Chapter 58 She is no longer Pingmei
The people coming down the stairs walked slowly because of the elderly. Long Wei closed her eyes and focused on the woman. Her distinctive, three-dimensional features and signature short hair were unmistakable. It was Ping Mei. She had never seen her before, but Lin Yao had. He had described her to her and even searched for photos to show her: personal photos, photos from events, and all sorts of other photos. Ping Mei looked much younger than her age. Tall, wrapped in a large, dark brown cashmere shawl and sunglasses, she passed by without even a glance. Slowly walking ahead of her was an elderly man, bundled up in a small hat. Qian Duoduo, skipping along with the Tibetan boy, had gone upstairs to wait for her. She stopped to watch Ping Mei and the others walk to the dining room. "How many rooms do you have on the second floor?" she asked the boy who was opening the door for them. "This building has good views and only six rooms. The building next door has more." Qian Duoduo rolled out of bed as soon as she entered. The night temperature was a little over ten degrees Celsius, a bit chilly. She quickly opened her suitcase and took out a thick coat for him to put on, then hurried down to the restaurant. The restaurant had less than ten tables of various sizes, and when she entered, she saw Pingmei and the others sitting by the window. There were quite a lot of people dining at this time, and there was no room next to them. Qian Duoduo quickly sat down at an empty table outside, two tables away from them. Qian Duoduo was quite picky about food and said she wanted to eat big yak. She ordered a yak hot pot set for two. This set was served very quickly. Within minutes of ordering, the ready-made yak bone soup base, a large plate of cooked yak slices, and several plates of potatoes, vegetables, mushrooms, etc. were served. She glanced at Pingmei; they were also having hot pot. No matter how much Lin Yao praised the aura of this decisive female president in front of her, she was just an ordinary daughter in front of her. She chatted calmly with the old man and picked up some food for him. The old man took off his hat and looked to be in his seventies, with a good set of teeth. He smiled and talked with his teeth showing, and his face was kind. "Hey, uncle, I'm hungry. I need to eat." Her attention was interrupted by Qian Duoduo's voice. He had something in his mouth full, and he tossed his watch aside, ignoring her. "Have you checked into the hotel?" the other person asked. Impatient, he grabbed his watch and said, "I..." Before he could finish his sentence, he tapped it against the table with his watch. "Mom, the watch's battery's dead." "You can eat a watch like food. If it's damaged, it won't charge. Just enjoy your meal. Don't worry, I'll go back to the room and charge it." "I haven't answered Uncle's question yet. Dad said he wants to video chat with me later." "I'll contact him. First, enjoy your meal." She picked up a few slices of vegetables for him and ate them herself...
People going down the stairs walked slowly because there were elderly people there.
Long Wei closed her eyes and focused on the woman. She had very recognizable three-dimensional facial features and iconic short hair. It was definitely Ping Mei.
She had never seen the person before, but Lin Yao had. He had described him to her and even found some photos to show her, including personal photos, photos of him at events, and lots of other photos.
Ping Mei looks much younger than her actual age. She is tall, wrapped in a large dark brown cashmere shawl, and wearing sunglasses on her head. She passes by people without even glancing at them.
Walking slowly in front of her was an elderly man wearing a small top hat and wrapped up tightly.
Qian Duoduo followed the Tibetan boy and went up to the second floor to wait for her. She stopped to watch Pingmei and the others walk to the restaurant.
"Which room do you have on the second floor?" she asked the young man who was helping them open the door.
"This building has only six rooms, all with good views. The building next door has many more rooms."
Qian Duoduo rolls on the bed as soon as he enters the room.
The night temperature was a little over ten degrees Celsius, a bit chilly. She quickly opened her suitcase and took out a thick coat for him to wear, then hurried down to the restaurant.
The restaurant had fewer than ten tables, large and small. As soon as she entered, she saw Ping Mei and her friends sitting by the window. It was getting busy at that hour, so there were no seats next to them. Qian Duoduo slid down to an empty table near the outside, two tables away.
Qian Duoduo was quite picky and wanted to eat large yak. She ordered a yak hotpot set for two. This set came out incredibly quickly; within minutes of ordering, the yak bone broth, a large plate of cooked yak slices, and several plates of potatoes, vegetables, mushrooms, and the like were all served.
She glanced at Pingmei and saw that they were also eating hotpot.
No matter how much Lin Yao praised the aura of this decisive female CEO, she was just an ordinary daughter. She chatted calmly with the old man and helped him pick up some food.
The old man took off his hat and looked to be in his seventies. He still had a good set of teeth. He showed his teeth when he talked and laughed, and had a kind face.
"Hey - Uncle, I'm hungry, I want to eat."
Her attention was interrupted by Qian Duoduo's voice.
He had something in his mouth, threw his watch aside on the table, and ignored it.
"Have you checked into a hotel?"
Ask over there.
He was impatient and grabbed his watch. "I..."
Before he finished speaking, he knocked his watch rapidly on the table.
"Mom, the watch is out of battery."
"You can eat your watch like a meal. Even if it's broken, it won't charge. Just enjoy your meal. Don't worry, I'll go back to my room and charge it later."
"I haven't answered my uncle's question yet. Dad said he would video chat with me later."
"I'll contact you. Have a good meal first."
She picked up a few slices of vegetables for him and ate a few bites herself but couldn't eat anymore. She felt a little nauseous and had a slight dizziness and pain in her head. She thought it was mild altitude sickness and planned to go to the front desk to buy an oxygen tank.
Ping Mei was talking on the phone and passed by them.
"How many good nursing homes are there in Guangzhou? You're just searching online for those ads to fool people. What I want is for you to visit each one..."
She spoke sternly, and after leaving the restaurant, she paced back and forth at the door while talking on the phone.
Qian Duoduo had eaten enough. When Long Weihe said they had to wait a while before leaving, he couldn't sit still anymore. He ran to the big glass window, stood next to the old woman and peeked through it, "Mom, come and see, there seem to be stars outside!"
He was so happy that he subconsciously swung his foot and kicked the chair the old man was sitting on. He also spoke loudly and couldn't control himself.
The old man was disturbed, turned around and smiled at him.
Long Weihe hurried over to take the person away, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, kid, I'm disturbing you."
Qian Duoduo quickly apologized, "Grandpa, I'm sorry."
"It's okay. Where are you from, kid?"
"I'm from Guangzhou."
"Oh—" the old man said in surprise, "You're from Guangzhou too? Hello, hello! What's your name?"
"Lots of money."
The old man laughed, "What a good name! What a good name!"
Ping Mei came in at this time.
When Long Weihe first called, she had been in a bad mood. Now she glanced at the stranger with cold and distant eyes.
The old man smiled and said to her, "This kid is also from Guangzhou."
She had no attitude, didn't respond to his words, didn't look at the adults, just smiled slightly at the child, went to help the old man, and said, "Let's go back to the room and rest."
The mother and son also returned to their room.
After washing up, Qian Duoduo was put on the bed to watch TV. She took a shower but didn't dare wash her hair for fear of severe altitude sickness.
Coming out of the bathroom, Qian Duoduo waved his watch at her, and Qian Pingtao's voice startled her. They were video chatting.
"Duoduo, take your watch away!"
"I want to talk to Dad."
She was angry and put on her pajamas after taking a shower. She dodged and went to bed to cover herself with the quilt. She had a headache and simply pulled the quilt over her head.
After a few minutes, Qian Duoduo hung up the phone, ran to her bed, and pulled her quilt, "Mom, I feel sorry for Dad."
On the emotional scale, having a lot of money means that both sides are balanced without any tilt.
"Why is he pitiful?"
"He said he was lonely."
Her head was throbbing even more. What kind of mess had this man unleashed in front of the child?
“Do you love him?”
"like."
"Does he love you?"
"like."
"Then he is not truly lonely. Real loneliness is when no one loves you and you don't love anyone else."
Qian Duoduo seemed to understand but not quite.
She had just bought two oxygen bottles at the front desk. Qian Duoduo fell asleep, and she began to breathe.
It’s actually still early, less than ten o’clock.
She sat by the bed, holding the oxygen tank in her hand, thinking between breaths how to approach Ping Mei tomorrow. Recalling Ping Mei's distant attitude just now, it probably wouldn't work to approach her rashly to tell her her purpose. She would have to wait for the right time.
The phone screen flashed, and Shi Zhenglin sent a message, "Are you asleep?"
She replied, “No.”
"Can we talk on the phone for a few minutes?"
She called him.
"Did it disturb your rest?" he probed.
"Is there something wrong?" she said softly, glancing at Qian Duoduo's sleeping face on the bed opposite.
"Is everything going well?"
"smoothly."
"Do you feel altitude sickness?"
"The child should be fine."
"And you?"
"Good."
The night here was very quiet, and it might be quiet on the other end too. His voice became gentle and soft, and he could even hear his breathing. She relaxed a lot, and her tone became softer.
"Have you seen Pingmei?"
"Um."
"Is her father okay?"
"Looks good."
He and Pingmei seemed to have a special relationship, but he didn't say it, and she didn't want to ask.
"There's a history between our family and Pingmei, and I owe her a lot. She was a medical student, my mother's student. She was with my brother for several years and had planned to get married. She lived in my house for a while. Then my brother went abroad and betrayed her. This had a huge impact on her, and her personality changed drastically. She was a bit harsh at work, but she was actually a very good person, very kind."
He probably wanted to lay the groundwork for their conversation, so he told them some old stories in his family.
She listened in silence, surprised that behind the strong woman's devotion to work might be hatred of betrayal. Beneath her powerful armor, she also had a lonely core.
"She only has her father now." He paused, then continued, "In the past few years, I've bumped into her at work and chatted a bit, but she's no longer the Pingmei she once was. If she comes to Xingtan, the listing is already set, and she can just come and kick the door. After she replaces me, I'm willing to do my best to help her transition, both professionally and personally. But I'm not sure if she'll harbor resentment towards me, so I can't proactively contact her. If she asks why you and I left, you can tell her I was taking care of my family."
She covered her head and said, "Thank you, Ms. Shi, for telling me so much. I only communicated with her from my professional perspective. She is just a professional manager. I will ignore any personal grudges. I am sleepy and want to rest."
"good evening."
She had been deprived of oxygen for a long time and felt chest tightness. She picked up the oxygen tank and breathed in the oxygen deeply. She thought the difficulty of her task had increased to another level, but she didn't expect that there was a shadow of personal grudge between Ping Mei and Shi Zhenglin.
After breakfast the next day, most of the guests stayed on the lawn. Qian Duoduo was playing with his two golden retrievers, who were squatting on the grass. He was spotted by Pingmei's father, who was sitting on a lawn chair admiring Napahai. Pingmei sat next to him, talking on the phone.
The old man recognized the little boy from last night. Perhaps because he was bored, he took the initiative to greet him. Qian Duoduo played with the dog and circled around him. The two of them became more and more excited as they talked.
Long Weihe kept a distance and watched from afar. She didn't know what they were talking about, but she saw that both the old and the young were very happy.
She didn't really want Qian Duoduo to have excessive contact with the elderly. She hadn't considered using Pingmei's father as an opportunity to gain an advantage. If she were Pingmei, knowing the purpose of his visit, she would think he was using a child to get close to the elderly, which would be even more offensive. But she couldn't deliberately interfere with Qian Duoduo. It was rare for him to come here and enjoy his freedom.
She had been thinking about it all night last night. She would find a way to express her feelings to Ping Mei directly as soon as possible. No pretense of a chance encounter, no tricks, no gimmicks, just sincerity.
The opportunity presented itself half an hour later.
Ping Mei probably saw her father having fun with a child, so she walked away for a walk. Long Weihe saw her sitting on a chair on the other side of the skylight and hurried over.
"Hello, President Ping!"
Ping Mei was surprised to hear this name, but she remained composed. She lay back in the chair, still in the same position, with her sunglasses pushed up on her head, her eyes casting doubt and caution at Long Weihe.
"Do you know me?"
"Everyone in the pharmaceutical industry knows Mr. Ping Mei. My name is Long Weihe, and I've come to see you specially on someone's behalf." She politely handed over her business card with both hands.
Ping Mei stood up a little, took it with one hand, glanced at the business card, her eyes sharp, "Are headhunters these days trying to get themselves thrown in jail? Don't you know that violating personal privacy is illegal?"
The opening is sharp enough.
Long Weihe sat down on the chair next to her, straightening her body and speaking respectfully. "President Ping shared his travel updates on WeChat Moments, so everyone who follows you knows where you are. Obtaining your information isn't illegal, like stalking. I flew all the way from Guangzhou yesterday to see you. Although I'm anxious, I have no intention of disturbing your privacy. I've been waiting for this opportunity in a public area. I hope President Ping Mei will give me the chance to explain my intentions."
Having avoided legal responsibility, Ping Mei chuckled, "Who asked you to come?"
"Yang Chengkai, the boss of Xingtan Pharmaceutical."
"What do you want me for?"
"Boss Yang hopes that you can become the CEO of Xingtan and help Xingtan enter the capital market."
"Isn't Xingtan's CEO Shi Zhenglin? Isn't he working on the IPO?"
"He has already submitted his resignation due to family reasons, but the company is in a sensitive period of preparation for its IPO, so he will not make it public until he officially leaves."
"What's his family reason? Why does he want to go abroad?" She frowned.
This sentence verifies the old story mentioned by Shi Zhenglin.
"It is said that he needs to take care of his family, but we are unable to know the specific circumstances."
"Why do you think I will accept it if you come to me? Give me a reason."
Long Weihe pulled his chair to a correct angle. "President Ping has successfully brought Qimai into the capital market and has run it for six years. If he can bring another Guangzhou-based company into the market, it will be the success of two companies and connect more people. Few outstanding professional managers in the market can achieve such an achievement. It is a glory for the capital market."
Pingmei tilted her head and waited for her to continue.
"Secondly, I believe you have your own career plan. If you have considered switching platforms, now is the best time, considering your age, energy, and career stage."
Ping Mei smiled, "Anything else?"
"There aren't many companies like Xingtan, and even fewer in Guangzhou. Shi Zhenglin has already addressed all the core issues surrounding a listing, and the fundamentals are excellent. Boss Yang is sincere and invites you to Guangzhou for a meeting. After communicating with him at this level, you will have a more comprehensive assessment. Your judgment is definitely beyond the reach of a small headhunter like me. I don't need to elaborate on the rest."
Ping Mei moved her chair and looked at her business card formally.
"Ms. Long, thank you for coming all the way here. I have three things to tell you: First, I, Pingmei, never contact headhunters. If a headhunter were to ask me to change jobs, it would be a failure in my career. Second, please go back and tell Boss Yang, thank him for the invitation, and say hello. Even if he came in person, I would not consider switching platforms. I, Pingmei, am loyal to my current boss and will not change owners. Third, this is the last time we will communicate on this matter. You do not need to contact me again. I am very busy. Thank you."
As soon as she finished speaking, Qian Duoduo suddenly rushed over, shouting as he ran, "Mom, mom! Something bad has happened! Grandpa! Grandpa! Something bad has happened!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
