But... she's not here anymore!
The words I had been preparing all day suddenly vanished, leaving me unable to utter a single one!
"So...did she leave me anything before she left?" I hesitated for a moment, then tentatively asked, "My work..."
“Yes, there is.” Qian Pan smiled gently. “Chen Yang, I want to congratulate you… Miss Fang left some words before she left, adjusting your job position… She plans to appoint you as the manager of the Business Activities Department II. Simply put… you’ve been promoted! As long as you sign this contract, you will officially become a member of Deep Blue Entertainment! Before, you were just Miss Fang’s personal employee, but now, you will become a part of Deep Blue Entertainment.”
I was stunned.
I can understand why Fang Nan doesn't want me to continue as her personal assistant... After all, we're in an awkward situation right now, so it's better to separate... But she didn't fire me directly; instead, she wanted me to stay at her company... Even though I've changed positions, it seems... she still wants to keep me close to her?
Qian Pan had already placed a prepared contract in front of me. I glanced at it and saw that it was an employment contract. Fang Nan had already signed it, her delicate signature in the lower right corner, and the date... was the day she came to the hospital to see me!
My expression turned serious. After thinking for a moment, I didn't pick up the contract but looked at Qian Pan and asked, "If I say I don't want to accept it... is that okay?"
Qian Pan sighed, stood up, adjusted her glasses, and slowly walked to a sofa in front of her. She gestured for me to sit down and then brought me a glass of water.
“Chen Yang… I don’t know if I should say certain things. After all, I’m just Miss Fang’s secretary at the company. I have no right to interfere with her decisions… but I can see a little something.” There was a wise glint in her eyes. Her tone was somewhat self-deprecating: “After all, I’m over thirty. I’ve seen a lot of things.”
I didn't say anything.
"I've been working for Miss Fang for quite some time now... I believe I understand her character fairly well... Chen Yang, I don't want to tell you anything else... I just think that, for you... whether you accept this job or not... you should talk to her about it yourself, face to face! This at least shows your sincerity and respect for her... What do you think?"
Qian Pan is indeed formidable; though her words aren't sharp, every single one makes sense! Indeed, regardless of whether I stay or leave… at least until Chang Nan returns, I shouldn't just walk away like that. Doing so… would be too unfair to her.
I'm a man! So even if I'm leaving, I have to give her an explanation in person!
But should I stay? To take over the work Fang Nan assigned me?
I hesitated, then said, "Sister Pan... I know absolutely nothing about the company. I've only been with Miss Fang for a short time! I'm completely clueless about the company's operations. You think I can handle suddenly being the head of a department? Besides..." I didn't finish, just sighed. But with Qian Pan's intelligence, she should understand what I meant... Besides, I'll have to leave eventually!
"Chen Yang... to be honest, I don't think you can handle this immediately... at least from what I've seen, your education isn't high, although you seem to have some experience as a manager in entertainment venues... but our entertainment company is a legitimate company, completely different from those entertainment venues. However, as I just said, this is Miss Fang's decision, and I have no right to interfere... all I can do is give you some advice... I think you should stay! Miss Fang has treated you well! Since she's leaving you with this task, do you think it would be fair if you didn't do it well? At least, you should make the most of these few days before she comes back! A man should have a man's responsibility!"
I know perfectly well. Qian Pan is leading me astray!
But I simply didn't have the confidence to refute her.
She was right about at least one thing! Fang Nan has treated me well! No matter what, I will wait for her to come back!
Before that, no matter how unwilling I was, I had to stay at the company and work hard.
Like I said before... I feel like I owe Fang Nan something!
"Okay! I'll get to it first." I sighed.
It'll only be a week anyway. I'll keep an eye on that department for her, as long as nothing goes wrong.
Seeing me nod, Qian Pan finally smiled. This time, her smile was genuine. She looked at me twice and said, "Okay, I wasn't wrong about you. You are at least a man of principle."
Then Qian Pan led me to a small conference room and brought me a large stack of files and documents. She even took an hour to give me a brief training session.
Simply put, Fang Nan's "Deep Blue Entertainment Company" is actually a medium-sized company that makes a living in the entertainment industry.
Of course, it's not a film or record company, and it doesn't have any artists under its wing. The company's main business is simply organizing commercial activities—business activities linked to the entertainment industry.
For example, when a company is looking for a product spokesperson or organizing a commercial event, they will entrust it to Deep Blue Entertainment. The simplest jobs include fashion shows for clothing brands, and celebrities invited to participate in shopping mall events, etc. These commercial activities are one of Deep Blue Entertainment's business projects.
In addition, it also organizes concerts by well-known singers, and its reach extends to Nanjing and surrounding areas. Essentially, Suzhou, Wuxi, and Changzhou are all within Deep Blue Entertainment's territory.
The department I'm about to join is "Commercial Activities Department II" within Deep Blue Entertainment. There are six such Commercial Activities Departments in Deep Blue! Each department has its own clients and is responsible for everything related to these clients' daily advertising, commercial activities, and organization.
Simply put, clients hand over money to DeepBlue Entertainment, and DeepBlue Entertainment is responsible for finding celebrities to help them with advertising and promotion, and organizing business events. That's roughly the idea.
I also took the opportunity to ask Fang Nan what she was doing in South Korea.
Only after asking did I learn that it had a significant connection to Minister Kim!
I've always been wondering about Minister Kim's background... In China, the title "minister" usually refers to a government official. But this Minister Kim doesn't seem like one at all... It turns out he's of mixed Chinese and Korean descent, and he works for a large entertainment company in South Korea. He's a high-ranking executive, holding the position of a department head and director. Fang Nan's Deep Blue Entertainment is now preparing to collaborate with that South Korean entertainment company to organize concerts and similar events, inviting South Korean stars and promoting Chinese artists in South Korea. Minister Kim's company values the Chinese market highly, so he's been sent to China for long-term market development. The business deal with Fang Nan involves organizing concerts and similar events, facilitating exchanges between artists from both sides. These will include a series of combined concerts featuring Chinese and South Korean artists in both China and South Korea.
To be honest, I'm not a big fan of Korean celebrities. But with the Korean wave so prevalent and so popular among young people, naturally some people in the industry are making money from it.
For example, CCTV's famous "Same Song" program often invites foreign artists to perform. Of course, CCTV is a large and powerful organization, so it doesn't need to hire an entertainment company to run it. However, other places do need such entertainment companies to organize and host these kinds of events.
I sat in the small conference room for an entire afternoon. I finally got my department's affairs sorted out. This Commercial Activities Department II currently handles a well-known large supermarket chain, two large shopping malls in the city, and a jeweler. As for the other miscellaneous smaller clients, there's not much to say about them.
It's clear that Fang Nan's company is operating very well; at least for now, the company's profits and performance are quite considerable, and it's still in a growth phase.
After rubbing my slightly sore eyes, I noticed it was getting dark outside. Although it gets dark early in autumn and winter, I checked the time. It was almost five o'clock.
Qian Pan told me that my office hadn't been cleaned yet, so I shouldn't meet with my department members for the time being... As a leader, it's best to maintain some authority. It'll be more formal to meet with my subordinates in my office after it's all set up.
I was a little annoyed: "Why does the manager's office need to be tidied up? Didn't we already have a manager's office?"
Qian Pan smiled faintly: "I used to be in charge of this department. I was Ms. Fang's secretary, and I also oversaw the department's affairs... Now, I'm handing it over to you."
I see!
Looking at this woman of average appearance and gentle smile, I never imagined she could be so capable!
"It's very simple. I've been working with Miss Fang for a long time, and she seems to be considering demoting me to a management position in the company recently. So I'm in charge of this department. I guess Miss Fang is letting me practice my skills."
As I left, I realized... she was the boss's secretary, and once she was demoted, she probably wouldn't be a low-level manager, but would definitely be a high-level manager! And she sounded very humble, but I could tell that the Business Activities Department II had always been quite profitable.
"Alright, that's all for today. It's your first day at work, so there's no need to work overtime. There are some things I can't teach you right now. You can figure them out slowly after you take office... Everything in this department is on track now, so you won't encounter any major problems. If you do have any issues, I can guide you first."
I realized something was wrong... but I couldn't quite put my finger on it.
It wasn't until later that I suddenly realized... Qian Pan's words didn't seem to be about appointing a temporary manager for only a week... it was as if he really intended to entrust the department to me!
By the way, I gave the Audi A8 keys to Qian Pan. I'm no longer Fang Nan's assistant, so there's no reason for me to continue driving her car.
Qian Pan didn't give me any special treatment and took the car keys without hesitation.
However, her professional approach actually made me feel a little more at ease. If she were to give me special treatment, I would feel uncomfortable.
It was already six o'clock in the evening when I left the company. I looked at the completely dark sky and the endless stream of people and cars on the road... and felt a little depressed.
At this hour, it's very difficult to hail a taxi. Just then, my phone rang.
"You scoundrel! Where are you?! Have you forgotten the important thing we're supposed to do today?!" A barrage of accusations followed. It's hard to imagine that such rude words came from a charming and alluring voice!
Miss Qiao Qiao!
I chuckled. "I haven't forgotten! I'm trying to get here right now! Aren't you supposed to be meeting your fiancé tonight? Even if I have something incredibly important to do, I'll put it aside! I'm really curious to see what kind of 'man' dares to marry our Miss Qiao Qiao. Does he have three heads and six arms?"
"Stop talking nonsense! You guys put on a good show for me tonight! Otherwise, I'll get some girls to gang rape you bastards!" Then Qiaoqiao asked me where I was and told me to wait where I was while she drove over to pick me up.
Ten minutes later, a small red Ford pulled up in front of me. I was stunned for a moment until Jojo gave me a sharp, slender middle finger, and then I realized! Yes, it was Jojo! It really was Jojo!
Tonight, Miss Qiao Qiao has completely changed her usual alluring appearance. Her eyeshadow is gone, her colorful nail polish is gone, and her glamorous curls have all been straightened into a pure, straight style!
And the clothes she was wearing almost scared me so much that I thought she had suddenly gone insane!
You have to understand, who is Qiao Qiao? A stunning beauty! She never wears anything but miniskirts! In Miss Qiao's words, "I was born with a pair of beautiful legs! Such a natural advantage, of course I have to show them off! Damn it, I didn't steal them, they were all given to me by my parents! What's there to be afraid of showing off!"
Today, it's like the sun rose in the west... no, it should be said that the sun fell from the sky!
Miss Qiao was wearing an extremely pure and lovely light blue dress… I rubbed my eyes, and yes! The hem of the dress was past her knees. It even covered her straight, slender legs! And her bright orange jacket, with its high collar, partially obscured her chin, making her look somewhat like a pure and innocent young lady…
Watching this seemingly innocent beauty sitting in the car, giving you the middle finger with a flirtatious air, and then cursing in a coquettish voice: "Damn it, why aren't you getting in the car yet! If the traffic cops come, I'll get points deducted again!"
I snapped out of my daze and quickly jumped into the car. Before I could even close the door, Miss Qiao slammed on the gas, and the Ford sped off. With a sleek, drifting turn, it plunged straight into traffic…
"Damn! What are you planning to do tonight?" I exclaimed. "Didn't you want to dump your family-arranged fiancé? Why are you dressed like that? Are you trying to dump him or seduce him?"
With Qiao Qiao's looks, coupled with this alluring, innocent, lily-like outfit... I bet any man would scream with desire upon seeing her!
"Stop talking nonsense! If it weren't for seeing that bastard, I wouldn't be dressed like this! I have my own plans! You call Aze and the others first to see if they're here!" She gave me a very flirtatious look: "Tonight, it's all up to you guys!"
Wow... calling her fiancé a "bastard"... this woman must be one of a kind in the world! Doesn't she know what "bastard" means to a man?
I nodded repeatedly, dialed Aze's number, coughed, and cleared my throat: "Studs! Are you all in position? Hmm... okay, now I declare the 'Great Infidelity Operation' underway!"
Qiao Qiao slammed on the gas pedal, her pretty little mouth spewing out extremely lewd curses all the way: "You dare to marry me! You dare to marry me! If I don't play you to death, I'm not Miss Qiao!"
But suddenly, halfway down the road, the car braked abruptly and came to a stop on a less busy section of the road!
I was startled. I saw that Qiaoqiao had already pressed the button to roll down the car window, and then she rested her chin on one arm with a charming smile as she looked out the window.
I immediately saw a pretty young woman standing by the roadside. She looked to be no more than eighteen or nineteen years old. She was wearing baggy pants and had a slightly hip-hop style, but her face was quite attractive.
"Beautiful lady, are you waiting for someone or for a ride? I can give you a ride." Qiao Qiao's eyes gleamed with predatory intent: "How can such a beautiful woman be waiting for a ride on the roadside so late at night? Come on, I'll give you a ride."
That girl must be dumbfounded... A pretty girl like her must have been hit on by people on the street before, but being hit on by a woman and being spoken to in such a flirtatious and lewd manner is probably a first for her!
Seeing that passersby were already staring at me, I really wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear!
The girl snapped out of her daze, muttered under her breath, "Boring," and then turned away.
"Damn!" Qiaoqiao raised an eyebrow, and I quickly advised her, "Put away your lustful thoughts! Getting down to business is the priority!"
These words finally calmed the mother wolf down, and she started the car again and drove off.
"If it weren't for that bastard... such a hot chick, I would have gotten my hands on her tonight no matter what!"
At 7:30, we arrived at the Revolving Palace Restaurant, the highest restaurant at the top of the Nanjing TV Tower.
This is touted as the highest restaurant in Nanjing, located on the top floor of the TV tower. Its base rotates slowly and continuously throughout the day, taking about an hour to complete one rotation. Dining here offers a panoramic view of Nanjing's entire cityscape at night.
Of course, the price is also relatively high.
As we stepped out of the elevator, Qiaoqiao tidied herself up a bit, glanced at me, and then reached out and slipped her arm into mine. And so, arm in arm, we walked into the Revolving Palace Restaurant.
From a distance, I could see two young men sitting at a table closest to the window.
One of them is the product of that wicked arranged marriage... Qiaoqiao's fiancé!
Her fiancé has an incredibly awesome name! Just hearing that name makes me want to bow down in worship!
Gu Long!! (Luckily, I made sure I asked clearly; it's the "Long" in "prosperous," not the "Long" in "dragon and phoenix.")
But seeing this guy making fun of Master Gu's name, I have this urge to kill him... Damn it, he wants to marry our Miss Qiao Qiao. He should have been executed by slow slicing already! And he even dared to steal Master Gu's name... Is there any justice left if his entire family isn't exterminated?!
This guy is twenty-nine years old this year. He's originally from Zhejiang, and his family has quite a few businesses—everyone knows there are many businessmen in Zhejiang, and many wealthy ones too. His family owns several factories, making them a prominent and wealthy family in the area. Thanks to his family's wealth, Gu Long studied abroad for a few years, earned a degree from Plymouth University in England, and then returned to China with the dazzling aura of a returned overseas student.
What's most infuriating is that this guy came back, and he's a perfectly good overseas returnee, but instead of thinking about how to use what he learned abroad to serve his country and contribute to socialist construction and modernization, the first thing he did was try to take advantage of our Miss Qiao Qiao!
Although Gu Long's family is wealthy, they are still far less well-off than Qiao Qiao's family.
Qiaoqiao is an only child in her family. Under such circumstances, for two strangers to get married like this… For the Gu family, if they weren't after Qiaoqiao's family's wealth… who would believe it?
But this Gu Long, it is said, was handpicked by Qiao Qiao's mother... He comes from a good family and has received higher education.
"Damn it, I can tolerate my aunt, but I can't tolerate my uncle!" Qiao Qiao cursed under her breath.
I almost lost my balance and nearly slipped and fell. Uh...maybe the saying should be "This is intolerable, but what is intolerable?"
"What are you looking at! I like to say it!" She gently pursed her cherry-like lips.