Liang Shi: "..."
She felt she could still salvage the situation, so she struggled to clear her name: "The DVDs from that night were bought by the housekeeper. I hadn't seen them before, so I didn't know what was on them. I didn't show them to you on purpose. And this book, I haven't looked at it since I got it. Your sister gave it to me when I was pouring milk that day, and I didn't even have time to look at it."
Xu Qingzhu remained calm. "Oh, is it nothing?"
Liang Shi: "...?"
"Isn't it normal for literary works to contain these things?" Xu Qingzhu said, "It's just that reading too much of it is bad for your health."
Liang Shi: "...I didn't see it."
"And one more thing," Xu Qingzhu said expressionlessly, "I've seen that movie; it was a pretty good suspense film."
Liang Shi: "...When did you see it?"
"When I was bored yesterday," Xu Qingzhu said, "it has three plot twists, it's a pretty good movie, and the actresses have great figures too."
Liang Shi: "..."
Xu Qingzhu said very seriously in her detached voice, "We should watch movies with an artistic eye, right?"
Liang Shi: "..."
That's right.
She's being narrow-minded.
She felt there was no need to save her anymore.
In Xu Qingzhu's heart, she was definitely not a decent person.
Chapter 31
"We should watch movies with an artistic eye" is a quote from Liang Shi himself.
Xu Qingzhu casually countered with a question, especially with her cool voice and the upward tilt at the end of her sentence, yet her eyes held a hint of a smile.
It's hard to tell whether it's mockery or sarcasm.
Or it could just be a joke.
In short, he made Liang Shi blush, and even his ears turned red.
"Is there anything else? I need to work." Xu Qingzhu broke the silence first, and then added, "Can I use the computer in the study? I need to look at some design drawings."
Minghui Jewelry's annual new product launch is of paramount importance, and Xu Qingzhu's arrival at the company coincided perfectly with this year's autumn launch.
With less than two weeks left, the design department had only finalized the first draft.
Because of Xu Guangyao's mismanagement, he had previously promoted the famous designer Qin Sisi to be the head of the design department. As a result, Qin Sisi jumped ship in the first half of the year, poaching three key figures from Minghui Jewelry and starting a new company. Although it was not as famous as Minghui Jewelry, it had already received initial funding from venture capital firms and was beginning to make a name for itself in the industry.
Minghui Jewelry's design department suddenly had no one available. The current head of the design department was transferred from the marketing department and doesn't understand design at all.
The entire design department was in a state of panic. When Xu Qingzhu was parachuted in as the deputy director, no one had high hopes for her.
Everyone knows that without renowned designers, Minghui Jewelry will soon face its demise.
Minghui Jewelry is already at its last gasp and won't last much longer. What's the point of having the young lady parachute in?
Xu Qingzhu was just a finance major.
What do you know about design?
This year's autumn new product launch is almost at the point of being cancelled. Although more than a dozen people in the design department are working overtime, it is just ineffective overtime. Every draft submitted is unusable, lacks originality, and is not amazing. It is not only inferior to Minghui Jewelry decades ago, but also inferior to recent years.
It feels like the times are constantly moving forward, and Minghui Jewelry has been left behind.
After Xu Qingzhu took office, the minister stopped managing affairs.
He didn't know much about this kind of thing, and usually just slack off and read books in the office. After Xu Qingzhu came, he finally had some free time.
In addition, Xu Qingzhu's strong work attitude, coupled with her aura as the company's heiress and future successor, quickly won over the hearts of the people.
Although there were many people who wanted to see her fail, most of them hoped that she could bring vitality to the company.
After all, Minghui Jewelry went bankrupt, and they had to find new jobs.
But having people's hearts is not enough; one must also have the ability.
In this respect, Xu Qingzhu is not entirely incapable.
Although she studied finance, her university was a top-tier university in China.
She didn't confine herself to her studies and knew quite a few people.
She is currently actively contacting her old friends to see if she can find a suitable designer.
She also used her years of accumulated expertise in jewelry to oversee this autumn product launch, though it was a bit tiring.
Moreover, this is a huge gamble in itself.
In the field of design, every new product is a high-stakes gamble.
It depends on whether the designer's vision aligns with market trends, whether the designer has a unique perspective, and whether they are lucky enough to encounter the right marketing.
Every step of creating a blockbuster product must go smoothly.
Xu Qingzhu has inherited a huge mess, and she even dreams about jewelry design drawings at night.
If I can still laugh now, I can say I'm finding joy in hardship.
Liang Shi was unaware of her situation within the company, and simply said, "Use it as you please, you don't need to tell me."
"Okay." Xu Qingzhu turned and walked around to the table. Seeing that she hadn't left yet, she glanced at the trash can. "Do you want this book?"
Liang Shi was taken aback, then immediately waved his hand, "No need..."
After saying that, he turned to leave.
But Xu Qingzhu called out to her, "Wait a minute."
Liang Shi turned around, "Huh?"
Xu Qingzhu picked up the book with the gaudy cover from the clean trash can, walked to the door and handed it to her, saying, "This is your stuff after all. It's not polite for me to just throw it away like this. I'm sorry."
"It's alright, it's alright," Liang Shi said. "Anyway, I won't look at it."
“That’s yours too.” Xu Qingzhu shoved the book into Liang Shi’s arms, and Liang Shi immediately caught it. “Take it and read it. After all, it’s not appropriate to define a book based on just one excerpt.”
Liang Shi: "...?"
“It must have its merits to be published.” Xu Qingzhu said seriously, her eyes calm. “Although the writing style of that passage was not very good, it created a strong sense of imagery.”
Liang Shi: "?"
“No need…” Liang Shi said.
"Okay. I really have to get back to work," Xu Qingzhu said. "You don't need to wait for me to sleep; I'll probably be quite late by the time I'm done."
Liang Shi looked at her and said, "Get some rest."
Xu Qingzhu was already sitting in front of the computer, wearing glasses, looking indifferent and aloof.
But her serious expression was very attractive.
//
Liang Shi returned to the living room with the flashy book "Sweet Daily Life with the Female CEO," while cartoons were still playing on the TV.
Human curiosity always seems to surface at inopportune times.
Liang Shi first threw the book into the trash can. After a while, he felt that the cartoons on TV were uninteresting and had no appeal whatsoever.
So he picked up the book again.
Thankfully, their trash can was clean.
Normally, no one makes a mess in the study or living room. The servants will clean the house spotlessly when the servants are not around.
Liang Shi picked it up and casually flipped to a page; it contained very serious content.
However, this author's writing is a bit weak; he even manages to write two pages about eating, only adding a little interaction during the meal.
How should I put it?
The balance was perfectly struck; it felt like hovering on the edge of a highway exit.
It seems like he's driving, but it also seems like he isn't.
This left Liang Shi completely bewildered.
She flipped through the pages again and, sure enough, found some dangerous content, such as driving on the highway without wearing a seatbelt.
Liang Shi immediately closed the box and threw it into the trash can.
But before long, she became curious about the romantic storyline in the book and wanted to know what happened next.
So... she picked it up again.
After repeating this several times, Liang Shi turned off the TV.
I threw this book into the drawer too.
I'm not watching anymore.
Frustrating.
She simply went to the kitchen, heated up a cup of milk, and brought it to Xu Qingzhu.
When Liang Shi knocked and entered, the computer screen in the study was black.
Only the laptop screen was lit, and the moment she entered the room, Xu Qingzhu folded the laptop back up.
Liang Shi noticed her subtle movements, but didn't say anything.
It's normal for Xu Qingzhu to be wary of her, after all, it's a company matter.
"Drink it while it's hot." Liang Shi placed the milk on her desk. "I'm going to rest."
"Okay, thank you." Xu Qingzhu thanked her politely and adjusted her glasses slightly.
After delivering the milk, Liang Shi walked to the door and suddenly turned around to discuss something with Xu Qingzhu. However, when he turned back, he saw that she had just opened her laptop and then slammed it shut. She was already a little impatient, but she still maintained a "dependent" attitude and had to ask in a friendly tone, "Is there anything else?"
Liang Shi: "..."