The hotel chairman held Qian Fei's hand with a beaming smile and said, "Truly, talent emerges in every generation! Even such a young lady can single-handedly handle an IPO! I can't help but admit my age! Seems like it's really time for me to be washed up on the shore!"
Perhaps emboldened by alcohol, Qian Fei's usual banter with Yao Jingjing surfaced. "Chairman Lin, you're too modest. If I could achieve what you have by my thirties—owning such an impressive hotel—I wouldn't mind being washed up on the shore. Heck, I'd even lie down on railroad tracks if I had to!"
Chairman Lin laughed, the crow's feet around his eyes smoothing out. "Me, in my thirties? I'm already over fifty!"
With genuine sincerity, Qian Fei replied, "Really? Chairman Lin, if I could look as youthful as you do now when I'm in my fifties, my life would be well-lived!"
Flushed with pleasure, Chairman Lin left after specifically asking for Qian Fei's business card.
After he departed, Liu Yifeng, the project lead from Qian Fei's company, wobbled over and patted her shoulder. "Didn't expect that, Xiao Qian! You’ve got quite a silver tongue! Had we known earlier, we’d have let you handle the drinking table instead of Old Yan and me taking turns with Chairman Lin. How do hoteliers all drink like fish?" Old Yan was the project lead from Li Yifei's company.
Qian Fei smiled and turned to see Li Yifei and his colleagues.
Li Yifei curled his lips into something resembling a smirk. "Didn’t know you were so good at buttering people up!"
Qian Fei was about to retort when she noticed someone standing not far behind him. Her vision was slightly blurred from the alcohol, so she squinted and finally recognized Hu Zining.
She hadn’t expected Hu Zining to acknowledge her—after all, he’d ignored her for a week. Yet, to her surprise, he walked over and greeted her. "Feifei, is your company handling our IPO?"
Dazed, Qian Fei nodded.
His demeanor was as if their week-long cold war had never happened, leaving her bewildered.
Hu Zining smiled at her and asked, "Why didn’t you tell me? Are these your colleagues?"
Qian Fei nodded again.
Hu Zining greeted the others with a cheerful "Hello," then fixed his gaze on Qian Fei. "Feifei, I have to get back to work. Drink more water, and wait for me after work—we’ll have dinner together!"
Nodding once more, Qian Fei watched as Hu Zining walked away with a smile.
Liu Yifeng teased from beside her, "Oho? Boyfriend? No wonder Manager Kong insisted on having you in the group—so there’s this connection! Manager Kong must be Cupid’s best friend!"
Qian Fei’s face burned with embarrassment.
As the group moved toward the work area, Qian Fei trailed behind. Li Yifei, two steps ahead, suddenly stopped, forcing her to halt as well.
She looked up to find him staring at her with an odd expression.
"What’s wrong?" she asked, puzzled. "Is something the matter?"
She thought she saw the faintest frown flicker across his face—so subtle she wasn’t sure if she imagined it.
"That guy just now—is he your boyfriend?" he asked abruptly.
Qian Fei hesitated before answering, "Yes... why?"Li Yifei glanced at her, paused for two seconds, then raised an eyebrow and said, "Nothing, just asking."
At that moment, Li Yifei's colleague called out to him from ahead. He looked at Qian Fei again and said, "First time in a project team, right? Drink less in the future. If someone tries to pressure you into drinking at events like this, just say you can't and switch to something else. You're not obligated to drink with corporate leaders. If you set this precedent, you'll be drowning in alcohol later!"
A warmth spread through Qian Fei's chest, and she wanted to say "thank you," but Li Yifei had already turned and strode ahead.
Left with no choice, Qian Fei exhaled slowly, the unspoken "thank you" dissolving into the air.
When would he ever learn to wait for people to finish speaking?
※※※※※※
By the end of the workday, Qian Fei had sobered up. Hu Zining came to take her out to dinner, and they went to a restaurant near the hotel.
As the food arrived, Hu Zining served dishes onto Qian Fei's plate while saying, "This week has been insanely busy! The hotel's preparing for its IPO, so there's tons of work for us. I haven't had time to reach out!"
Hearing this, Qian Fei thought he'd smoothed over their previous awkwardness quite well. Seeing he'd offered an olive branch, she decided to meet him halfway.
She smiled. "Same here—we've been swamped too!"
Noticing her smile, Hu Zining's enthusiastic serving gradually became more natural.
"Who knew your team would handle our hotel's listing? This is perfect—we can see each other every day now!" Hu Zining said cheerfully.
Qian Fei played along with equal enthusiasm. "Absolutely! We'll see each other daily!"
Hu Zining reached out to pat her head. "Feifei, you're adorable!"
Qian Fei suppressed a shiver.
That nauseatingly sweet tone was back, leaving her torn between flattery and discomfort.
Suddenly, Hu Zining remarked, "Our Chairman Lin is usually extremely stern—every employee at the hotel fears him! But you, Feifei, were amazing today. I saw how you had him laughing!"
Qian Fei chuckled dryly. "Not at all. I was just rambling nonsense under the influence."
Hu Zining continued, "I noticed Chairman Lin asked for your business card—he probably wants to set you up with someone! Feifei, if he ever contacts you about matchmaking, just tell him you're already taken—by me!"
Qian Fei felt bewildered. "I think Chairman Lin only asked for my card because he was tipsy. Once he sobers up, he won't even remember me, let alone anything about matchmaking!" She snorted with laughter. "Zining, you're overthinking this!"
Still grinning, Hu Zining piled more food onto her plate. "Well, if he does reach out, remember to put in a good word for me. With the IPO coming up, there'll be restructuring—if things go well, I could get promoted to middle management!" He set down his chopsticks and grasped her hand. "Feifei, with a higher salary, I could help you pay off your mortgage!"
Qian Fei, mid-chew, nearly choked. She looked at Hu Zining, eyes watering from the near-choking fit. "Thanks... I guess?"
That night, she called Yao Jingjing and recounted the day's events in exhaustive detail before asking for her opinion.Yao Jingjing summed up two points in her remarks: "Feifei, do you think that Manager Lin has taken a fancy to you? Feifei, do you think Hu Zining is only making up with you because he saw his boss asking for your business card?"
Qian Fei sighed deeply: "If Hu Zining really reconciled with me just because he saw his boss asking for my business card, I'd be so heartbroken!"
Yao Jingjing scoffed, "Heartbroken my ass! As if you actually love him that much!"
Qian Fei said solemnly, "Yaojing, you don't understand. Someone like me, who's been deeply hurt by men, can't fall in love again. Just liking someone is already good enough! Besides, even though I may not love Hu Zining himself that much, I deeply appreciate that he's suitable marriage material! Right now, I have my own apartment, my career is improving—all I need is a man to marry!"
Yao Jingjing warned her, "Qian Fei, stop right there! If you dare do something as tasteless as marrying just for the sake of marriage, I'll cut ties with you immediately!"
Qian Fei argued, "But when night falls and all is quiet, do you know how lonely and empty I feel?"
Yao Jingjing snorted, "That's easy to solve! If that's why you want to get married, there's no need at all! Just buy a few dildos on Taobao, and you can be a bride every night! Guaranteed to keep you so entertained you'll forget all about loneliness and emptiness!"
Qian Fei angrily hung up after a furious "Pfft!"
After putting down the phone, she faintly heard the neighbors arguing again.
As she listened, for some reason, she suddenly remembered the fights she used to have with Wang Ruohai.
Back then, their arguments were just like the neighbors'—endless bickering over trivial matters, with neither willing to back down. It usually ended with Wang Ruohai slamming the door and leaving, while she sat at home crying—exactly the same pattern as Li Yifei and Gui Lili.
From observing Gui Lili, she occasionally realized that she, too, had been overly dramatic in the past. For instance, bringing up old grievances during new arguments, or crying endlessly until it became unbearable for others.
People are often like this—only by seeing others in the same situation do they recognize their own past mistakes. And it's usually only after a relationship ends that they see where they went wrong.
But what does it matter even if they realize it now? The past is gone, and all they can do is remind themselves not to repeat those mistakes in the next relationship—not to be aggressive during arguments, not to say hurtful things.
She flopped onto the bed, feeling restless.
Why was she thinking about Wang Ruohai again tonight?
When would she finally stop dwelling on the past with him?
※※※※※※
Qian Fei had initially thought Li Yifei was all style and no substance, but to her surprise, he turned out to be quite capable.Normally, he indulged in the finest food, clothes, and entertainment, living a life of such extravagance that even washing his own socks seemed beneath his dignity and style. One would assume such a hedonistic character had no real skills—just some shady connections or dumb luck to land a spot in the project team. But Qian Fei never expected this spoiled brat to be so sharp when it came to business. He could recite regulations and legal clauses off the top of his head, knew exactly what step to take next in the workflow, and with just a glance at the hotel’s financial statements, he could pinpoint several critical issues.
His performance at work left Qian Fei utterly stunned. As she marveled, she began to feel a creeping sense of inadequacy. No wonder he was assigned core project tasks while she was stuck organizing work documents.
After comparing herself to him, Qian Fei finally understood the emotion known as "sheer frustration." She started memorizing regulations obsessively, reviewing her CPA coursework, and devouring finance books. Her dedication to learning bordered on the extreme—even during university finals, she had never been this proactive or self-motivated.
When Yao Jingjing called her, she asked, "Who the hell lit a fire under you? Didn’t we burn our textbooks and swear never to study again after graduation? Whoever crams like crazy now is a total loser!"
Author's Note: Thanks to the lovely reader who threw a thunderbolt >3_
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