When the boss suddenly said that, Qian Duoduo would have been on high alert in the past, her mind racing with all sorts of thoughts. But at this moment, the lights in her room were soft, the armchair beneath her was comfortable and plush, and she was holding half an apple in her hand, which was bitten into and looked like a funny smiling face.
It was so relaxing. The low, gentle voice on the other end intensified the atmosphere. She was completely oblivious to it all and answered with a smile, without a hint of wariness, "Didn't you say it's a time of great prosperity? The director said on his first day here that we should seize this best opportunity to prove ourselves, right now, in this place."
My feelings were initially complicated, but I still laughed out loud after hearing what she said. How wonderful is a woman so full of life, as if she could set off at any moment.
After making the call, he opened the email again and finally typed a reply. But after typing the first word, he unconsciously looked up and glanced at the phone that was quietly sitting to the side.
Chapter Forty-Seven
After hanging up the phone, Qian Duoduo continued biting into her apple, and with her other hand pressed the power button. A window popped up, followed by the sound of an email notification.
She sighed, clicked the cancel button, and resignedly opened her email to check. The email was from Deputy General Manager Li Weili; it was simple, asking her to come to his office for a meeting the next morning. Slowly sitting up straight, she stared blankly at the simple line of English text. Finally, it was here. She placed her hands on the keyboard, typing the simplest "OK," but didn't type anything for a long time.
A power shift, a struggle among the top—this was a foreseeable storm, but no one expected it to arrive so quickly. Only a few months had passed since Xu Fei landed, and the smell of smoke had already reached her nose. But what could she do? The marketing department was now in the eye of the storm; she couldn't possibly remain unscathed. With a bitter smile, she moved her fingers and finally sent the reply. That night, Qian Duoduo tossed and turned, pondering what questions she would face the next day and how to respond.
When she first entered the workforce, she witnessed firsthand how her project manager and another colleague at the same level fought each other for power, status, and promotion opportunities. This struggle extended to everyone in the team, with clear factions and no room for communication or cooperation.
She once naively believed that no matter how much factional conflict there was, there would always be room for neutral parties to survive. As long as she could handle her tasks perfectly and avoid getting too close or too distant from the other factions, she could avoid conflict.
However, she was met with indifference from all sides. When things finally came to a head, her attitude was seen as an anomaly. The work her supervisor assigned her was all repetitive and routine, and the more trivial the task, the easier it was to find faults and flaws. No matter how hard she tried, she achieved nothing.
Fortunately, during her hectic schedule, she met her future boss, and then a sudden transfer order saved her from dire straits.
On her first day in the marketing department of the head office, the first piece of advice she received from the senior manager at the time, who was also the elite woman who had patiently guided her and advised her to weigh her promising future, was, "Dona, your abilities are not a problem, but there are countless capable people in this world. When you come out to work, it is more important to handle relationships with all parties."
Her words were smooth and tactful, but the real meaning was the same everywhere: if she wanted to continue, she had to follow the right person.
Good advice is as precious as gold and jade. Reality is cruel; what she could not agree with in the past, she now had to nod and accept.
Through all the ups and downs of the years, she felt she had mastered a wide range of skills. Even if she didn't get the promotion this time, she only struggled with frustration for a while before swallowing it down. She continued to work hard and do her job as usual.
But this time is different. It involves a change of leadership. Right now, any move she makes could backfire. The entire Asian region is in a delicate Cold War period. The upper echelons are clearly divided. It is a superpower. The middle echelons are in the second world. Everyone is holding back and observing the wind. And those in the third world, like her, could easily become cannon fodder.
What to do? Frustrated, she turned over again. In the middle of the night, she was so tired that she finally fell asleep. But with something on her mind, she couldn't sleep soundly and had a dream. In the dream, she was running alone, lost and confused. The streets were deserted, and the sound of her heels hitting the ground could be heard far away.
She ran to her house, only to find it empty. She frantically searched every room, when suddenly someone hugged her from behind. She felt no fear, only the warmth of the person's embrace, and she finally felt at ease.
She reached back and hugged those arms, but it still wasn't enough. Her body, which had been lonely for too long, craved a hug. She tried to turn around, but as soon as she turned her head, the alarm clock suddenly went off, startling her awake. It was already bright daylight in the bedroom. It was just a dream.
It was still early. She sat on the bed, hugging herself silently, feeling cold and alone in the early spring morning. She realized she was wrong. She still needed someone—someone she loved and trusted. And most importantly, even if the whole world turned its back on her, he would still be there for her. No matter how unwilling she was, time continued to tick by, and Qian Duoduo arrived at Li Weili's office door on time.
She took a deep breath before knocking. As she pushed the door open, Li Weili stood up, smiled warmly at her, and offered her a seat. Perking up, Qian Duoduo smiled and asked, "Willie, just got back?"
"Yes, I went to the London headquarters and just arrived in Shanghai yesterday. Oh, by the way, I ran into Danli and played a round of golf with him. He specifically mentioned you, saying it had been a long time since we'd seen each other and asked me to give him my regards."
Danli was her former boss in Singapore, and later she was promoted to the London headquarters. He was a capable man who was still very shrewd and diplomatic. Qian Duoduo was impressed by him.
"Really? He actually remembers me, thank you." "How could I not remember? You've always been an outstanding worker, a well-known beautiful manager wherever you go. Even people in the European region are asking me about you." "You're too kind, not at all."
"Hehe, what are you joking about? Excellent work or a beautiful manager? It's all true." He smiled kindly, then sighed, "Dona, I've always had high hopes for you. It's a pity this time. How have you been adjusting lately?"
Upon hearing this, alarm bells rang in Qian Duoduo's mind, and she was on high alert. However, she spoke slowly, pausing for a second before answering. "Several projects are nearing completion recently, market feedback has been good, and cooperation among various departments has been smooth. Demand in inland cities is increasing rapidly, which I specifically mentioned in my report."
After all that talk, it was all nonsense. She was good at dodging the question, and the other party was quick to respond. "Very good. The marketing department has always been highly efficient, which is evident to everyone. Now several projects have been successfully completed, and we are just waiting for the next big event. How are your preparations going?"
When asked directly, Qian Duoduo paused for a second before smiling and saying, "Of course, we are always ready to accept missions and give it our all."
“Very good, Dona. The new director was very successful during his time in Japan and is currently the focus of headquarters’ attention. He has just arrived in the Asia region, so you will spend a lot of time with him. Take the opportunity to learn from him.”
“Yes, I definitely will.” She continued to smile. “By the way, speaking of Kenny, the project he was in charge of in Japan was truly impressive.”
With a chill running down her spine, Qian Duoduo carefully chose her words, "Yes, Kenny is indeed exceptionally capable, but Japan has always been treated as a separate market and operated independently. Projects there may have less interaction with those here, so we, Yu, are not very familiar with them."
Her words were impeccable, and Li Weili didn't press for an answer. He was Singaporean, over fifty years old, and had previously served as a regional director at the London headquarters. He was transferred to the Asia region before the new year, supposedly for a promotion, but it was really just a retirement move. The position had a grand title, but not much real power, so he usually kept a low profile and only sought stability.
He smiled and exchanged a few more pleasantries, then, saying he had to go to a meeting, he asked her to come downstairs.
Qian Duoduo's tense nerves only relaxed slightly after she stepped into the elevator, and she breathed a sigh of relief as she looked at her reflection in the mirror.
Unexpectedly, the first person to step forward this time was Li Weili. He was a marginal figure of the conservative faction and came to the Asian region just to seek a peaceful retirement. He was pushed out to test her, probably because he was in the business world and had no choice but to do so. So he just said a few words and let her go.
Was she the first one brought up? Was it because they thought she'd be resentful about not getting promoted, making her an easier target?
Or perhaps she is the last one. The former director has already left, and she has failed to advance any further. Her backing is unclear, and her future is uncertain. She may have already been relegated to the margins and is not worth discussing further.
What is the connection between Xu Fei's past project and the proposal he is currently preparing? Whose territory has been disturbed? Unrelated ramblings won't work here, at least not on this floor. Every word is cryptic, and just thinking about it makes her head spin.
Li Weili was just there to test the waters. Who knows how many more people will be waiting to test her loyalty and the winds of the times? Just thinking about it makes her feel so tired that she's about to collapse. The elevator is still descending. There's no one around. Suddenly, she becomes extremely irritable, and her violent desires surge. Qian Duoduo, dressed in a professional lady's outfit, can't help but step into the blind spot of the camera and kick the bright corner of the elevator wall behind her.
Chapter Forty-Eight
Violence solves nothing, and Qian Duoduo's frustration continued at work. In the afternoon, she went to the factory alone, and by the time she got home, it was past dinner time. Her parents were watching TV, and there was food left for her on the table. When Qian Duoduo came in, her mother stood up and said, "I say, are you going to work or going to torture? You always stay up so late. Wait a minute, I'll heat up your food."
"Mom, don't bother, I can do it myself." Afraid that saying anything more would trigger a long lecture from her mother, Qian Duoduo quickly picked up the food and went into the kitchen.
After finishing her meal, she went into the kitchen to wash the dishes. She heard her mother answering the phone in the living room. Her mother's voice was strong and clear. She was washing dishes and could hear her clearly through the kitchen door. "Really? The wedding banquet is next month? Great! I'll definitely be there. Sigh, I even held Tian Tian when she was born. In the blink of an eye, Yu is getting married."
After a moment of sighing, the mother's voice suddenly rose, "Our Duoduo? Ugh, don't even mention it, that child drives me crazy—"
She reached out and turned the tap on full blast. Qian Duoduo tried to pretend she didn't hear anything. She heard footsteps behind her and turned around to see her father had also come in, holding a teacup in one hand and reaching for the water bottle in the other. She glanced at the cup and then whispered, "Dad, the cup is full."
Mr. Qian chuckled and replied in a low voice, "Shh, I just came in to hide." Understanding, Qian Duoduo sighed and exchanged a wry smile with her father.
After leaving the kitchen, Qian Duoduo saw her mother's face fall again. She wisely lowered her head, went into her room, closed the door, turned on her computer, and pretended to be busy getting a haircut.
There was indeed a lot to do, but she was in a state of turmoil and couldn't calm down. Even a simple situation analysis took her two or three hours to write and turned into a mess.
She heard an email notification from her computer. She opened it and saw that it was from Xu Fei, containing a list of questions, all about the report.
The document wasn't urgent, but she still clicked "reply," her fingers hovering over the keys, ready to answer. Then, she thought about it and gave up, instead dialing his number directly.
He answered the phone as soon as it rang, calling her name. His voice was a little hoarse, but he still smiled.
She started discussing the report with him, and the sound of typing could be heard from his keyboard as they talked, indicating he was still working. "Still at the company so late?" she asked, checking the time. "No, at the hotel." "The hotel?" she asked, surprised. "I'm in Tokyo, going back to Shanghai tomorrow," he replied briefly.
Tokyo? She was stunned. No wonder she hadn't seen this man all day. The marketing department meeting that he was supposed to chair this morning was also canceled at the last minute. It turned out he had gone abroad.
I glanced at the time again. Considering the time difference, it must be the middle of the night over there. To be able to work until this late on a two-day round trip, youth is indeed an advantage, an indomitable spirit.
Once again, Qian Duoduo felt inferior and hung her head in dejection. She didn't know what else to say, but her ears seemed to have gotten used to that slightly hoarse voice, and she just stood there holding the phone, not wanting to move.
"Dona?" Receiving no answer, the person on the other end didn't hang up. Two seconds later, he suddenly added softly, "Want to hear a joke?"
"Huh?" The boss was telling jokes on an international call in the middle of the night, and she was really stunned this time.
He started speaking, “Listen carefully, when the flood came, all the animals went on Noah’s Ark. There were too many, and it was going to sink. So everyone said, ‘Let’s have a joke-telling contest. If someone doesn’t laugh, they’ll be thrown overboard.’ Dinosaur was first. He told a really funny joke, and everyone laughed. Only the pig didn’t make a face, so they had to throw the dinosaur overboard. Next, it was the cow’s turn. The cow was clumsy with words and nervous. After he finished, no one laughed. Only the pig laughed loudly, patting his belly, which made everyone laugh. After they finished laughing, everyone asked the pig, ‘What was so funny?’ The pig said, ‘It was so funny! The dinosaur’s joke was really funny.’”
The joke was quite long. He started off a bit halting, but then it flowed smoothly, and at the end, he even said "So funny!" twice in a hoarse voice. No matter how bad her mood was, she couldn't hold back her laughter and burst out laughing.
"Alright, get some rest. We can talk about the report when I get back. There's no rush." He added with a smile before saying goodbye.
After hanging up the phone, Qian Duoduo sat in front of the computer for a while, thinking about finishing writing that explanation, but the phrase "so funny" kept echoing in her ears, and she really couldn't continue writing. In the end, she laughed and went to bed.
She had many worries that day and thought she would toss and turn all night, but surprisingly, she slept very well after lying down, with a smile on her face.
Chapter Forty-Nine
Xu Fei returned to Shanghai the next day, and the entire marketing department was extremely busy for the next few days, continuing until the weekend before the Hong Kong annual meeting.
They were flying to Hong Kong on Sunday, so Qian Duoduo and Xu Fei spent the entire Saturday working overtime at the company, making sure the summary report was flawless.
As the night wore on, she had been busy from morning till night. She had only eaten a little something for lunch and was so hungry that her stomach was practically sticking to her back. As she waited for Xu Fei to finally approve her, she sat at his large desk and could almost hear the rumbling of her poor, hungry stomach.
Unable to wait any longer, she finally pushed her chair up and stood up to say goodbye. "Kenny, I'd like to get something to eat. Maybe I'll come back later."
"Are you hungry?" He stopped writing, glanced at his watch, and then smiled a little embarrassedly. "It's so late, I didn't even notice."
"Aren't you hungry?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.
"Let's go together, this report is really good. What do you want to eat? It's on me." He was still young, and his smile still carried a hint of shyness. Even though he knew it was impossible, Qian Duoduo was still dazzled.
As she grew older, she found herself envying a man whose eyes had no fine lines when he smiled. Qian Duoduo was stunned and couldn't help but sigh.
"No need to trouble yourself, it'll be done in a little while. I have a takeout menu on the table, just order something to eat."
“I have some too.” He immediately opened the drawer and took out a stack of dishes from various countries. He even pointed to the top one with a pen. “I ordered a set meal from Ito’s for lunch. It was pretty good. But don’t you have a sensitive stomach? Let’s not wait. Let’s go out to eat.”
A dignified director, watching movies alone on Saturday night, working overtime all day Sunday, and ordering takeout alone for lunch—Yiyi is right, he looks so pitiful—Qian Duoduo has been constantly bombarded with shocks today and is gradually becoming numb.
That's why others are directors, while she's still a senior manager.
That same tone inexplicably returned. Qian Duoduo sat back down and continued to bury her head in her work. Under his somewhat surprised gaze, she spoke in a low voice, "I suddenly don't want to eat anything. Let's finish this first."
He stopped talking, then looked down and pulled at the drawer again. The drawer was near hers, and unable to resist her curiosity, she glanced at it. It was full of stomach medicine, and one packet had been opened—she remembered it clearly.
That painful scene from last time came flooding back. Qian Duoduo squinted at him. "What?" He smiled. "Just in case."
This person can kill without shedding blood when they're smiling. Well, health is the foundation of everything, she doesn't need to ruin herself for the sake of pride. Qian Duoduo surrenders.
On their day off, the financial district was congested at this time of day, and a night of revelry was about to begin. Too lazy to drive, they turned the corner and went straight into the building next door.
There was a tea restaurant on the third floor. She ordered boat congee and listened to him talk about the upcoming work plans while she ate. "Are you starving?" "Not really." The congee smelled delicious, and Qian Duoduo ate with gusto, not even wanting to lift her head. "You'll be going on stage tomorrow, is that alright?" "Why?" It was customary for the director to go on stage first. Although she had participated in the entire revision of the report, how could she possibly get the chance to go on stage?
The young lady served dim sum; the shrimp dumplings were thin and translucent. He picked one up and placed it on a small plate in front of her, without explaining, just smiling with his eyes crinkling, and said two words, "Keep it up."
"Rank has its own back," she thought, and no matter how confused she was, she could only accept it. After a moment's thought, she squinted and sighed, "Kenny, remember not to smile at my assistants like that anymore. They've been working really badly lately." His smile deepened as he lowered his head to scoop wontons from his bowl and casually asked, "Why?"
“Being young makes you vulnerable to certain illusory positive qualities,” he chuckled. “What about you?” “Me?” She chuckled. “Come on, I’m already quite old. You should act like your age.” “Do you mind the age difference? I don’t.” “You’re a man, of course it’s different.” She didn’t seem to care and continued eating. “How is it different?”
“When it comes to choosing a partner,” she always speaks frankly, especially when she’s relaxed, “men have a wide age range for choosing a partner. If they focus on their careers, they can remain eligible bachelors no matter how old they get. It’s different for women. They’re busy with work, and before they know it, they’re being called ‘leftover women’.”
He smiled, his brows relaxed, looking radiant. Qian Duoduo forced herself not to look too long and focused on eating. "Age doesn't matter. People who like you won't mind." "Thanks for the comfort." She almost clasped her hands in a gesture of respect. "It's not comfort," he stopped eating, looking into her eyes, "As long as there's a connection, I don't think age will be a problem."
"It's simple." Feeling a little uncomfortable under his gaze, Qian Duoduo lowered her head and continued scooping her porridge. "Qian Duoduo."
"Huh?" Suddenly called on, she was putting a spoonful of porridge into her mouth. The boat porridge from Yuxiangtang is made with high-quality ingredients. The fish slices are soft and smooth, and the peanuts are fried to a crisp. It has always been her favorite. With her taste buds blooming, her brain was a little slow to work. She only had time to answer with a single syllable.
"I told you I don't mind, how many more times do you want to hear it?" Sometimes she really knows how to drive people crazy.
What kind of attitude is that? So what if he's a director? Just as she was about to retort, she suddenly vaguely sensed that his words had a hidden meaning. Shocked, she choked and covered her mouth, coughing violently. She almost died from half a peanut.
Several people at the nearby tables looked over. Her face turned bright red. After coughing, she reached out and took the cup he handed her, gulping it down to calm her nerves.
Her phone rang, and she apologized. Ye Mingshen answered, his voice clear, "Duoduo, are you home?"
She glanced at Xu Fei, who was gesturing for the waitress to come and refill his water. His expression was perfectly natural. She began to doubt whether she had just misheard, or if he had misunderstood her, or if he was just joking with her. Sigh, there's always a generation gap between younger people. She's too old to understand what he's saying.
Her throat was still a little itchy, so she coughed before answering, "I'm working overtime today, and I'm having dinner out with our director right now."
"Really?" The background was a bit messy, then a familiar voice could be faintly heard speaking from the side, "Young man, this parking space is occupied—"
The voice was so familiar; it sounded exactly like her mother's. Qian Duoduo couldn't help but ask, "Where are you?"