Teasing the Icy President

Mu Qingtian sat in the taxi, feeling dizzy from hunger. Is this what they call seeing stars?

Just then, the phone rang, and the stars in front of her scattered.

“Hello, is this Miss Mu Qingtian?” A fresh and pleasant male voice came from the other end of the line. Mu Qingtian thought, could it be that she’s really experiencing love luck? Why is a man flirting with her?

“Yes, this is me. May I ask who you are?” Mu Qingtian could hardly believe her ears. Could it really be a handsome guy on the line?

“I’m from the Human Resources Department of Ye Group. I reviewed your resume and would like to invite you for an interview tomorrow. We’re looking to hire an administrative staff member.” The voice on the phone sounded like music to her ears.

“Really? Thank you! What do I need to bring?” Mu Qingtian was so excited she could almost jump out of her seat. If she weren’t in a taxi, she would have been dancing with joy.

“No need to bring anything. Just come for the interview. Alright, that’s all.” Lu Zizhong sighed, his slightly reddened nose finally relaxing.

“Oh, Uncle Zhong, I didn’t see that coming. You really are a master of disguise,” Qing Shan said as she sashayed over, her tight leather skirt hugging her curves and a coffee in hand. Her wavy chestnut hair brushed past Lu Zizhong’s eyes, leaving him feeling slightly dazed.

“Not at all, just average,” Lu Zizhong said, lowering his head to rub his sore eyes. Why did this woman have to grow out her hair so long, just to be annoying?

“Seriously, Uncle Zhong, I didn’t expect you could change your voice too!” Nan Yan chimed in, teasingly looking at Lu Zizhong, as though making phone calls was quite amusing.

“Go, go, get back to work. Be careful; President Ye might come back and skin you all alive,” Lu Zizhong said, dialing the Human Resources Department again to adjust some workflow. Only then did he feel at ease enough to call Ye Ziqian and remind him not to forget the shareholders’ meeting that afternoon.

As he walked down the hall, nearly tripping, Lu Zizhong realized he was now on the second floor. He thought it might be time for him to step back. The world now belonged to the younger generation, and even descending the stairs was a struggle for his old bones. He reminisced about the days spent with President Ye; they were glorious times. Though Ye Ziqian listened to him now, there was always a layer of separation.

Mu Qingtian had no idea that the handsome guy who invited her for the interview was just an old man in disguise. She still thought this was another chance at love luck.

The car ride took less than thirty minutes before they arrived at the International Trade Center.

From a distance, Mu Qingtian could already spot Nie Shuangshuang’s incredibly eye-catching and flamboyant hat.

Nie Shuangshuang stood there, glancing left and right like she was searching for something. Mu Qingtian decided not to call her just yet-she wanted to tease her a little.

Then again, she quickly changed her mind. No, I need my walking ATM to pay for the cab fare first.

“Nie Shuangshuang, I’m over here,” Mu Qingtian called out, waving her hand out of the car window to get her attention.

“Qingtian, why aren’t you getting out of the car? Is there a man in there or something?” Despite her petite frame and the high heels she was wearing, Nie Shuangshuang was surprisingly quick. In just a few strides, she was right by the car. Her pretty, gossip-loving face lit up with curiosity as she peeked through the car window. “Qingtian, where’s the man? Where’s the man?”

“The man’s right here,” the cab driver couldn’t help but quip, amused by the exchange.

“Not you.” Nie Shuangshuang and Mu Qingtian responded in unison, their synchronized reply a testament to their close friendship.

“Nie Shuangshuang, can you stop being so nosy?” Mu Qingtian sighed, exasperated by her friend’s persistent gossiping. “I called you over here because… because I don’t have any money left to pay the fare.”

By the end of the sentence, she was speaking so softly that even she could barely hear herself.

Nie Shuangshuang shot her a disdainful glance. “Qingtian, I’m ashamed of you.”

Despite her words, Nie Shuangshuang still reluctantly handed over the money to pay the driver.

“Qingtian, seriously, could you stop humiliating me like this all the time? Seriously, give me a break!” Nie Shuangshuang pouted dramatically, her lips jutting out so far they could almost hold a leash for a donkey.

“Shuangshuang, I’m starving-like, absolutely starving,” Mu Qingtian said pitifully, rubbing her belly, which was bloated like that of a woman five months pregnant.

Nie Shuangshuang slapped her hand on Qingtian’s belly, the sound echoing with a comical smack. “Starving? Yeah right! This belly is clearly as pumped up as a fully inflated basketball.”

“Let me tell you something, Qingtian,” Nie Shuangshuang began in the tone of a seasoned commentator ready to deliver her verdict. “I remember you were pretty good at language studies back in school. So how on earth are you this terrible at using adjectives? This isn’t a ‘starved’ belly-it’s obviously a highly elastic basketball. You need to stop being so unrealistic!”

“Nie Shuangshuang, just shut up already,” Mu Qingtian snapped, utterly at a loss for how to deal with her disloyal friend.

Suddenly, a mischievous smirk crept across her face. Revenge was brewing. She reached out and pinched Nie Shuangshuang’s earlobe.

“Nie Shuangshuang, do you have a man? Is that why you’re always staring at my belly and-you know-below the belly? What else could it be if not a man?” Mu Qingtian teased, reveling in finally getting some payback.

“Let’s eat. I’m not discussing anything other than food with a bottomless pit like you,” Nie Shuangshuang retorted, rolling her eyes as she dismissed the topic entirely. She strutted into the restaurant with all the poise of someone who had everything under control, pulled out a chair, and sat down gracefully.

“I want roast duck.” Mu Qingtian beamed as she looked at her personal goddess of wealth sitting across from her, finally letting herself daydream about indulging in a feast.

“Alright, it’s on me today,” Nie Shuangshuang declared grandly, exuding the aura of someone who truly knew how to treat her friends.

Mu Qingtian gave her best friend a look of pure satisfaction, complete with a thumbs-up of approval. She added with a mischievous grin, “Nie Shuangshuang, I love you.”

Nie Shuangshuang waved her hand dramatically, as if brushing off the compliment. “Oh, come on, what kind of relationship do we have? No need for all that fake sentimentality.”

“Waiter!”

“Coming, coming. Miss, may I take your order?” The waiter politely approached the two young women, smiling as he spoke.

“We’ll have two large orders of Stir-fried shredded pancakes!” Nie Shuangshuang announced loudly.

Mu Qingtian’s jaw practically hit the table. “Nie Shuangshuang?!”

“What? I’m right here.” Nie Shuangshuang broke into laughter at Mu Qingtian’s stunned reaction. “Don’t worry, I made sure to order the kind with meat-and in large portions!”

The waiter was completely dumbfounded. “Stir-fried shredded pancakes?”

“Miss, we don’t have large portions of Stir-fried shredded pancakes,” the waiter said, his face dark with exasperation.

Coming to a high-end restaurant to order Stir-fried shredded pancakes? Were they messing with him?

“Well then, small portions it is, brother,” Mu Qingtian said quickly, her round baby face making her attempt to smooth things over somehow more convincing.

“We… we don’t have Stir-fried shredded pancakes at all,” the waiter said, wiping the sweat that had formed on his forehead out of pure frustration. He patiently repeated for the second time what should have been obvious.

“What kind of restaurant is this, where you don’t have this or that? Might as well just shut down!” Nie Shuangshuang was already showing signs of developing into a full-blown troublemaker.

“Serve them two extra-large plates of Stir-fried shredded pancakes,” an icy male voice commanded from the southeast corner of the room.

“Weird uncle?”

“That handsome boss over there, Qingtian-don’t you know him? Look, he’s here.” Nie Shuangshuang’s legs were trembling from fear, but she still had the nerve to mutter, “Do we get it for free?”

“Shuangshuang!” Mu Qingtian could only look at her friend with a pained expression, thinking to herself, We’re doomed. The big boss is definitely about to lose his temper.

Ye Ziqian’s cold, penetrating gaze swept across Nie Shuangshuang and Mu Qingtian’s faces, immediately silencing the two of them. They sat obediently, waiting for whatever their big plates of Stir-fried shredded pancakes might bring.

Ye Ziqian, meanwhile, felt nothing short of exasperation when he saw Mu Qingtian. Why am I running into this clumsy girl yet again?

And what was Nie Shuangshuang doing with her? How were they even connected? Ye Ziqian knew everything there was to know about Nie Shuangshuang. After all, she was the mayor’s daughter, and many of Ye Group’s projects relied on the mayor’s approval to progress. He had meticulously researched everyone with ties to the mayor-but somehow, nowhere in his analysis had it come up that the mayor’s daughter was best friends with such a clueless and troublesome woman as Mu Qingtian.

As Ye Ziqian passed by Nie Shuangshuang and Mu Qingtian’s table, he casually dropped a line that sent a jolt through their spirits: “I’ll cover your bill today. Feel free to order whatever you want.”

“Are you serious?” Mu Qingtian asked, staring into the weird uncle’s serious eyes. He didn’t look like he was joking. “Then we won’t have Stir-fried shredded pancakes anymore; we’re going to order real dishes.”

“Yes! We’ll order something proper,” Nie Shuangshuang chimed in. Though her legs were still trembling from fear, her stubborn nature wouldn’t let her bite her tongue. The words came out without the slightest hitch.

Ye Ziqian glanced at Nie Shuangshuang, silently noting how the mayor’s daughter seemed so keen on taking advantage of others. Weaknesses like this could always be exploited.

“It’s true. Order whatever you like.” Without another word, Ye Ziqian turned and walked upstairs. Mu Qingtian thought to herself, He’s probably heading to a private room.

“I want to order abalone,” Mu Qingtian declared, though what she really had in mind was a steaming bowl of abalone noodles.

“I’ll have lobster,” Nie Shuangshuang said boldly.

“And I want shark fin!” Mu Qingtian exclaimed enthusiastically. But deep down, she was against eating shark fins-it was just that her excitement had taken control of her mouth.

“Uh… sorry, we don’t have that,” the waiter replied, sweat trickling down his forehead. Women… thy name is greed.

Meanwhile, Ye Ziqian entered his office, quickly followed by the lobby manager, who had hurried after him.

“Boss, I’ve looked into it. The day after tomorrow at three in the afternoon, Mayor Nie will be hosting a banquet in Private Room 3 to entertain investors from A City who are considering investing here,” the lobby manager reported. He was dressed in a black suit, his slender, pale neck adorned with a glimmering gold chain. The bright reflection off it was dizzying, and Ye Ziqian couldn’t help but find it gaudy.

The chain’s edge had gotten caught under the manager’s collar as he lowered his head respectfully.

So tasteless. Ye Ziqian stared at the chain with mild disdain. “Got it. You can leave now.” His voice was as cold as ice, devoid of any warmth, and it sent a chill down the manager’s spine. Hearing those words-You can leave now-felt like a divine reprieve, and the manager scurried out enthusiastically.

Outside, he clutched his chest and let out a long breath of relief. “Goodness, President Ye is terrifying. Luckily, he doesn’t come here often; otherwise, my nerves would be perpetually fried.”

Inside, Ye Ziqian twirled a sleek steel pen between his fingers, strategizing for the upcoming meeting. His thoughts drifted to how he could use Nie Shuangshuang to achieve his goals.

After a brief moment of contemplation, he dialed a number.

“Uncle Zhong, did you get all the details on that girl?” Ye Ziqian’s intent was clear-he wanted to leverage Mu Qingtian to manipulate Nie Shuangshuang.

“Don’t worry, President Ye. Everything’s been sorted out,” Lu Zizhong assured him over the phone. He recounted everything about Mu Qingtian, conveniently leaving out the part where he had faked his voice during the initial call.