The faint blue veins on Shen Duoyi's wrist were pressed by Qi Shi'an's fingertips. Shen Duoyi tried to break free by moving his fingers, but failed after two or three attempts, not knowing that the other person had practiced martial arts.

"Mr. Qi, are you going to keep squatting like this?" Shen Duoyi raised his head to meet Qi Shi'an's gaze and asked calmly. Qi Shi'an finally let go, as reluctantly as a child handing over New Year's money.

The chestnuts were all picked up and put back into the bag. Shen Duoyi stood up and placed the analysis report on the edge of the desk. Next to the mountain of documents, the report looked lonely and thin. He avoided Qi Shi'an's gaze and said, "I'll leave the report here. If there are any issues, I'll revise it."

They both knew that the report was just a ploy to cancel the welcome party. Qi Shi'an followed Shen Duoyi's lead and said, "I have many documents to deal with. I'll look at your report once I'm done."

Shen Duoyi took half a step back. "Then I'll go back to work."

Qi Shi'an deliberately remained silent, letting the other person think he agreed. When Shen Duoyi turned to leave, he grabbed him and said shamelessly, "Weren't the candied chestnuts a gift for me? Why are you taking them away?"

Shen Duoyi quickly stuffed the bag of chestnuts into Qi Shi'an's arms. Qi Shi'an took it with satisfaction and asked, "The bag I bought for you—"

"I don't want it anymore."

Shen Duoyi interrupted him and then broke free and left.

Time passed minute by minute. The stack of documents on the desk remained as high as before. Qi Shi'an leaned against the edge of the desk, lost in thought, with chestnut shells scattered at his feet.

He didn't want it then, and he doesn't want it now.

Then does he want the raise?

Shen Duoyi no longer had any expectations for promotion and salary increases. On his way back to the department, he had mixed feelings. In his memory, Qi Shi'an had helped him in the nightclub, cornered him in the bar, and waited for him in the military house.

His attitude was sometimes soft, sometimes hard, as if he cared a lot, but also looked down on him.

To this day, Shen Duoyi still wasn't clear what kind of person Qi Shi'an was, or how he viewed him. He didn't even have the confidence to secretly worry that Qi Shi'an would gossip about his past part-time job to others over tea and meals.

He was very afraid of rumors spreading.

Qi Shi'an, who had frequented entertainment venues since his teens, had repeatedly cornered and intercepted people in various ways. Shen Duoyi returned to his office and leaned against the door, urging himself to quickly break away from the memories.

He suddenly remembered Meng Liang's words: Playful by nature, bullying men and women.

Qi Shi'an didn't know that his image had already fallen from the abyss into the eighteenth level of hell. After finishing the chestnuts, he continued working, wanting to deal with the problems accumulated in the past few days one by one.

The unread documents gradually decreased, and the read ones piled up on the other side. The three computers on the desk displayed the trend charts of several stocks. He occasionally glanced at them and finally stared at the historical cycle chart of the Shanghai Composite Index, opening an audio conference to connect to the stock investment department.

Qi Shi'an was so busy that he didn't notice the time. Only when he was too thirsty to bear it did he remember to drink some water. He looked at the empty cup and pressed the intercom. "Annie, are you trying to make me die of thirst?"

Annie almost immediately pushed the door open, walked quickly to the desk to take the cup, and nearly tripped over the chestnut shells in her thin high heels. When she brought the water in again, she tidied up the trash into an eco-friendly bag and reminded, "Mr. Qi, it's time for lunch. Do you want to eat in the employee cafeteria or go out?"

Qi Shi'an glanced at his watch. It was too late to make a reservation. He thought for a moment. "Let's go to the employee cafeteria. By the way, book the entire third and fourth floors of Summer Restaurant for tonight. And notify all departments of a meeting at three o'clock."

"Okay, I'll call to confirm right away." Annie was about to leave.

Qi Shi'an spoke up, "Wait a moment, include the consulting department in the meeting."

The consulting department was actually under Zhang Yiming's management. The two sides usually kept their distance. But the pool of water in Qi Shi'an's heart had already rippled, and he no longer wanted to care about others, only wanting to scoop a ladle of water from the other side.

A little later, there weren't many people or good dishes in the employee cafeteria. When Qi Shi'an arrived, he happened to run into Zhang Yiming talking on the phone under the air conditioner vent.

"I sent you a sports car, and you deliberately crashed it, making a fuss at the hospital and police station. Fine, I'll send you a new one, and now you're playing the 'I don't want money, I want love' routine."

"I'm not afraid that breaking up is too expensive, I'm just afraid that it's too tiring."

Zhang Yiming was probably too stressed from accompanying the director of the stock exchange a few days ago. At this moment, he was extremely irritable and couldn't remember how he had enjoyed himself with the person on the other end of the phone. The call finally ended with crying and screaming. He turned his face and saw Qi Shi'an looking at him with ease.

"Did you successfully break up?" Qi Shi'an asked nonchalantly. "I want to talk to you about something. Don't accidentally hurt me."

Zhang Yiming casually pulled out a chair and sat down. "I don't know how many times I break up in a month. This time, I was unlucky. Damn it, I met her wiggling her ass in the dance floor, and she wants to grow old together?"

The chef brought the dishes made to order. Qi Shi'an took a bite first and asked, "So who are you in perfect harmony with recently?"

"A college student studying Kunqu opera." Zhang Yiming quickly put down his chopsticks. "A boy. I make him sing while I do him. His voice is so nice, like a yellow oriole flying in."

Qi Shi'an couldn't help frowning. "Stop, I'm starting to feel sick."

Zhang Yiming also stopped reminiscing. "By the way, you said you wanted to talk about something. What is it?"

Qi Shi'an put down his chopsticks and rarely put on a sincere and cute expression. "Brother Ming, give me the consulting department."

"..." Zhang Yiming chewed on the crisp winter bamboo shoots. "We have a division of labor. I never interfere with the departments under you, and you operate the company's accounts independently, right? The consulting department holds the lifeline of the business. If you take it, it's equivalent to breaking my arm."

Qi Shi'an's head was clouded by the soaring adrenaline. After eating three bowls of rice, his mind became clear again. He laughed and said, "Just kidding. What I meant to say was that in the future, it's best to include the consulting department in our meetings."

Since it holds the lifeline of the business, it needs to be constantly aware of the market direction and the actions of the technical departments. Zhang Yiming shrugged. "Actually, it should have been included long ago to save the trouble of passing on the information after the meeting."

"Yes, as long as you understand." The chestnuts were very filling, so much so that Qi Shi'an put down his chopsticks after eating three bowls of rice. "The afternoon meeting will probably be tiring. I've booked a restaurant for everyone to have dinner tonight. You should come over after you're done with work."

Lunchtime was precious because it was short. Qi Shi'an never lingered in the cafeteria. After eating, he wiped his mouth and left. He stopped by a few break rooms to take a look, but didn't go in, afraid of making the employees nervous for no reason.

His gaze swept around several times, but he never saw Shen Duoyi. Qi Shi'an strolled to the entrance of the consulting department, startling the receptionist on duty. He walked by expressionlessly, "Keep touching up your makeup, don't mind me."

The entire cubicle area was nearly empty. Some had gone out for lunch and hadn't returned, some were chatting in the break room, and only a few were sleeping at their desks. He quietly walked to the team leader's office door and saw Shen Duoyi lying on the desk through the glass window.

Only then did Qi Shi'an notice that Shen Duoyi wasn't wearing a suit, but a sea-blue sweater with loose sleeves rolled up to the elbows, revealing two slender forearms. On his right wrist was a waterproof watch, seemingly the style that only middle school students liked.

Shen Duoyi was quietly resting there, breathing lightly in the sunlight with a hint of sea-blue.

Qi Shi'an couldn't take his eyes off him, reminded of a blue hydrangea plant at home.

Subordinates follow their superiors. Annie worked efficiently, booking the restaurant, sending out notices, and quickly drafting a document to post on the system bulletin board. From now on, Qi Shi'an's department meetings would also include the consulting department.

Any change in a company with many people and opinions would be discussed for a few days, and the psychology of the higher-ups would be constantly speculated. The consulting department would now attend meetings on both sides, and the two bosses would have to re-evaluate the weight of the department.

However, before they had time to ponder, they had to rush to the 30th floor for a meeting.

The departments under Qi Shi'an all sat in their usual seats, and the supervisors and team leaders of the consulting department could only occupy the back. Shen Duoyi had just arrived not long ago and consciously sat at the very back.

Qi Shi'an glanced over and tilted his head, "Annie, bring me my glasses."

The main lights were turned off, leaving only the stage illuminated. The text policy should be understood as long as one could read, so it was quickly skimmed over. Dozens of typical index charts had to be analyzed one by one, deriving various possibilities. This was Qi Shi'an's usual meeting style.

Shen Duoyi held a pen between his index and middle fingers, intently staring at the projected content.

"Last year, the company focused on futures investment and is now paying close attention to precious metals and chemicals, but the focus is gradually shifting to foreign exchange investment." Qi Shi'an seemed to have developed a habit. He casually took off his cufflinks, threw them on the table, and then rolled up his sleeves.

The Hang Seng Index appeared on the screen, and everyone began automatically absorbing the data on the chart. Qi Shi'an had little patience. After finishing his own explanation, he directly switched to the next US dollar index chart. Shen Duoyi quickly drew a simple number line in his notebook and established a mathematical model to roughly compare several data points.

Qi Shi'an noticed this and stopped to ask, "Team Leader Shen, how long would it take to accurately estimate the probability of a bear market appearing?"

Shen Duoyi looked up and replied, "Five minutes, but I tend to estimate the probability of a bull market appearing."

The question circled back to the report. Qi Shi'an's previous reports had a pessimistic outlook, while Shen Duoyi's report was optimistic. At this point, there was another divergence.

Qi Shi'an switched back to the Hang Seng Index chart and explained his views in detail. After finishing, he looked at the audience through his glasses, "So the Hang Seng Index is very likely to plummet next year, and although the US dollar index is at a high level, it may also reverse and fall. Team Leader Shen, have I changed your opinion?"

Shen Duoyi answered, "Even in a global synchronous upward cycle, there are still cautious views, so I respect everyone's opinions and reserve my own."

Qi Shi'an paused for two seconds, then took off his glasses. He suddenly felt that being able to see clearly was no longer so important. It seemed that communication could better ignite the flames in his heart.

In the latter part of the meeting, everyone started speaking freely, expressing their own views. Qi Shi'an was like a teacher who had finished teaching and switched classes. When he turned to Shen Duoyi's side, he put down that report.

Shen Duoyi flipped through it and found dense annotations.

There was even a sentence: "The analysis is on point. You're great."

Not even elementary school teachers were this sweet. Shen Duoyi looked up and asked, "Mr. Qi, what if the market faces a crisis, just as you analyzed?"

It was a bit chaotic around them. Qi Shi'an leaned down, propping one hand on the table, and replied, "For some people, a crisis means disaster. For others, a crisis may equal opportunity."

After saying that, his posture remained unchanged, but he raised his voice, "Today's meeting ends here. Go back to work. Dinner at Summer Restaurant tonight, my treat."

Shen Duoyi closed his notebook, but everyone had left, and the arm in front of him was still blocking his way. Qi Shi'an thought of the questions and answers during the meeting and said, "Team Leader Shen, five minutes is a bit slow."

Shen Duoyi pursed his lips and nodded, neither denying nor arguing. In fact, he only needed two minutes, but the department supervisors and other team leaders were all present, and he had just arrived, so he had to be as restrained as possible.

"Mr. Qi, if there's nothing else, I'll head back too."

Qi Shi'an finally stepped aside, but when the other person reached the door, he called out, "It's hard to avoid feeling sleepy during meetings. You can sit further away."

Shen Duoyi turned around and retorted, "I didn't—"

Qi Shi'an interrupted, "At dinner tonight, sit next to me."