Chapter 79
◎Bumped into He Qingzhao◎
Cheng Jiamo walked a long way in a panic before suddenly realizing, why should she panic? Why should she run away in such a panic? It wasn't her who did anything to wrong He Qingzhao in the first place; it was He Qingzhao who wronged her, who repeatedly deceived and fooled her, causing her to be framed and imprisoned like a criminal.
What's even more infuriating is that five years ago, on New Year's Eve, when she was at her most desperate, she contacted He Qingzhao, only to receive a humiliating message from him saying that she, a poor female college student, couldn't afford to fly.
Although she knew that the message was most likely not sent by He Qingzhao himself, it was still sent to her from He Qingzhao's account. Even if He Qingzhao didn't type those words himself, it must have been with his tacit approval.
After that night, Cheng Jiamo was completely heartbroken. She left Beijing right after graduating from university and never went back. She didn't even attend her classmate reunion. Zhang Wenqian and Ding Qiaoqiao invited her back many times, but she refused on the grounds that she was "too busy with work".
Thinking of those painful memories from the past, Cheng Jiamo calmed down instantly. Even the few beautiful memories she had no longer felt beautiful; instead, they felt even more bitter.
She slowed her pace, intending to continue browsing at her leisure, when suddenly her phone rang. When she saw the word "boss," her brows furrowed involuntarily.
Qi Kangyu calling her at this time is definitely not a good thing.
However, she couldn't refuse to answer, so she went to a relatively quiet place to take the call: "Hello, Mr. Qi, what's up?"
Qi Kangyu: "Where are you?"
Cheng Jiamo replied, "I'm out shopping. Didn't you say you'd give me half a day off today?"
Qi Kangyu: "There's an unexpected drinking party tonight, so you have to come back. I'll give you the day off tomorrow."
Cheng Jiamo really wanted to refuse, and wanted to shout out defiantly, "To hell with your drinking party, I'm quitting!" But she didn't dare to refuse; she had to make a living and had to bow her head.
She ultimately held back and smiled as she agreed, "Okay, Mr. Qi."
After agreeing, she immediately added, "Mr. Qi, I'm on the Qinhuai River side, and it's a bit far from our hotel. What do you think about the taxi fare..."
On the other side, at the Jingnan Grand Hotel.
Qi Kangyu sat on the sofa in the hotel lobby with his legs crossed, flicking the ash off his cigarette between two fingers, and said in a playful tone, "Cheng Jiamo, are you trying to tell me a joke? You actually want cash for a mere few dozen yuan for the fare? Do you think I'm short of your money?"
Cheng Jiamo suppressed her anger and smiled apologetically: "President Qi is a wealthy and powerful man, and he is also a well-known, generous, and handsome boss. Of course, he wouldn't be short of money for my taxi fare. The main problem is that I'm too poor. I just went shopping and bought a lot of things without any restraint. I've spent all my money and don't have any money to take a taxi back to the hotel."
Qi Kangyu was amused by her stiff and awkward flattery. He lifted his leg, shifted his sitting position, and was about to tease her a few more times when he turned his head and saw the three people walking in from outside. He immediately stood up and smiled broadly at Zhong Qi, who was in the lead: "Zhong..."
Before he could finish speaking, Zhong Qi raised his hand and waved, smiling as he said, "Don't call me 'General Manager,' it sounds awkward and doesn't sound nice. I'm a few years older than General Manager Qi, if you don't mind, just call me Brother Zhong."
Zhong Qi's words immediately shortened the distance between him and Qi Kangyu.
Qi Kangyu knew perfectly well that Zhong Qi's words were just empty politeness, after all, he had only met Zhong Qi, He Zongxun, and Zhao Yue, these three big shots, two hours ago. However, despite the pretense, he still put on a grateful expression and greeted them with a big smile.
He walked up to the three big shots, about to say some flattering words, when he suddenly remembered that he hadn't hung up the phone yet. So he hurriedly said into the phone, "Cheng Jiamo, come back right now and tell the driver you're paying."
After saying that, Qi Kangyu quickly hung up the phone.
Zhong Qi and the other two exchanged glances, then Zhong Qi smiled and said, "It seems we've interrupted President Qi's conversation with his confidante about life."
Qi Kangyu replied with a smile, "Mr. Zhong, you're joking. With my ugly appearance and small business, how could I possibly have a confidante? She's one of my assistants, young and playful, wandering aimlessly along the Qinhuai River. I'm just having her come back."
Zhao Yue looked at Zhong Qi: "Did Boss He also go to the Qinhuai River?"
Zhong Qi curled his lips into a meaningful smile: "Otherwise, what do you think he came here for? Tang Jingyao's wedding is in Haicheng, not here."
Zhao Yue: "Should we call him over?"
Zhong Qi gestured towards He Zongxun with his lip: "You think Chief He came here to be our bodyguards?"
Hearing Zhong Qi and the others mention "Boss He," Qi Kangyu guessed that it was probably He Qingzhao, the eldest son of the He family in Beijing. He couldn't help but compare He Qingzhao with that mysterious big shot.
Five years ago, Secretary Liu, who worked for Director Wang of the Market Supervision Bureau, suddenly approached him, gave him a resume, and asked him to recruit the girl on the resume into the company as an assistant.
Qi Kangyu is considered a second-generation rich kid in Dongguan, but not extremely rich; he's just average. Moreover, in the eyes of the top tycoons, the Qi family is nothing more than uncultured nouveau riche.
Because his father started out as a contractor, and later, when the real estate market boomed, his father seized the opportunity and became the owner of a small to medium-sized real estate company in Dongguan.
Qi Kangyu was sent abroad to study by his father when he was a teenager, so that he could learn from the West and get rid of the unsophisticated title of a construction foreman.
When Secretary Liu approached him, his Kangyu Technology Company had been established for more than four years and was preparing to go public.
Holding that unremarkable yet seemingly imperial edict-like resume, Qi Kangyu examined it again and again. He was so curious that he couldn't help but ask, "Secretary Liu, whose daughter is this Miss Cheng?"
Secretary Liu said with a serious expression, "Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask. Just hire her and treat her like an ordinary employee."
Qi Kangyu had his answer: this girl was either a rich heiress or the darling of some powerful figure. He didn't dare ask any more questions and immediately instructed the HR manager to hire Cheng Jiamo into the company, arranging for her to be his assistant, and having his friend and special assistant personally teach her.
Since then, Qi Kangyu's technology company has had a smooth run, encountering almost no obstacles in terms of going public or securing projects.
Qi Kangyu knew very well that it was his little assistant who brought him this "good fortune," and based on his observation, Cheng Jiamo was not a rich heiress at all; she was most likely the favorite of some big shot.
He didn't ask her anything, not even a probe into Cheng Jiamo's identity; he truly treated her as just an ordinary employee.
What's truly admirable is that Cheng Jiamo never took advantage of her status as the "big boss's favorite" to act spoiled in front of him. Since joining the company, she has always been diligent and hardworking, and she is very serious when working alongside him. She never slacks off or tries to cheat, which shows that she is genuinely serious about her work and not just going through the motions.
At first, he just treated Cheng Jiamo as a mascot in the company. But after getting to know her better, he found that she suited his temperament, so he actually started to teach her and guide her through her work.
In the past five years, Qi Kangyu has never contacted Secretary Liu, and Secretary Liu has never contacted him again.
Just when he thought that the mysterious big shot might have forgotten about Cheng Jiamo, he suddenly received a notice from Secretary Liu the day before yesterday, asking him to bring Cheng Jiamo to Jingnan, saying that someone would meet him when he arrived in Jingnan.
Qi Kangyu's feelings were complicated. He was both nervous and excited about meeting the "mysterious big shot," and also a little scared—the kind of fear that the fruit he had cultivated with his own hands would be taken away.
-
Cheng Jiamo's call was disconnected. She cursed into the phone, then looked back and saw He Qingzhao standing next to a fan stall behind her, smiling at her.
Cheng Jiamo turned around and quickly walked towards the road, using a ride-hailing app to hail a taxi as she went. While waiting for the car, she kept an eye on what was happening behind her, expecting He Qingzhao to chase after her. However, He Qingzhao didn't follow her even after she got into the car.
So what did he mean by saying those things out of nowhere before?
Cheng Jiamo shook her head, stopped thinking about it, and hurriedly told the driver the last four digits of her phone number. After that, she leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes to rest.
Half an hour later, Cheng Jia got out of the car.
She entered the hotel lobby and saw Qi Kangyu sitting on the sofa smoking. She quickly walked over to him.
Qi Kangyu raised his hand and glanced at his watch: "A full forty-five minutes, you didn't take the bus back, did you?" He then looked at the white transparent plastic bag she was carrying and the cheap trinkets inside. "You mean you bought a lot of things without restraint? These cheap street vendor items that cost a few dollars or a dozen dollars, didn't you?"
Cheng Jiamo first answered his question about taking a taxi, then pulled up the payment record and held her phone out to him: "Mr. Qi, Boss Qi, Brother Qi, I really did take a taxi back as you requested. Look, this is the fare I just paid." She took back her phone and then waved the bag in her hand, "Mr. Qi, you may not understand basic necessities, you may not know the current prices. Don't be fooled by the fact that these things may look cheap, but actually..."
“But it’s not really worth much.” Qi Kangyu grabbed her wrist. “Hurry up and go. Those big shots are already sitting in the private room waiting. If I wasn’t worried that you would get lost and go to the wrong room, I wouldn’t be here waiting for you.”
Cheng Jiamo stumbled as he pulled her along, saying, "Mr. Qi, I'm not lying to you, I really don't have any money. I paid with my credit card. Could you transfer the money to me right now?"
Qi Kangyu glanced at her, his thick eyebrows furrowing: "You take so long to get a taxi, and you still have the nerve to ask me for the fare?"
Cheng Jiamo: "I..."
Qi Kangyu interrupted her: "The big bosses from the client side have all arrived, but you, a mere assistant from the vendor side, are so late. What, do you think you're more important than the big bosses from the client side?"
Cheng Jiamo: "President Qi, you can't blame me. You said you'd give me half a day off today and let me do whatever I wanted this afternoon. But I hadn't been out long, and I hadn't even had a chance to do anything, when you suddenly called me back. I obediently came back as you instructed, but there was traffic on the way. What could I do? Besides, the driver I encountered today was probably a newbie. He drove very slowly and wasn't familiar with the roads, so we took some detours, which is why we were a bit slow."
Qi Kangyu pressed his temples: "Alright, alright, hurry up and come with me."
Cheng Jiamo followed behind Qi Kangyu, not forgetting to mention the taxi fare: "Mr. Qi, the taxi fare for just now."
Qi Kangyu raised his hand and patted the back of her head: "Put it in the book first, and then submit it to the finance department for reimbursement when we get back."
Cheng Jiamo scratched the back of her head: "President Qi, please stop hitting my head. I'm not very smart to begin with. If you keep hitting me like this, you'll really turn me into an idiot. Then I'll have to rely on you for the rest of my life."
Qi Kangyu raised an eyebrow at her: "I only touched it lightly, and you're trying to stage an accident?"
He said this with a smile, a smile that Cheng Jiamo couldn't quite understand, as if he had that kind of thought.
The reason for using "as if" is that Cheng Jiamo is unsure whether Qi Kangyu has those kinds of thoughts about her.
If there's anything to say, Qi Kangyu has never given her a gift that goes beyond the relationship between boss and employee. He has never given her any special treatment at the company. He would praise her when she did well and criticize her when she did wrong. He has never said anything about liking her or anything related to men and women.
But if you say he doesn't like her, Qi Kangyu takes her with him every time he goes out to discuss business, as if he can't live without her for a day.
Qi Kangyu has three assistants. Cheng Jiamo is the least senior and youngest among them, and is also the only female assistant.
Therefore, every time Qi Kangyu took her on a business trip, she would suspect Qi Kangyu's intentions.
At first, she thought Qi Kangyu wanted her to help fend off drinking parties, or to seduce the big bosses of the clients and then use her beauty to close deals, but neither of those things happened.
Qi Kangyu took her on business trips, but it really was just business. After the business trips, he rarely let her attend any drinking parties. Many times, he would ask her to pick him up after the drinking parties were over.
Sometimes he would take her to drinking parties, but he wouldn't let her drink. He would just have her sit next to him and eat while he drank and socialized. After the meal, she would act as his driver and drive for him.
Today, Qi Kangyu suddenly called her and asked her to attend a drinking party. Cheng Jiamo didn't think much of it and assumed that he had another big order and needed to drink and socialize, so he asked her to come and be his driver.
However, when she followed Qi Kangyu into the VIP luxury room and saw three familiar faces sitting inside—Zhong Qi, He Zongxun, and Zhao Yue—she froze on the spot. After a couple of seconds, she turned to leave, but bumped into He Qingzhao.
Cheng Jiamo stepped back, glanced around a few times, and finally looked at Qi Kangyu, asking with a smile, "Boss, you haven't been threatened, have you?"
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