Chapter 26

"Oh, let Xiao Wang talk to you about the details." Qian Song waved his hand. "I have a good eye for people; you're exactly the talent we need!"

Xiao Chen's gaze quietly fell on his knees.

He didn't look at Chen Song, and no one could see the clarity in his eyes.

Outside the window, a thick, dark cloud drifted in and quickly swallowed up the afternoon sunlight.

The office lights suddenly dimmed, with only the desk lamp casting a pale halo that fell on the resume in the corner of Qian Song's desk.

After seeing Chen Mo off, Qian Song slumped in his chair, feeling utterly exhausted.

The sky outside the window had darkened, and employees were leaving the office area one after another, without anyone coming to say goodbye.

He took out his phone and dialed a number. "Hey, Brother Long, I've prepared the money. I'll deliver it to you tonight... Yes, two hundred thousand, not a penny less..."

After hanging up the phone, Qian Song took the remaining cash from the safe and put it into his black bag.

Standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the brightly lit city below, he suddenly recalled how he was when he first started his business in Xianghai City three years ago after leaving Beijing—back then, he was full of passion, carrying millions of yuan in cash and a bunch of design drafts, and vowed to make China's best denim brand.

"How could it have come to this..." he muttered to himself, but quickly straightened his back. "It's all the fault of those who don't know their stuff! Just wait and see, I, Qian Song, will definitely turn things around!"

He picked up his black bag, strode out of the office, and the crisp sound of his leather shoes on the marble floor seemed to announce something.

Behind him, his colleagues sitting at their desks craned their necks to watch his departing figure disappear completely, and then began to chatter amongst themselves:

"The platform has coupons today, anyone want to split the cost of milk tea?"

"I want."

"I want coffee, I'm so sleepy."

At the end of the corridor, the elevator door dinged—

The elevator doors slid open slowly to both sides. Inside, Xiao Wang and Xiao Kang, who were chatting and laughing, were taken aback when they saw Qian Songju standing outside, carrying a black bag and checking his watch.

"Is everything settled at the bank?"

"It's done." Xiao Wang said, holding a stack of documents in his hands.

"Xiao Wang, schedule an appointment with Manager Liu from the bank tomorrow." The three of them switched places inside and outside the elevator. "Just tell him I have a big project to discuss."

"But Mr. Qian, we haven't paid off our loan from last time..." Xiao Wang hesitated, then stopped.

I find this class of students increasingly disgusting.

I just went to the bank to pay back some money, and now I want to withdraw it again. You damn Qian Song, do you think the bank is your safe deposit box or vault?

Turn it on when you want, turn it off when you want.

Qian Song's face darkened. "Just do as I say. Why all the nonsense?"

Xiao Wang shrank back in fright. "Yes, Mr. Qian."

After the elevator doors closed completely, Xiao Kang patted Xiao Wang on the shoulder and asked, "Did you go to see any of the companies I recommended to you?"

Xiao Wang sighed, "I've been busy lately and haven't had time yet. I'll check it later."

"Good positions are rare, you'd better hurry."

"Sigh..." Xiao Wangchao and Xiao Kang made a bitter face. "I will."

Xiao Kang, the company's finance manager, doesn't work full-time at Pure-bule. He works part-time for several companies and only comes over when needed. He doesn't care much about Pure-bule's development. It was through his collaboration with Xiao Wang that he recognized Xiao Wang's abilities and character, which is why he chatted with him more at a crucial moment.

"I think Mr. Qian is acting very strange today." Xiao Kang grinned. "If there are any good opportunities, you can make plans quickly."

“Okay.” Xiao Wang gave Xiao Kang a deep look, thinking that as someone who worked in finance, Xiao Kang must know the company’s situation better than he did.

Everything was understood without words. Back in the office, the two happily chatted and laughed with their colleagues while drinking milk tea.

Stepping out of the company building, the night breeze caressed his face. Qian Song took a deep breath and pulled out his car keys.

His Mercedes, parked in its designated spot, remained pristine, just like the carefully maintained image he projected.

Before getting into the car, he glanced back at the floor where the company was located, his eyes filled with a gloomy and dark expression.

...

For Xu Zhuwen, Qian Song seemed like a completely different person in the days that followed.

He left early and returned late, using the "sales techniques" taught by Li Hui to navigate among various investors.

Some lies, repeated so often, have led even himself to believe that pure-bule's "smart jeans" are about to become a disruptor in the apparel industry.

He posted meticulously edited photos on his WeChat Moments with the caption, "I must live my life as a system"; he talked at length about the "new retail ecosystem" in business groups; he even started to complain that Xu Zhuwen's job had no career advancement, no decent social circle, and that the meals she cooked were not nutritious enough...

In short, he is capable of finding fault with everything around him.

Xu Zhuwen, however, became increasingly silent.

She would often look at Qian Songgao's back as he talked and talked with a complicated expression, and then quietly return to her study.

...

The sky outside was extremely low, with thick, churning clouds, brewing a belated downpour.

Xu Zhuwen stood at the door of President Gao Yinxi's office, her finger hovering over the door, but she hesitated to knock.

She took a deep breath and smelled the faint scent of her perfume—it was the Hermès Garden of the Nile perfume that Qian Song had given her as a birthday gift last year; he himself used Terre d'Hermès.

Just as she hesitated, the door suddenly opened from the inside. Gao Yinxi, dressed in a well-tailored white suit and holding a Montblanc pen, looked at her in surprise. "Wenwen? Why didn't you say you were here? The people downstairs said you were here, and I was just about to go see you."

"I..." Xu Zhuwen's voice trailed off; she hadn't expected her hesitation to be so obvious.

The simple lamp in Gao Yinxi's office was emitting a soft yet powerful light, which fell precisely on Xu Zhuwen's bloodless face, outlining her sunken eye sockets and her lips pressed into a straight line.

The air was filled with the scent of peppermint and lemon essential oil. In a corner of the office, an aromatherapy diffuser was releasing wisps of white mist.

"Come in." Gao Yinxi stepped aside to let her in. "You don't look well. It's raining outside, did you get wet?"

Xu Zhuwen followed Gao Yinxi into the office. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the city was bustling with traffic. The gray sky floated above the city, like a harbinger of the apocalypse.

"What would you like to drink? Tea or coffee?" Gao Yinxi walked to the small refrigerator in the corner and opened the refrigerator door.

"Soda water, please." Xu Zhuwen noticed that Gao Yinxi's small refrigerator was neatly filled with drinks and alcohol.

"Okay, I'll have someone bring some lemon slices." Gao Yinxi took out two bottles of soda water and two pretty glasses from the sterilizer on the other side.

As she closed the refrigerator door, Xu Zhuwen saw a photo on the door of the three of them vacationing in Bali last winter—she, Gao Yinxi, and Li Chian, all wearing identical dresses on the beach, smiling brightly.

"You've developed the photos?"

"I was planning to redecorate the house, so I got some new photos printed." Gao Yinxi smiled as she saw Xu Zhuwen's eyes fall on the photos. "The three of us look so good."

Xu Zhuwen couldn't help but laugh; the photos were indeed beautiful.

What's more, before Gao Yinxi developed the photos, she photoshopped the three of them. They were already three beauties, and with a little more photoshopping, wouldn't they be as beautiful as angels?

No wonder she pasted all the things she liked on her office refrigerator.

Soon, hotel staff brought over a plate of sliced ​​fresh lemons and mint leaves.

Gao Yinxi personally mixed two glasses of lemon soda, gently placed one of them in front of Xu Zhuwen, and asked with a smile, "Is there anything we can't say on WeChat?"

"Yinxi, I'm here because I need your help." Xu Zhuwen paused for a moment before getting straight to the point, afraid that she would lose her courage if she delayed any longer. "Qian Song's company is in trouble and urgently needs funds."

The air in the office seemed to freeze for a few seconds.

Gao Yinxi's expression subtly changed. She put down her soda water. "Don't rush, tell me what exactly happened?"

“Qian Song said the supplier suddenly demanded early payment, otherwise they would stop supplying goods.” Xu Zhuwen clutched her bag, her fingers twisting together. “His company doesn’t have enough working capital, and the bank loan approval process takes time. Qian Song said if they don’t get two million this week, the company might…”

"Bankruptcy?" Gao Yinxi calmly replied to her question.

Xu Zhuwen suddenly looked up. "How did you know?"

Gao Yinxi didn't answer immediately. She walked to her desk, put down her pen, picked up her phone, and sat back down. "I've heard about Qian Song's company situation. Wenwen, I'm sorry, I can't lend you this money."

When discussing matters seriously, Gao Yinxi's attitude became much more upright and serious.

Xu Zhuwen felt a wave of dizziness, her expression changing slightly. She hadn't expected to be rejected so directly. "Why? Yinxi, do you know how important this money is to Qian Song, and two million isn't much to you..."

“It’s not about the money,” Gao Yinxi interrupted her. “Zhuwen, do you know the true situation of Qiansong Company?”

“Of course I know!” Xu Zhuwen raised her voice, as if to bolster her confidence. “We’ve been together for over two years, and he tells me everything.”

Gao Yinxi stared at Xu Zhuwen for a long while, then sighed, took out her phone, swiped a few times, and handed it to her. "Take a look at this first."

Xu Zhuwen took the phone; the screen showed a photo of Qian Song in a bar, behaving intimately with a woman.

"Where...where did you get these photos?" Xu Zhuwen's hands began to tremble.

“And this one.” Gao Yinxi scrolled to the next picture, which was a photo of Qian Song and the same woman in a high-end restaurant.

"Who is this woman?" Xu Zhuwen's voice became shrill.

“A business owner who runs a women’s clothing business.” Gao Yinxi put her phone away. “I guess she’s secretly invested a lot of money in Qian Song’s company to keep it afloat until now. But now, even the money she’s given isn’t enough for Qian Song to pay off his debts.”

Xu Zhuwen felt nauseous. She remembered that Qian Song had been coming home late lately, changed his phone password, and increased his business trips... All signs pointed to a fact she didn't want to admit.

"Why..." she murmured to herself, "Why tell me all this?"

"You don't want to know these things, do you?" Gao Yinxi said calmly. "Then I apologize. Just pretend you never saw these photos. I'll delete all the photos and related videos later."

“You…” Xu Zhuwen looked up, gritting her teeth as she stared at Gao Yinxi, “Where did you get these photos?”

“I took the photos,” Gao Yinxi said frankly. “I took the first one myself. I was there that day. The second one was taken by Ergeng a few days ago when he ran into him. He felt something was off, so he took the photo.”

"How long has it been?" Xu Zhuwen asked in a trembling, hoarse voice.

"About a few months apart."

Why didn't you tell me immediately?

"I'll tell you, and then what?"

Another silence followed.

Xu Zhuwen's eyes began to turn red.

Gao Yinxi's voice softened, "Because I don't want to see you being deceived, Wenwen. You are one of my best friends, and I can't watch you sacrifice yourself for someone who isn't worth it."

"So you'd rather watch Qian Song go bankrupt? Watch me suffer? Than lend me money?" Xu Zhuwen suddenly stood up, anger replacing shock. Whether she was genuinely furious or something else, she paused, then added, "Why didn't you have so many questions when Chi'an asked you for money!"

Gao Yinxi was stunned for a moment, then her expression turned serious. "Chi'an's situation is completely different from Qian Song's."

"How is it different?" Xu Zhuwen sneered. "Because she's your favorite best friend?"

"How could you say such a thing?" Gao Yinxi covered her forehead, laughing in exasperation. "You borrowed money to help your boyfriend pay off his loan. What did Chi'an borrow money for? It was to pay for the child's medical expenses and tuition fees. The amount was very small, and in the end, she didn't lend it to him."

She felt that Xu Zhuwen's attitude proved some of her perceptions.

Gao Yinxi looked directly into Xu Zhuwen's eyes, "More importantly, this money was lent to herself and Zuizui. After Chen Li cheated on her, she took on all the responsibility alone and never ran away."

Xu Zhuwen was stung by these words. "Qian Song is also trying his best to save the company!"

“Really?” Gao Yinxi shook her head. “Then why doesn’t he come to me to borrow money himself? He just keeps pushing you to step in, without even offering an interest rate plan. This isn’t how you solve a problem; it’s shirking responsibility.”

Xu Zhuwen's visit to borrow money today further lowered Gao Yinxi's already poor impression of Qian Song. "What kind of responsible person is he, a grown man, who encourages his girlfriend to come out and find solutions when his company is in trouble?"

Xu Zhuwen was speechless after Gao Yinxi said that.

She remembered what Qian Song had told her last night, "You and Gao Yinxi are such good friends, she'll definitely help you. My involvement would just seem too formal..."

“Although I’m not in the clothing industry, judging solely from Qian Song’s business acumen, his company is basically beyond saving,” Gao Yinxi continued coldly. “His business model is flawed, his products lack competitiveness, and his debt ratio is too high. Even if you help him raise money this time and save him, problems will arise again next month. And as for him personally…”

She paused for a moment, then said, "Wenwen, you deserve someone better."