Qi Sui lowered her head. A hand tapped on her desk. She looked up to see Guan Guan, wearing a lotus-pink dress, pursing her lips with triumph in her eyes. Her posture was condescending and extremely arrogant. "Pack your things. You're fired."
Qi Sui had thought it over carefully. Not about the messy stuff, but about transferring her position to the International Department and then being recommended by Xiang Yu for a promotion to headquarters. She had agreed. After filling out many forms and passing assessments, the matter was finally settled. But this feeling—how to describe it? Qi Sui knew that this treatment was originally meant for Qian Jin. He had indeed relied on his own ability to get promoted to headquarters, eventually earning the chairman's favor and being promoted to vice chairman. Although his relationship with 'Xiang Yu' wasn't something everyone praised, at least in others' eyes, they were a good match. But now, it seemed that Qi Sui would be the one to take this step first. She felt more uncomfortable than anything.
"Did you hear me?" The hand tapped her desk again. The owner of the hand frowned, clearly regarding Qi Sui as a failure who had been kicked out of the company. Qi Sui nodded calmly, which infuriated Guan Guan. She stomped her high heels, slammed things around at her desk, and loudly broadcasted the news: "Some people, from the moment they enter the company, you can tell if they're cut out for it. She said she was a top student with strong work ability, but what's the result? She's been here over a year, and she's still worse than us ordinary folks who rely on hard work to get this position." "Now look at her! Fired, slinking away. The company should fire all those who don't do their jobs."
Qi Sui paused in packing her things. The dozen or so people in the office all looked at her, seemingly dissatisfied with Guan Guan's words but afraid to speak up. Only Engineer Song spoke bluntly: "Guan Guan, you can't say that. How do you know Qi Sui isn't going to a better company? She submitted her resignation herself, everyone saw it. You can't just make baseless claims." Guan Guan was usually only managed by Song Zhibin. As soon as he spoke, the office atmosphere livened up. Colleagues crowded around Qi Sui, asking questions in a flurry.
Some didn't understand why Qi Sui would quit such a big company; others, with better information, knew about the transfer plans in other departments and connected it to Qi Sui. Qi Sui waited calmly for them to finish chattering, and when she had almost finished packing, she arched her eyebrows in a smile, revealing her trademark gentle expression that made her look easy to bully. "No, I was originally planning to resign, but Manager Li said there was a recent opening to transfer to the International Department and asked me to consider it. I thought about it; since I can go to the 15th floor, I might as well stay a bit longer. Maybe there'll be some opportunities?" Manager Li was the office manager.
"Oh, that's true. Xiao Qi, you've thought it through." But although they said that, the colleagues were quite pessimistic about the matter, thinking Qi Sui had lost her mind. Job transfers between positions were no joke. The work you did when you entered the company and the work you'd be reassigned to halfway were completely different. It was like labor dispatch in a regular company. In other words, you weren't a regular employee of the International Department; it was normal to be given dirty or tiring work, or even be scapegoated if something went wrong. The salary in the International Department was indeed a bit higher than theirs, but it was a drop in the bucket. At least in their view, the International Department was not suitable for such a gentle girl. That place relied on competition to achieve results, and it was said that there was even a minimum weekly workload.
Upon hearing this, Guan Guan let out a 'hmph' from her nose and drawled sarcastically: "I think some people are looking for a way to climb up but have chosen the wrong path. If you ask me, why bother with these tricks? Why not just go find your ex-husband? I see Director Qian has been quite impressive lately." "Ex-husband?" The colleagues looked at each other and then turned the question back to Qi Sui. "Sui Sui, what's going on? You got divorced?" Some of the more inquisitive ones quickly caught the key point in Guan Guan's words: "Right, Sui Sui, and that Director Qian, he's your husband? Why did you never mention it?" "Director Qian? Really?" "That's right, I remember Director Qian hasn't been at the company long, and his alma mater is the same as Sui Sui's." "But Sui Sui is already divorced? What's going on?"
Qi Sui ignored these eager gazes. Instead, she moved the pile of documents aside, bent down to unplug her monitor, then dusted off her hands and stood before Guan Guan. She truly didn't care about all these baseless rumors, and she didn't think she needed to interact with someone who harbored inexplicable hatred toward her. But—"Sister Guan, do you have some grievance against me?" As soon as she said this, the others in the office couldn't help but sigh inwardly—was Qi Sui seriously oblivious? The other party's dissatisfaction was already out in the open, yet she still went up to ask awkwardly, as if she wouldn't believe it unless the other said it directly.
Guan Guan propped her head on her hand, not even giving Qi Sui a glance, and said slowly with a provocative tone: "No, how would I dare? You're about to rise step by step after leaving our department, right? Sui Sui, don't forget us if you get rich." Despite the words, everyone could hear the mockery in her voice. Her attitude was clearly that of someone who was beyond caring.
Qi Sui understood. She hadn't offended Guan Guan; she had simply lived her own life in the office. To deal with someone like Guan Guan, you either went along with her or made a complete enemy of her—there was no middle ground. Instead, Qi Sui bent down and smiled with crescent-shaped eyes, her fair face looking so clear-hearted that anyone would think she had completely brushed aside Guan Guan's cutting remarks. "Then I'll take your good wishes."
She stood up, her expression still calm and unruffled, but the colleagues in the office no longer dared to underestimate her. Qi Sui extended her hand, revealing her bare ring finger, and said softly: "I really am divorced. The reason is simple: my husband—my ex-husband—cheated on me. I married Qian Jin six years ago, but only recently did I learn that no one in this company knew about our relationship. I had taken marriage leave before; everyone should remember that. But my husband was very contemptuous of me and never mentioned it to his colleagues."
She openly announced the reason for her divorce, which instead made the previously aggressive colleagues feel guilty, and they also thought Qian Jin's behavior was disgraceful. "What kind of person is that? Director Qian—no, how could Qian Jin do this?" Of course, there were also those who knew Qian Jin, and they chimed in: "I thought so. A while ago, I wanted to introduce a girlfriend to him, and he neither refused nor agreed. So that's the kind of person he is."
Amid the commotion, Guan Guan snorted coldly: "Sui Sui, if you can't keep a man, just say you're incompetent. Don't go saying Director Qian cheated. If I were him, I'd prefer a beautiful and generous girl over you." Everyone fell silent. Guan Guan, aside from having some connections, was particularly good at tattling. If anything happened in the office, Manager Li was always the first to know, and ninety percent of the time, Guan Guan was involved. Almost no one in the office had escaped her clutches.
At this, Qi Sui really did get a bit angry. Did she ever have the thought of relying on Qian Jin? Of course she did; otherwise, she wouldn't have married him right after graduation. But she also knew that relying on him would be like leaning on a mountain that could collapse or a river that could dry up. Otherwise, she wouldn't have become a housewife for four years and then returned to work. But Qi Sui didn't go back to work to climb the ladder. Given her family background, she was a pampered city girl. Her father died early—he was something of a martyr—and the compensation from his accident was considerable. Her mother was a university professor. After her illness and death, all the family assets fell to Qi Sui alone. So she had never worried about money from childhood to adulthood. Even now, although she married Qian Jin, with his family background, wasn't it Qi Sui who subsidized everything? But if she said that, who would believe it? After all, she was a housewife, and he was a promising department director. Qi Sui had fair, clean skin and dressed simply and generously. When she went out shopping with Qian Jin's mother, who was dressed in opulence, who would have thought that the gold bracelet on her wrist was largely paid for by Qi Sui?
She met Guan Guan's hateful gaze, frowning, but couldn't recall what she had done to offend this office deity. "Sister Guan, are you saying that his cheating was the right thing to do?" Guan Guan said, "I never said that. Don't put words in my mouth. I just think that with a woman like you at home, no one could have a good life." Qi Sui asked curiously, "A woman like me? What kind of woman am I?"
"Sister Guan, have you seen what kind of life Qian Jin lives?" Without waiting for an answer, she pulled her backpack from her seat, unzipped it, and showed everyone in the office. "Sister Guan, I get up at seven every morning and cook six meals a day. You must be wondering why six meals? Because Qian Jin never eats with me. I have to secretly hide his breakfast and lunch in the pantry of the Planning Department. In the afternoon, when he works overtime, I go home early to cook dinner and wait for him anytime." "Of course, you might think this is nothing—just a few meals. But I've done this every day for six years." "Qian Jin is a golden phoenix that flew out of a mountain nest. Do you know how poor his family is? I went back once when we got married. They still live in a big courtyard with dozens of people. I actually subsidized their family with a hundred thousand yuan for the bride price." "In March this year, Qian Jin's family came to visit me under the pretext of seeing me, and asked to borrow five hundred thousand yuan to renovate their ancestral house. But saying 'borrow' is just a way of asking for money directly. I am the daughter-in-law of the Qian family; it's only natural for me to do anything for them." "I don't think I've done anything great. Of course, I'm not a selfless, devoted wife. I just married a scumbag and had a bad life. I deserve it."
Her voice choked up. At this, the colleagues in the office fell silent. A few married female colleagues patted Qi Sui on the shoulder and whispered words of comfort. Song Zhibin felt a headache coming on. He knew Guan Guan was trouble, but how could she expose someone's wounds in front of so many people? Listen to that—how could anyone say such things? What nonsense about a man cheating being the woman's fault? What era were they living in? Qi Sui broke free from the hands around her, looking especially emotional. She rushed up to Guan Guan and demanded: "Sister Guan, I ask you: is this my fault?" Guan Guan tried to speak, but Qi Sui interrupted: "Sister Guan, Qian Jin likes men. Is that my fault?" "His affair partner is a man. His whole family of dozens hid it from me, letting me marry him unknowingly, wasting six years of my life." "Sister Guan, I want to ask you: is all this my fault? Is it because I'm incompetent?"
As soon as she said this, the crowd erupted. Admittedly, in this day and age, liking men wasn't illegal or rare. But marriage fraud was something everyone condemned. It had nothing to do with competence; it was a complete moral failure. No matter what kind of demon Qian Jin was, the entire office was now denouncing him. Qi Sui wiped the corner of her eyes, her heart calm. Qian Jin had deceived her; he and his entire family had deceived her. Even with the best of hearts, she couldn't swallow this anger. Sister S was right. She lowered her head and packed her things alone, looking thin and pitiful. Seeing this, everyone gathered around her and enthusiastically helped her move her belongings. Guan Guan had suffered a silent defeat. She clenched her teeth and watched Qi Sui's figure leave the office before letting out a heavy sigh. A female colleague who was usually close to her came over and whispered, "Guan Guan, is what Qi Sui said true?" Guan Guan rolled her eyes in frustration. "What does it have to do with me? I think she's just spouting nonsense. I know Director Qian; he's such a good man." "Yeah." The colleague shrank back. But this time, she didn't believe Guan Guan. Looking at Qi Sui's genuine and sorrowful expression, how could it be fake? Guan Guan didn't believe her? Then why didn't she go after Qian Jin instead of constantly flirting with Supervisor Tang next door? She had always been so proud and aloof.
The colleagues in the office helped Qi Sui move to her new workstation and comforted her a little before leaving. Qi Sui looked at them with reddened eyes, her expression fragile, helpless, and pitiful, as if she had suffered great injustice. Before leaving, she even wore that expression and knocked on Manager Li's door. She sincerely thanked her and explained the situation, taking the initiative to apologize. Manager Li knew a bit about her situation. Hearing this, she sighed softly and instructed Qi Sui: "Xiao Qi, work hard when you go. They don't know, but I do. General Manager Xiang thinks highly of you. Don't disappoint him."
In fact, when the internal transfer order came out, Manager Li had no idea about it. It was Xiang Yu who proactively called to recommend Qi Sui, stating that he had no intention of overstepping her authority, but if Manager Li had no other candidates, she could consider releasing Qi Sui first since she had experience collaborating with the International Department. Qi Sui nodded. After submitting the application, she officially became part of Xiang Yu's jurisdiction. She held the paper in her hand, looking at Xiang Yu's name above hers, and sighed with emotion. After half a month, she knocked on Xiang Yu's office door again. The man inside was dressed in a handsome, clean gray suit with a dark green diamond-patterned tie. He looked neat and sharp, as if he could walk onto a press conference stage at any moment. "Sign here, General Manager Xiang—" Qi Sui corrected herself: "No, I should call you Supervisor now."
The man put on a serious expression, took a pen from the drawer, and carefully signed his name with lowered eyes. He extended the paper. "Welcome, Miss Qi." He lifted his face and looked up at Qi Sui, his posture obedient and docile. "By the way, are you free next weekend?" Qi Sui asked, "Is there a new business trip?" Xiang Yu nodded and added, "It'll still be just the two of us, but it's in this city. I'll cover the accommodation and meals personally." Qi Sui sensed something more behind his words. She took the paper from his hand and said with a smile, "Supervisor Xiang, I don't date my superiors." Xiang Yu shook his head. "Outside the company, please think of me as your suitor. Of course, I also ask you to maintain some basic caution toward me." "There's an internal company drug launch on that day. I'd like to invite you to come with me." Qi Sui chuckled. "General Manager Xiang, is that your idea of a date?" "Of course," Xiang Yu lowered his hands, revealing a hint of fair skin at his collar. "If you prefer a more conventional schedule, I can arrange that. But I thought—since it's a date, it's best to find a topic that interests us both." "Your undergraduate major was pharmaceuticals, wasn't it? Back then, you wanted to work in that field, right?"
Of course. In fact, one could say Qi Sui had never given up on it. But she was still curious. How did Xiang Yu know about this? Before she could ask, there was a sudden knock on the door. Xiang Yu made a gesture for her to pause and said, "Come in." The person who entered was someone that surprised them both.
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Author's Note: The messy people are finally dealt with. Can we start a happy romance now? Boss Xiang can't wait. I clearly remember uploading a new cover a few days ago, but it's still the system default cover. I really can't stand this author system!