The secretary immediately said, “How could couples keep such careful accounts between them? That would just make them the most familiar of strangers.”
“Besides, girls have it hard enough. Us men work hard to earn money outside—isn’t it precisely so our girlfriends can spend it? When she’s willing to spend the money we earn, it’s a form of affirmation for us.”
“In my family, the financial power is all in my mother’s hands. When I marry my girlfriend someday, she’ll manage the money too.”
With that, the secretary gave a couple of silly chuckles and asked tentatively, “Director, have you… run into some relationship trouble?”
Qi Chenyan just said it was nothing.
Wasn’t the secretary’s whole spiel just what people online called being “love-brained”?
He married Yu Li only because of the child. How could he possibly become that kind of love-brained fool who orbits around feelings?
While Qi Xi was at the sales office negotiating the property purchase, Yu Li received Qi Chenyan’s reply.
【What I give you is yours. No need to ask me.】
As expected of someone who represented the nation’s image and was hailed as the youngest, most accomplished spokesperson—his magnanimity was on another level, treating money like dirt.
For now, Yu Li was quite satisfied with this bargain husband.
Yu Li and Qi Xi each paid half, buying the ten-million-yuan apartment outright in full.
The deed was written in both their names. It was one of the wishes they’d made as children, fulfilled ahead of schedule.
The apartment was fully furnished—move-in ready.
Neither Yu Li nor Qi Xi planned to renovate. The finishes in this high-end complex were already above par; they only needed to add furniture on top of that.
With a little decorative touch-up, it would achieve the cozy little home they wanted.
They both had work the next day, so Yu Li and Qi Xi agreed to go furniture shopping together after work.
The next day at the TV station, Yu Li had just clocked in when she ran into Qi Jianyue.
“Oh, I thought I wouldn’t see you at the station these past few days. After all, with such a big thing happening, shouldn’t you be busy with the family reunion?”
Yu Li wasn’t about to be polite. Her best friend had been wronged, and she was determined to pay it back on the spot.
That one sentence instantly changed Qi Jianyue’s expression.
How could Yu Li know?
Impossible. She was just an ordinary wage worker with no way of accessing the Qi family’s private affairs.
Besides, the Qi family’s reunion with their biological daughter hadn’t been announced publicly yet. Even the elite social circles didn’t know—let alone Yu Li.
She must just be being sarcastic and had stumbled onto it by pure luck.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Since you have so much free time to be snide here, I take it you’re dead set on the lead anchor position?”
Yu Li shrugged. “I’m not like certain people. What isn’t yours, yet you love to play the weak, pitiful victim, squatting on the pit without doing any work.”
“You—!”
Yu Li had never lost a fight, and she’d never lost an argument either.
In just a few words, she had Qi Jianyue fuming with rage. In the end, Qi Jianyue could only throw down a parting threat: “The lead anchor position is mine. You don’t stand a chance. I’m holding an ace up my sleeve!”
Yu Li couldn’t care less.
It was only during the meeting that the director suddenly announced: “Let’s congratulate Jianyue, who has lived up to expectations and landed a major investment—a partnership with Tianhe Land.”
The director led the applause, and the other colleagues followed with admiring gasps.
“My god, that’s Tianhe Group—the richest conglomerate in the capital! So many business tycoons can’t even get a meeting to discuss partnership with any of Tianhe’s subsidiaries, yet Jianyue actually managed to secure one?”
“Well, Jianyue is a heiress from a wealthy family herself. Of course she has access to high society circles we can’t even dream of.”
“Come to think of it, the tycoon who heads Tianhe Group also has the surname Qi. Jianyue, what’s your relationship with the Qi family?”
Qi Jianyue spoke with an air of modesty. “I was just lucky, that’s all. I’m sure Yu Li is far more capable than I am—she’ll surely bring in an even bigger investment, right?”
With a single sentence, Qi Jianyue made Yu Li the center of everyone’s attention.
Everyone at the station knew that Yu Li and Qi Jianyue were bitter rivals—two queens who could never share a kingdom.
Both were top graduates of the Journalism Department at Jing University, both highly skilled at their jobs.
But if they were truly compared, Yu Li’s professional ability was superior.
However, the two currently held roughly equal positions at the station—Yu Li relied purely on her professional skills, while Qi Jianyue relied on pulling in investments.
A good number of the station’s investments had been secured by Qi Jianyue.
That was why the higher-ups favored Qi Jianyue—after all, she brought in greater revenue for the station.
But Yu Li’s professional skills were exceptional. From her very first broadcast until now, she had hardly ever made a mistake.
Qi Jianyue was a different story. She could read from a script just fine, but if anything unexpected happened mid-broadcast, her ability to adapt fell far short of Yu Li’s.
This time, the station announced it would select two anchors for its prime-time slot—one male and one female.
The male anchor had already been decided, and the female anchor would be chosen between Yu Li and Qi Jianyue.
Yu Li completely ignored Qi Jianyue’s provocation.
There was no way she could land an investment, so there was no point in competing with her over it.
Yu Li’s words stunned everyone: “Director, I choose to withdraw from the competition for the prime-time female anchor position.”
As soon as she said this, everyone was shocked.
Although Yu Li didn’t have Qi Jianyue’s connections, her ability was in a league of its own—miles ahead of Qi Jianyue’s.
Privately, everyone had been placing bets on which of the two would come out on top.
But no one expected Yu Li to voluntarily withdraw first.
The director was also taken aback. “Yu Li, the prime-time female anchor position is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Are you sure you want to withdraw and stop competing?”
Yu Li showed no reluctance. She nodded to confirm, then pulled out a document.
“Director, I’d like to apply to launch a new program—a celebrity interview show. The scope of ‘celebrity’ would include outstanding, well-known figures from entertainment, finance, sports, and other fields.”
“For the first episode, I plan to invite Qi Chenyan as our guest—the spokesperson hailed as the youngest and most accomplished in the history of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who has also become hugely popular online thanks to his exceptional professional skills and striking good looks.”
The moment Qi Chenyan’s name was spoken, the room fell silent.
The first to recover was Qi Jianyue, with a sneer.
“Yu Li, are you so desperate for results that you’ve lost your mind? How dare you make such wild claims—inviting Director Qi as your first interview guest?”
“Forget our station—even CCTV couldn’t get him for an interview. Who do you think you are?”
Qi Jianyue found Yu Li utterly ridiculous.
Although she wasn’t the Qi family’s true daughter, she had lived with the Qi family for over twenty years.
Even she found it extremely difficult to get a single meeting with Qi Chenyan in the Qi household.
Even if he personally stepped in, there was almost no chance of getting Qi Chenyan to agree to appear for an interview.
Yu Li was simply indulging in fantasy.
The others chimed in as well.
“Yu Li, even if you can’t compete with Jianyue, getting this interview is even more far-fetched than securing investment from the entire Tianhe Group.”
“That’s right. You should be more realistic—this interview of yours is simply impossible.”
The director also weighed in: “Yu Li, although I trust your professional abilities, if you want to invite Director Qi for the first episode, you should choose someone else.”