PB - Chapter 1
Chapter 1
At twenty-six, a year after finishing her master's degree, Qiao Qi had neither pursued further studies nor found a stable job. Back then, her personality was largely defined by contentment and a love for comfort. Of course, this didn’t mean she had no plans—she just wasn’t in a hurry. Her master’s degree wasn’t from a particularly prestigious university, but her academic performance had been outstanding.
In the year after graduation, her entire income came from the kindness of her Senior Brother Li. She did some analysis work for his small team, never having to lead the charge or work late nights. That period was a treasured memory in her life, but this tranquility was shattered when she turned twenty-seven.
She vaguely remembered that people meeting her for the first time would always ask, “How is your name pronounced?”
She would always reply, “Either way is fine.”
Qiao Qi snapped out of her brief reverie and glanced at the digital clock on her desk. In just fifteen minutes, she had relived the past as if it were a dream. A few documents awaiting her approval were still spread out on the desk, but waking from her daydream left her with no desire to work. She rose and walked to the window, gazing down at the bustling crowds below, and once again fell into a trance, her arms crossed.
Ruifeng Group, located in Beijing, had endured for three generations. After decades of ups and downs, it had firmly secured its position as one of the top domestic enterprises. The direction this corporate behemoth sailed was often dubbed the “weathervane” by the media. And its current helmsman was the eldest grandson of the Jin family's youngest generation, Jin Zhihuan.
Ruifeng’s building was constructed in the nineties. While it was certainly grand for its time, it no longer stood out today. However, the towering new structures that had sprung up around it unexpectedly made the four retro characters for “Ruifeng Group” on its roof particularly eye-catching. The thirty-fourth floor of this building now housed the offices of the group’s vice presidents, which was where Qiao Qi currently worked. This was her second year in the vice president’s seat.
As for how to pronounce her name, no one among the tens of thousands of employees in the group would ask anymore, nor would anyone get it wrong. Even among the city’s elite and noble families, no one would mispronounce her name. Those who had met her and those who hadn’t had all, to some extent, heard of the Ruifeng vice president’s extraordinary capabilities.
On her desk, the light for the internal company line lit up. She walked back to her desk and pressed the button to answer. The voice of Yao Qiu from the outer secretarial office came through. “President Qiao, it's been confirmed that President Shen of Changfa Group will be at President Ye's private party tonight.”
“Good. Please let President Ye know that I will be attending tonight.”
Qiao Qi knew that she was rarely invited to this kind of private party. Among the elite circles, there were other things known about her; in short, her reputation was not good. So much so that even though she was the vice president of a major corporation like Ruifeng, many people refused to give her any real respect.
Yao Qiu put down the phone but didn’t immediately call President Ye as instructed. Qiao Qi’s voice had been perfectly calm, but Yao Qiu was extremely dissatisfied with this young master of the Ye family. Her gaze fell upon the door to the vice president’s office. The door was shut tight, as unnervingly calm as the person inside.
Unconsciously, Yao Qiu also drifted into her memories. She had met Qiao Qi when Qiao Qi was twenty-seven. Like her, Qiao Qi had been stuck in the planning department of a Ruifeng subsidiary, doing the most ordinary work. She worked nine to five every day, showing no signs of being unusual. Yao Qiu’s impression of her was that she spoke very little and never complained, completing whatever task she was given with diligence.
But whenever she did speak, her voice was always soft and gentle, putting people at ease. In her heart, she had silently categorized Qiao Qi as an adorable little rabbit. Until one time, Qiao Qi did something that took everyone by surprise, and it made Yao Qiu realize that no existing animal could compare to Qiao Qi.
That day, their proposal had been rejected by the client yet again. It was the fifth time they had been harshly criticized and told to redo it. The employees outside could see their supervisor repeatedly apologizing through the frosted glass of the conference room. Everyone knew this was because this particular client’s project was crucial for the department’s year-end evaluation.
It was then that Qiao Qi, who could no longer endure a solid month of overtime and severe sleep deprivation, finally snapped. She casually grabbed a blue folder from a desk and stormed directly into the conference room. The colleagues outside, catching a glimpse as the door swung open and shut, were first shocked, then began to whisper among themselves.
Inside, everyone was startled by the sudden intrusion. The supervisor turned, about to question her, but Qiao Qi had already walked to the head of the conference table. She placed the folder on the table with a deliberate thud, then raised her eyes to glare at the supervisor who was about to scold her. She then shifted her gaze to the client. For some reason, her every move exuded an undeniable authority—a side that even Yao Qiu, who knew her well, had never seen.
She spoke, her voice still calm and soft, but it lacked warmth. “Alright, then. Let's take another look at today's second proposal.”
That day, Yao Qiu remained dumbfounded in the conference room until the meeting ended. She vaguely recalled that this proposal was Qiao Qi’s personal masterpiece. The client, having regained his composure, was perfectly countered by Qiao Qi at every turn, with no room for rebuttal. At that moment, she suddenly realized that Qiao Qi was like someone who radiated light from the shadows—impossible to ignore, yet daunting to look at directly.
After that, Qiao Qi left the subsidiary. When they met again, Qiao Qi had returned as the subsidiary's vice president. Soon after, Yao Qiu was promoted to be her secretary, an unconventional move. As she grew alongside Qiao Qi, she also witnessed Qiao Qi’s journey of overcoming every obstacle, rising from a subsidiary vice president to her current position as vice president of the entire Ruifeng Group.
Her reminiscence ended. She picked up the phone and, in a professional tone, contacted the host of that evening’s party, informing them that Ruifeng’s President Qiao would be in attendance. The person on the other end expressed exaggerated surprise, then politely asked a few questions about President Qiao’s recent well-being before ending the call. Hanging up, Yao Qiu pursed her lips and threw herself back into her busy work.
The news that Qiao Qi had, for once, taken the initiative to attend a party spread like wildfire, sparking a flurry of malicious rumors and whispers. Some speculated about her motives, while others simply expressed their disdain. Whether Qiao Qi knew of this or not, she wouldn’t have cared. There was a project in Shenzhen she wanted, and hearing that the Shen family from Shenzhen was in town, she naturally had to go and personally discuss their respective intentions.
The party started at eight. Qiao Qi worked until seven-thirty before Yao Qiu’s reminder pulled her back from her work. She changed into a suitable outfit and headed to the party, showing no intention of stopping her work even in the car.
Yao Qiu, sitting in the front passenger seat, turned to speak to Qiao Qi in the back. “President Qiao, Yangpu has already arrived.”
Qiao Qi looked up from the dense columns of numbers, a smile on her face. “Going to a party right after getting off the plane. You didn’t even let him go home and rest first.”
“He volunteered. I can’t order him around. Besides, you rarely go to these things. It’s good to have him there to run interference for you with the drinks.”
“We’ll leave after meeting President Shen. I won’t let you two drink too much.” After speaking, Qiao Qi’s gaze returned to the dense columns of numbers.
At the party, even before Qiao Qi’s arrival, discussions about her were already buzzing quietly. A person like her, wherever she went, whether she liked it or not, was impossible to ignore.
“I hear that Qiao the Third is coming tonight,” a woman’s voice said excitedly. “I’ve heard you all talk about her, but I’ve never seen her in person. Tonight, I’ll have to get a good look and see what kind of deity she is.”
“What’s there to see? Doesn’t she just have one nose and two eyes?” a man’s voice interjected. His gaze traveled down the woman’s figure, lingering where it shouldn’t, a lewd smile on his face. “I’m more interested in getting to know her… here.”
The woman laughed and chided him. “I heard that when she was twenty-seven or twenty-eight, she managed to have Ruifeng's old master personally mentor her for a year. What kind of skill must that take to make a shrewd old fox like him treat her like a treasured jewel?”
“That’s why I want to get to know her… intimately,” the man said, his words punctuated by another lewd laugh.
A glass of red wine was poured onto the man's white suit, instantly staining a large patch. The man jumped up, ready to curse, but was met with a disingenuous apology. The man who had “accidentally” spilled the wine took a fresh glass of champagne from a waiter, ignored the other’s muttered curses, and walked away.
He walked straight up to Qiao Qi, only to see a smile playing on her lips and in her eyes. She must have witnessed the entire scene. He immediately felt his face burn, but thankfully, his usual expressionless face served as a good mask. “President Qiao, I just heard from President Ye that the Shen family had something come up tonight. They won’t be coming.”
“It’s fine. I was hoping our first meeting wouldn’t be too formal. Since it wasn’t meant to be today, you can formally schedule a meeting with President Shen tomorrow. See what his availability is over the next few days.”
“Understood.”
Tonight, Qiao Qi had her long hair pinned up. She had taken off her work-day rimless glasses and changed into a traditionally styled gown. Though the look was simple, her outstanding temperament made it work. Gradually, a few people gathered around her, inquiring about her identity.
Qiao Qi held a wine glass, a faint, superficial smile on her face. Her voice was as gentle as ever, but for her to be able to smile and converse so freely in such a setting was a rare sight.
Each time someone learned her name, they would typically react with surprise, followed by exaggerated compliments. After a few pleasantries, they would find an excuse to leave, never to approach her for a second conversation. Before long, only Xu Yangpu remained by her side.
Yao Qiu appeared at the right moment and whispered something in Qiao Qi’s ear. A warm, spring-like smile returned to Qiao Qi’s face. She took the phone Yao Qiu handed her, held it to her ear, and hurried toward a quiet corner, murmuring responses as she went.
Xu Yangpu watched Qiao Qi’s retreating figure, his hands clenching into fists at his sides, a shadow crossing his eyes. He had met Qiao Qi a year after Yao Qiu did and was now the special assistant to Ruifeng’s Vice President Qiao—a prominent figure at Ruifeng in his own right.
He first had direct contact with Qiao Qi when she was the vice president of the subsidiary. Even then, the rumors about her were already well-established and vivid. He had been too proud and disdainful to work under such a person, but his attempts to find a new job hadn’t gone smoothly. So, during that time, while he remained diligent in his work, his attitude was far from pleasant.
A week later, Qiao Qi called him into her office. She was flipping through the evaluation report he had just submitted. When she saw him enter, she first apologized, saying she needed to look over the report one more time. He was somewhat moved but remained seated opposite her with a blank expression, waiting. The atmosphere felt more like a standoff.
When Qiao Qi finished the last line, she looked up at him and said, “You can’t let your dissatisfaction with me limit your own abilities. That’s no good for either of us.”
Yes, she had used the word “us.” Xu Yangpu understood the meaning behind her words. A risk assessment report that could have been better would have been more helpful for the company’s future financial direction, and it would have earned its author more recognition from the company. That was why she said “us.” For a moment, he was in disbelief at her directness and earnestness.
Qiao Qi had been observing him. Seeing his expression soften, she continued, “Your thinking can’t be linear. You can try using planar thinking to consider the matter of you working for me.”
As she spoke, she picked up a sheet of A4 paper. “Those rumors about me can be a dot in the top-left corner.” She casually marked a black dot with her pen. “But my dedication to my subordinates, my recognition of your work, or my other strengths can be dots in the top-right, bottom-right, or other places.”
She quietly covered the top-left corner, her voice soft and her point subtly made. “I hope we’ll have a pleasant working relationship.” Then, she handed the paper with its several dots to Xu Yangpu. “I hope you’ll discover even more different points about me in the future.”
That piece of paper was now on a bookshelf in Xu Yangpu's home, laminated and carefully preserved. In the blank space outside the lamination, he had written, “Don't believe rumors,” along with the date.
Drawing his gaze back, Xu Yangpu knew this was a personal call for Qiao Qi. Only when speaking to someone close did her smile come from the heart.
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