17. Key Steps in Life

Back in Beijing, Fang Kaixuan and Xiao Ju met again at Le Rendez-vous. Even though they had only been apart for a few days, they had a lot to say to each other.

Xiao Ju naturally wanted to ask Fang Kaixuan about the details of his trip to Lake Baikal as soon as possible, but Fang Kaixuan was more concerned about the article Xiao Ju had on hand, which involved a pharmaceutical company's sales representative tampering with a report and being reported.

"The first draft is basically complete, but there are still some additional interviews needed. In addition, Qi Chun is helping me verify the details."

Qi Chun was Xiao Ju's boss, as well as her mentor and idol when she entered the industry. In the early days, among a group of rough-looking male reporters at the scene of various major breaking news events, Qi Chun's lean and capable figure was always present. Later, when the media company established an in-depth reporting department, they invited Qi Chun to serve as the department head.

In recent years, achieving business targets has been difficult. Whenever there is negative news involving the company, Qi Chun will intervene in advance to check and prevent any mistakes that could offend the advertisers.

For market-driven media like theirs, public opinion oversight is no longer the primary task; achieving annual business targets is what truly matters, and this depends entirely on corporate sponsors. Especially now, with the market declining, advertisers have become their bread and butter, their attitudes increasingly arrogant, and they are becoming increasingly unapproachable.

Fortunately, Qi Chun was adept at social maneuvering and did his best to maintain a balance, creating a small space for his subordinates. Although they were in shackles, they could still dance as much as possible.

After reading Xiaoju's article, Qi Chunchu felt that the facts were conclusive, the evidence was sufficient, and there were no major problems, only some details needed to be reconfirmed.

However, this was definitely a bad thing for Fang Kaixuan.

Although this media outlet is not as glamorous as it once was, its influence remains, and its major reports are often widely shared. This particular report, however, involves cancer patients and medical insurance fraud, and the fact that company executives tacitly approved the falsification of reports makes this scandal a major negative event.

Fang Kaixuan couldn't help but ask, "When do you expect... the manuscript to be published?"

"It's hard to say, but it should be within a week or two. There are a few more time-sensitive articles ahead of us, so we have to publish those first. What's wrong?"

"It's nothing." Fang Kaixuan unconsciously folded the tissue back and forth, but the tissue provided by Ah Xuan was too soft to be folded into a star shape, and in the end it just became a soft lump.

Fang Kaixuan and Xiaoju had an unspoken understanding: they would never pry into each other's sensitive work information that shouldn't be revealed. Therefore, Xiaoju didn't notice the hesitation in Fang Kaixuan's words and changed the subject, asking about her trip to Lake Baikal.

After all, the last time was at work, and the boss kept bothering them. This time, Fang Kaixuan has traveled a long way to keep the appointment, so it's bound to be even more exciting.

Ah Xuan pretended to be busy, but actually he was also listening intently, waiting to hear about Fang Kaixuan's latest romantic encounter.

During the period of his divorce from Chen Zhilun, many of Fang Kaixuan's conversations with Xiao Ju took place here, and Ah Xuan was very clear about the cause and effect. And men are actually gossipy too, but they don't usually have the opportunity, or they think that gossiping publicly is detrimental to their masculinity.

Fang Kaixuan had no intention of hiding his relationship with Gu Qiye from Xiaoju, and it wouldn't matter if Axuan knew.

But where to begin? Fang Kaixuan was at a loss for words.

She suddenly realized that although she felt inexplicably close to him, they had only spent a little over a week together, so they were still essentially strangers.

Whenever I think of him, it's as if I'm still at the foot of the snow-capped mountains or on the snowfields, in that exceptionally cool and clean air.

Li Jian didn't sing it wrong. Even though it was the dead of winter and there was no one around, the air was exceptionally quiet, as if one could truly forget the worries of the world.

All they know is heaven and earth.

It's just you and me.

Seeing Fang Kaixuan's lips involuntarily curve into a slight smile and his eyes soften, Xiao Ju shook her head. She was still overly suspicious, worried that her friend might go astray.

To warn Fang Kaixuan, Xiao Ju patted Ah Xuan and asked:

"If, and I mean if, one day a stunningly beautiful woman suddenly appears in your shop and wants to date you, what would you think?"

Ah Xuan scratched his head: "Let me look in the mirror first."

Fang Kaixuan snapped out of his daze and chuckled, "Hey, what do you mean, manager?"

Ah Xuan quickly apologized: "I didn't mean for you to look in the mirror. I meant, uh, no beautiful woman will fall in love with me unless she wants to cut my kidneys and then inherit my shabby shop."

Xiao Ju shrugged at Fang Kaixuan: "You're a smart person, so I won't say anything more. Just keep an eye on your bank account."

"Okay, I understand," Fang Kaixuan admitted to Xiaoju. "However, I also feel that something is a little off."

"Something's not right."

"Even though he's a complete stranger, there's no small talk, no need for pleasantries, no beating around the bush. I felt relaxed and at ease from the very beginning. All my previous relationships have been difficult; I can't possibly be this lucky this time, can I?"

Fang Kaixuan knew he wasn't lucky in love.

Therefore, even in moments of intense emotion and dizziness, one question lingers in my mind:

I can't possibly be that lucky.

...

However, at this moment, Fang Kaixuan had no interest in delving into the romantic adventure, but instead hesitated and asked Xiao Ju, "Is it possible to postpone that manuscript?"

Xiao Ju's eyes widened in surprise at how she could have asked such a question.

Fang Kaixuan wanted to explain, but his voice involuntarily grew softer and softer: "This is a project I've handled before. We're currently selling existing shares, and the new investors have basically completed their due diligence..."

Little Orange didn't respond.

"Are you out of your mind?" Xiao Ju thought to herself. But she had never said such a blunt thing to Fang Kaixuan before, and she couldn't bring herself to say it.

"...So, could you give me some time? I need to at least mention the risk internally. I can't let the boss find out about this through your push notifications; he'll definitely hold me accountable then." Fang Kaixuan finished speaking with a wry smile.

Of course she knew that Xiao Ju hated nothing more than anyone trying to interfere with freedom of the press.

What she admires and respects most is Xiao Ju's elegant demeanor of always maintaining clear boundaries and adhering to principles.

Seeing Fang Kaixuan's timid and apologetic eyes, Xiao Ju softened a little and quickly said softly, "Not so fast."

That evening, Fang Kaixuan and Xiao Ju broke up early, which was unusual for them. Firstly, they didn't see eye to eye that night and couldn't chat as intimately as usual. Secondly, Fang Kaixuan had to be in the office by eight o'clock the next morning.

The boss's secretary informed her that the boss had something important to discuss with her.

Ever since the falling out with Chen Zhilun, the phrase "Let's talk" has been triggering Fang Kaixuan's PTSD, because once those words are uttered, nothing good ever comes of it.

The boss appeared, and his expression made it impossible to tell whether it was good or bad. Fang Kaixuan pondered this inwardly, but had no clue.

He drank half a cup of coffee before slowly speaking: "I have an important decision to make."

He paused, as if considering how to phrase it.

Fang Kaixuan simply waited quietly.

"Within six months, I will shift my focus to overseas work, and David will be in full charge of mainland affairs."

David Tam, whose full name is Tan Dawei, is the company's number two, the boss's right-hand man, and his eyes and ears.

Fang Kaixuan didn't understand for a moment why such a confidential and important decision had to be told to her, a nobody, in advance.

“In the future, I will be going back to the mainland less and less,” he pondered. “Maybe you can also consider relocating to Hong Kong, where you can get residency in seven years according to the policy. Or, I am also setting up a family office, which will most likely be in the western United States, but that will be later, after the preparations are in place.”

The news came suddenly. Fang Kaixuan was still completely baffled by this unexpected proposal.

The boss could tell too.

“David is certainly a good person. However, other people in the company might see this as a change of government. And most people are opportunistic, so your future work might not be very smooth.” Seeing Fang Kaixuan’s hesitant expression, the boss could roughly guess what she was thinking. “Not just you, but I definitely need to make arrangements for everyone working around me in advance. I will also talk to Xiao Qin later.”

The "Little Qin" the boss mentioned is Qin Zhisheng, another of his favorite employees, who usually partners with Fang Kaixuan.

"Thank you for considering my situation. However, this happened so suddenly..." Indeed, it was too sudden for Fang Kaixuan to react appropriately immediately.

"Of course, this is just to give you a heads-up, so you won't be surprised if anything changes. The changes will be rapid. As for the specific reasons, I can't go into details, but anyway," he stared into Fang Kaixuan's eyes, "Xiao Fang, life's crucial moments often come down to just a few steps, so think it over carefully."

///

It's too cruel to bring me back to face a drastically changed workplace when the sweetness wasn't enough; it's as cruel as life itself...

One wrong step leads to another, but one can still survive.

Soon I won't have to go to work anymore... haha