Chapter 4 Revenge?

Qin Qiao felt that the face looked familiar, so she narrowed her eyes slightly to get a better look.

The woman had long, straight black hair, fair skin, and her features were quite beautiful. She wore a square-neck, off-white knitted dress that cinched at the waist, perfectly outlining her slender figure.

Perhaps her gaze was too direct, for the other person sensed it and suddenly turned to look at her. As their eyes met, Qin Qiao clearly saw the sudden surprise rise in her pupils.

"Sister-in-law."

Tian Jiayue's uncertain whisper caused Chen Jiashu, who was standing next to her, to instantly straighten his spine.

He turned his head slightly to the side.

Immediately afterwards, Tian Jiayue raised her voice urgently and shouted:

"Sister-in-law!!"

Women's voices are naturally soft and gentle, unlike men's voices which are loud, powerful, and can travel far.

Unsure if her sister-in-law had heard her, and fearing she might leave, Tian Jiayue disregarded her image and ran towards Qin Qiao.

*

The early summer breeze is cool and carries the faint fragrance of earth and leaves in the air.

Qin Qiao was led around by Tian Jiayue and walked into a small park that had been set up in the factory area. Many employees were exercising there. They found a quiet corner and stopped to talk.

The lush green willow branches overhead swayed in the wind, and an overly long branch repeatedly brushed against Qin Qiao's cheek. She took a half step back, avoiding the touch of green.

"Brother, I've never forgotten you. Is it really... impossible to go back?"

Tian Jiayue's eyes reddened slightly as she asked her in a hoarse voice to confirm.

Qin Qiao nodded, without answering directly: "Jiayue, you're growing up, the world is changing every day, we really can't go back to the past, right?"

Tian Jiayue and Chen Jiashu are not siblings, and are not even related.

She was simply the daughter of Chen Jiashu's deceased old friend, despite their age difference.

That year, Tian Jiayue was twelve or thirteen years old. Chen Jiashu tutored Tian Jiayue in math for two years to earn extra money, and from then on, he had an extra little sister.

"Sister-in-law, my brother almost..."

Tian Jiayue pinched her palm, feeling a slight pain, which reminded her of Chen Jiashu's reminder three days ago.

The phone rang, and Qin Qiao apologized, answered the call, and left while talking.

After parting ways with Qin Qiao, Tian Jiayue returned to the office to find Chen Jiashu.

Chen Jiashu stopped writing, looked up and asked, "She doesn't want to forgive me, does she?"

Tian Jiayue gave a soft "hmm". The tea in the ceramic cup on the table was empty. She picked up the cup, intending to add more tea.

Chen Jiashu: "Order me a coffee."

Tian Jiayue was slightly surprised, but still put down the ceramic cup: "Takeout?"

After Chen Jiashu nodded, he picked up the phone on the table, and the phone automatically unlocked after recognizing his face.

His phone wallpaper is a beautiful night scene.

Beneath the deep blue sky, the snow-capped mountains stood sharp and silent.

The aurora stretched across the sky, its pale green band of light resembling fragments of the Milky Way, its edges tinged with a hint of purple.

That was the year Qin Qiao graduated with her master's degree. They left England and made a special trip to Norway.

Both of them wore thick hats, ski suits weighing over ten kilograms, and thick gloves. They held hands and she led him to the center of a clearing in the snow.

"Jiashu, did you see the aurora?"

White, green, blue... flowed overhead, like an infinitely long ribbon.

I saw it, it's beautiful.

The aurora borealis in his eyes: "I saw it. I thought I would never see such a clear night view again. Life is really amazing. When you think you will never see it again, miracles always happen."

Qin Qiao turned to look at him and said, "You have to believe in miracles."

“I didn’t believe it before…” he paused, “but now I believe it, and I’m standing in the midst of a miracle.”

Meeting you is the best "miracle", Qiaoqiao.

"elder brother?"

Chen Jiashu's eyes flickered, and he returned to reality.

Tian Jiayue was still standing there: "I don't know whether I should tell my sister-in-law about that."

Chen Jiashu said calmly, "The past is past, no need to mention it."

"knew."

Tian Jiayue walked to the coffee table, bent down to pick up the phone on the table, swiped her finger to the food delivery interface, and skillfully ordered two Americanos. Before paying, she specially noted that she wanted two pieces of brown sugar.

"Jiayue"

Tian Jiayue turned around, "What's wrong?"

Chen Jiashu looked up from his computer and stared straight at her: "Did she say anything?"

*

The next day, at nine o'clock in the morning.

The provincial television station's "Finance Frontier" program broadcast a news report about the Dongting Qiaoshu Group's factory gate. The host, Qin Qiao, stood at the gate, facing the camera, and pointed to the factory's name.

"Good morning, everyone. This is reporter Qin Qiao, currently at the Dongting factory of Qiaoshu Group. On May 21st, a suicide incident occurred at the factory, resulting in the deaths of two long-term employees with five years of service..."

The scene cuts to the deceased's relatives and friends holding a banner that reads "[Heartless company, give me back my life]".

"According to our station's investigation, the father and son involved had repeatedly complained about wage arrears before their deaths. However, Qiaoshu Group's financial reports for the past two years show that executives' salaries have increased by 30%, while the wages of grassroots workers have stagnated..."

With a "thud," the tablet computer landed face down on the desk. Chen Jiashu jumped up as if venting his emotions, then sat back down heavily as if all his strength had been drained away.

He reached for his phone on the table, intending to text Qin Qiao, only to remember that many years ago, she had blacklisted him.

Qin Qiao is a veteran journalist; it's impossible for her to make such baseless claims on a live broadcast without conducting any investigation. However, the claims about unpaid wages and financial data are simply not true.

How could she...?

Chen Jiashu shook his head vigorously, "Impossible, impossible."

Tian Jiayue brought in millet porridge she had bought from outside.

She placed the porridge on the table, lifted the lid, unpacked the plastic bag, took out the disposable spoon inside, and inserted it into the porridge. A light and sweet aroma wafted up.

Chen Jiashu held his forehead, his face slightly pale.

"elder brother……"

Seemingly awakened by her voice, Chen Jiashu abruptly turned to look at her, his deep, dark eyes gradually focusing: "Go and invite Qin Qiao over, no, I'll go find her. Where is she?"

Ten minutes later, Tian Jiayue invited Qin Qiao over.

The glass door closed slowly after Tian Jiayue left.

Qin Qiao sat on the sofa, watching quietly as Chen Jiashu walked towards her with his white cane.

The man was tall and imposing, like a calmly moving snow mountain. The closer he got to her, the stronger the chill and oppressive feeling became, and the invisible pressure made it difficult for her to breathe.

Qin Qiao knew perfectly well why Chen Jiashu had invited her. She had said things she shouldn't have, and these things would have a huge negative impact on his group.

“You’re manipulating those people’s emotions,” Chen Jiashu asked coldly. “Why?”

The atmosphere quieted down. Qin Qiao put her phone on the table, stood up and said, "Chairman Chen, I am a reporter. I only listen to and see the objective facts that I have photographed."

Chen Jiashu stared at her blankly for a long time, then his expression turned cold and his tone was merciless: "The truth? The truth is that you are just like those people outside the door? You listen to one side and believe it, using eye-catching headlines to gain high attention and high traffic for your provincial station?"

Before Qin Qiao could speak, Chen Jiashu's voice suddenly rose, "I'm asking you, have you verified the claims made by those two people you interviewed that our group is in arrears with salaries? And where did you get the data that workers' wages are stagnant?"

His stern demeanor made him sound like he was reprimanding a subordinate. After years of navigating the business world, Chen Jiashu now exuded an undeniable air of authority, and she was somewhat intimidated by him.

Looking down, Qin Qiao saw the veins bulging on his hand as he gripped the white cane tightly, as if he wanted to break the cane in his hand.

Chen Jiashu seemed to have countless things to say to her, but Qin Qiao spoke up before he could:

"If Chairman Chen feels the report is inaccurate, you can issue a statement to clarify, or you can have your legal department sue me." She paused, then chuckled, enunciating each word clearly: "Or do you think I'm retaliating against you?"

revenge.

Chen Jiashu's cheeks twitched almost imperceptibly, not just from shock, but from the awkwardness of his dark thoughts being brought to the forefront.

He was speechless: "Sue me? What would I sue you for?"

Qin Qiao didn't want to say anything more to him, so she simply kept quiet.

Chen Jiashu, however, did not intend to stop there: "Qiaoqiao, this is not fifteen years ago. I cannot and will not cooperate with you, you know?"

Fifteen years ago... He emphasized this deliberately, and Qin Qiao almost reflexively took a half step back, her calf hitting the edge of the sofa.

I understand. Chen Jiashu believes that she is using this incident to further her career development.

So what does this last sentence mean? Is it a reminder that her current success is entirely due to his cooperation back then?

Her face darkened, and she retorted rudely, "Chen Jiashu, what do you mean?"

They have known, loved, and stayed together for ten years. Have they ever argued or quarreled with each other?

Chen Jiashu realized that he had spoken too harshly, and raised his hand to touch her shoulder, but before he could touch her, Qin Qiao brushed him away.

"I don't need you to remind me!!"