Daily Life of a Villain at Work [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 62

Chapter 62: The Second Day of Being a Stingy (Frugal) CEO~

Wen Qingyun’s usual spending wasn’t high; she chose a restaurant where the average cost per person was around 200 yuan, which posed almost no financial burden for Chu Qi.

After being seated, they scanned the QR code to order. Wen Qingyun picked two dishes she liked, then set her phone down and waited for Chu Qi to finish his selection.

Based on the two existing dishes, Chu Qi thought for a moment and added a seasonal vegetable dish and a winter melon pork rib soup. Both were light in flavor, making the chance of a mistake extremely low.

“Do you have any recommendations for drinks, Wen Qingyun?” Chu Qi asked.

Wen Qingyun replied, “The juices here are all freshly squeezed. Just order whatever you like.”

Chu Qi asked, “Then I’ll order a pitcher of apple juice, is that okay?”

Wen Qingyun nodded. “Of course.”

After finalizing the order, Chu Qi began to proactively find topics to chat with Wen Qingyun. However, her reactions were rather flat; her responses were either a simple “mm” or a nod to indicate she was listening.

Undeterred, once the food was served, Chu Qi gradually steered the conversation toward Wen Qingyun herself.

“I think quite a few people know your license plate is QY411. Do you really not need to handle those videos online?”

“False statements are quickly cleared by the platforms. What’s left are just harmless contents,” Wen Qingyun said, picking up a piece of meat and chewing slowly.

“Chu Qi, you seem exceptionally focused on me. I don’t go out of my way to hide my license plate, but I’ve never revealed it in public. How did you know that was my car?”

Chu Qi’s smile remained unchanged. “When Hongyi came to negotiate cooperation with Taixue before, I was one of the project leads.”

“Although I didn’t interact with you directly, the contact person mentioned your car was the latest model developed by Taixue and even showed us a photo.”

“Last cooperation… a year ago?” Wen Qingyun raised an eyebrow. She did indeed enjoy driving her own brand’s cars, as it served as a form of promotion—and a free one at that.

Chu Qi clarified, “To be precise, ten months ago. The last contract was signed in December of last year.”

Wen Qingyun nodded, accepting this flawless explanation.

Chu Qi was very adept at gauging the flow of conversation. Sensing that Wen Qingyun didn’t want to dwell on the short video incident, he shifted the topic toward intelligent control systems.

This was Taixue’s recent research direction. Wen Qingyun hadn’t intended to pay much mind, but hearing some novel concepts piqued her interest.

“Chu Qi, did you start working at Hongyi right after graduating university?” Wen Qingyun asked.

Chu Qi replied, “Technically, I started interning at Hongyi during my senior year. After graduating, I stayed and spent some time rotating through various departments.”

Wen Qingyun asked, “What was your major?”

Chu Qi answered, “I graduated from Haida with a bachelor’s in Computer Science and a minor in Automation.”

Hmm? A STEM major? Shouldn’t he be a technical talent? Why did he become an assistant?

Seeing the doubt in Wen Qingyun’s eyes, Chu Qi explained proactively, “Last year I was in the R&D department. The Chairman felt my overall abilities were good, so he reassigned me as Assistant to the younger Mr. Fu.”

“What benefit do you get from letting me know this?” Wen Qingyun’s words were blunt. “I don’t think anyone treats me to dinner and provides thoughtful chauffeur services for no reason.”

“I have no other intentions; I just want you to remember me,” Chu Qi said naturally. “If there’s a suitable opportunity for cooperation, I hope you’ll consider me first.”

Wen Qingyun remained noncommittal, sticking to her initial stance. “When eating, we don’t talk about business.”

“My mistake,” Chu Qi admitted frankly, picking up the glass to refill Wen Qingyun’s apple juice. “Would you be willing to give me a chance to make amends?”

Wen Qingyun took a sip of the juice. “How do you want to make amends?”

Chu Qi suggested, “Until your car is repaired, can I serve as your driver?”

Wen Qingyun smelled a hint of a conspiracy, certain that a person as diligent as Chu Qi harbored ulterior motives. “Don’t you have work?”

Chu Qi’s eyes held a clear smile, making his harmless features look even softer. “Tomorrow and the day after are the weekend. I have no scheduled plans.”

A driver delivered to her doorstep for free—using him carried a bit of risk.

But the benefit was obvious: she could enjoy attentive service without spending a dime.

Wen Qingyun felt the pros outweighed the cons. “I plan to go hiking early tomorrow morning. Can you pick me up at 7:30 with breakfast?”

“What do you like to eat in the morning?” Chu Qi asked, mentally cheering “Yes!” at his first step’s success.

Wen Qingyun said, “Simple buns and soy milk will do. I’m not a picky eater.”

“Alright, I’ll be there on time tomorrow,” Chu Qi promised.

After finishing the meal, Chu Qi proactively went to settle the bill. He quickly entered “professional driver mode,” bringing the car around and even running over to open the passenger door.

A bit too diligent, but Wen Qingyun accepted it well.

Wen Qingyun’s residential complex wasn’t exactly a luxury area, but the security was excellent. It was only after she, as the owner, registered the license plate that Chu Qi was able to drive into the complex.

Building 6, Unit 1, 1801.

Chu Qi silently noted the specific location. When the apartment door opened, he stood sensibly at the entrance without going in.

“President Wen, your water.” Once the sensor light in the foyer turned on, Chu Qi handed over a bottle of purified water he had specially taken from the car’s storage compartment.

Wen Qingyun looked down at Chu Qi’s hand, then reached out to take it. “Outside of work hours, you can just call me by my name.”

“To be honest, using your full name feels a bit distant. May I call you Sister Qingyun?” Chu Qi smiled.

Wen Qingyun frowned in displeasure. “You’re twenty-five, I’m twenty-six. I consider us peers. I don’t like being called ‘Sister’ by someone my own age.”

“Qingyun,” Chu Qi corrected immediately.

A somewhat intimate form of address, but for Wen Qingyun, it wasn’t unacceptable.

Seeing that Wen Qingyun didn’t object, the curve of Chu Qi’s smile widened slightly. “Qingyun, 7:30 tomorrow morning, see you downstairs.”

“Mm, see you downstairs.” Wen Qingyun nodded and then heartlessly shut the door, saying nothing more to Chu Qi.

She walked over to the sofa and sat down, legs crossed. Wen Qingyun examined the water in her hand; finding it unopened, she twisted it open and took a sip.

“System, what’s the mission progress now?” Wen Qingyun asked.

【Current progress is 3%. Host still needs to work hard!】

“Is Chu Qi really the protagonist? Are you sure there’s no error in identification?” The more Wen Qingyun thought about it, the more she felt something was off.

In the previous two worlds, the protagonists were all dull little white rabbits. Why was the protagonist of this world so proactive and lively?

【Detection confirms Chu Qi is the protagonist of this world. If the Host has further doubts, you may apply for a report to the Main System for verification.】

【Friendly reminder: This world evolved from a popular literary work. The Host needs to complete specified main storyline tasks to gain corresponding progress.】

“I know. The main task is to acquire Hongyi Electronics and send the Fu family into bankruptcy liquidation,” Wen Qingyun said.

When Wen Qingyun first entered this world, the system had already reminded her once.

Compared to the previous worlds she had inhabited, the rules in this world were relatively incomplete. As the villain, her luck might be lowered to some extent.

Conversely, the protagonist would have a relative boost in luck, giving the impression that everything they do goes smoothly.

But one thing remained constant: in these unevolved worlds, if one is judged by the system to be the protagonist, they must be a righteous existence with correct values to the majority of people.

Since the identification wasn’t wrong, the feeling she was getting might just be a characteristic imposed on villains by the world rules—making her exceptionally suspicious and sensitive.

Wen Qingyun mentally reviewed the situation, beginning to analyze Chu Qi’s actions and motives up to this point.

When Chu Qi came to the company to discuss business as an assistant, his performance seemed normal.

He gave her the impression of a very capable and outstanding assistant, whose only drawback was a foolish boss who severely hindered his performance.

From this, it was evident that the protagonist’s favoritism was limited; it would be partially corrected rather than crudely “set right.”

She was the boss of the partner company. Based on his dedication to work, it made sense for Chu Qi to pay extra attention to her.

Chu Qi wanted an opportunity to meet her, so he was able to “happen” to see that video and accurately intercept her at the gate.

It wasn’t an incredibly outrageous level of favoritism, just some coincidences fueled by luck. It was understandable.

However, today was only their first time meeting, and Chu Qi had volunteered to treat her and act as a free driver. No matter how she looked at it, he seemed to have an ulterior motive.

Wen Qingyun continued to think, but due to a lack of data points, she was forced to stop.

Operating on the assumption that a protagonist couldn’t be too bad, she temporarily suppressed her suspicions.

After completing her daily hour of body-sculpting exercise, Wen Qingyun took a quick shower, then climbed into bed and successfully fell into a deep sleep.

…

The next day, Wen Qingyun changed into hiking gear and pulled a baseball cap over her head.

At 7:20 AM, Wen Qingyun took the elevator and appeared at the unit entrance. She looked up to see Chu Qi standing there, holding an insulated bag.

“Qingyun, good morning,” Chu Qi greeted her with high energy.

One doesn’t hit a smiling face; Wen Qingyun nodded in acknowledgment and took the breakfast from him.

Chu Qi opened the car door. He waited for Wen Qingyun to sit down and closed it, then walked around to the driver’s seat.

“Qingyun, it takes about forty minutes to drive there. You can nap after eating; I’ll wake you up before we arrive.”

Wen Qingyun replied, “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Chu Qi smiled, started the car, and began following the navigation.

Wen Qingyun took a bite of a bun. After chewing a few times, she found the dough exceptionally fragrant, and the flavor of the meat filling was slightly different from what she’d had before.

“Which shop did you buy this from?” Wen Qingyun couldn’t help but ask.

Did the protagonist get different treatment than the villain even when purchasing goods?

“I made the buns myself. How do they taste?” Chu Qi asked with a smile.

Wen Qingyun’s guard immediately shot up. She had casually mentioned wanting buns for breakfast, and Chu Qi had made them himself? This level of flattery was excessive.

No, it was way too much.

“They’re fine, edible,” Wen Qingyun said. She then took a second bite and followed it with a sip of the soy milk in the paper cup.

The soy milk was incredibly rich. If there were no surprises, Chu Qi had probably ground it himself.

Something was definitely wrong. Extremely wrong.

Excessive politeness often masks a hidden agenda.

While Wen Qingyun raised her vigilance to the highest level, she finished the entire meal—bun by bun, sip by sip.

Setting Chu Qi’s motives aside, his culinary skills were truly excellent; even the most ordinary bun tasted delicious in his hands.

…

Wen Qingyun had chosen the hiking spot. The mountain wasn’t particularly high, nor was it a famous scenic area.

But it had the advantage of requiring no tickets, and you could climb it anytime.

Once the car was parked, Wen Qingyun stepped out with her specially prepared water bottle, squinting at the peak.

The sun was still hiding behind the clouds. The outdoor temperature was just over twenty degrees Celsius—perfect for a T-shirt and a light jacket.

Noticing Chu Qi taking a backpack from the backseat, Wen Qingyun raised an eyebrow. “You’re hiking with me?”

“Since I’m already here, it would be a shame not to climb,” Chu Qi said with a smile. “I have plenty of space in my bag; shall I put your water bottle inside?”

“Sure.” Wen Qingyun wasn’t polite at all. If someone was rushing to be a pack mule, she naturally wouldn’t refuse.

And so, Chu Qi started with a 3kg load. Despite being about three centimeters shorter than her, he kept up with Wen Qingyun’s pace perfectly.

This made Wen Qingyun, who exercised every day, a bit unhappy. Feeling subtly mocked, she began to silently speed up.

Chu Qi’s usual workload was intense, and he truly hadn’t exercised systematically after getting home.

Sure enough, after Wen Qingyun accelerated, his slight breathing turned into heavy huffing and puffing just to keep up.

Even so, Chu Qi gritted his teeth and persevered. Letting the sweat pour down, he followed closely behind Wen Qingyun.

Hearing the undeniable gasping behind her, Wen Qingyun regained a bit of confidence.

Considering the water bottle he was carrying, Wen Qingyun slowed down slightly and stopped at a pavilion halfway up the mountain for a rest.

“Qingyun, do you want some water?” Chu Qi tried to steady his heart rate with deep breaths. He casually wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve and set the bag down to get the items.

Wen Qingyun gave an “mm,” took the bottle from Chu Qi, unscrewed it, and took small sips.

Chu Qi also took out a bottle of mineral water. He sat down half a meter to Wen Qingyun’s left and downed half the bottle in one go.

This behavior made Wen Qingyun instinctively frown. “It’s better to take small sips after intense exercise. Doing that makes it easy to cause an electrolyte imbalance.”

“Really? But I’ve already drunk it. What should I do?” Chu Qi blinked, looking at Wen Qingyun with a touch of helplessness.

“Then rest a bit longer. Don’t rush to climb up.” Wen Qingyun remained unmoved by Chu Qi’s “poor little thing” act; instead, she became more certain that his every move was calculated.

Chu Qi wasn’t discouraged and continued, “Then can you wait for me for a bit? I’ve never been here before; I’m worried I’ll get lost.”

Wen Qingyun didn’t respond, only gave an imperceptible nod, which counted as agreeing to Chu Qi’s request.

Fifteen minutes later, Wen Qingyun handed the half-empty bottle back to Chu Qi. Once he had the backpack on, she resumed the climb.

It was now past nine o’clock. As the temperature rose, Wen Qingyun took off her jacket and tied it around her waist.

Chu Qi still followed five or six steps behind. His jacket was stuffed into the bag. Now, every time he looked up, he could see Wen Qingyun’s lean waist and the arm muscles that even her fair skin couldn’t hide.

It was clear they were built through long-term, consistent exercise—seemingly thin, but containing undeniable strength.

Chu Qi’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly. After slowly exhaling, he gritted his teeth and continued to follow Wen Qingyun.

For the rest of the way, Wen Qingyun didn’t intentionally rush, but even when she heard the heavy breathing behind her, she didn’t slow down further. Maintaining her own rhythm, she successfully reached the summit.

A place without tickets or advertising was destined to have few tourists. There were no convenience stores at the top, only a few locals doing stretches to wind down.

Finding a relatively flat rock and checking for bugs or ants, Wen Qingyun sat down.

“Here, have some water.” Chu Qi proactively pulled out the bottle.

Wen Qingyun took it, took a sip, and silently scooted to the edge of the rock.

She didn’t vocalize an invitation, but Chu Qi had already accurately captured the meaning of the gesture. He flashed a brilliant smile and sat down beside Wen Qingyun.

“Qingyun, do you come here to hike often?” Chu Qi asked.

Wen Qingyun said, “Once or twice a month.”

Chu Qi asked, “No matter the season?”

Wen Qingyun replied, “As long as the weather permits.”

Chu Qi hummed. After finishing the rest of his water, he rummaged through his bag and pulled out a tin of seaweed crisps.

Opening the sealed lid in front of Wen Qingyun, he offered it politely. “Want to try some? These are actually quite good.”

Wen Qingyun didn’t refuse. She took one and began crunching on it.

Chu Qi held the position until Wen Qingyun took a second piece, and only then did he take one for himself.

Just like that, piece by piece, the small tin of seaweed crisps was finished between them. Chu Qi tucked the empty tin back into his backpack.

The climb had taken an hour and a half. After a short thirty-minute break, Wen Qingyun stood up to head back down.

It was ten o’clock now. If they took an hour to descend, they could go to a nearby noodle shop with good reviews for lunch.

Just as Wen Qingyun was warming up her body to start the descent, a somewhat piercing ringtone sounded from behind her.

Turning around, she saw Chu Qi frowning at his phone screen. After a three-second hesitation, he answered.

“Hello, it’s me.”

“Now? I’m not at home; I’m out. It’s not very convenient right now.”

“Can’t it wait until Monday morning?”

“I understand. I’ll get to it as soon as possible. I’ll have the modified proposal sent to you by midnight tonight.”

After hanging up, the relaxed and happy expression on Chu Qi’s face was replaced by a trace of worry. He looked at Wen Qingyun with an apologetic gaze.

Chu Qi said, “I’m sorry, the company suddenly assigned me a task. I probably won’t be able to provide my services after 5:00 PM.”

“Who called? Fu Huan?” Wen Qingyun asked, her tone unreadable.

“No, it was a director at the company. There’s an urgent proposal that needs to pass through my hands,” Chu Qi explained earnestly. “I’m really sorry.”

Wen Qingyun didn’t respond. Her gaze was drawn to a fresh mosquito bite on Chu Qi’s neck. She paused for a moment before speaking. “If I hike in the morning, I usually rest and read at home in the afternoon. Just take me home after we eat.”

Chu Qi said, “To show my apologies, please let me treat you to lunch.”

“Whatever.” With those words, Wen Qingyun started walking forward.

…

The beef noodles, priced at 27 yuan a bowl, were as delicious as ever. Having both her taste buds and stomach satisfied, Wen Qingyun’s sharp features softened, making her look much more approachable.

Chu Qi seemed quite busy, frequently picking up his phone to reply to messages while eating his noodles.

Consequently, by the time Wen Qingyun finished, more than half the noodles remained in his bowl.

Fortunately, ramen doesn’t get soggy as easily as ordinary noodles, so even eating slowly didn’t affect the texture much.

Wen Qingyun didn’t rush him, but her eyes couldn’t help but drift back to that annoying mosquito bite on Chu Qi’s fair neck.

Her hands felt itchy; she really wanted to use her fingernails to pinch a “cross seal” onto that mosquito bite.

“I’m sorry, is there something on my face?” The overly direct gaze made Chu Qi put down his phone and touch his face.

“There’s a mosquito bite on your neck. Doesn’t it itch?” Wen Qingyun asked earnestly.

“Eh?” Chu Qi hadn’t expected that answer. He belatedly moved his hand from his face to his neck, scratching the bite. “I didn’t feel it before, but now it seems a bit itchy.”

Wen Qingyun: “…”

A slightly familiar feeling was returning, but it still felt a bit off.

Wen Qingyun had no intention of bringing someone with ulterior motives into her home. So, even though Chu Qi thoughtfully escorted her to the door, she still didn’t invite him in for even a sip of water.

“Qingyun, how about we exchange contact info? If you need a driver this afternoon, I might be able to help,” Chu Qi said before the door closed.

Wen Qingyun’s hand paused on the door. Has she not exchanged contact info with him yet?

It was Chu Qi’s fault for being so naturally familiar today; it made her forget that this was only their second day of knowing each other.

“Give me your number. If I need you, I’ll call you,” Wen Qingyun said coldly.

Since it was only the second day, there was no need to exchange social media accounts.

Unsurprised, Chu Qi smiled. “Then should I dial the number on the business card you gave me, Qingyun?”

Wen Qingyun: “…”

Tsk. A miscalculation. She forgot she had handed out her business card yesterday.

“Fine,” Wen Qingyun agreed somewhat reluctantly, feeling like she had somehow lost a round.

Five seconds later, a call from an unknown number popped up on Wen Qingyun’s phone, which she promptly hung up.

“I’m off then. Contact me anytime you need; I definitely have no plans tomorrow,” Chu Qi promised.

Wen Qingyun’s reaction was lukewarm. Her final “drive safely” before closing the door was the height of her consideration.

Chu Qi didn’t mind being shut out; his smile lasted until he started the car.

Thinking about having to go home and work overtime on a proposal for the R&D director, a clear look of unhappiness appeared on Chu Qi’s face.

The Chairman’s illegitimate and legitimate sons were fighting tooth and nail for the inheritance, and in the end, it was hard-working, capable employees like her who suffered.

She really didn’t want to work this crappy job for even one more day! They had zero respect for an employee’s right to rest!

Once the project bonus was paid out, she was going to jump ship! Immediately!