Qiao Mian felt a hint of smugness as she said this—she knew better than anyone that Qian Zhaoye would never agree to publicly reveal his relationship with Qu He.
She was just waiting for Qu He to make a fool of herself!
After speaking, seeing that Qu He didn’t respond, she wiggled her shoulders with satisfaction, covering her mouth with a feigned look of regret. “Sister Qu He, I was just rambling. If it’s inconvenient, no worries.”
The moment those words left her mouth, everyone present wore expressions of eager anticipation.
Could it really be just as the rumors said?
That Qu He’s fiancé was a balding man over fifty?
Otherwise, why would she hide him away and refuse to let anyone see him?
Everyone’s curiosity was on full display in that moment.
“Convenient. Why wouldn’t it be?”
Qu He’s voice was cold and sharp, catching Qiao Mian completely off guard. The smile on her face froze instantly.
“Huh? …Sister Qu He, does your fiancé even know you’re making this decision on your own?”
Qiao Mian blurted out the question before she could stop herself, and only after saying it did she realize how inappropriate it sounded—as if she knew something she shouldn’t.
Qu He let out a thoughtful “Oh.”
“Assistant Qiao, you seem very interested in my personal life. Perhaps you should channel that energy into your work instead. I don’t want to see a cooperation document sent back for revisions a third time.”
The atmosphere grew tense.
A nearby colleague quickly stepped in to smooth things over.
“Xiao Qiao is just blunt—she means no harm.”
“Yeah, exactly!”
Tingting, who had just started her internship not long ago and had never heard the rumors circulating before, was already curious about Qu He’s decision to reveal her fiancé. Catching the look from a colleague signaling her to help diffuse the tension, her mouth moved faster than her brain, and she blurted out the question on her mind.
“Haha, right, Sister Qu He! Then your fiancé must be really handsome.”
The moment she said it, it felt like a flock of crows flew silently overhead.
Beside her, Xiao Lin held his forehead and gave a wry smile.
Tingting only then realized she might have said something wrong.
But by the time she tried to backtrack, it was already too late.
Qu He, however, didn’t seem bothered in the slightest. Tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear, she curved her lips into a smile. “Yes, he is very handsome!”
She met Qiao Mian’s stiff face directly. “I’ll have him come to the next team dinner. You’ll all get to meet him then. Everyone be sure to come—and Assistant Qiao, you can bring your boyfriend too.”
As she said those final words, her gaze swept over Qiao Mian with deliberate casualness.
“Wow! So our brother-in-law is a handsome guy!”
“I always said Sister Qu He is so beautiful—there’s no way her standards would be low!”
“I can’t wait! On the day of the dinner, I’m wearing my two-digit-priced daily disposable contacts, eyes wide open, not missing a single detail.”
A wave of exclamations rippled through the secretarial department.
Qu He gave a few brief instructions on work arrangements before heading toward her office.
As she passed by Qiao Mian, she thought she heard the sound of wrapping paper being torn.
The others chatted among themselves for a moment before gradually dispersing, leaving Qiao Mian alone in place, gnashing her teeth in fury.
The flower wrapping paper was crumpled into a ball in her hands as she glared at the direction Qu He had just walked off in, her chest heaving violently with rage.
She had waited at the hotel all night last night, but Qian Zhaoye never showed up!
Where had Qian Zhaoye gone last night?
Why did he stand her up?
Qu He had dressed up so beautifully today and had even boasted in front of everyone that she would bring her fiancé to the dinner.
Could it be…
Qian Zhaoye had been with Qu He last night.
Were they really planning to go public with their relationship?
At that thought, Qiao Mian was consumed by jealousy. She walked to her desk, tossed the flowers into the trash can beneath it, and pulled out her phone to frantically call Qian Zhaoye again.
But the other end remained unanswered.
…..
Since she had already decided to cut ties with Qian Zhaoye, there was no reason to stay at the Qian Corporation any longer.
Back in her office, Qu He logged into the company’s OA system and submitted her resignation application.
She had to admit—over these five years, Qian Zhaoye had indeed trusted her immensely in work matters. His phone password, email password, and company account passwords were almost all shared with her.
In recent years, nearly every process requiring Qian Zhaoye’s approval had been handled by her personally.
If she hadn’t discovered the dual-system hidden partition on his phone that day, she might still be lost in the sweet dream of this false “trust.”
Qu He let out a cold laugh and directly logged into Qian Zhaoye’s account to approve her own resignation.
Once the highest-level approval was granted, the remaining steps moved very quickly.
When the system displayed the green checkmark reading “Approved,” Qu He slowly let out a breath.
Finally, it was coming to an end.
All that remained was the final step—submitting the resignation report, which required Qian Zhaoye’s personal signature.
She glanced at the time, then turned her gaze toward the floor-to-ceiling glass at the entrance.
Qian Zhaoye should be arriving soon.
Not long after, she heard heavy footsteps echoing down the hallway.
Qian Zhaoye walked into the CEO’s office with a dark expression. Unlike his usual composed and dignified demeanor, today he was surrounded by a low-pressure aura. Faint dark circles shadowed his eyes, his tie hung askew, and the hem of his suit jacket bore subtle creases.
The moment she saw him, Qiao Mian couldn’t wait to rush over and fawn on him, but before she could even speak, she was sent stumbling back several steps by a roar of “Get out!”
Qu He’s lips curled into a faint smile as she withdrew her gaze, feeling pleased.
It seemed that phone call reporting him last night had been a success—even better than she’d expected!
Although Qian Zhaoye hadn’t drunk much last night, it still counted as drunk driving. And given his status, if the public found out that the new elite of Beicheng, the president of the Qian Corporation, had been arrested for drunk driving, it would inevitably affect the company once the news got out.
So he would definitely do everything in his power to suppress this scandal!
He had an online meeting with overseas business partners scheduled in half an hour. Judging by his appearance just now, he’d rushed over without even having time to change his clothes.
Hmph.
Qian Zhaoye, did you think that would be enough?
Qu He logged out of her account, organized a few documents that needed Qian Zhaoye’s signature, tucked the resignation letter she’d just printed in among them, and rose to head toward his office.
Qiao Mian, still fuming from being yelled at by Qian Zhaoye moments ago, spoke with a hint of sarcasm as she watched Qu He approach, “Sister Qu, President Qian said he’s not seeing anyone. You’d better not disturb him.”
But Qu He didn’t even bother giving her a glance. Without even knocking, she pushed the door open and walked straight in.
Qian Zhaoye stood with his back to the door in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, on the phone. Sunlight streamed in, stretching his shadow long across the floor.
His suit jacket had been carelessly tossed onto the sofa, his shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows, his shoulders tensed rigidly, and even the veins at his right temple were bulging.
Qu He knew Qian Zhaoye was in a state of extreme anger right now.
Looking at this man who was both familiar and unfamiliar, Qu He felt for the first time that he was nothing special after all—how had she been so blind?
She closed the door behind her without moderating her force.
Hearing the sound, Qian Zhaoye hung up the phone and shouted without turning around.
“Get out! I said don’t bother me!”
With that, he turned around—but his pupils suddenly contracted when he saw who it was.