Chapter 18: The Parts That Went Completely Out of Control
Before nine o'clock in the morning, Yan Shuang had already prepared the meeting materials for today.
She aligned the edges of the folder, arranged the pens in the pen holder by color, and even tore the sticky notes on the desktop neatly.
It seems that they want to use these subtle controls to counteract the parts of life that are completely out of control.
The elevator dinged, and Yan Shuang's back straightened instinctively.
Without turning around, she could tell who it was from her colleagues' sudden upright posture and the chorus of "Good morning, Boss Shang."
The footsteps approached from afar, carrying the unhurried rhythm characteristic of those in positions of power.
"coffee."
The word fell from above, and it didn't even form a complete sentence.
Yan Shuang raised her head and met Shang Qiuzhu's downcast gaze.
Those eyes were the same eyes that had gazed upon her in a hazy, drunken state in a hotel room in the Maldives.
He was clear-headed and indifferent at this moment, showing no trace of familiarity.
"Okay, Mr. Shang." Yan Shuang heard herself reply reflexively, her voice so steady that even she was surprised.
Shang Qiuzhu had already turned and walked towards his office. Yan Shuang stared at his back and noticed a faint scratch on the back of his neck, half-hidden by his shirt collar.
Her fingertips curled up unconsciously, her nails digging into her palms.
In the break room, Yan Shuang mechanically operated the coffee machine. As hot water was poured into the cup, a cloud of white steam rose, blurring her vision.
In a daze, memories of that night in the Maldives flooded back: the feel of the silk sheets, the breath mingled with alcohol, and the hands that roamed over her body...
"Hiss..." Hot coffee splashed onto the back of her hand, and the pain pulled her back to reality.
Yan Shuang hurriedly turned on the tap to rinse her skin, which was already red.
She stared at the red swelling and suddenly found it ridiculous.
For three years, she had never burned herself while making coffee, but today was the last time.
Just as she was about to take out a tissue to wipe herself, the door to the tea room was pushed open.
Lin Sheng walked in carrying a stack of documents. "Good morning." Lin Sheng nodded in acknowledgment, his gaze falling on the coffee cup in Yan Shuang's hand. "For President Shang?"
Yan Shuang paused for a moment, then suddenly seized the opportunity: "Could you please take me in? My hand is burned."
She showed her reddened hand and added, "I haven't finished organizing the meeting materials yet."
“Of course.” He took the coffee cup.
After Lin Sheng left, Yan Shuang breathed a sigh of relief. She picked up the documents and hid in the copy room, leaning against the cold photocopier and rubbing her temples.
"Secretary Yan?" Secretary Li poked her head in. "President Shang asked where the project progress report is."
The report was placed on Shangqiu Zhu's desk at eight o'clock this morning, she deliberately placed it before he arrived at the company. "It's on the file rack to his left, the one with the blue label."
"He said he didn't see it." Xiao Li rubbed his hands awkwardly. "I'm telling you to go find it yourself."
"I understand." She finished tidying up the photocopied documents, deliberately slowing down her movements to buy time. "You go back first, I'll be right there."
At the morning meeting at 9:40, Yan Shuang chose the spot furthest from Shangqiu Zhu.
She pressed her back against the chair back, as if that would make her look smaller.
The notebook spread out in front of her was filled with the key points of the meeting.
"Revenue in the Southeast Asian market grew by 12% in the third quarter, mainly driven by new channels in Singapore and Malaysia."
Yan Shuang's voice was steady and clear as she reported, but her eyes remained fixed on the projection screen, refusing to make any eye contact with the person at the head of the table at the other end.
Shangqiu Zhu leaned back in the leather seat, but his gaze was fixed on Yan Shuang.
“Specifically in the Singapore market,” Yan Shuang turned to a page of data, “the three new distributors contributed 68% of the revenue growth.”
"What is the cost-effectiveness ratio of channel expansion?" Shangqiu Zhu suddenly asked.
Yan Shuang paused on the paper for a moment, then wrote, “1:3.2, 15 percentage points higher than expected.” She answered quickly, but still didn’t look up. “Detailed data is in the appendix on page 7.”
The CFO nodded approvingly and was about to reply when Shang Qiuzhu spoke again: "Why did you choose these three distributors?"
This is a tricky question, because the selection criteria have already been briefly mentioned in the previous slides.
The air in the conference room seemed to freeze for a second, and the managers exchanged puzzled glances.
Yan Shuang's fingertips curled slightly, but her voice remained steady: "Based on three considerations: first, local market share; second, logistics cooperation; and third..." She paused for half a second, "...and the complementarity with existing channels. I've put the detailed evaluation form at the end of the attachment."
A perfect answer.
Shangqiu Zhu squinted his eyes.
On the surface, Yan Shuang's performance was impeccable, with accurate data and clear logic, perfectly meeting the professional qualities of a secretary.
But it was precisely this excessive perfection that attracted his special attention.
In the past, when Yan Shuang gave a report, she would occasionally make eye contact with him to confirm, smile when she received praise, and even wink at him when the data was particularly impressive.
Now, she's like an artificial intelligence, precise yet cold, hiding all her personal traits behind that professional mask.
Shangqiu Zhu slowly flipped through the documents. "I remember that Yonghui Trading's score wasn't high during the initial evaluation."
“Yes.” Yan Shuang finally glanced at him, but her gaze lingered only on the knot of his tie. “However, subsequent on-site investigations revealed that their warehouse management system was more advanced than the reports indicated.”
Shangqiu Zhu nodded slightly, but his gaze fell on her fingers resting on the pen.
The pen twirled between my fingers three times, pausing briefly each time it reached a specific angle.
In a flash, a fragment of his memory suddenly resurfaced: on that drunken night, when he held Yan You's wrist, her fingers had also spasmed slightly three times.
A strange sense of certainty arose within the bamboo of Shangqiu.
"Let's continue." Shangqiu Zhu leaned back, her face showing no change in emotion.
Yan Shuang mechanically completed the remaining report, her voice remaining steady.
But when other colleagues spoke, her gaze remained fixed on her notebook, refusing to make eye contact with anyone.
Especially him.
"That's all for today." Shangqiu Zhu ended the meeting ahead of schedule. "Secretary Yan, please stay behind. We need to add some details for other projects."
The crowd filed out, and several supervisors cast sympathetic glances at Yan Shuang.
Being kept behind by the Chamber of Commerce usually means severe criticism.
Yan Shuang remained seated, her hands clasped together on the table.
After the last person left and closed the door, Shangqiu Zhu did not speak immediately.
He got up and walked to the window, his back to Yan Shuang, letting silence fill the room.
This is a psychological tactic; most people will lose their composure in this oppressive silence.
"What details do you need to add?" Yan Shuang asked first, her voice very soft.
Shang Qiuzhu turned around and found that she had already reorganized all the documents, brought up the meeting minutes template on the tablet, and held a pen in her hand, ready to take notes, looking like a professional secretary waiting for instructions.
"Don't you have anything to say to me?" He walked slowly back to the long table.
Yan Shuang's pen hovered over the paper: "About what?"
"About the Maldives," Shang Qiuzhu stated directly, while suddenly leaning forward and placing his hands on the table in front of her, trapping her between the chair and his chest.
Yan Shuang's breathing became noticeably rapid; this subtle physiological reaction spoke volumes more than any words could express.
All the puzzle pieces suddenly returned to their places in Shangqiu Zhu's mind.
A moment later, Yan Shuang tilted her head slightly to meet his gaze, a resolute glint in her eyes.
"I don't understand what you mean, Mr. Shang. If you mean last year's company team building event, I didn't participate."
Shangqiu Zhu suddenly laughed, a laugh that was sinister and terrifying.
Yan Shuang felt a chill run down her spine. She swallowed hard. "If you don't have any work-related instructions, I still have meeting minutes to organize."
He took a step back, resuming his usual businesslike tone, "Go."
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