...
"Come back on Thursday. For reimbursement, you can submit directly to me; I'll handle it through the International Department's accounts." LEO succinctly informed Qi Sui of the business trip arrangements, then closed his laptop and asked, "Any other questions?"
Qi Sui shook her head.
The man nodded decisively.
Qi Sui quietly walked out, closed the door, and sighed with relief.
The waves in her heart finally subsided a little, but the ripples couldn't stop.
Humans are animals manipulated by hormones. When blood, driven by inexplicable hormones, rushes into the brain, they always subjectively abandon some rationality. But after the hormonal period, the human brain undergoes forced thinking. Only after this peculiar emotion arises and fades do humans enter the so-called rational period. They feel ashamed of their actions, considering their behavior despicable.
Qi Sui had read a book on criminal psychology before, which mentioned—humans are naturally drawn to base emotions. Base, even vulgar emotions constantly erode the strict order established by humans in civilized society. Strictly speaking, such emotions are not bad enough to amount to crime, but under their torment, the intense shame and humiliation they produce make humans uncontrollably addicted. The senses constantly remind them: Yes, you are experiencing an emotion beyond the norm. But most people, before being completely shattered by reality, cannot realize they are standing at the edge of an abyss.
The morning light was faint and plain, the temperature just right. In the small office, the sound of keyboard tapping was brisk and rhythmic. LEO's hands rested on the keyboard, but he avoided looking, as if that would prevent him from noticing his own trembling hands, as if that would let him ignore the abyss in his heart. He knew exactly what he was doing. He was using base emotions as bait, luring a rule-abiding, upright good girl, a virtuous woman, to gaze into the abyss. But his flushed face and racing heart were deceiving himself; he was self-deceived, not realizing that to tempt others, one must first indulge oneself.
Qi Sui went downstairs, sat at her desk, and buried her head. She put aside all the chaotic thoughts, and instead, the documents for the new project were neatly revised according to the framework LEO had provided, becoming very clear.
After the first draft was completed, it had to go to the R&D department for review, then be returned for detailed revisions, then go through R&D and Customer Service, and finally be reviewed by RA. Only after the document was officially approved for use would she be released from the entire process. After submitting the review process on her computer, she grabbed her water cup and walked to the break room, but saw a few people gathered, apparently discussing something. As she got closer, she saw it was Selina and a few people from the Planning Department discussing. Mr. Wu, Selina, and behind them, Qian Jin leaning on the counter, looking haggard.
Selina waved at her, a faint smile on her face, seemingly just a polite social expression. "Xiao Qi, come here."
Mr. Wu said, "Is Xiao Qi in charge of this project now?"
Selina nodded, "Not exactly, but Xiao Qi is organizing the overall regulations; she knows a bit more than I do." Selina explained to Qi Sui, "Mr. Wu wants to know about the International Department's new medical device project; they need to make a simple promotional brochure."
Qi Sui noticed that Qian Jin seemed to straighten up, his gaze fixed on her, and the meaning in it felt both offensive and unreasonable. The man's voice was very low, even carrying a hint of obvious hesitation: "Sister S, we want to understand the project details clearly; we already have a general understanding."
Selina raised an eyebrow and asked, "So?"
In the Planning Department, Qian Jin was the type of employee that was well-liked—savvy, pleasant, sweet-talking, and competent. Moreover, he had considerable seniority and graduated from a prestigious university; as long as he did his job well in his current position, he would surely climb the ladder. He always spoke ambiguously, leaving no room for others to fault him. Qi Sui had always thought that was his skill. Because his family was financially average and he had a rural household registration, he always felt inferior after coming to the big city. People like Qian Jin—putting it nicely, it's "don't bully the young and poor"; putting it bluntly, he's a typical 'phoenix man.' A golden phoenix that flew out of a mountain nest, no matter how beautiful the appearance, the bloodline remains mixed and inferior.
Qian Jin's demeanor weakened by three points, and he cautiously expressed: "Shouldn't we find someone from the International Department to communicate? It's not that I don't trust you, but I feel that even a record-keeping staff member is still not as good as those who deal with the front end, right?"
Qi Sui understood. The implication was that he thought Qi Sui was not qualified. She stood expressionless beside Selina, her voice calm but clear enough for everyone in the break room to hear: "Then, Sister S, should I go find the deputy supervisor? That should meet your requirements, right?"
Hearing this, Mr. Wu was even more flustered. What's wrong with this Xiao Qian today? He usually speaks so well and with restraint; today he's like he swallowed gunpowder? Sweating on his forehead, he said good words and played the peacemaker: "Xiao Qian, don't say that. You and Xiao Qi know each other, don't you? You know her professional ability best. Besides, we're just making a promotional brochure; there's no harm in asking more questions if we don't understand." Moreover, involving the deputy supervisor for something that wasn't a multi-million project would make the Planning Department look snobbish.
Selina smiled without speaking. The implication was clear. In this company, everyone sees clearly who is human and who is ghost. If it were a new employee, they might be fooled by him, but Selina had fought in the workplace for decades and had seen all kinds of monsters.
"Any more questions?" Qi Sui asked.
Qian Jin lowered his head, like a defeated rooster. Of course, he knew it was bad to say these things, especially in front of a superior, and this Selina was an inspector sent by headquarters; gossiping would only make him more disliked. But how could Qi Sui be competent? What was the Qi Sui in his impression like? At home, she did laundry, cooked, served tea and water, with a meek, ingratiating smile. At work, she never stood out; after so long on the job, she only did odd tasks. Every time he saw her wobbling with documents to get signatures, Qian Jin pretended not to see her. He had advised Qi Sui countless times: instead of working, she might as well stay at home and take care of his parents and him. A woman who wasn't suited for work insisting on showing off in front of others—wasn't that embarrassing him? How could such a person be responsible for such a big project?
Qi Sui took a sip from her cup, then set it down and spoke confidently. Her confidence at work came from the fact that she had done every job seriously and meticulously sorted out every detail of the work. In the break room, the woman's plain voice was unremarkable, like dust flying in the morning light, easily extinguished by a gust of wind.
...
"Afterwards, the International Department will first open up part of the Australian market. I've almost finished organizing the detailed rules for this market. If you need it, I'll send a copy to the Planning Department later. Also, the project's sample factory might be changed after a while. If you're making a promotional brochure, I suggest you don't include this information yet; a company-wide notice will be issued once it's confirmed."
After hearing this, Selina clapped her hands and asked, "When was the notice about the sample factory change issued?"
"Just now," Qi Sui said, then quickly added, "LEO said so."
"Okay, we understand." Mr. Wu nodded seriously. He then patted Qian Jin's shoulder and said, "Then we'll head down first. If there are any additional notices, please also let the Planning Department know, Xiao Qi, otherwise the information delay won't make it in time."
Qi Sui lowered her eyes and nodded. In her line of sight, Qian Jin kept his head down, his gaze somewhat dazed.
Mr. Wu added, "By the way, Xiao Qi, if there are any issues later, who will you be coordinating with? With me? Or with Xiao Qian? Either of us is fine."
Qian Jin suddenly looked up. His earlier daze instantly turned into hope. Qi Sui didn't understand his psychology. Perhaps this man still thought he had a chance to be forgiven by this soft-hearted woman. But Qi Sui merely coldly avoided his gaze and raised a polite smile at Mr. Wu: "Then I'll go to you. I'm more familiar with you in the Planning Department; I'm afraid coordinating with others might be delayed."
Mr. Wu exclaimed, "Alright!"
A couple: one looked anxious, the other indifferent. The woman turned around and chatted cheerfully with Selina beside her. Qian Jin turned to look at her face, feeling for the first time that she was unfamiliar and frightening.
Qi Sui still wore a simple white shirt, light-colored jeans for easy movement, a black-and-white badge around her neck, and her hair tied in a ponytail. She looked exactly the same as before. Thin, frail, plain. Like plain boiled water, tasteless and colorless. She used to be the only stain in Qian Jin's life, the existence he refused to mention at the company. He never took marriage leave, never revealed his married past, and even now, the well-meaning older women in the company were still introducing him to excellent young ladies with great conditions. Qian Jin avoided them. The reason was not that he was already married, but that he didn't like women. He didn't like women, yet he used women to climb up, to get an urban household registration, to get his first house in the city. While others were struggling with car loans and mortgages, he moved into a new house and drove a decent gasoline car as soon as he got married. All of this was because of this frail woman in front of him. But why, all of a sudden, had Qian Jin not changed, yet this woman, whom he thought would tolerate him forever, had changed? He was just pursuing true love. He had wasted a few years of Qi Sui's life, but wasn't he also wasted? Why was Qi Sui still unsatisfied?
"Let's go," Mr. Wu pulled him, but was too lazy to lecture him. That's how the workplace is: no one is your parent, no one will indulge you all the time. If you make a mistake, you make a mistake.
Selina crossed her arms and said nonchalantly, "This ex-husband of yours really isn't much."
But there was no anger on Qi Sui's face. For that, Selina thought she was indeed much better than herself. Qi Sui said, "Maybe... he still has some good points."
Selina added, "True, his taste in clothes is okay." She paused, as if recalling something, "That tie was quite nice, but it looked familiar."
Qi Sui also thought for a moment. It was indeed very familiar. It was a deep red tie with water and cloud patterns. But she had a vague impression and couldn't remember where she had seen it. After a moment, she shook her head, "Maybe it's some designer brand."
"That's right," Selina confirmed.
Author's note:
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Heh, heh, heh, heh!