Tang Mi suggested, "It might be because of the continuous rain; it's too humid. Should we have someone from the IT department come take a look?"

Someone else said, "There's no time. The meeting starts in fifteen minutes."

Qin Chuan frowned.

He had drafted the speech himself, so he naturally remembered the key points and could speak without it. But his computer also contained a beautifully made PPT, which was meant for the attendees. Otherwise, relying solely on an oral presentation would easily tire the audience and wouldn't be impressive enough.

Guan Shen reacted the fastest, making a decisive call: "I have a backup on my computer. I'll go get it right now!"

The conference hall was in the annex next to the hotel. It was about a ten-minute walk back to the hotel.

Even at his fastest, Guan Shen's round trip would take at least twenty minutes. He would definitely be late.

But being late was better than nothing.

Ever since losing the position to Li Xi, Tang Mi had been looking for a chance to impress the boss, but she hadn't found one.

Now an opportunity had arrived, but unfortunately, she didn't know how to fix computers. Even if she did, she probably couldn't get it working again within fifteen minutes.

"President Qin, I have a backup of the speech on my phone, but not the PPT. Would you like to start with some opening remarks using the script? By the time Assistant Guan brings the computer, it will be perfect timing and won't delay the meeting."

Everyone turned to look.

It was actually Bo He.

Qin Chuan said coolly, "Where did you get the script?"

Bo He said, "During the pre-meeting, when you shared the draft internally with a small group and asked everyone to brainstorm and think more deeply about feasible suggestions on real estate policy, I wasn't familiar enough with the topic to speak rashly. But I memorized the general content of the script, intending to study it privately later."

Qin Chuan took the phone she offered and looked at it.

This wasn't "memorizing the general content"; she had reproduced the script word for word.

At that time, Qin Chuan had Guan Shen gather the few people attending the meeting, distribute photocopies of the script for a brief discussion, and then collect them afterward. In that short period, Bo He had actually memorized its contents.

He remembered that during the meeting, Bo He hadn't said a word, just kept her head down looking at the script from start to finish—originally, a nobody like Bo He was only able to attend this kind of small internal meeting because she was attending in place of her department head and didn't have her superior's authority, so it was natural for her to remain silent—but Qin Chuan hadn't expected that she was actually memorizing the script.

Seeing Qin Chuan look at her, Bo He added a couple of sentences of explanation: "I felt President Qin's script was particularly insightful at the time and wanted to study it properly in private, so I memorized it first and then typed it into my phone when I got home. I never intended for it to be circulated. Today was just a coincidence. I was wondering if you could use it?"

Everyone was amazed, thinking to themselves that this was a whole new level of bootlicking. To actually go and memorize a script, and who would have thought it would come in handy?

Seeing Bo He's perfectly normal expression, devoid of any flattery, they marveled even more at how the new generation surpasses the old. Even a newcomer could seize an opportunity like this, patiently and pervasively working so hard for a chance that might never be used. It was truly eye-opening.

Qin Chuan nodded. "Add me on WeChat and send this to my phone."

The pressing emergency was finally resolved.

With this script that was more or less perfect, Qin Chuan's opening was much more composed.

He could pick some interesting content to talk about first to capture the attendees' attention, and then save the data-heavy content for when Guan Shen brought the backup.

As expected, Guan Shen was ten minutes later than he had estimated, rushing back drenched in sweat.

Seeing Qin Chuan already on stage giving his speech, his heart sank, thinking things had gone wrong. But to his surprise, Qin Chuan wasn't the least bit nervous. Seeing him and the staff bring the laptop onstage to display the PPT, he just smiled slightly and smoothly transitioned to the data content in the slides.

The forty-minute-long speech went off without a hitch. Boss Qin's debut was a complete success.

Assistant Guan Shen finally breathed a sigh of relief, wiping his sweaty forehead.

He heard about the earlier incident from others. When he ran into Bo He after the session, he even nodded at her in approval.

Who would have known that after the meeting, Boss Qin would call him over and tell him to remember to inform HR to fire Bo He once he got back to the company.

Guan Shen was stunned when he heard this request.

"Boss, yesterday during their team-building activity at sea, they encountered a storm. Rong Rong from the design department almost fell overboard, and it was Bo He who pulled her back in time. According to company regulations, she can apply for a Good Samaritan award for this. Firing her at this juncture, isn't that...?"

Qin Chuan said coolly, "She's scheming to climb the ladder, not even letting an opportunity like memorizing a script slip by. It shows how calculating she is. Yesterday, she even deliberately went to the wrong room to get my attention. Since she acted heroically, just tell HR to give her three extra months' salary on top of the compensation stipulated in her labor contract."

The boss had made up his mind. As a subordinate, Guan Shen wouldn't try to persuade him further and quickly nodded in agreement.

"So for the banquet tonight, Tang Mi will still be accompanying you, right?" he asked again.

Qin Chuan pondered for a moment. "No, have Bo He go with me."

Guan Shen: "Huh?"

Qin Chuan: "Lately, Tang Mi seems to be privately in contact with people from Hongfeng."

Guan Shen: "I've heard that as well."

Qin Chuan: "Tonight's banquet isn't a high-profile one. I've already met everyone today and know who they are. I don't need Tang Mi to help me remember names."

Without needing it spelled out, Guan Shen understood.

Hongfeng was another listed group that also had a real estate business. Tang Mi had failed to get Li Xi's position and was now privately contacting another company in the same industry, which meant she was already thinking of jumping ship. Whether it would actually happen or not was another matter.

Guan Shen knew that the boss was holding Tang Mi back from replacing Li Xi because he felt Tang Mi was too restless and wanted to observe her for a while longer. Who knew that Tang Mi couldn't stand the test; the moment it seemed like a promotion was out of reach, she immediately contacted a rival, unable to wait even a month or two.

As for whether Tang Mi would resent Bo He because of this, that wasn't Boss Qin's concern.

To him, Bo He was going to be fired sooner or later anyway. Using her to knock some sense into Tang Mi was making the most of the situation.

Besides, being able to attend such a banquet was also an opportunity for Bo He. She should be grateful.

...

Bo He knew the boss's impression of her probably wasn't very good.

Especially for an employee who had made a mistake just a few days into a new position, walked in on the boss breaking up with his rumored girlfriend, and was suspected of spreading it around.

After going to the wrong room last night, Bo He had a faint realization that she might really get fired this time.

But after the meeting ended, the boss's right-hand man, Guan Shen, approached her and actually asked her to accompany Boss Qin to the evening banquet.

Even though Bo He knew the boss's mind was hard to fathom, she still found this notification too strange.

She blinked and raised a very practical issue: "Assistant Guan, I've never attended a banquet like this. I'm afraid I'll embarrass the boss and the company."

Guan Shen, with a straight face, told a bold-faced lie: "It's fine. Tang Mi has something on tonight. The boss specifically requested you, he thinks your image is rather outstanding. Just follow the boss, keep a smile on your face, and you won't need to say anything extra."

Bo He had no choice but to say, "I don't have a suitable gown either. My suitcase is full of everyday clothes."

Guan Shen: "No problem. The hotel has a formalwear shop. I'm here now to take you to pick one out. We can take care of your hair and makeup at the same time."

Bo He: ...

The two stared at each other.

Bo He couldn't help but ask, "Assistant Guan, why did the boss suddenly single me out to accompany him? I'm just a newcomer, and I'm no great beauty. Did I offend someone? Are they playing a joke on me?"

Guan Shen thought silently, That's right, you did offend the boss.

But on the surface, he wore an amiable smile. "Xiao Bo, you're overthinking it. The boss didn't bring a specific female companion this time. In the past, Tang Mi always accompanied him, but she happens to be busy tonight, and Li Xi is about to resign, so that's not appropriate either. Xiao Fang has never attended a banquet before, and we're worried she might get stage fright. You've worked in the President's Office, so you're practically half an assistant anyway. Just think of it as helping out in an emergency. We'll compensate you with overtime pay later."

Looking at his smile, Bo He couldn't help but feel he resembled a weasel visiting for the holidays.

And she was the chicken.

With no time to think it over and Guan Shen rushing her, Bo He had no choice but to go with him.

Before leaving, she didn't forget to leave a message for her apprentice in the game, saying she would be busy for the next two days and couldn't log on.

...

Qin Chuan stole a moment from his busy schedule to return to the hotel for a two-hour nap, and while he was at it, he turned on his computer and logged into the game.

The three of them had originally planned to go to the Celestial Ascension Platform for the quarterly tournament tonight, but after seeing "Peppermint Tea"'s message, he accepted a team invitation from someone else.

Compared to the combination of his alt account with "Peppermint Tea" and "Eight Whiskers," the new team lineup was clearly much stronger. It was full of Nascent Soul stage experts, all of whom were in the top ten on the leaderboards. Qin Chuan himself was no longer the player he used to be. Even if his technique was still slightly inferior to "Peppermint Tea's," it was much better than the average person's.

Just as the first match was about to end, with his team on the verge of victory, Qin Chuan suddenly saw a message flash across the system channel.

Player "Beauty That Topples Cities" has set off an "Endless Lovesickness Firework" for their master "Peppermint Tea." As the saying goes, when the golden wind and jade dew meet, their single encounter surpasses countless unions in the mortal world!

Qin Chuan was stunned for two seconds and forgot to use a skill he was supposed to use.

At the critical moment, the enemy team turned the tables and snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. They lost by a hair's breadth.