Chapter 3 Chapter 3 Thank you for your kind thoughts

On the third day after the Dongting factory accident, Chen Jiashu held a second meeting on the matter. The meeting focused on the group's response after the father and son jumped off the building at the Dongting factory.

After the meeting, everyone filed out, leaving only Chen Jiashu and Tian Jiayue in the meeting room.

Chen Jiashu habitually rubbed his temples, his brows slightly furrowed. He turned to Tian Jiayue and said, "Public relations department, you'll have to make a few more trips."

Tian Jiayue graduated with a master's degree in journalism. After joining the group, she worked in the public relations department for two years and was later promoted to the position of secretary to the board of directors.

"I understand." Tian Jiayue closed the file and looked back at Chen Jiashu. Noticing his blue eyelids again, she pursed her lips and said, "Brother, this kind of thing happens a lot in companies. As long as it's handled properly, it won't have a big impact on the group."

Chen Jiashu lowered his hand, pressing his long, well-proportioned fingers against the document. "The workers jumping from the administrative building weren't doing it on impulse, nor was it without reason. They chose to end their lives this way, they must have been desperate..."

"Large corporations have complex hierarchies, and even if people below them try to hide something, it's really hard for those above them to see everything." Tian Jiayue carefully chose her words before adding, "When ants hide in cracks in the rocks and gnaw at the foundation, the elephant really can't see."

Chen Jiashu suddenly stood up, picked up his white cane, pulled out a chair, walked around the conference table, and went to the floor-to-ceiling window. Tian Jiayue followed him with documents in her hand and stopped behind him.

The accumulated lead-colored clouds suddenly opened up a winding gap, and golden light penetrated the glass and shone on the man, coating him with a thin layer of light gold.

Faint blue veins were visible on his long neck, and his slightly protruding Adam's apple resembled a rugged mountain peak. The peak undulated slightly, and a deep voice escaped from his throat, "Investigate. You immediately lead the audit team to Dongting. I need to be precise down to every single overtime pay."

Qiaoshu Group has built three factories in China. The main factory in Lanchuan has nearly 10,000 employees, and the other two factories are located in F City and Z City respectively. The report submitted last month showed that the two factories have 15,000 employees, not including more than 800 directly operated stores nationwide.

Tian Jiayue sometimes feels tired for her brother. On New Year's Day last year, they went to his house for dinner. Brother Shuang was still there at that time. The two of them leaned on the sofa, hugged each other's shoulders and clinked glasses.

My brother grumbled drunkenly, "Back then, I just wanted to make a little fortune and then marry... marry the woman I loved. Then, as my business grew, I felt complacent at first. I no longer had to keep up appearances and entertain guests. Gradually, the pressure mounted. I wanted to quit, but suddenly realized I couldn't stop... It was like there were two hands behind me pushing me forward, and I had no choice but to keep going..."

Zhang Shuang slapped him on the shoulder and scolded him jokingly, "Don't act so profound in front of me. A while ago, the CEO of Lihua wrote a nearly thousand-word post on social media about his emotional journey and the immense pressure he felt. What did netizens say? 'It's because of the money,' you want to be on the trending search too?"

It was rare to see my brother lose his composure, but in front of this close friend, he was like a 17 or 18-year-old boy, speaking freely, often leaving my brother speechless. But after his close friend left, my brother lost his vitality and never felt truly happy again.

“Ahem…”

A restrained, low cough brought Tian Jiayue back from her memories, and she glanced sideways.

Chen Jiashu covered his lips with his fist and coughed a few times before stopping. His face turned pale.

"Are you cold?"

"My throat is a little itchy, but it's nothing serious."

*

Chu Yutong brought her son to Lanchuan this time purely to kill time out of boredom.

The lab just completed a big project, and the boss was so happy that he granted her a two-week leave. When she was at work, she wanted to rest, and when she was on leave, although she didn't want to go to work, she felt quite listless.

Her son had a hand-foot-mouth disease outbreak in his class and was given a week off, so she decided to bring him along.

However, Qin Qiao was too busy to pay attention to them, and the only time the two of them could chat was when they were warming up in bed. Chu Yutong was also a person who couldn't stay idle, so the next day she took the children, the nanny, and Aunt Yang to the amusement park.

On the third day, Qin Qiao said that he had to go on a business trip in the afternoon to a small town in City F, more than a thousand kilometers away, to do a follow-up interview.

It sounded like someone had jumped to their death, but she was too sleepy to understand.

In the afternoon, Chu Yutong brought his son to the airport to see Qin Qiao off.

The two reluctantly said goodbye. Chu Yutong said with tears in her eyes, choking up, "You'll come to see me next time, okay?"

Qin Qiao nodded repeatedly, telling her to take good care of herself. Despite the touching scene, Chu Yihang coldly uttered two words, "So cheesy."

Outside the window, an airplane was taxiing faster and faster on the tarmac. After its nose lifted up, the entire fuselage lifted off the ground and rose higher and higher until it disappeared into the pale blue sky.

The sound of a door opening came from behind, and Qin Qiao's thoughts were abruptly pulled back by that "thump".

Immediately following was the sound of a cane tapping the ground, mixed with steady footsteps, one after another. The VIP room was already empty, so the sound seemed like the crisp sound of glass marbles suddenly ringing out in a dark, empty house, tugging at a nerve on her scalp.

In fact, there was another kind of elegant sound of women's high heels on the ground, but she overlooked it at first. Could it be the female friend with the child that Chu Yutong mentioned?

The next second her guess was overturned.

"Mr. Chen, your flight MU517 has been arranged with a separate security checkpoint. The boarding gate is expected to open at 14:20."

She is a flight attendant.

Qin Qiao still didn't look back. He folded his arms across his chest and calmly looked out the window at the second plane taxiing.

The sound of the white cane stopped not far behind her. The rustling of clothes and the slight sinking of the leather chair told her that he had sat down on the sofa.

While she was still wondering whether Chen Jiashu was traveling alone, his assistant came in: "Mr. Chen, bring all the information." He was still catching his breath, obviously having forgotten something, and ran back to get it and then ran back again.

Outside the door, a reminder sounded that the flight in the waiting hall was about to board. As soon as the sound fell, Chen Jiashu turned around on the sofa, and then a hoarse and slightly deep voice sounded:

“Anchor Qin, from the moment I stepped through the door, I was thinking that the greatest distance is not between mountains and seas, but between being able to hear each other’s breathing and pretending to be strangers.”

Her tone was tinged with melancholy and sadness. It seemed like a casual remark, but it was like a red-hot needle pricking her heart, the stinging pain making her body tremble instinctively.

*

Chen Jiashu was someone who was once etched into her life. Back then, he was aloof, cold, and solitary, like a glacier, rejecting all warmth, yet he also had a kind, sincere, and passionate heart.

The first time she met Chen Jiashu was in a smoky Internet cafe. At that time, he was the owner of an electrical appliance repair shop. His appearance seemed like a layer separated from the surrounding background, attracting all her attention.

With a strong and distinct profile, high brow bones, and narrow, deep double eyelids, especially his deep, bright, obsidian-like eyes, the light cast a pale yellow hue on him, but it did not diminish his inherent aloofness that kept strangers at bay.

She was a sophomore at the time.

"alright."

Chen Jiashu raised her hands and handed over her ID card with both hands.

Her clear, slightly cool, and somewhat husky voice, like the slightly raspy magnetic bass strings of a viola, couldn't hide its unique qualities even in the noisiest environment.

This was their second meeting. Chen Jiashu was serving several customers for the internet cafe's cashier, and she was one of them. It was still a chance encounter.

But that's how fate works; once it starts, you'll meet again and again.

......

In her sleep, Qin Qiao clearly felt something gently applied to her body, followed by a faint warmth mixed with a pleasant fragrance. She raised her hand and touched the soft material, which was a thin blanket.

Opening her tired eyes, through her blurry vision, Qin Qiao saw a glimpse of a pure black hem flitting past the corner of her eye.

——Chen Jiashu.

Without making any other guesses, my first reaction was him.

Every meeting with Chen Jiashu was fleeting, and on the day he said, "Qiaoqiao, give me another chance," the two walked for a while without exchanging another word. Fortunately, a phone call came in at that moment, like a timely rain. She hung up the phone and turned away gracefully.

Just now in the lounge, Chen Jiashu's seemingly casual remark contained a bitterness that almost swept her away like the rising tide. She knew very well his current eyesight, so she pretended not to know him when they met, just bullying him because he couldn't see clearly.

Thinking of this, Qin Qiao felt guilty and raised her hand to call the flight attendant. As the flight attendant leaned over, she covered her lips with her hand and whispered, "Please prepare a hot American coffee with brown sugar for the gentleman behind me."

That was Chen Jiashu's little habit. She once teased him:

"Mr. Chen, people who drink American coffee don't add sugar. If you find it really bitter, why not order caramel?"

"Is there a conflict between fear of bitterness and preference for mellowness?" he asked sincerely.

"You're not..." She thought for a moment, "You're just trying to endure it."

Chen Jiashu burst out laughing: "I've drunk too much instant coffee. Now I feel that bitterness is more real." He held her hand and raised his chin: "I'm not forcing myself to eat it. It's just that there is a certain taste. I have to get used to it slowly."

Later, Americano with brown sugar eventually became his standard.

A cup of warm, fragrant coffee sat on the solid wood folding table. Chen Jiashu breathed in the rich, delicious aroma of coffee as he looked down at the white bone china cup, a faint smile forming on his lips.

Flight attendant: "Sir, this is a hot Americano with brown sugar that the lady in the front row ordered for you. She said she hopes you have a pleasant journey."

Chen Jiashu: "Please thank this lady for me. I appreciate her kindness." He held the cup handle and deliberately raised his voice. "Besides, things remain the same, and I am grateful for your concern."

The coffee was finished, and the journey had come to its destination. After all the business class passengers had disembarked, Chen Jiashu opened his white cane and stood up. Assistant Ye, who was next to him, picked up his briefcase and walked ahead to lead the way.

"Chairman Chen."

Qin Qiao hadn't left yet when Chen Jiashu passed by his seat, and Qin Qiao inexplicably called out to him.

Chen Jiashu turned to the side; she was standing there.

"Yours..." Qin Qiao tightened and loosened his grip on the briefcase strap.

"Get off the plane first, then I'll talk to you."

Qin Qiao and Chen Jiashu walked off the plane one after another, and then stopped synchronously in the corridor at the exit.

This skywalk hangs between the two terminals of the airport, like a transparent bridge connecting the two huge glass and steel buildings.

Looking to the left, planes take off and land on the tarmac, their silver wings gleaming in the sun like swimming fish; to the right is the airport's ring road, with taxis, buses and private cars stopping and starting in the traffic.

As Qin Qiao gazed into the distance, she could feel Chen Jiashu's intense gaze fixed on her face.

He finally spoke, his voice hoarse: "My right eye vision is 0.04. I can see you within a meter, your general outline, hairstyle, clothing color... You looked so vivid last time when you wore red lipstick."

The man's tone was relaxed, even carrying a hint of self-deprecating humor.

After saying that, Chen Jiashu turned around, and Qin Qiao, after a moment of surprise, also turned around.

The two faced each other, three steps apart.

Qin Qiao subconsciously clenched her briefcase. Chen Jiashu naturally wouldn't notice this little movement, but she was annoyed by this involuntary movement, just as she was annoyed that her heart was like a tide rising when she saw Chen Jiashu.

In her distracted state, she accidentally made eye contact with him, and he curled his lips slightly: "If I want to see your eyes and nose clearly, I may need to get closer."

At the same time, he took a step forward, and the two were now only two steps apart.

Qin Qiao was startled for a moment, raised his right hand slightly, facing him with his palm, and stopped him in a gentle voice:

"Chairman Chen."

With his right foot back on the ground, Chen Jiashu smiled gently and uttered a single word, "Okay."

They have a long future ahead of them.

A note from the author:

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