Tonight, having drunk alcohol, it wasn't suitable for her to drive, so Qiao Zhaoyue sat in the parking lot, waiting for the designated driver to arrive.
The air inside the car was stale, so she rolled down the windows to let in some fresh air, only for Su Ruoyan's coquettish voice to follow from not far away.
"Axiu, I'm so envious of Sister Zhaoyue getting to see you every day, unlike me, now busy with postgraduate exams, I can't even sort out an internship."
"You're not the same as her," Fu Yuxiu's words made Qiao Zhaoyue feel as if she'd fallen into an ice cellar, "As an undergraduate, what else has she done over all these years besides serving as a secretary? If you want an internship, you can come to Wansheng anytime, and I'll arrange a position for you."
"Then can I also be your secretary?"
"No."
"Why can Sister Zhaoyue?" Su Ruoyan was relentless.
Fu Yuxiu's tone carried a familiar scorn: "Her? She's only suitable for these tasks. If you take her work, what will she have left, let her starve?"
Su Ruoyan's laughter was piercing, "Axiu, you're being too harsh. What if Sister Zhaoyue hears this and gets upset?"
"Huh, she has the right to be upset? After all these years post-graduation without changing jobs, where could she go without Wansheng?"
The voices faded into the distance until a Bentley whipped up a storm as it left the parking lot, bringing Qiao Zhaoyue back to her senses.
In early October, when it wasn't yet cold, she turned on the air conditioning anyway.
So this was how she appeared in Fu Yuxiu's heart after all these years.
A long, slim lady's cigarette was pinched between her delicate fingertips; her black hair, curved like seaweed, slowly exhaled pale blue smoke with an indifferent expression.
She had no addiction to smoking.
Only when agitated, would she smoke one.
Even Cheng Hui didn't know that she actually smoked.
The university she attended might just be for her undergraduate degree, and she hadn't pursued further education, but it was also a prestigious domestic top institution, with her GPA consistently maintained at 4.5, nothing like what Fu Yuxiu described.
Did he really think she was eager to be his personal secretary?
For the first time, Qiao Zhaoyue felt lost.
Before the designated driver arrived, after finishing her cigarette, she opened the windows to disperse the smell and sprayed herself with concealing perfume.
She turned on her phone and opened a document, the title "Resignation Letter" glaringly conspicuous.
Over the past year, she had edited and revised it, moderated her tone, and almost sent it directly to Fu Yuxiu's email several times, but hesitation always won in the end.
Even Qiao Zhaoyue didn't know what she was hesitating about.
Thinking about what Fu Yuxiu had just said, a cold smile emerged on her lips.
If only he had paid a bit more attention.
He would have found that she had completed all of Wansheng's contract reports for the past three years.
Initially, to secure those contracts and make Fu Yuxiu change his view of her, Qiao Zhaoyue drank until she had a gastric hemorrhage and ended up in the hospital, yet she got up the next day and went to work as usual.
She had thought about taking credit.
The first time she tentatively presented her achievements to Fu Yuxiu, all she got in return was a flat "I see."
And: "Qiao Zhaoyue, do well with your assigned tasks."
But did Fu Yuxiu know?
The project that had brought him a net profit of eight billion last quarter, it was all her doing.
The life secretary he claimed no company would take in without Wansheng.
In her email inbox lay a pile of lucrative offers sent by headhunters.
The highest bidder promised her a base salary of three hundred thousand per month if she switched companies, along with an apartment in the city center fully paid for in her name.
Those companies might not have the powerful background like Wansheng's, nor could they offer her as good a position.
But they would allow her to prove her own worth.
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But Qiao Zhaoyue refused.
Because of Fu Yuxiu.
Looking back now, there seemed to be no need to insist on staying.
Her fingers hovered, and a second before she hit the send button, a message from Fu Yuxiu popped up.
"There's a dinner for HT tomorrow. The tie they sent over last time they cooperated—where is it?"
Qiao Zhaoyue thought for a long time before replying, "It's in the third drawer from the left in the walk-in closet."
She knew his affairs better than anyone else.
But one time when she was drunk, she overheard others praising Fu Yuxiu: "President Fu has a good secretary."
What did Fu Yuxiu say at that time? He said, "As long as the salary is high, President Xie could also find a secretary as satisfactory as this one."
Qiao Zhaoyue didn't say anything at the time, but her heart was pondering.
Fu Yuxiu paid her fifty thousand a month.
Fifty thousand, to find a nanny who is agreeable in every aspect—she was indeed worth the price.
But Fu Yuxiu didn't know that if it wasn't for true love, who could remember such a trivial thing as where the ties were placed so clearly?
She exited the document again.
Six months was the deadline she had set for herself; she wanted to try, to stay by Fu Yuxiu's side in another identity.
If he could fall in love with her, then the ending would be a happy one for all.
If he couldn't, Qiao Zhaoyue would give up completely. Once she had repaid the debt to the Qiao Family and the engagement was over, she would choose to resign and pursue a different life and career.
The next day when Qiao Zhaoyue arrived at the company, she saw an unexpected person while delivering documents to Fu Yuxiu.
Su Ruoyan, with sparkling eyes and a flushed face, got up from Fu Yuxiu's embrace and said nervously, "Sister Zhaoyue, I didn't have much to do today, so I came to keep Axiu company at work."
Qiao Zhaoyue nodded with a smile, "There's no need to explain to me; I'm just President Fu's secretary," then placing the document on the table, she added, "President Fu, this document needs your signature and a review."
Her tone was flat and emotionless, cold like a robot.
Fu Yuxiu's gaze fell on her pale face and he asked casually, "Didn't sleep well last night?"
Qiao Zhaoyue looked down, her heart tightening at his seemingly caring tone, "No."
Out of sight, jealousy flashed across Su Ruoyan's face as she coquettishly said, "Axiu, why don't you ask if I slept well?"
Fu Yuxiu, having signed the document, touched the tip of her nose, "Wouldn't I know if you had rested well or not?"
"Ah, you're bad, Sister Zhaoyue is still here," Su Ruoyan said, too embarrassed to continue.
Qiao Zhaoyue took the document to leave but was called back.
"If you didn't rest well, just take a day off. Having others see you like this makes them think Wansheng is about to go under."
Qiao Zhaoyue's voice was even, "Understood, President Fu."
After leaving, she borrowed some makeup to use in the restroom.
She had deliberately not worn makeup so that Fu Yuxiu would notice her.
This half-month she had hardly eaten properly, and the person in the mirror was thin, emaciated, with a sharp chin that made her look even more frail, like a gust of wind could blow her away. No wonder Fu Yuxiu had spoken so harshly.
She took out the lipstick and applied it in front of the mirror, then swept some blush over her cheeks. At last, she didn't look as frightening as before.
After returning the makeup, she overheard Ye Xin consulting others on a problem. Qiao Zhaoyue listened for a moment and pointed out the shortcomings in a few words.
"Wow, Sister Zhaoyue, you're so amazing," Ye Xin's eyes sparkled, but her mouth blurted out without thinking, "It's much simpler than what Sister Zhao said, I understood it right away."
Zhao Fang was Ye Xin's senior and had talked her ear off without Ye Xin grasping it, but a few pointers from Qiao Zhaoyue had been an enlightenment. Zhao Fang said sarcastically, "If it's simpler from her, go learn from her then. You'd do well to learn how to be a secretary. She makes way more than us who work earnestly for the company."
Realizing her slip of the tongue, Ye Xin's face was a picture of embarrassed explanation, "Sister Zhao, I didn't mean that..."
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