Chapter 9: No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

After preparing the meal, the three of them sat down to eat. As they chatted and laughed, the restaurant suddenly fell silent. They turned to see Lin Qingya entering the restaurant accompanied by her secretary.

Lin Qingya, upon entering, immediately became the most striking figure in the restaurant with her noble and elegant demeanor and breathtaking beauty. Her presence silenced the previously bustling atmosphere, and many people on either side of the aisle stood up respectfully to greet her.

With a cold and stern expression, Lin Qingya, though reserved, exuded an overpowering aura that silently dominated the entire room. Her unhurried steps caught everyone's attention, and even though she merely nodded in response to the greetings, the seated individuals remained visibly excited.

Upon seeing Lin Qingya, Xiao Lingling was startled and quickly lowered her head, sticking out her tongue, saying, "Oh, it's General Lin!"

Qin Hai chuckled, "She's not a tiger, why are you all so afraid of her?"

"Oh no, if she hears you talking about General Lin like that, you're in for trouble!" Xiao Lingling was genuinely frightened by Qin Hai's words. As Lin Qingya approached, she anxiously gestured to Qin Hai not to speak recklessly.

"Is she really that formidable? I don't feel it," Qin Hai remarked, amused by Xiao Lingling's nervous demeanor. He thought to himself that if Xiao Lingling knew about their discussion on certain "topics" earlier that morning, she would definitely lose her mind.

At that moment, Lin Qingya had already noticed Qin Hai. Seeing the scoundrel still engaged in cheerful conversation with the woman opposite him, she couldn't help but feel annoyed.

"This scoundrel!" For some inexplicable reason, Lin Qingya became angry the moment she saw Qin Hai's smug smile. She had been busy all morning, and this scoundrel still had the leisure to flirt with girls. It was just too much!

Naturally, when Qiao Wei stood up to greet Lin Qingya, Lin Qingya, unusually, paused. Her knife-like gaze first fiercely swept across Qin Hai's face before turning to Qiao Wei, nodding and saying, "Leader Qiao, come to my office after work this afternoon. I need to discuss something with you."

Having said that, she gave Qin Hai another stern look before striding forward.

Qin Hai rubbed his nose, feeling a mix of amusement and frustration. This woman was overly petty; it was just a minor misunderstanding this morning, and she still couldn't let it go.

"Oh, General Lin is so beautiful, and her demeanor is so good. If only I could have her flawless skin!" With Lin Qingya gone, Xiao Lingling once again transformed into an excited little bird.

Qin Hai laughed, "Little Bell, you don't need to envy her; you're also very beautiful."

"Don't talk nonsense. How can I compare to General Lin? Her aura is so amazing!" Xiao Lingling blushed unexpectedly and quickly covered her face with her hands. When Qiao Wei wasn't paying attention, she even gave Qin Hai a sly glance, seemingly blaming him for speaking recklessly.

Qin Hai smiled and said to Qiao Wei, "Sis Qiao, General Lin wants to see you. It's a good opportunity. I think you can bring up what happened this morning with her."

Qiao Wei shook her head slightly, "Forget it, it's all in the past. I just want to focus on work and avoid any more trouble."

Seeing Qiao Wei's persistence, Qin Hai didn't insist further. Judging by Qiao Wei's demeanor, it seemed like there was something she couldn't easily express.

After a while, a few more people walked over to join them and stopped beside Qin Hai.

"Leader Qiao, why are you sitting here? Come with us to the private room inside. I'll have the chef stir-fry a few more dishes." The leader was a man in his thirties, wearing rimless glasses, with fair skin that made him look like a scholar. However, the shifting gaze behind his lenses gave off a sinister vibe, making him seem hypocritical even when he smiled.

"No need, here is fine. Leader Xue, no need to be so polite!" Qiao Wei politely declined.

Xue Hui was the leader of the second group in the Marketing Department. According to Little Bell's information, this guy excelled at deceiving superiors and subordinates alike, being both a sycophant to higher-ups and one of Qiao Wei's pursuers. Of course, Qiao Wei had no interest in Xue Hui.

Xue Hui glanced at Qin Hai and Xiao Lingling, smiling, "Lingling and Xiao Qin, why don't you join us too? Although we're in different teams, we're all part of the same department, and we should socialize more."

"I won't go! The private room doesn't serve these dishes," Xiao Lingling replied coldly, not even looking at Xue Hui. At the same time, she subtly kicked Qin Hai under the table, signaling him not to go.

Just as Qin Hai was about to speak, a big guy suddenly appeared behind Xue Hui. Standing over 1.8 meters tall with a broad build and a somewhat sinister face, he approached Xiao Lingling and bent down, offering, "Lingling, what would you like to eat? I'll ask the chef to make it for you."

This big guy was named Yang Yong, also from the second group. He had been pursuing the petite and cute Xiao Lingling for almost a month, but she remained uninterested.

"I'm not going!" Regardless of Yang Yong's efforts, Xiao Lingling maintained a resolute expression.

"Leader Xue, there's really no need to be so polite. Another time, I'll treat everyone to a meal outside," Qiao Wei intervened, trying to diffuse the situation for Xiao Lingling.

"Alright, the cafeteria conditions are indeed lacking. Another day, I'll treat everyone to a meal outside." Seeing Qiao Wei wasn't receptive, Xue Hui seemed unperturbed and quickly led his group away.

However, not long after, he and Yang Yong returned with food trays.

"Qin Hai, give up your seat for Leader Xue!" Yang Yong took a step forward, holding Qin Hai's shoulder without hesitation, attempting to pull him up.

To his surprise, Qin Hai seemed glued to the chair; his resistance thwarted Yang Yong's attempt to pull him up.

"Why?" Qin Hai gave Yang Yong a cold glance.

"Damn, you've become resilient! Move aside, don't waste words!" Yang Yong, momentarily stunned, added more force to his grip. Knowing Qin Hai's weaknesses, he believed this guy wouldn't dare to confront him. If it weren't for Qiao Wei and Xiao Lingling protecting him, Qin Hai wouldn't have lasted this long, continuously flirting with Qiao Wei and Xiao Lingling.

"Yang Yong, what are you doing? How dare you speak to Qin Hai like that!" Xiao Lingling suddenly stood up, her big eyes glaring at Yang Yong in anger.

"It's nothing, just joking with Qin Hai." Yang Yong smirked but didn't forget to shoot a hostile glance at Qin Hai, whispering threateningly in his ear, "Kid, just wait for me!"

Qin Hai was speechless. After so many years, someone dared to threaten him openly again. It was a novel experience! If his brothers knew about this, they'd probably burst into laughter.

Observing this, Xue Hui said nothing. After Qiao Wei took her seat, he smiled and took out two papers from his pocket, handing them to her.

"Leader Qiao, I've translated the foreign documents for you. Take a look."

"Oh, really? Thank you so much!" Delighted, Qiao Wei accepted the papers, unfolded them, and remarked, "Leader Xue, your talents from graduating in a foreign language are a bit wasted on translating materials like these."

"Hehe, translating such things is nothing for me. But as long as it helps you, anything is worthwhile." Xue Hui said proudly and extended another invitation to Qiao Wei, "Leader Qiao, do you have time tonight? I'd like to invite everyone for a gathering. Will you join us?"

"This—" Qiao Wei frowned, feeling hesitant. She didn't want to accept Xue Hui's invitation, but he had just translated the foreign documents for her. Politely declining might be inappropriate. Seeing Qiao Wei's dilemma, Qin Hai appeared unwilling to accept the invitation, but he also couldn't refuse due to the translated documents. It seemed like a difficult situation.

It was time for his buddy to step in, Qin Hai thought. He leaned over to look at the translated documents and chuckled, "Seems like there might be some mistakes in the translation."

"What did you say?" Just as Qin Hai finished speaking, Xue Hui's expression changed abruptly. His icy gaze fixed on Qin Hai.

On the other side, Yang Yong disdainfully stared at Qin Hai, sneering, "Qin Hai, I'm not trying to be rude, but with your junior high education, I doubt you can even recognize all the characters. Especially when it comes to learning a rare language like Italian, it's quite challenging. Unlike English, where you can learn the basics by listening to a few tapes and memorizing a few words. Lingling, as someone who studies languages, should understand what I mean."

Xiao Lingling fell silent, reluctantly acknowledging the partial truth in Xue Hui's words.

However, Qin Hai was utterly speechless. Difficult to learn Italian? When he chatted with the leaders of the Italian Mafia or played with the Italian sisters last month, did he use Chinese? Damn it!

"Kid, you're in luck. Thank Leader Xue quickly. Do you know that whenever we have Italian clients, it's Leader Xue who is responsible for translation? Leader Xue taking the time to teach you is an honor for you." Yang Yong added with a mocking tone.

Qin Hai couldn't believe it. Someone was voluntarily seeking trouble. He decided to keep a low profile, considering his rebirth and the need for a peaceful life. But it seemed that some people just couldn't resist provoking him.

Watching the scene unfold, Xue Hui turned his cold gaze towards Qin Hai and taunted, "Qin Hai, it's okay to have a lower education level. As long as you're willing to study hard, you can catch up in the future. For example, with Italian. It's a challenging language, but if you're interested, I can spare some time to teach you. Even if you can't reach my level, studying for three to five years, maybe seven or eight, you should be able to understand basic documents."

"Kid, you're in for a treat. Thank Leader Xue. Do you know that when we have Italian clients, it's Leader Xue who handles the translation? It's an honor for him to take the time to teach you." Yang Yong mocked.

Qin Hai was rendered speechless. Someone was actively inviting trouble. Wanting to keep a low profile after his rebirth and live a peaceful life, he found himself in a situation where some people couldn't resist provoking him.

Seeing Qin Hai's reluctance, Qiao Wei appeared uncomfortable with Xue Hui's invitation. It was time for his friend to step in. Qin Hai sighed internally, feeling that sometimes being too outstanding made it impossible to stay low-key. However, he decided to maintain a low profile for the sake of a peaceful life.

Qin Hai put down his chopsticks and fumbled in his pocket for a moment, pulling out a crumpled piece of paper, which he handed to Qiao Wei.

"Sis Qiao, take a look at this."

Qiao Wei, puzzled, took the paper and, after

smoothing it out, looked at it. "Isn't this paper from inside a cigarette box?"

Qin Hai scratched his head, grinning, "Well, there was no other paper to use in the toilet, so I had to make do with this... But the writing, although a bit small, is clear enough. No problem."

In unison, everyone at the table froze, sporting strange expressions.

Seriously, we're having a meal now, and you pull out toilet paper? Can't you be less vulgar?

Xiao Lingling, torn between laughter and embarrassment, kicked Qin Hai under the table a couple of times.

On the other hand, Xue Hui subtly covered his nose, distancing himself from the paper, his face displaying an expression of disdain, as if the paper emitted a foul odor.

Qiao Wei shook her head with a wry smile, choosing not to say anything. However, as she glanced at the paper inside the cigarette box, she suddenly exclaimed, "Oh! This is..."