Daily Life of a Villain at Work [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 65

Chapter 65: The Fifth Day of Being a Stingy (Frugal) CEO

While Wen Qingyun was drying her hair, Chu Qi walked toward the bathroom, her ears a bright, burning red.

The lingering mist and the familiar scent of shower gel made Chu Qi feel a bit breathless. She waited until the exhaust fan had been buzzing for over five minutes before she could continue with her routine.

By the time Chu Qi finished her shower and stepped out, Wen Qingyun had long since dried her hair.

Her smooth, lustrous black hair was draped casually behind her back. Every so often, she had to brush away a few stray strands with her hand to keep them from blocking her vision.

“I put the hairdryer back on the desk,” Wen Qingyun said, looking up and pointing toward its location.

Chu Qi hummed in agreement, took the hairdryer back into the bathroom, and began drying her own hair.

Twenty minutes later, Wen Qingyun and Chu Qi were sharing the same bed.

Wen Qingyun fiddled with her phone for a moment before turning off the screen and placing it on the nightstand. “Can we turn off the lights now?”

“Okay.” Chu Qi stood up and pressed the switch, following Wen Qingyun’s lead.

Now that Wen Qingyun was actually lying beside her, Chu Qi suddenly found herself at a loss for words. The courage she’d had when extending the invitation had completely vanished.

It was normal, really—between friends, sharing a bed wasn’t exactly a strange occurrence.

But if something were to happen on that bed, it wouldn’t be something the word “friends” could explain away.

Chu Qi’s mind raced. She became increasingly certain of her feelings for Wen Qingyun—feelings that were slowly growing with every passing second.

Since nothing’s going to happen, I might as well sleep, she thought.

Chu Qi suppressed her overactive thoughts and forced her brain to go blank, gradually drifting into dreamland.

…

Sunday morning naturally meant sleeping until she woke up on her own. Wen Qingyun didn’t have a habit of setting alarms, and Chu Qi had specifically canceled hers for the morning.

As sunlight peeked through the curtains and drifted into the room, a well-rested Wen Qingyun blearily opened her eyes.

Before her brain could fully function, she saw a face magnified right in front of her.

Subconsciously tilting her head back to create distance, Wen Qingyun realized her sleeping posture had been a bit too “free”—she had been using Chu Qi as a body pillow.

Wen Qingyun wasn’t one for self-reflection; she preferred finding the cause in others. She decided Chu Qi must have drifted too close to her during the night, which was why she ended up hugging her.

Releasing her without a hint of guilt, Wen Qingyun tossed back the covers and got out of bed, standing up to give a long stretch.

Even if it’s not my own bed, the sleep quality was surprisingly good, she thought.

Raking her fingers through her messy hair, Wen Qingyun squinted at the still-sleeping Chu Qi.

Compared to her, Chu Qi’s sleeping posture was quite proper. Though lying on her side, her limbs were tucked in, taking up very little space on the bed.

Once she confirmed Chu Qi’s breathing was steady, Wen Qingyun put on her slippers and headed to the first-floor bathroom to freshen up and change out of her pajamas.

As the sound of footsteps faded, the supposedly sleeping Chu Qi slowly opened her eyes. She rubbed her face and couldn’t help but bury it in her pillow.

Where did the courage from yesterday go? Where did it hide?

Pretending to sleep the moment I realized she was waking up… isn’t that a bit too cowardly?

After subjecting herself to a full internal critique, Chu Qi got out of bed. She immediately tidied the covers and pulled back the curtains, letting the sunlight fall perfectly across the bedding.

By the time she changed out of her pajamas and went downstairs, Wen Qingyun had also dressed and emerged from the bathroom.

“There’s a place near our complex with great soup dumplings. Want to try it in a bit?” Chu Qi was invited.

Wen Qingyun stuffed her folded pajamas into a bag and zipped it up. “The property management texted saying the water and electricity are fixed. Send me back after we eat.”

“Do you have other plans, Qingyun?” Chu Qi asked, her eyes wide.

“Some private matters.” Wen Qingyun had no intention of elaborating, her tone slightly cold.

If Chu Qi hadn’t woken up earlier, she wouldn’t have believed that just half an hour ago, Wen Qingyun had been hugging her in her sleep.

The soup dumplings were indeed delicious, but they couldn’t change the fact that Wen Qingyun was saying goodbye.

After reluctantly seeing her at the door, Chu Qi didn’t even have time to say “see you later” before Wen Qingyun closed the door.

This left Chu Qi feeling even more dejected and completely bewildered.

Did I do something wrong? Why did Wen Qingyun suddenly turn so cold?

…

“You’re asking why I did that?” Wen Qingyun sat on her sofa, legs crossed, reading through emails on her tablet.

“Didn’t I tell you? Give Chu Qi a bit of hope, then let her realize it was all an illusion just as her confidence peaks.”

Wen Qingyun’s tone was flat, devoid of any particular emotion. “We’ve been ‘ordinary friends’ for less than ten days. Being a little cold doesn’t hurt.”

The System didn’t argue. It simply performed its duty by announcing the increase in mission progress and encouraging the host to keep up the good work.

Wen Qingyun didn’t mind. Protagonists were resilient; her hot-and-cold attitude would at most make Chu Qi brood for a while.

If the protagonist’s feelings were real, Chu Qi would definitely find another chance to get close.

For the next month, Wen Qingyun paid no special attention to news about Chu Qi, focusing entirely on work.

After all, the main quest of this world was to acquire Hongyi, not to sleep with Chu Qi or max out her favorability.

Wen Qingyun’s neglect didn’t keep Chu Qi down for long. Chu Qi had rationalized the cold shoulder as a result of her being too pushy.

Inviting her to sleep over was a success, but I must have left a bad impression, Chu Qi thought.

She came up with a way to apologize: next weekend, she would use the excuse of “testing a new recipe” to invite Wen Qingyun over, using attentive service and her cooking skills to win her over.

It was a solid plan. If Chu Qi offered her services, Wen Qingyun—who was prone to forming habits—would find it hard to refuse such a convenient perk.

But Chu Qi had forgotten one variable: Fu Huan was never one to stay quiet on weekends.

Sure enough, on Thursday night, Fu Huan threw a business trip notification her way. He wanted her to accompany him over the weekend to an industry seminar in Shenzhen.

Chu Qi squeezed the handwritten recipe in her hand, silently “greeting” Fu Huan’s ancestors a hundred times.

“President Fu, I have other plans this weekend. It might not be convenient to go to Shenzhen with you,” Chu Qi tried to decline over the phone.

Work is never-ending, but if a spark of fate is missed, there might not be a next time.

“Then overcome it. I’ll pay you triple for those two days, all expenses covered,” Fu Huan said.

Fu Huan needed an assistant, and Chu Qi—with her professional image and excellent work ability—was naturally his first choice.

“President Fu, it’s not about the overtime pay. I already promised a friend I’d go out with her this weekend,” Chu Qi said.

“Ten times. Plus, I’ll give you a 20% permanent raise on your monthly salary,” Fu Huan threw out a bigger bait.

Chu Qi wavered shamefully. Her current salary was already in the five-figure range starting with a ‘2’. A 20% increase meant nearly 30,000 before taxes.

Two days of travel for 20,000 in extra pay? Sacrificing a little rest suddenly seemed acceptable.

Most importantly, the person she had fallen for at first sight seemed like someone who might require a bit more “financial backing” to successfully woo.

“When do we leave?” Chu Qi asked, temporarily surrendering to the power of money.

“Saturday morning. We’ll be back Sunday night. I’ll even give you an extra day of paid leave,” Fu Huan said.

“Alright, President Fu. Please send me the flight info. I’ll be at the airport on time the day after tomorrow.”

After hanging up, Chu Qi closed her recipe book, deciding to try again next weekend!

…

Fate proved that people who are meant to be will meet anytime, anywhere.

The moment Chu Qi spotted Wen Qingyun at the industry seminar, her polite “work smile” instantly became genuine as she hurried toward her.

“Qingyun! What a coincidence! I didn’t expect to see you here.” Chu Qi appeared before Wen Qingyun with a brilliant smile.

Wen Qingyun, who was there specifically to prepare for the Hongyi acquisition, felt her eyelid twitch. Her customer-service smile grew slightly stiff. “Mm. You’re here too.”

“Yeah, I was dragged along for a last-minute business trip. I just landed three hours ago,” Chu Qi said brightly. “Want to walk around together? There are a lot of new products and interesting theoretical concepts on display.”

Wen Qingyun didn’t refuse. Meeting Chu Qi was an accident, but she wasn’t going to let an accident distract her from her purpose.

In her area of expertise, Chu Qi seemed even more confident than usual. Even though she hadn’t been at the seminar long, she could talk at length about the new products and concepts.

Listening to her, Wen Qingyun couldn’t help but start throwing out questions, waiting for Chu Qi’s responses and analysis.

“You really were dragged here last minute?” Wen Qingyun asked skeptically. Given Chu Qi’s performance, she could practically stand alongside the keynote experts.

“It was last minute, but I always keep an eye on industry news. I’d already done my homework beforehand.” Chu Qi’s smile grew even more radiant.

This was a golden opportunity to show off her strengths. She had to seize it to wash away any “frivolous” image she might have left before.

Wen Qingyun nodded. In terms of work, Chu Qi’s ability was beyond reproach.

The only downside was: why was such an outstanding talent at the rival company instead of under her own command?

Wen Qingyun’s gaze shifted as a thought formed. She called out to her System mentally.

“System, let me confirm one more time. The main quest is to acquire Hongyi Electronics, not to acquire ‘Hongyi Electronics led by Chu Qi’, right?”

[Correct. The main quest was locked upon the Host’s entry into this world. Once the Host successfully acquires Hongyi Electronics, the progress will immediately jump to 90%.]

[The remaining 10% can be gained through merging other companies or suppressing the protagonist.]

With the System’s confirmation, Wen Qingyun immediately scrapped her first plan. She decided that rather than suppressing Chu Qi while she was at Hongyi, it would be better to take her for her own. That way, she could “suppress” her while also “enslaving” her with the authority of a superior.

With a new direction set, Wen Qingyun’s expression softened, and the appreciation in her eyes became more apparent.

Chu Qi, ever-attentive to Wen Qingyun’s reactions, didn’t miss this shift in mood.

Finding her abilities recognized, Chu Qi grew even more enthusiastic. She wanted to share everything she knew, working hard to play up one of her few advantages in front of Wen Qingyun.

“Very unique insights. Any interest in coming to Taixue?” Wen Qingyun suddenly extended an olive branch.

“Taixue doesn’t have a small appliance line yet, but if you’re willing to join, a relevant branch could be established very quickly.”

Wen Qingyun began utilizing her CEO-level skill: Drawing the “Big Pie” (making grand promises) for employees.

Chu Qi was pleasantly surprised, but she didn’t lose her head. She changed her form of address and spoke seriously.

“President Wen, to be honest, I’m very excited about the prospect of joining Taixue. But I still have projects at Hongyi. The earliest I could leave would be after those projects launch.”

“How long will that take?” Wen Qingyun asked.

Chu Qi felt a bit nervous. After running through her current projects in her head, she gave a conservative estimate. “Early March of next year.”

Wen Qingyun frowned slightly. It was only November. That was a full four months away.

“I can wait for you. But by then, the position I can offer might not be the same one I’m offering today,” Wen Qingyun said truthfully.

Chu Qi wouldn’t drop her projects just because of an invitation, and Wen Qingyun wasn’t going to delay her strategic layout for four months for a single person.

“Then… after the New Year, when I’m almost ready, can I talk to President Wen about this again?” Chu Qi asked with a smile.

Chu Qi wasn’t worried about Wen Qingyun just “painting a pie.” Partly it was intuition—she didn’t think someone as excellent as Wen Qingyun would do that. Mostly, it was confidence in her own ability. Even if she didn’t go to Taixue after leaving Hongyi, she was confident she could find a better position at any other major firm.

“Sure.” A reasonable request. Wen Qingyun wouldn’t refuse.

Chu Qi’s smile was sweet. “Then… Can I add President Wen on WeChat? It would make communication easier.”

Wen Qingyun didn’t say anything, but she pulled out her phone and opened her QR code.

Chu Qi quickly sent the friend request. Once it was accepted, she couldn’t resist sending a sticker of a puppy spinning in circles.

Wen Qingyun glanced at her phone and left it on “read.”

“Little Chu, why are you here? I told you to follow—” Fu Huan’s reprimand cut off halfway as he saw Wen Qingyun standing beside Chu Qi. His annoyance instantly vanished, replaced by a grin.

“President Wen! I didn’t expect to run into you. What a coincidence.”

Wen Qingyun gave a curt nod, her reaction cold.

“Don’t contact me unless it’s important. I’m busy.” Leaving that sentence for Chu Qi, Wen Qingyun turned and walked away with her phone, giving Fu Huan zero chance to engage.

Fu Huan’s smile faltered, and he instinctively took it out on Chu Qi.

“Why didn’t you tell me you ran into President Wen? We might have secured a new contract.”

Chu Qi kept her smile and explained patiently, “I only just ran into her myself. President Wen seemed like she didn’t want to be disturbed, so I didn’t notify you, President Fu.”

“Next time, tell me immediately. I’ll let it slide this time,” Fu Huan said. “Make sure to stay on her good side. Don’t do anything to upset her.”

Chu Qi’s expression didn’t change, but in her heart, she was cursing Fu Huan in several different languages.

…

Coincidence. It really was a massive coincidence.

Seeing a familiar figure at the hotel front desk, Chu Qi’s eyes lit up with surprise.

“Qingyun? Are you here for delivery, too?” Chu Qi asked.

Wen Qingyun raised an eyebrow, starting to think the protagonist’s luck was getting a bit ridiculous. “What’s your room number?”

“806,” Chu Qi said.

Wen Qingyun fell silent.

“What about yours, Qingyun?” Chu Qi prompted.

Wen Qingyun: “808.”

“Isn’t that right next door to me?” Chu Qi’s eyes brightened even more.

Seeing Wen Qingyun’s delivery was in a “light meal” (salad) package, Chu Qi asked tentatively, “I ordered crawfish and some skewers. A local college classmate recommended the place; I heard it’s great. Want to try some?”

Wen Qingyun didn’t say anything, but the aroma of the food was already quite rudely wafting into her nose.

Five minutes later, Wen Qingyun was in room 806’s living room. Steaming garlic crawfish and skewers were neatly laid out before her.

“Here are disposable gloves. You can just dig in.” Chu Qi was very attentive, only opening the bags after washing her hands.

“Thanks.” Wen Qingyun took a glove for her right hand and picked up a skewer of grilled squid.

The large chunks of squid were dusted with red powder. Wen Qingyun thought it would be spicy, but one bite told her the “mild spice” was very mild indeed. It was mostly for color and name.

Seeing Wen Qingyun start on the skewers, Chu Qi didn’t waste any time. She put on both gloves and began diligently peeling crawfish.

Chu Qi had ordered a single-person portion. The box looked large, but there were only about fifteen crawfish.

Once the heads and shells were removed, the springy meat was neatly piled up, filling the lid of the container.

“It tastes better if you dip it in the sauce,” Chu Qi said, placing a lid-full of peeled meat next to Wen Qingyun’s hand.

Faced with food delivered right to her, Wen Qingyun saw no reason to refuse.

She used a wooden skewer to poke through five pieces of meat at once, soaked them in the sauce, and stuffed them into her mouth.

“How is it? My classmate’s recommendation wasn’t bad, right?” Chu Qi asked expectantly.

“Mm. It’s good.” Wen Qingyun’s cheeks were slightly puffed out. Her taste buds were occupied by the firm texture and savory sauce. It was hard not to be satisfied.

After eating another skewer’s worth of crawfish, Wen Qingyun took off her glove and opened her own salmon salad.

“Want to try some?” Feeling like she couldn’t finish it all, Wen Qingyun chose to share.

“Sure! I’ll go grab a disposable cup.” Chu Qi naturally wouldn’t say no.

Some say that if a person is willing to share food with you, they are opening up a part of themselves, allowing you to get to know them—or even move the relationship forward!

The salmon pasta was okay, but after the savory crawfish, it felt a bit lackluster.

The pleasant late-night snack ended at ten o’clock. Chu Qi efficiently bagged and sealed the trash.

Even though Wen Qingyun’s room was right next door, Chu Qi insisted on walking her to the entrance. She only waved with a smile after the key card was swiped and the room lit up.

“Goodnight, Qingyun~”

“Goodnight.” Wen Qingyun’s reply was somewhat flat.

But that reply was enough for Chu Qi to savor for a long time, drifting into sleep with a smile on her face.

…

The next day, as expected, Wen Qingyun ran into Chu Qi at the breakfast buffet.

And Fu Huan.

Fu Huan approached with his tray, quite obliviously trying to sit across from Wen Qingyun.

But Chu Qi was a step faster. She placed her tray right in front of Wen Qingyun. “President Wen, they just put out fresh soy milk. Should I go grab a cup for you?”

“Okay, thanks.” Wen Qingyun’s tone was polite but distant, giving Fu Huan nothing to pick on.

With the best seat taken, Fu Huan couldn’t exactly move Chu Qi’s tray while she was gone, so he sat at the adjacent table and tried to strike up a conversation with Wen Qingyun.

Wen Qingyun knew Fu Huan’s personality well: arrogant, status-conscious, and a fan of flattery. The less you paid attention to him, the more he’d try to provoke a reaction to satisfy his “desire for conquest.”

Whether it was an ordinary person ignoring him or someone of higher status looking down on him, Fu Huan would feel his pride wounded and would try to find a way to win it back.

Case in point: seeing Wen Qingyun only offering nods and “mms” in response, the smile on Fu Huan’s face began to strain.

“President Wen, your soy milk. It’s still a bit hot.” Chu Qi reappeared, breaking the awkward tension.

“Okay, thank you.” Wen Qingyun moved the soy milk to her side, still maintaining her aloof persona.

Seeing Chu Qi’s “fawning” also being ignored, Fu Huan’s mood reached a weird equilibrium. He didn’t feel like he’d lost face anymore; he just felt Chu Qi was being a bootlicker.

The contract is already signed. Is there any need to suck up to Wen Qingyun like this? She’s not even giving you a smile. What a waste of effort.

And so, breakfast ended in a strange atmosphere, and the three parted at the hotel entrance.

Wen Qingyun didn’t plan on attending any more of the seminar, which was useless to her now. Instead, she decided to play tourist since she was already there.

…

As the temperature dropped day by day, Haishi welcomed its first heavy snow.

Standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, Wen Qingyun admired the snowy cityscape. She held a cup of coffee her secretary had just brewed, blowing on it before taking small sips.

The phone on the solid wood desk buzzed twice. She picked it up to find—no surprise—an invitation from Chu Qi.

Ever since Wen Qingyun had “poached” her, Chu Qi seemed to have regained her confidence. Since adding her on WeChat, Chu Qi sent invitations almost every weekend—either to try a new dish at home, or because a new shop had opened, or some event was happening.

This time, Chu Qi had somehow managed to snag prime seats for a concert and was inviting Wen Qingyun to go with her.

Wen Qingyun usually disliked crowded places because her “luck” often led her to run into idiots who couldn’t take a hint, which ruined her mood.

But if it was a concert for a singer she’d grown up listening to, spending a night in a crowd seemed worth it.

Especially since scalpers were selling tickets for several thousand yuan, Wen Qingyun felt like she’d be missing out if she didn’t go.

[Wen Qingyun: Okay. Will you come pick me up?]

[Chu Qi: Mm-hmm! I’ve prepared everything we’ll need. You just need to bring your phone, Qingyun.]