Chapter 30 Who is abusing their power for personal gain again...?
After closing the webpage, Jiang Nuanyu sat at her workstation in a daze for a while. When she reached for her water cup, she suddenly felt a warm current flowing through her body.
She was shocked: No way...
She glanced at the calendar on the table; her period was clearly still at least a week away.
Her cycle is usually very accurate; occasionally, if she's busy with work or doesn't get enough rest, it'll only be a few days late. Coming early, even a week early, is something that's never happened before.
Just as I was thinking this, another warm current surged out.
Without thinking too much, she opened the drawer, took out a sanitary napkin, hesitated for a moment, stood up, and glanced back at the cushion.
Thankfully, we're safe.
She grabbed the cardigan she used to block the air conditioning from the back of the chair, tied it around her waist, and headed straight for the bathroom.
Fortunately, I reacted quickly; only my underwear got a tiny scratch, and my outer pants were safe.
Back at her workstation, she recorded her menstrual cycle on her phone. This minor physical anomaly made her a little upset. She tapped the screen, wondering if she should check the reason for her early period, when a notification popped up at the top—a warning of a significant temperature drop.
As expected, each autumn rain brings a chill. Jiang Nuanyu turned her head to look at the gray sky outside the window, and thinking that she didn't have anything urgent to do, she decided to leave work early and go home.
As November arrived, the days in the capital grew shorter and shorter, and it was already dark when she got home.
She took a shower, heated up some pre-frozen fried rice in the microwave, and ate it while sitting on the carpet, flipping through a magazine.
When preparing the last meal, in addition to diced carrots, diced mushrooms, and ham, she had a bright idea and added half a head of broccoli that she had nowhere else to use. Unexpectedly, it tasted pretty good, naturally sweet.
The portion of rice was just right; by the time she finished eating, there wasn't a single grain of rice left in her bowl.
She slid down the sofa onto the carpet, closed her eyes, and enjoyed the drowsy feeling brought on by the carbohydrates.
Suddenly, a wave of unease mixed with a fluttering heart swept over her. She immediately realized that she missed Liang Qi.
She was afraid to face him, yet she longed for him.
I'm so glad I chose to work overtime at the magazine office today instead of staying home.
Her daytime work involved Yun Jing, so it was inevitable that she would think of Liang Qi, but since it was at work, she could generally control herself. But once she got home and was all alone, this longing was no longer under her control.
When she was working, what she thought about most was Liang Qi's demeanor at the media briefing. When he spoke, he always made appropriate eye contact with the listener, and even if he wasn't looking at her, she would still be moved by his powerful aura.
Of course, what touched her most was the look in his eyes when he encouraged her to ask questions. Her nervousness, lack of confidence, and awkwardness seemed to go unnoticed by him; instead, they made her feel trusted and safe. She already knew that.
And at his house, when she mustered up the courage to open her heart, although she didn't dare look at him, she could clearly feel his calm and focused gaze, which was not perfunctory at all.
And... when their skin touched, his eyes, backlit, were a deep black, enveloping a straightforward and possessive desire she had never seen in his eyes before.
Her thoughts began to rewind; his warm breath seemed to brush against her ear again, her muscular body wrapped around her, and the force that brought her a slight pain and waves of tingling numbness...
These images and sensations, both distant and real, accompanied by faint panting, made it difficult for her to distinguish between reality and memory for a moment.
She suddenly opened her eyes, and the image of Liang Qi in her mind vanished instantly, leaving only the glass bowl on the edge of the coffee table in front of her.
The spoon handle sticking out from the edge of the bowl reflected a bit of light into her eyes.
She stared blankly at the light until her eyes blurred and everything in front of her turned white, then she blinked and finally came to her senses.
She swallowed hard, sat up, took a deep breath, picked up the glass bowl, and went to the kitchen.
Although the landlord's renovation included a dishwasher, it was rarely used except when preparing meals.
She usually only uses one pot and one bowl for a meal, or like today, she can just heat the food in the microwave and eat it without even needing a pot. Using a dishwasher would be too wasteful.
She didn't even bother to wear gloves, quickly washed the bowls and spoons, and set them aside to drain.
As she was rinsing her hands under the tap, the phone rang. She quickly dried her hands and ran to the sofa to answer it.
Ye Ji looked at the background of her house and asked in surprise, "You're home already?"
Jiang Nuanyu lay back on the sofa: "Anyway, it's Saturday, so I'm going back early."
"What do you want to eat tonight?" Ye Ji asked.
Jiang Nuanyu was taken aback: "I just finished eating."
"So early?" Ye Ji was hoping to eat with her. "Okay, I'll be there in a bit."
Jiang Nuanyu was startled again.
It wasn't unusual for Ye Ji to stay at her house, but it was rare for him not to go home for two days in a row.
However, she wasn't opposed at all, and even said excitedly, "I just cooked a meal a couple of days ago, and the refrigerator is still full of different kinds of food."
"I'm not eating your pre-made food," Ye Ji said dismissively. "I'll just buy some myself on the way."
"..." Jiang Nuanyu wanted to defend her food, but she couldn't refute it. Her face darkened, and she said, "I'm hanging up."
*
When Ye Ji arrived, Jiang Nuanyu was in the restroom.
She remained relatively calm when the doorbell rang for the first time. But while she was urinating, Ye Ji rang the doorbell five or six times.
Jiang Nuanyu finally pulled up her pants and opened the door: "Don't you have the password?"
Ye Ji opened the shoe cabinet to change her shoes, her words making perfect sense: "I was just afraid of startling you if I suddenly came in."
"It's not exactly sudden," Jiang Nuanyu said speechlessly. "Your few rings of the doorbell could wake up someone who's unconscious."
Ye Ji ignored her, shoved the bag in her hand into her arms, and walked inside, saying, "I'm going to the restroom first."
Jiang Nuanyu opened the bag and looked at Ye Ji's back, saying, "You can eat all of this?"
"And you too."
"I've already eaten."
"I don't care, you have to eat with me again."
Jiang Nuanyu: "..."
When Ye Ji came out of the restroom, Jiang Nuanyu waved the bottle of whiskey she had brought at her: "Is this person that important? Is it worth you drinking this?"
Ye Ji pulled out a tissue to wipe his hands, and said casually, "It'll do."
Jiang Nuanyu raised her eyebrows, unconvinced.
Ye Ji sat down and opened the wine bottle, then suddenly turned his eyes to look at Jiang Nuanyu across from him.
Jiang Nuanyu asked suspiciously, "...Why are you looking at me like that again?"
Ye Ji replied matter-of-factly, "Go get the cup."
"Oh." Jiang Nuanyu paused for a moment, then stood up. "Would you like it iced?"
"want."
Ye Ji looked up and saw that Jiang Nuanyu was holding a glass of ice in one hand and a bottle of milk in the other.
She blinked in confusion.
Jiang Nuanyu glanced at her expression and said, "I'll drink this with you."
"...Milk?!" Ye Ji was shocked, then disappointed. "What are you doing?"
"I got my period. It came several days early, so I won't drink alcohol for now."
Ye Ji's expression softened, and the slight displeasure he felt from being disappointed vanished instantly.
As she picked up the bottle and poured herself a drink, she raised her eyebrows and nodded to herself, seemingly agreeing with something.
Jiang Nuanyu unscrewed the cap of the milk carton, puzzled: "What's with that expression? It's weird."
Ye Ji didn't answer. He stuffed a taro pastry into his mouth, chewing it with his cheeks puffed out and his eyes crinkling, clearly trying to suppress a mischievous smile.
Jiang Nuanyu: "..."
Ye Ji finally swallowed the food in her mouth: "Your period came early..." She pursed her lips, paused, and said, "It has nothing to do with drinking."
Although Jiang Nuanyu didn't know what she was up to, judging from her expression, she knew it wasn't anything good, so she simply didn't press the matter.
Ye Ji, however, thoroughly enjoyed keeping her in suspense. He slowly leaned against the table and said, "It has something to do with your Mr. Liang."
"What does this have to do with him?" Jiang Nuanyu asked immediately, on guard.
"Of course it's related! You two..." Ye Ji suddenly clasped her hands together, making a "slap" sound, "When you're doing that, it definitely stimulates your hormone secretion." Her fingers moved back and forth suggestively, "You haven't done it before, you're not used to it, and suddenly like this you—"
"Stop!" Jiang Nuanyu interrupted immediately, her face turning red to her ears, and said in embarrassment and anger, "That's nonsense."
Ye Ji tilted his head back and laughed heartily. He turned his chair ninety degrees, moved closer to Jiang Nuanyu, and counted on his fingers in front of her: "You've already celebrated your birthday this year, you're a real 26 now. Besides, you have both theoretical knowledge and practical experience now, so what are you shy about?"
Jiang Nuanyu still couldn't bring herself to discuss such explicit topics so openly. She covered her eyes with her hand and pleaded, "Please let me go..."
"Haha..." Ye Ji laughed so hard he almost fell over, tears welling up in his eyes.
Jiang Nuanyu blushed and bit the bottle opening. When she finally stopped laughing, she asked, "What's this about the job transfer you mentioned this morning?"
Ye Ji's smile faded slightly. He took a sip of whiskey, ate a piece of cake to soothe the effects of the alcohol, and said, "It just means I'm moving behind the scenes ahead of schedule."
Jiang Nuanyu asked, puzzled, "Why?" She couldn't connect the behind-the-scenes work with Ye Ji at all.
"It's too tiring," Ye Ji said. "My new job is very easy. I don't have to clock in, there's not much to do, and I don't have to go unless there's an emergency."
Jiang Nuanyu frowned and thought for a while, then asked, "So what did you do today?"
Ye Ji hesitated for a moment before saying, "I'll tell you in a while."
“You…” Jiang Nuanyu hesitated, unable to finish her sentence.
Ye Ji smiled and patted her on the shoulder: "I'll definitely let you know if I need your help, don't worry!"
Jiang Nuanyu didn't respond for a moment. This was truly unusual.
But since Ye Ji chose not to say anything for now, she wouldn't keep asking.
Even the best of friends need to give each other space.
Just like Ye Ji's password for her house door lock.
*
Following the formal signing of the cooperation agreement with Conti Group, all departments of YunJing quickly entered a high-intensity operation phase.
On Monday morning, after the group's internal meeting ended, Vice President Liu, who was in charge of coordinating with Conti, came to report to Liang Qi separately.
Liang Qi opened the report he had brought: "Let's begin."
Vice President Liu nodded: "President Liang, regarding the design standards proposed by Conti, the technical team has conducted a preliminary assessment. They are mostly compatible with our existing project procedures, but in a few areas of material selection and environmental standards, if we want to fully align with them, the cost is expected to increase by about 15%."
Liang Qi: "Cost is not a problem. We will develop two plans according to the highest standards first."
“Yes,” Vice President Liu continued, “As required by the morning’s kick-off meeting, we have completed the confirmation of the first round of executive team rosters with Conti, and the preliminary communication mechanism and weekly meeting system have also been formally established.”
He handed over another document: "This is a list of personnel and main responsibilities of the core teams of both sides. There are basically no changes on our side, except for the selection of the person in charge to be stationed at Conti headquarters, which requires your decision."
The document concludes with the resumes and internal assessments of the three shortlisted candidates. Do you think they are suitable, or do you have other considerations?
Liang Qi flipped to the last few pages of the document, quickly scanned the key information, closed the document, handed it back to him, and made his choice: "The first one."
"Okay." After a moment's thought, Vice President Liu said, "That's all for now. I will continue to follow up on the progress and report back to you."
Liang Qi nodded. Just as Vice President Liu turned to leave, he suddenly looked up at him.
Vice President Liu stopped, and Liang Qi said, "Have the legal team and Conti carefully review the supplementary agreement regarding the joint ownership of intellectual property. No vague clauses should be overlooked. Give me your review opinion as soon as possible after confirmation."
"clear."
As soon as Vice President Liu stepped out, his secretary came in to announce, "President Liang, Director Ding Yuhai has arrived."
Liang Qi's brow furrowed: "Let him in."
As soon as Ding Yuhai entered, he stood at the doorway and bowed slightly to Liang Qi, saying, "Hello, Mr. Liang."
Liang Qi nodded to him, casually gesturing for him to come over with a flick of his finger across the table.
Ding Yuhai's rank wasn't high enough to report directly to Liang Qi. From the doorway to the desk, he couldn't hide his unease. After stopping opposite Liang Qi, he bowed slightly, saying, "President Liang."
Liang Qi's lips curled into a smile, but there was no smile in his eyes as he looked at Ding Yuhai.
He cut to the chase: "Director Ding, is this how you do things?"
He didn't explicitly say what it was about, but Ding Yuhai already guessed it, and his heart tightened, daring not to breathe.
Liang Qi pulled two documents out of the folder, gently pushed them in front of Ding Yuhai, and nodded with his chin, indicating that he should open them.
The document contains the latest progress report on the high-end leisure project led by Jingyao. Although this project did not become the sub-project of the cooperation between Yunjing and Conti, Jing Chengming still allowed Jingyao to promote it as an independent sub-project under Yunjing.
Ding Yuhai knew roughly what the document contained, but he placed his hand on it, unsure whether to open it or not.
Liang Qi leaned back in his chair and calmly said, "Explain why the outdoor diving activity added to the sub-project was launched last week without obtaining safety permission."
Ding Yuhai's face immediately turned grim as he tried to explain, "President Yao stated that his team has conducted preliminary tests and assessments of the waters at the resort suitable for outdoor diving, and that the relevant staff and diving equipment all possess internationally certified qualifications... The overall risk is controllable, so..."
He knew his reasoning was untenable, and the more he spoke, the less confident he became. He glanced up at Liang Qi. Liang Qi stared at him intently, clearly not intending to let the matter rest.
Ding Yuhai, forcing a smile, continued, "Therefore, before the official safety permit was issued, the event utilized the existing approval qualifications and was put into use ahead of schedule..."
"Heh..." Liang Qi chuckled and shook his head, seemingly finding the explanation utterly ridiculous.
He looked up, his smile vanishing completely: "Don't you know whether the approval process for static underwater projects can cover dynamic projects?"
Ding Yuhai's forehead was beaded with sweat, and he dared not answer.
"Outdoor diving is a high-risk activity. Even with all the necessary qualifications, accidents cannot be completely avoided. How can you start it without a safety permit? What happens if something goes wrong? Who will take responsibility?"
Liang Qi sat up straight in his chair, placed his hands on the table, and looked at him coldly, saying, "You are responsible for the operation of the resort. If something really goes wrong, do you think these excuses can shield you from the accountability of regulators and customers? Can you bear the consequences of taking shortcuts?"
Liang Qi's questions were like knives, hitting the core of the problem. Ding Yuhai felt a chill run down his spine; he neither had the courage nor the standing to refute them.
Liang Qi said coldly, "Jing Yao is good at taking shortcuts; it's his habit. Are you going to follow him and risk your future?"
Upon hearing this, Ding Yuhai assumed Liang Qi was going to dismiss him, and his heart sank. "President Liang..." He looked up, his face full of suppressed exhaustion and helplessness. "President Yao... only gave us less than two months to get the project off the ground. But the safety permit for the water dynamic project takes at least five or six months to be approved. But President Yao is determined to do so, and I... I have no choice but to push it forward."
He knew the risks involved, but reporting directly to Liang Qi would likely anger Jing Yao. He clung to the hope that Jing Yao could stabilize the situation and wait for approval. His biggest mistake was assuming Liang Qi wouldn't interfere with the sub-project.
When gods fight, mortals suffer. Ding Yuhai lowered his head in remorse: "I'm sorry, President Liang."
Liang Qi ignored his pointless apology: "You are the Operations Director of YunJing. Your responsibility is to prioritize the interests of YunJing, and to report and provide feedback in a timely manner while implementing decisions, rather than silently accepting them and letting problems fester."
Ding Yuhai raised his head in disbelief, his eyes filled with the hope of survival against all odds.
He had expected Liang Qi to be furious on the spot, completely lose patience, and dismiss him. But these words didn't seem to be what he expected.
He was a smart man, and immediately bowed, as if he had been granted a pardon: "Mr. Liang, thank you."
Liang Qi didn't say anything more and raised his hand to indicate that he could leave.
Ding Yuhai bowed deeply again, and when he left, his steps were unsteady.
After the door closed, the room became quiet.
Liang Qi's gaze fell on a spot on the table, and he frowned unhappily.
He didn't fire Ding Yuhai outright because he knew this dereliction of duty wasn't due to incompetence. But letting him off the hook once didn't mean he'd keep giving him chances. If Ding Yuhai was a sensible person, he'd know what to do from now on. Otherwise, he wouldn't need to be so lenient.
Ding Yuhai had been gone for less than half a minute when someone knocked on the door again.
Liang Qi loosened his tie: "Come in." He glanced at the time; it was almost noon.
Peng Zelai reported on the media and public opinion feedback on the first working day after the signing ceremony, and the overall public opinion response was very positive.
"The public relations department has already conducted the first round of discussions with the core media outlets at the media exchange meeting regarding the initial draft. The overall content is basically in line with our expectations, with no obvious problems, and will be released to the public in succession."
Liang Qi listened and nodded, then suddenly asked, "What about lifestyle?"
Peng Ze paused for a moment and said, "Florian wasn't on the initial media list, so the PR team didn't follow up on it."
Liang Qi hesitated for a moment, then said nothing more, only humming in response.
Peng Ze's keen mind stirred, and he carefully considered his options before asking, "Then... should we contact the editor-in-chief of *Florian* to get a better understanding of the situation? If necessary, should we arrange for relevant personnel to make further contact?"
Liang Qi opened the documents beside him without looking up: "You handle it."
Peng Ze hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Will you personally handle the coordination, or...?"
Liang Qi stopped flipping through the documents, looked up, and his gaze fell on Liang Qi's face.
Peng Ze was immediately jolted awake.
Liang Qi looked at him and said, "You decide what to do."
"Understood." Peng Ze nodded immediately and quickly left the office.
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