Qin Xiao waved his hand, and Chen Qian respectfully withdrew. After the door closed, the office became quiet once again.
Qin Xiao leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling as the cigar smoke rose slowly, blending into the airflow of the central air conditioning.
Fang Ming... in his past life, he was an obscure follower, loyal until death.
In this life, because of Qin Xiao's heavy reliance on him, he had begun to show a different side.
He would stand up for a friend's friend and crash into Zhao Ruilong to get someone to the hospital; this change was something Qin Xiao was pleased to see.
A capable, responsible, and absolutely loyal confidant was far more useful than a submissive follower.
As for that slight abnormality—as long as the string was still in his hands, what did it matter how high the butterfly flew?
Thinking of this, Qin Xiao picked up his phone, found Zhao Ruilong's number, and dialed it.
The call was quickly connected, and Zhao Ruilong's voice, clearly carrying a hint of resentment, came through.
"Old Qin, you finally called!"
"Ruilong, what happened last night was a misunderstanding."
Qin Xiao interrupted him, his voice gentle yet carrying a trace of coldness. "Fang Ming hit you in a moment of urgency to send a woman who had fainted from a high fever to the hospital. I think we should just let this matter go."
"After all... we're brothers. It'd be a joke if word got out that we had a falling out over such a small matter, don't you think?"
On the other end of the line, Zhao Ruilong was silent for a few seconds before letting out an unwilling grunt.
"Fine, since you've put it that way, I'll give you this face."
"Thanks."
Qin Xiao hung up and tossed the phone back onto the desk. Outside the window, the sunlight was perfect, and the Rong City skyline shimmered under its glow... On the other side, Fang Ming left the CEO's office and walked along the thick-carpeted corridor toward his workstation.
The office area of the Qin Corporation headquarters occupied the entire forty-fifth floor of the building. It was spacious and bright, with a modern, minimalist design in cool tones that exuded an elite atmosphere.
The Administration Department, Project Department, Public Relations Department... the workstation areas of various departments were neatly arranged like a chessboard.
As Fang Ming passed by, many people were looking at him and whispering.
"Is that Special Assistant Fang? He's quite handsome..."
"Handsome? How come I never heard you say that before?"
"He used to be just an entry-level employee; who would have noticed him?"
"Exactly. Now that his status is different, he naturally attracts attention!"
"Are you in heat?"
"Oh, keep your voice down!"
In the past, Fang Ming was just a low-level employee who relied on his connection with Qin Xiao, so no one paid him any mind.
Not long ago, Qin Xiao had inexplicably promoted him to Special Assistant, which attracted the attention of many single female employees!
"The poor are ignored in the bustling market, while the rich have distant relatives in the remote mountains." Fang Ming had long since grown accustomed to this.
Ignoring the voices, he walked quickly to the independent office area belonging to the Special Assistant.
This area was much more spacious than the ordinary workstations. It was by the window and featured an L-shaped solid wood desk equipped with a high-end computer and an ergonomic chair, along with a small sofa and coffee table for guests.
It was standard for mid-to-high-level management. Just as he sat down and before he could turn on his computer, the phone screen on the desk lit up, and a WeChat notification sounded.
Fang Ming picked it up and took a look; it was a message from Chen Qian.
Chen Qian's WeChat profile picture was a heavily edited selfie with excellent lighting, making her look even prettier than usual.
Nickname: Qianqian Little Princess.
[Qianqian Little Princess]: "Brother Fang, are you busy? (Cute emoji)"
Fang Ming looked at the cute emoji, his lips twitching slightly as his fingers tapped quickly on the screen.
[Ming]: "Just got back to my desk. Is something up?"
When he contacted Mu Qingxue and Chu Yao, he used a secondary account and masked it through the Chat Group.
This [Ming] was the WeChat account he used regularly.
Chen Qian's reply came almost instantly.
[Qianqian Little Princess]: "It's nothing big, I was just thinking that we might need to coordinate our work often in the future, and we're not very familiar with each other yet."
[Qianqian Little Princess]: "If you're free tonight, how about we have dinner together? I know a great Japanese restaurant. The environment is very private, and the food is authentic~ (Expectant emoji)"
Fang Ming stared at the screen, his gaze behind his glasses exceptionally calm.
Inviting him to dinner? And specifically emphasizing a private environment?
This woman's level wasn't high, but she certainly had plenty of schemes... Meanwhile, in a pantry on another floor of the Qin Corporation Building.
Chen Qian leaned against the smooth marble countertop, holding her phone and typing rapidly.
She wasn't wearing that Chanel outfit anymore; she had changed into a slightly more casual cream-colored dress. However, it was still a designer brand, well-tailored to accentuate her slender waist and long legs.
Her makeup was lighter than when she saw Qin Xiao earlier, but it was even more calculated—a "no-makeup" look that appeared fresh and natural but was actually meticulously detailed to highlight her naturally seductive eyes and full lips.
As she looked at the WeChat dialog box waiting for Fang Ming's reply, her thoughts raced.
"Just a follower... even if he's become a Special Assistant, he's just a high-level lackey."
Chen Qian curled her lips, a hint of disdain flashing in her eyes. "If it weren't for the task Young Master Qin personally assigned, I wouldn't bother with you."
Her father was a veteran of the Qin Family; although he was just a driver, he was considered half an insider. Growing up under such influence, she knew the rules of this circle all too well.
Who was Qin Xiao? The top-tier crown prince of Rong City. What was Fang Ming? No matter how favored he was, he was just someone who did the crown prince's bidding.
Their statuses were worlds apart, but Young Master Qin's orders were like imperial edicts!
Ding-dong!
Fang Ming's reply interrupted her thoughts.
[Ming]: "Sure. Time and place?"
Crisp and clean, without any redundant pleasantries or signs of being flattered.
Chen Qian raised an eyebrow. Quite the poser, isn't he? Her fingers flew across the screen.
[Qianqian Little Princess]: "7:00 PM at 'Tsukimi' Japanese restaurant. I'll send you the location. Should I wait for you after work? (Cute emoji)"
[Ming]: "No need, I'll go there myself."
[Qianqian Little Princess]: "Alright then, Brother Fang, see you tonight! (Cute emoji)"
After sending the last message, Chen Qian put down her phone and carefully adjusted her hair and the neckline of her dress against the mirror-like stainless steel wall of the pantry.
She practiced the angle of her smile to ensure it looked sweet and natural, with just the right amount of admiration.
Her looks were indeed not bad; taking down a loser like Fang Ming should be a piece of cake, shouldn't it?
Well, at least that's what Chen Qian thought... Fang Ming didn't care what Chen Qian was thinking; he just felt that Qin Xiao was quite an interesting person.
He was just a minor follower of little importance, yet Qin Xiao was actually using a honey trap on him?
Was he simply trying to be nicer to him, or did he already suspect him?
Fang Ming didn't know, nor did he need to; in any case, he now had sufficient means to deal with it.
His spirit delved into his consciousness and opened the Chat Group, where there was a search button in the upper right corner.
[Search Function: Gain one chance to search for a new member every month. Can be accumulated.]
[Current Search Count: 1]
Today was August 1st. The search count had refreshed at midnight last night. Fang Ming had been busy looking after Gu Qinghe and was exhausted when he got home in the middle of the night, so he hadn't used it immediately.
He woke up late again this morning, so he had to postpone it. Now was the perfect time to use the search function.
"Start search!" Fang Ming didn't hesitate.
Searching for a new member could only be done once a month. When the Chat Group was activated, it had automatically searched and found three talents: the Soldier King, the Divine Doctor, and the Top Student.
Each member had provided him with some level of assistance, and he was now looking forward to seeing who the new member would be.
[Searching for high-potential members from the Myriad Heavens and Realms...]
[Searching...]
The light blue Chat Group interface rippled like water, a radar halo spreading in all directions, and a spinning progress bar appeared in the center.
Fang Ming held his breath and waited quietly.
A few seconds later.
[Search Successful!]
["Abusive Novels Naive Flower" has joined the Chat Group.]
Fang Ming: "????"