Pharmaceutical Negotiator - Chapter 1

A fine mist of rain covered the car window. Outside, the sky was veiled, dim and murky, and the car’s headlights made it look even more profoundly deep.

It was May in Qingdao, and the air was still cool. Zhang Sitan leaned back in her seat, inwardly glad she had worn long underwear (thermal leggings), confirming one should never underestimate the wind in a coastal city.

She looked at the driver through the rear-view mirror a young girl who looked like she had just graduated and hadn’t yet experienced the harsh realities of the working world.

After accepting this project, the pharmaceutical company’s representative said they would find her an assistant in Qingdao and asked her for any requirements. She had only three:

Doesn’t talk unnecessarily, can take photos, and can drive.

However, when she arrived at the airport today, she saw this ear-length, bob haired girl in a green hoodie and green sweatpants. Her eyes were quite large, and her hair partially covered her ears, slightly revealing the upper earlobe, making her look like a sprite.

But… Zhang Sitan was dissatisfied.

Her job was a new profession that had emerged in recent years a pharmaceutical negotiator. To put it plainly, it involved centralized negotiations with manufacturers to significantly lower drug prices and include them in the scope of outpatient reimbursement.

In negotiations, the most important thing is presence and aura. This young girl’s appearance simply wouldn’t command respect.

Zhang Sitan gave only a brief glance before turning her head back to the window.

The lights of distant cars shone straight ahead and scattered on the ground. The fine, dense rain was illuminated golden, weaving itself onto the ground like silk spun by a silkworm. A string of water droplets in the light sparkled as they rose mid-air.

No sound could be heard; the car was very quiet. Watching the rain hit the light, large bubbles formed, coming and going in depth.

“This rain is quite heavy,” Zhang Sitan turned her head.

She wore a red, oversized coat with a long belt tied behind her waist, highlighting her slender figure. Below were knee-high boots, and her long, wavy hair complemented her red lipstick. She looked like a glamorous woman from a poster, tall, striking, and bright.

The curtain of rain next to her seemed about to tilt and pour over, yet was kept at bay by this woman in red.

The girl driving wanted to turn her head to answer but dared not take her eyes off the road. Half her body was stiff as she slightly turned her head: “Ah, ah.”

Zhang Sitan was slightly stunned, not thinking her comment was difficult to respond to. She watched the young girl, named Qi An, drive while responding, looking very unpracticed. She couldn’t help but say, “Find a place you know well; let’s grab something to eat first.”

She didn’t know how much of the statement the girl understood, as she just responded with a vague: “Ah.”

The tone, however, sounded affirmative.

Zhang Sitan lowered her head and smiled, her hair falling and then gently tucked behind her ear.

She was now basically certain that this young girl was a fresh graduate.

There was no music playing in the car, and the air was silent. Zhang Sitan looked ahead.

The taillights of the cars in front looked like unfocused points of light, loosely shining, forming a long halo. The wipers swung back and forth. Zhang Sitan watched the accumulated water on the windshield be swept away by the wipers with a whoosh, forming a ripple that was quickly covered by new raindrops.

Rare.

It was rare to have such a quiet environment. No need to think of topics, no fear of not having an answer, no need to consider conversational strategies, no need to be diplomatic.

The car stopped at a long intersection. The young girl opened the door first, then used an umbrella to open the car door for Zhang Sitan.

Zhang Sitan slightly raised her eyebrows. She had seen countless people perform this door-opening action, whether gentlemanly or fawning. On Qi An, however, it felt incongruous. She was like an innocent princess, always served, and her sudden act of serving others felt out of place.

Zhang Sitan looked down at the ground; there was a puddle of water. However, the car was parked perfectly on the curb, allowing her to step directly onto the red brick pavement, which was free of standing water.

The parking was quite thoughtful.

Her gaze met the girl’s white sneakers, where a section of light green sock was visible at the ankle.

Hmm, this girl… likes green.

Zhang Sitan took the umbrella and followed the girl into the clam noodle soup (Huajia Fen) shop ahead.

The shop was small but bright, with a few simple tables lined up inside. A large piece of oil paper was taped to the wall, listing the prices of various clam noodle soups.

The prices were very cheap, nine or ten yuan, clearly a place locals or students frequently visited.

Qi An placed both umbrellas at the door and smiled at Zhang Sitan, “Sister Sitan, I come to this shop often; they make it delicious. What would you like to order?”

Zhang Sitan looked up at the oil paper on the wall, reading the names row by row. There were many types of clam noodles with fish balls, cuttlefish powder, or razor clam (jiang xie pai). For a moment, she couldn’t decide: “You’re familiar with it; I’ll order what you order.”

The young girl was delighted and called out to the owner, “Two bowls with fish balls, the thick noodles!”

A voice replied “Aye” from the back room. The shop was a bit noisy, and steam rose obliquely from the back, forming a white mist.

Zhang Sitan followed her to a seat.

Qi An took out her phone to scan the QR code on the table, and almost immediately, a female voice from the back room announced, “WeChat received twenty yuan.”

Zhang Sitan smiled knowingly, feeling it had been a long time since she had experienced this kind of mundane, everyday life. She called the name of the person sitting across from her: “Qi An.”

Qi An looked up, still appearing as perplexed as she had in the car: “Ah?”

Zhang Sitan gave a slight, gentle smile, her eyes crinkling at the corners, and asked her, “Do you usually talk to people with just ‘ah’s and ‘come’s?” (a slight play on words with the sound a).

The young girl widened her eyes and waved her hands, trying to explain, “No, no. It’s just that Director Qi said your requirement for an assistant was ‘doesn’t talk unnecessarily,’ so I didn’t dare say too much.”

Director Qi was the pharmaceutical company’s representative.

“Mhm,” Zhang Sitan nodded, still smiling.

“Doesn’t talk unnecessarily” doesn’t mean being inarticulate. This young girl, with her fresh-out-of-school appearance and student-like aura, as her assistant…

Zhang Sitan gently touched her upper lip with her lower lip, a half-pout expression. Her heart skipped a beat, thinking she might need to prepare a few extra quick relief heart pills (referring to the stress).

The noodles were served quickly, steaming hot, topped with a small sprig of cilantro and a circle of white sesame seeds. The aroma permeated the air, creating a warm contrast with the damp, rainy weather outside, a warm surge flowing from her nose to her heart.

Zhang Sitan used her chopsticks to stir the bottom of the bowl and indeed saw several clams, all open, one of which had a scallion stuck to it. A layer of tin foil lined the bottom of the bowl, and the soup was a tempting color. Satisfied, Zhang Sitan scooped up a mouthful of noodles and ate heartily.

Qi An hadn’t started eating. She watched Zhang Sitan, hoping to hear her review, but felt too shy to ask.

Zhang Sitan noticed her gaze and looked back at her.

She first pulled a tissue from the dispenser on the table and handed it to Qi An, then took one for herself to wipe her mouth. After she had swallowed most of the noodles, she opened her mouth to speak: “It’s delicious. The clam meat is very tender, and the soup is very fresh.”

Upon hearing Zhang Sitan’s evaluation, Qi An finally relaxed slightly. She first lowered her head to take a sip of soup, then felt it was a good time to say a little more to let Zhang Sitan get to know her better.

The rain was still falling outside. The dark sky contrasted with the lively, hot scene swirling with steam inside the shop. Raindrops fell one after another onto the ground, masked by the noise of conversation.

A small light bulb overhead illuminated the mingling shadows.

Qi An continued the conversation, “I used to come to this shop often when I was in high school. The flavor has always been very fresh.”

Zhang Sitan was scooping up a spoonful of soup and blowing on it, her mouth forming an arch, her eyelashes blinking as she looked at the soup in the spoon.

Hearing Qi An’s words, she nodded, put the soup into her mouth, and asked, “Was your high school near here?”

“Mhm mhm.” Qi An fluttered her large eyes at Zhang Sitan, hoping the atmosphere wouldn’t become awkward.

Zhang Sitan still wore a smile, recognizing Qi An’s desire to chat, and continued to ask, “Did you just graduate from university?”

“Yes, I did.” Qi An was pleased that Zhang Sitan had introduced a new topic and that she hadn’t killed the conversation. She looked into Zhang Sitan’s eyes, “I hadn’t looked for a job yet. In May, my mom suggested I come be an assistant to get some experience, so I officially became a workplace novice.”

She originally wanted to add more, like that she left school after her graduation photos in March, and spent the last two months taking the driving tests for the third and fourth sections, having just received her license. In fact, she was also a novice driver. Zhang Sitan required her assistant to be able to drive, so she was just forcing herself to meet the requirement.

However, she recalled Zhang Sitan disliked assistants talking unnecessarily, so she stopped there, fearing she might annoy Zhang Sitan by saying too much.

Zhang Sitan wasn’t actually annoyed. She most enjoyed understanding and analyzing people through their words. This was a pleasure in her life and a technique she used to find breakthroughs during negotiations.

Her requirement about not talking unnecessarily referred to her own private life and work matters; other topics were fine for free conversation.

Now, hearing Qi An say she had just graduated, she raised an eyebrow inwardly. As expected. A workplace novice conscripted by her mother.

Director Qi Shenli, the pharmaceutical company’s representative, was Qi An’s mother. Zhang Sitan knew this relationship and deliberately avoided mentioning it, but she hadn’t expected the silly girl to blurt it out herself.

“That’s great. You should challenge yourself more. Welcome to being my assistant,” Zhang Sitan’s tone was gentle and soft, making her words pleasant to hear.

Although she wasn’t satisfied with the assistant, she could easily offer polite words.

Qi An, unfamiliar with workplace formalities, was immediately overjoyed when Zhang Sitan said she was welcome.

She saw Zhang Sitan raise her teacup and vigorously raised her own to clink against hers: “Thank you, Sister Sitan.”

Zhang Sitan smiled, sensing a slight silliness in the young girl.

She took a square box from her large bag and handed it over: “This is for you. Please take care of me from now on.”

Qi An took it with a look of surprise, which quickly turned into pure delight.

“It’s a green watch! I love green the most.”

Zhang Sitan watched Qi An open the box and put the watch on her wrist. The strap was wide and light green, and it genuinely complemented her fair wrist.

“Director Qi sent me your profile earlier. I looked at your photo and felt you were very energetic and suited green well,” Zhang Sitan said with a smile, leaning back slightly.

That’s what she said on the surface, but her actions were different underneath. She had three watches in her bag: a white thin-strapped watch, a purple chain-strap watch, and a green wide-strapped watch.

In fact, the profile she received only had a passport photo in a white shirt, which didn’t really reveal an energetic nature. She bought three watches, thinking if the girl was quiet, she’d give the white one; if she was intellectual, the purple one; and if she was lively, the green one.

As for the rhetoric? Just move your lips a bit, and you can always make people happy.

Zhang Sitan ate a few more bites of noodles and continued, “I think this outfit of yours is beautiful; you have fair skin.”

Qi An was already surprised to receive the watch, and hearing Zhang Sitan praise her made her eyes sparkle.

Zhang Sitan glanced at her, then lowered her head, scooping out a clam from her bowl, appearing nonchalant: “You’re also wearing green socks with a little sun on them—very cute. You really must love green.”

Qi An hadn’t expected Zhang Sitan to notice her socks. She looked at Zhang Sitan, her voice suddenly full of admiration: “Sister Sitan, you are so meticulous.”

“Hahaha.” Zhang Sitan laughed, her voice still soft. She raised her head and looked earnestly at Qi An: “Because you are so eye-catching, people notice you right away.”

Qi An hadn’t expected Zhang Sitan to say that and felt even happier.

After the meal, Qi An used the umbrella to open the car door for Zhang Sitan. Zhang Sitan thanked her, bent her knees, and sat inside.

After dropping Zhang Sitan off at the hotel, Qi An couldn’t wait to share with her best friend, Lu Youran, that her future boss was gentle, beautiful, meticulous, generous, and even complimented her on wearing green.

Meanwhile, back at the hotel, Zhang Sitan’s face immediately fell. She pinched the bridge of her nose. She was very dissatisfied with this assistant.

Director Qi wanted to train her daughter and let her learn something by following Zhang Sitan, but Zhang Sitan neither had the time nor the obligation to mentor a rookie. She was here for negotiations, not to be a Bodhisattva.