A black Mercedes slowly cut through the slightly congested afternoon streets of Rongcheng.

"Huh? You guys haven't left yet?"

"Uh... alright, we'll listen to Tang Song. I'll head over and wait for you."

"Okay, bye."

After hanging up the phone,

Meng Ran leaned against the soft backseat and exhaled a long breath.

A gentle BGM played in the car, but her mind still buzzed.

Her thoughts kept circling back to yesterday afternoon—the shock that Tang Song's phone call had dealt her.

It was a kind of astonishment that could overturn one's understanding.

She had been so excited last night that she barely slept, only falling asleep reluctantly after three in the morning.

By her reckoning, Tang Song must have used official channels, and definitely at the provincial leadership level, and his relationship with that senior official had to be extraordinary.

Otherwise, there was no way the chairman of Zhongshu Group would react so frightened from a single phone call.

After all, Zhongshu Group is essentially a mixed-ownership conglomerate controlled by the local State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission.

Behind it stand the interests and face of the local government.

Something that could force such a behemoth to bow its head would not be money alone, but the combined force of power and influence.

That morning, she had heard Xiaoyu mention on the phone that Zhongshu Group had already offered very sincere cooperation terms.

Not only were they willing to package and sell their Kave Time stores at a very low price, they also proposed integrating supply chain resources and fully supporting Weiguang Coffee's expansion into the Southwest.

Most crucially, with Tang Song's connection, Weiguang Coffee would face no obstacles in the Southwest and could expand boldly and confidently—the future limitless.

A complex awe swelled up inside Meng Ran again.

She felt relieved.

Relieved that, at the time when she had no idea about Tang Song's background, she had chosen Xie Shuyu and decided to jump ship to join Weiguang.

That choice had been made from friendship, not calculation.

Now it turned out that this bond had unexpectedly become the greatest investment of her life.

"Ms. Meng, we've arrived at your destination."