{She glanced at the man’s abs. 1}

The next day, at Zhao Tian Group.

Zhao Buhui explained his seemingly unnecessary actions the day after.

“After all, you work at our company, and there are certain people I just can’t stand,” he said casually. It was early in the morning, and Qian Xu, having just exited a temporary meeting room after the morning briefing, ran into Zhao Buhui, who was wandering around. He held a dry, stiff baguette in one hand, looking laid-back and somewhat drowsy. “So, I came over to give you a friendly reminder.”

Qian Xu simply responded with an “mm.”

This time, Zhao Buhui seemed dissatisfied with her indifference. Clearly, her reply was not the answer he was looking for.

So, he persisted, asking, “Did you hear me clearly?”

“Yes, I heard you,” Qian Xu confirmed, making it clear she wasn’t hard of hearing. But instead of hurrying to respond further, she continued walking toward her office. She noticed that Zhao Buhui was being rather persistent, still facing her and even walking backward to stay in front of her. With his arm tucked around that baguette in a rather French manner, the sight was amusing, but to Qian Xu, the food had long become unhygienic. “What you’re trying to say is that we’re somewhat on the same boat, right?”

“And you don’t have anything to say about that?”

What was she supposed to say?

They were in the same company, after all. She worked tirelessly for his father’s business, and he, as the company’s future major shareholder, siding with her was a perfectly reasonable thing to do.

And before Qian Xu even joined Zhao Tian Group, she had already done her background research.

Their relationship with Shen Qi wasn’t exactly friendly either.

Therefore, Qian Xu wasn’t surprised at all that Zhao Buhui had asked her to stay late under the pretense of “overtime” last night, or that he had shown up in person later.

She didn’t understand why he had the nerve to suddenly barge into someone else’s world and, so openly, demand some sort of acknowledgment from her.

In the world of adults, wasn’t remaining silent already a form of response?

Qian Xu had seen many people subtly hint at seeking personal gain for themselves, but she had never seen anyone as bold as him, openly demanding her acknowledgment. The books always said that Chinese people, especially Chinese men, were supposed to be reserved.

It seemed some books were written a bit one-sidedly.

“I’m just about to get back to work,” Qian Xu had no choice but to slow her pace and stop midway. She shifted her weight to one foot, lightly swinging the other ankle as her high heels had begun to tire her out. While adjusting, she even had to help him hold onto the baguette that was about to fall. “If what you want is a ‘thank you,’ then I can say that.”

“That’s it?”

What did he mean by “that’s it?”

Was she supposed to dramatically express her gratitude in the office building, saying something like, “If it weren’t for your warning, how would I have made it through last night?” or “I was so scared, thank goodness you came like a god from heaven!” or “You even drove here yourself! If I couldn’t drive, I’d have had to trouble you to pick me up too.”

These fawning, flattering words were things she would never say.

Qian Xu disdained expressing such things aloud.

She had tried to thank him but realized that his presence last night hadn’t been all that helpful after all.

Qian Xu also knew that she hadn’t shown much humanity in the way she handled Zhao Buhui. She turned her head and saw the CEO, Zhao Tian, emerging from the temporary meeting room not far away. Her face instantly lit up with a bright smile.

With a gentle tone and a twinkle in her eye, she called out down the hallway, “CEO Zhao, your son is here to see you.”

With that, she noticed the CEO giving her the same kind, warm smile, but as soon as he turned to Zhao Buhui, his expression darkened.

Not long after, she heard Zhao Tian’s stern voice scolding his son, “You rarely get up early, and this is what you’re eating?”

“I was going to send you money last month, and you said you didn’t need it. Now look at you,” Zhao Tian glanced at his son as if looking at a useless pile of mud. With deep disappointment, he eyed the haphazard breakfast in his son’s hands, grumbling like all parents do, “Not even a bowl of porridge.”

Normally kind, CEO Zhao harshly rebuked him, “Stop eating that! If there’s really nothing else, you might as well go to our company’s cafeteria downstairs for breakfast!”

Watching the scene unfold, Qian Xu felt like she had just handed a rebellious teenager back to his rightful parent. Feeling quite satisfied with her “good deed,” she calmly stepped into the elevator.

…

Qian Xu didn’t have the energy to deal with Zhao Buhui, who had repeatedly come back to the company.

However, while the “Crown Prince” of the Zhao family had rarely returned before, it seemed that people in the company had seen him for two consecutive days now, and rumors about him were already circulating.

As she passed by the break room, she overheard the latest gossip about him.

One young employee speculated, “Do you think maybe our Zhao Gongzi felt a sense of crisis after Mr. Zhao hired Miss Qian?”

“I don’t think so. If he were really interested in the company’s affairs, why hasn’t he shown up to actually work?” Another coworker didn’t buy into the power-struggle theory. Instead, this coworker spoke so vividly that even Qian Xu, who was uninvolved, almost believed it. “And have you noticed? The only times we’ve seen Zhao Buhui recently have been in the employee cafeteria…”