Pharmaceutical Negotiator - Chapter 20

The weather was getting hotter. Fortunately, Zhang Sitan lived on a high floor, so mosquitoes and flies couldn’t fly up. Otherwise, listening to the sound of their bodies rubbing against each other would only make people more irritable.

The day after the appointment with CEO Liu, Young CEO Luo messaged Qi An, asking her to relay the meeting time to Zhang Sitan.

Zhang Sitan was a little surprised by the sudden change of heart but didn’t press for details.

Before going out, Qi An, who was usually actively waiting by the door, suddenly became coy. Her hair had grown much longer, all tied up with a rubber band. Her clothes and makeup were still the habits from her school days, but the childishness on her face had faded considerably.

Once a person starts working, the air of weariness radiating from the inside out becomes more obvious.

“What’s wrong?” Zhang Sitan slipped on her shoes and looked at Qi An, who was standing beside her, hesitating. “Why haven’t you changed your shoes?”

“Ah… I… can I ask for a day off today?” Both hands were tightly clasped together, frantically picking at her fingers.

“A day off.” Zhang Sitan repeated blankly, feeling it was a bit sudden.

A cyan silk dress covered her body, with hollow diamond patterns around her waist, making her look airy and ethereal. High heels tapped on her feet, and a golden anklet encircled her ankle.

“Are you feeling unwell?” This was Zhang Sitan’s first reaction.

Qi An shook her head, feeling a little uncomfortable under Zhang Sitan’s direct gaze.

“Why didn’t you say so the day before?” Zhang Sitan’s tone sank a little. Who takes a leave of absence on the same day they request it?

Silence.

“Fine. Message me if anything comes up.” Looking at Qi An’s conflicted little face, Zhang Sitan still relented, not even asking for the reason.

Qi An had originally prepared a few excuses: Lu Youran came to Beijing to find her, her period had started…

But Zhang Sitan didn’t ask anything and even said she would help her cancel the leave with HR.

Unhappy… an inexplicable unhappiness.

Qi An bit her lip, standing in the entryway watching Zhang Sitan push the door and walk out.

The heat outside piled up into a mass, rushing inside as soon as the door opened. Zhang Sitan felt as if a layer of cloth covered her legs, a cloth wrapped in hot mist.

She glanced back at Qi An, sensing her strangeness: “Anything else?”

“Ah.” Qi An shook her head, waved her hand at Zhang Sitan, and closed the door behind her.

Sitting down on the shoe changing bench, Qi An gloomily opened her phone. Lu Youran hadn’t woken up at this hour, so she had no one to complain to and turned off her phone again.

There was an octopus plushie on the entryway cabinet, with different colors on the front and back. The front was pale yellow with a smiling face. The back was orange-yellow with a crying face.

Qi An picked it up and flipped it to the back. The octopus’s mouth was turned down, and the orange color seemed to intensify its mood.

So annoying. Qi An firmly patted the octopus’s head and threw the crying octopus back onto the cabinet.

At the office, people gradually trickled in.

It was hot. Even though the air conditioning was running high in the office, people were still wilted from their morning commute.

A colleague went around the desks distributing Huoxiang Zhengqi Liquid (a traditional Chinese medicine for heatstroke). This liquid was easier to swallow than the water form, making it more acceptable.

When it reached Zhang Sitan, she took it, thinking about what she should distribute to everyone next time.

This tai-chi-bagua-like human society made people feel both warm and complex. Fortunately, the relationships were not complicated, and the office atmosphere was quite harmonious.

Qi An didn’t come, but the colleague didn’t forget her, placing a small bottle on her empty seat.

Zhang Sitan looked at the empty seat opposite her, twisted the cap, and quickly drank the entire bottle of Zhengqi Liquid.

Heat-relieving.

She was actually curious about Qi An’s reason for taking leave, but her sense of boundaries prevented her from asking.

After chugging the Zhengqi Liquid, Zhang Sitan drank a large mouthful of water. Even in August, she only drank warm water.

People successively put the snacks they had stockpiled on the desk of the colleague who had just distributed the Zhengqi Liquid. The windows were tightly closed, and the cold air from the air conditioner crawled onto the window frame, blurring the view of the soft gray sky outside.

Zhang Sitan found Qi Shenli’s messaging interface and sent a message about Qi An’s permanent contract.

Qi Shenli happily messaged back. She also didn’t expect Qi An to actually have perseverance and genuinely stick it out in Beijing.

After chatting with Qi Shenli for a while, Zhang Sitan felt the heat in her heart decrease a little. Of course, it could also be the effect of the bottle of Zhengqi Liquid.

She organized the proposal given by Liu Yujing and took it to Bureau Chief Zhang for a report.

In Bureau Chief Zhang’s office, the air conditioning was a few degrees lower than outside.

Zhang Sitan shivered, and goosebumps rose on her arms. “The contract hasn’t been signed yet?” Bureau Chief Zhang flipped through the proposal Zhang Sitan brought over.

“No. We haven’t met Young CEO Luo yet.”

“Mhm.” He also heard Zou Le say that Luo Murong was in Hainan that day at the dinner table.

Strong tea was steeping in the thermos cup on the table, and hot mist hung on the lid, condensing into water droplets. Blowing cold air on one side and drinking health preserving tea on the other seemed to be a common habit among many people.

“How was the talk with CEO Liu?” Bureau Chief Zhang asked again.

“Quite pleasant. And with Qidong taking the biggest share, the pressure on us is less.”

“Mhm. Set up another meeting with Young CEO Luo.”

“Okay.” Zhang Sitan closed the door, not walking towards her own cubicle, but heading to the stairwell to message Qi An.

The door was heavy. Pushing it with a bent arm required a little more force to get through.

Zhang Sitan stood at the stairwell entrance, sliding to Qi An’s interface: “What are you doing?”

Qi An’s avatar was still black. Although she had been lively and cheerful since coming to Beijing, Zhang Sitan knew that no one would be indifferent when facing a family member’s imprisonment.

She expected Qi An to reply after a while, but she replied instantly: “Sister Sitan, can we video call?”

This was the first time Qi An had asked for a video call. Zhang Sitan initiated a video call.

The call was quickly answered. A young, large face was pressed against the screen, and then the phone was moved farther away.

Seeing that the surrounding background was still at home, Zhang Sitan asked, “What are you doing?”

“Putting on makeup.” The signal in the stairwell wasn’t very good, and the sound transmission was a bit choppy, but fortunately, the conversation that followed was smooth.

“Are you going out?”

“Mhm.”

“Why did you suddenly want to video call?”

It was very quiet and a bit cool around her. Zhang Sitan looked at the face on the screen. After applying foundation, it looked like the ‘skin smoothing’ feature was on. The moist eyes stared at the screen, and her short hair was neatly styled today.

“I’m a little scared,” the person on the screen said.

Zhang Sitan’s heart skipped a beat. Looking at the screen, she was a little worried: “Scared of what?”

There were too many things to be afraid of. Afraid of the cold wind turning her face purplish red in winter, afraid of being fired for making a mistake at work, afraid of relationships breaking down because of a misplaced word, afraid of the crowds desperately pressing forward when squeezing into and out of the subway station every day.

Afraid of Sister Sitan being unhappy, afraid of Sister Sitan being angry with her…

“I’ll tell you when I get back tonight.” Qi An blinked.

“Okay.”

Zhang Sitan noticed Qi An’s unusual behavior today and stared closely at the screen “I’ll hang up first. Call me if anything happens.”

Qi An nodded and reluctantly hung up the video call. Putting the phone aside, she picked up her eyeshadow and began applying color.

The sunlight was bright, streaming in from the window, making the room very bright. Although Qi An slept in Zhang Sitan’s bedroom, her belongings were all in her own bedroom. So, she would go to sleep there at night and come here to change clothes during the day. Of course, she also put on her makeup here.

She had a good base; just a little powder made her look energetic.

She took out a fruit-green camisole from the closet, put on breast pasties, and slipped the top over her body. She was not naturally hairy, and she had shaved her underarm hair again during her shower, leaving her arms smooth and fair. The fresh color was like a patch of grass, and the fitted style accentuated her waist.

She wore a short beaded necklace around her neck. The chain was short and didn’t sway with the movement of her body, but she still felt something extra in front of her.

Having been used to wearing ordinary small outfits, Qi An was a little unaccustomed to baring her arms suddenly. She subconsciously wanted to fold her arms, feeling empty.

Just as she finished getting ready, her phone rang. It was Luo Murong urging her.

The security of the residential area was good, so Luo Murong’s car couldn’t enter and had to wait outside the complex.

The sun was hot, and with makeup on, her face felt scorched. Qi An used her small crossbody bag to shield her forehead and quickly ran into the car.

Fastening her seatbelt and feeling the cold air inside the car, Qi An finally felt a sense of relief.

“Do you remember everything I told you?” Luo Murong put the car in gear, asking as he turned the steering wheel.

“I remember.” Qi An nodded.

The two met at the beginning of the year. They clicked and felt compatible, so they started dating. They agreed to break up after Zou Le covered the cost of Luo Murong’s large SUV.

“Your mom has met me. Is that okay?”

“Oh, it’s even better if she has. My mom will definitely be satisfied with your job. Our family happens to be in the pharmaceutical business too.”

“Ah… mine is a temporary position.” Qi An weakly explained.

They happened to be at a crossroads. Luo Murong honked the horn. The “beep” sound pierced through the car, drowning out Qi An’s voice.

Luo Murong hadn’t clearly heard what Qi An had just said and wasn’t willing to take the trouble to ask, keeping his eyes forward on the road.

“Are you sure the camisole is okay?” Wouldn’t it be too revealing to meet an elder?

“I saw you at the bar last time, a very lively person.” Luo Murong turned his head to look at her. “So you’re still a Qing Dynasty leftover?”

“No…” Qi An wanted to explain, but Luo Murong honked the horn again. The car he drove was large, and perhaps it had been modified, as the tires were thicker than ordinary cars, and the horn was loud. When he honked, Qi An felt the decibels of her own voice automatically reset to zero.

“Don’t worry. What if you dress too conservatively and my mom actually takes a liking to you?” Luo Murong looked at her again.

“Watch the road.” Qi An quickly replied to him.

Luo Murong straightened his head and talked incessantly: “Let’s be clear. Even though I’m stubborn, plenty of girls have fallen for me. I had to ask you to pretend to be my girlfriend because my mom knows all my other friends inside and out. Just go there and make a nominal effort. I really needed to find someone simple.”

Qi An smiled. Luo Murong had a Beijing accent, was stocky, and looked like a butler, yet he was being so self-congratulatory here.

The last time at the bar, his face was as pure white as if he had fallen into a flour barrel. Qi An had even deliberately teased Zhang Sitan that he was a ‘0’ (slang for a passive homosexual partner). Now that his makeup was off, he looked more like an old butler waiting on the sidelines in a castle, about to say, “The young master hasn’t smiled like that in a long time.”

Upon arrival, Luo Murong was quite the gentleman and helped Qi An open the car door.

The temperature difference between the inside and outside of the car was significant. As soon as her feet touched the ground, it was like stepping into a fire pit, making her feel miserably hot.

Qi An followed Luo Murong into the house. Her slightly relaxed mood started to feel uneasy again.

She had told Zhang Sitan earlier that she was a little scared, but the actual extent was even deeper. Zou Le had already met her at Sun Huimin’s house and knew her identity. Now she was claiming to be Luo Murong’s girlfriend. What if Zou Le didn’t believe her? Would it mess up Sister Sitan’s business?

But if she didn’t come, Luo Murong would keep using the excuse of being in Hainan. Sister Sitan wouldn’t be able to meet him and couldn’t sign the contract. If she couldn’t sign the contract…

Sister Sitan would be unhappy. She didn’t want Sister Sitan to be unhappy.

Qi An took a deep breath, put on a smile, and entered the house.