I AM

Chapter 27

"I suppose..." Shen Wei stood up. "It's been a long day. Let's get some rest, and maybe things will look better when we wake up."

"They always do," Zhao Yunlan said as he watched Shen Wei walk away. "Good night, Xiao Wei," he whispered.

The media was outside Shen Enterprises, eager to get a comment from Shen Wei or President Zhao, but knowing how powerful their condemnation of the rogue doctor who set up the prank could be, they both chose not to press charges, and a company representative relayed the "no comment" to the media. The hospital, on the other hand, was not as compassionate, and their attorneys pressed full charges against the doctor, especially since their credibility had been severely damaged. Who would trust any of their doctors now? Even if the doctor had his license revoked and spent a long time in prison, the hospital would still have to work hard to regain the trust of the public again.

Shen Wei felt guilty about suspecting Zhu Jiu, and he worked hard to make the boutique a success by hosting a couple of charity balls, and a portion of the proceeds from the boutique would also be donated. Zhu Jiu was not in favor of this, since it would reduce the profits. But Zhu Jiu also needed to redeem himself with the clients, and this showed him in a more compassionate light. Shen Wei also added elaborately decorated masks and gloves that matched the gorgeous gowns, which were very popular.

But Shen Wei's ideas did not stop there, and he was constantly coming up with new projects, giving useful input on existing ones. He was fair, and listened to all opinions, and was often able to offer compromises. President Zhao began to see change in the attitude of the other directors; in the past, they would come out of the meeting rooms, shaking their heads and complaining about how "difficult" the CEO was. But gradually, they began to see that Shen Wei's suggestions and arguments had merit and were worth considering, and they realized who was really behind Zhu Jiu's brilliant ideas in the past. The directors recognized Shen Wei's leadership skills, and now it was Zhu Jiu who was left standing alone after the meetings and gatherings.

Shen Wei's personal life was also fulfilling, with the morning workouts with Zhao Yunlan, and the latte/talk sessions with Sister Cheng. At both of their advice, he began to take up some of the interests of the personalities, not always successfully. He went to visit Li Hongchu, who welcomed him even though he was not Sang Zang, and patiently coached him from Step One, not questioning why he did not know how to hold the bow. He bought a couple of the newest video games, which he played relatively well, but when he got up the next morning, his score was much, much higher, after Lin Jing apparently appeared for a short while. To pacify Brother Chu, he began to train for long distance running, so that they may possibly run a marathon in the future. But the most successful may have been driving the red Porsche that Yezun loved so much. He was nervous, not used to the power and speed of the car. But it all paid off when Zhu Jiu saw him pull into the company parking lot and made a snide remark, which he casually returned with a similar flair to Yezun's.

Shen Wei did not lose time for months. Perhaps the personalities could see that he was much stronger and did not need them to protect him anymore. Perhaps he was cured.

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Shen Wei could understand why Sang Zang enjoyed archery. It required much focus, which helped to clear his mind of whatever troubles had come up during the day. He was then able to revisit the problems with a more objective mind. He purchased an archery set for himself and would practice on the grounds now and then.

It was a rather pleasant day at work. Meetings went smoothly, mainly because Zhu Jiu was absent again. Shen Wei hated to admit it, but the atmosphere of the meetings was much more relaxed when he was not there. There was a tension, as though everyone was choosing their words carefully so that no one would offend him. Even though he did not have many supporters anymore, he was still a director and the current CEO's cousin. When he was not in the board room, the others voiced their opinions more freely, which often led to more productive sessions.