{Shen Qi, do you have the right to say that? 1}

The snow was getting heavier, and the cold white light outside reflected in the woman’s eyes.

Qian Xu had no intention of moving an inch.

Her cold gaze remained fixed on the business plan she had prepared, not even bothering to look at this Zhao family heir, as if assessing him was an extreme waste of her time and energy.

Thus, she did not approach him, and Zhao Buhui chose to walk toward her with a serious expression.

It felt as if an invisible barrier was between them; there was no undercurrent of tension stemming from their respective statuses, nor any communication beyond words. Qian Xu sensed that the heir might genuinely have something to say to her, but what he was about to express would definitely not be kind. Unsurprisingly, the man who had approached her to initiate a private conversation didn’t seem particularly friendly.

He treated her much the same as he had treated Director Zhang and others before.

Zhao Buhui suggested, “I need to speak with you; let’s change the location.”

Qian Xu set her phone down and remained seated at her spot in the conference room, unwilling to move, not even blinking, “You can say it here.”

The conference room was now empty, with only the two of them remaining. Qian Xu saw no need to leave, nor did she want to stir unnecessary gossip from being close to Zhao Buhui.

To him, this was just trivial gossip.

But for her, even a minor rumor could ruin her hard work. She had already endured one wave of it; there was no need to push herself back into the spotlight now.

Qian Xu was not swayed by Zhao Buhui’s earlier attempt at defense; her tone was neither cold nor warm, making it hard for anyone to discern any emotion—

She was handling this interaction like any professional would.

Zhao Buhui stood firm in his place.

He showed signs of impatience, as if he had expected to drop his petty concerns and rush to her side to heed the instructions of this young master.

He asked, “Why did you come to Zhao Tian Group?”

“Normal job application,” Qian Xu replied coolly and calmly, “If you’re interested in the application process, you might as well go to HR or just ask your father.”

Zhao Buhui immediately lost his composure, “Do you think my father’s company can be a tool for you to retaliate against Shen Qi?”

“Business is business, and private matters are personal,” Qian Xu had already anticipated this confrontation. They grew up in the same circle, so it was natural he would know about her issues with Shen Qi in the U.S., and it was equally unlikely he would lower his guard around her. But hearing such a blunt inquiry in real life made her frown involuntarily. “Mr. Zhao, could you show a bit of professionalism and not conflate the two?”

Her words came out rapidly; she didn’t want to linger on the matter. Instead, she plainly admitted, “Wanting to take revenge on Shen Qi is my personal affair; even if I wanted to harm him, it won’t affect my work.”

After a long pause, Zhao Buhui finally replied, “It’s best that way.”

With those words, Qian Xu understood she shouldn’t be surprised. From his perspective, even if he had no interest in his family’s company, it didn’t mean he would allow any outsider to influence his family’s interests.

Yet she still felt an instinctive aversion to what she had just heard.

He was warning her.

Before she had even done anything, he had already assumed she was an emotional woman, thinking about ways to undermine Shen Qi’s business in Jiang City, trying to exert pressure on his commercial activities—

Because only tangible economic harm could truly threaten Shen Qi.

Otherwise, her verbal attacks would be futile.

However, Qian Xu also realized these thoughts were somewhat unrealistic. If even Zhao Buhui could see through her intentions and give her a warning, then what about Zhao Tian? Surely he had seen through her as well.

He probably had already figured her out completely.

Yet he didn’t voice his thoughts openly.

Feeling exposed, Qian Xu was less composed than usual, but she didn’t have the chance to react. She had already said her piece, yet she couldn’t understand why he remained in the conference room, seemingly lingering.

Did he really think that because she had said a few resolute words, he could take them at face value and then come to some agreement with her?

That was absurd.

Qian Xu knew this man wouldn’t even consider the father who founded the company; why would he heed her words?

Moreover, her mere presence at Zhao Tian Group brought an element of uncertainty.

She wondered if his continued presence was meant to indicate he was watching her closely. If Zhao Buhui did think this way, it would be exhausting… She might be busy in the future, but that wouldn’t stop this young master from casually coming by to talk about irrelevant things. If that happened, she would have to find a way to shake off this big trouble.

She felt that Zhao Buhui might not actually have that much time to waste.