After Divorce, My Ex-Wife Became My Creditor

At 11 p.m., Yang Lan woke up and walked out of her office to see General Manager Yan frowning over a planning proposal behind Su Liang, which made her feel a bit awkward as she approached softly.

“General Manager Yan, I-”

“Su Liang told me everything. You had quite a few glasses of baijiu? Here’s four thousand; should be enough, right?”

Without turning her head, Yan Qingqing handed over the four thousand yuan that Liu Jiulong had gone out to withdraw late at night. She knew the dinner expenses totaled just over three thousand, and the extra few hundred were a reward for Yang Lan’s efforts for the company.

Yang Lan did not reach out to take it, and Yan Qingqing casually dropped the money on the desk, stating flatly,

“With your personality, you’d be bullied anywhere. You’d even face troubles in the Finance Department. Consider the extra money as an advance New Year’s gift for Beibei from her aunt. You and Yang Jia, both sisters working for me, deserve rewards. It’s not easy for you to earn money, and I can’t bear to deduct your wages. I can’t control my temper sometimes, and I won’t apologize, but I understand you, and I hope you can accommodate me.”

Accommodate!

It was not about understanding but accommodating. Yan Qingqing used the term deliberately, not imposing as a general manager but rather speaking as a fellow young person. Taking a deep breath, Yang Lan took the money to split five hundred between Su Liang and Han Qian. Su Liang, noticing this, shook his head at Yang Lan. With a sigh, she turned to get a chair and noticed Han Qian sleeping soundly not far away, her eyes twitching slightly at the sight.

She walked over and gently shook Han Qian’s shoulder, whispering,

“Han Qian. Han Qian.”

“Supervisor Yang, don’t bother with him. What would you guys like to eat? We can only order takeout now. After everything is over tomorrow, successful or not, I’ll treat you to a meal. If we succeed, Han Qian will join; if we fail, he’ll be in my trunk.”

These words made Liu Jiulong’s pen drop to the floor, and Yang Lan’s face showed slight embarrassment as she whispered,

“General Manager Yan… not hungry…”

“You’re not hungry, but those two men are. Deputy Supervisor Liu, you know the people in the General Affairs Department; four portions should be enough.”

Liu Jiulong nodded and then hesitantly added,

“General Manager Yan isn’t eating?”

Yang Lan quickly walked up to Liu Jiulong and slapped him on the shoulder. Couldn’t he see that General Manager Yan was upset with Han Qian? Make it five portions.

The dinner was delivered by the security guard who was on night duty downstairs. Yan Qingqing tossed the two complimentary drinks that came with the takeout to the young security guard. As soon as the hot dishes were opened, Han Qian woke up, thick-facedly dragging his chair closer and reaching for a meal box. In the next second, he quickly withdrew his hand as a sharp pair of disposable chopsticks stabbed into the lid of his meal box.

Startled into a cold sweat, Han Qian faced Yan Qingqing’s cold stare.

“We’re all busy, and you’re sleeping? And you still have the nerve to eat?”

“General Manager Yan, please calm down. Han Qian, stop glaring and just eat. But remember, no more sleeping after this meal.”

Yang Lan tried to ease the tension. Yan Qingqing let out a cold scoff. The meal was quiet; it was their first time sharing a table with General Manager Yan. Yang Lan hadn’t eaten for almost ten hours and was starving. Su Liang, having worked all night, quickly devoured his meal. Han Qian gave half of his rice to Su Liang, then glanced at Yan Qingqing, who had already set her meal aside, and asked softly.

“Are you done, General Manager Yan?”

“Can’t you see?”

“Oh! Then I’ll have it.”

Without a second thought, and to the astonishment of the four others, Han Qian took Yan Qingqing’s meal box and transferred the untouched rice to his own. Yang Lan was shocked, Liu Jiulong’s eyes widened, and Su Liang looked at Han Qian with admiration.

Even Yan Qingqing, usually composed, seemed a bit unsettled.

This…

Han Qian, however, didn’t mind. He was genuinely hungry, and besides, Yan Qingqing hadn’t touched that half. He took some vegetables and slid his chair over to Su Liang’s computer, where he looked at the rendering of the design. Taking a bite of rice, he mumbled.

“Looks about right, just as I imagined. No need to change this one. Remember, no windows in the exterior view. The render is just to enhance persuasiveness, not too crucial. Once it’s done, hand it over to Liu-Ge. Type up what I told you, and make sure to mark nearby bus stops and such.”

Su Liang nodded, and Han Qian continued.

“Yang-Jie, I might need your help. I’ll teach you a speech you need to memorize. If you can’t, print it out and read it. It might come in handy, or it might not. It’s about convincing the executives about the investment. Manager Li from Fenghua Decoration will likely tell his friends tonight to prepare for a building materials agency. This stuff is usually handled by those familiar with renovations. Also, I don’t know the current rental prices for goods, so I’ll need your help with that.”

“Alright!”

Yang Lan got to work, while Su Liang and Liu Jiulong returned to their tasks. Liu Jiulong smiled at Han Qian.

“You seemed unreliable before, but after eating, you really look like you know what you’re doing. Maybe I’ve underestimated you.”

Han Qian chuckled and extended his hand to Yan Qingqing, who reluctantly handed him two packs of Ruan Zhonghua cigarettes from her bag. The others were stunned again. Han Qian didn’t seem to treat General Manager Yan like a boss at all. He tossed the cigarettes to Liu Jiulong and grinned.

“Trust me.”

Yan Qingqing glared at Han Qian, frowning.

“You’re having them work. What are you going to do? Keep sleeping?”

“No more sleeping. I’m too awake now. I need to clear my mind. All the planning needs to align with the renderings and verbal explanations to avoid mistakes in the documentation. Oh, by the way, General Manager Yan, I have a question. Is Sun Ya from the Public Relations Department really that capable?”

“She’s got some skills. She’s trained a group of handsome men and beautiful women, a minor asset to the company.”

“If I slapped her twice, how much trouble would I be in?”

Yang Lan quickly tried to stop Han Qian, but he gestured for her to hold off, looking at Yan Qingqing.

Yan Qingqing frowned slightly and replied softly.

“The Public Relations Department isn’t under my jurisdiction. If you slapped her twice now, Gao Lvxing might come after you. If you want to stand up for Yang Lan, make sure this planning proposal is a perfect success. I’m not just talking about passing it. If it succeeds, then it won’t matter if you slap her. I don’t particularly like that flirtatious woman.”

“Compared to you, isn’t she just a little fox meeting Su Daji¹?”

“Han Qian, are you looking for a fight? I’m not in the mood to deal with you right now. You better hope your proposal succeeds. If you embarrass me, I’ll find a way to make you pay.”

Han Qian smiled, glanced at his old phone, and then said with a grin.

“Four o’clock. Whether we’re done or not, let’s get some sleep. The meeting won’t be before ten. I’m speaking on behalf of General Manager Yan.”

Han Qian was absolutely confident in himself.

He then mentioned needing to wash his shirt and asked if anyone needed help. Su Liang tossed his shirt to Han Qian.

“Qian-Ge, make sure it’s clean. It’s my first executive meeting.”

Footnote:

Su Daji(苏妲己):A legendary, beautiful, and notoriously cunning concubine in ancient Chinese mythology, often depicted as a fox spirit who manipulated a king and led to his dynasty’s downfall. She is the quintessential femme fatale.