Someone deliberately brought over a glass of strong liquor, "Miss Qiao, your first negotiation? How about this, if you drink this glass and prove your sincerity, I'll help persuade Director Zhang to listen to your plan?"
His smile, dripping with malice, made Qiao Zhaoyue nauseous.
Qiao Zhaoyue coldly retorted, "Does everyone from Ming Qiang bolster their courage with alcohol before discussing a partnership?"
"You!" The man didn't expect Qiao Zhaoyue to be so sharp-tongued.
Seeing that Zhang Yan had no intention of stopping this, the man sneered, "Miss Qiao, being eloquent is useless if you can't make people listen. If you don't drink this, Director Zhang probably won't have the patience to hear you out!"
Qiao Zhaoyue felt her heart sink.
Being forced to drink brought back unpleasant memories.
Without a second thought, she nodded at Zhang Yan, who was observing from the sidelines, "Director Zhang, if this is your wish, then I must decline. As for the partnership, I'll have President Fu discuss it with you."
Seeing Qiao Zhaoyue preparing to leave, Su Ruoyan panicked, quickly grabbed her hand and whispered, "Sister Zhaoyue, it's just one glass of alcohol. Let's not upset them, the collaboration is important, just drink it, will you..."
Her voice got quieter and quieter.
"Sister Zhaoyue," Su Ruoyan was on the verge of tears, "I'm at my wits' end, Axiu will definitely be angry with me, you have to help me."
Qiao Zhaoyue really wanted to tell her that one of the rules of being an adult is to take responsibility for your own actions.
But Su Ruoyan was gripping her hand so tightly that Qiao Zhaoyue's wrist was almost bruising.
"Mr. Zhang."
The voice of Fu Yuxiu came from behind, and the crowd automatically split into two, watching as he walked up to Qiao Zhaoyue's side.
Su Ruoyan's eyes reddened and she said pitifully, "Axiu, you've finally come..."
Fu Yuxiu didn't immediately respond to her.
He followed a few steps behind Qiao Zhaoyue, standing at the entrance, clearly hearing how others were giving her a hard time and forcing her to drink.
He hadn't forgotten that today was Qiao Zhaoyue's time of the month.
Those on their period, can't touch alcohol.
He looked amusedly at the man still holding the glass of alcohol; the man, seeing Fu Yuxiu glance over, instantly lost all his previous arrogance and chuckled apologetically, "President Fu, what brings you here?"
"Look at me, it's like the big flood has washed away the Dragon King Temple, I can't even recognize my own kin. Let me apologize to Miss Qiao." He wasn't foolish; he could see that Fu Yuxiu was here to back up Qiao Zhaoyue.
Yet even after apologizing, Fu Yuxiu remained silent.
The man felt uneasy, suddenly becoming the target of everyone's scorn, and wished he could just disappear on the spot, "How about this, I'll drink this glass as well, Miss Qiao is magnanimous, please don't lower yourself to my level."
He downed the glass of alcohol in one go; the sixty-degree liquor burned all the way from his throat to his stomach, causing his face to change color immediately as he clutched his throat, coughing.
Fu Yuxiu watched him suffer, completely unmoved.
If Qiao Zhaoyue had truly drunk that alcohol, she might be the one rushed to the hospital tonight.
"Ming Qiang's man?" he asked, nodding faintly.
The man braced himself, "Yes."
"Go back and tell your boss that, from now on, all cooperation between Ming Qiang and Wansheng is terminated."
"President Fu?" The man's face turned pale at once. Wansheng was an industry benchmark, and Fu Yuxiu's declaration to cease cooperation was tantamount to announcing that all companies would no longer conduct business with them. He was cutting off all of Ming Qiang's avenues!
Nobody at the scene had anticipated this turn of events.
The way they looked at Qiao Zhaoyue now carried a hint of wariness.
Just a secretary, how could she get Fu Yuxiu to go to such lengths for her?
Those in the know had already realized, she wasn't just any secretary, she was the very fiancée who was recently engaged to Fu Yuxiu!
They truly didn't know whether they were alive or dead, daring to prank Fu Yuxiu's fiancée like this.
For a moment, those who had not stepped forward were already regretting their inaction.
"Mr. Zhang, sorry for disturbing your peace. I'll pay a visit another day."
Fu Yuxiu spoke politely to Zhang Yan, but everyone knew that this 'another day' might never come!
Was he actually considering giving up the cooperation with Huarui for Qiao Zhaoyue?
How could Zhang Yan not see that Fu Yuxiu was taking out someone's anger?
Such is the youth, quick to take offense for a beauty's sake.
"Wait," he called out to several people, slowly stood up, and his gaze on Qiao Zhaoyue gradually became admiring.
Calm in the face of change, composed, and holding firm to her principles.
It had been a long time since he'd come across such an interesting person.
"Miss Qiao, I'm willing to give you five minutes for your presentation, but I have one condition."
"If you impress me, I'll cooperate with Wansheng. If not, you will resign from Wansheng, and Huarui will never let you just be a secretary. That would be a waste of your talent."
"Mr. Zhang, are you poaching in front of me?" Fu Yuxiu's voice was cold to the extreme, as if exhaling just a breath could freeze frost on the spot.
Zhang Yan shrugged. "It mainly depends on whether Miss Qiao is willing."
Fu Yuxiu's gaze swept over Qiao Zhaoyue sharply, and when he spoke, his tone was still asking for her opinion, "Qiao Zhaoyue, what do you think?"
Qiao Zhaoyue knew he wasn't actually asking for her opinion.
But if she showed even the slightest nod, Fu Yuxiu would never let her off.
This man, seemingly magnanimous, was actually vindictive to the core.
What he didn't want, he wouldn't let others touch either.
"Mr. Zhang, thank you for your kind offer, but I currently have no plans to change jobs," Qiao Zhaoyue said, not definitively closing the door, just in case she really went to work for Huarui in half a year.
After all, who can say for sure about the future?
Zhang Yan was shrewd and could hear the implication in her words.
He knew when to stop; he didn't want to truly fall out with Fu Yuxiu and be unable to step down.
"Miss Qiao, begin your proposal speech now."
Frankly, Zhang Yan wasn't actually interested in Qiao Zhaoyue's proposal; a girl in her early twenties, no matter how watertight her proposal was, it was always flawed.
What he admired was Qiao Zhaoyue herself, not just having heard of her valiant reputation before but seeing tonight that she remained unflustered when put in a difficult situation, able to advance and retreat appropriately.
Such a person would surely bring unexpected surprises to Huarui.
Soon enough, Zhang Yan found that the surprises Qiao Zhaoyue brought him were not just for tonight.
Over the decades, he had seen countless proposals and speeches, but never once had he been so astounded.
Although lacking a summary report, everything Qiao Zhaoyue mentioned was coherent, well-founded, and was supported by big data from the internet, showing that she had done her homework.
She knew what Zhang Yan's real needs were, focusing on refining those aspects of demand.
Until the end, Zhang Yan's expression grew more and more serious, and the questions he posed became sharper one after another. Qiao Zhaoyue answered them all, ensuring he understood everything.
Fu Yuxiu watched the Qiao Zhaoyue in front of him, who was handling Zhang Yan's inquiries with an orderly demeanor, his brows lightly knitted together, the emotion in his eyes gradually becoming inscrutable.
This Qiao Zhaoyue, he had never seen before.