take your time. I'll go back to the office to handle the work for the afternoon."

Jiang Chen nodded: "Alright, go ahead."

Zhu Zhe stood up, nodded slightly to Li Yuran again, then turned and left the restaurant. Handling work was an excuse; it was merely to avoid disturbing Jiang Chen and Li Yuran.

In the restaurant, only Jiang Chen and Li Yuran remained. Jiang Chen looked at her and asked, "Yuran, how has your internship been? Are you getting used to it? Are your colleagues in the Investment Department easy to get along with?"

Li Yuran's desire to intern in the Investment Department was actually quite surprising to Jiang Chen, because the investment industry relies heavily on expertise and experience, especially resources.

However, since she wanted to intern in the Investment Department, Jiang Chen didn't say much and arranged for her to join, after all, he was Li Yuran's biggest resource.