"Since she's so outstanding, have her transferred over to be my special assistant," Qin He said with a laugh.
Qin Yun raised his eyebrows slightly. "I've been telling you to pick an assistant for a while, but you insisted on snatching Zhou Yang from me, making Zhou Yang do two people's jobs for one salary."
"Brother Yang is just that capable," Qin He chuckled.
Zhou Yang smiled from the side. "Since Young Madam Qin has specifically requested her, I'll have her accompany me to the meeting later. You can see if she's suitable. Hiring a special assistant is something that requires caution."
Qin He nodded.
The three of them headed to the conference room. Di Shishi had already received notification from Zhou Yang and was waiting inside.
As Qin He entered, she saw the woman standing behind her designated seat.
Her long hair was pulled back into a small bun at the nape of her neck, and she was very beautiful.
Qin He silently glanced at Di Shishi's chest and was shocked.
Hmm, cantaloupes!
She then quietly looked down at herself – hmm, small apples.
Tsk!
Di Shishi politely greeted them, "President Qin, Young Madam Qin."
Qin He sat down. The senior management hadn't all arrived yet, so she struck up a conversation with Di Shishi.
"Are you new?"
"Yes."
"A Harvard graduate?"
"Yes, I graduated a year ago."
Qin He chatted with Di Shishi for a while. As a secretary, her demeanor was respectful, and her explanations were clear, making it easy for her to gain favor with her superiors.
Qin He inwardly praised her. She truly was from Qingyan Mansion; there was no way to tell that this was the same Di Shi who was usually so boastful in the group chat.
The rest of the people quickly arrived, and the meeting began.
Whenever documents were needed, before Qin He could even ask, Di Shishi would swiftly hand them to her.
After the meeting concluded, as everyone else was leaving, Qin He smiled at Di Shishi. "You're doing very well. Come and work by my side from now on, be my assistant."
Di Shishi's eyes flickered slightly. "Thank you for your appreciation, Young Madam Qin."
This was too smooth, both of them thought.
Soon it was afternoon, and in the office, Qin Yun and Qin He sat at the desk.
Zhou Yang had taken Di Shishi to familiarize her with the special assistant's duties.
As Qin He was signing documents, her phone rang.
She picked it up and glanced at it. It was from Lu Mingxi.
[Little kitten, I've sent some pastries over for you.]
Qin He frowned and replied.
[How are you doing?]
With Gu Shi targeting Lu Shi, given the personalities of Lu Mingxi's parents, they would surely punish him severely.
Lu Mingxi quickly responded.
[How could I be? What, Little kitten, are you missing me and want me to deliver the pastries in person?]
Lu Mingxi's evasive humor made Qin He sense that something was wrong.
However, Gu Qichen was still targeting Lu Shi, and he hadn't agreed to her request to give up two spots.
She looked up at Qin Yun beside her. "Brother, how is Lu Shi doing lately? Do you know?"
Qin Yun looked at the documents. "I haven't asked. Even if I asked Lu Mingxi, he wouldn't tell me, but it's surely not good. Gu Shi has too much influence in Qingcheng. For them to openly target Lu Shi like this, even those smaller corporations who wouldn't take sides have to now. Everyone wants to preserve their cooperation with Gu Shi, or even if they're trying to curry favor with Gu Qichen, they'll sever ties with Lu Shi."
Qin He let out a cold laugh. "Then let's see which cooperation projects Lu Shi can take on recently."
Qin Yun smiled. "Don't worry, I'm here. I won't let the Lu family be implicated because of our affairs. I've already had people contact Lu Shi."
In the following days, Qin Shi publicly announced on its official website that it had become business partners with Lu Shi.
The good relationship between Lu Shi and Qin Shi had always been known to everyone in Qingcheng, but this formal declaration caused significant undercurrents in Qingcheng's business circles.
"Qin Shi and Gu Shi have been locked in a silent competition for years, and now they're using Lu Shi to bring this rivalry to the surface?"
"This is truly troublesome. Our group has cooperation with both sides! If a real conflict breaks out, I don't know who we should stand with!"
Qingcheng's business community was in a state of panic, but after Qin Shi issued its statement, Gu Shi remained silent.
...
The Gu family's old residence.
Old Mrs. Gu looked at the silent Gu Qichen and angrily rapped her cane. "What are you thinking? You know Lu Shi and He'er's family are partners, why are you bullying Lu Shi!"
"Grandma, this is all company business," Gu Qichen said blandly, his eyes lowered.
Old Mrs. Gu stared at Gu Qichen, always feeling that her grandson was not quite right, with a trace of dejection about him.
"I don't care if it's company business or not, but acting like this will make He'er angry!" Old Mrs. Gu exclaimed.
Mrs. Gu, hearing that her son had arrived, came downstairs from the upper floor. Upon hearing Old Mrs. Gu's words, she immediately frowned.
"Mother, Qichen has always been in charge of company matters. Gu Shi has developed better and better over the years, and it's all thanks to Qichen's efforts."
Old Mrs. Gu glared at her. "You shut up!"
Mrs. Gu was somewhat resentful. "But Qin He and Qichen are divorced now, why should we still care about the Qin family—"
"Divorced or not, they can remarry!" Old Mrs. Gu threw down her cane. "In any case, I only recognize He'er as my granddaughter-in-law. You shouldn't always dislike your daughter-in-law. If I had treated you the way you treat He'er back then, could you have endured it? Put yourself in her shoes, and you should think about He'er properly!"
Old Mrs. Gu was extremely angry and began to shift her attack to Mrs. Gu, chattering incessantly.
Gu Qichen sat there.
Divorced people could remarry, he had thought that before, but now with the matter of Song Nuan.
Given Qin He's current personality, if she found out, she would never forgive him.
Gu Qichen's gaze darkened.
"He'er is coming to see me tomorrow, so you better not be at home!" Old Mrs. Gu glared at Mrs. Gu.
Mrs. Gu was furious. "Mother! This is my home, where else would I go?"
"You're always shopping or playing cards, go wherever you want. Every time He'er visits, you make sarcastic remarks to her, don't think I don't know!"
Mrs. Gu gritted her teeth and said no more.
Gu Qichen's eyes gleamed. "Tomorrow, she's coming?"
"Yes." Old Mrs. Gu looked at Gu Qichen. "You come back early tomorrow too, and have dinner with me."
Mrs. Gu stood by, feeling both angry and resentful.
The old woman was clearly trying to set up Gu Qichen and Qin He!
After leaving the old residence, Gu Qichen drove to Gu Shi.
Yu Jing called. "President Gu, Miss Song is refusing to terminate the contract and is crying at Xingyue."
Mentioning Song Nuan, Gu Qichen's expression turned cold. "She refuses, so don't terminate it? Do you need to ask me about something like this? Handle it professionally!"
"Yes!"
...
The next day.
After finishing breakfast, Qin He received a video call from Madam Qin in Haicheng.
In Haicheng, the Ming family had already received news that Gu Qichen was targeting Lu Shi.
Madam Qin was furious. "What does Gu Qichen mean by this? Is he openly opposing our Qin family?"
As she spoke, her mother's voice came from outside the video call. "How dare he bully my daughter and granddaughter like this. Xiao He, don't be afraid, your Grandma and your uncle are here for you!"