A little past five in the afternoon, close to the end of the workday, the marketing department’s office area was still bustling with activity. The employees hunched over their computers had long since given up any hope of getting off work on time.
He Qi’s desk was near the pantry. She was unhurriedly packing the few remaining small items on her desk back into her bag.
“Sister Qi, you’re really leaving?” A young girl from the marketing department stood by He Qi’s workstation, looking at her pitifully.
The young girl’s name was Zhang Xinyi. She wasn’t much younger than He Qi, and He Qi had personally mentored her since her internship before graduating from university. Naturally, she was the most reluctant to see He Qi resign.
“Taking a break for a while.” He Qi shrugged, sliding the strap of her Neverfull bag onto her shoulder. After taking one last look at her now-empty workstation, she walked over to Zhang Xinyi.
After all, she was still in the company. It wouldn’t be appropriate to openly rant about how this miserable job had affected her life. Just like in her resignation letter, she would keep it polite and let it pass with some formal words.
Zhang Xinyi sighed, looping her arm through He Qi’s and resting her head on her shoulder, full of envy as she said, “Sister Qi, I really admire you. You can just quit like that.”
Admire her? He Qi let out a bitter smile, the corners of her lips twitching. Just as she was about to say something, a middle-aged man walked out of the pantry.
He was a veteran employee in the marketing department, but for some reason, he had always had a problem with He Qi.
As he passed by them, the strong aroma of coffee from his cup instantly filled the entire corridor. He Qi and Zhang Xinyi tactfully fell silent, only hoping he would hurry up and leave instead of lingering around being annoying.
Unfortunately, the reason trash is trash is precisely because of how shamelessly it behaves.
The pot-bellied middle-aged man paused in front of them, casting a sideways glance. His gaze stuck to the LV-logo-covered bag on He Qi’s shoulder, and suddenly, he revealed a half-smiling, half-mocking expression as he sneered:
“Xiao Yi, let me give you a piece of advice. You’d better save it. Miss He’s kind of fortune isn’t something just anyone can envy. She gets picked up and dropped off in a Cayenne every day!”
In just one sentence, he sowed discord, praising on the surface while mocking underneath—taking disgusting behavior to its peak.
He Qi wanted to tear off all pretense and throw coffee at him, maybe even slap him. But first, she wasn’t that kind of person, and second, Zhang Xinyi still had to make a living here.
So she simply ignored him, rolling her eyes as if she hadn’t heard anything, and said to Zhang Xinyi, “Oh right, I have something to give you.”
Zhang Xinyi was somewhat intimidated by the older employee. She could only stiffly go along with He Qi, turning half her body away while sneaking glances at the man’s expression out of the corner of her eye, wishing she could crawl into He Qi’s bag and hide.
“This.” He Qi took out a neatly packaged box from her bag and handed it to Zhang Xinyi. “Didn’t you say you liked my perfume? I bought a new one as a farewell gift for you. CK One—it’s pretty suitable for daily commuting.”
The older employee craned his neck to take a look, then let out a disdainful “hmph” before walking away with his full cup of coffee.
For a moment, He Qi felt she had made a strategic mistake—she should’ve taken out a Porsche car key and handed it over right in front of him, just to see if he’d be so shocked he’d spill his coffee on the spot.
Zhang Xinyi took the perfume, at a complete loss for words. Her lips trembled as if she was about to cry. She hugged He Qi tightly. “Sister Qi, thank you.”
He Qi patted her back and comforted her gently, “Message me when you’re on break. I’ll treat you to a meal.”
“Okay.” Zhang Xinyi dragged out the word, reluctantly squeezing He Qi’s hand before waving goodbye.
He Qi nodded and left the company without hesitation.
The elevator descended all the way down. As she stepped into the lobby, for the first time, He Qi felt that the air in the office building was so fresh, the décor so pleasing to the eye. Everything in the world suddenly seemed forgivable—except for that beer-bellied male colleague.
As she walked further out, the two girls at the front desk were curiously peeking outside the main entrance, whispering among themselves.
He Qi slowed her steps and looked outside as well—only to be startled.
In the open space directly in front of the building,
there was a conspicuous pink BMW parked there. The owner leaned against the car door, wearing sunglasses and holding a large bouquet of fresh roses.
No wonder it was attracting so much attention—anyone who didn’t know better might think it was a proposal scene.
However, He Qi recognized the “proposer” at a glance—her best friend, Li Jiajia.
He Qi had no idea what stunt she was pulling. Securing her bag on her shoulder, she pushed the door open with a mix of helplessness and amusement, walked up to Li Jiajia, and slapped her arm without courtesy. “What are you doing?”
Li Jiajia pushed her sunglasses up, revealing a bold and striking face. “Of course I’m celebrating Miss He’s glorious resignation!”
He Qi took the roses. The rich fragrance was so strong it made her head feel a little light. Although she verbally complained about Li Jiajia’s exaggerated display, she was genuinely happy to have a friend like her.
She glanced at the BMW S7 that had been wrapped in an over-the-top pink and rolled her eyes. “Chen Jin drove me to and from work a few times, and one of my male coworkers saw it. Just a few minutes ago, he was throwing shade at me. If he saw your car, he’d probably cough up blood from anger.”
“You should’ve told me earlier you had someone like that around.” Li Jiajia turned and opened the passenger door, then winked at He Qi. “I’d have called in a whole convoy to pick you up—guaranteed he’d drop dead on the spot!”
He Qi laughed, getting into the passenger seat. She placed the roses in the back for now and fastened her seatbelt.
Li Jiajia started the car. The in-car music was once again an energetic Western track. She bobbed her head to the rhythm while checking her makeup in the rearview mirror. Then she stepped hard on the gas.
He Qi briefly closed her eyes and, at the same time, accurately grabbed the handle above the car door. Her silent reaction made it clear she was already used to Li Jiajia’s habit of driving every car like a race car.
Noticing her movement out of the corner of her eye, the wild driver grinned. “Don’t be scared.”
Knowing Li Jiajia’s personality, He Qi casually asked, “Be honest with me—did you drink before coming?”
“I didn’t drink any baijiu.”
“What do you mean you didn’t drink baijiu?!”
Before He Qi could jump out of the car, Li Jiajia smiled innocently. “Relax, I’m joking. I’m a law-abiding citizen.”
They happened to stop at a red light at the intersection. She parked the car and then asked, “So where are we going at this hour?”
“Anywhere. Where do you want to go?”
“Where else can I go besides a bar?” Li Jiajia suddenly remembered something and turned to look at He Qi. “Where’s brother-in-law? He’s not accompanying you after you quit your job?”
The “brother-in-law” Li Jiajia referred to was He Qi’s boyfriend of seven years, Chen Jin.
Since she was a few months younger than He Qi, she always called He Qi’s boyfriend “brother-in-law.”
As soon as Li Jiajia finished speaking, an eerie silence fell inside the car. The Western singer’s voice suddenly sounded especially noisy during those few seconds. Only when the red light turned green did He Qi finally speak, somewhat irritably:
“He doesn’t know yet.”
Li Jiajia was so startled she almost forgot to step on the gas. She looked shaken. “What do you mean? You scared the alcohol out of me.”
He Qi knew she was exaggerating. Looking out the window, the image of a man appeared in her mind. Her brows unconsciously furrowed as she let out a long sigh.
Quitting a job was never a small matter—let alone quitting without another job lined up. And from making the decision, to submitting the resignation, to officially leaving, it wasn’t something that could be done overnight.
He Qi hadn’t revealed even the slightest hint of it to her boyfriend during this entire time.
The more Li Jiajia thought about it, the more something felt off. She swallowed and asked, “He Qi… is that guy about to be doomed?”
One second he was “brother-in-law,” the next he became “that guy.” He Qi couldn’t help but laugh at how quickly she switched sides, though the gloom in her heart didn’t ease.
“Doomed? What doomed? I just quit my job. At the very least, I should spend more of his money first. I’ll talk about the rest after I find a job I actually like.”
Li Jiajia nodded, not daring to probe further. “Sister Qi is wise.”
“Forget it. Take me to get a drink.”
The moment He Qi finished speaking, her phone rang as if on cue. She flipped the screen toward herself, and the caller ID came into view—Chen Jin.
Li Jiajia immediately turned off the car music. He Qi let the default ringtone ring twice more before answering.
“Hello.” She brought the phone to her ear.
A low, extremely pleasant male voice came from the other end. “I got off work early today. I packed some food from Xin Shan Ji. Should I come pick you up from work now?”
He Qi hadn’t expected that opening line. She choked for a moment before forcing out, “Jiajia came to pick me up. I’m in her car.”
“Are you going out to eat?”
“No.” He Qi bit her lip and thought for two seconds. “She just passed by. I’ll head back.”
“Alright. I’ll wait for you at home.”
The call ended. He Qi pressed her hand against her forehead and rubbed her temples. “Can you take me home first? Tonight… I’ll come out later to drink with you.”
Li Jiajia didn’t argue. With a raised brow and a quick tongue click, she immediately switched lanes.
The drive was only about twenty minutes. Soon, Li Jiajia’s car stopped outside the residential complex. He Qi unfastened her seatbelt. As she turned halfway to the back seat, she saw the bouquet of roses and paused, as if thinking about something.
Li Jiajia also realized the issue—He Qi hadn’t told Chen Jin about quitting. Bringing home such a large bouquet of roses on an ordinary day would look suspicious.
She probed, “Why not just leave the flowers with me? We’re going out drinking later anyway—we can pick a couple of good-looking guys and give them a few.”
“I’ll take them upstairs.” He Qi spoke as if she had made up her mind. She leaned over, pulled the bouquet into her arms, and as she got out of the car, she smiled and asked, “Want me to leave you two for the handsome guys?”
Li Jiajia steered with one hand and waved her off with the other. “Don’t drag me into that!”
“Then come upstairs and eat with me?” He Qi stepped back, giving the car space to turn.
“You’re asking the obvious!” Li Jiajia rolled down the window and shouted angrily, “I’m seriously scared of that Chen guy!”
He Qi shrugged innocently, watching Li Jiajia drive off with a faint smile. But as she turned and walked toward the apartment building, her expression had already disappeared.
She was alone in the elevator. The numbers on the display climbed steadily upward. With the slight sensation of weightlessness, her mind went completely blank—only the irregular beating of her heart remained.
“Ding”—the elevator doors opened.
Immediately after—
“Beep”—the fingerprint lock unlocked.
He Qi stepped into the entryway, her movements slightly heavy. One hand tightly held the large bouquet of roses, while the other reached down to hook off her shoes.
The lights in the living room were already on. A pair of men’s shoes sat neatly in the entryway.
Hearing the sound at the door, the person in the kitchen wiped his hands with a paper towel as he strode out.
The man was extremely tall, nearly 1.9 meters, with broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and long legs. He wore a white shirt and black trousers, his hair casually slicked back from the morning.
His features were sharp and well-defined. His tie had just been loosened, the collar slightly open. When expressionless, he looked just as Li Jiajia had described—cold, almost intimidating.
Chen Jin immediately noticed what was in He Qi’s hands. He frowned slightly and asked, “Roses?”
“Mm.” He Qi changed into her slippers and responded, walking inside to place the flowers on the coffee table. “From Jiajia.”
Chen Jin’s brows furrowed deeper. Picking her up from work, giving her flowers—“Is today some kind of anniversary for you two?”
He Qi’s movement froze as she bent over to set the flowers down. Instinctively, she wanted to turn her back to him, but something compelled her to stiffly turn around and meet his gaze directly.
Her brows twitched faintly. Then she spoke frankly:
“I quit my job.”