PB - Chapter 37
Chapter 37
Judging by the time Qiao Qi returned to Ruifeng, Jin Zhihuan knew that this time, he could finally kick her out with a legitimate reason. He leaned back in his office chair with his eyes closed, his face filled with unsuppressible excitement. A short while later, his family called to tell him that the old master would be out of town for a few days. After hanging up, he no longer suppressed the smile spreading across his face. The entire day had been nothing but good news for him.
Yao Qiu also saw from Qiao Qi’s expression when she returned to the thirty-fourth floor that something was wrong. She gave Xu Yangpu, who was following behind, a look. Xu Yangpu just shook his head slightly, and Yao Qiu understood, following him into Qiao Qi’s office.
Qiao Qi sat down in her office chair, her expression calm. “Have Ning Song come to the company.”
“Alright, I’ll go right away.”
Xu Yangpu tentatively said, “President Qiao, I have a feeling this was premeditated.”
Only then did Qiao Qi show a smile. “Yangpu, you guessed right. So you don’t need to investigate who leaked the proposal. This matter won’t end this way.”
“Failing to secure one project isn’t enough for the board of directors to hold you personally accountable.” As soon as he said it, Xu Yangpu had a sudden realization. “What should we do next?”
Qiao Qi didn’t answer his question. Instead, she stood up and took a file box from the middle shelf of a cabinet. “Take a look at the new data the Data Analysis Center sent over last time.”
Upon receiving the call, Ning Song rushed to the Ruifeng building as fast as he could. Qiao Qi rarely asked him to come directly to her office, so their upcoming conversation was likely more important than usual. He knew today was the day of the negotiations with U.E., but from Yao Qiu’s brief words, he concluded that the negotiations had failed. He was somewhat prepared.
Not only did Ning Song rarely visit Qiao Qi’s office, but he also seldom came to Ruifeng at all. As luck would have it, he ran into Qi Er, who was on his way out. Seeing Ning Song, Qi Er couldn’t help but put on airs. Normally, Ning Song couldn’t be bothered to deal with him, let alone today when Qiao Qi had summoned him for something important. And so, in full view of everyone, Ning Song ignored Qi Er’s posturing. The news of this spread quickly through the company.
By the time the rumor reached Jin Zhihuan’s ears, Ning Song’s destination was also widely known. Jin Zhihuan looked at Qi Er across from him with a cold smile. He had always thought Qi Er simply couldn’t keep the Data Analysis Center in line; only today did he realize the entire department was loyal to Qiao Qi.
“You actually hid something this important from me until now. Second Brother, you’re quite the actor. So what exactly have you been doing at the Data Analysis Center all this time? Those reports you brought back were all fabricated, weren’t they?”
Qi Er gave him an apologetic smile. “Zhihuan, Zhihuan, this is my fault. I have my pride too. If word got out that I was played, I’d have nowhere to hide my old face.”
“I don’t care if you have a place to hide your face or not. Do you have any idea how important this department is? How many key projects it has? How much revenue it generates for the company each year? Huh? How am I supposed to take it over now? Second Brother, oh, Second Brother, don’t you have any sense of what’s more important—your precious pride or Ruifeng?”
“Zhihuan, this time it’s my fault. I apologize,” Qi Er said. Being reprimanded by Jin Zhihuan like this, he wanted to lash out but didn’t dare. He could only change the subject. “I heard Miaomiao has been a great help to you recently. Let her merits make up for my mistake, let them make up for it.”
“If it weren’t for the fact that Simiao did indeed contribute greatly this time, I would have had security escort you out of the building long ago. Second Brother, I’m warning you, don’t try any more of your petty schemes. Your pride really isn’t that important. I have work to do, you can leave now.”
Fuming, Qi Er cursed all the way out the door, damning the entire Jin family, including Qiao Qi. Still not satisfied, he called Qi Simiao and yelled at her too. Qi Simiao, bewildered by his tirade, simply hung up on his madness.
In comparison, Qiao Qi’s office was much calmer. She held the data Ning Song had just brought. “The domestic new energy market is huge. Although Ruifeng’s collaboration with U.E. failed, I had Ning Song analyze several domestic companies that are also doing R&D in this area beforehand. As for which one we’ll ultimately partner with, I’ll leave that to the two of you.”
Ning Song nodded. “I know what to do.”
Qiao Qi spent the entire afternoon in meetings, big and small. Her work didn’t officially end until ten at night. She told Xu Yangpu and Yao Qiu to leave first, but she herself stayed in the office to continue working overtime. Yao Qiu wanted to persuade her otherwise, but Xu Yangpu pulled her away.
Only in the elevator did Yao Qiu dare to ask about what happened at U.E. today. “Is President Qiao really not going to investigate the leak of our proposal?”
“She is, but it’s not President Qiao who will investigate. I’m the one who wants to find this person.”
Yao Qiu understood. She then asked, “Why did you stop me from taking President Qiao home just now?”
Xu Yangpu thought of Gu Jianchu’s expression that morning and said, “Can’t you tell President Qiao doesn’t want to go back? There’s a bedroom in the office, you don’t need to worry.”
“Why?” After asking, Yao Qiu remembered seeing Gu Jianchu outside the door once when she was taking President Qiao home. She suddenly understood. “Is it because of President Gu from Rongfang?”
Xu Yangpu didn’t answer, only saying, “Remember to come in early tomorrow morning to prepare breakfast for President Qiao.”
“Alright, don’t worry.”
As Yao Qiu and Xu Yangpu left the Ruifeng building, they didn’t notice Gu Jianchu’s car parked downstairs. Gu Jianchu had also returned to Rongfang and worked late. She had intended to find Qiao Qi, but she had a faint guess that after today’s events, Qiao Qi would avoid her. The lights on the thirty-fourth floor were still on. She was reluctant to leave, but she drove away nonetheless.
That night, Jin Zhiyu also got wind of the news. After hesitating for a long time, he figured she was working overtime and called to ask for her opinion. “Can I come back?”
“If you’re ready, you can come back.”
“This was Jin Zhihuan’s doing. Sister Qiqi, if you have any plans, let me know in advance. I’ll definitely be on your side.”
She thought for a moment, then told him her true thoughts. “Zhiyu, I don’t mind competition that involves scheming for profit. I just hate the practice of disregarding the company’s interests for personal gain. It’s good that you’re coming back now. Ruifeng is not suited to be in Jin Zhihuan’s hands.”
Jin Zhiyu was stunned, his memory pulled back to three years ago. Qiao Qi had said something similar to him then. The time he was framed for drug use was also Jin Zhihuan’s handiwork. His grandfather was out of the country, and his father had tried to save him but was obstructed. If Qiao Qi hadn’t suddenly appeared and helped him get in touch with his grandfather, he might have spent the last few years in prison.
He remembered asking her then why she helped him; he didn’t believe she could be so kind. The situation was just like this one. Over the phone, Qiao Qi had said she just disliked the act of framing others for one’s own benefit. He was shocked when he first heard that. Later, he came to feel that Qiao Qi was at least open and honorable, much better than the brother who had grown up with him and stabbed him in the back.
His memory returned to the present, and he said, “Okay, I understand. No matter what you do, Sister Qiqi, I’ll support you. It’s late over there, get some rest.”
After hanging up, Qiao Qi gazed out the window. The city, shrouded in darkness, lacked its daytime vitality, just as she now lacked her usual energy. Her sadness was merely hidden by her habitual composure, using all her strength to keep it confined within her heart.
The next day, Qiao Qi woke up in the bedroom attached to her office. The weather outside was gloomy. The thirty-fourth floor, being closer to the sky, seemed to feel the oppression of the overcast, rainy day even more acutely. A storm was brewing, but she faced it with composure.
Xu Yangpu also arrived early. Qiao Qi had him hand over some of the projects they had discussed yesterday for the soon-to-return Jin Zhiyu to follow up on. Xu Yangpu asked her, “Is it appropriate for Young Master Jin to come back now?”
“There’s no such thing as appropriate or not. If he wants to come back, then it’s the right time.”
Xu Yangpu understood Qiao Qi’s arrangement. If Jin Zhiyu returned without any projects to manage directly, he would quickly be manipulated by Jin Zhihuan. After all, Jin Zhiyu’s roots in the company were too shallow, making him easily controlled by others. He had witnessed Young Master Jin’s growth since he went abroad, and moreover, he trusted Qiao Qi’s arrangements. So, he dismissed his doubts and began a new round of busy work.
Jin Zhihuan was particularly attentive today. After breakfast, he stayed by the old master’s side, afraid of any last-minute changes. By the time he saw the old master off and rushed back to the company, it was nearly eleven in the morning. Everyone who saw him could tell he was in a good mood, and soon, various rumors began to circulate within the company.
As soon as Jin Zhihuan entered his office, he saw Jin Zhilan, who had been waiting for him since early morning. Seeing him return, her face lit up with joy. “Big Brother, you have to remember this contribution of mine.”
Jin Zhihuan smiled. “Just say what you want.”
“I want too many things, I’ll have to think about it slowly. Grandpa’s gone. When are you planning to make your move, Big Brother?” Jin Zhilan leaned against the desk and said, “There’s no time like the present. I think this afternoon would be perfect.”
“I still have work to do. Go wait in your office for a while.” After Jin Zhilan left, Jin Zhihuan began to arrange for an emergency board meeting.
At one in the afternoon, the thirty-fourth floor received a notice from the President’s Office about an emergency board meeting to be held at two. Both Yao Qiu and Xu Yangpu were stunned, not expecting the follow-up action to come so quickly. Yao Qiu used the internal line to report the notice to Qiao Qi in her office. Qiao Qi simply said she understood and nothing more.
At two in the afternoon, Qiao Qi was seated in the conference room on time. All the local directors were present, and those not in the city had already connected via video conference. Qiao Qi sat there with her fingers interlaced, her expression calm. The directors sitting nearby whispered amongst themselves, exchanging thoughts, seemingly already aware of the meeting’s purpose.
The meeting officially began, presided over by Jin Zhihuan’s special assistant. Following the usual format, it started with formalities. Jin Zhihuan sat there, his gaze sweeping over Qiao Qi from time to time. Looking at her today, he felt a sense of triumph, like catching a turtle in a jar, certain of victory. He was impatient for the formalities to end.
After enduring for nearly half an hour, it was finally Jin Zhihuan’s turn to perform. He aimed his attack directly at Qiao Qi. “Vice President Qiao, do you have anything to say about losing the U.E. project yesterday?”
“No.”
“The group invested a great deal of manpower and resources into this collaboration. A simple ‘no’ from you isn’t enough of an explanation. I’d very much like to know how Vice President Qiao managed to lose this project when we had a clear advantage.”
The conference room was exceptionally quiet. Anyone with discerning eyes could see this was an internal power struggle. They also noticed that Old Master Jin was absent, leaving them to wonder what schemes were afoot.
Qiao Qi met his gaze calmly, not saying a word. Jin Zhihuan could read her eyes; they clearly showed her disdain for playing along with his act. A nameless fire filled his chest, and he said angrily, “I move that the board of directors immediately suspend Qiao Qi from all her duties in the group and form a special team to investigate her negligence in this project.”
One of the directors said, “President Jin, project failures are common for any company. Aren’t you making a mountain out of a molehill?”
“I wouldn’t have requested an emergency board meeting to hold a vice president accountable over a single project if I didn’t have evidence. To my knowledge, the reason Rongfang was able to secure the partnership with U.E. with a better proposal is that someone abused their position for personal gain and leaked our company’s secrets, which led to our failure in this collaboration.”
“If that’s what you’re saying, President Jin, then it certainly needs to be investigated thoroughly. However…”
Jin Zhihuan didn’t give the other person a chance to finish. He intended to resolve this quickly. “Our Vice President Qiao is said to be very close with Rongfang’s President Gu Jianchu. That is why I am requesting the board to form a special team to investigate Vice President Qiao.”
That director had no choice but to turn to Qiao Qi. “Vice President Qiao, do you have anything to say about this? We need to hear your side first.”
Qiao Qi’s expression was composed. She sat there, tall and straight. She met all the gazes directed at her with unruffled calm. When she spoke, her voice was still gentle, but it carried weight. “I will take full responsibility for this oversight. I will resign from my position as Vice President of the company and am willing to accept an internal investigation.”
Jin Zhihuan hadn’t expected Qiao Qi to relinquish her position as vice president so easily. She didn’t even put up a fight, which both surprised and delighted him. The conference room fell silent. No one had expected this internal struggle to end so unceremoniously. Just as everyone present thought the dust had settled, the door to the conference room was suddenly pushed open.
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