Chapter 80
He endured for five years and thought about it for five years.
Qi Kangyu was startled by Cheng Jiamo's words and quickly spoke up to stop her: "Cheng Jiamo, you..."
He wanted to say, "What nonsense are you talking about?" but he was interrupted by He Qingzhao as soon as he uttered Cheng Jiamo's name.
"President Qi." He Qingzhao walked up to Qi Kangyu with a smile and shook hands with him. "Thank you so much for taking care of Momo over the years, President Qi. You've worked hard."
Qi Kangyu was shocked. It turned out that the mysterious big shot who asked him to take care of Cheng Jiamo was actually He Qingzhao, the head of the He family.
Before finally seeing the big shot's true face, Qi Kangyu had speculated about the mysterious big shot's identity countless times. He had gone through all the playboys in Beijing's social circle, such as Zhong Qi, He Lin, and Zhao Jinfan, and even considered the "vice minister" level officials in Beijing. But he never thought of He Qingzhao.
Who is He Qingzhao?
He was a top-tier young master in Beijing's elite circles back then, a leading figure whom Zhong Qi and his group of high-ranking officials' children all looked up to. Most importantly, He Qingzhao was self-disciplined, aloof, and ascetic.
In short, he's not lustful.
He Qingzhao was already very powerful back then, and now he is not only the head of the He family, but also the president of the Asia-Pacific Chamber of Commerce.
The position of president can be divided into "powerful" and "powerless". A president with real power is equivalent to a ministerial-level official.
So Qi Kangyu thought of everyone he could think of, but never imagined it would be He Qingzhao.
He had even compared that mysterious bigwig to He Qingzhao, but the result of the comparison was that he felt that none of the people he had guessed were as good as He Qingzhao. Even the vice ministers of various departments might not have as much power and status as He Qingzhao. Unless they were officials of a higher rank than vice ministers, they would have reached their peak and would not be able to use him as a shield.
After a slight pause, Qi Kangyu quickly recovered and replied with a smile, "Mr. He, you're too kind. It's my honor."
He didn't address him as "President He" or "Boss He," but rather as "Mr. He." After all, there are just too many "Presidents" and "General Managers" these days; there are several in this room alone. Given He Qingzhao's status, calling him "President He" would be disrespectful. Calling him "Mr. He" would be the most appropriate.
Qi Kangyu is a businessman, a shrewd businessman, and very skilled at these superficial projects.
Cheng Jiamo was struck dumb: "..."
Looking at Qi Kangyu's fawning smile and then at He Qingzhao's refined yet depraved face, she immediately understood what he meant.
Without asking any questions, she threw the plastic bag in her hand at Qi Kangyu, then turned and ran out.
"Cheng Jiamo." Qi Kangyu subconsciously wanted to chase after her, but as soon as he took a step, He Qingzhao had already chased after her a step ahead.
Zhong Qi walked over, put his arm around Qi Kangyu's shoulder, and pressed him into a chair, saying with a smile, "President Qi, sit down and let's continue discussing the Lingnan elderly care project."
Qi Kangyu realized he had lost his composure and quickly composed himself, then smiled and began talking about the project.
Cheng Jiamo was in a hurry to leave. After running out of the private room, she didn't wait for the elevator and ran down the stairs. Fortunately, the floor she was on was not high, only the third floor.
He Qingzhao followed behind her and saw her running quickly down the street in her high heels. Afraid that she might trip, he worriedly reminded her, "Slow down, don't fall."
Upon hearing He Qingzhao's voice, Cheng Jiamo ran even faster.
He Qingzhao dared not chase any further. Standing on the stairs, he said helplessly, "I'm not chasing you anymore. Walk slowly and don't run."
Cheng Jiamo ignored him and continued running downstairs, only stopping to catch her breath when she reached the lobby on the first floor. She didn't dare linger, continuing towards the entrance. After leaving the hotel, she called Qi Kangyu while continuing to walk.
"The nursing home industrialization project may not make money in the early stages, but in ten or twenty years, when the post-60s and post-70s generation retires..." Qi Kangyu became more and more excited as he spoke, and took out his phone to send the project proposal to Zhong Qi. But at this moment, his phone rang. It was Cheng Jiamo calling.
Qi Kangyu was stunned for a moment, unsure whether to accept the offer or not. He glanced awkwardly in the direction of the door, but did not see He Qingzhao.
Zhong Qi peeked at Qi Kangyu's phone and saw the three words "Cheng Jiamo" on it. He smiled and said, "President Qi, answer it. What if Assistant Cheng needs to talk to you?"
Qi Kangyu answered the phone but didn't avoid it, answering it directly in front of Zhong Qi and asking, "What is it?"
Cheng Jiamo originally wanted to question Qi Kangyu about whether he had known He Qingzhao for a long time, but after the call was connected and she heard Qi Kangyu's businesslike tone, she forced herself to suppress her anger.
She smiled and said, "Boss, are there any more business deals to discuss? If not, I'll take a few days of annual leave."
Now that Qi Kangyu knew who she was working for, he dared not refuse and immediately agreed: "Okay."
Cheng Jiamo added, "Please transfer my travel, accommodation, and food expenses to me now. The finance department's reimbursement process is too slow, taking more than a month. I need to pay my credit card bill at the end of the month, so I can't wait for reimbursement."
Qi Kangyu: "How much do you want?"
Cheng Jiamo: "Transfer 10,000 yuan first, and I'll make up the difference later." After saying that, she hurriedly denied it, "No, I also booked the hotel these past two days. The Jingnan Grand Hotel that you requested is far beyond the standard, costing at least 30,000 yuan."
Qi Kangyu couldn't help but laugh and retort, "You're my ancestor, not my employee."
Despite his words, after hanging up the phone, Qi Kangyu immediately transferred 50,000 yuan to Cheng Jiamo, 20,000 yuan more than she had asked for.
After receiving the money, Cheng Jiamo turned around and walked to the roadside to wait for a car.
He Qingzhao stood not far behind Cheng Jiamo, listening to her make the phone call, until she hung up before walking over to her side.
He looked at the gentle and beautiful girl in front of him, who was even more beautiful than before, with the charm of a mature woman, and even more delicate and alluring. But her eyes, which used to sparkle when she looked at him, were now cold and aloof, like a pool of still water, devoid of any love.
"Momo." He Qingzhao took a step closer to her, his Adam's apple bobbing rapidly, his deep eyes filled with intense, suppressed desire.
Five years. He had endured and thought for five years, and finally he could appear in front of her again and have her again.
Cheng Jiamo's taxi was still two minutes away from arriving, so she looked up from her phone and at He Qingzhao.
This time, He Qingzhao didn't wear sunglasses. She immediately noticed the abnormality at the corner of his right eye. The skin at the corner of his right eye was uneven, as if it had been injured.
When they were by the Qinhuai River, she didn't dare to look at He Qingzhao closely, only glancing at him briefly. Plus, he was wearing sunglasses, so she didn't notice the changes in him at all. Now she realized that he had changed a lot compared to five years ago, becoming more mature, more reserved, and more profound.
Cheng Jiamo nodded to him, then suddenly smiled at him: "Long time no see."
As soon as she said those words, all the resentment, grievances, and lingering anger in her heart suddenly dissipated, and she felt an unprecedented sense of relief.
Hearing her nonchalant "long time no see," He Qingzhao felt a deep bitterness in his heart.
He suppressed his bitterness and smiled gently at her: "Where are you going? I'll take you."
Cheng Jiamo waved her phone at him: "Thank you, Boss He, but my car has arrived."
He Qingzhao reached out to take her hand, but Cheng Jiamo seemed not to see him and walked away from him. She went to the black car parked half a meter away, opened the back door, and got in.
After watching Cheng Jiamo's car leave, He Qingzhao turned around and went back to the hotel's private room.
When Qi Kangyu saw He Qingzhao return alone, he became so nervous that he fidgeted, his temples throbbing. He didn't know what had happened between Cheng Jiamo and He Qingzhao, and he didn't dare to ask.
He Qingzhao smiled at Qi Kangyu and patted him on the shoulder: "I'm sorry to trouble you, Mr. Qi, to make this trip and bring her back for me. Tell her the truth about how you hired her, and please apologize to her for me. Don't let her get upset and hurt herself."
Qi Kangyu immediately stood up, standing like a terracotta warrior, looking at He Qingzhao with a flattered expression, and said excitedly, "Mr. He, you are truly benevolent and righteous, you truly impress me..."
Zhong Qi interrupted his flattery with a smile: "President Qi, don't get too touched. Chairman He means that you should find Assistant Cheng and explain things to her, so that she doesn't resign from your company in a fit of anger."
Qi Kangyu nodded repeatedly: "Mr. He, rest assured, I will definitely help you find Miss Cheng and keep her with you."
He Qingzhao nodded slightly: "Okay, go ahead."
After Qi Kangyu left, Zhong Qi asked, "Why didn't you go after him yourself?"
He Qingzhao glanced at He Zongxun and Zhao Yue sitting opposite him, fiddled with the lighter on the table, and said with a casual smile, "This is called playing hard to get."
Zhao Yue scoffed: "Give me a break. Five years ago, you almost lost your life chasing her in your car. If I hadn't been there, you'd be buried a long way off by now."
He Zongxun twitched his lips and lowered his head to drink his tea.
He Qingzhao continued to fiddle with the lighter.
Zhong Qi snatched the lighter from his hand, lit a cigarette, and said with the cigarette holder in his mouth, "You're just pretending. You'll behave when the baby turns one month old."
After saying that, Zhong Qi stood up and threw the lighter on the table: "We were worried that you wouldn't be able to win her over, so the three of us came all the way here to be your wingmen. But you're not even worried about it. Forget it, if Young Master He doesn't care about whether he can win over his wife or not, why should we care? It's like the emperor isn't worried but the eunuch is."
He Qingzhao didn't speak, but smiled faintly.
It wasn't that he wasn't anxious, nor that he didn't care; he was more anxious than anyone else. He cared terribly, to the point of madness. But he knew he couldn't rush things, especially after meeting Cheng Jiamo.
He can tell at a glance whether a woman has feelings for him or not.
He knew that Cheng Jiamo truly no longer loved him.
"Did I need your help?" He Qingzhao glanced at Zhong Qi. "Get lost."
Zhong Qi waved his hand and said, "Let's go, He Er, Zhao Yue, let's go."
Before leaving, Zhao Yue said, "Old He, why don't you just give up? I don't think that girl is really interested in you anymore. As the saying goes, there are plenty of fish in the sea, why be hung up on just one?"
He Qingzhao didn't say anything, but just kept his head down playing with the lighter, his thumb rubbing the lighter wheel again and again, the flame shooting up and then going out.
He Zongxun didn't say anything, but silently glanced at He Qingzhao. He knew very well that He Qingzhao couldn't let go.
After Zhong Qi and the other two left the private room, He Qingzhao lit his lighter again, wanting to smoke. However, after putting the cigarette in his mouth, he took it out and threw it into the trash can.
Refined and cultured, erudite, gentle and considerate, a non-smoker, abstains from alcohol unless absolutely necessary, and possesses a strong sense of righteousness...
He could do anything she wanted.
-
Cheng Jiamo took a car to the high-speed rail station, planning to visit the ancient towns around southern Beijing. However, she received a call from Qi Kangyu before she even arrived at the station.
"Hey, boss, what's up?"
Qi Kangyu patiently explained to her, "Cheng Jiamo, come back, I have something to tell you."
Cheng Jiamo: "Boss, if you need anything, just say it on the phone. My signal is full, and I can hear you clearly."
Qi Kangyu: "Come back first. After I finish speaking, if you still want to leave, I won't stop you. You can even resign immediately."
Cheng Jiamo smiled and said, "Resign? Boss, are you kidding me? If I resign voluntarily, I won't get any compensation. If the company fires me, I should get N+1 compensation. Unless you fire me voluntarily, I will not resign. I'm doing a good job, why should I resign? It's so hard to find a job these days."
Qi Kangyu was amused and exasperated: "If you still consider me your boss, then come back right now! You're here on a business trip, not on vacation. You can't just go wherever you want. Do you think this company is your home?"
Cheng Jiamo could only tell the driver, "Sir, please turn around and go back to the previous hotel."
The car stopped in front of the hotel. Cheng Jiamo got out of the car and saw Qi Kangyu standing in the square. She walked over to him calmly.
Qi Kangyu instinctively wanted to grab her arm, but halfway through, he remembered her identity and immediately withdrew his hand.
He raised his hand to his lips and coughed lightly to cover his embarrassment, saying, "I originally wanted to tell you about that, but I noticed that you never revealed anything about your relationship with him. I thought you didn't want people to know, so I didn't say anything."
Cheng Jiamo: "Which matter?"
Qi Kangyu led her to the coffee kiosk behind the hotel, had the waiter bring her two cups of fruit tea, and then began to speak slowly and deliberately.
"Five years ago, Secretary Liu, who worked for Director Wang at the Market Supervision Bureau, gave me your resume and asked me to recruit you into the company. However, Secretary Liu didn't say who you were, nor did he allow me to inquire. At first, I didn't really take you seriously, but later I thought you were a great girl and that you suited my taste, so I tried to mentor you. That mentoring has lasted for five years."
"In the past five years, I have never asked about your private affairs, nor have I inquired about your situation with Secretary Liu. I know in my heart that you are probably the girlfriend of some important person, but I don't know who it is?"
Cheng Jiamo explained, "He is my ex-boyfriend. I was with him when I was studying at university in Beijing. We broke up after graduation. It's not as complicated as you think."
Although Qi Kangyu already knew the answer, he was still very surprised to hear Cheng Jiamo say it with his own ears. What surprised him even more was that Cheng Jiamo was already with He Qingzhao while she was still in college.
Qi Kangyu was surprised, but didn't show it. He continued, "That person hadn't contacted you for five years, and I thought he had almost forgotten about you. The day before yesterday, I received a call from Secretary Liu saying that the person would be coming to Jingnan to see you, and asked me to bring you over. Secretary Liu specifically instructed me to bring you to the Jingnan Grand Hotel and wait for that person there. He told me not to tell you yet, and to bring you over under the pretext of a business trip."
"At the time, I found it quite strange. Why was it arranged like this? Was it to cover up something? I thought you were..." He smiled, then changed the subject, saying, "But I couldn't ask too many questions about the leader's orders. I just had to obey."
"After arriving in Jingnan, I happened to run into Zhong Qi and He Zongxun. Normally, even if I dug out my entire network of connections, I would never be able to talk to such important people as them. But unexpectedly, Zhong Qi took the initiative to greet me and even asked me about the elderly care industry project we were working on."
"Just when I was finding it unbelievable, Secretary Liu sent me another message saying that the person would be coming to the Jingnan Hotel tonight, accompanied by two young masters from the Zhong and He families in Jingbei."
"I never expected that the person behind you would be He Qingzhao. I thought it was some important figure from another family in Jingbei."
After listening, Cheng Jiamo took a sip of fruit tea through the straw, stood up, and said with a smile, "It seems I have no choice but to resign. Boss Qi is really shrewd!"
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