6 – So It Was You
Lu Yanci turned and walked to his desk, then made an internal call to Special Assistant Zhou. “Shiyu, come in for a moment,” he instructed.
After hanging up, Zhou Shiyu quickly made his way over and knocked on the office door.
“Come in.”
Seated in the spacious executive chair, Lu Yanci looked at Zhou Shiyu as he entered and said, “Shiyu, compile the list and files of employees who joined within the past week and send them to me.”
“Understood. I’ll have them in your inbox within five minutes.” Zhou Shiyu acknowledged and turned to leave the office.
Two minutes later, a pop-up appeared in the bottom-right corner of the computer screen, notifying him of a new email.
Lu Yanci opened the email from Zhou Shiyu, which contained files for over thirty employees. Each file had a red-background ID photo attached, and he glanced through every single one.
It wasn’t until he saw Su Qinghe’s photo that Lu Yanci paused, a thoughtful smile playing on his lips. So it really was her…
So that was why Su Qinghe had been acting so evasive during the day—she was trying to avoid him.
Lu Yanci read through Su Qinghe’s file carefully from start to finish.
The next morning, Su Qinghe rose early. After a light breakfast, she brewed a cup of coffee with the coffee machine.
Downing a bitter shot of espresso, she grabbed her bag and headed out, squeezing onto the subway to get to the office.
While waiting for the elevator downstairs at the company, a female colleague standing nearby suddenly greeted her: “Good morning, Su Qinghe.”
Su Qinghe turned to look at her colleague and immediately recognized her as a designer from the same design team.
“Good morning, Fang Ya.” A slight smile curved at the corners of Su Qinghe’s lips.
The elevator doors opened, and Su Qinghe, standing at the front, stepped in first.
Barring any surprises today, she’d probably be reviewing that same pile of documents again.
After returning to her workstation, Su Qinghe took her cup to the break room, rinsed it out, and filled it with warm water from the dispenser.
Li Jiajia, just like yesterday, arrived at the office right on the dot.
“Morning, Qinghe.” Li Jiajia tucked her bag into the drawer, then leaned in close to Su Qinghe and whispered, “I just saw Director Chen at the elevator entrance. She was called to the CEO’s office first thing this morning.”
“Oh.” Su Qinghe blinked and tilted her head toward Li Jiajia, speaking softly. “Isn’t that pretty normal?”
“No, not normal.” Li Jiajia wagged her index finger in front of Su Qinghe’s eyes and continued, “Getting summoned by the CEO this early in the morning—chances are it’s bad news. Doom and gloom.”
“That serious?” Su Qinghe’s mouth fell open in surprise.
“Yeah.” Li Jiajia lowered her voice. “Director Chen is probably getting chewed out right about now.”
After chatting for a bit, Li Jiajia moved back to her own seat and settled into work mode.
Inside the CEO’s office, a deathly silence hung over the room—so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Lu Yanci sat in his executive chair, legs crossed, arm resting casually on the armrest, his gaze heavy with pressure as he looked at Chen Ran seated across from him.
Chen Ran, who was normally highly resilient under pressure, couldn’t help but feel a flicker of tension beneath Lu Yanci’s overwhelming presence. Her hand gripped her pen tightly.
Zhou Shiyu stood off to the side, his expression somewhat detached.
It was a long moment before Lu Yanci finally broke the silence.
“Director Chen, how would you assess the design department’s recent performance?”
Chen Ran replied calmly and composedly, “President, I have already submitted the quarterly report. I’ve provided a detailed analysis of the recent work overview of the design department.”
“Is that so? You don’t think there are any other issues?” Lu Yanci’s drawn-out tone clearly carried a hint of dissatisfaction.
Chen Ran was stunned for a moment. “President, if there are any oversights, I hope you will point them out directly.”
“Shiyu, show Director Chen.” Lu Yanci tilted his chin slightly, glancing toward Zhou Shiyu beside him.
Zhou Shiyu picked up a tablet from the desk and placed it in front of Chen Ran. His slender fingers slid up and down the screen.
Chen Ran lowered her head to look at the tablet. It was the official Weibo account of the brand ‘Yue Mian,’ with many netizen comments below.
Among these comments, some expressed support and affection for the brand, while others offered suggestions.
Yunzhong Qingge: “I think this brand’s latest season’s styles have no innovation at all—they’re very similar to previous years’ designs. Finally, I can save money and not buy.”
This comment had over a thousand likes, and many people agreed with the original poster’s viewpoint.
After reading through the comments section, Chen Ran guessed that this was what Lu Yanci was referring to.
“President, regarding the issue of styles being too similar, I will instruct the designers to pay more attention to this and focus on innovation.” Chen Ran immediately stated her position.
“Mm.” Lu Yanci nodded. “After this, I will pay more attention to your department’s work.”
Hearing Lu Yanci’s words, Chen Ran knew she was now being watched, and the days ahead would probably not be easy.
Chen Ran replied softly, “Understood, President. I will lead the design team to provide the sales department with styles that better match the market.”
Lu Yanci nodded with satisfaction, then shifted the topic: “I heard your department has a new designer?”
“Yes, that’s right. This designer graduated from the Naples Academy and also interned at the Bohan Design Studio. I’ve seen her design drafts—she has her own style, very distinctive.”
Chen Ran held high expectations for Su Qinghe. During the interview, when she saw Su Qinghe’s design works, she was deeply shaken inside.
If she had to describe it in one word, Chen Ran felt it should be: brilliance.
Lu Yanci gave a slight nod and said casually, “Since she studied abroad and has good abilities, then keep an eye on her.”
“Understood.”
As a seasoned professional, even if Lu Yanci hadn’t spelled it out, Chen Ran could read between the lines.
It meant to value Su Qinghe, keep the talent within the company, let her shine, and create more wealth for the company.
Walking out of the president’s office, Chen Ran let out a light breath.
Returning to the design department, Chen Ran organized a departmental meeting, and Su Qinghe also participated.
At the start of the meeting, Chen Ran conveyed the president’s directive: the new season’s design development must bring innovation.
With similar styles, returning customers wouldn’t make purchases every season. This caused a loss of loyal clientele.
Afterward, colleagues spoke up one after another, sharing their opinions.
They discussed heatedly, while Su Qinghe quietly took meeting notes. Without understanding the full picture, she didn’t feel it appropriate to speak.
At noon, Su Qinghe went downstairs with Li Jiajia as usual, planning to go out for lunch.
Just as they stepped out of the elevator, they happened to catch sight of Lu Yanci again. His tall, elegant figure stood out conspicuously among the crowd.
“Jiajia, my stomach suddenly hurts a bit. You go on ahead—I’ll come find you in a bit.”
Even though Lu Yanci probably didn’t remember her, Su Qinghe still felt a bit intimidated at the sight of him… Showing up to the wrong blind date was just too embarrassing.
“Alright, if you need me to pack something up for you, just send me a message.” Li Jiajia didn’t suspect a thing and walked out first.
“Mm-hmm, thanks.” Su Qinghe clutched her stomach, lowered her head, and slipped into the restroom next to the front desk on the first floor.
She hid for about five minutes before stepping out of the restroom and heading to the restaurant to meet up with Li Jiajia.
On the second floor of the restaurant across from Shengshi Tower, Lu Yanci sat by the window, his head slightly tilted as he watched the scene outside with keen interest.
Zhou Shiyu poured two cups of tea. Amidst the rising steam, he followed Lu Yanci’s gaze and looked outside.
Her again??
He had worked alongside Lu Yanci for five years, and this was the first time he’d ever seen Lu Yanci pay this much attention to any woman…