Reservoir Dogs chapter 24
Negotiation
Three days of heat.
After showering, Jiang Chengyuan came out of the bathroom, only wearing a bath towel, his wet hair dripping water droplets on his broad shoulders, down his chest. His shoulders were broad, but the muscles on his back were symmetrical and balanced, like a closed book.
The room was dim, heavy curtains hung down to the ground without being drawn.
The person on the bed was still dozing, pulling a sheet over the waist and abdomen, exposed areas covered in green and purple marks and bite marks, the concave waistline curving downward, the raised butt graceful, a thin sheet covering two long legs.
Changed sheets piled up in a corner of the room.
The air in the room still carried the scent of blended pheromones and the strong salty scent after lovemaking.
Three days and nights of absurd affairs, Jiang Chengyuan pressed the roots of his palm against his eyes, a few chaotic memories flashing through his mind. The feeling was good, even a bit addictive.
The doctor’s advice was good. After mating with the omega, his own scent had lightened a lot, even without the suppression patch, it wasn’t as impactful as before. Exposing the glands felt comfortable, not like before, stifling and oppressive, making his mood restless.
Jiang Chengyuan walked to the window, about to pull open the curtains to change the air, but then thought of the person still sleeping, hesitated for a moment, and put his hand down. He walked to the closet, changed his clothes, pushed open the door, and walked out.
The lock made a light sound, and the door closed again without disturbing the dim silence in the room.
“Boss, you’re daydreaming again,” Sun Xu reminded quietly, ” Director Lin is watching you.”
Jiang Chengyuan shifted his gaze back from the French window and indeed saw Lin Shen staring at him seriously. Jiang Chengyuan twirled the pen between his fingers and asked quietly, “Where were we in the discussion?”
“We’re still talking about the acquisition plan.”
The law firm was having a video conference with a multinational company they were partnering with, their top client, and several partners and lawyers specializing in mergers and acquisitions were present.
Jiang Chengyuan was purely there to make up the numbers, as the board members had heard of his reputation and highly respected him. Regardless of whether he was directly involved, they always wanted to hear his opinion.
To accommodate the time difference with the foreigners, the meeting stretched from the afternoon into the night, and seemed likely to go on all night. Jiang Chengyuan checked his watch and said to Sun Xu, “Order me some takeout, something light.”
Sun Xu nodded, “How about the same Japanese restaurant as last time? Should I get a portion for everyone at the office?”
Jiang Chengyuan, resting his head on one hand, replied, “Order one portion and have it delivered to my home first.”
Sun Xu’s eyes widened in surprise, “To your home?”
“Yes.” After a pause, Jiang Chengyuan added, “Actually, just help me take some time off. I need to go out for a bit.”
“More time off?” Sun Xu exclaimed quietly, “You’ve been absent for the past three days. The director has already asked me multiple times.”
Jiang Chengyuan rubbed his neck, “Then just say I went to see a client.”
Sun Xu looked distressed, “Which client? I’ve already made up stories about all your cases.”
“Then just keep quiet,” Jiang Chengyuan waved his hand dismissively.
Just then, the Caucasian foreigner in the video call finished speaking. Jiang Chengyuan stood up, addressed the questions posed, and then turned to a young woman sitting at the end of the table, “Linda, please organize the minutes we just discussed.” Turning back to the foreigner, he flashed a smile, “We’ve been at this for four hours. How about a break before we continue?”
The foreigners, who had been meeting since morning, still looked energetic but agreed to take a break out of courtesy to Jiang Chengyuan, nodding and logging off.
In the conference room, Jiang Chengyuan announced, “Everyone, go have dinner. Today’s meal is on Director Lin.”
Leaning back in his chair, Lin Shen raised an eyebrow at him. Jiang Chengyuan smiled, “No objections right, Director?”
Lin Shen generously agreed and instructed his assistant to make a reservation.
As the last two to leave the conference room, walking at the end of the group, Lin Shen asked, “Where have you been these past three days?”
Jiang Chengyuan, massaging his sore neck and shoulders, replied, “Nowhere, just at home. I reviewed the defense statement Xiao Li sent yesterday. I’ll make some revisions later.”
“I’m not rushing you on that,” Lin Shen frowned, “I just noticed you don’t seem quite yourself.”
“Really?” Jiang Chengyuan asked, “What do you mean?”
“Your scent, like a mix of whisky and sea salt, it’s unusual,” Lin Shen said, wrinkling his nose, “Maybe I’m just not used to you not wearing your suppressants.”
Jiang Chengyuan chuckled, “I won’t be staying up with you all tonight. I need to leave early.”
Lin Shen nodded, “If you have things to do, go ahead. By the way, the bail request for the case Ji Yang handed to you was rejected. I just received news that the police have sent an arrest warrant to the prosecutor’s office. You might want to prepare Xiao Sun for court.”
Jiang Chengyuan, who hadn’t kept up with the news, was surprised, “Is there new evidence?”
“I haven’t heard of any. It’s probably a decision made under public pressure, leaving the final decision to the prosecutor’s office,” Lin Shen said, “Can Xiao Sun handle it? He just passed the bar exam last year.”
Jiang Chengyuan thought for a moment. “I’ll find out which prosecutor is handling it. Even with an arrest warrant, it doesn’t necessarily mean it will go to court.”
“You negotiate and see what the prosecutor’s office intends to do.”