Chapter 310 Digging the Foundation_2
Upon hearing Chen Feng's comment, Jiang Shasha couldn't help but smile widely, giving off a vibe reminiscent of Sophie Marceau. It's undeniable that, without her glasses and with a new hairstyle, Jiang Shasha's facial features bear some resemblance to Sophie Marceau, and her smile adds even more to that impression.
Of course, she clearly doesn't possess the universal charm that Sophie Marceau had in her youth, but even that slight resemblance is enough to enchant.
Clearly, Cao Jun's keen interest in her isn't solely due to her professional background, but also her natural allure as a woman.
"Why are you staring at me?"
Jiang Shasha spoke directly, her face still adorned with a smile.
Chen Feng wasn't embarrassed. He said earnestly, "You've changed so much, like an ugly duckling turning into a swan. If it weren't for meeting you at this reunion, I wouldn't have recognized you in any other situation."
Chen Feng was being honest; the Jiang Shasha of today is a world apart from the one he remembers from college, making it really hard to connect the two in his mind.
"Thanks for the compliment. Actually, life is a sort of cultivation; some people get stuck or even regress, but I've been fortunate to keep progressing, reaching a minor achievement now."
"You're being too modest. Your achievements should be seen as major accomplishments, not minor ones."
Jiang Shasha shook her head and said, "To ordinary people, my achievements may seem impressive, but to some, including you, they definitely can't be considered significant, just minor ones at best."
That statement isn't entirely false. She's still an assistant now, and even becoming a judge wouldn't make Chen Feng jealous in the slightest.
Chen Feng sincerely remarked, "Your perspective is very high. Compared to most people our age, your accomplishments are outstanding."
Jiang Shasha smiled and said, "My accomplishments are mainly in my career. This means I can't be too wealthy in the future. Compared to you and other wealthy peers, I truly feel no sense of accomplishment."
Upon hearing this, Chen Feng couldn't help but laugh heartily, "Why compare with me? Compare yourself with other classmates; I bet you'll feel accomplished!"
Jiang Shasha pretended to think seriously for a moment before nodding, "That's true. But I habitually compare myself to outstanding peers rather than ordinary ones."
"Hey, hey! Your words sound like you're disrespecting our group of classmates."
"I'm just stating the facts; they are indeed quite ordinary."
"Is Cao Jun ordinary too?" Chen Feng asked, his expression somewhat intriguing as he looked at her.
Chen Feng was still unaware of Cao Jun's exact job and achievements, but his smooth social skills and ability to play the game probably meant he was doing well. What's more, his previous generous attitude in wanting to pay for the reunion hinted at his success.
"Him? Certainly among peers, he's quite outstanding, but at the end of the day, he's just an employee—albeit a high-level one with a million-dollar annual salary. However, his future achievements are pretty much capped."
"Why do you say that?" Chen Feng feigned curiosity and asked.
"He is a deputy general manager in a branch office. It's quite impressive to have reached this position at his age, but in a complex real estate subsidiary, even with strong backing, it's hard to advance in the short term. His foreseeable career path involves enduring until the current general manager retires or he transfers to the headquarters to grind for a few years, waiting for vacancies. Ultimately, his fate is in others' hands; he's merely an employee, not the boss, restricted in many ways."
Now Chen Feng understood Cao Jun's job and achievements, a deputy general manager of a group subsidiary, an annual salary of one million, genuinely exceptional compared to most peers.
But compared to his own achievements now, Cao Jun's career accomplishments are trivial,
"Seems like you don't think highly of Cao Jun, right? Looks like he really is a frog dreaming of eating swan meat." Chen Feng said with some schadenfreude.
"Don't put it so harshly. Even if you have a grudge against him, don't badmouth him in front of me. He's not a frog, and I'm not a swan."
Chen Feng winked at her, lowered his voice, and said, "In my eyes, you're the swan."
Jiang Shasha didn't expect Chen Feng to suddenly speak flirtatiously, her face became slightly red, and she glanced at him with a hint of mock anger.
Just as Chen Feng was about to continue, Liu Ying returned and interrupted their conversation, asking, "What were you two chatting about? You seem to have had a fun talk."
"Just random chatter. But Jiang Shasha did say she wasn't interested in Cao Jun. Seems like he's imagining things, just like back when he pursued you at school, right?"
Chen Feng seized the opportunity to kick Cao Jun while he's down.
"Chen Feng, I never said I'm not interested in Cao Jun." Jiang Shasha expressed slight displeasure.
"So, are you interested in him?" Chen Feng retorted.
"Of course not," Jiang Shasha quickly denied.
"Then that settles it. Not that I'm badmouthing Cao Kun, but someone like him, with too many tricks up his sleeve, it's hard for him to stay loyal, cheating and seeing escorts are commonplace. If you tie the knot with him, you'll surely regret it later."
Listening to this, Liu Ying's eyes brightened, and she pulled Jiang Shasha aside to relay in a low voice about Cao Jun's past attempt to juggle two relationships, essentially a scumbag.
Jiang Shasha had already not thought highly of Cao Jun, so hearing Liu Ying's words didn't faze her much. She just said in a calm tone: "Don't worry. Even in college, I didn't have a good impression of Cao Jun. He once schemed against Chen Feng and spread rumors about him—which was truly despicable. How could I possibly think highly of that kind of person?"
Her words made Liu Ying quite pleased, ruining Cao Jun's plans and dashing his hopes was indeed satisfying.
"What are you guys talking about?"
After singing a song, Cao Jun came over and stood before the two ladies, looking at Liu Ying, and asked with a smile, "Liu Ying, you're not telling bad things about me, are you?"
Liu Ying also smiled and replied, "Yes, I am badmouthing you."
Cao Jun chuckled helplessly, put his hands together in a pleading gesture, and said, "Class beauty, don't be so mean. I haven't offended you; I even treated you to dinner twice when you first returned to the country."
Cao Jun took the initiative to mention the dinners he treated Liu Ying to, to prevent her from using that against him when chatting with Jiang Shasha.
Indeed, Cao Jun's mind worked quickly, but unfortunately, he was a step late. Liu Ying had already shared everything with Jiang Shasha.
Originally, Jiang Shasha's chances of getting together with him had been at most one or two out of ten, and now they have become virtually nonexistent.