PB - Chapter 9
Chapter 9
Today’s itinerary was mainly focused on leisure and entertainment. As everyone held important positions in their companies, their conversation inevitably drifted toward market analysis and international trends. Only Shen Shouxin, unable to follow along but finding it inconvenient to leave, sat bored to one side.
It had been a long time since Qiao Qi had spent her time this way. Ever since returning to the Jin family, she had been living in a state of ceaseless activity. At first, she had forced herself to stay busy to distract herself; later, she grew accustomed to it and even began to enjoy it.
Shen Shoucheng asked, “Sister Qiqi, when are you going back?”
“Friday.” Three days from now. “Is something the matter?”
“Sister Qiqi, could you possibly stay a day or two longer? Saturday is my birthday, and I’d like to invite you and Sister Jianchu to my party.”
Qiao Qi knew this Saturday was Shen Shoucheng’s birthday and had even prepared a gift, bringing it with her from Beijing, intending to give it to her before she left. She wasn’t in the habit of attending banquets and would normally have declined, but this time, she accepted the invitation.
Shen Shoucheng was delighted. Gu Jianchu, of course, wouldn’t refuse either. Since she was already here, she might as well attend. Moreover, it was the birthday party of Changfa’s future president, a gathering of Shenzhen’s elite—a good opportunity to expand her network here.
After dinner, the Shen sisters dropped them off at the hotel and departed. Gu Jianchu and Qiao Qi stepped out of the elevator, agreed on a time to discuss their collaboration, and returned to their respective rooms.
Gu Jianchu showered, changed, and selected a bottle of Californian wine before knocking on Qiao Qi’s door. The Qiao Qi who opened it also seemed to have just showered. Her fair skin was tinged with a faint pink, and a smile touched the corners of her eyes. Gu Jianchu herself didn’t even notice that she was momentarily dazed.
As Gu Jianchu stepped into the room, Yao Qiu took the wine from her to open it. Qiao Qi invited her to sit on the sofa. On the coffee table in front of her was a brown folder. Gu Jianchu gave her a questioning look, and Qiao Qi gestured for her to open it and see.
It was Ruifeng’s project proposal for Changfa Group. Surprised, Gu Jianchu was also filled with anticipation for the conversation to come. She read it meticulously, comparing it with Rongfang’s proposal as she went. Halfway through, she sent a message to Liu Yanyan. Ten minutes later, Liu Yanyan arrived with the documents she had gotten from Zhao Bo.
She then handed the file to Qiao Qi. “If you don’t mind, President Qiao can offer Rongfang some suggestions.” Qiao Qi liked working with people like Gu Jianchu; no extra words were needed, just a natural rapport.
The two elegant women sat at opposite ends of the sofa, leaning lightly against the armrests, seriously studying each other’s company proposals. The lingering humidity in the room from their showers added an enchanting air. Liu Yanyan hadn’t left; she opened the laptop she had brought with the proposal, ready to record any useful information at a moment’s notice. Across from her, Yao Qiu did the same.
Gu Jianchu put down the proposal in her hands, picked up the freshly decanted red wine, and took a light sip as she waited for Qiao Qi to finish. Gradually, her gaze settled on Qiao Qi, who was so focused that she was completely unaware of being watched.
Qiao Qi put down Rongfang’s proposal. Seeing that Gu Jianchu had nearly finished her glass of wine, she offered an apologetic smile, her usually gentle voice a little deeper. “Jianchu, I don’t want to beat around the bush. I want to know what you think about the development here.”
Gu Jianchu discovered that the professional Qiao Qi was colder and more composed than the private one. She picked up Qiao Qi’s wine glass and handed it to her, inviting her to taste it before the flavor changed. The wine was smooth and mellow on the palate. Qiao Qi’s expression relaxed, a detail Gu Jianchu did not miss.
“My view is probably similar to yours; otherwise, we wouldn’t have both shown up here. Once the coastal bridge is completed, the three cities will leverage their respective advantages to attract mutual investment, forming a new, large-scale, and resource-rich economic zone. Rongfang can’t miss the opportunity to get in early, and Ruifeng must be thinking the same. I’ve read your proposal. In terms of resource allocation and overseas expansion, Ruifeng certainly has an advantage over Rongfang.”
Qiao Qi took over, “But in emerging industries, Rongfang is currently the best in the country. That’s why I extended this invitation. Rongfang’s technology, Changfa’s maritime transport network, and Ruifeng’s market—this combination would also be extremely competitive in both resources and scale.”
Gu Jianchu agreed with Qiao Qi’s assessment. “Given Ruifeng’s dominance in domestic and foreign markets, you don’t need to rush into innovative industries. If you extend the timeline, there’s no need to cooperate with Rongfang at all.”
“Since we both came to Shenzhen at the same time, our future plans must have some similarities. Therefore, future competition is inevitable. I don’t like wasting time and energy on pointless things.”
Gu Jianchu found that being with Qiao Qi was truly a comfortable experience, thanks to her frankness and directness. She lifted her legs onto the sofa and leaned back at an angle, a posture of enjoyment. Her beautiful eyes, filled with amusement, were fixed on Qiao Qi. “Can I ask you a question?”
Qiao Qi’s expression was serious. “Of course.”
“I’ll venture a guess. You didn’t just think of this collaboration in the last few days. I’m just curious why you’re doing this.”
Qiao Qi tilted her head slightly, a strand of hair slipping from her shoulder. It was a lovely sight. “I’m someone who likes to make the cake bigger. You’re right. I’ve had this idea since I knew you were coming to Shenzhen. I waited until now to mention it because I was afraid you’d refuse back then.”
“Why would I refuse such a good thing?” Gu Jianchu rose and moved closer to Qiao Qi, reaching out to brush away the few stray strands of hair that clung to her shoulder. “So why are you willing to tell me now?”
Qiao Qi was still a little unnatural with such closeness. She drew back slightly. “Because our interactions these past few days have changed my previous opinion.”
Gu Jianchu didn’t press further. She lowered her raised arm and said, “In just two short days, I’ve already received two huge gifts from you. I don’t even know how to thank you.”
“Jianchu, I won’t let you lose out.” Qiao Qi set down her wine glass, deciding not to drink any more. She couldn’t have a headache tomorrow when they had to integrate the two proposals. “By the way, I haven’t had a chance to ask, was Yangpu of any help?”
“Zhao Bo communicated very well with him, and the solutions they came up with were very detailed. Zhao Bo will also stay here for a while to handle matters at Hongyuan.”
“I plan to spend all of tomorrow revising the proposal. Can we go talk to President Shen together the morning after?”
Gu Jianchu also set down her glass and touched Qiao Qi’s wrist. Qiao Qi flinched slightly. Gu Jianchu looked at her, a smile playing on her lips. “I’ve noticed you’re very afraid of me touching you or getting too close.”
Qiao Qi met her gaze, her tone apologetic. “I might not be used to physical closeness. I’m sorry if I gave you the wrong impression.”
“Qiao Qi,” Gu Jianchu’s smile widened. “Work is over, don’t be so serious. I just think you’re very cute like that.”
Qiao Qi blushed and changed the subject. “Are you free tomorrow?”
“Of course.” Gu Jianchu gestured to Qiao Qi’s empty glass. “No more?”
Qiao Qi shook her head. “I have work tomorrow.”
Gu Jianchu admired Qiao Qi—her focus, her judgment, her way of cutting straight to the point without embellishment. As a partner, Qiao Qi was undoubtedly the best choice. “It’s getting late. I’ll head back. We have a lot to do tomorrow. You should get some rest.”
“Okay, you too.” Qiao Qi stood up and walked Gu Jianchu to the door.
Gu Jianchu turned and extended her hand. Qiao Qi understood and took it. Gu Jianchu smiled. “President Qiao, a pleasure working with you.”
“A pleasure.”
After leaving Qiao Qi’s room, Gu Jianchu instructed Liu Yanyan to find Zhao Bo and inform him of tomorrow’s work. Then she returned to her room alone and called her father, briefly explaining the night’s events. Her father was surprised but told her to make her own decision.
The next day, Qiao Qi and Gu Jianchu called President Shen one after the other, explaining that they had a new idea for the collaboration and would visit Changfa together the morning after next. They both expressed their apologies for the last-minute change of plans, but President Shen seemed to be in a good mood, repeatedly saying on the phone how much he looked forward to their meeting.
The living room of Qiao Qi’s suite served as a temporary office. There was no need to worry about the efficiency or quality of the six-person ad-hoc team. Since Qiao Qi had initiated the collaboration, Gu Jianchu stated that she would act as her deputy, with Qiao Qi taking the lead. Because it was a private work session, both Qiao Qi and Gu Jianchu were, surprisingly, not in business attire, and the atmosphere was much more relaxed.
Gu Jianchu discovered another of Qiao Qi’s strengths: rigorous logic and agile thinking. She was impartial when weighing the advantages of their two companies. She couldn’t have known that this was a skill Qiao Qi had honed through countless proposals, from small department projects in the beginning to the group’s largest projects now under her purview. Her success today wasn’t the result of a few days of hard work, but of long-term, accumulated experience.
Since it was their first time collaborating, a little time was wasted on getting in sync. Fortunately, both teams were professional and quickly grasped each other’s rhythm and methods, hitting their stride. Qiao Qi and Gu Jianchu debated certain details, but the number of times each persuaded the other or conceded was roughly equal, which also helped them understand each other better.
Lunch and dinner were both ordered via room service. Aside from necessary discussions, everyone in the room was immersed in their work. Both Gu Jianchu and Qiao Qi were perfectionists when it came to their jobs, but the high intensity of such focused work left them feeling exhausted the moment it was completed.
The remaining details and revisions were handed over to Xu Yangpu. Qiao Qi looked up and saw the moonlight on the gentle waves again. She extended an invitation to Gu Jianchu, “Want to take a walk on the beach?”
A balance between work and rest had always been Gu Jianchu’s approach to life. “Okay. Wait for me a moment, I’m going back to my room to get something.”
When Gu Jianchu knocked on the door again, Qiao Qi was slightly stunned to see her. Gu Jianchu held a bottle of wine in one hand and glasses in the other, raising an eyebrow in invitation. A smile touched Qiao Qi’s lips. She added a shawl and went downstairs with her.
The air by the sea carried a unique salty scent, and even the night breeze was a comfortable temperature. The moonlight still shimmered on the water’s surface. Aside from the soft sound of the waves and their occasional conversation, everything around them silently watched the two beautiful women strolling on the sand.
As Qiao Qi stepped on the soft, damp sand, her mood softened along with it. “It’s beautiful here.”
“You seem to really like this city.”
Qiao Qi didn’t actually have a special fondness for the city itself; her preference was merely in comparison to Beijing. “Because the wind here is warm.”
The wind in the north, even in February, cut like a knife. It certainly wasn’t pleasant. Gu Jianchu didn’t reply. The person beside her was so quiet that several times Gu Jianchu had to check her peripheral vision to confirm she was still there.
“I used to always hear people say that Ruifeng’s President Qiao has a decisive style.” Gu Jianchu chuckled softly. “You were so mysterious before. I almost never ran into you at public events. If not for this opportunity, it would have been difficult for me to witness President Qiao’s decisive style firsthand.”
Qiao Qi didn’t pay much mind to the polite praise in her words. She turned her gaze slightly and saw Gu Jianchu, shrouded in the night, so beautiful it felt unreal.
Gu Jianchu’s peripheral vision caught her gaze, and her own eyes snapped to meet Qiao Qi’s without warning. In that instant, Qiao Qi felt a sudden, powerful thump in her chest, a frequency she had never experienced before. She hastily turned her gaze forward, using the darkness to hide the faint blush on her cheeks.
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