Pharmaceutical Negotiator - Chapter 17

The dinner was scheduled for that evening at Bureau Chief Zhang’s house. Bureau Chief Zhang had no children and was quite affable outside of work.

Bureau Chief Zhang’s wife, Sun Huimin, was a yoga teacher who owned her own studio, which is where Zhang Sitan learned yoga.

Zhang Sitan and Sun Huimin often kept in touch. This not only helped them maintain their relationship but also allowed Zhang Sitan to get tips from Sun Huimin to improve her yoga poses.

If Sun Huimin ever had a disagreement with Bureau Chief Zhang, she was also happy to have Zhang Sitan help relay messages.

After ordering a bouquet from the flower shop, Zhang Sitan and Qi An entered the residential community gate.

Bureau Chief Zhang had already informed the guard, who helped Zhang Sitan open the apartment building door and press the elevator.

Although they were meeting as private friends, Bureau Chief Zhang was still a bureau chief and their immediate superior, so Qi An put on makeup before leaving.

She rarely wore makeup, her twenty something year old face full of collagen. After applying foundation, her face was smoother, and her blinking lashes made her look like a porcelain doll.

“Sister Sitan, is Bureau Chief Zhang only inviting us?” Qi An asked Zhang Sitan in the elevator.

“You wish,” Zhang Sitan replied, holding the flowers with one hand, her voluminous, wavy hair falling over her shoulder, looking very glamorous herself.

“We are just company. The important guest is Zou Le, the wife of CEO Luo Yunhai from Qidong Pharmaceutical. Just call her Sister Le when you see her.”

“Oh,” Qi An nodded sullenly. “Is Qidong the same Qidong we’re about to negotiate with?”

“Yes,” the elevator opened at that moment, and the two walked out one after the other.

“So, do you know what tonight’s dinner is for?”

Zhang Sitan deliberately leaned in close, her nose almost touching Qi An’s.

“Ah?” Startled by Zhang Sitan’s closeness, Qi An took a large step back, her heart pounding as she looked at Zhang Sitan’s face right in front of her.

Zhang Sitan gave Qi An another look, noting her sudden uncharacteristic reaction.

“Let’s go in.”

“Oh.”

Inside, Zou Le had already arrived and was sitting on the sofa chatting with Sun Huimin.

Zou Le was also a long time student at the yoga studio. Bureau Chief Zhang was able to contact her through Sun Huimin’s connection.

“Sitan is here!” Sun Huimin, hearing the doorbell, knew her little angel had arrived. She opened the door and helped Zhang Sitan with her slippers.

Zhang Sitan had been there several times before, and Sun Huimin had prepared a dedicated pair of slippers for her, white with a Q-version little angel drawn on the surface.

Sun Huimin was over fifty, but due to years of exercise and having no children, her skin and figure were very well-maintained. Zhang Sitan was adept at joking with Sun Huimin, often making her burst into laughter, which is why Sun Huimin called Zhang Sitan her little angel.

Sun Huimin took the flowers, and Qi An followed, changing into a pair of ordinary disposable slippers.

“This is my angel baby I told you about,” Sun Huimin introduced Zhang Sitan to Zou Le, pulling her closer.

Although Zou Le was a full-time housewife, she was not a canary in a cage. Seeing Zhang Sitan wearing the special slippers Sun Huimin had prepared and hearing her enthusiastically call her an angel, Zou Le knew this was genuine appreciation, not just false politeness.

Sun Huimin was Bureau Chief Zhang’s wife; her appreciation for Zhang Sitan meant Bureau Chief Zhang appreciated her. To earn the sincere appreciation and support of a superior meant she truly had ability.

So, when Sun Huimin suggested they scan WeChat codes, she didn’t feel offended. Instead, she happily took out her QR code, very willing to make a connection with someone like Zhang Sitan.

The sound of a spatula hitting a pan came from the kitchen. Bureau Chief Zhang was missing from the living room, indicating he was likely the main chef tonight.

“Sister Huimin, what dishes did Bureau Chief Zhang prepare today?” Zhang Sitan started a topic.

“Haha, it’s very rich today. Your brother bought red shrimp and mantis shrimp early this morning at the market. He’s going to show off his cooking for you all.”

“Mantis shrimp is nice; the meat is tender, but the shell is thick and the meat is sparse,” Zou Le, a Beijing native, wasn’t especially keen on seafood, but she enjoyed it occasionally.

“It is, the shell is hard to peel. Fortunately, I don’t have a habit of getting manicures, so I’ll peel the shrimp for the sisters today.” Zhang Sitan saw the large emerald ring on Zou Le’s finger and knew she wouldn’t want to get her hands dirty with such a messy task.

Zou Le was delighted that Zhang Sitan offered to peel the shrimp, but she also felt it wasn’t right to boss around a guest.

She looked hesitant, but before she could speak, Zhang Sitan said, “Don’t worry, my technique might not be Michelin-level, but I can definitely ensure the shrimp body is complete, letting it come in one piece and leave in one piece.”

The comment made everyone laugh, and Zou Le no longer refused.

During dinner, Zhang Sitan sat next to Zou Le because she was helping to peel shrimp, which brought them closer.

“Let’s toast the chef first.”

Since they weren’t drinking alcohol, they used tea instead to toast Bureau Chief Zhang, who had been busy in the kitchen.

As Zhang Sitan had promised to peel shrimp, she professionally took a small plate, held the shrimp head with chopsticks, peeled it open from the side, and pulled out the body.

After peeling several, Zou Le was surprised by how intact they were: “Sitan really has a knack for this.”

“Doesn’t she?” Hearing Zou Le compliment her, Zhang Sitan didn’t feign modesty, smiling as she placed the peeled shrimp onto the small plates of Sun Huimin and Zou Le.

Qi An noticed Zhang Sitan was peeling a lot of shrimp but not eating any herself, so she also picked up a few mantis shrimp, wanting to peel them for Zhang Sitan.

She wasn’t skilled at peeling this kind of shrimp, and she tore the shell off, using her fingernails to forcefully extract the meat.

Several pieces of broken shrimp meat were placed on the small plate in front of Zhang Sitan. Zhang Sitan looked down, smiled, didn’t say anything, and picked them up to eat.

Bureau Chief Zhang watched them peeling shrimp for each other and joked, “That’s nice, you all have helpers. I have to rely on myself.”

Everyone laughed at him.

After some more casual conversation, Bureau Chief Zhang finally steered the topic and asked Zou Le what Luo Yunhai had been busy with recently.

Zou Le, of course, knew the purpose of the dinner, and she said directly, “Old Luo handed this project over to Young Rong. The boy is grown up; it’s time to let him get some practice.”

“Yes. Yes. Yes.” Bureau Chief Zhang said “Yes” three times, each tone lower than the last.

He knew about Luo Yunhai’s son, Luo Murong. He was sent abroad to study but secretly came back. Luo Yunhai found him a job at the company, but he often took leave and disappeared.

A typical pampered young master.

The atmosphere grew a little awkward, so Zhang Sitan quickly interjected, “It’s perfect that this project is aimed at children. Young Master Luo is young and has more vitality than we do. His proposal and planning might be more in line with the needs of young people.”

Zhang Sitan’s comment helped to slightly ease Bureau Chief Zhang’s mood.

Sun Huimin followed up, saying, “Have Sitan add Young Rong on WeChat. Is Young Rong dating anyone? Young people have more topics in common. If they chat more, they’ll become familiar.”

This touched on a sore spot for Zou Le, who complained to Sun Huimin, “He’s not settled; he runs around everywhere. Never mind finding a girlfriend; it’s hard for me to see him stay at home for a solid week in a year.”

“See, he told me he went to Hainan a few days ago. Who knows what kind of crazy things he’s up to.”

Hainan in July…

Qi An blinked, then spoke up, “Hainan at this time of year?”

“Ah, yes… yes.” Zou Le paused, hearing Qi An’s question.

Until now, it had been Sun Huimin, Zou Le, and the others talking; Qi An hadn’t said a word.

Now that she suddenly spoke, Zou Le couldn’t help but look at her. Dressed like a student, she acted naturally and unreservedly, with a very poised demeanor.

Since she was brought by Zhang Sitan, her ability must not be underestimated. Zou Le replied, “My son has too wild a heart.”

She pushed Luo Murong’s WeChat to Zhang Sitan: “I’ll also send him a message to have him add you back, so it doesn’t delay things.”

“Mm-hmm, great.” Zhang Sitan didn’t know much about Luo Yunhai’s son. She clicked “Add,” but there was no reaction from the other side for a long time, so she didn’t want to press the issue.

The topic moved on, and the group discussed other things.

When they returned home, Luo Murong still hadn’t responded, nor had he accepted Zhang Sitan’s friend request.

A second-generation heir likes to play, but he shouldn’t dare to mess up important business; Zhang Sitan was somewhat confident about that.

Qi An had worn makeup today, so Zhang Sitan let her use the bathroom first while she sat at the desk looking at unofficial media reports about Luo Murong over the years.

Some of these reports were inaccurate, but generally, they painted a picture of a spoiled and cynical young master.

Zhang Sitan knew that this kind of young master liked to dally with you. You might be anxious for a proposal and to report back, but the other party would be very leisurely, doing everything but discussing the project. To deal with this type of person, you had to hit them where it counted, making them willing to work for you.

When Qi An emerged from the bathroom, Zhang Sitan went in to take a shower. The weather was hot, and her hair had been down all day, making her feel stuffy.

Finally, having dried her hair, Zhang Sitan saw Qi An still standing by the door and was a bit puzzled: “Why aren’t you going to sleep?”

“Ah…” She seemed a little dazed.

Zhang Sitan was confused and pulled open the bedroom door: “You’ve had a long day; you should go to bed early…”

The rest of the words got stuck in her throat.

In the bedroom, on the bed, the pillow and quilt Qi An had brought over yesterday were still there. The two pillows were side-by-side. Since they got up in a hurry this morning, neither of them had time to fold the quilts, which were crumpled together, creating an indescribable ambiguity.

Qi An was also struggling with whether to carry her quilt back. After all, there were two bedrooms in the apartment; she didn’t seem to have a reason to sleep with Sister Sitan.

But if they were really to separate, why did it feel a little sad to part?

“Are you afraid of the dark?” Zhang Sitan remembered Qi An’s pouting comment last night about having been shut in a small dark room.

“Ah… not really.”

“Okay, then go back to your room and rest early.”

She had thought Qi An was afraid of the dark, which gave Zhang Sitan some hesitation. Now that she heard Qi An wasn’t, she felt justified in giving the dismissal.

…Sister Sitan, how heartless you are.

Qi An lamented inwardly, taking small steps toward the bed. Her hand touched the crumpled down comforter, and a sudden idea sparked in her mind: “Sister Sitan, has that Luo Murong added you yet?”

“Not yet, why?”

“I think, I think I know him. When you added him, I saw his WeChat profile picture; it was a selfie, and I think it’s someone I know.”

Zhang Sitan was surprised, even holding a sliver of hope, as she was just worrying about how to breach this young master.

“I think I know him,” Qi An answered cautiously. Seeing Zhang Sitan so excited, she was afraid of disappointing her if she was wrong.

However, she had finally found a reason to stay. She sat down on the edge of the bed, cunningly thinking she could stay for a little longer.

Zhang Sitan clicked on Luo Murong’s profile picture and handed the phone to Qi An: “Do you know him?”

“I do, I do!”

It was just a glance before, but now that she was looking closely, Qi An slapped her forehead. Isn’t this the guy who was at the bar that day, covered in thick foundation, who awkwardly danced with her?

Zhang Sitan heard Qi An say it was the guy from the bar, and she zoomed in on the photo. The light in the bar was dim, and Zhang Sitan hadn’t interacted with him much, so she couldn’t tell for sure.

But she still held onto hope: “Why don’t you add him?”

“Ah? Sure, sure.”

Qi An’s Moments allowed strangers to view ten posts. If Luo Murong still remembered her, seeing her photo might make him willing to add her.

With this excuse, Qi An seized the opportunity to say, “How about I wait for his message here for a while? He’s definitely a night owl; he won’t reply during the day. He’s full of energy at night. I’ll let you know as soon as he replies.”

Qi An tried hard to explain, afraid Zhang Sitan would still send her away.

“That works, too.” Zhang Sitan considered it; there was no other way, and she was afraid of missing the message, so she approved Qi An’s plan.

She lay down on the bed. The day’s social obligations had been exhausting. Just as she was about to fall asleep, she saw Qi An sitting by the bed and couldn’t bear it: “Why don’t you come up and sleep first?”

“Oh.” Qi An pretended to be reserved, acting hesitant as she slowly lifted the quilt.

Hehehe, this is what I was waiting for.

If I can sleep with her today, I can sleep with her tomorrow, and every day after. Never wake up early again, thanks to Sister Sitan!

Qi An was exhilarated, completely unaware that her feelings for Sister Sitan had quietly deteriorated/changed in nature.