Chapter 10 _2

"I'm already in the car, will visit next time," Andy said as she sat on the grass, basking in the sun and eating a hamburger while on the phone, and didn't hang up until she finished Qu Xiaojuan's call. She then went back to the garage to get her car and head home. Her route home first took her to the Ode to Joy Residential Area, without stopping, starting from the entrance of the complex to the supermarket. She couldn't help it; she was directionally challenged, and without taking such a detour, she wouldn't be able to find her way to the supermarket.

Qu Xiaojuan was quite disappointed. She had thought Andy would be eager to exchange gossip about Manager Bai's scandal, but since Andy showed no curiosity at all, she lost interest. Feeling somewhat unwilling to let it go, she tidied up her office for a long while. For the lady, doing so much physical work in one day was rare, and it left her feeling annoyed and agitated, which led her to mischievously send out the photos she took with her phone to the three tenants of Apartment 2202. The photos captured the office celebration, with everyone gathered for a group picture, including Qu Xiaojuan and of course Manager Bai, with Qu Xiaojuan coquettishly positioned near him. After sending the photos, Qu Xiaojuan giggled, turned off her phone, and buried herself in studying English. When her father came to inspect, she was struggling with the language, forgetting things left and right, unable to understand why her intelligent mind just couldn't grasp English. Of course, her father had no way of knowing that his daughter was mixing pleasure with her struggles, having arranged a flirtatious interlude as a break from her grueling work. To him, all he could see was his daughter striving desperately: new on the job, yet her progress and results were unexpectedly good, clearly surpassing those of his ex-wife's two sons.

Of course, Qu's father would never let his daughter start out on her own. He managed to squeeze his rotund body into an uncomfortable swivel chair, which creaked under his weight, allowing him to converse with his daughter—who sat with a pout, as if she might scream at any moment—on equal terms. This was the first time father and daughter had a discussion about work as equals. Qu's father knew that if he didn't approach her this way, he wouldn't be able to get his daughter to consider his advice.

Xiao Xuan pushed the matter with the MMS to the back of her mind; she had more pressing issues to handle. Following her father's suggestion, she created a schedule on her computer. When to formally start discussions with GI, what materials she needed to prepare beforehand, what she aimed to negotiate during the discussions, and follow-up plans based on whether or not the talks were successful. As she filled out the spreadsheet, Xiao Xuan's head spun. She had thought managing a company was simple, and that a GI project couldn't be so troublesome. But after her father broke it down, she realized there was a lot to deal with. As a small business owner, even arranging airport pickups and booking flights and accommodation fell within her duties. She realized she wouldn't have time to enjoy herself for at least the foreseeable next six months. As a novice, she would likely have to work every day, and it would involve working overtime.

After discussing the work, Qu's father cautiously asked, looking at his daughter's slightly vacant eyes, "See how many people you need, and just tell Daddy. I'll send the most capable ones to you."

"The most capable, like sending Vice President Wang to stoop to being a minor sales manager at my place? And then he gets a few thousand yuan in salary from me, while you covertly give them the bulk of their pay each month?"

Qu's father laughed, "That could be arranged."

Xiao Xuan's eyebrows shot up, she punched the desk and yelled, "Ah, so all my talk of independence, all the days I've spent doing so much work without even time to sleep, and you still haven't taken me seriously? Do all of you think I'm just throwing a tantrum or playing games?"

Although Xiao Xuan's shout was short, her father reflexively covered his ears. "That's not what Daddy meant, but starting a business is difficult, especially the first step. Daddy just wants your first step to be a bit smoother. If the same goal can be achieved, why not take a shortcut?"

"Why didn't you say that when I was studying? If I could graduate anyway, why not take shortcuts and cheat on exams?"

"Work and study are different. Work requires teamwork, while study relies solely on yourself. You don't necessarily need to know everything at work, be able to handle everything, you just need to know how to direct."

"Right, they could all do everything well under your guidance, and I could seem like an artistic manager, like a management guru who doesn't show up at the office while everything still runs like clockwork... Stinky Dad, I don't want your interference! Unless I ask for it. Let me ask you, if I mess up the GI deal, how much of an impact will it have on the corporation? Other than the two million loan I asked you for being void, are there any other repercussions?"