PB - Chapter 33
Chapter 33
In another room in the city, a night of passion had also just passed. Qi Simiao, wrapped in a bathrobe, sat on the edge of the bed as Gu Mingyi kissed her exposed shoulder from behind.
“Leaving so soon?”
“If Young Master Gu isn’t satisfied, you can always make a few more calls.” Qi Simiao pushed Gu Mingyi away, got out of bed, and went into the bathroom.
Gu Mingyi leaned against the headboard and lit a cigarette. He and Qi Simiao had met at a party a few days ago. Fueled by alcohol, they had hinted at their mutual interest and had been sleeping together on and off for the past few nights.
After her shower, Qi Simiao glanced at Gu Mingyi smoking in bed, gathered her things, and left. And Gu Mingyi really did make another call to continue his unfinished night.
The mere thought of Qiao Qi drove Qi Simiao mad with jealousy. She had known Gu Jianchu for years and had seen her with many people, but Qiao Qi was the one she couldn’t stand. Gu Jianchu treated her differently than anyone before. Qi Simiao could see better than anyone that Gu Jianchu had a special affection for Qiao Qi. Alone on the road late at night, she let her madness take over, driving faster and faster.
The next day, Qiao Qi was up before Gu Jianchu as usual. When Gu Jianchu came downstairs, she saw Qiao Qi standing before the floor-to-ceiling window, lost in thought. She tiptoed over and hugged her from behind, startling a small gasp out of Qiao Qi.
“The first time I saw you, you were also standing by a window, spacing out just like this. What are you thinking about?”
“Nothing at all.” Qiao Qi slipped out of her embrace and pulled her toward the dining table. “Let’s have breakfast.”
Breakfast had been changed to sandwiches and milk. Gu Jianchu raised an eyebrow, surprised by the variety. She quickly pulled Qiao Qi back in for a kiss as a reward.
That morning, Gu Jianchu had an early meeting at a branch office, so she was heading in the same direction as Qiao Qi. She drove behind Qiao Qi’s car, noticing how gently she drove. A smile never left her face. At an intersection, their cars went in different directions. The traffic slowly grew heavier with time, marking the start of another busy day.
The two representatives from U.E. Company had been busy ever since their arrival. They had visited Ruifeng and Rongfang, and had even been invited to Shenzhen by Changfa. Within a week, they had inspected several major domestic companies and were constantly reporting back to their U.S. headquarters with information and opinions. Headquarters had instructed them to select the most suitable company based on overall strength.
Hank and Thomas favored Rongfang and Ruifeng, respectively. They couldn’t reach a consensus on the final choice, but headquarters was leaning toward Thomas’s pick, Ruifeng. Because the partnership also involved several agency rights, Hank came up with an idea to have both companies prepare a proposal for selection. The proposal was adopted by headquarters.
In Thomas’s view, this was just a delaying tactic. When the two proposals were submitted, he could still favor Ruifeng. He also trusted that Ruifeng’s capabilities would not disappoint him.
Hank was well aware of this, so he called Gu Jianchu to inform her of the current situation. Gu Jianchu thanked him for his help, but after hanging up, she still felt a wave of frustration. She raised a hand to pinch the bridge of her nose. She knew Qiao Qi’s abilities all too well and wasn’t sure whether she should feel fortunate to have such an opponent.
Liu Yanyan knocked and entered with a document. “The front desk just called up. A Miss Qi Simiao is here to see you.”
“Tell her I don’t have time.”
“Understood.”
A short while later, Qi Simiao, likely having been told that Gu Jianchu wouldn’t see her, called her directly. Gu Jianchu’s voice was cool when she answered. “I’m very busy.”
Qi Simiao was completely unfazed, her tone softening. “Jianchu, I know you’ve been busy lately. I was wrong to throw a tantrum on the phone last time. Please, can you let me come up? I have something important to tell you. It’s about U.E.”
Gu Jianchu was silent, as if weighing Qi Simiao’s motives. In the end, she agreed to let her come up. In her office, Qi Simiao was all smiles and laughter, showing no trace of her hysteria from the other day’s phone call. Gu Jianchu rested her chin on her hand and watched her quietly, waiting for her to get to the point.
Qi Simiao stopped beating around the bush. “Do you know what your uncle is planning to do to you? He’s known for a while that your partnership with U.E. would threaten him, so he’s already made a plan to kick you out first.”
“How do you know that?”
“I heard it from Gu Mingyi, so you can trust me completely.” Qi Simiao’s eyes were fixed on her, a smile on her face. “Jianchu, if you can’t secure the partnership with U.E., everything you have at Rongfang will be destroyed. Are you willing to let that happen?”
“You might as well just state your purpose.”
“As long as you’re willing, I can help you find out about Qiao Qi’s progress, and I can tell you everything I learn from Gu Mingyi.”
“Why would you do that?”
“Why?” Qi Simiao suddenly moved closer, her expression full of affection. “Because I love you. I know how much you care about Rongfang, and I know what your uncle will do to you if you lose power. Of course I have to help you. How could I just stand by and watch you lose Rongfang, lose everything?”
The moment Qi Simiao drew near, Gu Jianchu instinctively recoiled. She didn’t doubt Qi Simiao’s feelings for her, but she also knew she hadn’t revealed her true motives. “Can you be trusted?”
“Jianchu, I really do love you, and I really want to help you. You have to believe me. Only I can help you win the U.E. partnership. Then you’ll know just how much I care about you.”
“First, tell me what Gu Yong is planning.”
Qi Simiao repeated everything she had coaxed out of Gu Mingyi, word for word. Gu Jianchu sneered. Her uncle had really wasted all those years of his life, coming up with a scheme to conspire with people around her to set a trap. It wasn’t the least bit surprising.
“Jianchu, you need to be careful of the people around you.”
“You don’t need to worry about that.”
“As for Qiao Qi’s side…”
Gu Jianchu raised a hand to stop Qi Simiao. “I don’t want to know right now.”
Qi Simiao gave a sweet smile. “Alright. Come find me when you need to know. I’ll keep an eye on things over there for you.”
Gu Jianchu didn’t reply, neither accepting nor refusing. She glanced at her watch. “I have work to do.”
“Okay, I won’t disturb you then.” Qi Simiao was very obedient. She made a ‘call me’ gesture at Gu Jianchu. “I’ll be waiting for your call.”
What would she do if her opponent wasn’t Qiao Qi? Fair competition was all well and good, but the feeling of being the winner was better. Was Qiao Qi really that special to her? Special enough that Qi Simiao would go to such lengths, even sacrificing Ruifeng’s immense interests to help her? And it seemed unlikely that Qi Simiao could accomplish all this on her own.
Qiao Qi was completely oblivious to all of this. She had no idea that Zhao Xiangqian was reporting every detail of their meetings to Jin Zhihuan. She couldn’t even imagine that Jin Zhihuan was willing to sell the proposal—the product of several departments’ hard work—to Rongfang, just for a chance to oust her.
At that moment, Qiao Qi was still in her office discussing the negotiations with U.E. scheduled for the day after tomorrow with Xu Yangpu, striving to perfect their proposal. Suddenly, the phone rang. It was Shen Shoucheng. Qiao Qi answered with a smile.
Shen Shoucheng’s slightly excited voice came through the line. “Sister Qiqi, I’m back!”
Qiao Qi was stunned for a moment, then understood. “Where are you now?”
“At Changfa’s branch office here. Can I come find you for lunch later?”
“Of course. Tell me what you want to eat, and I’ll have Xiao Qiu book it in advance.”
“Let me book it instead. Sister Qiqi, you get back to work. I’ll come find you later.”
“Okay.” After hanging up, Qiao Qi said to Xu Yangpu, “Shoucheng’s presence in Beijing must mean Changfa wants to see whether we or Rongfang will ultimately win the U.E. partnership.”
“President Shen knows Changfa can’t partner with U.E. directly, but he still wants a piece of the pie. They’ll wait for the result here and then approach the winner to discuss a partnership. It looks like Miss Shen will be stationed here for the long term.”
“Shoucheng is coming to have lunch with me later. Want to join?”
Xu Yangpu knew Shen Shoucheng’s feelings for Qiao Qi were not ordinary, so he naturally declined. “I already have plans with Yu Yao.”
Qiao Qi glanced at the time; it was almost the lunch break. “We can discuss the rest this afternoon. You go get lunch first.” Xu Yangpu decided to follow through on his casual excuse and actually left Qiao Qi’s office to find Yu Yao for lunch.
Shen Shoucheng had once been a temporary employee at Ruifeng, and the receptionist still remembered her. Without asking if she had an appointment, she was allowed straight up to the thirty-fourth floor. The moment she entered, she gave Qiao Qi a beautiful smile. When she saw Qiao Qi’s eyes curve into a smile in return, her own grin grew even brighter.
“Sister Qiqi, are you done with work? I’ve already booked a place.”
Qiao Qi stood up and walked out of the office beside her. “Did you drive here yourself?”
“I’ll be staying here for a long time, so I bought a car in advance. Also, the place I’m living now is very close to your house. Can I come visit you in the future?”
“Of course.”
During the meal, Qiao Qi asked her, “Are you here this time because of U.E.?”
Shen Shoucheng wasn’t surprised that Qiao Qi had guessed Changfa’s purpose. “My father places great importance on the market U.E. will be able to capture in the future.” She suddenly smiled and said, “Sister Qiqi, I’m really looking forward to working with you.”
“Shoucheng, don’t speak with such certainty about things that haven’t been decided yet.”
“My father said Ruifeng has a better chance of winning, which is why he sent me.” President Shen was banking on the relationship Shen Shoucheng had built as Qiao Qi’s assistant for several months. Qiao Qi had guessed as much.
“If you need anything while you’re here, you can let me know.”
“Thank you, Sister Qiqi. It would be great if you could teach me more about work in the future when there’s something I don’t understand.”
Shen Shoucheng adored the gentle smile in Qiao Qi’s eyes. In her mind, Qiao Qi was both gentle and powerful, like a mountain one could only look up to. She stood there silently, permitting you to climb, but no matter how hard you tried to reach the summit, you could never possess her. She was majestic and inviolable. Shen Shoucheng only wished that time would slow down, just to give her a little more opportunity to be with her.
Unfortunately, fate was so unfair. When Gu Jianchu wanted to see Qiao Qi, she could appear so easily. Shen Shoucheng caught the look of happy surprise on Qiao Qi’s face, and a sorrow she couldn’t suppress spread from the depths of her heart. Gu Jianchu had long seen Shen Shoucheng’s feelings for Qiao Qi, but she still found it hard to believe the sadness the other woman was trying so hard to conceal.
“Miss Shen, I hope you don’t mind my sudden visit?”
“Not at all, President Gu. Of course I don’t mind.”
Gu Jianchu sat down to Qiao Qi’s right and explained, “I went to Ruifeng to find you, and Xu Yangpu told me you were here with Miss Shen. I meant to call ahead before coming over, but I kept getting calls on the way.”
Qiao Qi smiled faintly and said softly, “Shoucheng and I were just talking about you.”
Gu Jianchu raised an eyebrow and smiled. “It seems I’ve come at just the right time.” After a few words, not wanting to neglect Shen Shoucheng, she asked, “Miss Shen, are you here on a business trip this time, or are you staying long-term?”
“Long-term. I hope to have more opportunities to cooperate with you in the future, President Gu.”
“I also look forward to working with you again, Miss Shen.”
After lunch, the three of them returned to their respective companies. The weather forecast had predicted that due to the northward shift of the subtropical high-pressure system over the ocean, the city would experience continuous rainfall for the coming period. Before three in the afternoon, the lights in the entire building came on as a sudden downpour began. Heavy raindrops struck the glass of the thirty-fourth floor, looking just like exploding fireworks.
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