She didn’t sleep all that much that night.
The next morning, Shen NingXin got up before the alarm even went off.
She felt a little dizzy and ran to the bathroom to look in the mirror, and she was then taken aback by herself.
This was the first time she had such dark eye circles.
“. . . . . .”
She sighed, and after washing her face, she sat down in front of her makeup mirror, quickly applied concealer and foundation, then put on light makeup to hide her bad complexion.
Now there should be no difference compared to her usual look.
Nobody would be able to tell that her current state was actually horrible.
She then sighed helplessly, exhausted both physically and mentally. Her mind was also in an uproar, the words “I don’t want to go to work” floating around back and forth.
For a few seconds, she sat there silently in her chair in a daze. Shen NingXin shook her head and finally stood up, adjusted her clothes, and went downstairs with her bag.
In the adult world, what’s the use of trying to escape?
Pei Qing was powerful and President Wang was powerful. In order to not cause trouble for Qiu YiBai, she never thought of mentioning a word to this person.
She’s just an intern in the end. Even if she couldn’t last at KeRui, there were still other places.
But this didn’t mean she’d compromise easily.
She wanted to endure until the last moment, disgust Pei Qing to the last second.
—
She came out a little late today.
There was more traffic on the road than usual. The bus swayed, stopped, and started repeatedly along the way before it finally arrived at the company.
She was almost going to be late.
Shen NingXin hurriedly took out her phone to clock in, and just as she was about to walk to her desk and sit down, she suddenly caught a glimpse of Pei Qing’s unusual expression.
Her normal triumphant and cocky look was gone, replaced by a dust-gray face.
What could she be thinking?
She looked kind of strange.
Shen NingXin glanced at her, then sat down and turned the computer on before getting up again to get a cup of water from the break room.
As soon as she stood up, Zhao Jie suddenly walked behind her at some point, stretching her hand out and tugging her.
“Let’s go together,” she said, a wide smile on her face.
She seemed very happy, perhaps she signed another big order.
Seeing this, Shen NingXin put in the effort to smile, then nodded and went to the break room with her.
“. . . . . .”
The water dispenser was still heating up, so she couldn’t fill her cup yet.
Shen NingXin stood in place with the cup in her hand while waiting in a daze. She was thinking random thoughts when Zhao Jie suddenly moved closer in her direction.
This was Zhao Jie’s typical posture when she was about to talk about secrets.
Shen NingXin quickly cooperated and raised her head to look at her.
She asked, “Xiao Shen, did you hear what everyone was talking about when you came in?”
As soon as her voice fell, Shen NingXin’s heart immediately stirred, thinking that the matter between herself and Pei Qing had been discovered.
She inadvertently shook her head and responded, “No . . .”
“You still don’t know yet?” Zhao Jie subconsciously raised a brow when she heard her words, then moved closer to her side. “News came from the factory this morning.”
She spoke, her voice low, “Apparently . . . President Wang seems to have been dismissed.”
“President Wang?!” Shen NingXin was surprised. “You mean the President Wang from the Domestic Trade Department?”
“Who else?” Zhao Jie was delighted. “How many President Wang’s do we have at our company?”
“Why did he suddenly get dismissed?” Shen NingXin was stupefied, unable to believe there could be such a coincidence.
“It seems to be because he arbitrarily cooperated with other companies in private.” Zhao Jie chuckled. “Selling out our quotation information, raw material source, customer list . . .”
“And it wasn’t only a few times. It’s just evidence has only been discovered recently.”
“He’s probably busy with a lawsuit right now.”
—
On her way back to the office with the cup in her hand, Shen NingXin was in a daze.
She thought she’d be the one dismissed and never thought she’d hear of President Wang’s dismissal news.
No wonder Pei Qing’s complexion looked so odd.
She sighed, suddenly remembering the chat history she saw last night. Although it was only a glimpse, she still noticed quite a bit of information.
One of them was the date.
Monday.
It happened to be the day Qiu YiBai went to the factory for a meeting.
The messages between Pei Qing and President Wang also stopped that day.
Seems like he was busy with his own affairs, how could he have the time to take care of her.
Unspeakable emotions suddenly appeared in her heart. Shen NingXin picked up the glass of water and held it in her hand for a long time, finally calming her mind a little.
When she looked up again, she suddenly caught a glimpse of someone coming in from outside.
The black lady suit was very eye-catching, with long hair casually hung over her shoulders, her expression indifferent, and aura powerful as she carried a briefcase in her hand.
It was Qiu YiBai!
She was back!
Shen NingXin looked at her, half of the complicated emotions she felt suddenly disappearing for some reason.
She then opened her to greet her, “Hello, President Qiu.”
“En.” Qiu YiBai paused in her steps when she heard her, then turned to look in her direction.
After that, she seemed to softly smile.
But she quickly retracted it, so fast that Shen NingXin couldn’t tell if she actually did smile.
As she pondered, she heard her speak again, but it wasn’t directed toward her.
Instead, she looked past Shen NingXin and said to Pei Qing with a blank face, “Come to my office.”
As soon as her voice fell, Pei Qing’s already gloomy face darkened even more.
—
The office was surprisingly quiet.
Qiu YiBai casually turned on the computer, picked up the coffee Assistant Han brought in, and drank while dealing with the delayed work from these past few days.
She looked comfortable.
But the more she acted like this, the more nervous Pei Qing felt.
The atmosphere was silent for a long time until Qiu YiBai seemed to have finally dealt with the work at hand.
She raised her eyes and looked over, and seeing that Pei Qing was still standing there in silence, she sighed and said, “Is there nothing you want to tell me?”
“Ah?” Pei Qing was taken aback when she heard her words, her body trembling unconsciously, but she still tried to maintain her previous look. “Is there . . . something I have to tell President Qiu about?”
“There’s quite a bit.” Seeing that she didn’t want to admit it, she stopped going in circles with her, then took out a USB drive and placed it on the table. “Look at it and see if it belongs to you.”
The moment she placed the item on the table, Pei Qing’s face instantly turned pale.
“You should have heard the news about President Wang.” Qiu YiBai crossed her arms and looked at her. “Leaking the company’s internal information, cooperating privately with other companies to make profits . . . this has caused the company a lot of financial losses, and the police have already started to intervene in this matter.”
“But that isn’t all I’m going to say,” Qiu YiBai paused, then continued, “Whatever may have happened in the Domestic Trade Department, I had no control over. I just wanted to know how they obtained our Foreign Trade Department’s customer list.”
“So while cleaning up President Wang’s things, I paid special attention to that, and then I found this.”
As she spoke, she pushed the USB drive forward.
Pei Qing’s face had already turned ashen-gray.
Of course she recognized that USB drive, it was indeed hers, and there were many related contents in it.
The most sensitive one . . . was the list Qiu YiBai mentioned.
She remembered it was last month when President Wang had privately requested her for some files, saying that they’d be kept for data comparison.
At that time, Pei Qing simply thought he was going to compare his and Qiu YiBai’s performance. Although she had some concerns, they were quickly dissuaded by President Wang’s flowery words and the benefits he provided, so she soon agreed to collect the information.
There were quite a few documents he asked for, the majority of them useless, but thinking about it now, he was probably trying to relax her vigilance. The only useful thing was the list.
She didn’t expect him to use it for something like this.
Pei Qing’s feet were unstable and she nearly fell.
She had an almost crying expression on her face and walked forward in panic, begging Qiu YiBai to have mercy on her.
“You should feel lucky.” Qiu YiBai looked at her, her expression cold. “He didn’t get to use this list in time, so there hasn’t been any serious impact on the Foreign Trade Department.”
“But this doesn’t mean I won’t hold you accountable.”
“I give you two choices, either resign or I can do it for you.”
—
In the end, Pei Qing chose to resign voluntarily.
The promotion to team leader she just received was gone in just a few days, and she even lost her job. Pei Qing was practically knocking out her teeth and swallowing them in her stomach.
In a disarray, she took back the USB drive. Just as she was about to thank Qiu YiBai for not pursuing any further and turn to leave, she saw Qiu YiBai suddenly throw something on the table again.
It was an envelope that was bulging out, seeming to contain a lot of things.
Pei Qing was taken aback and instinctively took a few steps back, afraid that there was some evidence against her again.
Seeing her fear, Qiu YiBai was silent for a moment before smiling slightly. “You don’t have to be so scared. There’s nothing related to work in it.”
“It was something the company discovered by coincidence when inspecting President Wang. I think you should take a look.”
As she spoke, she raised her hand and opened the envelope, slowly taking out a stack of photos.
Since they were taken secretly, the majority of the photos had tricky angles, and some of them were very blurry.
But Pei Qing was still able to tell that the person in them was President Wang.
And beside him in each photo was a different woman, each a different type, people she never knew about nor met.
Turns out . . . she was just one of many in his fish pond.
What an irony.
Pei Qing was in a daze for a long while before returning to her senses, tears flowing out unknowingly.
When she turned her face, Qiu YiBai was still staring at her and even handed her a sheet of tissue paper. “As colleagues who have worked together for many years, I think I should tell you this.”
“Use your head more, observe carefully with your heart, and . . . never put your hopes in other people.”
—
Pei Qing came out crying.
Her sobbing sound was loud and her complexion ugly. The entire office could hear her.
But no one came forward to comfort her.
Everyone watched her cry in pain, stand up and go out, then come back with a form in her hand.
People soon understood; she probably went to personnel.
It was needless to say what she went there for.
Shen NingXin was the most surprised.
It had been less than half an hour since Pei Qing entered Qiu YiBai’s office, and when she came out, she actually voluntarily resigned.
What happened during that time?
What did Qiu YiBai say to her?
In her confusion, lunch break arrived.
After clocking out, everyone stood up and went to the cafeteria in twos and threes. The surrounding area quickly quieted, leaving only Pei Qing’s sobbing sound in her ears.
Shen NingXin didn’t want to be alone in a space with her, so she soon stood up and knocked on Qiu YiBai’s office door.
The moment she entered, she saw her taking clothes out of the drawer.
Probably not expecting she’d come in, Qiu YiBai was first taken aback, then waved at her fiercely. “Shut the door!”
Shen NingXin hurriedly closed the door.
She then asked in confusion, “What are you doing, President Qiu?”
“Using lunch break to go to the lounge room and change clothes,” she said, then muttered, “That perfume smell is too unpleasant.”
As soon as her voice fell, Shen NingXin quickly understood; she was talking about the perfume smell coming off of Pei Qing’s body.
The two were probably talking in close enough proximity that the smell drifted and stuck onto her body.
It turned out Qiu YiBai detested that smell.
As she thought, she suddenly paused, then hurriedly raised her hand and quietly sniffed herself.
She sat so close to Pei Qing, it was inevitable she’d get some of that smell on her.
As she sniffed, Qiu YiBai raised her head all of a sudden.
The two made eye contact, then after a moment, this person raised a brow, the corners of her mouth twitching, as though she wanted to laugh but was forcing herself to suppress it. “Shen NingXin, what are you doing?”
After speaking, she reached her hand out and picked up the A Ji sitting on the table, settling it in front of her before shaking it.
“Acting like a dog.”
Shen NingXin: “. . . . . .”
—
In the end, Shen NingXin didn’t have the chance to ask what happened.
After leaving with the clothes, this person didn’t come back for a long time, her figure only reappearing near the end of lunch break.
Shen NingXin thought that there were probably too many tasks that were put on hold for the past few days, so she was busy working on them the whole afternoon.
Time quickly passed, and it was time to get off work.
Shen NingXin clocked out and lowered her head to pack her things. When she looked up again, she saw that Qiu YiBai was still busy working.
Thinking that she probably had no chance to talk to her, Shen NingXin sighed, then stood up and carried her small bag to leave.
Before she could exit the office, her phone suddenly rang in her hand.
Opening it, it turned out to be a message from Qiu YiBai. It was a single sentence, asking her—
“Are you trying to escape from the meal?”
What the heck was this!
Seeing her message, Shen NingXin raised the corners of her lips, wondering just when this crybaby noticed her leave.
Realizing she couldn’t leave anymore, Shen NingXin returned, opened the door, and walked into her office.
She soon discovered that this person had already turned off the computer and stood up from her chair.
She got ready quite quickly.
Shen NingXin paused, then soon asked her, “President Qiu, what would you like to eat?”
Hearing her words, Qiu YiBai coldly let out a “Hmph”, then murmured unhappily, “You’re the one who’s treating me to a meal, and you still need your boss to make the decision?”
“Anything will do, find something you think tastes good.”
“Alright, alright,” Shen NingXin quickly agreed and exited behind her, taking out her phone to see if there was any good food nearby.
She chose a barbecue place in the end.
Qiu YiBai immediately made a face, saying that something like barbecue wasn’t healthy at all.
Yet she still drove the Maserati and brought her there.
And looking at her expression . . . she seemed to be quite happy.
—
The restaurant Shen NingXin chose was the most expensive barbecue place nearby, where both the decorations and taste were of good quality.
Before coming, Shen NingXin called in to book a private room. As soon as the two entered, a waitress led them to their room with a smile.
Since it was for two to four people, there wasn’t much space in the private room.
The two sat down across from each other, then quickly set up the oven and turned it on, a steady stream of enthusiasm in the air.
It made her heart inexplicably tickle.
Her senses also heightened, where Qiu YiBai’s breathing, movements, and even tiny reactions became clear and obvious.
Suddenly, her heartbeat quickened, and Shen NingXin lowered her head, regretting her decision to come here all of a sudden.
As she fretted over it, Qiu YiBai suddenly spoke up.
She called her name in a rarely serious tone, “Shen NingXin.”
Hearing her, Shen NingXin was taken aback, then quickly raised her head and replied, “Yes?”
Her movements were a bit large, accidentally knocking over the small bag placed next to her.
Qiu YiBai was probably in a good mood. Not only did she not make a mocking comment about such a scene, she even bent down and casually picked the bag up.
She then picked up the napkin on the side and considerately wiped the bag before handing it back again.
At the same time, she opened her mouth and murmured in a soft voice, “Were you bullied?”
As soon as her voice fell, Shen NingXin was a little stunned.
How did she know?
There was a sudden confusion in her mind. She raised her head and looked at Qiu YiBai’s eyes, slightly shaking her head after a moment.
She didn’t want to say it. On one hand, she didn’t want Qiu YiBai to worry.
On the other, if Qiu YiBai found out about what Pei Qing said about her, she’d probably be upset.
She already did what she did, and she’s not a child, there’s no reason to cry to others.
Besides, this person was a crybaby. If she started crying out of unhappiness, the scene would be so out of control.
“. . . . . .”
She contemplated for a long time, and when she glanced up again, Qiu YiBai was still staring at her.
Embarrassment suddenly swelled in her heart, and she paused for a moment before quickly raising her hand to pour her a glass of water, a forced smile on her face. “Let’s eat.”
“The other party is Pei Qing, right?” Who knew why this crybaby was so persistent, insistent on getting out a response. “You don’t have many interactions with her in terms of work, and you’re not someone who can’t endure hardships, so you probably didn’t have conflicts with her in this area.”
“So . . . did she yell at you? Or did she ridicule someone? Zhao Jie, Wang Xi, Assistant Han?”
“Me?”
She guessed right.
Shen NingXin was shocked beyond words.
Seeing her surprised look, Qiu YiBai immediately knew she guessed right.
Then she let out a proud “Hmph” and said, “It was really me?”
Shen NingXin sighed, then nodded gently after a moment.
She was afraid this crybaby couldn’t think it through and would start crying. She was silent for a moment before quickly raising her head to observe her expression.
However, she didn’t capture any emotions.
This person was still sitting upright in her seat, then said nonchalantly, “Actually, I heard about it from Assistant Han. She happened to see that there was some sort of conflict between you two, so I went ahead and guessed the reason.”
“You didn’t have to this,” she said after a moment, “After all . . . there are a lot of people who talk badly about me behind my back.”
“I know about it.”
Her tone sounded at ease, but it carried a slight sadness.
Shen NingXin quickly noticed it, and all the Weibo posts that she read before appeared in her mind. Her heart suddenly ached for her.
So she didn’t stay silent anymore.
But rather quickly said, “It’s not like that.”
Qiu YiBai looked at her with a startled expression. “What’s not like that?”
“What she said was wrong.” Shen NingXin sighed, raised her eyes to make eye contact with her, and spoke, her tone tough for once, “Those words were obviously unwarranted rumors and slander, all completely ridiculous.”
“So I refuted her, because I know what kind of person you are, and I can’t lie to myself.”
Qiu YiBai’s ears turned red listening to her.
Her cheeks also felt a little hot. She casually picked up the glass and pretended to drink water, then joked as though nothing was wrong, “What would you, an intern who just came, know?”
Her evasive look made her want to laugh.
Of course I know.
Shen NingXin looked at her without speaking.
After a moment, she suddenly smiled, then picked up the nearby kettle to refill her glass with water.
Just as she was about to tell her to eat, this person spoke again.
Her voice was very low and was buried in the sizzling of the barbecue, so she couldn’t hear her clearly.
But Shen NingXin still made it out. What she said was: “If you run into any trouble in the future, tell me. It’s not like I can’t help you.”
With the way she was muttering, she was evidently shy.
“Then what if the other party was someone more powerful than you?” Shen NingXin’s interest was piqued and she asked, “How are you going to help me then?”
“You’re talking about President Wang, right?” Not expecting Shen NingXin to hear her words, Qiu YiBai paused, then raised a brow, a little displeased. “I already knew about the matter between him and Pei Qing long ago.”
“If he can protect that Pei Qing who doesn’t know how to do anything, how would I not be able to protect you who is hard-working?”
As she spoke, she took a sip from the glass and glanced at her with displeased eyes.
After clearing her throat, she then softly said something, as though asking a rhetorical question.
“Shen NingXin, aren’t you looking down on me too much?”
She didn’t sleep all that much that night.
The next morning, Shen NingXin got up before the alarm even went off.
She felt a little dizzy and ran to the bathroom to look in the mirror, and she was then taken aback by herself.
This was the first time she had such dark eye circles.
“. . . . . .”
She sighed, and after washing her face, she sat down in front of her makeup mirror, quickly applied concealer and foundation, then put on light makeup to hide her bad complexion.
Now there should be no difference compared to her usual look.
Nobody would be able to tell that her current state was actually horrible.
She then sighed helplessly, exhausted both physically and mentally. Her mind was also in an uproar, the words “I don’t want to go to work” floating around back and forth.
For a few seconds, she sat there silently in her chair in a daze. Shen NingXin shook her head and finally stood up, adjusted her clothes, and went downstairs with her bag.
In the adult world, what’s the use of trying to escape?
Pei Qing was powerful and President Wang was powerful. In order to not cause trouble for Qiu YiBai, she never thought of mentioning a word to this person.
She’s just an intern in the end. Even if she couldn’t last at KeRui, there were still other places.
But this didn’t mean she’d compromise easily.
She wanted to endure until the last moment, disgust Pei Qing to the last second.
—
She came out a little late today.
There was more traffic on the road than usual. The bus swayed, stopped, and started repeatedly along the way before it finally arrived at the company.
She was almost going to be late.
Shen NingXin hurriedly took out her phone to clock in, and just as she was about to walk to her desk and sit down, she suddenly caught a glimpse of Pei Qing’s unusual expression.
Her normal triumphant and cocky look was gone, replaced by a dust-gray face.
What could she be thinking?
She looked kind of strange.
Shen NingXin glanced at her, then sat down and turned the computer on before getting up again to get a cup of water from the break room.
As soon as she stood up, Zhao Jie suddenly walked behind her at some point, stretching her hand out and tugging her.
“Let’s go together,” she said, a wide smile on her face.
She seemed very happy, perhaps she signed another big order.
Seeing this, Shen NingXin put in the effort to smile, then nodded and went to the break room with her.
“. . . . . .”
The water dispenser was still heating up, so she couldn’t fill her cup yet.
Shen NingXin stood in place with the cup in her hand while waiting in a daze. She was thinking random thoughts when Zhao Jie suddenly moved closer in her direction.
This was Zhao Jie’s typical posture when she was about to talk about secrets.
Shen NingXin quickly cooperated and raised her head to look at her.
She asked, “Xiao Shen, did you hear what everyone was talking about when you came in?”
As soon as her voice fell, Shen NingXin’s heart immediately stirred, thinking that the matter between herself and Pei Qing had been discovered.
She inadvertently shook her head and responded, “No . . .”
“You still don’t know yet?” Zhao Jie subconsciously raised a brow when she heard her words, then moved closer to her side. “News came from the factory this morning.”
She spoke, her voice low, “Apparently . . . President Wang seems to have been dismissed.”
“President Wang?!” Shen NingXin was surprised. “You mean the President Wang from the Domestic Trade Department?”
“Who else?” Zhao Jie was delighted. “How many President Wang’s do we have at our company?”
“Why did he suddenly get dismissed?” Shen NingXin was stupefied, unable to believe there could be such a coincidence.
“It seems to be because he arbitrarily cooperated with other companies in private.” Zhao Jie chuckled. “Selling out our quotation information, raw material source, customer list . . .”
“And it wasn’t only a few times. It’s just evidence has only been discovered recently.”
“He’s probably busy with a lawsuit right now.”
—
On her way back to the office with the cup in her hand, Shen NingXin was in a daze.
She thought she’d be the one dismissed and never thought she’d hear of President Wang’s dismissal news.
No wonder Pei Qing’s complexion looked so odd.
She sighed, suddenly remembering the chat history she saw last night. Although it was only a glimpse, she still noticed quite a bit of information.
One of them was the date.
Monday.
It happened to be the day Qiu YiBai went to the factory for a meeting.
The messages between Pei Qing and President Wang also stopped that day.
Seems like he was busy with his own affairs, how could he have the time to take care of her.
Unspeakable emotions suddenly appeared in her heart. Shen NingXin picked up the glass of water and held it in her hand for a long time, finally calming her mind a little.
When she looked up again, she suddenly caught a glimpse of someone coming in from outside.
The black lady suit was very eye-catching, with long hair casually hung over her shoulders, her expression indifferent, and aura powerful as she carried a briefcase in her hand.
It was Qiu YiBai!
She was back!
Shen NingXin looked at her, half of the complicated emotions she felt suddenly disappearing for some reason.
She then opened her to greet her, “Hello, President Qiu.”
“En.” Qiu YiBai paused in her steps when she heard her, then turned to look in her direction.
After that, she seemed to softly smile.
But she quickly retracted it, so fast that Shen NingXin couldn’t tell if she actually did smile.
As she pondered, she heard her speak again, but it wasn’t directed toward her.
Instead, she looked past Shen NingXin and said to Pei Qing with a blank face, “Come to my office.”
As soon as her voice fell, Pei Qing’s already gloomy face darkened even more.
—
The office was surprisingly quiet.
Qiu YiBai casually turned on the computer, picked up the coffee Assistant Han brought in, and drank while dealing with the delayed work from these past few days.
She looked comfortable.
But the more she acted like this, the more nervous Pei Qing felt.
The atmosphere was silent for a long time until Qiu YiBai seemed to have finally dealt with the work at hand.
She raised her eyes and looked over, and seeing that Pei Qing was still standing there in silence, she sighed and said, “Is there nothing you want to tell me?”
“Ah?” Pei Qing was taken aback when she heard her words, her body trembling unconsciously, but she still tried to maintain her previous look. “Is there . . . something I have to tell President Qiu about?”
“There’s quite a bit.” Seeing that she didn’t want to admit it, she stopped going in circles with her, then took out a USB drive and placed it on the table. “Look at it and see if it belongs to you.”
The moment she placed the item on the table, Pei Qing’s face instantly turned pale.
“You should have heard the news about President Wang.” Qiu YiBai crossed her arms and looked at her. “Leaking the company’s internal information, cooperating privately with other companies to make profits . . . this has caused the company a lot of financial losses, and the police have already started to intervene in this matter.”
“But that isn’t all I’m going to say,” Qiu YiBai paused, then continued, “Whatever may have happened in the Domestic Trade Department, I had no control over. I just wanted to know how they obtained our Foreign Trade Department’s customer list.”
“So while cleaning up President Wang’s things, I paid special attention to that, and then I found this.”
As she spoke, she pushed the USB drive forward.
Pei Qing’s face had already turned ashen-gray.
Of course she recognized that USB drive, it was indeed hers, and there were many related contents in it.
The most sensitive one . . . was the list Qiu YiBai mentioned.
She remembered it was last month when President Wang had privately requested her for some files, saying that they’d be kept for data comparison.
At that time, Pei Qing simply thought he was going to compare his and Qiu YiBai’s performance. Although she had some concerns, they were quickly dissuaded by President Wang’s flowery words and the benefits he provided, so she soon agreed to collect the information.
There were quite a few documents he asked for, the majority of them useless, but thinking about it now, he was probably trying to relax her vigilance. The only useful thing was the list.
She didn’t expect him to use it for something like this.
Pei Qing’s feet were unstable and she nearly fell.
She had an almost crying expression on her face and walked forward in panic, begging Qiu YiBai to have mercy on her.
“You should feel lucky.” Qiu YiBai looked at her, her expression cold. “He didn’t get to use this list in time, so there hasn’t been any serious impact on the Foreign Trade Department.”
“But this doesn’t mean I won’t hold you accountable.”
“I give you two choices, either resign or I can do it for you.”
—
In the end, Pei Qing chose to resign voluntarily.
The promotion to team leader she just received was gone in just a few days, and she even lost her job. Pei Qing was practically knocking out her teeth and swallowing them in her stomach.
In a disarray, she took back the USB drive. Just as she was about to thank Qiu YiBai for not pursuing any further and turn to leave, she saw Qiu YiBai suddenly throw something on the table again.
It was an envelope that was bulging out, seeming to contain a lot of things.
Pei Qing was taken aback and instinctively took a few steps back, afraid that there was some evidence against her again.
Seeing her fear, Qiu YiBai was silent for a moment before smiling slightly. “You don’t have to be so scared. There’s nothing related to work in it.”
“It was something the company discovered by coincidence when inspecting President Wang. I think you should take a look.”
As she spoke, she raised her hand and opened the envelope, slowly taking out a stack of photos.
Since they were taken secretly, the majority of the photos had tricky angles, and some of them were very blurry.
But Pei Qing was still able to tell that the person in them was President Wang.
And beside him in each photo was a different woman, each a different type, people she never knew about nor met.
Turns out . . . she was just one of many in his fish pond.
What an irony.
Pei Qing was in a daze for a long while before returning to her senses, tears flowing out unknowingly.
When she turned her face, Qiu YiBai was still staring at her and even handed her a sheet of tissue paper. “As colleagues who have worked together for many years, I think I should tell you this.”
“Use your head more, observe carefully with your heart, and . . . never put your hopes in other people.”
—
Pei Qing came out crying.
Her sobbing sound was loud and her complexion ugly. The entire office could hear her.
But no one came forward to comfort her.
Everyone watched her cry in pain, stand up and go out, then come back with a form in her hand.
People soon understood; she probably went to personnel.
It was needless to say what she went there for.
Shen NingXin was the most surprised.
It had been less than half an hour since Pei Qing entered Qiu YiBai’s office, and when she came out, she actually voluntarily resigned.
What happened during that time?
What did Qiu YiBai say to her?
In her confusion, lunch break arrived.
After clocking out, everyone stood up and went to the cafeteria in twos and threes. The surrounding area quickly quieted, leaving only Pei Qing’s sobbing sound in her ears.
Shen NingXin didn’t want to be alone in a space with her, so she soon stood up and knocked on Qiu YiBai’s office door.
The moment she entered, she saw her taking clothes out of the drawer.
Probably not expecting she’d come in, Qiu YiBai was first taken aback, then waved at her fiercely. “Shut the door!”
Shen NingXin hurriedly closed the door.
She then asked in confusion, “What are you doing, President Qiu?”
“Using lunch break to go to the lounge room and change clothes,” she said, then muttered, “That perfume smell is too unpleasant.”
As soon as her voice fell, Shen NingXin quickly understood; she was talking about the perfume smell coming off of Pei Qing’s body.
The two were probably talking in close enough proximity that the smell drifted and stuck onto her body.
It turned out Qiu YiBai detested that smell.
As she thought, she suddenly paused, then hurriedly raised her hand and quietly sniffed herself.
She sat so close to Pei Qing, it was inevitable she’d get some of that smell on her.
As she sniffed, Qiu YiBai raised her head all of a sudden.
The two made eye contact, then after a moment, this person raised a brow, the corners of her mouth twitching, as though she wanted to laugh but was forcing herself to suppress it. “Shen NingXin, what are you doing?”
After speaking, she reached her hand out and picked up the A Ji sitting on the table, settling it in front of her before shaking it.
“Acting like a dog.”
Shen NingXin: “. . . . . .”
—
In the end, Shen NingXin didn’t have the chance to ask what happened.
After leaving with the clothes, this person didn’t come back for a long time, her figure only reappearing near the end of lunch break.
Shen NingXin thought that there were probably too many tasks that were put on hold for the past few days, so she was busy working on them the whole afternoon.
Time quickly passed, and it was time to get off work.
Shen NingXin clocked out and lowered her head to pack her things. When she looked up again, she saw that Qiu YiBai was still busy working.
Thinking that she probably had no chance to talk to her, Shen NingXin sighed, then stood up and carried her small bag to leave.
Before she could exit the office, her phone suddenly rang in her hand.
Opening it, it turned out to be a message from Qiu YiBai. It was a single sentence, asking her—
“Are you trying to escape from the meal?”
What the heck was this!
Seeing her message, Shen NingXin raised the corners of her lips, wondering just when this crybaby noticed her leave.
Realizing she couldn’t leave anymore, Shen NingXin returned, opened the door, and walked into her office.
She soon discovered that this person had already turned off the computer and stood up from her chair.
She got ready quite quickly.
Shen NingXin paused, then soon asked her, “President Qiu, what would you like to eat?”
Hearing her words, Qiu YiBai coldly let out a “Hmph”, then murmured unhappily, “You’re the one who’s treating me to a meal, and you still need your boss to make the decision?”
“Anything will do, find something you think tastes good.”
“Alright, alright,” Shen NingXin quickly agreed and exited behind her, taking out her phone to see if there was any good food nearby.
She chose a barbecue place in the end.
Qiu YiBai immediately made a face, saying that something like barbecue wasn’t healthy at all.
Yet she still drove the Maserati and brought her there.
And looking at her expression . . . she seemed to be quite happy.
—
The restaurant Shen NingXin chose was the most expensive barbecue place nearby, where both the decorations and taste were of good quality.
Before coming, Shen NingXin called in to book a private room. As soon as the two entered, a waitress led them to their room with a smile.
Since it was for two to four people, there wasn’t much space in the private room.
The two sat down across from each other, then quickly set up the oven and turned it on, a steady stream of enthusiasm in the air.
It made her heart inexplicably tickle.
Her senses also heightened, where Qiu YiBai’s breathing, movements, and even tiny reactions became clear and obvious.
Suddenly, her heartbeat quickened, and Shen NingXin lowered her head, regretting her decision to come here all of a sudden.
As she fretted over it, Qiu YiBai suddenly spoke up.
She called her name in a rarely serious tone, “Shen NingXin.”
Hearing her, Shen NingXin was taken aback, then quickly raised her head and replied, “Yes?”
Her movements were a bit large, accidentally knocking over the small bag placed next to her.
Qiu YiBai was probably in a good mood. Not only did she not make a mocking comment about such a scene, she even bent down and casually picked the bag up.
She then picked up the napkin on the side and considerately wiped the bag before handing it back again.
At the same time, she opened her mouth and murmured in a soft voice, “Were you bullied?”
As soon as her voice fell, Shen NingXin was a little stunned.
How did she know?
There was a sudden confusion in her mind. She raised her head and looked at Qiu YiBai’s eyes, slightly shaking her head after a moment.
She didn’t want to say it. On one hand, she didn’t want Qiu YiBai to worry.
On the other, if Qiu YiBai found out about what Pei Qing said about her, she’d probably be upset.
She already did what she did, and she’s not a child, there’s no reason to cry to others.
Besides, this person was a crybaby. If she started crying out of unhappiness, the scene would be so out of control.
“. . . . . .”
She contemplated for a long time, and when she glanced up again, Qiu YiBai was still staring at her.
Embarrassment suddenly swelled in her heart, and she paused for a moment before quickly raising her hand to pour her a glass of water, a forced smile on her face. “Let’s eat.”
“The other party is Pei Qing, right?” Who knew why this crybaby was so persistent, insistent on getting out a response. “You don’t have many interactions with her in terms of work, and you’re not someone who can’t endure hardships, so you probably didn’t have conflicts with her in this area.”
“So . . . did she yell at you? Or did she ridicule someone? Zhao Jie, Wang Xi, Assistant Han?”
“Me?”
She guessed right.
Shen NingXin was shocked beyond words.
Seeing her surprised look, Qiu YiBai immediately knew she guessed right.
Then she let out a proud “Hmph” and said, “It was really me?”
Shen NingXin sighed, then nodded gently after a moment.
She was afraid this crybaby couldn’t think it through and would start crying. She was silent for a moment before quickly raising her head to observe her expression.
However, she didn’t capture any emotions.
This person was still sitting upright in her seat, then said nonchalantly, “Actually, I heard about it from Assistant Han. She happened to see that there was some sort of conflict between you two, so I went ahead and guessed the reason.”
“You didn’t have to this,” she said after a moment, “After all . . . there are a lot of people who talk badly about me behind my back.”
“I know about it.”
Her tone sounded at ease, but it carried a slight sadness.
Shen NingXin quickly noticed it, and all the Weibo posts that she read before appeared in her mind. Her heart suddenly ached for her.
So she didn’t stay silent anymore.
But rather quickly said, “It’s not like that.”
Qiu YiBai looked at her with a startled expression. “What’s not like that?”
“What she said was wrong.” Shen NingXin sighed, raised her eyes to make eye contact with her, and spoke, her tone tough for once, “Those words were obviously unwarranted rumors and slander, all completely ridiculous.”
“So I refuted her, because I know what kind of person you are, and I can’t lie to myself.”
Qiu YiBai’s ears turned red listening to her.
Her cheeks also felt a little hot. She casually picked up the glass and pretended to drink water, then joked as though nothing was wrong, “What would you, an intern who just came, know?”
Her evasive look made her want to laugh.
Of course I know.
Shen NingXin looked at her without speaking.
After a moment, she suddenly smiled, then picked up the nearby kettle to refill her glass with water.
Just as she was about to tell her to eat, this person spoke again.
Her voice was very low and was buried in the sizzling of the barbecue, so she couldn’t hear her clearly.
But Shen NingXin still made it out. What she said was: “If you run into any trouble in the future, tell me. It’s not like I can’t help you.”
With the way she was muttering, she was evidently shy.
“Then what if the other party was someone more powerful than you?” Shen NingXin’s interest was piqued and she asked, “How are you going to help me then?”
“You’re talking about President Wang, right?” Not expecting Shen NingXin to hear her words, Qiu YiBai paused, then raised a brow, a little displeased. “I already knew about the matter between him and Pei Qing long ago.”
“If he can protect that Pei Qing who doesn’t know how to do anything, how would I not be able to protect you who is hard-working?”
As she spoke, she took a sip from the glass and glanced at her with displeased eyes.
After clearing her throat, she then softly said something, as though asking a rhetorical question.
“Shen NingXin, aren’t you looking down on me too much?”
