All morning, Han Qian sat with his hand pressed to his forehead. That woman, Yan Qingqing, was clearly out of her mind—dangerously so. Who on earth bites someone on the forehead and even leaves a mark?
She'd threatened Su Liang into silence, warning that if he spoke out, she would have to silence him permanently.
The proposal had been approved, and the mood among Han Qian and his colleagues was rather upbeat. The marketing and project departments soon sent over new assignments. Though the plan had originated from the operations division, it had only been verbally presented; now the others needed detailed reports and documentation.
Yang Lan readily agreed to the departments' requests and assigned the work accordingly, but murmurs of discontent began to rise from within the operations team. Upon receiving his task, Li Dongsheng grumbled aloud.
"Yang Jie, why should the operations team have to do the work of the marketing and project departments? You need to toughen up—if you let them push you around, we suffer too. It's infuriating."
Yang Lan, who had been preparing other assignments, looked momentarily flustered. Then Li Dongsheng added with a smirk:
"I'm not doing it. Find someone else. Liu Fu, don't you have a thing for Yang Jie? Here's your chance to shine."
The air in the office grew thick with awkwardness. Liu Jiulong wanted to help Yang Lan, but he didn't want to make her lose face. Yang Lan's expression turned stiff as she looked at Li Dongsheng, who was playing a game on his phone. After a long silence, she forced a smile.
"Dongsheng, this was assigned by Director Yan…"
"I didn't see Director Yan. I only saw people from the project and marketing teams. Isn't that Han Qian always eager to please? Like a lapdog. Let him handle it. Don't bother me while I'm gaming."
Yang Lan's discomfort deepened. Everyone in the operations department was watching her, and Li Dongsheng had shown her no respect. Han Qian, who had been chatting with Su Liang, stood up and frowned. He wasn't sure if "lapdog" was meant for Yang Lan or him.
He turned to look at Li Dongsheng—mid-twenties, lean, wearing rimless glasses—and said with a cold expression:
"If you want to do it, do it. If not, shut your mouth. Don't call my name like we're friends."
All eyes shifted to Han Qian. Everyone knew he wasn't someone to be trifled with—after all, anyone who could go toe-to-toe with Director Yan couldn't have a mild temperament.
Li Dongsheng slowly lifted his head, casting a contemptuous glance at Han Qian from the corner of his eye. He sneered.
"Broke bastard, try saying that again."
Han Qian unfastened his shirt collar. Su Liang, sensing trouble, quickly stood up and whispered a few words into his ear. Hearing him, Han Qian frowned. Apparently, Li Dongsheng had some backing. Even Yang Lan was looking at him with pleading eyes. With a cold snort, Han Qian sat back down. Seeing Han Qian back off, Li Dongsheng sneered and resumed his foul-mouthed muttering.
A young woman sitting nearby couldn't bear it any longer. She frowned and said softly:
"Dongsheng, enough. If you don't want to do it, I'll help."
Hearing her, Li Dongsheng turned with a smile and handed her the folder.
"Thanks, Siwan. I'll clear out your shopping cart later—my mom's orders."
Wu Siwan didn't respond to him. She merely smiled at Yang Lan. The storm passed for now, but Han Qian, brows furrowed, still felt unsettled. After quietly giving some instructions to Su Liang and Yang Lan, he left the office. Standing in the corridor, he lit a cigarette and watched the passing traffic with a brooding gaze.
He hadn't expected the operations department to harbor such hidden dragons. Turns out Li Dongsheng had some influential family ties—strong enough that even Yang Lan and Yan Qingqing treaded carefully around him. He was just coasting through his time here, and even Su Liang didn't know the exact nature of his background.
Clearly, their resentment toward him was only growing.
**Click-clack, click-clack.**
The sharp sound of high heels approached, and Han Qian turned to see Yan Qingqing standing beside him. Without a word, she reached out, took the cigarette from his fingers, and extinguished it on the windowsill with a frown.
"Smoking is forbidden in public areas. Don't make me assign you to restroom duty."
Her voice was soft, but Han Qian took a step back and smiled sheepishly. He genuinely feared this woman. The memory of her provocative confrontation with Wen Nuan, and that morning's unexpected bite, made his heart skip uneasily. Yan Qingqing handed him a document envelope.
"Inside is eighty thousand. With the twenty I already gave you, that makes a hundred. This is the first advance. Once the plan gains approval from the authorities, I'll pay you another hundred."
Han Qian took the envelope, peeked inside, and chuckled quietly.
"Thank you, Director Yan. I hope you won't delay too long—I really need the money."
Yan Qingqing smiled, and for a moment, that gentle expression made Han Qian's heart flutter—only briefly. Perhaps it was the unfamiliar softness in her face. She spoke again, softly:
"How much do you need? And how urgent is it?"
"An accident a few years ago left me four million in debt. I have to repay it in full by this time next year."
"Try your luck with a lottery ticket—might be your only chance. I'll do my best to get you around three hundred thousand before year's end, but you should be prepared to receive only two hundred. Understand?"
"Yes. I understand."
"If you help me succeed, I'll see to it that you're taken care of. But in the operations department, a few people are... special. Control your temper. Don't provoke them. Endure when you must. For everything else, use your judgment. And one more thing—I'm revising company policy just for you. Clearly, without financial penalties, you can't be punctual. From now on, there will be fines for lateness and for unauthorized smoking. Be proud, Han Qian. You've singlehandedly earned yourself a custom set of rules."
"Does biting me count?"
"That was a reward."
"Get lost."
Irritated, Han Qian turned and headed back to the department, ignoring the ferocious woman behind him. He quietly slipped Su Liang ten thousand yuan—half of what he'd promised—and then left ten thousand on Yang Lan's desk.
"I'd planned to take everyone out for a treat, but seeing their attitude, I've lost the mood. Yang Jie, you're far too kind. You promised yesterday, so don't you dare turn this down."
Yang Lan, looking at the money, sighed heavily.
"Xiao Qian, I've always tried to be considerate toward them. They're fresh out of school—still naïve to the world's bitterness. They think earning money is easy, but when the operations department disbands in a few years, they'll be left with no experience and no prospects."
"You're like everyone's mom, always worrying. Let them taste some hardship. That's how they'll learn to appreciate comfort. Take the money. I'm off to eat—I'm starving. I'll be out for an hour this afternoon."
"Go ahead."
Yang Lan didn't make a fuss. As Han Qian stepped out of her office, Liu Jiulong appeared like a shadow beside him and whispered:
"Don't take Dongsheng seriously. His mother's a powerful woman. She spoils him rotten."
Han Qian frowned.
"A mama's boy?"
Liu Jiulong didn't answer. Han Qian shrugged and called to Su Liang. The two left the office—not for work, but for lunch, Su Liang's treat. Han Qian also wanted to make a bank deposit.
As they walked out, a thought crossed Han Qian's mind and he made a call to Wen Nuan. She seemed to be in a meeting and whispered that she'd return his call after opening an account before hanging up.
Su Liang grinned.
"Calling your wife?"
"Ex-wife."
"So Director Yan's the future one?"