Pharmaceutical Negotiator - Chapter 36

The wind outside suddenly picked up, making a “whooshing” sound, followed by the crackling noise of plastic sheeting or panels on the outside of residential buildings being rattled.

But the rain still hadn’t started.

Qi An pulled her lips away from Zhang Si Tan’s, her tongue tip retracting with a slight warmth.

She cautiously glanced at the person lying sideways beside her, noticing that Zhang Si Tan’s lips were also a deeper color, and her eyes held a flicker of surprise.

Thankfully, there was no frown.

Qi An thought this in a small remaining space amidst a host of complex emotions.

Speechless for a moment, she maintained the side lying position, her upper body still outside the quilt, but the coldness from before had vanished.

She felt hot, and like the great outdoors, she sensed the sultry humidity before a rain.

Zhang Si Tan also recovered from her shock, looking at Qi An, who was huddled nervously in front of her, looking as if the person who had just aggressively kissed her wasn’t her.

The fierce wind howled, but it was all blocked by the windows.

It was already very late, and they had to work tomorrow.

Zhang Si Tan instinctively wanted to purse her lips, which felt a little moist at the corners. But with Qi An staring at her, she felt embarrassed to make any moves.

A subtle awkwardness and ambiguous atmosphere hung between the two, silent gazes, silently resisting who would speak first.

“Let’s sleep,” Zhang Si Tan finally flipped over and lay flat.

The moment she lay down, she raised a hand to wipe the corner of her mouth.

“Oh,” seeing Zhang Si Tan move, Qi An also shrank back and retreated under the quilt.

Feeling the coolness of the air conditioning quilt, her body shivered slightly.

The next day, Zhang Si Tan still woke up early, went for a run, and then put on an apron and entered the kitchen.

The two of them tacitly avoided mentioning the kiss again, but during breakfast, sitting together below the sofa with their arms touching and the clear clinking sound of their spoons hitting the bowls, they still felt a bit awkward and self-conscious.

Upon arriving at the company, Li Hua was already there. Seeing Qi An’s somewhat sallow face, he asked, “Did you stay up late yesterday? You don’t look well.”

Qi An lifelessly “hmm” and pulled out her office chair to sit down.

She had only finished half of yesterday’s PowerPoint presentation and still needed to work hard today.

Moreover, after all the things that happened yesterday, her brain was a bit short-circuited, her train of thought for the PPT was interrupted, and she needed to re-outline her content.

Zhang Si Tan’s complexion wasn’t actually great either, but she had put on makeup, and her morning run had largely reduced the puffiness, so she looked more or less normal.

Before she could turn on her computer, Li Hua spoke up, “Director Zhang asked you to go to his office when you arrive.”

“Okay,” Zhang Si Tan replied, retracting the hand that was about to press the computer power button.

She put her bag in the cabinet under the desk, smoothed her hair, and headed to Director Zhang’s office.

The sky was heavily overcast, and the lights were on in the hallway and office. The bright light made it seem momentarily like nighttime.

Zhang Si Tan lightly knocked three times and entered after hearing “Come in.”

“Director Zhang, you were looking for me?”

“Si Tan.” Director Zhang had been in the office for a while. The flowers on the windowsill had already been watered, their petals blooming fully.

He always watered these few pots himself. It wasn’t that he was particularly fond of them, but it was a habit, one of his essential morning tasks.

The light was on in Director Zhang’s office too. Outside, the sky was covered with dark clouds, making the colors of even the few pots of flowers appear dim.

Director Zhang handed a document to Zhang Si Tan, “Have a seat.”

Zhang Si Tan took the document and pulled out the chair opposite Director Zhang’s desk to sit down.

Flipping to the first page, Zhang Si Tan recognized this as one of the projects she had recently been coordinating with the foreign doctor, Nick.

The document was divided into two parts: one entirely in English and one translated into Chinese. The all-English version was thicker, dense with words and letters. Zhang Si Tan thought of the English nightmare she’d been living through recently and felt a physical aversion.

She quickly scanned the Chinese translation and looked up, waiting for Director Zhang’s instructions.

“I spoke to Li Hua before you arrived,” Director Zhang said, seeing Zhang Si Tan look up and knowing she had a rough idea of the document’s content. “He has more seniority and his English is a bit better.”

Director Zhang didn’t say anything more. Zhang Si Tan knew that since he had come to her next, it meant Li Hua had refused the business trip.

Li Hua was getting old and had a bunch of minor health issues. Even though the document estimated the trip would last only four days, he still didn’t want to travel.

“What about Li Hao? Her English is very good too,” Zhang Si Tan asked.

“I came to you right after Li Hua,” he said, implying that if Zhang Si Tan refused, Director Zhang might then go to Li Hao.

“You’ve been the one coordinating with Nick this whole time. You’re more familiar with the details than Li Hao.”

“Also,” Director Zhang looked at Zhang Si Tan, “I think you have great potential for advancement. Practice more, don’t let English trip you up.”

“Yes,” Zhang Si Tan responded.

This business trip was to Southeast Asia, and visa processing wouldn’t take more than three days. As Director Zhang said, she really shouldn’t pass up this opportunity just because her English wasn’t strong.

“Alright, if you’ve decided, take this document with you. Go to Administration to get a travel requisition form, and bring your ID copy and passport for registration today.”

“Okay, thank you, Director Zhang.” Without much time to think, Zhang Si Tan left the office with the document.

This meant she had decided to go on the business trip.

Coming out of the office, Li Hua saw the document in her hand and gave her a knowing look, “I knew you had the courage.”

“Haha,” Zhang Si Tan laughed dryly. “I’m still a bit nervous. I’ve never traveled abroad, and my English isn’t great.”

“Oh, come on, everyone has a first time. Anyway, it’s all reimbursed, and it’s a good chance to broaden your horizons.”

Zhang Si Tan nodded, agreeing with Li Hua.

She turned on her computer, as usual, started her daily checklist, and put the document Director Zhang gave her into the file holder.

Qi An poked her head out from behind her computer. She had heard Li Hua mention going abroad and was curious. “Sister Si Tan, are you going abroad?”

“Mhm,” Zhang Si Tan nodded. “To XX, probably for four days.”

“Huh?” Qi An was a little confused, but then she remembered she was Zhang Si Tan’s assistant, and she hadn’t received any notification. “Do I not need to go?”

Zhang Si Tan hadn’t had time to answer when Li Hua interjected, “Didn’t you see this was specifically requested by Director Zhang? Our bureau is so poor, how could we afford two people’s plane tickets?”

“Ah,” Qi An was stunned again.

So, she wasn’t going?

Zhang Si Tan was going abroad alone! Without her!!

She felt a little wronged…

Qi An wasn’t ready to give up and made a final attempt, “Sister Si Tan, aren’t you bringing an assistant?”

“Nick’s side will probably provide an assistant and a translator for me,” Zhang Si Tan tilted her head.

“Ah, is that so?” Qi An mumbled blankly.

Wouldn’t that be like the Qingdao trip, where the client handled those arrangements? Just like she was the assistant Qi Shenli had found for Zhang Si Tan, now a new person would find a new assistant for Zhang Si Tan.

Then, what was she…

So, she wasn’t unique after all.

“Sister Si Tan, do you have many assistants?” Qi An asked, on the verge of tears, still unwilling to give up.

Zhang Si Tan stretched her neck towards Qi An, not quite catching her soft whisper.

“You’re the only one formally contracted.”

Only you. One.

Hearing the satisfactory answer, Qi An finally felt a little reassured.

That’s right, she was a formally contracted employee, she had passed her probation, and her name was even on the badge on her chest.

“So when are you going?”

“I don’t know, it depends on Administration,” Zhang Si Tan frowned slightly, considering, “Visa processing for Southeast Asia should be fast.”

Qi An gloomily hoped their efficiency would slow down.

“If you don’t go, Director Zhang would have to ask Li Hao. I actually think it’s right for you to go; this project was yours to begin with. And Li Hao went on the last two international exchange trips, so it’s your turn,” Li Hua leaned closer to Zhang Si Tan and whispered.

Zhang Si Tan was talking to Li Hua. They were sitting at adjacent desks, so Qi An, sitting opposite, couldn’t hear clearly.

She only understood one thing: this business trip wasn’t a must for Zhang Si Tan, Li Hao could go too.

Then… if Sister Si Tan was still going, was it because she wanted to avoid her?

Qi An widened her eyes. It must be it. Sister Si Tan’s English wasn’t good. Li Hao had always gone on previous international exchange opportunities, but now she agreed to go. It must be because she wanted to avoid her.

It must be because she kissed her last night, and she didn’t want to be around her anymore, she felt awkward, and she wanted to find a place without her to get some peace and quiet.

And not taking her on this business trip? That definitely meant she wanted to distance herself.

The more Qi An thought about it, the more anxious she became, and the more she felt Zhang Si Tan going abroad to avoid her made logical sense.

Her eyes were filled with anxiety. She looked miserably and pitifully at Zhang Si Tan, who was still talking to Li Hua.

If one looked closely, one could still notice a slight puffiness on her upper eyelids. Her hair was tied back with a large scrunchie. She had applied a matte lip gloss on her lips, and the lip lines were very faint. She had kissed this mouth just yesterday.

It was over. She was definitely unwelcome. Sister Si Tan was running away from her all the way to a foreign country.

The more Qi An thought about it, the sadder she became, slightly blaming herself for being so impulsive last night.

Lust clouding the mind.

After finishing her chat with Li Hua, Zhang Si Tan turned her attention back to the computer screen in front of her.

She still hadn’t finished her current work, and she also needed to familiarize herself with the client company’s materials before going abroad so she wouldn’t be completely clueless when she arrived.

So, she completely failed to notice that across the screen, someone was feeling dejected, sulking and distressed, facing the computer in front of them all alone.

The PowerPoint was open on the desktop. The template, with blue as its main color, was very refreshing, and the report progress was largely complete.

Qi An was still thinking that during the presentation, she would be fully focused, and Zhang Si Tan, sitting below, would definitely feel her seriousness.

Qi An still wanted to receive her praise.

Goddammit, why couldn’t she control herself? She had literally kissed Sister Si Tan away.