PB - Chapter 4
Chapter 4
Qiao Qi didn’t get back to the Jin family mansion until after ten o’clock. Old Master Jin knew she wouldn’t be back early, so he simply waited up for her. The sound of the iron gate outside opening and closing was followed by the purr of a car engine. Old Master Jin listened, and soon he heard the front door open and the housekeeper greet, “Eldest Miss.”
Upon entering, Qiao Qi headed straight for the second floor, but she was slightly surprised to see Old Master Jin in her peripheral vision. Her steps paused, and she turned and walked over to him. “Did you need me for something?”
Old Master Jin looked up at her. “You went to the reception tonight?”
“I heard the Shen family was in town and planned to meet them at the reception, but President Shen had other plans.” Qiao Qi had no intention of sitting down. She continued, “The survey for the coastal bridge is complete, and it’s officially entered the design phase. The three coastal cities will form a small economic circle in the future. I plan to cooperate with Changfa to give Ruifeng a more stable foothold there.”
Old Master Jin’s casual question was met with a work report from Qiao Qi. So the girl had gone looking for the Shen family. The Shens did have other plans—a visit to the mansion to see him, Chairman Jin, and discuss some other matters. If he had known, he would have told Qiao Qi the Shens were right here at home; maybe she would have come back earlier.
Old Master Jin was used to hearing work reports, but with Qiao Qi, he didn’t want to just hear about work. He waved his hand, interrupting her. “How have you been lately?”
“Very well.”
“Have you been in touch with your parents? How are they?”
“They’re also very well.”
“You look like you’ve lost weight again. Don’t just focus on work. Have your cousin, Zhilan, take you out to meet some friends.”
“Understood. If there’s nothing else, I’ll go back to my room now.”
This wasn’t the first time she had ended a conversation this way, nor was it the first time they had exchanged such polite pleasantries. Old Master Jin knew where Qiao Qi’s resentment came from, so he didn’t push her. In the past, he would have lost his patience with her long ago. But ever since she had personally cared for him during his illness, his affection for this granddaughter had grown, and he found himself favoring her more and more.
As Qiao Qi was about to leave, Old Master Jin said, “You don’t need to schedule a meeting with President Shen. They’ll come to you in a couple of days. Go get some rest. No more work.”
Qiao Qi didn’t ask any more questions and turned toward the stairs. In this old manor lived her two paternal uncles and their families. Among the Jin grandchildren, besides her eldest uncle’s daughter Jin Zhilan, everyone else, including herself, had their own residences in the city. She went upstairs, walked along the corridor to her room, a dull ache already starting in her head. She found some painkillers and took them.
She thought the painkillers would help her get a good night’s sleep, but things didn’t go as planned. She ended up getting out of bed to read reports until she finally felt drowsy around three in the morning. She rubbed her temples and lay back down, drifting into a fitful sleep.
At eight in the morning, when the housekeeper knocked on her door to wake her as instructed by Old Master Jin, she was already dressed and ready. She followed the housekeeper downstairs to have breakfast with the old master. On either side of the dining table, her two uncles’ families were already seated. The seat to the old master’s right was reserved for her. She walked over and sat down gracefully.
As expected, Old Master Jin spoke. “It’s rare for you to come back. Stay for tea with me this afternoon and leave after dinner. I have a few nice things to give you.”
“I’ve already told Yao Qiu to pick me up at five.”
The old master looked displeased. “Tell her to come at eight.” Qiao Qi’s silence indicated she wouldn’t defy him, so his expression returned to normal. “Don’t worry about President Shen. You’ll meet when the time is right. Just take today off. The company won’t fall apart in one day.”
Although the old master never publicly acknowledged Qiao Qi’s parentage, his affection for her at home was growing more and more intense. Naturally, this made her eldest uncle’s family the most anxious. Jin Zhihuan was the eldest grandson and the current president of Ruifeng. If Qiao Qi’s momentum continued, there was no telling what rash decision the old master might make.
“With Zhihuan at the helm, of course nothing will go wrong at the company.” Her eldest aunt was never one to hold her tongue. Once she started, she had no intention of stopping. “Right, Dad?”
Old Master Jin shot a look at the eldest aunt, and she immediately fell silent. Seeing this, Jin Zhilan glared at Qiao Qi, shifting the blame, before turning back with a smile. “What nice things? Is there a share for me?”
Old Master Jin laughed. “Are you short on nice things from me? Go buy whatever you want.”
“Grandpa, you said it yourself! I’m going on a serious shopping trip this afternoon.”
Throughout the meal, Qiao Qi never spoke unless a direct answer was required. She quietly ate her congee and dishes. Though her expression was calm, she possessed a presence that couldn’t be ignored. She was indifferent to the Jin family’s ill intentions and had little interest in power struggles. She had always been someone who simply focused on doing her own job well.
Today’s breakfast was prepared entirely to Qiao Qi’s taste. Having been born in the south, her palate was lighter than the rest of the Jin family’s. Old Master Jin had specifically instructed the chef to cook the flavors she was used to, and Qiao Qi did indeed eat more than usual, which even earned the chef praise from the old master.
The old master observed Qiao Qi closely and noticed the dark circles under her eyes. He asked with concern, “Didn’t you sleep well last night? Is the bed upstairs not comfortable enough?”
Of course it wasn’t as comfortable as the bed in her own home. Because of her chronic sleep problems, everything in her bedroom at home, inside and out, was custom-made to her habits and preferences. For her, no bed was more suitable than the one at home.
But, when she spoke, she only said, “I was reading reports for a little too long.”
“After breakfast, take a walk with me to aid digestion, then go back and get some more sleep. Staying up like this is too hard on your body.” The old master had spoken. “Alright, the rest of you don’t need to keep me company. Go on about your business.”
The moment Qiao Qi said she hadn’t rested well, he dismissed everyone else. It wasn’t just the eldest aunt; even the eldest uncle was grinding his back teeth in frustration. Jin Zhilan shot several eye-rolls at Qiao Qi’s back, but her mind was on the promise the old master had made during the meal. Half an hour later, she had already made plans with friends to go shopping.
The old master got up and went to the kitchen himself to instruct them to prepare different calming soups for lunch and dinner. He waited downstairs for Qiao Qi to change so she could accompany him on his walk. A smile played on his lips. He knew that while Qiao Qi appeared compliant, she was more opinionated than anyone. Aside from being soft-hearted, this granddaughter of his was satisfactory in every way.
The morning nap was unsuccessful. It was as if Qiao Qi had simply changed her workplace. Except for meals taking much longer than usual, everything was the same. As promised, Yao Qiu came to pick her up at exactly eight in the evening. Only when the car slowly pulled out of the Jin family mansion did she speak to Qiao Qi. “Yangpu said that President Shen will personally visit Ruifeng tomorrow. I hear he’s bringing his two daughters.”
“Okay, got it.” Leaving the mansion, Qiao Qi felt only relief. Every time she went back, her body would tense up unconsciously; she felt a strong aversion to the place. She closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. “I’m going to get some sleep.”
Yao Qiu knew she was truly tired. She slowed the car, trying to keep it as steady as possible so Qiao Qi could sleep comfortably. She kept an eye on Qiao Qi in the rearview mirror. Less than fifteen minutes later, she was awake again. Right after waking, Qiao Qi’s eyes always held a hint of daze for a few minutes before regaining their clarity.
This time, Qiao Qi didn’t go back to work. Instead, she stared out the window, lost in thought. Winter in this city always seemed gray and dreary, the green leaves all gone, a monotonous and dull landscape. Whenever Qiao Qi stared off like this, Yao Qiu would wonder what kind of past made her so fond of it.
The next morning, after sitting in on the International Marketing Department’s trend analysis meeting for the new season, Qiao Qi ran into Qi Er—Qi Simiao’s father—in the elevator. The Qi and Jin families were connected by marriage, and the Qis held a small stake in Ruifeng. Currently, the Qi family’s Guangming Group was controlled by Qi San, so Qi Er had been given a mid-level position at Ruifeng.
Qiao Qi greeted him. “Director Qi.”
“There’s no one else here, no need for ‘Director Qi.’ You should call me Second Brother, like Zhihuan does.” Qi Er’s smile was hard to read. He added, feigning intimacy, “Where are you off to, A Qi? Just finished up?”
“I was at the international market trend analysis meeting.” Just as she finished speaking, the elevator reached the thirty-fourth floor. The doors slid open. “This is my floor. Excuse me.”
The elevator doors closed again. Qi Er’s expression was a mixture of disgust and ferocity. “Who does she think she is? Daring to throw her weight around here. She’s just relying on the old master’s favor. In a few years, when the old master is dead, we’ll see how I deal with you.” After his tirade, the elevator reached the top floor, where the president’s office was. He got out and headed for Jin Zhihuan’s office.
Around two in the afternoon, the president’s office secretary called to ask Vice President Qiao to come to the reception room on the top floor. Qiao Qi figured it must be President Shen of Changfa and his two daughters visiting Ruifeng, so she didn’t delay. When she arrived, Qi Er was also in the reception room, along with President Shen and his two legendary daughters.
“This is President Shen of Changfa,” Qi Er said, making the introduction. “And this is our Vice President Qiao of Ruifeng.”
As they shook hands, President Shen’s eyes carefully sized up Qiao Qi. After letting go, he praised her with the same words he had used for Jin Zhihuan. “Young and capable. A formidable new generation.” He beckoned, and the two seated Miss Shens came over. “This is my elder daughter, Shen Shoucheng, and my younger daughter, Shen Shouxin.”
Chengshi shouxin? Honest and trustworthy? The Shen family really did seem to pass down virtues. After greeting both young ladies, Qiao Qi formally took her seat. The meeting then got to the point. It turned out that the two Shen daughters wanted to intern at Ruifeng. Given Changfa’s standing, the Shen family naturally hoped that the president and vice president would each mentor one of them. To put it nicely, it was to “impart experience,” but in reality, there were no suitable positions for the two young ladies.
The internship was Shen Shoucheng’s idea. She had just graduated from overseas and didn’t want to work at her family’s company, wanting to gain experience elsewhere. The Shen family thought it was just youthful impetuousness and planned to find a random place for her, but Shen Shoucheng insisted on coming to Ruifeng.
Qiao Qi’s reputation at Ruifeng was quite poor. The Shen family naturally didn’t want their innocent little girl to follow her, so they planned to place her at Rongfang, a company on par with Ruifeng. But Shen Shoucheng chose Ruifeng entirely because she was interested in its Data Analysis Center, which had been gaining powerful momentum in recent years. Ruifeng was the only company in the country that had dared to invest heavily in building a data analysis center several years ago.
This was also the reason President Shen had changed his plans and skipped the reception two nights ago. Out of caution, he had investigated Qiao Qi. Although Old Master Jin had wiped her past clean, the Shen family was still the Shen family. It was difficult, but not impossible to find things out. The investigation revealed Qiao Qi’s identity, and President Shen immediately went to apologize to Old Master Jin in person, while also making the request to place his daughters at Ruifeng.
Since they were here for the Data Analysis Center, Qi Er’s presence made sense. On the surface, everyone thought he was in direct command of the center. Of course, only those involved knew this wasn’t the case. He spoke eloquently, feigning familiarity with the center’s operations, while secretly grinding his teeth and glaring at Qiao Qi.
The Qi family was complicated. The eldest brother had died young, and all his shares went to his only daughter, Qi Sitian. Qi Er, who had little power in the family, naturally sided with the ascendant Qi San. The two of them ganged up on the widow and orphan, using underhanded tactics to gobble up most of Qi Sitian’s shares.
At that time, Qiao Qi was just starting to gain some momentum at a branch company. Qi Er, thinking she was one of the old master’s people, was very polite whenever they met. Then, on one occasion, Qiao Qi unexpectedly asked for a private meeting. On the condition that she persuade Qi Sitian to leave Guangming Group, she wanted him to propose the establishment of a Data Analysis Center to the board of directors in his name. As for the setup process, Qiao Qi would be fully responsible; he wouldn’t have to lift a finger.
When Qiao Qi was in work mode, her aura was convincing, and Qi Er went along with it. Coupled with a beautifully prepared proposal, the board ultimately approved this trial run. He became famous in the industry for a time, enjoying the limelight.
To the group’s astonishment, with the arrival of the data age, the analysis center grew rapidly. Its position within the group became increasingly important. Not only did it establish long-term, stable partnerships with major corporations, but it also fed back into the group. The preliminary reports of various departments all relied on the analytical data provided by the center. In just two years, it leaped to become the group’s third most profitable department.
Seeing this, Qi Er thought his time had finally come, only to find out later that this was not the case. Only he knew the frustration. On the surface, everyone congratulated him for controlling the data center, but in reality, he never spoke of this silent loss to anyone, only cursing Qiao Qi’s cunning in his heart over and over again.
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