13 She’s Just Getting Started (1/2)

The cold moonlight gleamed through the window; there were few stars in the night sky.

Lin Qian was in her pajamas. She sat on the bed with her legs crossed, chin held in one hand, staring blankly ahead of herself.

”I trust you.” Li Zhicheng's voice, low and clear, was still lingering in her ears and swirling around her head.

There was no denying that Lin Qian was starting to feel a little off.

The feeling had actually started when he'd said, ”Someone suggested to me that we get the Ming Sheng Group project.”

Her uneasiness had amplified when he'd said, ”I made my decision at noon.”

When he had lightly said ”I trust you,” the somehow-overwhelming feeling had finally made her realize that the uneasiness and excitement inside her was flattery.

Her entire career she had been valued no matter where she was. Her university professor used to depend heavily upon her, and she had been the backbone of several student organizations. While at SMQ, she had been such an excellent employee for three years in a row that the boss, Chen Zheng, had valued her a little bit too much...

It seemed a completely different story being valued by Li Zhicheng.

Li Zhicheng didn't have any experience from the business industry; he was a soldier, a man of action.

Lin Qian hadn't once heard him acknowledge his employees except for this instance of him telling her ”I trust you.” It made her feel more valued than hearing it from someone else would have.

Lin Qian felt like she had become a crafty, misleading worker. But wasn't this the truth? The young boss, dazed and confused, relied heavily on her, and had a misleading representation of her in his mind. She had forced her flawed idea onto the company by sweet-talking him, in a way. This was the result of him traveling around the company incognito and knowing her beforehand; the result of him appreciating her character as well as her talent. Another thought popped into her head, ludicrous and ambitious, but she ignored it.

Whatever it was called, all these opportunities had placed her in the perfect position to become important to Aida.

The thought made her pick up her phone and dial Lin Mochen's number.

Hearing her request, Lin Mochen smiled slightly. ”Why? You came across so much trouble during the three years you worked at SMQ and you never once asked me for help. You've been the assistant of Aida's president for just three days and you're already asking me to help your boss?”

Lin Qian laughed, ”I've got everything under control. Don't you trust my judgment?”

...

The next morning, Lin Qian sat at her desk, holding a working plan for the Ming Sheng Project. It had been finished over a few nights by the marketing department.

Following what Xue Mingtao had said the other day, it was mentioned in the working plan that the biggest challenge at the moment was building a relationship with the clients. And the most important part of that relationship was obviously their senior managers.

Ming Sheng played a decisive role in the country, and their senior leaders were important figures in the national business industry. A private enterprise like Aida didn't even come close to their standard.

Considering they had just started, the best case scenario would be connecting with the same level as the office manager and procurement director. To reach the senior level, it would definitely take some time and a few key opportunities. The worst case scenario was that they wouldn't be able to contact them and meet with their senior managers before Ming Sheng officially started the bidding. That would be a failure for the project.

Xue Mingtao walked out of Li Zhicheng's office with a few marketing directors. They all looked serious and in a hurry as they rushed out. Lin Qian took the advantage. She went into the office after knocking on the door.

Instead of sitting behind the big desk, Li Zhicheng sat in the middle of the couch. He was deep in thought, with his arms resting on the knees, and fingers crossed, holding the chin.

Considering it was quite rare to see him so focused, Lin Qian slowed down. She first put away the paper cups, then added some hot water into his large canteen before bringing it to him.

He then finally looked up and stared at her, quietly waiting for her to say something. Li Qian smiled, ”President Li, regarding the Ming Sheng Project, maybe I can—” Before she could finish, the door was pushed open. Gu Yanzhi walked in. Seeing them in the office together, his facial expression remained the same. He walked straight to the couch next to Li Zhicheng, ”Let's have another discussion about it.”

Li Zhicheng remained silent; he turned to Lin Qian, ”You can continue.” Gu Yanzhi also raised his eyebrows, staring at her.

Lin Qian paused a little before cutting to the chase. ”My older brother is working for an investment company in America. His previous employer, DP Investment Group, was the foreign shareholder that held part of Ming Sheng's tradable shares. He is on good terms with them. I'm thinking, if it's convenient, we could have him help us connect. Maybe that way we could arrange President Li to meet up with the senior managers from Ming Sheng.”

Lin Qian noticed Gu Yanzhi's eyes clearly brighten even before she finished talking. She knew that she'd done exactly the right thing, and was secretly feeling delighted.

They both turned to Li Zhicheng.

Leaning against the couch, he had already straightened his posture, looking peaceful. Without any obvious signs of relief on his face, he seemed to be considering her suggestion.

However, after the brief silence, in a low voice, ”I don't need your connections.” There was almost a hint of stubbornness in his calmness.

Lin Qian was speechless.

It also took Gu Yanzhi by surprise. After sharing brief eye contact with Lin Qian, he smiled slyly. ”Lin Qian, your dear President Li is too used to the military,” he bantered. ”He hasn't left it behind yet. His least favorite thing would be taking advantage of… um, nepotism, to reach his goal. ”

Lin Qian was still speechless.

Nepotism?

Gu Yanzhi sounded half-joking, leaving Lin Qian confused for a second. But, Boss wouldn't be this stubborn, would he?

She turned to Li Zhicheng. He was staring right at her.

Lin Qian said, ”I'm offering this because it's quick and convenient. Plus…” Li Zhicheng's jet-black eyes were like bottomless pits. Staring at him, Lin Qian suddenly thought of what he had said to her the other day. ”I trust you.” The memory made everything around her heart feel warm.

”Plus what?” Li Zhicheng suddenly asked, breaking from his normal silence.

Lin Qian glared at him, responding in a low voice, ”Plus, throughout the ages, nepotism has always been useful and practical.”

Stunned, Gu Yanzhi, standing next to them, immediately burst into laughter.

Even Li Zhicheng's eyes widened, which was followed by the rare upturn of the corners of his lips. His stern face appeared much softer.

Lin Qian felt a hint of warmth on her face.

Gu Yanzhi then stood up. ”Alright, since Lin Qian had to use such wise words, as leaders, we have to be grateful. I'll be in charge this time. Zhicheng, you can stay out of it. The decision has already been made. Lin Qian, you can start on that now.”

Li Zhicheng remained silent. Without looking at him, Lin Qian quickly responded, ”Sure.” She turned around and left.

…

Considering his one and only younger sister had reached out to him, Lin Mochen didn't wait for her to get permission from her managers first. As soon as Lin Qian walked out of Li Zhicheng's office, her brother was already calling. ”The appointment has been booked. Four o'clock tomorrow afternoon.”

Amazed, Lin Qian immediately started to praise him, ”You're truly amazing.” But secretly she thought to herself, You're still that freaking bossy! What if Li Zhicheng turns it down?

Lin Mochen was pretty clear on this. Regarding her kind offer, the president of Aida would have to accept it whether he liked it or not.

According to Lin Mochen, the president of Ming Sheng, Kang Mingcong, would be back from his business trip from Beijing tomorrow at noon. Lin Qian thought about this; she believed that the timing of her brother's plan was perfect. Since Ming Sheng closed at 5:30 pm, there couldn't be many arrangements scheduled in between his landing and closing time, allowing them to communicate for 60 to 90 minutes. It would be a rare opportunity with plenty of time for them.

Taking her time at her desk, Lin Qian then returned to Li Zhicheng's office to give them the information. Cheerful, Gu Yanzhi immediately called in the staff from the marketing department. Li Zhicheng remained quiet, glancing at her.

He isn't upset, is he? Lin Qian worried. He should be… content, right? After all, the situation is looking better after using a connection.

In the evening, Xue Mingtao left the office with his trusted staff just like earlier. Only this time, everyone was clearly in a good mood. Lin Qian looked up with a polite smile. Surprisingly, Xue Mingtao walked towards her, reaching out his hand.

”Assistant Lin, I heard the story from President Li. Thank you so much. You solved a huge problem for our marketing department.”

Lin Qian quickly stood up, grinning.

Huh? Boss gave me a compliment?

She waited until after they left, then walked across the room. Lin Qian was peeking through the latched door into the office. Still not planning on leaving? Are you even pleased?

In the middle of her thoughts, a cold and clear voice came through the office. ”Come in.” It almost felt like he had been watching her as well.

She pushed the door open to see Li Zhicheng's eyes were fixed on her as he stood by the desk.

”Can I help you with anything?” she asked, smiling.

There was silence as though he were deep in thought. He then turned, walking towards her.

The late afternoon sun fell slanted and gloomy through the window. But the rays of bright sunshine looked like ripples shimmering above his head, leaving his facial features gentle and glowing.

He stopped a step away from her; he just stood there, glaring at her.

The jet-black eyes of his were deep without any expression. Lin Qian began to worry a little. Why's he standing so close to me? I thought he never approached strangers.