Cheng Su was still unaware that someone had their sights set on her Joy Soon Loy, and as with any other day, with Ning Ge absent, she went to the company to take charge.
"Was the salary that Chen Zhiquan advanced approved?" Setting down her bag, Cheng Su took the tea handed to her by her younger sister Mai Yanmei and inquired about Ying Xiaoya.
"It’s already been paid. Oh, and here is the expense report from Zhu Lifen, it needs your signature," Ying Xiaoya handed over a neatly stacked pile of documents with an overall figure on top.
Cheng Su flipped through it briefly and, finding no issues, quickly signed her name authoritatively.
"Did Big Brother Qi leave?" Ying Xiaoya sat down and asked.
"Indeed, in such cold weather, I feel sorry for him," Cheng Su sighed and added, "I just don’t know if he’s reached his destination."
"It’s definitely cold, but those soldiers, used to training year-round, through all seasons, are probably accustomed to it. You don’t need to worry," Ying Xiaoya consoled her.
Cheng Su nodded and said, "Let’s not talk about him, you’ve been here for some time now; can you handle the work? I think if we open up the Beijing market, the workload will only get heavier. If it gets too busy, should we hire someone else to help you?"
Ying Xiaoya let out a little laugh, "I’ve only been here less than a month myself, still figuring things out, how could I supervise someone? There’s no need to hire more people, I can manage for now. If we can save on a salary, we save."
Cheng Su smiled and said, "With employees like you, I really can rest easy. Alright, don’t you dare say later that you’re too busy."
Ying Xiaoya pretended to regret, repeatedly saying "Zhou Bapi is stingy to the core," which made Cheng Su and the nearby Mai Yanmei burst into laughter.
After the laughter subsided, Cheng Su left the office to take a walk through the workshop and look around.
With orders from Beijing coming in, the operation room was bustling, and the workers were in high spirits. As they greeted her, Cheng Su responded with a warm smile and a word of gratitude, warming the hearts of her employees.
Upon exiting the workshop, Cheng Su wrapped her coat tighter around herself and breathed hot air into her hands, hearing the sound of an argument coming from the direction of the main gate.
Approaching, she saw Chen Zhiquan being tugged insistently by a young man around eighteen or nineteen years old, pleading desperately about something. The young man bore a slight resemblance to Chen Zhiquan, and it wasn’t clear whose relative he might be.
"Zhiquan," Cheng Su called out and measured the situation between the two, "What’s happening here?"
To her surprise, upon seeing her, Chen Zhiquan’s face turned somewhat pale, his expression slightly panicked as he stammered, "Nothing, President Cheng, it’s nothing."
"Should I call security?" Cheng Su glanced at the young man who kept eyeing her, and her brow furrowed slightly with a sense of unease.
"No need, President Cheng, this is my brother," Chen Zhiquan said with a forced smile, then shoved the young man, instructing him, "You go back first, I’ll talk about this at home tonight."
"Big brother, I..."
"Go back!" Chen Zhiquan suddenly shouted, his eyes sharp.
The young man gave Cheng Su an apprehensive look, bit his lip, and finally said plaintively, "Big brother, then come home early, you’re all I can rely on."
Chen Zhiquan kept a stern face.
Seeing that he was no longer speaking, the young man walked away with a mix of reluctance and resignation.
Cheng Su observed all this and then turned to Chen Zhiquan with a slight smile.
"My apologies, President Cheng, my brother, he’s not well educated and doesn’t know better, sorry for the embarrassment," Chen Zhiquan said, still wearing an apologetic smile.
"I can see that you care a lot about your brother, Zhiquan. But you must be stern where it’s required," said Cheng Su with a smile. She then walked away without adding anything more, and did not see the bitter expression that crossed Chen Zhiquan’s face.