DTBS – Chapter 3
Chapter 3: Scumbag
Old Master Tao woke up, looked at Director Liu, and said in a deep voice, "Little Liu, I just had a dream. I dreamed that child Qiuqiu got a girl pregnant and wasn't responsible, and the child..." Before he finished speaking, he saw the little girl sitting on a small stool, watching him with sparkling eyes.
A beautiful, delicate little princess. It would be great if she didn't look like the child in his dream.
"Old Master," Director Liu said with a pained expression, "It wasn't a dream. The novel has become reality."
"What novel?" Old Master Tao didn't read novels.
"《After the Female Star Ran Away With the Ball, the CEO Chases Her Crematorium-Style》," Director Liu coughed, his face flushed as he defended himself. "My daughter has been reading this novel recently. I confiscated it. I personally don't like reading these things."
"Nonsense!" Old Master Tao suddenly sat up with a jolt. "How could my granddaughter have a 'crematorium' arc? Spit, spit, spit!"
Tao Aiqin: ...This old man is quite amusing.
Seeing that Director Liu had spat three times and hadn't cursed his precious granddaughter, Old Master Tao gripped his cane, stood up, and said in a deep voice, "Prepare the car! I'll go to the company myself and ask her!"
After speaking, he looked at the little girl's puzzled face, his expression instantly softening. "Come, Grandpa... Great Grandfather will take you to find Mama."
Tao Aiqin shook her head. "You're not Great Grandfather. I'm not going! I want to wait for Mama to pick me up."
"Great Grandfather is taking you to find Mama," Tao Shizhou looked at that face, his heart instantly melting into a puddle. "Don't be scared, baby. Great Grandfather will stand up for you and your mother."
"I don't know you," the girl said, looking a bit troubled. "You're a stranger. Mama said if I get lost, I should find a police sister, and I shouldn't go with strangers."
Tao Shizhou turned to Director Liu. "Little Liu, I haven't asked yet, what's the deal with that report? What exactly happened?"
"It's like this," Director Liu explained. "The little girl got lost. She wanted to come to the police station to wait for her family. As for the report she was holding, she said a masked sister gave it to her and told her to give it to the police."
Tao Shizhou's face turned serious. "Then what about her family's contact information?"
"We asked, but the child wouldn't say. She said she just wanted to wait for her family to find her, and she wasn't willing to say who her mother was."
Hearing this, Old Master Tao frowned. "What, is her mother some kind of celebrity?"
Afterwards, he turned his head and said a few words to his trusted butler, Zhang Cheng. Only then did he look gently at Tao Aiqin, squatting down and saying, "Qinqin, be good. How about you wait for Mama here first? Great Grandfather will go bring Mama over."
"Do you really know Mama?" The little girl tilted her head, clearly confused.
"I know your other Mama," Tao Shizhou smiled at her. "See how other babies have a Dada and Mama, or two Mamas, right? Our baby Qinqin definitely has two Mamas too."
"But," the girl said, her face full of confusion, "Qinqin only has one Mama."
"You have two Mamas, and both Mamas love Qinqin very much. Great Grandfather will go get Qinqin's other Mama to come see you, okay?"
"But I've only seen one Mama." The girl tilted her head, then held up one finger.
"So smart! Truly Qiuqiu's child! Oh my, how is she so cute!" Old Master Tao was full of excitement.
Tao Aiqin: ...Wait, a four-and-a-half-year-old should be able to hold up one finger, right? What's there to be excited about?
System: I am an AI, I don't understand humans.
"CEO Tao," Zheng Liuyu placed a document next to Tao Qiuyun's hand. "Sorry to interrupt your meal, CEO Tao. This is a report from IOM. Would you like to take a look?"
Tao Qiuyun stopped picking up food, wiped her mouth with a napkin, tidied up the table briefly, then picked up the document and started reading.
Zheng Liuyu had been observing her boss's expression and only relaxed after seeing that she wasn't actually displeased about being interrupted.
It seemed CEO Tao kept her word; she was completely calm despite being interrupted during her meal by work matters.
"IOM's previous reports didn't go through me, did they?" Tao Qiuyun's expression was indifferent, showing no sign of emotion.
"Yes, although the IOM brand is under Chunjin Group, the usual reports go through Jiaxing and are listed under Jiaxing," Zheng Liuyu quickly explained.
"Then the Review and Approval Office filtered this kind of thing to me?" Tao Qiuyun raised her eyes, glanced at the woman beside her, her voice devoid of emotion. "Have Chang Xin come over."
"CEO Tao," after half a year of observing her, Zheng Liuyu instantly realized she was angry and immediately helped explain, "This report was sent directly by the IOM director and didn't go through the Review and Approval Office process."
"I made it very clear, except for the Group Headquarters," Tao Qiuyun's eyes were dark and deep, giving off a stifling feeling like before a thunderstorm when she stared at you expressionlessly, "all other subsidiary groups must go through the Review and Approval Office process."
Watched by her sharp gaze, Zheng Liuyu couldn't help but straighten her back, sweat on her forehead. "Yes, CEO Tao, it's just that Director Ji said this report was urgent and needed your decision because she wants to replace the female star you like and hopes you will agree."
"This is another point I want to make," Tao Qiuyun didn't avert her gaze. "I know IOM isn't some government institution, but I still hope the reports they submit are just reports, without mixing in other things. If they can't distinguish between a report and a request, they should go learn."
"Okay, CEO Tao, I will inform Director Ji of IOM."
"Finally," Tao Qiuyun frowned slightly, "What do you mean 'the female star I like'?"
"It's like this, CEO Tao. Previously, IOM's spokesperson was Miss Ming Siwen. This time, IOM is launching a classical style, so they hope to use Miss Qin Qingshang, who has been very popular recently, because they believe Miss Qin's image is more suitable." As soon as Zheng Liuyu finished speaking, she saw that Tao Qiuyun's expression wasn't good.
"If they want to use her, they should just use her. Do I need to make the decision on which celebrity is the spokesperson?" Tao Qiuyun was a bit displeased. "Do they think I'm very free?"
Zheng Liuyu couldn't quite figure out her thoughts, so she tentatively asked, "But, CEO Tao, don't you really like Ming Siwen?"
"Who is she?" Tao Qiuyun's beautiful eyebrows relaxed, immediately showing a puzzled expression.
Zheng Liuyu's heart skipped a beat. She braced herself and replied, "She's a very famous female star in the domestic entertainment industry right now. She just won Best Actress at the Golden Film Awards two months ago."
And the organizers only gave it after hearing your name. Secretary Zheng didn't dare say this sentence.
Tao Qiuyun looked at her. "Where did you hear that I like her? Before this, I had never even heard of this person."
"But..." Zheng Liuyu subconsciously spoke, then frowned in annoyance. "Young CEO Tao said when he was having dinner with us before, that when he went to pick you up, you were staring intently at Miss Ming Siwen's advertisement on the large screen in the center of the plaza..."
Seeing Tao Qiuyun freeze for a moment, Zheng Liuyu knew it must have been false information and quickly apologized, "Sorry, CEO Tao, I thought..."
"Alright, it's a rumor spread by Zhuohua, I understand." Tao Qiuyun put down the document in her hand, laughing in annoyance. "Secretary Zheng, I have no interest in the entertainment industry, and even less interest in female stars. I don't want this kind of situation to happen again."
"Okay, CEO Tao!" Zheng Liuyu quickly responded. "Then, is it okay to change IOM's spokesperson to Qin Qingshang this time?"
"For professional matters, of course, they should be left to the experts." Tao Qiuyun tilted her head to look at the document on the desk and casually flipped through it. "How their images compare, there are naturally professionals to evaluate..."
That page was a comparison chart of Qin Qingshang and Ming Siwen.
In the photo, Qin Qingshang was in ancient costume. The woman's features were exquisite, her cheekbones prominent, and the clear eyes under her straight black eyebrows were radiant and full of affection.
It's just, a little familiar?
"CEO Tao?" Zheng Liuyu saw her suddenly stop and asked, "Then should I tell Director Ji to make her own decision?"
"Mm." Tao Qiuyun closed the document, handed it to Zheng Liuyu, and said casually, "Send me IOM's summary, reports, and recent plans from last year to my email."
"Okay, CEO Tao." Secretary Zheng obeyed all of her superior's arrangements.
As soon as Zheng Liuyu turned to leave, she ran into Wang Huai, who was about to knock. She smiled and greeted the professional woman, who always wore a meticulous hairstyle. "Executive Assistant Wang, you're back from your business trip? You worked hard."
Wang Huai saw through her politeness and understood. After all, she had been following Old Master Tao before, so it was normal for the new 'emperor's close minister' to be wary of her. She didn't mind this, nodded at her, and stepped forward to say to Tao Qiuyun, "CEO Tao, we've secured the Huaqing project. I will organize the specific details and send them to your email later."
"You worked hard, Executive Assistant Wang." Tao Qiuyun smiled. She was already beautiful, and when she relaxed her brows and smiled, she looked even more gentle and harmless.
Wang Huai knew Tao Qiuyun's true nature. She just lowered her head and said, "When I came back, I saw Old Master Tao's car. He's at the company, seems like he's looking for you."
Zheng Liuyu's steps paused when she heard this.
The Chairman, who usually stayed home playing with cats and dogs, suddenly rushed back to the company? And on a Monday?
Wasn't this like the Emperor holding court, and the Retired Emperor suddenly arriving at the Golden Throne Hall?
"The lounge on the 28th floor," Tao Qiuyun stood up, reached for the wristwatch placed aside, her fair, jade-like fingers slightly curved as she fastened the watch buckle on her wrist. "Executive Assistant Wang, please take Grandpa over. I'll be there right away."
"Okay, CEO Tao." Wang Huai nodded and turned to carry out her superior's order.
The entire 50-story building belonged to Chunjin Group. Because the Old Master liked squares, four equally tall buildings were specially constructed, connected by skybridges. At the intersection of the four buildings, a circular platform was even luxuriously built using the skybridges to serve as a sky restaurant and viewing area.
The CEO had a private lounge on the 28th floor, offering a panoramic view of the surrounding scenery.
Secrets were rarely kept within the group. Soon, departments up and down knew that Old Master Tao had come to the company, and his expression wasn't very good.
"Grandpa's expression isn't good?" Tao Qiuyun looked at Zheng Liuyu, who had been waiting on the 28th floor, knowing what she was worried about. She smiled reassuringly. "It's fine. You go contact the ladies I have appointments with this afternoon and tell them I might be a little late."
"Okay, CEO Tao." Secretary Zheng nodded, suppressing the unease in her heart.
Hearing it from the employees was one thing, but she had just seen it with her own eyes – Old Master Tao's expression was indeed quite off.
Seeing Tao Qiuyun approach, the bodyguard at the door politely called out "Eldest Miss" and opened the door for her.
"Grandpa." Tao Qiuyun entered the room and saw Tao Shizhou sitting on the leather sofa. She smiled and stepped forward, saying, "Grandpa, that act you put on before was a bit much. My secretary still thinks you're trying to seize power from me."
Seeing his excellent granddaughter, Tao Shizhou subconsciously wanted to smile, but in an instant, Zhang Cheng, who was standing behind him, held up his phone in front of him.
Looking at the little girl's face on the screen, which was extremely similar to Tao Qiuyun's, Tao Shizhou instantly calmed down.
He was almost fooled by this girl! He didn't expect his granddaughter to be a scoundrel who was good at disguising herself and messing around with women!
Seeing Tao Shizhou's suppressed expression, Tao Qiuyun glanced strangely at Zhang Cheng and asked, "Grandpa Zhang, Grandpa is..."
"I'm thirsty." Tao Shizhou looked at Tao Qiuyun, interrupting her, and said displeasedly, "Your secretary and assistant didn't even serve me a cup of tea! So thoughtless!"
Zhang Cheng rolled his eyes, thinking: You were the one who told Assistant Wang to leave.
"Grandpa likes yellow tea, Assistant Wang definitely knows that," Tao Qiuyun walked towards a cabinet nearby. "It's just that I like green tea, and the tea leaves in the lounge have been changed once."
"It's okay, green tea is actually..." Just as he was about to comfort his granddaughter, Zhang Cheng's phone was held up in front of Tao Shizhou again.
My poor great-granddaughter, she and her mother must have suffered so much and endured so many rumors.
"Green tea, green tea! All you know is drinking green tea all day!" Old Master Tao slammed his cane down twice, making a dull thud on the tile. "You didn't prepare any yellow tea at all, did you!"
"Of course not." Tao Qiuyun took out a set of beautifully shaped glass tea ware and a small box of tea leaves, walked to the coffee table and sat down, looking at Tao Shizhou opposite her. "The yellow tea Grandpa likes is naturally prepared. It's just that Assistant Wang was on a business trip before. This is Junshan Silver Needle that just arrived from Dongting last week. Assistant Wang didn't know, I hope Grandpa won't blame her."
After speaking, Tao Qiuyun opened the lid. "I'll make tea for Grandpa."
Tao Shizhou "hmphed" and didn't reply.
Yellow tea is similar in nature to green tea, and the brewing method is also similar. Tao Qiuyun, who liked green tea, naturally moved smoothly.
"The piling process for this batch of yellow tea is excellent. Boss Zhang specially sent some extra," Tao Qiuyun said with a smile. "This is what I keep in the office as backup. I've already prepared the other Junshan Silver Needle to take back to the old house for you, Grandpa."
"Qiuqiu is thoughtful." Old Master Tao's expression softened. Looking at the tea leaves standing upright in the glass cup, he was even more satisfied.
This is the super excellent granddaughter I personally raised! Just look at the young people outside, how many of them can brew tea like this!
As Tao Shizhou became happy, he talked more. He looked at the tea leaves in the box beside him, stroked his beard, and smiled, "Good, good. This batch of tea leaves is indeed good. The buds are straight, the white down is distinct. Excellent!"
"As long as Grandpa likes it." Tao Qiuyun placed the brewed tea in front of Old Master Tao.
Tao Shizhou took a small sip, then squinted his eyes and praised, "This tea is golden and bright, and Qiuqiu, your skill is even better. It's mellow and refreshing on the palate. Truly worthy of being my..."
Zhang Cheng held up the phone in front of Old Master Tao again, successfully making the Old Master swallow the words he was about to say.
Tao Qiuyun now also saw that the phone was probably the main point. Her hands didn't stop; she continued brewing tea, only saying, "Grandpa Zhang, why don't you sit? There are no outsiders here."
"Tea, tea, tea! All you know is drinking tea all day!" Tao Shizhou slammed the teacup onto the coffee table with a swish. The sudden sound of glass colliding startled Wu Hu.
Old Master Tao glared at the elegant Tao Qiuyun, tapped his cane twice, and gritted his teeth, "I'm asking you, during those few years abroad, did you do anything out of line? Did you violate the rules of my Tao family!"
Tao Qiuyun's movements paused, then immediately resumed smoothly. "What does Grandpa mean by that?"
If she hadn't been brewing tea, her expression would have been impeccable, but at this moment, she was brewing the top-grade yellow tea known as the "Noble Lady" among yellow teas - Junshan Silver Needle.
The most famous part of the brewing process is the "Knife Mountain and Sword Sea," where the tea leaves' "three rises and three falls" are most visually striking when observed in a glass cup.
If her hand trembled even slightly, or the water amount was excessive, the reaction of the tea leaves in the glass cup would be even more obvious. Especially with the first cup as a comparison, anyone with eyes present could see that the Eldest Miss of the Tao family was unsettled.
Tao Qiuyun pursed her lips, lowered her gaze, and brewed the tea...
She had, indeed, done some things out of line.
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