Pharmaceutical Negotiator - Chapter 3

After the meal, the group exchanged pleasantries for a while longer before Zhang Sitan finally settled into the half purple, half-gray Mercedes Benz.

She now felt that this car was her sanctuary, the streamlined space isolating her from the clamor of the world.

There wasn’t a cloud in the sky. Zhang Sitan leaned against the backrest, her eyes slightly glazed from staring at the sky for too long.

Qi An was still silent, concentrating on driving. But Zhang Sitan suddenly felt like saying something.

The noon sky was always dazzling, and in the confined space, the two people, one in front and one behind, seemed to be in great need of some words to break the solidified air current.

“Qi An,” Zhang Sitan called softly. She didn’t follow Qi Shenli’s lead and call her Xiao An; she found Qi An to be a nicer name.

The person in front moved her eyes and looked into the rearview mirror: “Ah?”

Zhang Sitan looked steadily at her: “On the way here, I saw a wooden bridge up ahead. Let’s go take some photos there.”

The arm turning the steering wheel was slightly bent, and she “ah-ed” again, the tone dropping, a very definite affirmation.

Zhang Sitan curled the corner of her mouth, getting a little used to this little green person’s “ah ing” way of speaking.

The conversation tactics at the dinner table seemed to have failed none of them felt as sincere as this “ah.”

The wooden bridge was on the way back to the hotel, so there was no need to change the route, just drive straight ahead and stop at the bridgehead.

When they arrived, Qi An got out of the car and walked to the back to open the door for Zhang Sitan.

Zhang Sitan watched the flash of green jump from the front to the back, the small figure, a head shorter than herself, standing outside the car door. Before Qi An could pull the door open, Zhang Sitan pushed it open herself and stepped out.

Qi An hadn’t expected Zhang Sitan to open the door herself, so she took half a step back, yielding the space, and met Zhang Sitan’s gaze.

“You don’t need to open the door for me in the future,” Zhang Sitan’s tone was normal. She watched the young girl nod blankly.

Zhang Sitan had already thoroughly reviewed Qi An’s profile. Her mother, Qi Shenli, needless to say, was the CEO of a large corporation. Her father, Qi Zhiguo, was a professor at the Shankeh College of Biological Pharmacy. The red pill independently developed by Taiyong Group was initially Qi Zhiguo’s research topic.

From such a family, Qi An must never have worried about food, clothing, or a lack of affection. That’s why she could develop such an uncontending, fresh, and refined temperament. This kind of temperament, used for opening car doors or carrying bags, was a waste.

Qi Shenli must have already paved the way for her, having her work as her assistant was nothing more than wanting her to become more perceptive and to wash away some of her student air.

But Zhang Sitan was unwilling to let this clean and transparent wisp of scholarly air be stained by her rough wolf’s hair.

Qi An didn’t know why Zhang Sitan didn’t want her to open the door anymore. She tried to reach into the back seat to get her large black leather bag, but Zhang Sitan stopped her.

“We’re just taking a few photos; no need to bring the bag.”

Qi An was perplexed, watching Zhang Sitan close the car door.

The door closed with a muffled “thud.” Qi An watched Zhang Sitan’s retreating figure heading towards the wooden bridge.

She followed that figure, walking toward the wooden bridge as well.

Although called a bridge, it wasn’t a bridge, but an arched corridor. Underneath the corridor wasn’t water, but an earthen hill. Consequently, the terrain here was higher than the surroundings, allowing them to see the Taiyong Group building not far away, and the four large characters of “Taiyong Group” prominently displayed on the rooftop.

Zhang Sitan leaned against the side of the corridor, one leg stretched straight and supporting her from behind, the knee of the other leg slightly bent and half-suspended.

She looked at Qi An and asked, “How’s your photography skill?”

Qi An remembered that one of Zhang Sitan’s requirements for an assistant was being able to take photos, so she nodded vigorously: “I can take photos, I can take photos.”

Zhang Sitan was amused by her adorable tone. She tucked all her hair behind her ears: “Just take one casually, let me see.”

Qi An nervously took out her phone, fumbling to adjust the beauty filter, feeling as anxious as if a teacher were calling on her randomly in class.

She held the phone horizontally, aiming it at Zhang Sitan.

Behind her were lush green trees. The flowers by the sea always bloom in April and May, small clusters of pink dots were scattered in the background. In the distance were sweeping modern buildings, and in the very corner, a red roofed cylindrical building could be seen.

Qi An clicked the shutter. The person in the frame was not in the center but slightly to the right, revealing the pink flowers and the red-roofed house on the left.

The person on the right had her hair spread behind her, her eyes curved into crescents as she looked at the camera, her gaze full of brightness, as if about to pierce the lens and face the photographer directly.

When Zhang Sitan spoke to people, her eyes always fixed on the other person. At the negotiating table, being stared at by such sincere eyes, one always felt confident entrusting her with anything. On the negotiation floor, those eyes were extremely imposing, like a wild wolf staring at its opponent.

Qi An noticed that Zhang Sitan hadn’t actually pierced her ears. Her mature, powerful appearance seemed suddenly a little friendlier without earrings.

She handed the phone to Zhang Sitan to look at.

Zhang Sitan leaned forward slightly, her voice full of pleasant surprise: “It’s beautiful! The composition is particularly harmonious.”

Qi An was very happy, feeling that she had received some affirmation.

Then she heard Zhang Sitan say: “Stand back a little further and capture the four characters of ‘Taiyong Group’ in the background.”

Qi An nodded, took a few steps back, and looked at the screen of her phone. It wasn’t difficult to capture the four characters of Taiyong Group, but that would make Zhang Sitan look too small in the frame.

She moved to the side, angling her phone to capture Zhang Sitan from the side. This way, she could capture Zhang Sitan’s profile and the clear large characters behind her.

Qi An took several photos, silently complimenting how pointed Sister Sitan’s nose was.

Zhang Sitan leaned over again, carefully looking at the photos, her tone slightly elated: “Beautiful! Send them to me.”

As she spoke, she took out her phone and looked at Qi An.

Qi An was slightly stunned; she didn’t have Zhang Sitan’s contact information. No phone number, no WeChat, even the instruction to pick Zhang Sitan up at the hotel this morning had come from Qi Shenli.

Zhang Sitan seemed to realize this too, looking at Qi An with a half smile  “Have you ever asked for someone else’s WeChat?”

The hottest part of the day had passed, but the sunlight was still sharp, scattering in dappled spots on the surrounding green leaves. The wooden bridge was hot from the sun.

Qi An remembered that on the university confession board, asking for WeChat was a way of expressing romantic interest.

She stared with wide, innocent eyes and said foolishly, “I’ve never been in a relationship.”

It was Zhang Sitan’s turn to be stunned. She witnessed the clear foolishness of the college student for the first time, her mouth curving into an uncontrollable smile: “You’re 23, it’s time to fall in love.”

Qi An didn’t know why the topic had shifted to this, the sunlight was truly too intense, making people speak without thinking: “Sister, you’re 30…”

“Don’t you dare say that!” Zhang Sitan glared at her.

Their eyes met, and they both tacitly laughed.

Zhang Sitan leaned back, in a very good mood. She displayed her WeChat QR code: “I was wondering yesterday when you would add my WeChat.”

Qi An smiled sheepishly, regretting how unperceptive she had been yesterday. She scanned the code and very earnestly wrote, “Sister Sitan, I’m Qi An,” then sent the request.

Zhang Sitan, however, did not accept.

She put away her phone: “Let’s go, take me around to see the sights and feel the sea view of Qingdao. I also want to eat that clam noodle soup from yesterday’s place tonight.”

Qi An nodded, not daring to ask why Zhang Sitan didn’t accept, and followed Zhang Sitan down from the wooden bridge.

The two of them drove a loop around the coastal road.

Zhang Sitan rolled down the window, enjoying the cool, refreshing sea breeze blowing on her face.

She was from Shaanxi, and although she traveled to various places for work, the sea was still unfamiliar to her. So she always approached it with a sense of novelty, always feeling it was special.

A distinct dividing line cut across the scene: below was the cement-colored coastal road, and above was the somewhat gray blue, vast sea.

Her hair was swept back by the wind, her bright smile was captured, the girl making a peace sign, her shoulders concaving forward, revealing her collarbone.

This was the first photo Qi An took of Zhang Sitan on the coastal road.

Later, when Zhang Sitan came here again, and Qi An took her second photo, she realized how calculating and unspirited her smile was now.

She wanted to climb higher, and she occasionally used subtle tactics. Although she had always been genuine, her current smile still lacked a bit of purity.

“Sister Sitan, take one of me too,” Qi An handed her phone to Zhang Sitan, a little hesitant.

Zhang Sitan naturally took the phone, and through the viewfinder, she saw the person in front of her stiffly raise a peace sign, her eyes smiling, but her facial expression not moving much.

Cute. Zhang Sitan smiled inwardly.

After wandering around for a while, they arrived at the same clam noodle soup shop as last time. There weren’t many customers at this time, so it seemed much quieter.

They could hear the muffled “whoosh” of cars driving by outside, muted by the glass. The sky was dark, and the white fluorescent lights cast small patches of light, dappled on the tabletop.

Qi An turned her head to look at Zhang Sitan again. Zhang Sitan tilted her head and glanced at her: “You order, I’ll have the same as you.”

So Qi An happily shouted towards the back: “Two bowls of fish ball clam noodles, with thick vermicelli.”

A return “Ay” came from the back. Because the shop was sparsely populated, the shout sounded a bit hollow.

The two sat in the same seats as last time, but this time Zhang Sitan paid.

As the “WeChat received 20 Yuan” notification sounded, Qi An secretly peeked at Zhang Sitan, watching her pay and then placing her phone face down on the table.

Qi An thought Zhang Sitan would accept her friend request at this moment. She looked down at her own phone, but there was still nothing.

The noodles arrived quickly, steaming hot, the rising mist slightly obscuring their faces. Zhang Sitan’s long hair was spread over her shoulders, her eyes slightly warmed by the steam from the rich soup.

“Your socks… do they also have moon patterns on them?” Zhang Sitan asked Qi An with a smile. This time Qi An was wearing the same style of socks as before, both light green, but the pattern on the ankle had changed from a small sun to a small star.

Qi An said “Ah,” then realized, looked down at her socks, and answered honestly: “Mm, yes. I bought a set.”

Zhang Sitan was amused, a sudden mischievous thought crossed her mind, but she felt they weren’t close enough, and it might be too familiar, so she didn’t ask further.

The two chatted about the clam noodle soup for a while, and Qi An finally loosened up a little.

After eating for a bit, Zhang Sitan looked up nonchalantly, lifting a clump of noodles to let them cool: “How much do you know about the red pill?”

Qi An didn’t have much appetite to begin with, and her mind was still preoccupied with the fact that Zhang Sitan hadn’t accepted her friend request. When she suddenly heard Zhang Sitan mention the red pill, her mind struggled to keep up, and her voice was halting:

“The red pill… my father’s doctoral research topic, mainly for treating spinal muscular atrophy-like conditions. Later, my mother took over the project, and subsequent experiments were no longer made public… so I… don’t know much about it.”

Zhang Sitan nodded. What Qi An said was similar to what was available online, so she changed her line of questioning: “Your parents must have a very good relationship. Just by looking at you, I can tell you have excellent upbringing.”

Qi An scratched her head a little shyly: “They’ve been together since their student days. My mom has a stronger personality, and my dad always gives in to her.”

Zhang Sitan spooned up another mouthful of soup. The sound of cars honking outside was blocked by the glass, only muffled noises could be vaguely heard.

She didn’t ask what she wanted to ask, and she didn’t pursue the topic further.

After finishing the meal, the two went their separate ways.

In the bedroom, Qi An lay on the bed, let out a loud sigh, and poked her best friend, Lu Youran.

“Ranran, my boss asked me to add her WeChat, but she hasn’t accepted it yet. What on earth does that mean?”

A reply quickly came from the other side of the phone: “Maybe she hasn’t seen it? Why don’t you wait a bit longer?”

No! She clearly could have clicked accept when she looked at her phone in the middle of dinner.

Qi An writhed and crawled on the bed, still clutching her phone stubbornly, a little disgruntled.

Sister Sitan, why won’t you hurry up and accept my friend request!!!