Chapter 85 She slapped him hard across the face…

As soon as the meeting ended, after the other directors had left, Qin Qiao strode forward and stopped in front of Zhu Ao, who had just stood up.

Trembling with anger, she raised her hand and slapped Zhu Ao across the face without saying a word.

A crisp "snap" echoed in the empty conference room.

The man's glasses were knocked askew, and five finger marks were clearly visible on his face. He straightened his glasses and forced a kind smile: "Qin Qiao, in that situation, if we didn't do this, those directors wouldn't let it go, and the group would be in chaos. That's the last thing Jia Shu wanted to see."

The comprehensive health assessment was expected to yield this result. Last night, he had given Qin Qiao a heads-up, telling her not to take anything she heard to heart or act rashly. For now, they just needed to go with the flow.

But at this table, anyone can bring up "medical assessment," except Zhu Ao! How has Jia Shu treated him all these years? Shares, status, brotherhood—in what way has he wronged him? And he… knowing full well Jia Shu's physical condition, knowing what Jia Shu cares about most, yet he still chooses to stab Jia Shu in the sore spot.

How could Qin Qiao not be furious!

But Qin Qiao didn't want to waste words with Zhu Ao, so she brushed past his arm and left.

The night wind grew stronger, and the study window was open, with the blackout curtains rising and falling intermittently, pattering against the wall, accompanied by the "tap-tap" of the keyboard.

Chen Jiashu had been sitting at his desk for an hour. The computer screen was lit, displaying a densely packed annual financial report. To his left was a Braille reader about the size of an abacus, his slender fingers lightly resting on it, his fingertips tracing the fine raised dots.

His right hand rested on the keyboard, his bent knuckles manipulating the arrow keys. He pressed the row key, and the cursor in the table jumped to the next row, while the computer's built-in voice announced: "Table, 9 rows, 3 columns."

If you move to the right, the speech will change to "9 rows, 4 columns", "9 rows, 5 columns", and so on.

Qin Qiao brought over the coffee and gently placed it on the upper left corner of the table. Her gaze fell on the screen, watching the cursor jump between the cells displaying the data: "R&D Department," "Q1," "1 million," and "92%."

She couldn't resist asking, "What did you read out?"

Chen Jiashu looked up: "R&D department, Q1, 1 million, 92%, right?"

"correct."

Qin Qiao had always been curious about this device. Last night, to find out more, she tried out the Braille reader herself. Its functions are indeed powerful, capable of converting various forms, web page text, and email content into dynamic Braille in real time.

Take this financial report as an example. Chen Jiashu uses his right hand to control the keyboard. When the cursor hovers over a cell, the raised dots on the reader simultaneously display the Braille content of that cell. When switching to the next cell, the raised dots automatically refresh, displaying new Braille.

The feeling of touching something and hearing it are completely different – ​​this is the feature that business people like Chen Jiashu, who handle tens of millions of contracts every day, need most.

Suddenly, Chen Jiashu's fingers paused, and his brows furrowed slightly. Seeing this, Qin Qiao asked, "What's wrong?"

“There’s a piece missing here…” he muttered to himself.

Qin Qiao looked at the computer screen; the 1.25 million for the R&D department in Q3 was correct. She read it aloud in a low voice, asking him to verify: "R&D department, Q3, 1.25 million."

"What I found is...Q3...1,250,000, without a department name in front of it." He thought for a moment, "Is there a merged cell?"

“Yes.” Qin Qiao glanced at the screen. “The ‘R&D Department’ and the two quarters below it have been merged into one cell.”

“That’s right.” Chen Jiashu leaned back in his chair and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Merging cells will cause information to be interrupted and cannot be read.”

I see.

"That's easy. From now on, all reports will be prohibited from merging cells." Qin Qiao walked behind him and leaned down slightly to massage his shoulders. "Have you found any other problems?"

“The administrative department’s budget sheet highlighted the overspending items in yellow, but the reader only reads the numbers. I had to guess that from experience.” Chen Jiashu found it somewhat amusing. “What if I demanded that cells not be merged, that colors not be used and that reasons be noted, that complex column layouts not be allowed… wouldn’t my subordinates complain that I’m too difficult to work with?”

With her arms around his neck, Qin Qiao gave him a light kiss on the cheek: "I... I've never worked with you before, and now I find you quite difficult to please."

The data cannot tolerate the slightest error. She chuckled, "However, it is precisely because of this 'difficult' boss that the company has been able to get to where it is today."

"Leave this to me. I will issue the 'Data Submission Standard' in the name of the finance department to formalize all the problems you found. From now on, this will be the only standard in the company."

Chen Jiashu tilted his head back, raised his hand to gently stroke her left cheek, and tenderly brought her face closer. His soft lips brushed against hers, then he held them in his mouth and kissed them softly for a while.

“Qiaoqiao…” He grasped her arm and pulled her onto his lap. “I was thinking… when you’ll be fully comfortable with who you are now, you’ll be able to do whatever you want…”

Qin Qiao turned around and stared at his face.

A large amount of light fell on his face, making his skin appear translucent like cold jade, with the tip of his nose particularly bright. His deep right eye seemed to be filled with tiny starlight, twinkling slightly.

He had already tried his best, and Qin Qiao didn't want him to push himself any further. She leaned closer, her forehead touching his, and whispered, "For me, the prerequisite for 'what I want to do' is 'where I want to be.' And right now, this is the place I want to be most."

Chen Jiashu fell silent, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly, still reeling from the impact of those words. Qin Qiao straightened up, intentionally changing the subject: "I have a question. Didn't you notice these little problems before?"

"I tried it two or three times when I first bought it, and then I put it away," he answered truthfully.

Qin Qiao was somewhat surprised: "Boss Chen's foresight... only covered one-third of the way?" This is really not his style.

Someone's unruly hand quietly slipped under her clothes, the cool knuckles tracing the lines of her spine, slowly moving upwards.

Qin Qiao trembled slightly.

Chen Jiashu shook his head sheepishly and smiled, "To be honest, I'm still reluctant. To give you an example, someone with mobility issues who walks unsteadily would never use a wheelchair if they could barely walk, right?"

This analogy resonated with her; indeed, it was true. She remembered that when she was in elementary school, her deskmate became nearsighted very early, but even though she had glasses, she refused to wear them.

Her teachers and classmates tried to persuade her, but they couldn't convince her. It wasn't until sixth grade, when her grades plummeted and she could no longer see clearly, that she finally started wearing glasses.

When she thought of how Chen Jiashu had also struggled with his own inconveniences, her heart softened.

Qin Qiao snuggled into his arms and hugged him tightly: "Chairman Chen is so smart, he'll get the hang of it quickly. I'll be your 'cross-validator'. With our dual-core operation, everything will be foolproof."

Qin Qiao gasped softly, afraid of falling, and hurriedly clung tightly to Chen Jiashu's chest. Then, that magnetic, husky voice descended from above:

"Give directions".

*

During the day, Chen Jiashu returned to the sanatorium.

The room was a bit lively today. At nine o'clock in the morning, Zhu Ao came to visit and told him in sign language that the board of directors was aware of his situation and planned to arrange a comprehensive medical examination, and sought his opinion. Chen Jiashu had heard Qin Qiao mention this yesterday, so he calmly nodded in agreement.

Not long after Zhu Ao left, three directors arrived with gifts. Seeing that he was unable to hear or see, they exchanged a few pleasantries but didn't know what else to say. They handed the gifts to Lao Song, sat for less than ten minutes, and then took their leave.

Just after lunch, Director Xu and Lü Dong arrived together. The two sat down and reminisced about the past before discussing the current state of the group. Before leaving, they each shook his hand firmly and urged him to take care of himself.

Around 4 PM, Director Ma arrived late. He first made some polite remarks, then earnestly advised, "Since your health is failing, you should hand over your position to someone more capable. Which shareholder or investor would trust someone who can't even take care of themselves to steer such a large group?"

"Look at me... I almost forgot, you can't hear me." Director Ma chuckled lightly, but his tone was cold. "You're just too attached to these material things. If you gave them up willingly, everyone would remember your kindness, and you'd have a dignified ending. Why wait until someone else uses them... then your lifelong reputation will be ruined in an instant. Why bother?"

Chen Jiashu reached for the teacup but accidentally knocked it over. The cup rolled to the ground and shattered with a crisp sound.

Director Ma scoffed at his expression.

Suddenly, Chen Jiashu's assistant pushed open the door and entered. Instead of caring about his boss, he rushed straight at him and dragged him out of the room without saying a word.

The door was locked, and Old Song walked inside.

Tea spilled onto the floor, soaking Chen Jiashu's slippers. He stood up, picked up his white cane, and walked towards the bedroom, leaving a trail of wet footprints in his wake.

Old Song watched his forbearing and desolate back, and saw that his left hand was clenched into a fist.

And that Director Ma, while still in the elevator, couldn't wait to send Zhu Ao a message:

[It wasn't an act.]

Two days later, a black Mercedes-Benz van pulled up in front of the sanatorium. Accompanied by the head of the group's special task force, Chen Jiashu went to a qualified private hospital for a full physical examination. The process was tedious and complicated, taking up the entire day.

The medical examination report will be issued in three days.

It's Wednesday again, time for the board meeting.

Zhu Ao listened intently to the proposal, then lowered his eyes, slowly moving the mouse across the data reports submitted by the human resources department and customer service manager.

The meeting room fell silent for a moment, broken only by the occasional soft rustling of pages turning and a few suppressed coughs.

The sun was shining brightly outside, and the blinds were drawn, letting in golden light through the gaps, casting shimmering patches of light on the long mahogany table.

Qin Qiao overheard the administrative director and human resources director talking in hushed tones beside her.

The HR director sighed softly: "Our disabled colleagues may not be as efficient as able-bodied employees, but to be honest, they are more conscientious in their work and know that this job is hard-won."

The administrative director lowered his voice even further: "Why would they suddenly target them? This doesn't seem like a spur-of-the-moment decision..."

Zhu Ao then spoke up: "Customer satisfaction has dropped by 18%, and the average processing time exceeds the standard by 47%. The group is not a charity; I agree to lay off redundant staff in basic customer service positions."

Chairman Wang, with his hair slicked back, was the first to chime in: "I support Chairman Zhu. Businesses aren't charities; these figures already illustrate the problems."

Just then, Director Huang, who was diagonally opposite Qin Qiao, slammed his hand on the table and shouted angrily, "Bullshit! Chen Jiashu has only been resting for a few days! Your behavior is appalling! Laying off disabled people? Is the next step to clear out the chairman's office too?!"

This Director Huang is known for his fiery temper. He's like that not only with Zhu Ao, but even with Chen Jiashu, though he's a little more polite in his insults.

The board members at the back exchanged glances, suppressing their laughter.

Zhu Ao warned in a low voice, "Director Huang, watch your words."

Lu Dong quickly tried to smooth things over: "Old Huang, mind the occasion..."

"Pay attention to my ass!" Director Huang pointed at Zhu Ao's nose. "You're an ungrateful wolf! Back when you couldn't make it at HF, if it weren't for Chen Jiashu taking you in, would you be where you are today? Let me tell you, that's called being ungrateful! That's called being a thankless ingrate! The big companies were absolutely right to not want you!"

Zhu Ao's face darkened: "Director Huang, please be mindful of your position. We are discussing serious issues concerning the future of the group, not listening to you vent your personal emotions."

Director Huang tried to get up and yell, but Lu Dong grabbed his arm and pushed him down.

"Please let me say a few words." A gentle female voice suddenly interrupted.

The room fell silent instantly, all eyes fixed on Qin Qiao's face.

Her cool gaze was fixed on Zhu Ao, and she said after a moment: "The operational data presented by the customer service department does objectively reflect some of the efficiency problems we are currently facing. However, as directors, we may also need to consider another set of 'social value data' when making decisions."

Zhu Ao put down the documents in his hand, a faint smile curving his lips, and waited for her to continue.

“Over the past five years, the Group has provided more than 12% of employment opportunities for people with disabilities. This initiative has earned us the ‘Model Corporate Social Responsibility’ award for several consecutive years and has also earned us a wide and lasting positive reputation in mainstream media and social media platforms.”

Public Relations Director Li Rong nodded repeatedly in agreement.

But he is still willing to build a platform for them.

In Chairman Chen's view, a company's responsibility is not to give alms, but to transform the so-called "shortcomings" of a group into the "strengths" of the organization's inclusiveness and innovation through systems and management.

Qin Qiao continued, "The customer service department, especially the basic positions, is functionally the group's 'service window,' but in the public's perception, it is even more so a 'humanistic window' for us to practice the corporate philosophy of 'business with warmth'..."

Some of the directors nodded frequently, while others shook their heads in disapproval, occasionally letting out a few sneers at the "womanly compassion."

"If we make an optimization decision to lay off employees today based on internal efficiency data, then tomorrow we may need to invest several times the cost of optimizing brand reputation to deal with a media storm of 'well-known company firing disabled employee'."

A small murmur of discussion broke out in the room. Qin Qiao paused, but seeing Zhu Aoyou's smiling face, she said, "Of course, this doesn't mean we should turn a blind eye to all poor performance. Just like the previous 'Pingping' incident, the group gave her ample opportunity; it was her personal choices that led to the final result. The public and the media can distinguish between corporate social responsibility and mismatch between an individual and their position."

Qin Qiao clearly conveyed what Director Huang wanted to say, and just as he was about to applaud, he noticed that the conference room door was being pushed inward.

The raised hand suddenly stopped.

One, two... more and more directors noticed the commotion at the door, and the whispers gradually subsided.

Zhu Ao hesitated and turned around following those astonished gazes. He saw Chen Jiashu's two assistants pushing the door from the left and right, while that familiar and upright figure stood quietly at the intersection of light and shadow.

-----------------------

The author says: Braille reading devices really exist.