Chapter 33 Part 1

The next day was the day for Bo He to report to the president's office.

Although she was temporarily transferred, she still had to work at a desk in the president's office.

Many people had witnessed her meteoric rise to the president's office, only to be knocked back down to her original position. Now that she had returned to the president's office once again, it had the legendary quality of three rises and three falls. They were all privately discussing and joking about when she would be demoted again. Some people even started a betting pool over it.

Among the gossiping crowd who placed bets, over seventy percent generally believed Bo He would be kicked out of the president's office again within a month. About twenty percent thought she would resign within a month. Only less than ten percent felt Bo He could secure her footing in the president's office and even rise through the ranks.

Bo He was completely unaware that she had become the protagonist of gossip and anecdotes.

Just like before, she arrived at the president's office half an hour before work started and sat at her old desk. She felt a bit emotional, as if she had gone in circles only to end up back where she started.

The only difference from last time was that back then, she was full of nervous anticipation, treading on thin ice and afraid of messing up and wasting the opportunity. Now, she was much calmer, with the attitude of a hardened veteran who, like a dead pig, fears no boiling water. After all, she had seen the boss break up with a female celebrity, she had knocked on the boss's room door, she had achieved the "accomplishment" of being yelled at by the boss with his finger in her face, and she hadn't even missed the scene where the boss sprained his ankle while trying to strike a pose.

Bo He even suspected that because she "knew" too much, Boss Qin wanted to kick her out but was afraid she would blab nonsense to outsiders and damage his glorious image. Therefore, he had adopted a conciliatory strategy, using commendations and rewards to make her stay, planning to deal with her slowly over time.

So, when she saw Boss Qin walk in from outside, her first move wasn't to sit up straight and try hard to make a good impression and change his opinion of her. Instead, she first looked up to admire his well-built figure wrapped in a suit for a few seconds, quickly making an internal evaluation: "This color and pattern isn't bad. Low-key and reserved, yet with a hint of suppressed passion." On the surface, she greeted him politely.

"Good morning, President Qin."

She knew full well that Boss Qin definitely didn't want to see her; he only had to transfer her here to be an eyesore because the president's office temporarily needed more staff.

But while the boss could be brusque, she, as an employee, couldn't just ignore him.

After greeting him, Bo He quickly lowered her head to look at her computer, not wanting to see the coldness or disgust that might appear on Qin Chuan's face.

Boss Qin didn't respond; it seemed he had already walked away.

Bo He secretly breathed a sigh of relief, opened a folder on her computer, found the half-written document, and prepared to finish it.

"What are you writing?"

A pair of leather shoes appeared in the corner of her vision.

She snapped her head around.

Qin Chuan was right behind her.

Bo He: ...

Boss Qin, who had never been an employee for a single day, probably had no idea how annoying his action was.

In Bo He's imagination, she had already lifted Boss Qin and spun him 720 degrees in mid-air, flinging him toward the door like an Olympic discus. His body would slam heavily against the door and slide down, bruised and swollen, crying and whimpering. As she approached him step by step, he would shout, "Don't come over here, don't come over here."

That was truly satisfying.

A pity she could only imagine it.

But with her imagination taking flight, a mysterious smile appeared on Bo He's lips, and the anger in her heart slowly dissipated.

She explained in a pleasant tone: "At this trade show, our company will be launching a series of studio apartments, fully furnished for immediate move-in. They're mainly targeted at high-salaried, single, white-collar women in the city. The interior design plans are already done, and the mock-up images have been sent over, but Secretary Guan wasn't very satisfied with the planning document they sent. He said that since I used to work in customer reception, I have a better understanding of user psychology and needs, so he asked me to review the document and make revisions. I looked at it last night and found there might be a lot of places that need changing, so I plan to redo it and let Secretary Guan make the final decision."

Bo He was a bit long-winded, but it was mainly to not give the boss any opportunity to find fault.

At the last meeting on the island, Boss Qin, unlike the heads of other companies who read from a script, had preferred to memorize his speech beforehand. This made her realize that Qin Chuan was a perfectionist who paid attention to detail and planned for every contingency.

A person like that was strict with himself, and naturally, he demanded excellence from others as well.

She would rather ramble on and make Qin Chuan too impatient to listen and leave than be scolded by him for not being diligent again.

However, this time was unexpected.

Not only did President Qin show no sign of impatience, but he actually listened quite seriously.

"So what are the main differences between your new version and the original?" he asked Bo He.

Bo He was slightly taken aback.

It sounded like he was trying to find fault, but his tone didn't match.

In her memory, she seemed to have never heard Qin Chuan speak so calmly.

Even if he had, it was never directed at her.

The stern coldness from their few encounters when she first joined the company.

The disdain and indifference when she ran into him in the underground parking garage.

Boss Qin's harsh words and stern expression when she mistakenly knocked on his hotel room door.

And the feigned detachment during the earthquake in the mountains.

The only thing missing was the amiable expression he wore now.

Even at the banquet they attended together, amidst all the well-dressed guests chatting and laughing pleasantly, she had never seen Qin Chuan like this, the ice and snow around him melting, finally partaking in the mortal world.

Bo He felt there were only three possible explanations for this.

One, Boss Qin was possessed.

Two, President Qin had won the lottery, started a relationship, just closed a huge deal, etc. In short, something incredibly good had happened, improving his mood along with it.

Three, he was brewing some unknown conspiracy, trying to lower her guard to make her fall into a trap.

Thinking it over, possession was too fantastical, and the possibility of him setting a trap wasn't high either.

After all, she was just an insignificant little employee. Given his status, wealth, and position, if he wanted to deal with her, he wouldn't need to go to such great lengths.

It seemed the only remaining possibility was that he was in a good mood.

Bo He did not let her guard down.

Her brain spun at high speed as she carefully chose her words.

"The original plan's focus was on the green space area, the convenience of nearby transportation and shopping, and so on. This is actually quite reasonable, but for the female clients we're targeting this time, what they value most isn't any of these things, but rather safety and comfort."

If she had been asked this question when she first started, Bo He might have really blurted out the pros and cons of the other plan without thinking.

But after the last incident, she had learned her lesson and now knew how to express herself more tactfully, so as not to be so blunt and easily offend people.

Qin Chuan could clearly feel Bo He's stiffness and distance.

The distance between them wasn't close, at least not close enough to make someone of the opposite sex feel nervous.

Although Qin Chuan wanted to talk to her more, he wouldn't resort to such a crude method.

But he could still sense Bo He's silent expression that kept people at a thousand miles' distance.

This was the first time he clearly realized that Bo He did not like him.

If she weren't bound by their boss-subordinate relationship, Bo He would have probably turned and left without a word.

Boss Qin felt a little wronged.

The only saving grace was that her lack of reply last night was possibly because she was working on this plan, not because she had completely broken things off with him.

"Is there any specific reasoning to explain the safety and comfort aspects?"

No matter how his heart churned, Qin Chuan's face remained as calm as still water.

"I've read quite a few reports. Most believe that the twenty-five to thirty-five age range, when physical and mental energy are relatively balanced and stable, is the best time for women to achieve success in their careers. And many women in this age group, especially urban women, have their own unique aesthetics and pursuits. But their biggest commonality is definitely the hope of returning home after a tiring day to a quiet and comfortable place where they can fully relax and rest. So our renovation style also revolves around two points: first, a predominance of warm-toned styles, and second, fully furnished doesn't mean gaudy; we must try to leave enough space for them to decorate themselves."

She said it all in one breath. Seeing that Qin Chuan had no intention of leaving and had instead pulled up a chair to sit nearby, looking ready to continue listening, she had no choice but to go on.

"For example, when our designers tackled the kitchen, they avoided the currently popular open-concept kitchen design and left enough space for the owner to add things like an oven or a juicer later. This aspect wasn't reflected in the original promotional plan, but I think it can be highlighted as a creative point for kitchen design DIY."

"And then there's safety. These white-collar women have a certain material foundation and don't mind spending a certain amount of money to furnish their little nests. But on the other hand, news of certain social crime cases makes them anxious about living alone. This is when we must sufficiently promote the residential complex's security and privacy, to make them feel that their privacy can be fully guaranteed."

"So I believe we can focus the planning around these two points."

"As for green spaces and transportation, it's not that they're unimportant, but other properties all use the same promotional tactics. Selling points like 'living in the center of a city park' or 'overlooking a prosperous commercial district' can be seen in every property's ad, so they don't highlight our main features. However, the original plan provided detailed descriptions of the apartment sizes, the distance between buildings, and the amount of natural light, which I think are very good and can be kept without any changes."

People from the president's office started trickling in for work.

Everyone saw Bo He and Qin Chuan sitting face-to-face, discussing work, and were quite surprised, but naturally, no one showed it. They all greeted them as usual, took their seats, and started working.

Qin Chuan's expression was unreadable. He neither applauded her statements nor expressed displeasure or rejection. He leisurely stood up, nodded at Bo He, and turned to enter his own office.

Bo He let out a long sigh of relief.

Everyone secretly sighed in relief.

The world returned to tranquility.

It was truly a wonderful morning.

After Qin Chuan's figure disappeared through the doorway, Shi Yu leaned over from the opposite desk with a smile.

"Hi, I'm Shi Yu. I'm taking over Li Xi's work. Please look after me from now on."

Tang Mi also smiled and said, "We've been so short-staffed here lately that the women are worked like men, and the men are worked like beasts of burden. Guan Shen said he was transferring someone from another department, and we were afraid we'd get a rookie who didn't know anything. When I saw it was you, I was immediately relieved."

Bo He hurriedly said, "I was only in the president's office for a few days before, so there are still many things I need to learn. I hope you two beautiful big sisters won't mind my inexperience. How about I treat everyone to lunch?"

Shi Yu had only recently joined Shengming Company, but she had heard a lot of gossip about Bo He through the grapevine.

On one hand, there were the rumors about Bo He visiting the boss's room at night to get ahead, only to be reprimanded. On the other hand, there was what she had seen with her own eyes: the boss talking face-to-face with Bo He. Shi Yu thought to herself that rumors really couldn't be trusted, and her smile toward Bo He became even more enthusiastic.

"Welcome to the team. We should be the ones treating you to a meal. How could we let you treat us? Alright, I'll be the host for lunch."

Tang Mi chimed in with a grin, "Exactly. Don't fight over it, let me treat."

The atmosphere in the office was excellent, with no unpleasantness or exclusion of a newcomer. This was partly because Bo He wasn't really a newcomer, but on the other hand, the scene everyone had just witnessed also had some influence.

Bo He couldn't help but glance at Tang Mi.