“What are you looking at?” a cool, deep voice asked.
Caught red-handed, Lin Qian only blushed for a second, and immediately reacted–what was she guilty of?
She turned around and looked at him openly.
The sound of a bus driving with bursts of loud noise greeted the ears; the interior lights were orange and soft. He had sat up straight, and righting his hat, looked up at her.
There is no doubt that it was a handsome face. The eyes were dark and clean, like deep water, showing only dark shadows.
Cheekbones somewhat high, giving a clear outline. Thin lips slightly pursed, as if, as always, too lazy to speak.
The whole image given by him and his facial features was: graceful, tall and cold.
Lin Qian smiled brightly at him: “I’m looking at you.”
He had no change of expression; his eyes still a clear calm.
She added: “You look just like a soldier I met.”
As she finished her sentence, Lin Qian waited for his answer. But he raised his hand, brim bringing his cap’s brim down again, as if the last of his little patience finally gave out, and leaned back into his chair again to sleep.
Lin Qian: “……”
This time, the bus was heading into the city, the lights in the windows of the city projected as dappled light. There are several people getting on and off the bus, and the atmosphere is lively.
Lin Qian put on her headphones and leaned back in her chair, her eyes staring out of the window at the streamer-like streetscape. But the person behind her, you couldn’t ignore his presence. He was leaning against the back of her seat with his face looking up sideways, he appeared tall and strong, long thin legs jutting out. Because the hat was blocking eye, Lin Qian didn’t know whether he fell asleep without, or whether he knew she was still looking. She felt embarra.s.sed of course, and then turned around, staring straight ahead.
After a while, she took off her headphones and turned to look at him: “Hey, so when all is said and done, are you or aren’t you?”
He was sedentary, not even bothering to look up with his eyes.
“Hmm.” Low sound like a wind.
Lin Qian’s face blossomed into a smile: “OK, thank you.”
She leaned back, didn’t hara.s.s him, pulling up the hood of her coat on her head, curling up her body into the chair, closing her eyes and falling asleep.
All without words.
——
“Last stop! Hey you two at the back, get off, don’t sleep! ” At the sound of the harsh voice, Lin Qian woke up, stumbling. Her eyes opened, recovering, and she saw that the bus had stopped at the platform. In front of it, not far across the road, was the familiar door of the Ai Da Group[1].
“Hu–” She spat out a sigh, and was then shocked. About two or three feet from the door was Mr. Tall and Thin, who was also getting off.
Lin Qian surprised, she had a.s.sumed he would get off around halfway through downtown.
It was already ten o’clock, the road was extremely quiet, the lighting spa.r.s.e. With a straight posture and hands in his trouser pockets, walked ahead. Lin Qian, around a dozen steps behind. On the long street only two sets of staggered footsteps echoed.
Would he think that she was following him? Lin Qian found it a ny.
He went up to the door of Ai Da Group, suddenly stopping. Lin Qian also subconsciously stopped.
He turned around at the door and looked at her.
Because he was standing just under a lamp, his hat blotted out the light for her, and the clear lines of his profile cast a shadow. But under the his straight nose, she could sense his lips pulled slightly back.
Ai, was he actually smiling?
Just then, some loud and noisy sound of footsteps came far and near, as several security guards walked out of the door excitedly.
“Battalion commander!” “Major!” “You’re finally here!”
Lin Qian was somewhat startled, but after a moment she smiled as well.
She continued to go her own way, and the corner of her eyes were involuntarily cast to the direction of the flock of men. He was surrounded by his former subordinates, and standing in the middle, thin lips slightly opened, and while she couldn’t hear what he said, his subordinates burst into peals of laughter. As he stood, on his lips hung a faint smile.
Suddenly, a security guard turned towards her, and finding Lin Qian, stood slightly stunned.
Lin Qian also recognized him—he was one of the fellow soldiers on the train.
“That couldn’t be… Miss Lin!” He exclaimed in amazement,” Battalion Commander, the lady who was on the train that day, Miss Lin. She’s there!”
Lin Qian heard all that he said with a slight lag.
Big brother… You really don’t have to specifically need to emphasize that to him. In fact, he knows better than any one of you.
Then everyone turned around and looked over at Lin Qian. He also turned around, a pair of dark eyes under the brim, calm and lacking expression.
Lin Qian openly walk past: “h.e.l.lo!” At then, looking at him deliberately: “Major, you’re well too!”
__ — ___—___
Meeting old friends is always a special pleasure; whether for the recently rather unlucky Lin Qian, or the security guards who were new to their jobs. Everyone was excited and talked for a while (of course excluding the Major, who stood quietly isolated on one side). Lin Qian found out that all of them were working for Ai Da.
As for him? Others did not mention, Lin Qian didn’t ask.
When it got quite late, the group of guards surrounded him, suggesting to go drinking and chatting. Lin Qian rented house was in another direction, so she smiled at them to say goodbye.
But after just a few steps, she heard footsteps behind catching up behind her.
It was the soldier who claimed to be her townsman, a broad smile on his face: “Miss Lin, I’ll escort you back.”
Lin Qian: “Oh, no, I live very close to here, right there.”
He did not leave, instead walking side by side with her: “No, our battalion commander … Oh no, should be called the Manager. He ordered me just now, so I must follow. The road is so dark it’s not safe for a lady. Come on.”
Lin Qian was very surprised.
Him?
Send her home?
She unconsciously looked back to see him, but the men had already walked through the gates, not a trace of them to be seen.
Lin Qian smiled at him: “He’s the Manager?”
Her countryman frankly answered: “Ah! You didn’t know, but Battalion Commander came to work at Ai Da. But he ranks high, I figured out that he must be a manager of middle-level cadres. All the guys guess that he’ll be the Security Manager.”
——
At night, before going to sleep, Lin Qian lay in bed, feeling very good.
Ge is right, women are emotional creatures. Thinking of the lively group working at Ai Da, she felt a lot of warmth.
Even the cantankerous Mr. Major.
Villagers had told her: his name was Lì Zhì Chéng, only 25 years old, the youngest major Southwest military district, though silent, very bullish[2] in the army.
Such a cool, handsome security manager, ah, making a person incapable to look straight at him.
——
Lin Qian unexpectedly, at work the next day, heard the big bad news.
In early morning, a startling piece of news headline, quickly blew through the entire network:
“High-end handbags actually containing carcinogens, top three companies involved!”
Murphy’s Law tells us that whatever can go in a bad direction will. Lin Qian felt just how shallow the bottom was through which Ai Da was falling; and who knew, under the bottom might be a dangerous quagmire.
——
Sunset rays, dim twilight.
Lin Qian held a stack of reports and stepped out of the elevator when she reached the top floor.
She had not gone to Gu Yanzhi’s office door, but could hear his voice as he shouted:
“What the h.e.l.l, who is writing such irresponsible news!”
……
Lin Qian’s heart sank slightly.
The “Carcinogenic scandal” had been out for two days. These days things were looking really bad.
The carcinogens indeed existed, but the fabric quality inspection agencies verified the fabric to be the problem. These luxury fabrics were provided by European manufacturers.
However, domestic consumers would not buy it. These days, under the bashing in the media, companies faced more intense backlash than ever. Several big companies, including Ai Da, suffered widespread returns of consumers even after they announced plans to sue.
Relevant government agencies are more stressed out.
For now, Ai Da as a whole group seemed as if shrouded in unprecedented levels of haze.
The secretary stood in front of the door, and once she faced Lin Qian, she gave a helpless smile.
Lin Qian put down the report: “This is this week’s weekly newspaper. There is also this incident report. ”
As she walked back to the elevator, the two receptionist whispered amongst themselves: “Hey, who was that guy who went in just now?”
“Gu Zong[3]’s friend, I heard he’s a veteran.”
——
Lin Qian’s reports are placed in a pile of papers, sent to the Gu Yanzhi’s desk. They were quietly put away for a long period of time, no one cares.
Until nightfall, when a pair of capable hands, from this pile of papers fished out her report alone, and started going over it page by page with utmost attention.
Gu Yanzhi’s temper stayed high for a few days, but now came down somewhat. But he could not relax.
Until today, rival companies including Xin Baori and Si Meiqi had all kept a collective silence, everyone hit equally hard. And at Ai Da’s end there was great dispute within the management as to how to deal with the situation.
Someone proposed the initiative to stand up to apologize and take responsibility.
But more people think it should be kept quiet, because “non-conformity gets punished[4]“, after all, and Ai Da was at a stronger position than the other companies.
Gu Yanzhi, as interim head of the guy before he took office, regardless of what action he would decide on, would be faced with tremendous pressure.
He turned his head around and immediately saw Lì Zhì Chéng sitting on the couch, general expressions concentrates, reading with focus.
Ripping off his tie and throwing it on the table, he walked over and asked: “What are you reading?”
Lì Zhì Chéng did not look up.
Compared with cold silence when you could feel when he arrived at the beginning a few days ago, at the moment he seems to have adapted to this environment a lot. Tall body leaned against the couch, looked very relaxed. Long legs even gently crossed, and with a touch of casual cool.
“Can’t you read?[5]” He asked slowly.
Gu Yanzhi sat next to him, and shook his head: “You know I don’t like to read this kind of thing. For me, valuable information is just talked out, not searching for some figures which are even useless, just thrown in. And sometimes there are more than a hundred 100-page reports. ”
Lì Zhì Chéng was noncommittal, continued to look down at the report. Gu Yanzhi seeing that he was writing something with a pen, bent over with some interest.
After reading it he was slightly dazed, and then just smiled.
Lin Qian’s report provided recommendations on how to deal with this incident.
Her point of view is the idea that Ai Da should be the first to stand up and apologize and take responsibility.
At the beginning of the report she extensively quoted from previous reports, which cited many cases of successful business crisis public relations crises, as examples. There was also an a.n.a.lysis of the consumer mindset. Basically it was a detailed, accurate, clear and satisfactory report.
Lì Zhì Chéng marked those words with a pen, which said:
“Ai Da first to apologize, and puts other compet.i.tors in more difficult circ.u.mstances.
If they do not do so, it will become the focus of public criticism, and facing pressure which would be several times more than what they were facing now, this much was common knowledge.
So they had to do it.
But even if it did, in the minds of consumers, first to apologise is really sincere, and the rest are just imitators, and in their frustration, their credibility will be undermined.
We all suffer the same economic loss, but gaining reputation is different, Ai Da can also use this event effectively to gain more trust against compet.i.tors.”
Gu Yanzhi stood up straight and folded his arms, one of his hands stroking his chin and said: “Apart from her point of view for which there is no justification, she is such a sweet looking girl, how can she think of this aggressive move ah? Wanting a clean one-hit K.O move against compet.i.tion rivals.” After saying that he smiled.
On the side Lì Zhì Chéng also smiled and shut the report, tossing it on the side of the coffee table.
Gu Yanzhi and asked: “Are you going to come out at the end?”
“Once this matter is handled, I’ll take over.”
——
The next morning, notice is issued to the each of the Ai Da departments.
Company has decided to set up a working group specifically to deal with the crisis. Working Group has a total of ten people, who are the backbone of all key sectors must, on the required date, move into the company dorm. “Lin Qian” an unfamiliar name to all, is impressively listed at the bottom.
Lin Qian at short notice, went home and picked up the necessary clothes and other belongings. The she used the remaining time to give Lin Mochen a phone call.
Lin Mochen reaction was indifferent: “They’re testing you.”
His thinking was that a new employee, who is moreover coming from the rival company, even if they were highly competent, would they be placed in such an important Working Group? It was more likely to be a trial for whether she is normal, or whether she was one of Si Meiqi’s spies.
Lin Qian did not agree, replying: “My report struck the leadership, if not why bother testing my loyalty, my worth is zero. Different situations require call for different measures[6], let them bring it on yeah[7]!! ”
Lin Mochen heard her arrogant words and chuckled. He gave her a hint: “Such a large group is falling to ruins[8] at such a fast rate. Can’t say for sure, but Ai Da’s interior may really have spies, who knows what matters will come out? You behave, do your best.[9]”
[1] So I know I’ve been using Ai Da Corporation, but I think at this point Group would be more accurate? Because, it’s basically like one of the chaebol companies you see in Korean dramas, where the owners are all actually family. Same as zaibatsu in j.a.panese. The word is 集团 (jítuán), and in other settings it normally just means conglomerate/ group etc.
[2] That is to say, arrogant, or prideful. It’s common to denote character through animals, although sometimes the way the animals are thought of in China might be different than in the west.
[3] Zong can mean Chief/ Boss/ General etc.
[4] The idiom is 枪打出头鸟 (qiāngdǎchūtóuniǎo) lit. the shot hits the bird that pokes its head out i.e. nonconformity gets punished
[5] Buuuuuuuuuuuurrrnnnnnnnnnnn
[6] She actually says 兵来将挡，水来土掩 (bīngláijiàngdǎng, shuǐláitǔyǎn) lit. counter soldiers with arms, water with an earth weir. It could mean different situations call for different action or to adopt measures appropriate to the actual situation.
[7] Again, phrase is 放马过来 (fàngmǎguòlái) which could be bring it on! Or give me all you got! Think shounen manga style XD
[8] He uses a word which denotes the collapse of an empire (崩 bēng).
[9] Phrase he uses is 好自为之 (hǎozìwéizhī) lit. to do one’s best/ to shape up/ to behave. But in common usage without breakdown of words, it can also mean take care of yourself.
So what do you all think? Which view would you take, Lin Qian’s or Lin Mochen’s? Don’t you just adore Lin Mochen? So cool, so intelligent *swoon*
My computer seems to have taken a liking to Li Zhicheng’s name, because every time I type his name in word it gets changed to how it is above. You can see why I like splitting up the chapter into at least two parts, because they story moves a lot ^^
I also decided to put in more footnotes in with some of the idioms and proverbs used. I figured it would be nice trivia, and for those who are keen on learning mandarin, it might even increase your vocabulary~ Tell me if you guys like it or don’t really care ^u^
For all those who’ve commented, thank you so much once again, I WILL reply to your comments, even if I take some more time. For everyone who wished me well for my presentation, thank you so much! I did quite well~