After Divorce, My Ex-Wife Became My Creditor - Chapter 12 - The Deal

After lunch, Han Qian was about to take a short nap when a crisp voice jolted him awake. He looked up to see a little girl in professional attire bouncing into the General Affairs Department. She seemed familiar with everyone there; those playing games quickly closed them, while some female colleagues took out snacks.

However, the little girl’s exuberance was short-lived as a dry cough from Yang-Jie made her behave. She affectionately clung to the arm of Yang Lan, the leader of the department, calling her “sister” in a sweet voice. Yang Lan, though fond of her, could only sigh helplessly.

“Why are you sneaking over here instead of being with General Manager Yan? Be careful, or she’ll have a word with you.”

Yang Jia wrinkled her nose in defiance.

“I’m not sneaking! General Manager Yan won’t mind. I’m here to fend off those pesky flies for her. Sis, which one is Han Qian? General Manager Yan asked me to find him.”

At this, all eyes turned to Han Qian. He twitched slightly, surprised by how quickly this woman retaliated. Su Liang, leaning on a nearby desk, whispered with a grin.

“Qian-Ge, think you’ll make it back alive?”

“I see you’ve got a nice pack of cigarettes there.”

Han Qian joked, not expecting Su Liang to hand him the pack with a laugh.

“Consider it a farewell gift, brother.”

Meanwhile, the little girl, Yang Jia, sidled up to Han Qian, scrutinizing him from head to toe before turning to Yang Lan with a sly smile.

“So, this is Han Qian? Not bad-looking at all. No wonder he got hired even after a scuffle with General Manager Yan. Han Qian, I dub you the strongest! Off you go! Her office is on the fourteenth floor, at the very end.”

Han Qian frowned slightly but smiled at the little girl.

“Aren’t you coming?”

Yang Jia squinted and grinned.

“I only step in when you’re really in trouble. But right now, I’m hungry.”

“Then stay hungry.”

Han Qian stood up, ignoring the little extortionist, and smiled at Yang Lan, assuring her he’d be back soon. Supervisor Yang nodded with a smile, but as she turned to her younger sister, her smile vanished, and she dragged her by the ear into her office.

On his way to General Manager Yan’s office, Han Qian lit a cigarette. He couldn’t fathom what was going through Yan Qingqing’s mind, but he knew he had to face it. Rongyao was his only opportunity.

He knocked on the general manager’s door, and upon hearing Yan Qingqing’s voice, he entered quietly.

“General Manager Yan, you wanted to see me.”

Yan Qingqing was slumped over her desk, rolling her eyes weakly as she spoke.

“If I didn’t want to see you, would anyone else let you into my office? Let’s not beat around the bush. You laid hands on me, pulled my hair, and now I intend to make you suffer. If you can’t handle it, leave. I’ll pay you triple your salary. If you can, clean the office; it’s part of the General Affairs Department’s duties.”

“Alright, General Manager Yan, I’ll go get a mop and cloth.”

Han Qian accepted it calmly, leaving Yan Qingqing puzzled by his demeanor. She watched as he mopped the floor and tidied up the fruit peels on the coffee table. After a while, she grew bored and turned her attention to the department files concerning real estate.

The more she read, the angrier she became. It seemed like she was managing a bunch of fools. A shopping mall? Competing with the old department stores? Were they blind or deaf, unaware that Rongyao Department Store was right in the city center? Some even suggested building a market opposite the wholesale market-utterly ridiculous. Others proposed an RT-Mart, showing a complete lack of foresight.

“Ahhhhhhh-”

A piercing scream startled Han Qian, making him shiver. He then saw Yan Qingqing toss all the documents from her desk onto the floor, along with her high heels. Han Qian took a deep breath and continued tidying up, showing no outward reaction, but internally, he was beginning to doubt himself.

Was he destined to be a househusband for life? After three years of marriage, he thought he was free after the divorce, but then Wen Nuan came back. He thought he could do some real work at the office, but here he was, cleaning up after women again.

Han Qian was convinced he must have wronged many women in a past life, for sure!

After organizing the documents and placing them back on the desk, Yan Qingqing knocked them to the floor again. Han Qian took another deep breath, picked them up once more, only to have them pushed off again. This time, he didn’t bother; he dumped all the papers into the trash bin, along with Yan Qingqing’s shoes, and then started mopping the floor.

Yan Qingqing was furious.

“Han Qian, are you crazy? You threw away my shoes! Are you going to carry me home?”

“I can’t carry you. Is carrying the general manager home part of the General Affairs Department’s duties?”

“You’re something else, and I’m the fool for hiring a bunch of useless people.”

“Useless doesn’t include me. Your foolishness is your own business.”

“Are you here to argue with me? Han Qian, do you think I can’t fire you?”

“Does General Manager Yan think I applied to be a housekeeper?”

Even a clay figurine has a temper, and Han Qian was immune to beautiful women, thanks to Wen Nuan. Yan Qingqing was so angry she was taking deep breaths, her hand just one digit away from dialing the Human Resources Department. Her chest heaved with indignation, but unfortunately, Han Qian had his back to her and missed the dramatic scene. If he had seen it, he might have felt sorry for Wen Nuan.

Why was there such a big difference?

It took half an hour to clean the office. As he was about to dispose of the trash, he asked, “General Manager Yan, should I throw away these… planning proposals? Am I going back to the General Affairs Department?”

“Go wherever you want. Just looking at you annoys me.”

Yan Qingqing replied irritably. Just as Han Qian was about to leave the office, Yan Qingqing shouted, “Han Qian, you bastard, bring back my shoes!”

Han Qian paused, looking at the shoes in the trash bin, feeling a bit embarrassed. He had forgotten about them. He returned to the office with the bin, awkwardly holding the shoes.

“Uh, General Manager Yan… I’ll just leave these here.”

Yan Qingqing stood up, walking barefoot on the tiles. Han Qian frowned at the sight but said nothing, avoiding unnecessary trouble. Yan Qingqing walked past him, grabbed the shoes, and tossed them aside. She looked up at Han Qian, her fox-like eyes filled with frustration and helplessness.

“Han Qian, help me.”

Han Qian was slightly taken aback, looking down at the trash bin in his hands. He had a rough idea of what was going on and took a deep breath before asking softly, “Is it a last resort?”

Yan Qingqing nodded honestly.

“I can’t think of anyone else. The Planning Department and Project Department have tried everything. I can’t rely on the General Affairs Department. If this fails, I’m out of options.”

“I’m expensive.”

“Payment in kind?”

“You’re not worth more than cash to me. I need money. I wanted to join the Planning Department because I need money. How much can you offer me?”

“I heard from Song Jing in the Human Resources Department that you applied to the Planning Department at Rongyao. You know planning, right? If you can ensure your planning proposal doesn’t lose money and it passes the senior management meeting, I’ll pay you two hundred thousand.”

“Give me time, a week at most.”

“There’s no time, only two days.”

“Double it.”

“Deal.”

Neither side lost out. Yan Qingqing wasn’t foolish; if the planning proposal failed, Han Qian wouldn’t get a penny, but it would show his capability. Even if he did nothing and went back to the General Affairs Department, he’d just be playing games for two days.

Women are natural actors, especially when playing the victim.

For Han Qian, it was also a win. He was just using his skills to earn money, which was his plan when he came to Rongyao. Only in this place could he find problems and then solve them.

Han Qian left, leaving behind the trash bin and Yan Qingqing.

All he wanted now was money.