Chapter 1 Qiaoqiao, Long Time No See
Lanchuan City enters the plum rain season in May.
A light drizzle had been falling on and off for more than half a month, the air was heavy and sticky, filled with an unsettling restlessness.
The car window slowly rolled up, and Qin Qiao picked up the shorthand notebook from the passenger seat. The Lamy pen stuck on the cover fell in mid-air, and she reflexively reached out her other hand to catch it, her palm gently pressing against the pen surface engraved with the words "Qin Qiao".
This fountain pen had been with her for fourteen years. The inscription, worn smooth by her fingertips over the years, now felt like sand grinding into her heart, each drop a sharp, persistent pain. She felt as if she had been burned. She threw the pen down, but the uneven leather chair caused it to roll into a crevice and come to rest there quietly.
The ringing of an incoming call broke the silence.
Qin Qiao blinked her damp eyelashes, placed the shorthand notebook on her lap, and picked up her phone from the middle of the notebook.
"Director, we've arrived at the 'Qiaoshu Group' lounge." The sweet female voice on the other end of the phone belonged to Chu Yiyi, the intern she was supervising.
Qin Qiao said, "I'll be there soon," and hung up the phone.
In the lounge, three financial reporters from the provincial TV station each held a cup of coffee and chatted idly in a corner, avoiding other media reporters.
Reporter A asked in a low voice, "Director, you just got off the plane and went straight to work with your bag?"
Reporter B clicked his tongue twice and asked curiously, "The director even postponed the Cocore smart healthcare launch event last month, so why is she personally attending this shareholders' meeting in the secondary market today?"
The two men's questioning gazes simultaneously fell on Chu Yiyi's face.
As the first intern Qin Qiao mentored after returning to China, Chu Yiyi didn't actually have many opportunities to learn from her teacher. Although Qin Qiao had been back in China for half a year, the two of them had spent less than a month together in total.
Chu Yiyi took a sip of coffee and decided to reveal a little something to the two of them: "I heard that Qiaoshu Group's overseas cash flow is very similar to the Sigma scandal..."
Financial journalists, as the only "outsiders" allowed to observe senior management meetings of listed companies, bear the responsibility of supervising information disclosure and public opinion. However, most of the time they are merely silent "recorders."
Reports written too bluntly are prone to offending people. Nobody wants to be targeted, so everyone tacitly agrees that reports should be mild and conservative. Only seasoned media professionals like Director Qin dare to use sharp questions to reveal the unknown side behind the iceberg.
The brown-red door was pushed open from the outside. Qin Qiao entered, carrying a laptop bag in one hand and a notebook under her arm. More than twenty pairs of eyes in the room turned to look at her simultaneously.
Qin Qiao wore a beige business suit with a single-button cinched waist that accentuated her slender figure. Her collarbone-length hair was illuminated by the light, giving it a silky sheen.
There were four other senior reporters in the lounge, just like Qin Qiao. They came from several cities in the surrounding areas of the province, three men and one woman. Although they may not have met each other before, they were all in the same circle and had heard of each other to some extent. When Qin Qiao saw these colleagues, the corners of her lips curled up slightly, revealing a very friendly smile.
The potted fiddle-leaf fig was nearly two meters tall, lush and green, with leaves shaped like violins. Qin Qiao raised her eyes and looked through the gaps in the leaves to see her group members, who were also staring at her.
*
Financial reporters were seated in the audience section against the wall, in two rows. Qin Qiao and her team members sat in the first row, with their laptops on the long table.
It was almost time, and the directors in suits filed in. During the meeting, they were only allowed to listen in and not make any noise. The interviews were scheduled after the meeting ended.
"Knock—knock—"
The white cane tapped the tiled floor, producing a crisp sound mixed with steady footsteps, which could be heard even through a wall.
As the figure drew nearer, a tall, slender figure in black soon appeared at the conference room door.
This man is Mr. Chen Jiashu, the founder and chairman of the Qiaoshu Group. The gentleman next to him, wearing rimless glasses, is Zhu Ao, the group's vice president (CEO).
Everyone in the room was watching them, following their movements until they took their seats.
Qin Qiao buried his head in writing a few words in the notebook, then looked up, leaned back in his chair, and when he raised his eyes, his gaze met Chen Jiashu who was sitting in the main seat.
He wore a crisp, all-black suit with broad shoulders and a meticulously buttoned white shirt. For the formal meeting, he had also specially worn a dark blue tie, and his long neck revealed a slightly protruding Adam's apple.
With sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, his deep pupils have been sculpted by the world, making his gaze even more sharp and keen. The only thing that hasn't changed is his upright and honest nature.
Her old friend Zhu Ao also saw her and nodded to her. Qin Qiao returned the smile.
As the meeting entered its second half, Chen Jiashu's presentation, which he had led alone, came to an end. Amid applause, he walked with his cane to the third seat on one side of the long table, behind the older director.
The old director was about to get up when Chen Jiashu gently pressed him down.
“Director Sun, you are my 'angel investor' and the person who supported and appreciated me in the earliest days. Without you, there would be no Chen Jiashu today.”
Chairman Sun turned and looked up at Chen Jiashu, hesitatingly saying, "Chairman Chen, you..."
Chen Jiashu smiled slightly and said, "Some people think that my eye disease has worsened and that I am no longer competent for the position of chairman. This has indeed given some people—" He paused, then emphasized the next few words with an inexplicable meaning, "the opportunity to poison me."
Upon hearing this, Director Sun's forced smile froze on his face, and the whispers among the directors aroused the curiosity of the reporters in the audience.
"They bribed my assistant to go to great lengths to 'tailor-make' reports specifically for me,"
Chen Jiashu's tone was almost mild: "You might as well think about it, if I really 'misread' this report today and signed that merger agreement, who would suffer the loss when the stock price crashes tomorrow?"
The five fingers gripping Chairman Sun's shoulder tightened slightly, yet he still smiled at the crowd. "Is it you, Chairman Sun, whose 12% stake will be the first to be liquidated? Or is it Chairman Lin, how much 'Qiaoshu' bonds does your son's trust fund hold? Do I need to read it out in public?"
The nominated Director Lin lowered his eyes, nervously flipping through the documents in his hand. A short, murmured sound rippled through the meeting room. Chu Yiyi lowered her eyes and typed, recording what she had seen and heard on her computer.
Suddenly, she heard a "thump," followed by something bumping her toes. She looked under the table and saw a black pen.
Picking up the pen, Chu Yiyi placed it beside Qin Qiao and whispered, "Director, this is your pen."
There was no response.
Chu Yiyi glanced over out of the corner of her eye and saw that Qin Qiao had a serious expression and dark, unfathomable eyes, as if he was thinking about some thorny problem.
In the next half hour, Chen Jiashu used courtesy before force, and used obscure words to persuade the director to withdraw. At first, the old director was very unconvinced. After all, he was a veteran and believed that he had made the greatest contribution to the current status of Qiao Shu Group. Without his 30 million yuan back then, there would be no Qiao Shu.
Chen Jiashu still tried to save his face by casually mentioning several overseas offshore companies and some of someone's amazing operations. Mr. Sun turned pale on the spot, his lips trembled and he couldn't speak.
Before leaving, Chairman Sun abandoned all pretense of decorum and launched a personal attack, seemingly trying to gain an advantage before departing: "Chen Jiashu, don't forget! A blind man walking at night is most likely to stumble."
Chen Jiashu simply smiled faintly, returned to his seat, scanned everyone present, and then said, "Now it's your turn to choose: will you continue to accompany a blind man on a dark journey, or will you pursue those 'bright futures' that you can see?"
It turns out the ultimate drama of this shareholder meeting was uncovering the biggest insider. Financial journalists, what haven't they seen? But none of it compares to today's excitement.
Starting gently, turning personal attacks into a crisis of collective interests, using the maximum level of deterrence while leaving room for maneuver, and finally giving everyone the opportunity to pledge their allegiance, Chen Jiashu's move was truly brilliant.
The reporters listening in exchanged admiring glances.
After the meeting ended, everyone else left, leaving five senior journalists behind. The interview session was arranged in the senior lounge in the inner room of the conference room.
As you push open the door, the first thing you see is a landscape painting that is nearly ten meters long on the wall. Turn around and you will see a set of simple, solid-colored fabric sofas. At the far end is a giant floor-to-ceiling window.
The rain had stopped outside the window, and the sun peeked through the clouds, its golden light pouring into the room and turning most of the walls yellow.
The male assistant who greeted them asked them to sit down, inquired about their tea preferences, and then had someone prepare tea.
The inner door opened, and out walked a man who was also Chen Jiashu's assistant. He stood in the middle of the lounge, holding a document in both hands. His eyes fell on the male reporter's face, and he said respectfully, "Reporter Zhou Song, please follow me."
Each person had only one question, and in less than ten minutes all four had left. Qin Qiao was left last. She knew it was Chen Jiashu's intention. Their list had been sent to him a week ago, and Chen Jiashu knew she was coming.
This time she was not invited in. Instead, Chen Jiashu came out, waving his blind stick and walked towards her.
The man had a straight back and bright, intelligent eyes. If it weren't for the white cane in his hand, you wouldn't know that his eye condition had progressed to the point where he needed to use it.
The door closed gently, and the assistant left.
"Mr. Chen." Qin Qiao called him.
"Qiaoqiao, it's been a long time."
Chen Jiashu's lips curved slightly. Although he was 38 years old, Qin Qiao could still see the youthful aura that was inadvertently revealed on his face.
That year, right after she divorced Chen Jiashu, she went to the UK and stayed there for more than five years. It’s not that she never came back once. Every time she came back during the holidays, she was always in a hurry. She and Chen Jiashu met twice, and they were just polite greetings.
"He probably meant 'a year' when he said 'a long time'," Qin Qiao thought to herself.
Chen Jiashu walked to the single sofa, bent down, drew two lines in the air with his fingertips, grasped the sofa armrest, and slowly sat down, then placed his white cane aside.
Qin Qiao felt an inexplicable tightness in his chest and exhaled. For a moment, he forgot that Chen Jiashu was right beside him.
She glanced over out of the corner of her eye and saw the man's eyelashes tremble at the sudden sigh, whether from concern or just a normal physiological reaction, she couldn't tell.
He is a sensitive and thoughtful person.
Qin Qiao turned slightly to the side, knees together, facing Chen Jiashu, and replied softly, "Long time no see."
Chen Jiashu could see Qin Qiao, although it was a very blurry silhouette, but he seemed to see the curve of her lips.
Six years have passed since they separated. During these years, he has been watching international news on his tablet every day. Last year, his eyesight deteriorated, so he started wearing custom-made vision glasses that magnified his vision by two, three, or even five times, just so he could see her face clearly.
In the news, she had her hair neatly tied up in a bun, delicate makeup, and looked professional and capable. Her words were as clear as pearls falling on a jade plate, and her voice was very pleasant.
The assistant brought two cups of tea as Chen Jiashu requested, put them down and left.
The rich aroma of tea wafted into his nose. Qin Qiao picked up the teacup and took a small sip. The warm tea rolled into his throat, and the slightly bitter aftertaste lingered on his teeth.
"Just a work assignment?" Chen Jiashu asked again.
The teacup was gently placed on the table. Qin Qiao nodded. "To be precise, I came here to pick a fight, but—" She paused deliberately, and when he raised an eyebrow to show his interest, she said, "Didn't Director Chen solve it himself?"
She made a guess: "Dr. Chen, was the 'customized report' deliberately given as an opportunity to expose Mr. Sun and the others?"
Chen Jiashu nodded slightly. Qin Qiao pondered for a moment, his fingertips slowly stroking the wall of the cup. "But... if we only catch Mr. Sun, the 'chicken', aren't we afraid that the other 'monkeys' will destroy the evidence overnight?"
"Reporter Qin, do you think I should read out the pledge details of all the directors on the list?" His expression brightened slightly, and he smiled easily. "Then Qiaoshu Group will be on the front page of your Financial Frontier tomorrow."
That's right. The essence of "killing the chicken to scare the monkey" is not in killing, but in letting the other monkeys see the situation clearly and take the initiative to choose sides.
"Mr. Chen, that's brilliant."
Her casual business compliment made Chen Jiashu burst into laughter. After laughing for a moment, he said, "I had dinner with Qin Zhendong of Zhong Shen the other day. His bonds had fallen below the issue price. I praised him for his unique vision and forward-thinking strategy, saying that he was even more ruthless than those people on Wall Street. Chairman Qin was so happy that he couldn't stop smiling and insisted on pulling me to build a position together."
Chen Jiashu used to be taciturn and not good at the flattery and fawning in the business world. His face would turn red after drinking two glasses of wine, and Zhang Shuang often complained that he was "difficult to open his mouth to flatter". Now this man can tell lies that are more real than gold while chatting and laughing. She doesn't know whether to admire his ease now, or to feel sorry for the man who would rather break than bend, who was eventually tamed by capital and became the most shrewd.
"So..." Qin Qiao smiled, "Boss Chen's reminder of my "brilliant" was just a show?"
“It’s all just playing along…” he thought for a moment and said, “It also depends on who you’re acting with.”
*
A black Bentley was parked in front of a school called "Lanchuan City Xincheng Migrant Workers' Primary School".
Pushing open the car door, Qin Qiao got out first. Facing the gentle breeze, she squinted her eyes slightly. How could she not be familiar with this place? It was the predecessor of Qiaoshu Group, back then it was called... Jiashu Electric Appliance Co., Ltd.
The driver opened the other door, and Chen Jiashu climbed out of the car. He took a few more steps forward, followed by a soft door closing behind him. Then the driver reversed, turned around, and drove away.
Chen Jiashu turned to her and asked, "Qiaoqiao, do you remember this place?"
"Yes," she replied.
The high heels made a crisp, clear sound as they hit the ground. Qin Qiao walked to Chen Jiashu's left, and a faint, almost imperceptible scent of men's cologne entered her nostrils. The calm woody fragrance was mixed with a light earthy note, with a subtle hint of refreshing juniper berry in the base.
Chen Jiashu's first perfume was the one she bought for him, a classic Hermès fragrance. It smelled very similar to the one he wore. Before that, he never used perfume. His body scent was always a faint blend of laundry detergent and shower gel. It was very subtle and could only be smelled when he was in her arms.
"Chen Jiashu, stop right there!"
At that moment, the setting sun shone obliquely into the office, leaving a large, irregularly shaped orange-yellow patch of light on the smooth tiles.
The two played "eagle catches chicks" in the office. Chen Jiashu stood behind the office chair, gripping the edge of the leather chair with both hands, every cell in his body rejecting her approach.
It was as if she were holding a biological weapon instead of perfume. She was both angry and amused, her left hand on her hip. "Chen Jiashu! You're President Chen now, a high-end business person. You can't still be using laundry detergent to maintain appearances, can you?"
"I'm fine as I am..."
"Brother Shuang said that when Mr. Wang shook hands with you last time, he thought you had just moved a box of laundry detergent."
"My hands were greasy that day, so I washed them with detergent." Chen Jiashu laughed at the end of the story. "Are you disgusted by me embarrassing you?"
Qin Qiao ran up to him, grabbed his perfume, and sprayed it on him. The rich fragrance first condensed in the air and then slowly spread.
Chen Jiashu pulled her into his arms and reached out to snatch the perfume from her hand, but Qin Qiaoxuan immediately raised her hand high.
"I really, really hate it!" she shouted with a smile.
He deliberately let her have her way, finally only holding her wrist that held the perfume, lowering his head, his chin resting on her neck, his warm breath brushing against her neck.
"Jiashu," she pushed him out, "He's at the company."
There was a mischievousness in his smile, and his soft lips rubbed her skin. "Sunday, no one's around."
She felt so itchy that her whole body trembled slightly.
Suddenly, another arm circled her waist: "Qiao Qiao, remember when we got married you said... that you wanted a house with floor-to-ceiling windows so you could see your children swinging in the garden..."
His burning body temperature enveloped her, making her face flush. She lowered her hand holding the perfume, and he gently brushed away the stray hairs from her forehead. His dark eyes were as deep and affectionate as obsidian: "I want a home of our own, and I want you to never leave me."
Chen Jiashu has been blind in his left eye for many years. With proper care and maintenance, his appearance and spirit are indistinguishable from his healthy eye. If it weren't for the daily medication, he would almost forget that he is blind.
She stood on tiptoe and kissed his soft eyelids. When he opened his eyes, tenderness overflowed from them. He held her hips and picked her up. He suddenly felt playful and spun her around in his arms.
“Jia Shu…”
The sound eventually faded into memory.
Qin Qiao glanced at Chen Jiashu's eyes, just as she used to walk on his left side back then. His deep pupils reflected the receding scenery, clear and bright, like a perfectly clean mirror.
Further ahead were the steps leading to the classroom. Qin Qiao glanced at the ground, stepped onto one, but forgot to remind Chen Jiashu. Because he was talking to her, he was momentarily distracted, and Chen Jiashu's toe kicked the step. He lost control of his body and fell forward. Qin Qiao reacted quickly and instinctively turned around and caught his arms, but she still couldn't stop him from falling.
"Bang!" It landed on the ground with a muffled sound.
Although she was at the bottom, she didn't feel much pain. She realized later that there was suddenly an arm behind her, which raised her back. The human self-protection mechanism stretched her neck forward before landing, so she didn't hit the back of her head.
"Jiashu!" she almost blurted out.
Chen Jiashu lay on top of her, put down his cane, touched her head, lifted it up from behind, and asked in a trembling voice, "Where are you hurt?"
"I'm not hurt." He couldn't see clearly, and Qin Qiao, afraid he would overthink, made it very clear, "And you?"
"fine."
Chen Jiashu rolled over to the side where his arm was pressed, lying flat on the ground, and his blind stick rolled to the side.
With the weight off her body, Qin Qiao raised her back, allowing Chen Jiashu to free his arm. She immediately got up from the ground, crawled to Chen Jiashu's side, and looked over every inch of his body to check for injuries.
Qin Qiao first helped him stand up, then went to pick up the white cane. When she returned, the white cane had not yet been handed over.
Suddenly, she was pulled into an embrace by an unshakeable force, an embrace that was slightly warm.
His broad, steadfast palm pressed against her back, and through the crisp fabric of his suit, Chen Jiashu's heart pounded rapidly and heavily, like a trapped bird desperately crashing against its cage.
Qin Qiao instinctively tried to struggle, but remembering how he had protected her earlier, she gave up and let him hold her.
Her fingertips pinched into her palm, causing a sharp pain like needles, but it was far from enough to bring her back to her senses.
After six years apart, their long-awaited embrace felt so distant that it felt like a stranger, so strange that she could count the intervals of his breaths.
His voice was muffled against her neck: "Qiaoqiao, give me another chance."
A note from the author:
----------------------
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
