Lu Qi had just entered the company building when his assistant, who had been waiting nearby, approached to greet him: “Good morning, Young Master Lu.”
“Mm.” Lu Qi nodded, and the assistant escorted him to the executive elevator.
After they left, several female colleagues in the lobby gathered together whispering.
“When did our company get such a handsome man?”
“Is he a model hired by our company? Those long legs are longer than my life.”
“Probably not. I saw him go into the executive elevator. Could he be a new leader?”
Someone with insider knowledge whispered: “He’s not a model. He’s the parachuted boss, and his background is quite impressive. I heard he’s President Lu’s nephew, the crown prince of the Lu family.”
Recently, Manager Wang had been transferred, and everyone in the company was curious about who the mysterious new boss would be. They never expected their new boss to be such a handsome, high-value guy.
Lu Qi pushed open the door and entered the CEO’s office, scanning the furnishings inside. His gaze stopped on the painting hanging on the wall, and he pointed at it.
“Have someone take that painting down. I can’t stand such ugly things swaying in front of me. What kind of taste is this?” His tone carried disdain.
Assistant An looked at the painting of a mountain pine, then at the boss sitting behind the desk, feeling this matter was somewhat difficult to handle.
He hesitated and said: “Young Master Lu, this painting was bought by President Lu at a high price from an auction and specifically hung in the office.”
“Tsk, indeed. When people get older, they like such tacky things.” Lu Qi muttered inwardly.
But now the office was his, and he could do whatever he wanted with it.
Lu Qi said coldly: “This is my territory now. I told you to take it down, so take it down. Why so much nonsense? Do my words not count?”
Assistant An lowered his head, not daring to offend him. “I’ll have someone take it down right away.”
“After taking it down, put it in the company warehouse and store it carefully.”
Soon, someone took down the painting from the wall, and all the things Lu Qi disliked in the office were cleared out.
Lu Qi leaned his head on his hand, casually flipping through the contracts on the desk. The pile of files stacked like a small mountain on his right side was the work he had to handle today.
His phone rang with an incoming call. Lu Qi glanced at the note and answered.
“Hey, Uncle, what’s up?” He crossed his legs, his tone casual.
“Are you at the company now?”
“Yeah, why? Didn’t we agree I’d only be responsible for the Bay Project? Why am I also managing Yasen International? This isn’t what we agreed on before!”
He thought coming to Binxi was just to follow that project, acting as a hands-off boss, occasionally checking the progress. No one told him he’d also have to manage the company.
Lu Tingshen’s tone on the phone was serious: “Lu Qi, I never interfered with how you played before, but now you should also take responsibility. I’m giving you a subsidiary to develop your business skills, then you’ll come back to headquarters to help me. I believe in your abilities; don’t disappoint me.”
Lu Qi also knew it was hard for Lu Tingshen to manage the company alone. His parents were abroad managing overseas business and couldn’t be with him. He and his younger brother Lu Mian had been raised by their uncle since childhood. For Lu Qi, he was both an uncle and a father.
“Then you should have given me a heads up earlier. Notifying me to come to work at the last minute left me completely unprepared,” Lu Qi muttered softly.
“Don’t be so fussy. What kind of preparation do you even need for this?”
Lu Qi couldn’t help but laugh. He never expected such words from a man who was usually stern and aloof. “Uncle, I didn’t know you were familiar with the word ‘fussy.'”
On the other end of the line, Lu Tingshen looked helplessly at his beloved, who was squirming restlessly in his arms. He wrapped his large hand around the slender waist, kissed the other’s ear, and whispered softly, “Be good and sit still. Don’t tease me.”
Lu Qi leaned back lazily, picked up the tea in front of him, and took a slow sip. “By the way, was that painting of the mountain pine in the office hung by you? I just had someone take it down. Your taste is really poor.”
Criticizing his uncle was something Lu Qi never feared—after all, Lu Tingshen was too far away to hit him.
“As you wish. As long as you’re happy, I’m hanging up.”
Without another word, the other end hung up.
Huh? His uncle didn’t even scold him. It seemed he must be in a pretty good mood.
Having finished half of the documents on his desk, Lu Qi checked the time—exactly twelve o’clock. He put down the project proposal in his hand and stood up to leave.
Yasen International and Haidensi Group weren’t far apart—just a ten-minute walk.
Entering the reception hall on the first floor of Haidensi Group, Lu Qi called Ji Qingyan, who answered almost immediately.
“I’m downstairs at your company. I can’t go up without a card.”
“Alright, I’ll have someone come down to get you.”
After hanging up, Ji Qingyan said to the secretary beside him, “Go downstairs and pick someone up for me.”
Considering she might not recognize Lu Qi, he added, “He’s the tallest and most handsome man in the crowd.”
“Understood, Mr. Ji.”
The secretary went down to the lobby and looked around. It was lunchtime, and people were coming and going at the company entrance. Among the crowd, she immediately noticed the tall man standing by the window. One glance at his handsome, chiseled face confirmed it was him.
The secretary walked over and said respectfully, “Sir, Mr. Ji asked me to take you upstairs.”
“Alright, thank you.”
Lu Qi stood outside the office door, knocked, and upon hearing a response, pushed the door open and walked in.
Ji Qingyan was sitting on the sofa, with several takeout boxes spread out on the table in front of him. He looked up at Lu Qi and said, “I didn’t know what you liked to eat, so I just ordered a few random things.”
“I’m not picky. As long as there’s food, I’ll eat.”
Lu Qi walked over and sat across from him, unbuttoned his cuffs, and rolled up his shirt sleeves, revealing his toned and well-defined arms. He then took the bowl and chopsticks Ji Qingyan handed him.
“The chicken is a bit dry,” Ji Qingyan remarked.
Hearing this, Lu Qi picked up a piece of chicken with his chopsticks and tasted it. After finishing it, he said, “Let’s not order from that place next time.” Then, he moved the box of chicken closer to himself.
“Alright,” Ji Qingyan replied with a smile.
Lu Qi finished every last bit of the remaining dishes. After lunch, he cleared the table and tossed the takeout boxes into the trash.
“Do you always eat takeout at the company?”
“Not always. Sometimes I eat at the company cafeteria.”