Xu Qingqing and Le Jiaojiao whispered and discussed for a while longer, but in the end, they couldn't find a suitable solution and could only return home dejectedly.
Having learned from the previous two experiences, Xu Qingqing didn't dare to disturb Secretary Ye Zhao again so easily. She was afraid the breakfasts she sent would just pile up. She had bought those breakfasts herself, hard-earned, and of course, she didn't want to give them away for free to someone else, especially not to someone who might potentially end up with her boyfriend in the future.
Xu Qingqing could only think quietly, pondering how she should get closer to Secretary Ye Zhao. Lately, she would occasionally wander around the secretarial office, secretly observing Secretary Ye Zhao, hoping the other party might accidentally drop some documents on the desk or something.
However, Secretary Ye Zhao's desk was extremely tidy. The other party hadn't been coming to the company much, and important documents seemed to be either taken away directly or locked up.
While Xu Qingqing was wandering around bored, Chief Secretary Zhang suddenly called her: "Secretary Xu, Secretary Yu went to Office No. 4 downstairs to submit documents. He forgot to bring one. Could you please take this report down and give it to him?"
"Oh, sure." Xu Qingqing immediately stood up.
As time passed, everyone occasionally assigned Xu Qingqing some simpler tasks, like printing documents or delivering things.
This wasn't because anyone was dissatisfied with Xu Qingqing; on the contrary, everyone liked her a lot.
The subordinates had privately analyzed that ever since Miss Xu came to the company, President Xie had recently been, one could even say, radiant with happiness. Compared to his former no-nonsense, decisive attitude at work, the current President Xie was much gentler, even during meetings.
Last time during a meeting, a senior executive discovered he had made a mistake with the data he was reporting. The room fell completely silent; everyone and the person involved thought he was done for.
President Xie had always been merciless at work. Someone making such a basic mistake in that kind of setting would, according to past habits, have a hard time getting off lightly.
Yet, just as everyone was tense and the person involved was anxiously preparing for the worst, Xie Lianqing actually just looked at him and said calmly, "Go back and redo it. I hope there won't be any mistakes next time." His tone could even be described as gentle.
After the meeting ended, that senior executive, feeling like he had survived a disaster, immediately clasped his hands together and said he would go to the Matchmaker Temple that very night to pray! To pray for the Matchmaker to bless President Xie and Miss Xu to be together forever, never to part even with white hair!
Colleagues who hadn't left yet immediately swarmed over, pulling out money for him to burn an extra stick of incense on their behalf too. To ensure everyone could continue enjoying this comfortable work life, they decided to crowdfund to have President Xie and Miss Xu bound together by the red thread of fate!
For the employees of the Xie Corporation, having Xu Qingqing stay at the company was simply a hidden benefit!
So everyone was very grateful that Miss Xu Qingqing had come to the company, wishing she would never leave for the rest of her life!
Because they were all clear about Miss Xu's personality, the people in the secretarial office didn't dare to give her too much work, worried that if she found it too troublesome or tiring, she might simply skip work or stop coming to the company altogether...
But today, everyone was very busy. President Xie was occupied with discussions. And Xu Qingqing seemed a bit bored, so Chief Secretary Zhang decided to assign her a task to give her something to do by sending her downstairs to play.
Xu Qingqing took the document and headed downstairs.
When she arrived at Office No. 4 and went in, she realized Secretary Yu wasn't inside. The other staff members were busy. They mostly knew Xu Qingqing, and upon hearing her purpose, immediately said the report Secretary Yu brought would take a while longer to finish printing, and he had gone to the break room.
The Xie Corporation had excellent recreational facilities. Called a break room, it was equipped with a gym, a dessert room, and a cold drinks bar, which were part of the employee welfare benefits.
The break rooms on these two floors were shared, and people from the secretarial office often went there to relax.
Xu Qingqing looked at the document still printing and started thinking: should she leave the file here for other staff to handle along with the printing, or should she go find Secretary Yu now...
In the end, she decided to go find Secretary Yu, hand the document to him personally, and then both of them could come back to sort things out.
After all, Secretary Zhang's original instruction was for Xu Qingqing to give it to Secretary Yu. If she left it with someone else now and it got lost, it would be her fault.
So Xu Qingqing turned around and headed back upstairs to the break room to find Secretary Yu. As she reached the door and was about to enter, she heard discussion voices coming from inside.
"Have you heard about the thing with Gu Xiaohua and President Xie?"
"It's blowing up on the gossip sites, insider info! It's trending on Weibo!"
"Whoa, what's going on? What could Gu Xiaohua possibly have to do with our President Xie?"
The break room was a place for employees to rest, and people inside would discuss gossip from around them or in the news. Since it was still working hours, there seemed to be only two or three people inside.
"You know that blockbuster movie a while back? Rumor has it the role Gu Xiaohua got was a resource secured for her by President Xie."
"And Gu Ling came to our company to see President Xie a couple of days ago, stayed in his office for a long time, and was even photographed by paparazzi! It's trending on Weibo now!"
"Whoa, the two of them? Then what about our Crown Princess?"
"Wasn't it said that President Xie really likes the Crown Princess? Last time it blew up on Weibo, the company's PR team even got involved. At A University's centennial celebration, he even showed off by gifting the Crown Princess a manor worth hundreds of millions!"
"If the trending topic is true, then President Xie and the Crown Princess are probably in a business marriage. Showing off affection is good for the corporate image, and the stock price goes up too."
Everyone knew President Xie was deeply devoted to Xu Qingqing. Plus, now that everyone hoped Xu Qingqing and Xie Lianqing would stay together forever, they jokingly referred to her as the Crown Princess in private.
Crown Princess Xu Qingqing was standing outside holding the documents, thoroughly enjoying the gossip. She had been busy scheming against Secretary Ye Zhao lately, how would she know about this?
Based on the information everyone provided, Xu Qingqing took out her phone for a look and discovered there really was a trending topic.
[Gu Ling Xie Lianqing]
[Gu Ling's manager accidentally likes a post]
Apparently, two hours ago, that manager liked a post from a marketing account praising Gu Ling and Xie Lianqing as a good match, but canceled the like the next second, explaining on their own Weibo that it was an accidental like.
Xu Qingqing hadn't logged into Weibo for a long time. Today when she went online, she saw her fans were all asking in the comments what was going on.
Some asked if she had broken up with President Xie, some asked if President Xie had cheated, and some of Bai Youlan's fans were making sarcastic remarks...
Xu Qingqing read it all with great interest. She didn't think there was much to this kind of thing. Once a person gains fame, all sorts of news will break.
This matter clearly looked like the work of Gu Ling's team. Perhaps she had encountered some trouble in the industry and wanted to borrow Xie Lianqing's influence to protect herself; or perhaps Gu Ling wanted to use this opportunity to test Xie Lianqing's feelings—if he was interested, they could turn the fake into reality.
More likely, Gu Ling's team had a new work to promote and were seizing the chance to stir up some scandal to boost popularity. Infamy is still fame; having attention means having a future.
After all, from start to finish, the parties involved haven't made any statement about this matter. The ones breaking the news are marketing accounts, and even the 'accidental slip-up' within the team cautiously targeted the agent, not Gu Ling herself.
Even if Xie Lianqing's side denies it, Gu Ling has plenty of reasons and excuses to exonerate herself.
Although Xu Qingqing isn't part of the entertainment industry, she's dabbled in it a bit due to Bai Youlan and Lin Donghan. Not long ago, she even invested in an entertainment company, signing that director who often passes her information to make a movie.
So now, she sees these tactics clearly.
Gu Ling probably doesn't even have Xie Lianqing's contact information. Otherwise, last time she wouldn't have come to the company only to find him absent, having to ask Xu Qingqing—a cousin of uncertain status—to notify Xie Lianqing to contact her.
Knowing there's nothing between Gu Ling and Xie Lianqing, Xu Qingqing couldn't be bothered with this. If the other party wants to create hype, it's none of her concern.
This Gu Ling is quite bold. After learning it was Xie Lianqing's secretary who initially connected her with resources, she dared to seek him out alone, and now even dares to stir up publicity. One has to admit she's ambitious.
Thinking of Gu Ling's fate in the original book, Xu Qingqing suddenly realized that if Bai Youlan didn't have her system, it's hard to say who would have won the battle between Gu Ling and Bai Youlan in the original storyline.
After all, based on Xu Qingqing's understanding of Bai Youlan, without Lin Donghan's protection, the titles of the youngest contemporary Best Actress and top female star probably wouldn't have gone to her.
Xu Qingqing suddenly thought Xie Lianqing was quite something too. After her death, the romantic interests he associated with were each more formidable than the last, none of them easy to deal with.
To those in the know, it looks like he's dating. To those unaware, it seems more like he's raising scorpions in a pit.
Xu Qingqing found this somewhat amusing. Everyone in the break room was still discussing the hot search topic. Compared to the gossip-loving public, Xu Qingqing knew best that Xie Lianqing and Gu Ling had absolutely no relationship; even Gu Ling's resources were arranged by her own directive to the secretary.
So she didn't take it to heart, merely pondering whether to continue eavesdropping outside or to push the door open, find Secretary Yu, and submit her documents.
However, before Xu Qingqing could decide, the discussion inside the break room grew increasingly heated.
A male voice suddenly rang out: "You mean the 'Crown Princess' upstairs?"
Xu Qingqing recognized this as Secretary Yu's voice. He was also a secretary from Xie Lianqing's secretarial office. His seniority placed him in the third tier within the office, having joined the company only slightly earlier than Xu Qingqing and Secretary Ye Zhao.
"How long has she been in our office? She can't do anything. Don't you know? She basically does nothing all day, at most just makes coffee for President Xie."
"She can't even get making coffee right. President Xie used to only drink freshly ground, hand-brewed coffee. Since she took over, he's had to settle for instant coffee powder from the market."
A girl couldn't help but say, "If what you say is true, then President Xie must truly love the Crown Princess! Otherwise, why would he force himself to drink coffee he dislikes?"
Secretary Yu sneered, "You know how it is among the wealthy elite. What true love? It's all to fool you naive girls. Probably a business marriage."
His voice dripped with disdain: "What's especially ridiculous is, she got addicted to making coffee for a while, to the point that President Xie doesn't even like drinking coffee anymore."
The girl who spoke let out a disappointed sigh: "How could that be…"
She had genuinely been shipping the Crown Princess and President Xie! And now Secretary Yu was telling her it's fake. Secretary Yu is from the secretarial office, a close aide—he couldn't be lying, could he?
Under everyone's disappointed gazes, Secretary Yu shook his head and said, "All she knows is how to have fun, not much different from those high-society ladies who live off their families. She's temperamental and can't be of any real help to President Xie."
He concluded, "Compared to the one upstairs, I think that starlet Gu Xiaohua is more suitable for President Xie. At least she's gentle. Last time she came to the office, she waited for half an hour. If it were the current one, she'd have left long ago."
The initially disappointed female voice said irritably, "Never mind! A wealthy CEO and a female star—it's like a novel come to life! I'm shipping this pair!"
Xu Qingqing hugged the files in her arms tightly, listening to these words outside, secretly wondering: Should she burst in now and give them a good scare? Or later join the work chat and hint that she overheard, making them anxious and nervous?
Forget it, she's an adult. She'll choose both. Xu Qingqing decided to go in now and give that Secretary Yu a good thrashing, then later spread the word about his 'great achievements' today!
Just as Xu Qingqing was about to charge in, she heard a cool, clear female voice: "Gossiping behind someone's back, how are you any better?"
The break room instantly fell silent. Only then did everyone realize someone had been on the balcony outside.
Ye Zhao had been smoking on the balcony outside. After coming back in from the breeze, she overheard people gossiping about others.
With her aloof personality and aversion to trouble, she normally wouldn't get involved in matters unrelated to her. But hearing the subject of the gossip was Secretary Xu, and thinking of the breakfast she received a few days ago, she casually uttered that remark.
Ye Zhao stood at 180 cm tall. Even the male Secretary Yu had to look up at her. He wanted to say something but, remembering Ye Zhao's special status in the company and worrying she might have connections with President Xie and report back, his face flushed red, and he didn't dare continue the argument.
Ye Zhao only said that one sentence before gracefully walking through the group. As she passed Secretary Yu, she gave him a cold glance before brushing past him.
Hearing Secretary Ye Zhao speak up for her, Xu Qingqing was stunned. Before she could decide what to do next, Ye Zhao emerged from the break room.
Her expression was cool and candid, casually holding a file. Seeing Xu Qingqing by the door, she looked somewhat surprised.
Xu Qingqing thought she might ask if she had heard Secretary Yu's words, or offer a few words of comfort, telling her not to mind what those people said…
But honestly, Xu Qingqing wasn't in a great mood right now and didn't really want to engage in meaningless small talk. She had already figured out how to deal with Secretary Yu.
However, Ye Zhao had just stood up for her, so she couldn't just ignore her…
Xu Qingqing was quite conflicted, thinking about how to respond if Ye Zhao really asked. Yet, the other person just looked at her, then her gaze shifted down to the files in Xu Qingqing's arms. Raising an eyebrow, she asked, "You don't understand it?"
Clutching that stack of reports, and recalling what Secretary Yu had just said in the break room, Xu Qingqing suddenly felt a bit embarrassed.
She realized that, following the last incident, she seemed to have embarrassed herself in front of Ye Zhao again…
It's all that despicable Secretary Yu's fault!
Xu Qingqing genuinely didn't understand the reports. No one in the secretarial office had taught her. Her personal finance team did report accounts to her, but never in such a complex format.
However, the people in the secretarial office didn't seem inclined to teach her either. Xu Qingqing felt dizzy looking at it and wasn't in the mood to go ask someone else. After these past few days, she already knew she was the only idle one; everyone else was busy.
Anyway, she didn't want to look at this stuff, so there was no need to waste each other's time.
"Which part don't you understand?" Unexpectedly, Ye Zhao leaned over, glanced at the report in Xu Qingqing's hand, and pointed at it. "This is the profit and loss section, and here is the offset against last month's accounts..."
Xu Qingqing looked up in a daze, staring at the suddenly helpful Secretary Ye Zhao.
Ye Zhao gave her a brief explanation for a few minutes. For the first time, Xu Qingqing noticed that the other woman's skin had a wheatish complexion, her fingers were slender, and her knuckles were well-defined.
Ye Zhao spoke very quickly. Honestly, Xu Qingqing still didn't quite get it, but she guessed Secretary Ye Zhao probably had other things to do. Ye Zhao never stayed at the company for more than half an hour each visit. Xu Qingqing had even heard people say Secretary Ye Zhao was a relative of the boss...
Xu Qingqing's mind wandered, and she felt more confused the longer she listened. She could only nod and say, "Mhm, mhm, I understand."
Secretary Ye Zhao straightened up and gave a faint, almost imperceptible smile. She probably guessed that Xu Qingqing hadn't really understood and that the other woman wasn't very keen on learning it.
She thought to herself. If Xu Qingqing were willing to learn, she certainly wouldn't need her pointers. Presumably, President Xie would be more than happy to personally tutor his fiancée.
Ye Zhao reached out and placed her hand on Xu Qingqing's head, ruffling her hair casually, and said offhandedly, "Consider me meddling. If there's anything you don't understand, go ask someone else. President Xie would surely be delighted to answer your questions." Consider it repayment for that stuffed pancake.
Ye Zhao now knew Xu Qingqing's identity, but her attitude remained neither subservient nor arrogant. She didn't treat Xu Qingqing any differently just because the other woman might be her future boss's fiancée.
For some reason, Xu Qingqing also felt relieved. Secretary Ye's attitude was much better than those who fawned over her to her face but gossiped behind her back.
Xu Qingqing had already decided not to continue trying to get close to or probe Ye Zhao. Although she had only interacted with the other woman a few times briefly, the impressions Ye Zhao gave her were all positive. She probably wasn't that kind of bad person.
Xu Qingqing decided that she and Ye Zhao would be two happy, slacking-off goldbricks at Xie Corporation, minding their own business and not bothering each other! Having made this decision, she felt a subtle sense of relief.
However, just then, Ye Zhao stood up. With sharp eyes, Xu Qingqing caught a glimpse of the document in the other woman's hand, which vaguely had the name Lin Donghan written on it.
Xu Qingqing's eyes widened. Ye Zhao, being observant, almost silently flipped the document over to hide the report the moment Xu Qingqing noticed it. She liked this new colleague, but that didn't mean she was willing to let her in on the employer's private matters.
Under normal circumstances, Xu Qingqing would definitely have stopped her to take a look. But now, thinking about how Ye Zhao had stood up for her in the pantry not long ago and had just taught her how to read the report, she dismissed the idea for the moment.
Forget it. Secretary Ye Zhao is a good person. I shouldn't make things difficult for her. If there's anything, I'll just ask Xie Lianqing directly.
Ye Zhao seemed to have something to report to Xie Lianqing, so after exchanging a few brief words with Xu Qingqing, she headed upstairs towards the elevator. She walked leisurely with one hand in her pocket.
Xu Qingqing hugged her files, watching Ye Zhao's retreating figure.
Over ten minutes later, in the secretarial office, Xu Qingqing said with a smile, "From now on, Secretary Yu will be responsible for working with me in my group."
Everyone stopped what they were doing. Their gazes flickered and exchanged glances, desperately wanting to know what had happened.
As for Secretary Yu, his expression was one of shock, suspicion mixed with a hint of unease. He wondered if Xu Qingqing had found out something. But he knew the two people from the pantry incident very well; they would absolutely never snitch or complain... except for the sudden appearance of Ye Zhao.
But Xu Qingqing usually had no dealings with Ye Zhao, and Ye Zhao didn't seem like the type to meddle and tattle behind someone's back.
Secretary Yu nervously recalled the day's events and forced a smile at Xu Qingqing. "What do you mean by that, Secretary Xu?"
Xu Qingqing's smile was radiant, her tone innocent. "Because my work isn't good enough, you see. So I want to learn from Secretary Yu!"
Hearing this, the others immediately chimed in nervously, "Crown Princess—oops! Secretary Xu, who told you that? Your work is excellent!"
The big boss is busy with work and just wants his girlfriend to have some free time to come to the company to keep him company. He went to great lengths for this little matter. Surely no one is foolish enough to think the Crown Princess is actually here to work, right?!
Does Xu Qingqing need to work? She doesn't! She's just a mascot. Her salary comes from her fiancé. President Xie hasn't said anything, so who are they to criticize the future Mrs. Xie?
Xu Qingqing's smile remained unchanged as she said casually, "I know what you mean. But where there are shortcomings, one must improve. I'll just learn properly from Secretary Yu for a while!"
She looked at Secretary Zhang and asked playfully, "Secretary Zhang, are you reluctant to let him go?"
Secretary Zhang, as the head secretary, was in charge of everyone in the secretarial office.
Though still young, he was already a seasoned veteran in the workplace. Seeing today's situation and considering Secretary Yu's usual behavior, he immediately had a rough idea of what had happened.
Faced with Xu Qingqing's inquiry, he didn't hesitate and said, "Secretary Yu, you'll work with Secretary Xu for now. Guide her on work-related matters."
Serves some people right for having loose lips and not knowing who should and shouldn't be talked about. Now they've been caught and are about to be dealt with...
If Secretary Yu were smart, he could submit his resignation now and apologize to Miss Xu. Otherwise, if Miss Xu really decides to pursue it, when Secretary Yu leaves his job later, just the background check from his new employer contacting the company would be enough to give him a hard time.
At their level in this industry, information travels fast. A secretary with a loose tongue—once that gets out, Secretary Yu's career would pretty much be over.
Secretary Yu initially opened his mouth to say something, but Secretary Zhang's statement was almost the final word. He grew even more nervous now, guiltily convinced that Xu Qingqing must know about him gossiping behind her back.
After getting Secretary Zhang's response, Xu Qingqing said to Secretary Yu, "Let's go, Secretary Yu. Today, I'll start by learning from you how to brew the hand-ground coffee that President Xie likes."
All of Secretary Yu's wishful thinking was shattered instantly, and his face turned pale.
Xu Qingqing put her hands behind her back and walked forward calmly. After a couple of steps, she turned her head, smiling brightly at the sweating Secretary Yu behind her, and said, "After all, you're quite experienced, right?"
...
That very afternoon, Secretary Yu voluntarily submitted his resignation and sent three consecutive apology emails to Xu Qingqing.
Xu Qingqing never even opened her email and didn't see them. But even if she had, she wouldn't have done anything. The retaliation she intended for Secretary Yu was already complete. She wouldn't deliberately make things difficult for him further, but she also wouldn't forgive him.
If the HR department at Secretary Yu's future company is diligent, they might find out the real reason for his departure. But if they are unaware or don't mind, she wouldn't go out of her way to threaten him or spread the news.
Xu Qingqing was currently interrogating Xie Lianqing: "Why did you suddenly think to investigate Lin Donghan? Has he been up to something again lately?"
Ever since the incident with the Lin family last time, Xu Qingqing had put that group out of her mind. After all, the subsequent matters had been taken over by her aunt and grandfather; she couldn't be of much help in the business arena anyway.
Xie Lianqing was momentarily taken aback before replying, "The Lin family recently found a new partner and are now developing a new product. Lin Donghan is the person in charge of the new project."
Xu Qingqing frowned. "That's strange. The Lin family is being unusually bold this time."
Due to the dictatorial nature of the Lin patriarch, the Lin family members were, to put it nicely, conservative, and to put it bluntly, timid. They wouldn't dare invest in projects with even slightly higher risks, especially in recent years, always insisting on partnering with the Xu Group to share the risk.
To think they were now planning to develop a new project independently. And from what Xie Lianqing implied, Lin Donghan and the others seemed very confident...
Xu Qingqing felt something was off.
Xie Lianqing's eyes flickered slightly as he asked gently, "Why didn't you tell me about what happened today?"
Xu Qingqing was instantly sidetracked. She rolled her eyes and said, "Why would I tell you? I can handle it myself!"
She even felt a little proud after saying it, thinking her method of venting today was absolutely perfect. Probably for a long time to come, that Secretary Yu wouldn't dare gossip behind her back and would likely be scared just thinking of her.
Having taught Secretary Yu a lesson, Xu Qingqing felt a bit better. However, she hadn't forgotten about Gu Ling. If she didn't respond, Miss Gu Ling would probably truly believe Xie Lianqing was interested in her and come knocking again tomorrow.
Xu Qingqing directly logged onto Weibo and reposted the statement from Gu Ling's agent clarifying the "accidental like," commenting—"Not allowed. He's my boyfriend."
Xie Lianqing's phone immediately chimed. He had set Xu Qingqing as a special follow long ago, receiving notifications for all her updates.
Because of Ye Zhao's casual remark earlier, he had learned about the incident with Secretary Yu. However, CEO Xie was busy with work and hadn't had time to go online, so he naturally wasn't aware that his own gossip had already trended on Weibo, even sparking a wave of speculation and arguments.
Now, after browsing to get the gist of the situation, he used his own account to repost Xu Qingqing's Weibo, saying—"Not allowed. I am Xu Qingqing's boyfriend."
Countless netizens, who had been following the drama and concocting conspiracy theories all afternoon, were camped out under Xu Qingqing's Weibo waiting for the parties involved to clarify.
No one expected Xu Qingqing and Xie Lianqing to be in no hurry at all, seemingly not taking the matter seriously. Their response was so casual, yet more powerful than any lawyer's letter.
— "OMG, is this a clarification or are you just showing off your relationship?!"
— "Got it, got it, we know you're her boyfriend! So when's the wedding?"
— "Am I the only one who thinks Miss Xu sounds so proud and CEO Xie sounds so doting?!"
— "I went and checked out CEO Xie's Weibo and found that apart from reposting work-related stuff, the rest of the time he's just liking every single one of Xu Qingqing's posts..."
— "So even a group CEO can't escape the duty of liking his girlfriend's Weibo and social media posts, huh?"
— "I'm totally obsessed now, wuwuwu Xie Lianqing is Xu Qingqing's boyfriend. I declare all celebrity relationship announcements from now on must use this format!!"
— "I'm waiting to see if this agent deletes the post today. Claiming it was an accidental like? They're all old foxes, what kind of act are they putting on here?"
— "Gu Ling is so embarrassing. CEO Xie and Miss Xu are clearly so in love, she's completely irrelevant. I used to have a good impression of her, but now she seems so tacky..."
— "I wanted to say this this morning. Seriously? Do people actually ship Gu Ling and CEO Xie? Unbelievable!"
— "Leave Gu Ling out of this, we want no part. Gossip accounts spread baseless rumors for clicks, what does that have to do with our Gu Ling?"
...
The internet had exploded. Upon learning there was nothing between Xie Lianqing and Gu Ling, public opinion turned against Gu Ling and her agent. The latter soon turned off Weibo comments, but the backlash only grew stronger.
Meanwhile, Xu Qingqing, one of the parties involved, finally saw the latest Weibo post. Her boyfriend's perfectly coordinated response, along with seeing the fans in the comments going crazy over their relationship, made Miss Xu feel a little happy and proud.
She looked up, satisfied, and glanced at Xie Lianqing with a smug expression, saying haughtily, "You pass."
She had been upset all day after being gossiped about by that Secretary Yu. Even though she got her revenge later, she was still annoyed. To think someone would say she wasn't good enough for Xie Lianqing—Xu Qingqing felt this was a serious slander against her!
She was rich, beautiful, and had a great figure. Xie Lianqing was incredibly lucky to have a girlfriend like her! If they broke up, he would definitely never find a better girlfriend.
This point was proven by all the admirers Xie Lianqing had, including Bai Youlan, after her death in the original plot!
Xu Qingqing's expression held a hint of pride. Xie Lianqing was amused by her adorable reaction.
Of course, he couldn't laugh out loud at a time like this, or Miss Xu would get flustered and angry. So, suppressing the upward curve of his lips, his eyes smiling, he replied as calmly as possible, "As long as Miss Xu is satisfied."
Xu Qingqing nodded seriously, like a leader approving a subordinate's report, and said, "Mhmm, remember to keep it up!"
Xie Lianqing really couldn't hold back his laughter this time.
Under Xu Qingqing's gaze, he cleared his throat, casually picked up a document from the desk, and asked, "Want to learn?"
Distracted, Xu Qingqing made a conflicted face and said uncertainly, "I guess... I want to learn?"
"I'll teach you." Xie Lianqing curled his lips into a smile, pulled his girlfriend to sit down, and very patiently began teaching her how to summarize and analyze.
Xu Qingqing rested her chin in her hands, listening to his lesson with a mix of boredom and curiosity.
Although she felt Secretary Yu's words were slander, a tiny part had stuck in her mind, so she thought learning a bit now couldn't hurt.
However, Xu Qingqing wasn't learning to become "worthy" of Xie Lianqing, but rather to avoid losing face in front of Secretary Ye Zhao again. She had already embarrassed herself twice in front of him; a third time was absolutely unacceptable.
After all, she had thought she and Secretary Ye Zhao were both slackers who arrived late and left early, never expecting that he actually knew how to review documents...
After Xie Lianqing patiently finished his explanation, he asked gently, "Is there anything you don't understand?"
He had initially thought Xu Qingqing was just here on a whim to have fun, so he hadn't planned to give her too much work or tasks, afraid she'd find it tiring and stop coming altogether. He never expected something like today to happen.
Hearing those words today must have been very upsetting for Xu Qingqing.
Xu Qingqing puffed out her cheeks, feeling a bit dejected. "I didn't understand a lot of it."
She cared a lot about saving face in front of others. If the person teaching her had been Ye Zhao or Secretary Zhang, she would never have admitted she hadn't grasped it.
But now, facing Xie Lianqing, Xu Qingqing rested her chin in her hands, leaning on the table as she tilted her head to look at him. She blinked and said, "Many, many things."
Her eyes were clear and bright, her voice carrying a hint of softness.
Xie Lianqing couldn't help but give her a kiss, his tone impossibly gentle as he said, "Alright, we'll take it slow."
...
Xie Lianqing personally taught Xu Qingqing for an hour, covering everything from the most common documents to complex reports, and even how to discern information.
When Xu Qingqing finally declared she had mastered it all and happily bounced off on her own,
Xie Lianqing used his fountain pen to write a line on the paper they had used for examples earlier: "Congratulations to Miss Xu Qingqing on successfully graduating from the 'Xie Lianqing Exclusive' class!"
He even stamped his own seal below it, making it look very official indeed.
Xu Qingqing peeked over and asked, "What's this? For me?"
Xie Lianqing gazed at her tenderly and said softly, "For the most adorable Xu Qingqing in the whole world."
...
Because of the incident with Secretary Yu, Xu Qingqing thought Secretary Ye Zhao was a good person. Furthermore, upon learning that she had been helping Xie Lianqing oversee the investigation into the Lin family, Xu Qingqing completely dismissed her previous doubts and gradually grew to like her.
A few days later, Xu Qingqing was chatting with Le Jiaojiao at a café again. She shared with Le Jiaojiao about meeting Secretary Yu and how Secretary Ye Zhao had stood up for her.
Biting her straw thoughtfully, she said, "Actually, Secretary Ye Zhao isn't bad. I heard from Xie Lianqing that her birthday is coming up soon. I'm wondering if I should give her a birthday gift as a thank you!"
Le Jiaojiao went from surprised to disbelieving. Hearing Xu Qingqing's words, she couldn't help but frown and complain, "When is her birthday?"
Xu Qingqing looked up, pondered for a moment, and said blankly, "I think it's next month. What do you think I should give her? How about an SUV? I guess her personality would like that..."
Le Jiaojiao's expression changed instantly. "You're going to give her a car?! Xu Qingqing, you've never given me such a nice birthday present!"
She and Xu Qingqing had known each other for over a decade! How long had Xu Qingqing known that Ye Zhao? And she was already carefully selecting things the other would like!
Xu Qingqing looked at her in confusion. "What are you talking about? That bag I gave you last year was very expensive, hundreds of thousands."
Le Jiaojiao shrieked, "Don't mention that utterly hideous, despair-inducing, mustard-yellow bag!"
Xu Qingqing's voice grew smaller. "...It wasn't that ugly."
Le Jiaojiao shot her a sharp look. "Dare you say you didn't give it to me because you didn't like it yourself?"
Xu Qingqing's eyes darted around, avoiding the question. Finally, under Le Jiaojiao's gaze, she surrendered. "Alright, alright. I'll definitely pick a gift for you seriously this year."
Le Jiaojiao pouted, slightly appeased. Xu Qingqing asked her again, "So, what do you think about the idea of giving Ye Zhao a car?"
Le Jiaojiao was nearly infuriated all over again. "No! Absolutely not!"
Xu Qingqing was bewildered. "Why not?" Why couldn't she? She had already promised to pick a new gift for Le Jiaojiao.
Le Jiaojiao, probably still dwelling on how she had backed down in front of Secretary Ye Zhao last time, couldn't help but complain about her while nursing her grudge. "It's just not allowed! You've only seen her surface. Maybe she's not a good person."
Le Jiaojiao stated firmly, "You've only known her for a few days. You're fooled by her outward behavior!" She still remembered that volleyball team senior from back then and naturally didn't like Ye Zhao.
Xu Qingqing was a very loyal person. Since Ye Zhao had stood up for her behind the scenes recently, she now felt compelled to defend her. "I think you're prejudiced against her."
Le Jiaojiao, probably feeling a bit jealous, turned on her instantly. "Traitor!"
Xu Qingqing was stunned, biting her straw dumbly.
Le Jiaojiao, thinking of that mustard-yellow bag in her closet, grew even more annoyed. "Here I am trying to help you, and you've already become best friends with her!"
Xu Qingqing didn't even understand why Le Jiaojiao was so angry, suddenly lashing out at her for no apparent reason.
She frowned, getting a bit angry herself. "Secretary Ye Zhao is a good person..."
Le Jiaojiao, unable to get through to her, turned and walked away, unilaterally declaring her friendship with Xu Qingqing over!
Xu Qingqing was angry too, thinking Le Jiaojiao was simply being unreasonable. She had already told her Ye Zhao was good; she didn't understand why the other was so stubborn.
She wished she hadn't asked Le Jiaojiao out for coffee in the first place. And here she thought she had misunderstood Le Jiaojiao before. It seemed the other girl was just as annoying as ever!
