3 I Could Really Use Some Ice Cream

Ai Jing smiled wryly as she gazed into the mirror. Compared to how she had looked just a few weeks prior, the girl staring back at her now was almost a completely different person. If she had known she could lose five pounds over such a short period of time just from being stressed, she might've tried to get fired earlier... and maybe on purpose too.

Chuckling softly at her terrible joke, she twirled around to examine her outfit. The bomber jacket she was trying out didn't look bad at all, but it was a radical departure from what she was used to. Compared to the suit and tie or fancy designer dresses she usually wore while she was still the CEO of Edelweiss, her current ensemble felt very casual indeed.

"I don't know..."

"What do you mean, Jingjing?"

Isabella moved behind her, turning her so that she was directly facing the mirror. She leaned in close, resting her chin on Ai Jing's shoulder so that they were seeing things from roughly the same angle. Not for the first time, Ai Jing noted how soft her friend's curly blonde hair was as it brushed against her cheek.

"See? I don't know what you're talking about – you look great! You said it yourself, that you wanted to dress in a more… What was the word you used? 'Approachable' way?"

"Ah... yeah."

Since she had been removed from her position as CEO, the company no longer provided her with such things as bodyguards or chauffeurs. It was actually quite a novel feeling, traveling without an entourage. But as novel as it was, it also meant that she needed to be a bit more mindful of how she carried herself. Without four trained terminators following her around all the time, it was probably in her best interest to avoid looking like a princess while she was out and about.

"I don't think I'm suited for this kind of fashion. It really fits you, since you have this super cool air about you, but…"

"Pfft! What's cooler than being the CEO of one of the most powerful companies in the entire country? Well, the ex-CEO, since –"

Isabella stopped, catching herself mid-sentence.

"Er, what I mean is…"

Ai Jing laughed.

"It's fine. You don't need to dance around the issue."

"Mmm…"

Ai Jing looked herself up and down again as Isabella stepped back aside. Bomber jacket, shorts, a nondescript shirt, and a pair of high-top sneakers. It was definitely a cute get-up.

"Alright. There's no harm in giving it a go, I guess."

Isabella gave her a thumbs up.

"That's the spirit!"

From there, Isabella had her try out a few more things. And when they were finally satisfied that they had spiced up Ai Jing's closet with enough urban flair for the time being, they made their purchases and stepped back out onto the busy downtown street.

Outside, the mid-afternoon sun was still high in the sky, bathing the weekend crowds in its warm, golden rays. Everything felt so alive – birds sang little serenades from atop the trees that lined the streets; families were out enjoying the weather, and children ran to and fro; grannies laughed hysterically as they caught up with their friends, dancing and exercising wherever there was open space.

Despite the rather poor few weeks she'd been having, Ai Jing found herself wearing a wide grin as she watched the people around her.

This was the world she knew when she was younger, when her parents were still alive. Back then, she had lived in a rundown apartment on the edge of town with her little family instead of the luxurious penthouse she lived in now.

Things had really changed… huh?

"Hey, look!"

Isabella lifted her hand to point at something, bringing Ai Jing's with it. As this happened, Ai Jing was reminded of how averse to holding hands her friend had been at first. An American expat, Isabella found the idea of two girls walking hand-in-hand to be extremely weird. Eventually, of course, she had come to realize that, in China, it was just a thing that friends did – there was no romantic meaning behind it.

"I didn't know they opened a new ice cream shop here. Wanna go check it out?"

Just as she said these words, a little girl walked out of the shop with her mom, both of them holding gargantuan cones. The girl's eyes were wide, as if she was unable to believe just how much ice cream she had in her hands.

Ai Jing pursed her lips and considered Isabella's proposal. She wasn't big on dessert, seeing how detrimental it could be to keeping one's figure. But given how she was completely caught up in the summer mood…

"Let's do it!"

"Wooo~"

With renewed purpose, the two of them strode forward towards the ice cream shop and its bubbly signboards. Before they got there, however, they passed by the television display of an electronics store – Ai Jing stopped to watch when she caught a glimpse of the headline on the nearest screen.

It was switched to ZYTV Business, a channel under the Zhongyang Broadcasting umbrella. It was a channel that Ai Jing never watched when she was younger, but it was one she had become very familiar with ever since her introduction to the business world. And at that moment, the reporter was talking about something she was very much interested in.

"After an initial dip following its recent stabilization, Edelweiss Limited's stock prices are now undergoing a strong recovery. Currently trading at 171.25 CNY per share, this is around a 5% increase over last month's average. Analysts are attributing this rally to the company's sudden change in leadership. Two months ago, then-CEO Ai Jing was voted out in favor of Wu Chenghao, longtime business partner of the company's founder, Ai Wen."

"Jingjing, what's up?"

Noticing that Ai Jing had stopped in her tracks, Isabella walked back to her side.

"Oh, I see."

As the two of them silently watched the broadcast together, Ai Jing thought back to her last day at the company. Following the vote to remove her as CEO, the board meeting had devolved into a strange sort of legal forum, with Chairman Zhou saying everything he could to try and invalidate the results. But try as he might, it was all for naught. The decision was finalized, confirmed with signatures from a majority of the board. And by the end, when the meeting had dragged on for more than an hour longer than it was supposed to, the chairman reluctantly accepted defeat.

Ai Jing remembered locking herself in her office after that, burying her face in her hands. The last time she'd cried as hard as she did that afternoon was on the day her brother died.

"However, the company is still faced with a large number of issues. According to an insider report, there are employees at every level of the company who are discontent with the change in leadership."

The chairman was among those employees, no doubt.

"Many critics, including the CEO of Starview, Gao Ming, have even suggested that this was all just a power grab on the part of Wu Chenghao. Now, to address such accusations and the state of Edelweiss Limited as a whole, we have the great honor of having Mr. Wu Chenghao here with us today."

The camera panned out, revealing that Wu Chenghao was sitting next to the host. Ai Jing took a deep breath, and Isabella shifted uncomfortably beside her.

Though the host was trying hard to hide it, Ai Jing could tell from the slight twitch in his eye that he was feeling anxious. Wu Chenghao very rarely made public appearances, let alone agreed to do interviews on TV. Most likely, the host had very little idea what to expect from the reclusive man. In fact, neither did she.

"Thank you for taking the time to join us today, Mr. Wu. We're sure you're extremely busy during this period of transition, and we apologize for any inconvenience..."

"Not at all, not at all. It's not every day that a hermit like myself has the chance to come on a respected program like yours."

Chenghao laughed, and the host joined in. Just like that, the host's apprehension had been dissolved. Ai Jing felt a sharp pang in her chest. That unexpectedly jovial personality and his self-deprecating jokes. That was the Chenghao she knew. Not the one who had so coldly turned his back on her...

"Well, I think that's hardly a fair label for the leader of one of the Grand Dragons! With everything you have on your plate, it's no wonder you don't show yourself more often."

"Ha! Only time will tell if we can even hold on to that title after how things have gone this last year."

"Yes, Edelweiss has definitely seen better days."

From there, the host began asking his questions. After starting with the basics, such as what Chenghao thought of the recent recovery or what he felt had been going wrong, he moved on the main topic of the interview.

"Regarding these complaints, both internal and external, that you are betraying Mr. Ai Wen's memory by removing his sister from her position in the company – what's your response to all that?"

Ai Jing held her breath, dreading what Chenghao might have to say. A few seconds passed while Chenghao mulled the question, and then he answered in a somber tone.

"Ai Wen was like a brother to me. You see, I –"

He launched into roughly the same spiel as the one he gave during Ai Jing's last board meeting, outlining his role in the founding of the company.

She shook her head.

"Not this again…"

"– so, mmm. How should I put this… As I knew him, Ai Wen would not have been against a move like this. He was an ambitious man. A logical man, utilitarian at times. He loved his company, and he would have seen the damage that was being done to it. He wouldn't have sat idly by."

"So you're saying –"

"Yes. Ai Wen loved the company more than anything else. Like I have done, Ai Wen would have put the needs of the company first. He wouldn't have let blind loyalty get in the way."

Ai Jing bit down on her lip, hard, as if doing so might help alleviate the ache in her heart.

"Hey. Jingjing. Jingjing, are you alright?"

Isabella tilted her head in concern, and it looked like she wanted to hold Ai Jing in a comforting embrace. Seeing the anger stewing in Ai Jing's eyes, however, she decided against it.

"Yeah," Ai Jing muttered, turning her back on the screen.

"I'm fine."

She reached out and grabbed Isabella's hand.

"But I could really use some of that ice cream right about now."