PB - Chapter 32
Chapter 32
A week later, U.E. officially announced its search for a strategic partner in China, inviting Chinese companies to come forward for discussions. Three days after that, Hank and Thomas arrived in China on the same flight as Qiao Qi. As an old friend of Thomas, Qiao Qi took the initiative to have Xu Yangpu handle their entire itinerary in the country.
Qiao Qi saw them to their hotel. As she was leaving, Thomas said to her, “Qiao, I’m very much looking forward to working with you.”
Qiao Qi smiled faintly and thanked him. She stood by the car door, watching them enter the hotel. Once the two had stepped into the elevator, Xu Yangpu opened the car door for her. Qiao Qi got in and gently rubbed her temples to ease her discomfort.
Xu Yangpu saw her every move in the rearview mirror. “President Qiao,” he said, “should I take you home to rest first? I can pick you up and bring you back to the office this afternoon.”
“No need. Straight back to the office.”
Qiao Qi rubbed her temples for five minutes until the discomfort subsided a little. She took her phone out of her bag and called home. The call connected quickly, and she heard her mother ask happily, “Are you almost here?”
Qiao Qi felt a pang of sadness. “I’m sorry, Mom,” she said apologetically. “The people from U.E. are in China, so I won’t be able to come see you for a while. Please tell Dad and Grandpa I’m sorry.”
Although her mother was disappointed, she didn’t want to hear her daughter speaking so formally. “If you’re busy, then focus on your work. Come back when you’re not busy. What is there to apologize for? Your mom, dad, and grandpa all understand and respect you. We only want you to come back because we’re afraid you’ll work too hard and exhaust yourself. We’re family, there’s no need for all these sorries.”
Being scolded by her mother made Qiao Qi feel relieved, and her tone brightened. “Don’t worry, Mom, I’ll take care of myself. It’s you, Dad, and Grandpa that I’m worried about.” Outside the car window, the trees were full of green branches. The colors of spring always lifted one’s spirits. “Spring is here,” she said. “How about I have Xiao Qiu arrange a trip for you all?”
A smile appeared on her mother’s face. “Your father has always wanted to go to Africa. If you’re really going to arrange something, you should fulfill your father’s wish.”
“I’ll have Xiao Qiu arrange it as soon as I get back. I’ll come see you all once I’m through this busy period.”
“Okay. When your father gets home tonight, call again. Tell him about your plan yourself and make him happy.”
“I know, Mom.”
When Qiao Qi returned to Ruifeng, the flowers from Gu Jianchu had once again arrived before her. This time, however, the card was handwritten by Gu Jianchu herself: miss you. The moment Qiao Qi saw the bouquet, her face bloomed into a smile as lovely as a flower—lovelier, even. At the same time, Yao Qiu handed her the final design for the earrings. She was very satisfied.
“Have them made according to this.”
“Okay, I’ll go inform them now.”
“Also, please arrange a trip to Africa for my parents. It would be best if it’s during this busy period of mine.”
“Of course, President Qiao. If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave.”
The colors of spring spread rapidly. Looking down from the thirty-fourth floor, the long streets were lined with green trees and dotted with crimson blossoms. Qiao Qi stood by the window, phone in hand. The weather was clear today, and she could see Rongfang’s tall building in the distance, even making out its glass facade glinting in the sunlight. She dialed Gu Jianchu’s number, but the line was busy.
Gu Jianchu was on a call with Qi Simiao, who had asked to meet her that evening. Her voice was completely devoid of emotion as she refused. “I still have work to do. I’m hanging up.”
“Why?” The more Qi Simiao thought about her, the less she could stand her indifference. “In what way am I inferior to Qiao Qi?” she asked, unwilling to accept it. “Why is it okay for her, but not for me?”
“Qi Simiao,” Gu Jianchu’s voice was icy. “Adults shouldn’t ask such childish questions. Also, I don’t want to hear any rumors about Qiao Qi and me.”
Qi Simiao suddenly burst out laughing, a wild and brazen sound. “Gu Jianchu, if I can’t have something, she can’t have it either.”
Gu Jianchu’s brow tightened. The line had already gone dead; Qi Simiao had hung up so quickly that Gu Jianchu’s anger was left simmering in her chest. The phone’s notification light was still blinking, indicating a missed call. She opened it and saw that Qiao Qi had called a few minutes ago. Her finger hovered over the screen to call back, but she hesitated.
Qiao Qi waited for a while, but Gu Jianchu didn’t call back. She pulled her gaze away from the window and refocused on her work. Meanwhile, Gu Jianchu, who hadn’t returned the call, found herself unable to concentrate. She kneaded the bridge of her nose and called Liu Yanyan in.
“Postpone this afternoon’s work until tomorrow. I’m going out for a bit. If anything comes up, handle it directly. You don’t need to ask me.”
Gu Jianchu quickly finished up the work at hand and left Rongfang. Hank had called her as soon as he arrived, asking her to make good on her promise from the U.S. to be their guide. When she pulled up to the hotel, Hank was already waiting in the lobby with Thomas. It was Thomas’s first time meeting Gu Jianchu, and he was stunned by her beauty.
Hank said, “We’re all yours this afternoon, Miss Gu.” With a smile as warm as a spring breeze, Gu Jianchu invited them into her car.
Around six o’clock, Yao Qiu knocked on the door to Qiao Qi’s office. Qiao Qi looked up, bewildered. A glance at the digital clock on her desk made her understand. “You can go home for the day.” The days were longer in spring, and the sky was still bright at this hour, so it was hard for her to notice it was quitting time when she was so immersed in her work.
“What would you like for dinner, President Qiao?”
Qiao Qi shook her head. She had no appetite. “Don’t worry about me. Just go home.”
Yao Qiu’s heart ached for her. She asked softly, “How about some shrimp wontons from Zhongding Xuan? Or you can choose between the crab roe tofu soup from Xianwei Fang or the five-color congee from Sushan Fang.”
Qiao Qi knew Yao Qiu wouldn’t give up until she chose something. After some serious thought, she picked the shrimp wontons. Yao Qiu seemed to let out a sigh of relief, a smile appearing on her face. “I’ll call and have them delivered right away,” she said.
“Order something for your own dinner as well.”
“I’ll be fine. If there’s nothing else, I’ll step out for now. I’ll bring the wontons in for you when they arrive.”
Although the sky was still light, the visibility was poor. The distant Rongfang building was no longer as clear as it had been that morning. Gu Jianchu hadn’t called her back all afternoon. Qiao Qi felt a sense of loss. She wanted to treat it as nothing, but found it difficult. She thought about calling Gu Jianchu again, but after hesitating, she dismissed the idea.
When the shrimp wontons arrived, they were the perfect temperature to eat. Yao Qiu stood unmoving by the long table, supervising her. With a helpless smile, Qiao Qi forced down three or four before reaching for a napkin to end the meal. Yao Qiu coaxed and cajoled her into eating two or three more before finally letting her off the hook. Qiao Qi leaned back in her chair and smiled at Yao Qiu. “Alright, I’ve eaten the wontons. Your mission is complete. Go home now.”
Yao Qiu didn’t reply, simply cleaning up quietly before leaving the office. Qiao Qi glanced out the window. The sky had darkened. Although a faint glimmer of light remained on the distant horizon, it was too weak to illuminate the sky. She returned to her desk, sat down, and resumed the work that had been interrupted, hoping to tame the wild thoughts of Gu Jianchu in her mind.
Su Jiayin left the hospital a little after nine. At ten, she made a detour to Qiao Qi’s house and rang the doorbell. As expected, no one was home. She sat in her car and made the call. The sudden vibration of the phone on her desk startled Qiao Qi. She quickly looked at the screen—it was Su Jiayin.
The moment she answered, the other woman began to scold her. “Do you have any idea what time it is? All you know is how to work overtime. Do you even want your health anymore? Is there something so important it has to be finished tonight? Not even the Secretary-General of the UN is as busy as you. Get yourself home right now. I’m going to go home and take a shower, and then I’m coming over to check on you.” She didn’t even wait for a reply before hanging up.
Only then did Qiao Qi notice the time on the digital clock. If she got home any later, Ping An would probably scratch her. She gathered her things and walked out of her office. The lights in the outer office were still on. She stopped at Yao Qiu’s desk. The computer was on, and a file was spread open on the desk. It looked like she had just stepped out to the break room. Qiao Qi headed toward it.
Yao Qiu was walking toward her, holding a cup of coffee. She was startled to see Qiao Qi, then asked, “President Qiao, are you leaving for the night?”
“Yes. Go pack your things. We’ll leave together.” Qiao Qi glanced at the color of the liquid in her cup. “It’s too late for coffee,” she added.
Yao Qiu then realized Qiao Qi was waiting for her. “President Qiao, just give me a minute,” she said quickly.
Because Qiao Qi knew she would be working late, she had told her driver to go home early. Her original plan was to drop Yao Qiu off before going home herself, but Yao Qiu insisted on taking her home first, so she had no choice but to compromise.
Qiao Qi felt tired but not sleepy. She sat in the back seat with her eyes closed, resting. Yao Qiu drove around the natural lake and pulled up in front of her house, but then let out a soft gasp of surprise. Qiao Qi opened her eyes and saw the blurry outline of a car parked outside her gate through the windshield. She thought it was Su Jiayin, here to check up on her. But when the headlights turned off, she saw that the figure getting out of the car looked more like Gu Jianchu. Yao Qiu confirmed her suspicion.
“I think that’s President Gu up ahead.”
It really was Gu Jianchu. Qiao Qi got out of the car and walked toward her. The moment Gu Jianchu saw her, her face lit up with a smile. As Qiao Qi drew closer, Gu Jianchu threw herself into her arms. The scene made Yao Qiu’s eyes go wide. She wanted to gossip but didn’t dare. She restarted the car and slowly drove away.
From afternoon to evening, Gu Jianchu had gone to many places and been very busy, but she found herself thinking of Qiao Qi at random moments. Besides, the two people she was accompanying were also connected to Qiao Qi. Coming here hadn’t been part of her original plan, but a voice kept tempting her, leading her here.
Qiao Qi asked, “Have you been drinking?”
“Not much.”
Qiao Qi’s expression darkened, her voice uncharacteristically stern. “You drank and drove.”
“Yanyan drove me here. Who knew you wouldn’t be home? I had her leave first and just sat in the car waiting for you.”
“You had Liu Yanyan walk from here to catch a cab? This is the suburbs; it’s hard to get a car. It’s dangerous for a young woman alone in the middle of the night.”
Gu Jianchu lifted her head from the crook of Qiao Qi’s neck, her sparkling eyes filled with a silent, aggrieved protest. Qiao Qi’s heart instantly softened. Then she heard Gu Jianchu say, “I considered that it wouldn’t be safe for her to go home, so I had my driver follow her the whole time. The reason I had her drive me here was because I wanted to leave the car so I could get to the office tomorrow morning.”
Qiao Qi cupped her face and nuzzled her nose. “It’s still cold out here. Let’s go inside.”
The gate opened. Qiao Qi didn’t let Gu Jianchu drive the remaining few feet. She shooed her into the passenger seat, got into the driver’s seat herself, and parked the car in the ground-floor garage. Hearing the front door, Ping An stretched lazily and ambled over. Before Qiao Qi could even bend down to pick her up, she was pressed against the door by Gu Jianchu and kissed.
The scent of wine still lingered on Gu Jianchu’s lips and tongue, intoxicating. She wouldn’t let Qiao Qi go, kissing her all the way to the bathroom. So, when Su Jiayin called to check on her after her shower, it was completely impossible for Qiao Qi to answer. Fortunately, Su Jiayin had the sense to call Yao Qiu to ask about the situation instead of charging over directly.
After a night of passion, Qiao Qi never mentioned the unanswered phone call from that afternoon, and neither did Gu Jianchu. By tacit understanding, they both treated the missed call as something not worth dwelling on.
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