Song Shu expressed his rejection of this question with his eyes.
Although Qin Lou was very good at "taking advantage of others and acting cute", he also knew the principle of knowing when to stop - especially his little clam shell, who rarely showed real emotions. If he stepped over the edge of the warning zone and didn't restrain himself or notice it, the result would be tragic and he didn't want to see it.
"No, forget it."
Qin Lou seemed to have forgotten about the frightened employees at the table behind him. He took the plate from Song Shu naturally and said, "—Leave it for next time."
"..." Song Shu helplessly watched Qin Lou go over to throw away the kitchen waste, then walk back to him.
Qin Lou asked: "What are you doing this afternoon?"
Song Shu thought for a moment and said, "There are still some undecided matters regarding the performance appraisal optimization of the Human Resources Department. I need to continue to follow up."
Qin Lou curled his lips slightly, "Luan Qiaoqing's business ability really needs to be improved."
"You choose your own person."
Qin Lou corrected, "I chose you because of you."
“… … ”
The two of them walked away side by side. Even if you couldn't hear clearly, you could tell how Qin Lou whispered gently to "Qin Qing".
Therefore, the employees of Vio who were watching the developments in this corner in the cafeteria, either openly or secretly, suddenly realized that their general manager, nicknamed "madman" throughout the industry, was really on the verge of a rage, but was calmed down by a kiss from a new member of the assistant team who had just taken office.
Not only did his anger subside, but even his back as he walked out of the cafeteria with his assistant looked almost eerily well-behaved.
After the cafeteria incident, rumors such as "the new assistant is just an unpopular substitute" and "Boss Qin doesn't treat Qin Qing well at all" were quickly dispelled within the company.
But there is always a need for topics after dinner, so instead, topics such as "Boss Qin left the meeting in the middle of the meeting for the new assistant", "Openly ambiguous in the employee cafeteria", and "The new assistant is spoiled because of the favor" are becoming more and more popular in the private chats of the company's employees.
The topic quickly spread from the grassroots to the top. However, in the management, only two vice presidents and a financial director have the right to speak below Qin Lou. The newly appointed vice president Chu Xiangbin always laughed it off. The old vice president Lu Yunkai was best at not getting involved. Financial director Jerry Qiao was grateful for Qin Qing's kindness in interceding for the start of financial derivatives, and had nothing but praise for Qin Qing.
As for the higher-level board of directors, since Qin Lou originally had absolute control over the company and some small shareholders were investigated after the Bai Song case, it was even more Qin Lou's one-man show and no one could question anything without him knowing.
For a while, the name "Qin Qing" became synonymous with the emperor in vio capital.
It’s just that it’s obvious that some people in the company are very dissatisfied with Qin Qing’s current treatment.
Not long after, the direction of a new round of discussion changed to how obsessed President Qin was with his first love, to the point of doting on a little assistant who only looked like his first love to the point of lawlessness.
Combined with the old stories brought up by the Bai Song case, some old employees who stayed from the predecessor of the Qin Group in VIO more or less "popularized" the childhood sweetheart stories of Qin Lou and his first love who only lived in rumors.
Compared with a certain assistant who had usurped their position in reality, the employees increasingly regarded Mr. Qin, their deceased first love, as a white moonlight and a cinnabar mole.
The pitiful contrast between "Qin Qing" and Song Shu finally made these people feel balanced.
Such rumors naturally also appeared in Song Shu.
After the employee cafeteria incident, no one among the grassroots staff dared to bring up these things in front of her without restraint. However, as Song Shu's number one fan, Luan Qiaoqing would still angrily compile these rumors into a small report and report them to Song Shu, despite being warned by Song Shu not to speak out.
A Starbucks near the Vio Capital office building.
Luan Qiaoqing bit the macaron in her mouth indignantly. "What's the worst part? They actually think I was deceived by you! I'm not stupid. If you really stole my sister's job, how could I work with you sincerely? They don't even use their brains to think about things!"
"… "
Watching a piece of macaron crumbs fall from the overly excited Luan Qiaoqing's mouth onto the small round table, Song Shu was silent for two seconds and slowly moved his coffee cup away.
Luan Qiaoqing happened to look down and saw this action. She twisted her head and looked at Song Shu with resentment: "Sister, you don't love me anymore. You actually start to dislike me."
"I haven't started to dislike you." Song Shu said gently, and pushed away Luan Qiaoqing who was about to lie down on him, "I have always been."
Luan Qiaoqing: “…”
Song Shu: "Youyi, don't talk to me with that expression just now in the future."
Luan Qiaoqing was about to cry, "Why?"
Song Shu: “.”
Song Shu tapped the cup in his hand with his fingertips, making a pleasant sound. "Maybe this is because the flat white is a little too sweet. With your expression sitting across from me, I'm prone to indigestion."
Luan Qiaoqing: “…”
After a few seconds of silence, Luan Qiaoqing rubbed his face and snorted in dissatisfaction, "Obviously Qin Lou often behaves like this in front of you, why don't you dislike him!?"
Song Shu lowered his eyes, and a smile automatically climbed onto the girl's pretty eyebrows, "You can't compare him to you."
"… "
Luan Qiaoqing's macaron was stuck in her mouth, neither rising nor falling, and it tasted like dog food that had been forced into her mouth.
Song Shu raised his wrist and looked at his watch.
Luan Qiao tilted her eyes and glanced, "Is this the couple watch that Qin Louxin gave you?"
Song Shu looked up in surprise, "How did you know?"
Luan Qiaoqing: "How else can I know? Someone in the company has been watching your movements from head to toe. They are eager to gossip about why a strand of hair moved from the left to the right today, not to mention the luxury watch on your hand that is said to be a New Year limited edition with a string of zeros at the end."
Song Shu nodded indifferently, "He sent it to me. He said it was a New Year's gift he had prepared, and he gave it to me in advance because he was afraid he would forget about it."
Luan Qiaoqing curled her lips, "I think he just can't wait to show his affection."
"Um?"
"You don't know his character and face, tut tut tut," Luan Qiaoqing leaned over, "Even if no one in the company spread it, I think he would like to advertise it widely, so that everyone will notice that your watch and his are a pair - he is so showy all day long, no wonder you have so many enemies in the company. Only you not only don't care but also go along with him."
Song Shu smiled indifferently, "He won't stay for long anyway, just let him have fun."
Luan Qiaoqing snorted coldly.
Song Shu pulled the dial back into her sleeves and lowered her hands. "So you asked me out for coffee today. Apart from the little report that someone was saying behind my back that I was his first love's substitute, there was nothing else?"
"… What are you going to do?"
"I'll go back to the company if I have nothing else to do," Song Shu stood up. "It's almost New Year's Eve, and there are a lot of trivial things to follow up on, such as the dinners of various departments and the annual meeting arrangements afterwards. Not everyone can be a hands-off boss like you."
Luan Qiaoqing quickly pulled him back and asked, "Which department are you going to for the New Year's Eve dinner?"
Song Shu was stunned. "What does this mean? I am in the assistant secretary group. Why do I have to go to the department?"
"Hey, don't you know? This has been the practice in previous years."
"What's the routine?"
"Qin Lou never attends company events like dinners and annual meetings. He stays alone on the 23rd floor during the New Year holidays. But as the general manager, he should at least express his condolences or mobilization to the employees during the New Year holidays."
"... So?" Song Shu had a bad feeling in his heart.
"So, things like condolences and mobilization are always handled by the assistant secretary team."
Song Shu: “…”
Song Shu: "I also joined the group last year, why haven't I heard of this kind of news, and no one asked me to participate."
Luan Qiaoqing smiled gloatingly: "Last year, there were five other assistant secretaries on the 22nd floor besides you. Wasn't Xu Jiajia fired by Qin Lou this year?"
"Five assistants... all of them?"
"Not really." Luan Qiaoqing counted on her fingers. "Two vice presidents and a financial director, each of them has more than three departments under them. Vio's dinner parties are all based on the vice president level, so basically one assistant is sent to each vice president."
Song Shu said, "Then, wouldn't three people be enough?"
"There are two major committees. The heads and staff of the Risk Assessment Committee and the Investment Decision Committee are not considered as human beings, right?" Luan Qiaoqing continued to gloat over his misfortune. "And every year they are the most difficult to deal with, and the assistants in charge are always overwhelmed."
Song Shu has a headache.
Luan Qiaoqing blinked, "Why don't you ask me, there are four assistants, why do we need a fifth person?"
Song Shu glanced at her coldly, "Auntie An is a special assistant, not an entertainment professional—and with her qualifications and personality, how could anyone dare to drag her into trouble."
Luan Qiaoqing gave a thumbs up, "As expected of you, you are very insightful."
Song Shu sighed.
Luan Qiaoqing rarely saw Song Shu helpless about anything - except Qin Lou, so her gloating emotion was particularly obvious on her face at this moment.
"How about it, Assistant Qin, what do you think about this good news?"
"Is it too late for me to resign now?" Song Shu asked with a dull face.
"Let's not talk about whether my brother has the slightest chance of agreeing to this. Let's just talk about the HR department," the HR director said with a "nuclear-benevolent" smile, "Don't even think about it."
Song Shu: “.”
Luan Qiaoqing said: "Out of humanitarian spirit, I'll give you a conscientious suggestion - come to our group's dinner."
Song Shu glanced at her without any emotion, "Why?"
Luan Qiaoqing said confidently: "You're going to be messed with anyway, come to our side, at least I can still protect you, right?"
"… "
Song Shu thought about it seriously.
She did not consider the two major committees, as those committees were basically composed of the most senior employees in the company, and some members were even re-hired after retirement. Once they joined the committee, they would automatically be demoted by two generations.
Song Shu could understand Lu Yunkai's choice to remain silent in the Bai Song case, but she obviously couldn't say that he had no grudges - she didn't consider that either.
Financial Director Jerry Qiao... When Song Shu thought of that man's temper and his usual flattering and affectionate attitude towards her, she felt a little overwhelmed when considering the possibility of attending the dinner there.
In summary, the team where Chu Xiangbin is the deputy general manager has Luan Qiaoqing as one of the three deputies, and it happens to be the group of the Legal and Compliance Department under the Risk Management Department where she joined when she first joined the company. In name, it can be regarded as her "home" in the company, and it is indeed the most suitable.
Song Shu nodded and agreed.
Luan Qiaoqing was overjoyed and happily took Song Shu back to the company.
—This cheerful look actually aroused Song Shu's suspicion. In the evening, Qin Lou returned to the 23rd floor after a business trip, and Song Shu decided to take the initiative to verify it with him.
"Qiaoqiao told me today that when the assistant secretary team has their annual dinner, they will routinely go to the dinners of the various department groups to express their congratulations on their work on behalf of the general manager?"
"Yes, it is a common practice." Qin Lou answered instinctively, and his slender knuckles that were loosening his tie stopped. After a few seconds, he looked back suspiciously, "Why did she mention this to you?"
Song Shu was preparing dinner dishes in the unpartitioned kitchen. Hearing this, he responded without looking up: "Well, she invited me to join Chu Xiangbin's group."
"—?" Qin Lou immediately stopped and walked over quickly, "You agreed?"
"Yeah." Song Shu answered, and then raised his eyes half a beat late, and saw someone with a bitter and resentful look, "What's wrong?"
Qin Lou's tone immediately became aggrieved, and the fierce light in his eyes was also hidden: "You went home last year during the New Year's Eve. This year, all the problems have been solved, and you are not going to accompany me?"
Song Shu was stunned for a moment. "But isn't it an annual practice for the assistant secretary team to visit various departments to inquire about their work?"
"That was in previous years." Qin Lou frowned, his eyes gradually becoming unfriendly, "This year's situation is different. I clearly told Chu Xiangbin a few days ago that this year their group will be self-reliant - Luan Qiaoqing deliberately didn't tell you, tricking you into going to the dinner?"
Song Shu was stunned.
After a few seconds, Song Shu lowered his head, placed the last piece of carved carrot next to the plate, and then laughed.
"It's rare that Qiaoqiao would play tricks on me."
Qin Lou snorted and laughed, "I think she is influenced by the bad company she keeps - she will be influenced by Chu Xiangbin, that fox, and sooner or later she will be turned into a little fox."
Song Shu glanced at him as he walked towards the restaurant carrying the plate, "Why are you suddenly so hostile to Chu Xiangbin?"
Qin Lou sneered, "No, I have always been very hostile to him."
Song Shu put down the plate and reached out to untie her apron. "Tell me, what did he do to you?"
Before her fingertips touched the strings of her apron, someone came up to her from behind, put his hands around her, and then laid on her shoulders to untie the strings of her apron.
While solving the problem, he sounded "aggrieved".
"You went to the 21st floor a few days ago. Did you stay in his office for a long time?"
Song Shu recalled and blinked, "Didn't I go to negotiate the equity issue for you that day?"
Qin Lou paused, pretending not to hear, and continued to complain, "They all said that you cheated on me, that's why you stayed in his office for so long."
Song Shu didn't know whether to laugh or cry, so he pushed the person away.
"Okay Qin Lou, stop messing around and eat."
Sitting down at the table, Qin Lou held his breath for a few seconds and said, "Don't go to the party, okay?"
Song Shu looked at him in surprise and smiled, "I thought you would make a decision with me and say that if I wanted to go, then you would go and destroy their store."
Qin Lou's eyes flickered, "It's not like I haven't considered this."
"Well, why don't you tell me?"
"… Someone told me today that I can’t keep a close eye on you, or you’ll slip away sooner or later."
Song Shu pretended to be surprised, "How dare someone tell you such truth?"
Qin Lou's eyes immediately turned gloomy.
But he held back and said nothing, his expression twisted and aggrieved, and he had to hide the wolf-like ferocity in the depths of his eyes, so as not to scare his "prey".
Song Shu was amused by his expression and smiled faintly.
"Did Han Shi tell you that? I guessed it. I was just kidding you. Okay, let's eat." Song Shu handed the cutlery and knife to Qin Lou. When she took her hand back, she stroked someone's hair and said, "Let's go together at the dinner party."
Qin Lou was stunned, both because of the soft hands and warmth on his hair, and because of Song Shu's words.
Song Shu had already withdrawn his hand naturally. "Next year, when the company reform is completed and it is on the right track, we may not be here anymore. Join us once before you leave, just for fun. If you don't like it, we can just leave midway. How about that?"
Qin Lou came back to his senses, "Have you thought about it before?"
"Of course," Song Shu smiled, "How could I really leave you alone for the New Year's Eve and go to the department dinner? If that were the case, wouldn't you have to crawl onto the Yangtze River Bridge in grievance?"
“… … ”
After a few seconds of silence, Qin Lou suddenly put down his knife and fork, staring at Song Shu with complicated and deep eyes.
Song Shu was stunned by his stare and raised his eyes.
"—why don't you eat?"
Qin Lou said confidently, "If you don't want to eat rice, can you eat small clam shells?"
“… … ”
Song Shu was silent for a moment, and slowly raised the knife and fork in his hand, which were shining coldly under the restaurant light.
She kept smiling and tilted her head slightly.
"Boss Qin, please be obedient, okay?"
"… "
Qin Lou suppressed the wolfish look in his eyes with grievance and slowly picked up the knife and fork.
The day before New Year's Day this year happened to be a Saturday, and two consecutive days of holiday meant an absolute carnival for the New Year's Eve, and the atmosphere throughout the company was great.
At the lunch, Chu Xiangbin, who was newly appointed as the deputy general manager of the Human Resources Department, Office, and Risk Management Department this year, paid for the meal out of his own pocket and announced in advance that all employees could bring up to three family members, and he would be responsible for all additional expenses - the whole team was extremely excited.
This kind of unbridled excitement continued until they reached the downstairs of the dinner venue, where Vice President Chu Xiangbin announced that the assistant general manager who came down from the 22nd floor to express his condolences on behalf of the general manager's office to visit the work was none other than "Qin Qing".
Everyone gasped.
—It is well known that the office romance between a top boss in their company and this assistant has become very blatant recently.
Moreover, according to the observations of some people in the past six months, it has been concluded that unless the company is extremely busy, the boss of VIO, Qin Lou, can be seen within a ten-meter radius of "Qin Qing"'s location.
This caused some employees in the company to suffer from PTSD: every time they saw "Qin Qing" for the first time, the first thing they subconsciously did was to look for traces of Qin Lou around her.
Perhaps seeing the staff's nervousness, Chu Xiangbin smiled and comforted them: "Don't worry, Assistant Qin will be here for some time. And everyone can eat and drink as usual, don't worry about anything - there is no rank or superiors and subordinates today, only friends."
After much effort to appease them, everyone began to enter the restaurant with mixed feelings.
Chu Xiangbin was the last one to come, and his smile faded slightly. After waiting for about half a minute, Luan Qiao, who had hung up the phone, came over.
Chu Xiangbin raised his eyes, "Is he coming too?"
Luan Qiaoqing gnashed her teeth in anger, "He is a follower. He must have insisted on coming with my sister."
"…" Chu Xiangbin was silent for a moment, and decided not to break Luan Qiaoqing's fantasy, and asked, "So what time will it arrive?"
"It will probably take about two hours."
Chu Xiangbin was stunned, "Why did it take so long?"
At this point, Luan Qiaoqing stopped talking.
Chu Xiangbin turned his head and saw Luan Qiaoqing showing a subtle expression.
—There is both gloating and some kind of emotion.
Chu Xiangbin was puzzled, "What happened?"
Luan Qiaoqing came back to her senses and smiled, "You know that Qin Lou is particularly protective of his head, right?"
"… "
Chu Xiangbin thought of Qin Lou's purple hair that shocked him at first and fell silent.
Luan Qiaoqing was still gloating:
"Someone's purple hair is finally going to be taken to a barber shop by the only person who can control him and have it cut off..."
The author has something to say: Qin Lou: Protect your head.jpg
Song Shu: cut.
Qin Lou: … …
Qin Lou: feeling wronged.jpg