The atmosphere in the office became even tenser than before.
After Qiu YiBai scolded Xiao Yang, she directed a few words of command in a low voice to Wang Xi on the side. Only then did she finally turn to walk toward her office. Her hair was composed into a beautiful arc, her figure neat and clean, and her aura compelling.
When she reached Shen NingXin’s station, her footsteps suddenly stopped, and she cast her eyes over.
The gentle eyes in her memory were now very indifferent and full of scrutiny.
Shen NingXin was taken aback by her stare, and she subconsciously lowered her eyes and glanced at her computer. After checking that there were no mistakes on the page three times, she let out a sigh of relief and raised her head again.
Her expression was awkward. It was a smile yet also not quite a smile.
In fact, she didn’t even know what to say.
Thankfully, it was Qiu YiBai who spoke first.
However, the person she called wasn’t her, but rather Pei Qing behind her. “Come to my office later.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Pei Qing responded quickly.
Satisfied, Qiu YiBai nodded and walked away. She didn’t look at Shen NingXin once this entire time.
So . . . she didn’t recognize her.
Shen NingXin was a little dazed. She calmed her thoughts down a little and reflected on what happened. Qiu YiBai was definitely the woman from this morning, but her aura could not be any more different.
But the fact she didn’t recognize her was still normal. After all, the two had seen each other just once. She also had her hair down this morning, but it was up in a ponytail now; there was still a difference.
Shen NingXin nodded and stopped thinking about it, quickly returning to the work at hand, and worked the whole afternoon.
She also heard Qiu YiBai scold people the whole afternoon.
The Foreign Trade Department was very large and was actually divided into many smaller departments. One of which is the Documents Approval Department, which is mainly responsible for handling letters of credit sent from abroad and making contact with banks.
It was extremely strict with data handling, calculating accuracy to two decimal places, where not even a single digit could be wrong.
But recently, there was a young girl who, distracted with dating, didn’t catch a mistake during the verification process. Before checking through the rest of the items, she rushed to confirm with the foreign side, only to find out it was too late. Three points were wrong on the list of data.
The letter of credit was almost declined.
Fortunately, Qiu YiBai often checked the company’s internal emails on business trips. After discovering the problem, she promptly coordinated with the bank and importer, paid the corresponding fines, and smoothed the tripartite relationship. It was only because of all that did the transaction process not get delayed.
However, there were still losses. The trust of the customer in KeRui was reduced, and KeRui may not be their first choice when choosing a company to cooperate with in the future.
The loss of customers was a disaster for a company in its developing state.
That young girl was scolded in a low voice for a long time. When she came out, the corners of her eyes were a little red. Many people in the office cast sympathetic glances, but no one dared to come forward to comfort her.
President Qiu’s power could not be challenged.
How frightening.
Shen NingXin quietly gazed in the direction of Qiu YiBai’s office, then quickly retracted it, adding a few more words to her impression of Qiu YiBai.
Qiu. Very strict, a perfectionist, a bit fierce yet beautiful. YiBai.
—
The afternoon passed by quickly, and as soon as she clocked out, Shen NingXin received a call from Meng Yao, asking her if she wanted to have a meal together.
“I won’t be coming,” Shen NingXin answered with a yawn and gently rubbed her eyes, “I’m a little sleepy today, so I’m going to take a nap when I get home.”
“You won’t come even if there are pretty girls?” Meng Yao continued to ask.
“Nope.” Shen NingXin shook her head.
Since . . . no matter how good looking they may be, they can’t possibly compare with the President.
The bus made its stop at this time. Shen NingXin said goodbye to MengYao, and quickly hung up and got on the bus.
As soon as she got home, she immediately laid on the bed and fell asleep.
The next time she opened her eyes, it was almost seven o’clock.
Her stomach growled, hinting at its dissatisfaction, and after washing her face, Shen NingXin opened the fridge to find some ingredients to cook with.
Upon opening it, she found only half a carrot laying before her.
“. . . . . .”
She just remembered that she had used up all the rest of the few ingredients left to make that fancy bento last night.
Shen NingXin sighed helplessly and put on her coat and grabbed a small bag before going downstairs to buy food.
People were getting off work and students were returning home at this time, so there were a lot of people in the supermarket. It was especially crowded at the checkouts. Half of Shen NingXin’s life was practically squeezed out.
She now regretted it a bit. She should’ve just gone with Meng Yao to dinner . . .
As she was busy regretting her decision, a familiar person walked by and came to face her.
Shen NingXin immediately recognized that person. It’s Qiu YiBai!
Her heart sped up. She was standing by the supermarket’s entrance, and before she could say hello, she saw Qiu YiBai’s eyes quickly cast over, too.
She first looked over her face, then glanced down, stopping at the puppy pendant hanging off of Shen NingXin’s small bag.
Then, she smiled.
Her brows were born with a touch of tenderness to them. She seemed cold because she was deliberately strict this afternoon. Now that she was smiling, that coldness dissipated, leaving only warmth behind.
Red lips and white teeth. Eyes illuminated by the surrounding lights. She was beautiful and moving.
Shen NingXin’s breathing even paused for a moment.
“Are you here to buy something?” Qiu YiBai asked with a soft voice, “You haven’t eaten yet?”
It seemed like she recognized her.
Shen NingXin nodded hurriedly. “Yes.”
“Eat less instant noodles,” Qiu YiBai responded and cast her eyes down, glancing at the item in her hand. “It’s not good for your health.”
She’s actually caring about her.
“I got it,” Shen NingXin thanked her, and stood there, watching Qiu YiBai leave. She didn’t even realize the corners of her mouth were raising slightly.
President Qiu, who is so strict, also has such a gentle side.
—
The whole morning passed by quickly amidst the busyness.
As soon as noon arrived, everyone clocked out and began to make their way toward the cafeteria to eat.
Remembering Qiu YiBai’s advice from last night, Shen NingXin glanced at the sandwich she put in her bag and stood up to go to the cafeteria, too.
While walking, she casually chatted with her friends in the group chat. By the time she looked up, she found that the dining hall was almost full.
Taken aback, Shen NingXin quickly put away her phone and ran over to get a meal.
The company’s benefits were good, and the cafeteria’s food also tasted good. There was a variety of dishes, plenty of meat, and they served large portions.
On the day she arrived, Wang Xi even told her that when she first arrived at the company, she weighed less than 100 pounds, but in the past few years, it soared up to 150.
Good food really raises people.
Shen NingXin smiled, and holding her tray of food, she walked forward, looking for an empty seat.
There were a lot more people in the Domestic Trade Department than the foreign side, and since everyone ate in the same cafeteria, there was almost no space left.
Shen NingXin couldn’t find a seat nearby, so she stood on her toes and looked into the distance. She then found a space that stuck out.
The table that could accommodate eight people only had one seat taken and the surrounding seats were surprisingly empty.
It’s just the person sitting there . . . . . . was their President Qiu YiBai.
According to Wang Xi, a person at Qiu YiBai’s level would have their own place to eat and would never come here to dine with everybody else in the cafeteria.
What was she thinking today?
Shen NingXin hesitated, but at the thought of the President’s gentle smile under the lights last night, she moved forward unconsciously.
Qiu YiBai had just returned from the factory at noon and was still wearing a blue and white uniform with the words KeRui Glass Beads printed on it. The style was ordinary and the tailoring not-so-exquisite, yet Qiu YiBai made it look good.
Her arms were white and her waist was very thin.
Upon coming closer, she realized just how little Qiu YiBai ate. There was only a simple portion of stir-fried vegetables, a small portion of cold bean curd, and a small amount of fist-sized rice.
Shen NingXin looked down at her own tray, and her cheeks flushed slightly.
She walked a few steps forward, carefully stood on the opposite side of Qiu YiBai, and greeted her politely. She had a pure smile on her face and her apricot-shaped eyes curved along with it. “President Qiu.”
Qiu YiBai stopped her movement of eating, and slowly raised her eyes. Clear eyes swept across her face with no sign of happiness or anger. She only replied softly, “En.”
Then she lowered her head to continue eating.
“. . . . . .”
“. . . . . ?”
Shen NingXin was a little dazed.
Why was Qiu YiBai’s attitude toward her at this moment so different from last night. Her eyes were full of indifference, as though looking at a stranger.
Was she in a bad mood?
Shen NingXin suddenly remembered how fierce she was when she scolded people yesterday afternoon. She wanted to flee, but could only sit down at this point.
Plopping into the seat, Shen NingXin’s heart also sank a bit.
A wave of bitterness rushed to her heart. Shen NingXin didn’t dare use her chopsticks, and after some hesitation, pushed her small tray over, and reluctantly asked, “President Qiu, would you like to . . . taste my chicken wings?”
In the next second, Qiu YiBai raised her head and said nothing.
The atmosphere was silent for a few seconds, and Shen NingXin wanted to drill a hole and hop into it out of embarrassment.
About half a minute later, Qiu YiBai finally spoke, her gaze staying on her face.
“Your badge, it’s crooked.”
Shen NingXin was taken aback, and quickly apologized and adjusted her badge. When she raised her eyes again, Qiu YiBai had already stood up.
She walked a few steps forward and paused when she neared Shen NingXin, her body fragrance still familiar and obvious.
“Have you forgotten what the teacher taught you in school?” she said, staring at Shen NingXin’s red ears, “Don’t eat what strangers give you.”
As her voice fell, she also gradually walked away, leaving only a stunned Shen NingXin alone to doubt life.
So they’re really . . . just strangers?
The atmosphere in the office became even tenser than before.
After Qiu YiBai scolded Xiao Yang, she directed a few words of command in a low voice to Wang Xi on the side. Only then did she finally turn to walk toward her office. Her hair was composed into a beautiful arc, her figure neat and clean, and her aura compelling.
When she reached Shen NingXin’s station, her footsteps suddenly stopped, and she cast her eyes over.
The gentle eyes in her memory were now very indifferent and full of scrutiny.
Shen NingXin was taken aback by her stare, and she subconsciously lowered her eyes and glanced at her computer. After checking that there were no mistakes on the page three times, she let out a sigh of relief and raised her head again.
Her expression was awkward. It was a smile yet also not quite a smile.
In fact, she didn’t even know what to say.
Thankfully, it was Qiu YiBai who spoke first.
However, the person she called wasn’t her, but rather Pei Qing behind her. “Come to my office later.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Pei Qing responded quickly.
Satisfied, Qiu YiBai nodded and walked away. She didn’t look at Shen NingXin once this entire time.
So . . . she didn’t recognize her.
Shen NingXin was a little dazed. She calmed her thoughts down a little and reflected on what happened. Qiu YiBai was definitely the woman from this morning, but her aura could not be any more different.
But the fact she didn’t recognize her was still normal. After all, the two had seen each other just once. She also had her hair down this morning, but it was up in a ponytail now; there was still a difference.
Shen NingXin nodded and stopped thinking about it, quickly returning to the work at hand, and worked the whole afternoon.
She also heard Qiu YiBai scold people the whole afternoon.
The Foreign Trade Department was very large and was actually divided into many smaller departments. One of which is the Documents Approval Department, which is mainly responsible for handling letters of credit sent from abroad and making contact with banks.
It was extremely strict with data handling, calculating accuracy to two decimal places, where not even a single digit could be wrong.
But recently, there was a young girl who, distracted with dating, didn’t catch a mistake during the verification process. Before checking through the rest of the items, she rushed to confirm with the foreign side, only to find out it was too late. Three points were wrong on the list of data.
The letter of credit was almost declined.
Fortunately, Qiu YiBai often checked the company’s internal emails on business trips. After discovering the problem, she promptly coordinated with the bank and importer, paid the corresponding fines, and smoothed the tripartite relationship. It was only because of all that did the transaction process not get delayed.
However, there were still losses. The trust of the customer in KeRui was reduced, and KeRui may not be their first choice when choosing a company to cooperate with in the future.
The loss of customers was a disaster for a company in its developing state.
That young girl was scolded in a low voice for a long time. When she came out, the corners of her eyes were a little red. Many people in the office cast sympathetic glances, but no one dared to come forward to comfort her.
President Qiu’s power could not be challenged.
How frightening.
Shen NingXin quietly gazed in the direction of Qiu YiBai’s office, then quickly retracted it, adding a few more words to her impression of Qiu YiBai.
Qiu. Very strict, a perfectionist, a bit fierce yet beautiful. YiBai.
—
The afternoon passed by quickly, and as soon as she clocked out, Shen NingXin received a call from Meng Yao, asking her if she wanted to have a meal together.
“I won’t be coming,” Shen NingXin answered with a yawn and gently rubbed her eyes, “I’m a little sleepy today, so I’m going to take a nap when I get home.”
“You won’t come even if there are pretty girls?” Meng Yao continued to ask.
“Nope.” Shen NingXin shook her head.
Since . . . no matter how good looking they may be, they can’t possibly compare with the President.
The bus made its stop at this time. Shen NingXin said goodbye to MengYao, and quickly hung up and got on the bus.
As soon as she got home, she immediately laid on the bed and fell asleep.
The next time she opened her eyes, it was almost seven o’clock.
Her stomach growled, hinting at its dissatisfaction, and after washing her face, Shen NingXin opened the fridge to find some ingredients to cook with.
Upon opening it, she found only half a carrot laying before her.
“. . . . . .”
She just remembered that she had used up all the rest of the few ingredients left to make that fancy bento last night.
Shen NingXin sighed helplessly and put on her coat and grabbed a small bag before going downstairs to buy food.
People were getting off work and students were returning home at this time, so there were a lot of people in the supermarket. It was especially crowded at the checkouts. Half of Shen NingXin’s life was practically squeezed out.
She now regretted it a bit. She should’ve just gone with Meng Yao to dinner . . .
As she was busy regretting her decision, a familiar person walked by and came to face her.
Shen NingXin immediately recognized that person. It’s Qiu YiBai!
Her heart sped up. She was standing by the supermarket’s entrance, and before she could say hello, she saw Qiu YiBai’s eyes quickly cast over, too.
She first looked over her face, then glanced down, stopping at the puppy pendant hanging off of Shen NingXin’s small bag.
Then, she smiled.
Her brows were born with a touch of tenderness to them. She seemed cold because she was deliberately strict this afternoon. Now that she was smiling, that coldness dissipated, leaving only warmth behind.
Red lips and white teeth. Eyes illuminated by the surrounding lights. She was beautiful and moving.
Shen NingXin’s breathing even paused for a moment.
“Are you here to buy something?” Qiu YiBai asked with a soft voice, “You haven’t eaten yet?”
It seemed like she recognized her.
Shen NingXin nodded hurriedly. “Yes.”
“Eat less instant noodles,” Qiu YiBai responded and cast her eyes down, glancing at the item in her hand. “It’s not good for your health.”
She’s actually caring about her.
“I got it,” Shen NingXin thanked her, and stood there, watching Qiu YiBai leave. She didn’t even realize the corners of her mouth were raising slightly.
President Qiu, who is so strict, also has such a gentle side.
—
The whole morning passed by quickly amidst the busyness.
As soon as noon arrived, everyone clocked out and began to make their way toward the cafeteria to eat.
Remembering Qiu YiBai’s advice from last night, Shen NingXin glanced at the sandwich she put in her bag and stood up to go to the cafeteria, too.
While walking, she casually chatted with her friends in the group chat. By the time she looked up, she found that the dining hall was almost full.
Taken aback, Shen NingXin quickly put away her phone and ran over to get a meal.
The company’s benefits were good, and the cafeteria’s food also tasted good. There was a variety of dishes, plenty of meat, and they served large portions.
On the day she arrived, Wang Xi even told her that when she first arrived at the company, she weighed less than 100 pounds, but in the past few years, it soared up to 150.
Good food really raises people.
Shen NingXin smiled, and holding her tray of food, she walked forward, looking for an empty seat.
There were a lot more people in the Domestic Trade Department than the foreign side, and since everyone ate in the same cafeteria, there was almost no space left.
Shen NingXin couldn’t find a seat nearby, so she stood on her toes and looked into the distance. She then found a space that stuck out.
The table that could accommodate eight people only had one seat taken and the surrounding seats were surprisingly empty.
It’s just the person sitting there . . . . . . was their President Qiu YiBai.
According to Wang Xi, a person at Qiu YiBai’s level would have their own place to eat and would never come here to dine with everybody else in the cafeteria.
What was she thinking today?
Shen NingXin hesitated, but at the thought of the President’s gentle smile under the lights last night, she moved forward unconsciously.
Qiu YiBai had just returned from the factory at noon and was still wearing a blue and white uniform with the words KeRui Glass Beads printed on it. The style was ordinary and the tailoring not-so-exquisite, yet Qiu YiBai made it look good.
Her arms were white and her waist was very thin.
Upon coming closer, she realized just how little Qiu YiBai ate. There was only a simple portion of stir-fried vegetables, a small portion of cold bean curd, and a small amount of fist-sized rice.
Shen NingXin looked down at her own tray, and her cheeks flushed slightly.
She walked a few steps forward, carefully stood on the opposite side of Qiu YiBai, and greeted her politely. She had a pure smile on her face and her apricot-shaped eyes curved along with it. “President Qiu.”
Qiu YiBai stopped her movement of eating, and slowly raised her eyes. Clear eyes swept across her face with no sign of happiness or anger. She only replied softly, “En.”
Then she lowered her head to continue eating.
“. . . . . .”
“. . . . . ?”
Shen NingXin was a little dazed.
Why was Qiu YiBai’s attitude toward her at this moment so different from last night. Her eyes were full of indifference, as though looking at a stranger.
Was she in a bad mood?
Shen NingXin suddenly remembered how fierce she was when she scolded people yesterday afternoon. She wanted to flee, but could only sit down at this point.
Plopping into the seat, Shen NingXin’s heart also sank a bit.
A wave of bitterness rushed to her heart. Shen NingXin didn’t dare use her chopsticks, and after some hesitation, pushed her small tray over, and reluctantly asked, “President Qiu, would you like to . . . taste my chicken wings?”
In the next second, Qiu YiBai raised her head and said nothing.
The atmosphere was silent for a few seconds, and Shen NingXin wanted to drill a hole and hop into it out of embarrassment.
About half a minute later, Qiu YiBai finally spoke, her gaze staying on her face.
“Your badge, it’s crooked.”
Shen NingXin was taken aback, and quickly apologized and adjusted her badge. When she raised her eyes again, Qiu YiBai had already stood up.
She walked a few steps forward and paused when she neared Shen NingXin, her body fragrance still familiar and obvious.
“Have you forgotten what the teacher taught you in school?” she said, staring at Shen NingXin’s red ears, “Don’t eat what strangers give you.”
As her voice fell, she also gradually walked away, leaving only a stunned Shen NingXin alone to doubt life.
So they’re really . . . just strangers?
