"Han Qian, you say you want the General Office to handle the supervision, but do you realize that Yang Lan can't manage those people?"
Yan Qingqing was fixing her hair, her proud figure something that would likely drive Wen Nuan to murderous jealousy. Han Qian lay on the sofa, gazing at the ceiling, his voice calm.
"I know. Supervision will pretty much just be me and Su Liang handling it; the others can stay safe and sound in the office. But the General Office can't keep going on like this forever. It's not about the rest of them—I'm worried about Yang-jie. Gao Lüxing has been trying to break up the General Office, and with Yang Lan's soft temperament, she'd be eaten alive anywhere else. Better to take some action now."
"You idiot, don't you know a woman is at her most beautiful when she's doing her hair?"
"I'm too lazy to look at you. No matter how I look, you're terrifying."
"Get out."
"Alright."
Han Qian wasn't keen to be alone in the office with Yan Qingqing anyway. He wasn't a lecher, but he was still a man. As he stepped out, he caught sight of Xiao Yangjia's eager, gossip-hungry grin—and lightly flicked her forehead.
Annoying.
But her forehead was his to flick.
Under Xiao Yangjia's curious stare, Han Qian entered the elevator. Compared to Yan Qingqing's office, he disliked the General Office even more: a chaotic mess, no real work atmosphere at all. Liu Jiulong was constantly chasing after Yang Lan, Li Dongsheng led protests against everything, and no one—not even Han Qian himself—was truly diligent.
Walking down the hallway, he could still hear their squabbling. But the moment he stepped inside, the office fell silent. Only one young woman sat in a corner, earphones in, cursing fluently at her computer screen. The sheer eloquence of her profanity made Han Qian pause in fear. He settled quietly into his seat, chatting idly with Su Liang about the weekend.
Yang Lan emerged from her office as soon as Han Qian arrived. She'd just received a call from President Yan and clapped her hands to get everyone's attention.
"Get ready—we'll be heading to the construction site soon for supervision. Pack some extra clothes." She turned to the girl in the corner and called out,
"Xiao Wan'er, a young lady shouldn't be cursing like that."
Qian Wan lifted her head and gave a sheepish grin, closed her game, and removed her earphones. Nearby, Li Dongsheng sneered,
"My mom always said, Qian Wan, you're the last person who'd make a decent wife."
Qian Wan turned to him with a sweet smile.
"Mama's boy, shut your mouth. Just because your father's one of the shareholders doesn't mean I'm scared of you. You're always going on about your mother—why don't you just tuck her into your waistband?"
Oh? Han Qian's interest was piqued. He'd long suspected the General Office hid more talents than it let on, but he hadn't realized Li Dongsheng's father was actually a shareholder at Rongyao. And this Qian Wan clearly didn't give a damn. Yang Lan cut them both off sternly, warning that if they wanted to keep bickering, she'd reassign them to another department immediately.
Han Qian watched them, thoroughly entertained. Su Liang leaned in and murmured,
"There are only a handful of us in here without connections—you, me, Wu Siwan. Anyone who's always working with their head down? No family ties. But the ones who snack and play games? All well-connected. Yang-jie's too soft by nature… By the way, Brother Qian, I heard from Xiao Yangjia that you and President Yan are dating?"
Han Qian shoved Su Liang's head away, scolding with a grin.
"If you believed everything that girl says, the dead wouldn't even get a proper burial. Ignore her nonsense. But Yang-jie really did say we'd be on supervision duty next month. It'll be cold—bundle up. By the way, what's this Qian Wan's background?"
"Her aunt's also a shareholder—she's just another young master or miss playing at 'real life.' You can't compare, Brother Qian. You think they even blink when they spend money? Probably need eight dishes a day, huh?"
"Dream on. They're not so different from us. Even with a million in your pocket, you'd still find some things out of reach."
Su Liang just laughed and didn't reply.
Life in the General Office settled into a quiet rhythm again. At lunch, Han Qian ran into Gao Lüxing, who only smiled and didn't bother with small talk. It seemed Yan Qingqing's ruthless little trick had worked. In the afternoon, as Han Qian was idly passing the time, his phone rang—it was Guan Da Gou.
Han Qian wasn't surprised Guan had his number. If he didn't have that much reach, nothing he said would be worth listening to. They met in the shade outside Rongyao's main entrance, Guan Da Gou in his signature bright red suit. Passersby gave them a wide berth—Guan's reputation was evidently infamous.
He handed Han Qian a bottle of water, grinning.
"Brother Han, Lin Zongheng called again today, asking when we'd make a move. I didn't tell him we wouldn't—I just said we're waiting for the right opportunity. Thought I'd come see what you think."
Han Qian took the water, brow furrowing slightly.
"Brother Guan, you're making me nervous with all this courtesy. I can't imagine I have anything your master finds that interesting."
"That's not true. One phone call from your uncle-in-law, and my master's already wary. How could it be worthless? Li Jinhe is a force we can't afford to provoke. Of course, that one phone call only bought you the information that Lin Zongheng's after you. As for why we're helping you hold him off… that's all thanks to our young lady. She called my master this morning—surprisingly, most of what she talked about was you. Even bragged about the worksheets she did at your place, showing them off to the boss. So…"
At that, Guan Da Gou suddenly took off running. Han Qian followed his gaze and scowled. Sun Ya, in a short skirt, was sauntering down the stairs, hips swaying provocatively. Guan Da Gou was clearly going over to flirt—and just as clearly, he was summarily rejected. He trudged back to Han Qian, still grinning.
"That Sun Ya is Gao Lüxing's woman. My boss has always wanted to blackmail him, but never found the chance. Hard to come by, these opportunities—no hard feelings, Brother Han."
Han Qian let that comment slide, chuckling softly.
"So your boss wants me to know you're turning down Lin Zongheng's offer? From the way you talk, it sounds like things aren't going too smoothly for him lately."
"Brother Han, you're joking. My boss owns four KTVs, two bars, and two bathhouses—not exactly rich, but money's money. Nobody minds making a bit more. And this time, he's betting on you. Don't let him down, alright?"
Han Qian's smile vanished. With a sudden motion, he kicked Guan Da Gou square in the gut, sending him sprawling.
"Guan Da Gou, you're a liar. I'm done with your games."
He turned and walked away. From the twelfth floor, Gao Lüxing watched everything, and from the fourteenth floor, so did Yan Qingqing. They both knew that flamboyant red suit all too well—and they both saw how Guan Da Gou was left sprawled out.
Lying there, Guan Da Gou let out a long, weary sigh. He pulled out his phone and made a call.
"Boss, this Han Qian isn't easy to fool. Should we just kidnap him? …Alright, alright, I understand."