PB - Chapter 72

Chapter 72

Ruifeng Group's year-end gala was held as scheduled. Due to the major personnel changes, Qiao Qi, who wouldn't have attended in previous years, was now on stage giving a speech as the President after just one year. Jin Zhiyu, who was still unknown last year, had also become one of the main figures of the evening. Even the Chairman made an appearance to steady the ranks, making the group's future clear to see.

The year-end gala had a tradition of the president performing the opening dance. Jin Zhiyu bowed and extended an invitation to Qiao Qi, which she couldn't refuse. The lights in the hall dimmed, and the harmonious sounds of a cello and piano filled the air. Under the spotlight, Qiao Qi was so noble she was captivating. Old Master Jin sat in the distance, watching the two graceful dancers. Though he had regrets, he was more or less content.

After the gala came the Lunar New Year. Qiao Qi, still not minding the hassle, went home on New Year's Eve and rushed back early on New Year's Day.

At seven in the morning, she stepped out of the cold wind and into the residence. She felt a mix of surprise and melancholy. The dining table was quieter than in previous years, and her presence did little to liven things up. Old Master Jin, however, looked as usual. As soon as she sat down, he handed her a sealed red envelope.

He said with a cheerful smile, “Happy New Year.”

She took it, remembering the red envelope from her maternal grandfather in her bag, and also said, “Happy New Year.”

Breakfast was very quiet, with little to talk about during the meal. After Old Master Jin finished eating, he returned to his study. Qiao Qi's brow furrowed slightly, but it smoothed out in an instant. She finished her small bowl of congee, nodded farewell to her second uncle's family, and returned to her room. She washed away the night's journey in the bathroom, then sat lost in thought at her desk for a long time before changing her clothes and knocking on the door to Old Master Jin's study.

“Come in.”

She turned the handle, went inside, and handed him a blue velvet box. Old Master Jin was somewhat surprised. He opened it to find a bent, handmade smoking pipe. Old Master Jin rarely smoked anymore due to his age, but he had kept his habit of collecting pipes. He took the pipe and turned it over in his hands, naturally recognizing the signature on the gold band.

“To think you'd put in the effort to get me a gift.” Old Master Jin was both gratified and a little self-deprecating. He put the pipe away and said, “It's the first year with so few people, so it's natural to feel a bit unaccustomed. Don't worry about it.”

“If there's nothing else, I'll be going.”

“A Qi,” Old Master Jin called after her. “Stay a few more days before you go back.”

Qiao Qi didn't refuse. “Alright.”

A smile touched Old Master Jin's expression. He took out the pipe Qiao Qi had given him and examined it closely again. This was the eighth year since he had brought her back, and for the first time, he saw signs of the ice breaking between them.

From the first day of the New Year until the fourth, Qiao Qi didn't leave the house. Su Jiayin had returned to the Su family and wasn't in Beijing, and Gu Jianchu was on vacation abroad with her parents. She had almost no friends in Beijing. Besides holding Ping An and reading on the terrace, there was nothing else that could pique her interest.

Surprisingly, on the fifth day of the New Year, Gu Jianchu suddenly paid a visit. Qiao Qi's calm and composed expression finally showed a different color. They spoke on the phone every day, so Gu Jianchu naturally knew she had been staying here. As clever as she was, it was impossible for her not to see the easing of tensions between Qiao Qi and Old Master Jin, so her visit was a natural course of action.

With another person suddenly in the house, dinner was livelier than the past few days. Moreover, Gu Jianchu had her own way of charming elders, and Old Master Jin was so pleased that he had a few extra drinks. After dinner, Qiao Qi walked Gu Jianchu out. Under the moonlight, their shadows stretched long, revealing the posture of two people embracing, reluctant to part.

In the first business quarter after the New Year, Ruifeng made a strong push into the new energy market and held its first new product launch conference abroad, which was broadcast live in China. Just as Qiao Qi had said before, Jin Zhiyu had spent half a year mentally preparing himself. Even so, the moment he stepped onto the stage and faced the unfamiliar faces in the audience, he was still a bundle of nerves. Fortunately, thorough preparation could counteract the anxiety of timidity.

The press conference was a great success abroad. And, just as planned, Jin Zhiyu's scandal became a target for the media and competitors. But Ruifeng's marketing team was equally prepared, pushing the topic and visibility of the new product to its peak and making the greatest effort to quickly capture the market.

The once-overlooked automation upgrade at Xingda had now become a prominent advantage. Product performance and price became Ruifeng's key weapons for capturing the market. Coupled with the project's patent application and favorable government policies, Ruifeng had strong momentum to integrate the industrial chain domestically.

What everyone thought was a surprise victory was often the result of overlooking a long period of meticulous strategy and relentless effort. This was due in no small part to Qiao Qi's hard work day and night, as well as the persistence of the entire company. It didn't matter that outsiders couldn't see it, but Qiao Qi could. So, during a meeting, she issued bonuses to all company employees.

Compared to the relaxed atmosphere at Ruifeng, Rongfang was pushed into the eye of the storm. Because their collaboration with U.E. had yet to reach the stage of full market occupation, Ruifeng had seized the initiative and taken the lead. This led to a drop in Rongfang's stock, but this phenomenon was only temporary.

Hank had been in close contact with Gu Jianchu these past few days; his worries had indeed become a reality. To counter this, U.E. China, the joint venture between Rongfang and U.E., entered the market ahead of schedule, officially beginning its competition with Ruifeng in the domestic market. And all of this was something Qiao Qi had anticipated, as had Gu Jianchu.

The presidents of two companies locked in fierce competition by day were sitting at the same table for dinner after work. Gu Jianchu was so agitated by the pressure from Hank and the board that not even Qiao Qi's presence could soothe her. She pinched the bridge of her nose and said, “A bunch of grown men, each one more impatient than the last.”

Qiao Qi smiled and said, “That's right. Who could be more patient than our President Gu?”

Gu Jianchu propped her chin on her hand and wrinkled her nose at her. “The most effective hunting technique is sufficient patience.” She added, “I don't care. You're not allowed to work overtime tomorrow. Stay home and keep me company.”

Qiao Qi knew Gu Jianchu was under immense pressure at Rongfang recently. Especially since the relationship between the two of them was like something behind a pane of clear glass—the directors of both companies all knew without saying a word. Even if Gu Jianchu hadn't asked, she would have stayed home with her.

Hank personally came to China in April to oversee things. For Gu Jianchu, this was better. The competition between the two companies raged for over half a year with no clear winner, but neither could be the ultimate victor. Confrontation itself is a form of attrition, not to mention Ruifeng was also showing signs of opening up overseas markets. So, in the second half of the year, U.E. sent another person over.

Qiao Qi went to the airport to pick up Thomas personally. When Thomas saw her, he said, “I haven't congratulated you on your promotion to President of Ruifeng yet.”

“Thank you.”

Thomas recalled being at this very airport two or three years ago, when Qiao Qi had seen him off. He had said he hoped they would have greater opportunities for cooperation in the future, and unexpectedly, his words had come true. He said, “Qiao, I've come with a new proposal for cooperation. There shouldn't be any more surprises this time, right?”

Qiao Qi smiled. “There won't be.”

With Thomas's arrival, Hank knew his time was up. It was a similar scene to a few years ago, only now someone else was triumphant. The email from the US recalling him arrived before any official announcement. The Chinese market he had painstakingly built ended in a hasty retreat. When he left, Gu Jianchu went to see him off, but it was merely a courtesy between business partners.

It was as if time was rewinding. The three companies were once again sitting at the same negotiating table. But this time, they were discussing a three-way partnership—a win-win cooperation to maximize market benefits. The negotiations lasted a long time. Qiao Qi seemed to dislike that particular conference room, so from the very beginning, Ruifeng was represented by Jin Zhiyu and Xu Yangpu.

Gu Jianchu didn't see Qiao Qi on the first day, and she didn't attend the subsequent meetings either, handing the matter over to Li Haoming. Thomas was more sociable than Hank. Although they refused to yield at the negotiating table for the sake of their respective interests, once away from it, he got along splendidly with the representatives from both companies, hoping to achieve his goals using the Chinese strategy of “wine table diplomacy.”

He was in a foreign country, alone and with limited power. Though his presence was strong, his actual strength was lacking. Ruifeng and Rongfang had no shortage of masters of negotiation at the dinner table. Thus, the main venue for negotiations shifted from the conference room to the bar. After several consecutive days of drinking until he was dizzy, the first thing Jin Zhiyu did upon arriving at the office each day was go to Qiao Qi's office to complain.

“Thomas must have a screw loose. What's a foreigner like him doing embracing the local wine table culture? I have a headache every day from all the drinking. And Xu Yangpu is completely useless; he doesn't even block any drinks for me.”

“Once he's tried every method at his disposal, he'll return to the negotiating table. Just be patient.”

“Fine, I know.” Jin Zhiyu rubbed his temples. “I'm going back to my office to lie down for a bit. Who knows how late we'll be drinking again tonight.”

Qiao Qi's prediction was correct. After exhausting all other methods, Thomas returned to traditional negotiations. The tug-of-war was finally showing signs of ending, something all three parties were actually looking forward to.

The partnership was finally finalized a week later. Rongfang would merge into Ruifeng's new company as a technology shareholder. U.E. would hold a certain percentage of shares while formally announcing its withdrawal from the domestic market, but it also reached an agreement with Ruifeng for close cooperation in overseas markets.

After the signing ceremony was complete, Gu Jianchu called Qiao Qi. When the call connected, she said with a smile, “President Qiao, a pleasure working with you.”

“A pleasure working with you, President Gu.”

The sociable Thomas hosted a celebratory banquet that evening. He even went to both companies personally to invite the two presidents. Gu Jianchu gladly accepted, as did Qiao Qi. Thomas's main invitations were for the two presidents; the rest were sent out broadly. He had been in a good mood since the day he landed, and now that the deal was done and headquarters was very pleased with him, his mood was even better.

That evening's banquet was filled with guests. There was much discussion about the recent friction between Ruifeng and Rongfang. What many had thought would be a complete falling-out had unexpectedly ended with everyone happy. Most people, far inferior in both intellect and ability, were eloquent when talking strategy on paper, but learned to trim their sails to the wind and offer flattery in the face of reality.

Qi Sitian listened to the messy chatter for a while, raised an eyebrow, and said to the assistant beside her, “These people will never be a match for my aunt. Too much nonsense.”

The assistant heard a commotion and looked toward the entrance, reminding her, “President Qiao is here.”

Qi Sitian heard it too and walked over. She no longer had to fear that their relationship would cause trouble for Qiao Qi as she had before. She walked up to Qiao Qi and called out sweetly, “Auntie.”

The moment Qiao Qi arrived, she was surrounded by people trying to make conversation. Xu Yangpu followed, staying by her side to handle the social obligations for her. It was quite a while before she had a chance to escape to the terrace. Su Jiayin had already claimed this spot. Seeing her approach, she raised her glass in congratulations. “Congrats.”

Qiao Qi gave her a look. “Why don't you congratulate yourself?” The Su family held the majority of shares in the new company; if one had to name the biggest winner, it should be them.

Su Jiayin took a light sip of her wine and said faintly, “The board is very optimistic about me now. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing.”

Qiao Qi replied, “It's good or bad depending on how you want to see it.”

When Gu Jianchu stepped into the banquet hall, her gaze, for some reason, was like a GPS, yet she couldn't find the person she was looking for. It wasn't until Qi Sitian came over and pointed her in the right direction that she saw a familiar figure through the glass, hiding out on the terrace to catch the breeze. But her appearance meant she was destined not to escape easily. Surrounded by people, President Gu's lips curved downward in displeasure.

Su Jiayin saw this through the glass and said, “I've never seen her dislike socializing this much before.”

Qiao Qi suddenly remembered that she and Gu Jianchu had met at a banquet just like this one. At the time, she was on the terrace taking a call, and Gu Jianchu happened to be there too. Later, they met again in the lounge, and Su Jiayin introduced them to each other. Their subsequent meetings also seemed to be at banquets. The memory was stirred, clear yet unreal. As she thought about it, a tender smile bloomed at the corners of her eyes.

Gu Jianchu finally managed to extricate herself from the crowd with great effort. Su Jiayin teased her, “You couldn't run away anyway, so what was the rush?”

Gu Jianchu asked her, “Then why aren't you standing where the crowd is?”

“I never realized you were so sharp-tongued before.”

Gu Jianchu said, “Director Su is the rising star of the Su family now. I haven't even had the chance to congratulate you.”

Su Jiayin laughed. “You're really getting more and more wicked.” She glanced at Qiao Qi and said, “Alright, I won't disturb your private world. I'm going to take a walk.”

Gu Jianchu's eyes held a brilliant starlight. The evening breeze dispersed the scent of alcohol on her clothes but couldn't blow away the intoxication in her heart. She saw the tenderness in the depths of Qiao Qi's eyes and, just like her, thought of their first meeting on the terrace. The moonlight tonight was beautiful, and Qiao Qi, her dress fragrant, was made even more beautiful outlined by its glow. Gu Jianchu's heart throbbed like the tide relentlessly crashing against the reefs.

She said, “Let's leave this place.” She held out her hand, extending an invitation.

Qiao Qi's fingertips lightly touched her slender fingers, letting her lead her off the terrace, past the splendidly lit banquet hall, past the curious crowds who had stopped their conversations, past the spiral staircase, past the soft, damp lawn, past the minutes and seconds of time, past the light and shadow of the sun and moon, and toward the warm and cold seasons of the years to come.

【The End】

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