Chapter 5 He: "You know him?...

Liang Qi put down the medicine box on the table near the door, lifted the lid with one hand, and turned to see Jiang Nuanyu limping over.

He glanced into her eyes, then looked down at the injury on her foot and asked, "Did you wash it with water?"

His gaze seemed warm, and Jiang Nuanyu nodded somewhat awkwardly, "Mm."

Liang Qi took out iodine spray and gauze from the medicine box, and Jiang Nuanyu said first, "I can do it myself..."

After saying that, she wondered: Did that make her sound a bit presumptuous?

Her eyes were fixed on the spray and gauze in his hand. She raised her hand halfway, paused in mid-air for two seconds, and then pulled it back.

Looking at her series of small movements and her slightly flushed face, Liang Qi felt that her current cautious and shy demeanor was completely different from that of last night.

He opened his palm and handed the item to her.

Jiang Nuanyu carefully took the gauze, her movements were exceptionally gentle, but when she picked it up, her fingertips still scraped his palm.

Whether it was because he felt itchy or something else, his long, strong fingers twitched.

"...Thank you." She thanked him without daring to look up, and moved to sit on the edge of the chair.

Liang Qi leaned his long legs against the edge of the table, his hands in his pockets, and turned his head to look at her.

Jiang Nuanyu bent down, symbolically sprayed a few drops of iodine on the wound, roughly dabbed it with gauze, and looked up with a "done" expression.

Liang Qi analyzed her expression, confirming that she genuinely thought this was acceptable, and his gaze shifted slightly.

"..." Jiang Nuanyu became even more reserved.

Liang Qi turned around, pulled over another chair with one hand, sat down directly opposite her, and took the spray and gauze from her hand without hesitation.

He bent down slightly, one hand hanging down, and before touching her, he suddenly looked up.

Their eyes met unexpectedly, and at such close range, Jiang Nuanyu's breath hitched, and she blinked at him.

With her consent, Liang Qi lifted one of her ankles and placed it on his knee.

Her calves had fair, smooth skin, which made the wound look even more gruesome.

Jiang Nuanyu gripped the chair tightly with both hands, as if the leg in her hands didn't belong to her anymore.

Unlike her hasty treatment, Liang Qi treated the wound with exceptional skill and meticulousness. He first sprayed iodine around the wound, allowing the solution to fully saturate the surface, before using gauze to absorb any excess liquid.

The medicine seeped into the feverish wound, feeling cool and refreshing; as it flowed down the skin, it also felt itchy.

Jiang Nuanyu's heart was pounding like a drum, and her ears were burning hotter and hotter.

While Liang Qi was tending to his wound, she secretly kept watching him.

The setting sun streamed in through the floor-to-ceiling windows. His face was turned to one side, and in the warm, hazy light, the lines of his profile were exceptionally clear and handsome. His jaw was slightly clenched, his expression focused, and his gaze followed the movements of his hands.

With each movement, the muscles in his forearms clearly tensed and relaxed; beneath the thin layer of skin, the blood vessels were full, and the tendons and bones were long and firm, exuding a sense of power and sexy hormones.

He was clearly just treating his wounds and had no intention of flirting at all. But after both feet were treated, Jiang Nuanyu's face turned completely red.

Liang Qi casually put the gauze and spray back into the medicine box, and added, "The wound is quite large, and it's hot, so be careful of infection."

"Okay," Jiang Nuanyu replied softly, her eyes slightly lowered. "Thank you."

Liang Qi asked her, "Why are you alone today?"

Jiang Nuanyu guessed that he might be talking about Feng Shasha, so she said, "Her boyfriend came to keep her company, so I'm playing by myself."

Liang Qi nodded and didn't ask any further questions.

The atmosphere was somewhat subdued.

Jiang Nuanyu swallowed non-existent saliva, thinking that alcohol was truly a wonderful thing.

Alcohol emboldens the timid.

Yesterday, after drinking, she was able to confess her feelings without any worries, but today, in front of Liang Qi, she couldn't utter a single word.

Seeing her silence, Liang Qi glanced at her gently, looked directly into her eyes, and asked in a flat tone, "You know Jing Yao?"

"Huh?" Jiang Nuanyu looked up, instinctively wanting to answer "I don't know him." And that was indeed the case.

But when she met Liang Qi's gaze, she suddenly realized that the reason he asked that question was probably because he had overheard Jing Yao's words at the restaurant entrance...

She panicked instantly, unsure whether to explain or not, and even more worried that explaining would only make things worse.

Her hesitation was taken as consent.

Liang Qi glanced at her but didn't say anything more.

Peng Ze came downstairs at this moment and whispered to Liang Qi, "Mr. Liang, everything has been arranged upstairs."

Liang Qi glanced at his watch and said, "I have something to do, you..."

He wanted to say something like "Do as you please" or "Have fun," but seeing that she was all alone and had an injury on her foot, the polite words suddenly didn't come out so naturally.

Jiang Nuanyu keenly sensed this implication and immediately put on a bright smile, saying, "You're busy, I'll just eat something here and then see where we can go for fun."

After saying that, she smiled at him again.

Her face was flushed, but her almond-shaped eyes were bright. Dressed in white with black hair, her skin appeared even more radiant. Soft strands of hair clung to her forehead, where a light sheen of sweat glistened, giving her an unpretentious beauty.

Liang Qi stared at her for a moment, nodded, looked away, and got up to leave.

Peng Ze stayed behind, tidied up the used gauze on the table into a small trash bag, closed the medicine box, and turned around to ask, "Miss Jiang, do you need me to take you home?"

Jiang Nuanyu smiled and said, "No need, thank you."

After hearing this, Peng Ze bowed slightly, picked up his medicine box, and left.

Once everyone had gone, Jiang Nuanyu collapsed instantly.

It's not that she can't eat alone, but at this moment, facing groups of people in the restaurant, she felt inexplicably lost.

Her mind was in turmoil again.

*

The door to the VIP room on the third floor of the restaurant was pushed open from the outside. When they saw that it was Liang Qi, everyone sitting around the tea table stood up.

Liang Qi glanced at everyone and said, "I'm sorry to have kept you all waiting."

Those present were all suppliers and business partners of YunJing. Wei Guoliang, the oldest among them, was the first to smile and say, "President Liang, you're too kind. We were just saying that without the main character, even the best tea can't be appreciated."

Everyone laughed and agreed, following the lead of the conversation.

Liang Qi sat down in the seat of honor, which had been tacitly left empty, and said, "As long as the tea is good, we don't need to look at the people."

“What General Manager Liang chooses is naturally the most exquisite,” General Manager Zhao on the left replied curtly.

"Huh?" Mr. Liu, the marketing manager of an airline, suddenly asked, "Was that Mr. Jing, the former CEO of Yun Jing, who was just at the restaurant entrance? He looked a bit like him, but I didn't dare to recognize him."

The room fell silent instantly upon hearing this.

No one dared to speak.

The "General Manager Jing" mentioned by General Manager Liu is Jing Yao.

Besides being the former head of Yunjing, Jing Yao is also the grandson of Jing Chengming, the founder and chairman of Tianqi Group.

Jing Chengming had two sons and a daughter. Each of his two sons had an only son, and Liang Qi was Jing Chengming's only grandson.

Despite being his grandson, Jing Chengming is decisive in allocating group resources, always prioritizing ability and results. In the past two years, he has gradually transferred some of the businesses originally belonging to Jingyao to Liang Qi, including Yunjing Group, one of Tianqi's core subsidiaries, which was handed over earlier this year.

Jingyao was naturally resentful that his property had been taken away by someone from another family. Even after half a year, he still couldn't let it go and openly and secretly targeted Liang Qi.

The rivalry between the two has been heard about in the industry, but since it's not out in the open, no one would be so foolish as to bring it up.

Mr. Liu only started cooperating with Yunjing in the first half of the year and wasn't quite clear about the stakes involved. Looking at the expressions on the faces of the people at the table, he realized that bringing this up earlier might have been inappropriate.

The atmosphere was tense and urgently needed to be eased, but while General Manager Liu could bring up the topic, he couldn't find a solution for the moment.

Wei Guoliang deftly came to his rescue: "It's him. But President Jing is no longer in charge of Yun Jing, so his visit to the resort is probably a private trip, and we shouldn't bother him."

Mr. Liu quickly smiled and tried to cover it up: "Yes, yes, I was just asking casually, I didn't mean anything by it." As he spoke, he looked at Liang Qi, who was in the main seat.

Liang Qi remained calm, took a sip of tea, and didn't reply, making it impossible to tell whether he minded or not.

However, the topic was put aside, and everyone drank tea for a while before moving to another table.

The private room has a semi-landscape design with floor-to-ceiling windows facing the golf course. Outside, the night sky is a blend of blue and green, creating a very tranquil atmosphere.

Exquisite dishes were already laid out on the round table by the window, and waiters were pouring wine into the decanters one by one.

Wei Guoliang looked at the young man beside him who looked a bit immature and said with a smile, "President Liang, look at Qingheng, this kid. At first, he couldn't even hit the ball properly on the grass, but later he was able to play a few games. It's all thanks to your patience and methods, and your good teaching."

Wei Qingheng, who was mentioned, smiled and said, "I hope President Liang will give me more guidance."

Liang Qi smiled faintly and raised his hand: "It's not about giving instructions. Playing ball is about relaxing, there aren't that many rules."

Wei Qingheng had expected the dinner table to be more serious than the basketball court, but Liang Qi remained unpretentious. Hearing Liang Qi say "relax," he indeed relaxed and readily agreed:

"Mr. Liang, I'm currently working on a virtual tour technology that allows users to preview their destination online and pre-select points of interest. It can also be combined with AI algorithms to create personalized route planning, linking online and offline experiences for a better user experience and more precise targeting of actual vacation spending."

I've heard that Yunjing is currently pushing for a smart technology upgrade project at the resort. Would you like to have a chance to give me a detailed introduction?

He spoke with enthusiasm and seriousness, but apart from Liang Qi, everyone else at the table seemed a little uncomfortable, especially Wei Guoliang. He had told his son beforehand not to mention business on the court, but he hadn't expected the kid to be so single-minded; he didn't mention it on the court, but he was so eager at the dinner table.

Wei Guoliang quickly smiled and smoothed things over: "President Liang, don't mind him. That's how young entrepreneurs are; they're impatient. He gets all excited when AI or VR is mentioned. Look, he hasn't even graduated yet, and he's already started a tech company with some people. He's a bit impulsive, but he's got a lot of passion."

The others at the table exchanged glances, silently observing Liang Qi's reaction.

Liang Qi shook his head and smiled, indicating that he didn't mind. He looked at Wei Qingheng and said, "Virtual experience is indeed a trend, but the core of a resort is the user experience. Over-technological development will actually weaken customers' interest in the real resort."

Upon hearing the implication of those words, Wei Qingheng's smile visibly froze.

Unexpectedly, Liang Qi changed the subject again: "We can prepare a set of project materials and hand them over to the product team to evaluate the feasibility later."

His words made no substantial promises or guarantees, leaving it unclear whether he was genuinely interested in the project or merely giving Wei Guoliang face.

But Wei Guoliang was more experienced than his son and knew when to stop. He patted his son on the shoulder with a smile: "Qingheng, President Liang isn't just casually letting the team look at the materials. You'll have to show us something real."

Wei Qingheng knew how to say the right thing, and nodded to Liang Qi: "Thank you for the opportunity, President Liang."

“Yes,” Mr. Zhao on the other end of the line chimed in. “Not only should the new company thank Mr. Liang for the opportunity, but we companies that have been cooperating for many years will also need your continued support in the future.”

When Jingyao was in charge of Yunjing, he liked to prioritize personal connections, and many companies were able to bypass bidding and win projects through targeted commissions. However, after Liang Qi took office, he rectified the system, reviewed the bidding process, and no longer gave anyone special privileges.

With the old guard out of power, in order not to be marginalized, everyone can only seek future opportunities from the new leaders.

Mr. Zhao's words drew another round of enthusiastic toasts and echoes.

"You flatter me, everyone. Business is about mutual benefit." Liang Qi calmly pushed Biaobang back. "If Yunjing can benefit from this, I am naturally willing to give each other a chance. Although I have not been in charge of Yunjing for long, I believe that everyone here is a reliable partner and a forward-looking person."

Speaking of "looking forward," General Manager Liu quickly tried to downplay his slip of the tongue when mentioning Jingyao at the tea table: "Our airline was able to join the YunJing collaboration project thanks to General Manager Liang's foresight and decision-making. The feedback on the co-branded card program after it went live last month has been excellent. Everyone in the company says that the significance of this collaboration goes far beyond simple marketing."

Liang Qi said, "Airlines are at the starting point, and cloud computing is at the landing point. Working together to improve the user experience is an unavoidable trend for the future."

“Yes, yes.” General Manager Liu nodded repeatedly and said, “Thank you for your trust, General Manager Liang. We have several more route resources available, and we hope you can consider them again.”

Mr. Liu raised his glass, tilted his head back, and downed the entire glass of baijiu in one gulp.

Liang Qi raised his wine glass in response.

Amidst the clinking of glasses, whether it was to express loyalty and solidify cooperation, or to probe the winds and seek opportunities, it was Liang Qi's domain. Everyone kept to themselves, saying what needed to be said and conveying what needed to be conveyed, and no one tried to drag things out.

The dinner party ended naturally, and after everyone left, Liang Qi was the last to walk out of the private room.

He only took a few perfunctory sips of wine, showing no signs of fatigue from the social engagement.

Peng Ze, who had been waiting, came up to greet him and reported as they walked: "President Yao is still at the resort and hasn't taken any action. He's probably just here to make an appearance before this dinner party."

After walking a few steps, he said again, "It seems that someone tipped us off at the dinner table today."

Liang Qi continued walking, chuckled softly, and ignored him.

He couldn't be bothered with petty tricks like tipping someone off.

Those who previously took shortcuts and profited from Jingyao's schemes will not be subject to a large-scale purge in the future, as long as they do not harm Yun Jing's fundamental interests. However, if anyone crosses that line, he will not hesitate to take drastic measures.

While waiting for the elevator, Peng Ze asked, "Mr. Liang, shall we go straight back to our room?"

Seeing that Liang Qi did not respond immediately, Peng Ze seemed to remember something and said, "By the way, Miss Jiang has already taken the shuttle bus back, and her foot injury should be fine."

Liang Qi raised his eyes, his gaze subtly sweeping over Peng Ze through the reflection in the elevator.

Peng Ze's expression remained normal, as if he were simply reporting on a routine official matter.

Liang Qi looked at him for a moment, then looked away: "I understand."

As he entered the elevator and the doors closed, he added, "Send some medicine over there."

Peng Ze paused for a moment while pressing the floor button. He had only spoken because he was trying to figure out what Liang Qi meant, but Liang Qi's instruction still surprised him.

However, it's good to try to understand what your boss is thinking, but remember not to overthink it.

He simply replied, "Yes."

A note from the author:

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