Chapter 4 Chapter 4 Revenge?
The two parted ways at the airport exit. Chen Jiashu got into a black Mercedes-Benz, and Qin Qiao was called over by his companions and got into a domestic brand commercial van.
Qin Qiaowei told Chen Jiashu that they were going to the same place and they would see each other again soon.
"Director, we've received more news from the Dongting factory area. The relatives and friends of that father and son were burning paper money at the factory gate when they were violently driven away by security guard Bao. One of them was injured. Look at this photo—"
Assistant Minmin handed the tablet to Qin Qiao. She took it, lowered her eyes, and gently stroked the screen with her fingertips, as if thinking about something.
Minmin continued, "How pitiful, his face is covered in blood. The small town of Dongting has become famous because of the Qiaoshu Group these past few days, and it has been trending on the Internet for a long time."
Yesterday, a father and son who had attempted suicide by jumping from a building and were rushed to the hospital for three days passed away in the hospital. Social news, financial news, and even entertainment news were all reporting on the incident.
Chen Jiashu is a native of Lanchuan and an outstanding entrepreneur in the province. Large enterprises are the pillars of the local economy, and their every move will affect the local image. Therefore, the higher authorities have required that the ins and outs be thoroughly investigated.
Qin Qiao volunteered to provide on-site coverage, and since the Lu TV station was looking for a suitable candidate, it approved her application without hesitation.
*
Two rows of security guards cleared the way as the car Chen Jiashu was in drove into the main gate of the factory. The car windows were covered with privacy film, and the relatives and family members of the deceased, as well as some media who were blocking the way outside, could not see the people in the car at all.
Chen Jiashu came here with several senior executives in March last year and stayed here for a week. He walked around the factory and held several meetings with the factory's two vice presidents, workshop directors, and supervisors.
Back then, his eyesight wasn't so bad; at least he could tell who was faking a smile and who was avoiding his gaze.
It was different from now. After a meeting, everyone seemed to have honey in their mouths and there was no flaw in their words, but he couldn't even see their facial expressions.
"elder brother."
Tian Jiayue pushed open the office door and walked in with a stack of documents in her arms.
She arrived here with the Audit Department a day earlier than Chen Jiashu.
Chen Jiashu withdrew his thoughts, walked back with his blind stick, pulled out the office chair, sat down, and took a document.
"I'll read it."
Tian Jiayue took the documents from his hand.
He would slowly read through all kinds of reports, contracts, project proposals, and other documents in the group that required his review and signature, all while wearing his vision glasses.
The function of aided vision glasses is to enlarge the font. Now he can barely use his right eye, and he is also worried that high-intensity eye use will aggravate the deterioration of the eye condition.
So starting from the beginning of the year, the task of reading important documents was given to Tian Jiayue, and daily reports were read by two assistants.
In the afternoon, Zhu Ao called and said that the terms of the strategic cooperation agreement between Qiao Shu and Zhongshen had been negotiated, and the legal department was verifying the contract text and waiting for him to come back to sign.
After putting down his phone, Chen Jiashu picked up his white cane and went out. Led by Assistant Ye, he walked straight into the conference room where the audit department was located.
On the other side, Qin Qiao just stepped into the lounge. Unlike the group of self-media reporters blocking the factory gate outside, the people inside were all familiar mainstream media reporters.
There were two women, one tall and one short, standing against the wall, adding tea to them from time to time. But seeing the resentful look on their faces and the dark clouds hanging over their heads, one could guess with a simple guess that they must have been pulled from the administrative department to work in the service industry.
Qin Qiao's team was out, and Minmin sent a message saying that she had interviewed several workers from the factory and the videos had been sent to her email.
Qin Qiao couldn't sit still anymore, so he picked up his briefcase and walked out.
She suddenly stopped in the corridor and saw Chen Jiashu coming out of a room across a large open space. Accompanying him were his assistant, who was always by his side, and a young woman.
woman……
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 and fair skin, and her facial features were vaguely recognizable as very beautiful. She wore a square-necked beige knitted dress that was tightened at the waist, perfectly outlining her slender waist.
Perhaps her gaze was too fixed, and the woman sensed something and suddenly turned to look at her. She seemed to see visible surprise in the woman's pupils.
"Sister-in-law."
Tian Jiayue muttered uncertainly, but Chen Jiashu next to him instantly straightened his back and turned his face slightly.
Following Tian Jiayue's urgent shout:
“Sister-in-law!!”
A woman's voice is soft and delicate, not as loud and powerful as a man's, and can be heard from far away.
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 wind in early summer is slightly cool, carrying the faint fragrance of soil and leaves in the air.
Qin Qiao was taken around by Tian Jiayue and walked into a small park opened up in the factory area. Many employees were exercising there. They found a secluded corner and stood there chatting.
The green willow branches above her head swayed in the wind. An overly long branch repeatedly brushed against Qin Qiao's face. She took a step back to avoid it.
"Brother, I have never forgotten you. Is it true... that we can't go back?"
Tian Jiayue's eyes reddened slightly as she asked her in a hoarse voice to confirm.
Qin Qiao nodded, but didn't answer directly: "Jiayue, you are growing up, and the world is changing every day. We really can't go back to the past, right?"
Tian Jiayue and Chen Jiashu are not siblings, nor are they even relatives. Tian Jiayue is just the daughter of Chen Jiashu's deceased old friend who was close to him regardless of 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 cell phone rang, Qin Qiao said sorry, picked up the phone and left while talking.
After separating from 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, right?"
Tian Jiayue hummed softly. The tea in the ceramic cup on the table was almost empty. She picked up the cup and was about to add more tea.
Chen Jiashu: "Order me a cup of coffee."
Tian Jiayue was slightly surprised, but still put down the ceramic cup: "Takeout?"
Chen Jiashu nodded and picked up the phone on the table. The phone automatically unlocked when it recognized his face.
His phone wallpaper is a beautiful night scene.
Under the deep blue sky, the snow-capped mountains are sharp and silent.
The aurora stretched across the sky, its pale green band of light resembling fragments of the Milky Way, with a hint of purple at its edges.
That was the year Qin Qiao graduated from graduate school. They left the UK and made a special trip to Norway.
The two of them wore thick hats, ski suits weighing more than ten pounds, and thick gloves. They held hands and she led him to the center of the clearing in the snow.
"Jiashu, did you see the aurora?"
White, green, blue...flowing above the head like infinitely long ribbons.
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, "Now I believe it. I am standing in 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: "There's no need to mention the past."
"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 looked at her straight in the eye: "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 holding a banner that reads "Black-hearted enterprise, 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 slammed face-up onto the desk. Chen Jiashu stood up as if to vent his anger, then sat back down heavily as if all his strength had been drained from him.
He reached for the phone on the table and wanted to send a message to Qin Qiao, only to remember that she had blacklisted him many years ago.
Qin Qiao is a senior journalist. It is impossible for him to say these things without any real evidence in front of the live camera without investigation. However, the data in the wage arrears and financial reports are not true at all.
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 pale.
"elder brother……"
As if awakened by her voice, Chen Jiashu suddenly turned his head to look at her, his eyes as deep as black holes gradually focused: "Go ask Qin Qiao to come 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, like a calmly moving snow mountain. The closer he got to her, the stronger the coldness and oppression became. The invisible pressure made it difficult for her to breathe.
How could Qin Qiao not know why Chen Jiashu invited her here? She said something she shouldn't have said, and it 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 for a long moment, his expression stern and his tone unforgiving. "The truth? The truth is, you're just like those people outside? You're blindly following one side of the story, using eye-catching headlines to gain high attention and traffic for your provincial TV 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.
When he lowered his eyes, Qin Qiao saw that the veins on his hand that was holding the blind stick were bulging, as if he wanted to break the stick in his hand.
Chen Jiashu seemed to have countless words to say to her, but Qin Qiao spoke before he could say anything:
"If Mr. Chen feels the report is distorted, you can issue a statement to clarify, or you can have your legal department sue me." She paused, then chuckled softly, speaking word by word, "Or do you think I'm taking revenge on you?"
revenge.
Chen Jiashu's cheeks twitched twice almost imperceptibly, not just with shock but also with the hesitation of having his dark thoughts brought to light.
He was speechless: "Sue? What should I sue you for?"
Qin Qiao didn't want to say anything more to him, so she simply kept quiet.
Chen Jiashu didn't want to stop there: "Qiao Qiao, this is not fourteen years ago. I can't and can't cooperate, you know?"
Fourteen years ago… He emphasized this deliberately, and Qin Qiao almost reflexively took a half step back, his 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 asked rudely, "Chen Jiashu, what do you mean?"
They have known each other, loved each other and been together for ten years. Have they ever had any arguments or confrontations?
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!!"
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