Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
At 8:00 in the evening, many of Hangzhou’s household lights illuminated the night sky while the business districts were dark, but the 49th floor of the Orlando Building was still brightly lit.
The Orlando elites that the young people in Hangzhou looked up to and admired were still anxiously working late at night.
There was only one month left until Christmas. The UNITEX Group from the United States would send representatives to visit and inspect in three weeks. Before that, they had to take care of all the details to ensure that everything went perfectly.
“Achoo, Achoo—”
Qin Rongze let out one sneeze after another.
Liang Kaiwen, who, along with the marketing department, was scrutinizing the PPT prepared for UNITEX, raised his head and asked with concern, “Have you caught a cold, Chairman?”
The rest of the people also hurriedly echoed, “The Chairman must take care of himself.”
Someone, nobody knew who, whispered quietly, “Perhaps someone, uh… is thinking about the Chairman?”
It was probably unlikely that anyone was thinking fondly about a workaholic bachelor like Qin Rongze, but it was quite possible that someone was cursing him out.
After all, wasn’t it his fault for always making people work overtime with him?
As they thought of that, the expressions on their faces appeared more fascinated.
“Tick, tock,” Qin Rongze raised his finger and tapped it against the conference table. The conference room instantly fell silent.
“Working overtime isn’t what I want, nor is it what everyone desires, but we have to sit here and work overtime for various reasons. Since we’re already working overtime anyway, I hope everyone will make the most of it.
“If you really can’t adapt to this kind of work style or can’t bear the pressure, you can apply for additional personnel support, apply for a job transfer, or resign. There are many ways to deal with it. Complaining will do nothing.”
“Yes, sir!”
Qin Rongze said solemnly, “In any case, before the UNITEX delegation arrives, I want to see you all in your best state, do you all understand?”
“Understood!”
After the meeting, Qin Rongze made Liang Kaiwen stay behind in the office.
“Kaiwen, I need you to help me with something.”
Liang Kaiwen quickly rallied. He smiled and said, “Chairman, please, tell me what you need. Your loyal subordinate is willing to walk through fire for you!”
Qin Rongze said with a smile, “I don’t need you to walk through fire, I just want you to talk to a girl.”
“Huh?” Liang Kaiwen thought of something, then he became so touched that he burst into tears. “Boss, I mean Chairman, is it that you’ve finally realized how alone I’ve been, so you’re giving me a chance to experience epic romance?”
“I just want you to get in touch with Jiang Mingshu, and help me find out about ‘her.'”
Liang Kaiwen naturally knew who the ‘her’ that the chairman was referring to was. Only then did he realize that he had let himself get his hopes up for nothing.
Qin Rongze added, “Of course, as long as it doesn’t affect work, I’m not against office romance.”
Liang Kaiwen looked as if he had swallowed a fly, and a mixture of emotions flashed across his face. “You mean, between me and Jiang Mingshu?”
Liang Kaiwen was a very efficient worker. Upon discovering that Jiang Mingshu was a friend of the girl the CEO was looking for, he went to check on Jiang Mingshu at first notice, but that girl really wasn’t his type at all.
It wasn’t that Jiang Mingshu’s looks didn’t suit his taste. In fact, Jiang Mingshu’s features and figure did suit Liang Kaiwen’s taste. Her facial features were alluring and she was curvy in all the right places. She was a true stunner.
It’s just that her makeup was too heavy. She had thick dark eyebrows, smoky eye shadow, heavy eyelashes, and bold red lips. Her distasteful makeup distorted her original appearance!
Not only that, but her fashion taste was also questionable. Biker leather jacket, distressed jeans, and rivet boots? Who told her that she could work at Orlando while dressed like this?
When Liang Kaiwen caught sight of her from afar, at first he even thought that she was some nightclub girl that had snuck into Orlando.
Liang Kaiwen said with some difficulty, “Does it have to be her?”
Qin Rongze raised his head, said calmly but firmly, “No one else besides her!” He wanted to find someone, so he had to find out about her.
Liang Kaiwen felt like weeping but had no tears. “Are you sure that you aren’t simply using me as a male honey trap spy for you to get information?”
“What male honey trap?” Qin Rongze shot him an exasperated look, “I’m not telling you to date her. If you have a better idea to help me, you don’t need to talk to her at all.” Besides, Liang Kaiwen wasn’t a handsome man either.
The only clue they had so far is that ‘she’ was Jiang Mingshu’s friend.
So, bypassing Jiang Mingshu was impossible!
“Last question.” Liang Kaiwen asked in an aggrieved manner, “Will I be reimbursed for the costs?”
******
Time seemed to fly when busying oneself with work.
In a blink of an eye, it was Friday again. Lin Yao thought that Lin Yun would find an opportunity to speak with Mr. Wen to verify the truth about the matter with the fax machine. She was looking forward to the expression on Lin Yun’s face when the truth came out.
But Lin Yao waited from Monday to Friday in vain, during which time Lin Yun received at least seven or eight calls from Mr. Wen, they always chatted amicably, but Lin Yun never mentioned this one-word fax incident with Mr. Wen, not even circumspectly.
Lin Yao didn’t understand why at first, but gradually she realized.
From Lin Yun’s perspective, if Lin Yao was telling the truth, then perhaps Mr. Wen might not have wanted others to know that he didn’t know how to write the word “flat”; if Lin Yao was lying to her, then the fact that Mr. Wen was still calling frequently without exhibiting any signs of anger showed that he didn’t mind. Although it was also possible that he didn’t receive the fax, or he didn’t even know what “flat” meant.
In short, no matter whether what Lin Yao said was true or false, Lin Yun didn’t see the need to mention the word “flat” in front of Mr. Wen.
The “flat” word faxing incident was brushed over, and nobody mentioned it again.
As soon as she got off work, Lin Yun received a call from Mr. Wen again. In front of Mr. Wen very low, she acted very deferential and courteously.
“Yeah, we’re at the end of the year. Edward’s company has been very busy during this time. He doesn’t even have time to check on his company… After next year’s spring, the temperature in Hangzhou will rise. It’ll be similar to that of your home. He’ll be in the company by then, and you must by all means remember to come and visit.”
In order to reapply her makeup more conveniently, Lin Yun turned on the speaker.
Lin Yao heard Mr. Wen say, “I’ll pass~, running around would be very exhausting to an old man like me~, My body can’t handle it~”
Lin Yun’s office door wasn’t closed, and Lin Yao was near, so she could clearly hear the conversation between the two of them.
“What nonsense are you saying?” Lin Yun retorted in a slightly exaggerated manner, “You aren’t old enough to call yourself an old man. As I said, you should go out and check around more often, and it’ll also benefit your health by making you younger and younger.”
Once again, Mr. Wen’s hearty laughter rang through. “Many people say that I still look young~, but I’m really old~ I have to accept that~”
Lin Yun spoke tactfully, and Mr. Wen kept laughing as she coaxed him.
Lin Yao suddenly understood.
Mr. Wen was more than sixty years old. From his age, he actually wasn’t that old in China. Although it was alleged that he was already considered very long-lived by the standards of tropical countries. In his country, apparently, there were few people who continued to work at his age.
It wasn’t hard to guess what an elderly man such as him truly desired. Mr. Wen liked to tell others that he was old, and his time was running out. But what he wanted to hear the most was people refuting him, like Lin Yun had done by saying stuff like, “You aren’t old enough to call yourself an old man.”
Lin Yao understood that when she readily agreed to write the words bigger, Mr. Wen probably didn’t feel happy, but probably felt rather dejected.
In Mr. Wen’s eyes, this probably meant that Lin Yao was indirectly agreeing with him calling himself an “old man”.
Lin Yao had to admit that, although she did nothing wrong in principle, she really didn’t know how to handle such delicate matters.
***
Small theater
N years later
Lin Yao asked in bewilderment, “Mr. Wen, A question has been bugging me for years. Didn’t you say that your own Chinese was very poor, and didn’t know how to write many words? Why haven’t you asked me how to write any words again after that?
Mr. Wen replied smugly, “Ha~, of course, I didn’t just ask you alone~, in fact, I ask different people every time~, so that others won’t know that I don’t know many words~.”
Lin Yao asked in confusion, “Then let me change the question. Don’t you think that by asking people everywhere about how to write words, many people will end up thinking that you’re illiterate?”
Mr. Wen, “Huh~? Will they~?”