PFC Chapter 1640 Small Punishment and Big Commandment
Chapter 1640 Small Punishment and Big Commandment
Jiang Xueqiong arrived very quickly.
Less than twenty minutes after Qin Hao hung up the phone, her burgundy Chevrolet pulled up in front of the China World Hotel. Her high heels clicked crisply on the marble floor, and her beige suit exuded a sharp, capable air, befitting a powerful businesswoman.
"President Jiang, over here." Huang Yimei stood up and waved.
Jiang Xueqiong walked over, her gaze lingered on Qin Hao for two seconds, and then she spoke slowly.
"Mr. Qin, I won't say anything more. I'll invite Huang Yimei to dinner another day."
Qin Hao nodded slightly: "Okay, it's settled then."
For the next half hour, Qin Hao acted as the translator.
When Jiang Xueqiong talked to Mr. Teng about art collecting, she went on and on, discussing everything from Impressionism to Postmodernism, from the Louvre to the Pompidou Centre. Qin Hao's translation was almost simultaneous, and some of the technical terms were even more accurate than Mr. Teng's original words.
Zhuang Guodong sat to the side, occasionally chiming in with a few words.
He was indeed quite capable, possessing a deeper understanding of the French art market than anyone else present, and several of his additional points drew nods of approval from Mr. Teng. However, every time he tried to steer the conversation towards himself, Qin Hao subtly redirected the conversation back to Jiang Xueqiong.
After two attempts, Zhuang Guodong stopped trying to embarrass himself.
"Mr. Teng said he was willing to donate three pieces from his collection to participate in this exhibition." Qin Hao finished translating the last sentence, picked up his teacup, and took a sip.
Jiang Xueqiong's eyes lit up: "Three pieces? That's great! Tell Mr. Teng that we will definitely set up the exhibition according to the highest standards and will never disgrace his collection."
Another round of pleasantries ensued.
Zhuang Guodong glanced down at his watch and reminded him in French, "Mr. Teng, our flight is about to start."
Mr. Teng suddenly realized what was happening and quickly got up. The group escorted him to the hotel entrance, where the doorman had already brought the car.
Just then, Zhuang Guodong suddenly turned to Huang Yimei.
"Ms. Huang." He took out a business card from his suit pocket. "Would it be convenient to exchange contact information? We may need to communicate more with your company regarding the follow-up exhibition."
Before Huang Yimei could speak, a hand reached out from the side and snatched the business card away with two fingers.
"It's inconvenient." Qin Hao flipped the business card over, glanced at it, and casually put it in his pocket. "She's usually very busy with work and probably doesn't have time to answer calls from random people."
Zhuang Guodong's face stiffened.
Qin Hao continued, "But I'm quite free. If Mr. Zhuang wants to wander around Beijing, I'd be happy to be your guide."
Zhuang Guodong's lips twitched, but he ultimately said nothing. He turned and got into the car.
The moment the car door closed, the smile on his face vanished completely.
Jiang Xueqiong took in the whole scene and asked Huang Yimei in a low voice, "What does your boyfriend do?"
"Him?" Huang Yimei glanced at Qin Hao: "He's a freeloader at home."
Jiang Xueqiong was stunned for a moment.
"Someone as fluent in French as him shouldn't have trouble finding a job. Are you just being too picky?"
"It's not that I have high standards, it's that I'm too lazy."
Jiang Xueqiong blinked: "It doesn't look like it."
"He looks all respectable, doesn't he?" Huang Yimei said, arms crossed, her tone tinged with disdain, but a smile involuntarily crept onto her lips. "You'll know how lazy he is once you get to know him better."
Before she could finish speaking, a hand was placed on her head.
"How can you talk about your boyfriend like that?"
Jiang Xueqiong watched the two of them chatting away and finally couldn't take it anymore: "Alright, alright, you two stop flirting in front of me." She clutched her chest, making a face as if she couldn't stand it: "I'm too old to listen to this."
Before she could finish speaking, her expression suddenly changed.
Her smile froze on her face, and all color drained from her face in an instant. She clutched her stomach, and her body swayed.
Huang Yimei's expression changed drastically, and she quickly supported her: "President Jiang! What's wrong?"
Jiang Xueqiong waved her hand, a fine layer of cold sweat already beading on her forehead: "It's nothing... It's an old problem. I probably haven't been eating properly these past few days, and my stomach is a little upset."
She took a deep breath, pulled her car keys out of her bag, her hands trembling.
"But I'm afraid I can't drive in my current condition. Yimei, could you please..."
Before she could finish speaking, Qin Hao had already taken the key from her hand.
“I’ll do it.” He twirled the key between his fingers. “With her driving skills, the three of us might end up on the news tomorrow.”
"Ugh!" Huang Yimei stomped her foot angrily. "I'm not as bad as you say! I got my driver's license through proper testing!"
"Yes, yes, I took the driving test (Part 2) three times before I passed."
"That's because it rained that day!"
"Yes, it rained the second time, and it rained the third time too."
Huang Yimei opened her mouth, but found she had nothing to say, so she could only glare at him angrily.
Jiang Xueqiong leaned against the car door, speaking weakly, "I said... can you please consider a patient's feelings..."
Huang Yimei blushed and quickly helped Jiang Xueqiong into the back seat.
Qin Hao opened the driver's side door, paused for a moment, and glanced back at his car parked not far away.
"What about your car?"
“Five-star hotels like this all offer car delivery service.” Qin Hao started the engine and skillfully adjusted the rearview mirror: “I’ll call the front desk later, and someone will bring the car to my home.”
"Oh." Huang Yimei nodded, finally understanding why five-star hotels were so expensive.
Qin Hao drove the car out of the hotel gate, and Jiang Xueqiong gave him an address.
Huang Yimei frowned upon hearing this: "President Jiang, it's not easy to call a doctor from your home. You should go to the hospital."
"No need, I have medicine at home, I'll just take two pills when I get back."
"But you look really bad..."
"I said I don't need it." Jiang Xueqiong's tone hardened, but she was interrupted by a sharp pain the next second, and her whole body curled up like a shrimp.
Huang Yimei cried out anxiously, "Qin Hao, go to the hospital!"
"it is good."
Jiang Xueqiong struggled to say something, but Qin Hao glanced at her in the rearview mirror and said in a calm but unyielding tone, "President Jiang, I'm sorry. This matter has triggered the second clause of the boyfriend rule, so this car can only be driven to the hospital today."
Jiang Xueqiong was sweating profusely from the pain, but she still couldn't help asking, "What terms?"
“Boyfriend clause two.” Qin Hao turned on his turn signal and smoothly turned the car into the left lane: “When your girlfriend disagrees with others, please refer to clause one.”
"And what is the first one?"
"My girlfriend is always right."
The back seat was quiet for two seconds.
Jiang Xueqiong leaned back and slumped in her seat, her voice filled with resigned despair: "I can't take it anymore... I'm not dying from stomach pain, but I'm already sick of you guys."
Huang Yimei's face turned bright red, and she glared angrily at Qin Hao—though Qin Hao was driving and couldn't see her at all.
"President Jiang, don't listen to his nonsense. That's just how he is; he's never serious."
The streetlights outside the car window swept past one by one, their orange glow falling on the two people in the back seat. Huang Yimei held Jiang Xueqiong with one hand, and with the other, she held a tissue to wipe her sweat.
Jiang Xueqiong opened her eyes and looked at Huang Yimei's profile.
Young, beautiful, with eyes full of undisguised concern.
Looking at the man in the driver's seat, he was very focused while driving and didn't say anything, but he would glance back in the rearview mirror every few seconds.
Jiang Xueqiong suddenly said, "That's really nice."
Huang Yimei didn't hear clearly: "What?"
"It's nothing." Jiang Xueqiong closed her eyes. "I have to say, you two are really good."
In the prime of life, full of youthful vigor.
She seemed to see herself from ten years ago.
-
Qin Hao's driving skills are indeed quite good.
The car weaved through the evening rush hour traffic, fast and steady, changing lanes and overtaking with effortless grace. Huang Yimei sat in the back seat, looking at his profile, and suddenly realized that this usually carefree guy was actually quite reliable when he got serious.
In less than twenty minutes, the car stopped at the entrance of the hospital's emergency room.
Qin Hao got out of the car, helped Jiang Xueqiong register, and then helped her into the emergency room. After the examination, the doctor said it was an acute gastric ulcer and she needed to be hospitalized for observation for a few days.
"Hospitalized?" Jiang Xueqiong frowned. "I have a meeting tomorrow..."
"President Jiang," Huang Yimei said sternly, "Keeping the company in a few less meetings won't bankrupt it, but you might die."
Jiang Xueqiong couldn't help but laugh when she saw her serious expression: "You're starting to dictate to me now."
After completing the formalities, Jiang Xueqiong was wheeled into the ward.
Huang Yimei sat on the edge of the bed, thought for a moment, and then took out her phone to call Su Gengsheng.
I answered the phone after it rang twice.
"Su Su, President Jiang is in the hospital, could you..."
"Which hospital? I'm coming right away." Su Gengsheng interrupted her, his voice devoid of emotion, but his decisiveness was reassuring.
Huang Yimei gave the address, and less than half an hour after hanging up the phone, Su Gengsheng appeared at the ward door.
"What happened?" Su Gengsheng put his bag on the bedside table and glanced at Jiang Xueqiong's face: "Stomach ulcer?"
Jiang Xueqiong smiled wryly: "You certainly have a lot of experience."
“It happened once before, and I almost had a perforation.” Su Gengsheng pulled up a chair and sat down. “You should lie down tonight. I’ll stay here with you.”
"No need, you have to go to work tomorrow..."
Su Gengsheng interrupted her, his tone indifferent: "You are a patient now, and patients have no right to speak."
Jiang Xueqiong opened her mouth, but ultimately kept it closed.
She suddenly realized that she, as the boss, seemed to have no authority whatsoever in front of her subordinates.
Huang Yimei and Qin Hao stayed a while longer to make sure Jiang Xueqiong was alright before getting up to say goodbye.
As Huang Yimei walked out of the ward, she looked back.
Su Gengsheng sat on the edge of the bed, peeling an apple for Jiang Xueqiong. The light fell on her face, and her usually cold face now had a touch of gentleness.
-
A week later, Jiang Xueqiong was discharged from the hospital.
The first thing she did after being discharged from the hospital was to call Huang Yimei to her office.
"You're in charge of the Sino-French exchange exhibition project."
Huang Yimei was stunned for a moment: "Me?"
"What, lacking confidence?"
"No..." Huang Yimei hesitated for a moment, "I just feel it's a bit sudden, and I'm scared..."
"What are you afraid of?" Jiang Xueqiong leaned back in her chair, her face still a little pale, but her eyes had regained their usual sharpness: "You've been with the company for a while now and have a certain understanding of it. I'm very satisfied with your performance in this meeting with Mr. Teng."
Huang Yimei was silent for a few seconds, then raised her head: "Okay, since President Jiang trusts me, I will definitely do my best."
Jiang Xueqiong smiled: "This is the Huang Yimei I know."
As Huang Yimei walked out of the office, she took a deep breath.
The Sino-French exchange exhibition was the biggest project she had received since joining the company. It would be a lie to say she wasn't nervous, but she was also filled with a sense of excitement and anticipation.
……
Three days later, when she walked into the conference room and saw the person sitting opposite her, the smile on her face instantly froze.
Zhuang Guodong.
He was wearing a dark blue suit, his hair was neatly combed, and a nameplate was placed in front of him—Golan Inland Branch, Project Manager.
"Miss Huang, it's nice to see you again." Zhuang Guodong stood up, extended his hand, and smiled politely.
Huang Yimei shook his hand briefly, then quickly let go.
"I didn't expect that Mr. Zhuang would be sent from Golan."
“I didn’t expect that Miss Huang would be in charge of Qingting’s side.” Zhuang Guodong sat down and placed his hands on the table. “It seems we are quite destined to meet.”
Huang Yimei ignored that question and directly opened the folder: "Mr. Zhuang, let's begin."
At first, Huang Yimei didn't think much of it.
But after a few encounters, she realized something was wrong.
Zhuang Guodong was asking her to meet far too often. Some things that could have been discussed over the phone, he insisted on discussing in person.
Moreover, every time they met, he would deliberately steer the conversation toward personal matters.
What does Miss Huang usually like to do?
"Ms. Huang, are you free this weekend? I know a nice coffee shop."
"Was Miss Huang your boyfriend that night?"
Each time, Huang Yimei politely steered the conversation back to work, but Zhuang Guodong seemed oblivious to her hints and remained unchanged the next time they met.
this day
After the meeting ended, Zhuang Guodong called her back again.
"Ms. Huang, are you free tonight? I know a newly opened French restaurant and would like to invite you to dine there."
This time, he didn't use work as an excuse.
Huang Yimei stopped and turned around, her expression calm.
“Excuse me, Mr. Zhuang.” Her tone was polite but distant: “My boyfriend is coming to pick me up later.”
Zhuang Guodong's smile froze for a moment, but quickly returned.
"Ms. Huang, do you have some misunderstanding about me? I just wanted to invite you to dinner, that's all."
Whether there's any other meaning behind it or not, Mr. Zhuang knows it in his heart.
After Huang Yimei finished speaking, her gaze passed over Zhuang Guodong's shoulder, and she suddenly smiled broadly.
She waved.
Zhuang Guodong turned around and saw Qin Hao walking over from not far away.
Wearing a grey T-shirt, black casual pants, and canvas shoes, he looked like he belonged to a completely different world compared to Zhuang Guodong, who was dressed in a suit and tie.
But the way Huang Yimei looked at him was completely different from how she looked at Zhuang Guodong.
"Why are you up so early today?" Huang Yimei walked up to Qin Hao and looked up at him.
Qin Hao shrugged: "I don't have much to do after the stock market closes. It's too boring to be at home alone, so I thought I'd come pick you up earlier."
Since Huang Yimei refused to spend her father Qin Mo's money, Qin Hao had no choice but to profit from the stock market. In the past two months, the amount in his account had more than doubled.
"By the way, what were you guys talking about just now?"
Qin Hao put one arm around Huang Yimei's shoulder, the movement as natural as breathing. His gaze passed over Huang Yimei's head and met Zhuang Guodong's.
The two men's eyes met in mid-air.
Zhuang Guodong's eyes narrowed.
He understood that look; it wasn't provocation, but a condescending scrutiny. Like a well-fed lion lazily watching a hyena tentatively probing the edge of its territory.
It's not a threat, but it's more uncomfortable than a threat.
Zhuang Guodong suppressed his discomfort and forced a smile: "It's nothing, I just wanted to invite you two to dinner, I wonder..."
"Is this for real?" Qin Hao's eyes lit up. "Looks like I can save money on another meal today."
Huang Yimei knew he was up to no good just by looking at his expression.
She lowered her voice and whispered in his ear, "After all, he's the person in charge of our partner. We'll see each other all the time, so don't go too far."
"Don't worry." Qin Hao patted her shoulder. "I know what I'm doing."
As Zhuang Guodong watched the two whispering intimately to each other, a wave of bitterness welled up in his chest and rushed to his throat.
He gritted his teeth, forcibly suppressing the sour feeling, and his smile remained unchanged: "What would you two like to eat?"
"It's rare for someone to treat us today, so of course it'll be something we don't usually eat." Qin Hao looked at him with a forced smile: "How about Japanese food?"
Just as Zhuang Guodong was about to nod, Qin Hao spoke again.
"Let me make this clear beforehand, I have a rather big appetite." His tone was casual, but the teasing in his eyes was unmistakable: "If Mr. Zhuang thinks it's too expensive, we can go to a roadside stall, I'm not picky."
"It's just a meal." Zhuang Guodong said dismissively, "Mr. Qin is joking."
However, when he followed Qin Hao into the Japanese restaurant, the smile on his face began to fade.
He had heard of this store.
One of the most expensive Japanese restaurants in Beijing, with an average cost starting at four figures per person. It's said the head chef was brought in from Japan, and all ingredients are flown in daily from Japan.
A meal for three people would cost at least ten thousand.
However, Zhuang Guodong thought again, how much can three people eat?
He composed himself and followed the waiter into the private room.
As soon as the three of them sat down, Qin Hao picked up the menu, flipped through it, and then tossed it to the waiter.
"Let's start with three sets from this menu."
The waiter was stunned: "Sir, you mean... three sets?"
"Yes, three sets."
“But…” The waiter glanced at the thickness of the menu, then at the number of three people: “Sir, although our restaurant’s portions aren’t large, there are over forty dishes on the menu. If we have three sets…”
"What? Can't we order this much food?"
"That's not..."
"Then why don't you place the order?" Qin Hao said, turning to Zhuang Guodong with an innocent smile. "Mr. Zhuang shouldn't feel bad about it, right?"
Zhuang Guodong's face twitched.
He now understood that Qin Hao had never intended to eat properly from the beginning.
But he can't turn against them.
If you turn your back on someone, you lose.
"As long as Mr. Qin doesn't waste food and can enjoy it to his heart's content." Zhuang Guodong picked up his teacup, took a sip, and used the rim of the cup to cover his twitching lips.
"Generous." Qin Hao gave a thumbs up: "I like making friends with generous people like Mr. Zhuang."
Huang Yimei secretly tugged at Qin Hao's trouser leg under the table.
She leaned closer and whispered, "You can argue with him, but don't argue with your stomach. So much raw fish, even if you can eat it all, aren't you afraid of getting diarrhea?"
"Don't worry." Qin Hao also lowered his voice: "With my physique, let alone a little bit of sashimi, I could eat a whole whale raw without even breaking a sweat."
"Can't you live without bragging?"
"can."
Huang Yimei pinched his leg in anger.
Qin Hao remained expressionless.
The first batch of dishes arrived quickly.
Sashimi platters, nigiri sushi, hand rolls, grilled eel, tempura... plates of all sizes filled the entire table, a dazzling sight.
Zhuang Guodong picked up a piece of salmon with his chopsticks and chewed it slowly, but his eyes were fixed on Qin Hao.
He was waiting for Qin Hao to make a fool of himself.
Three menus, over a hundred dishes—even three strong men couldn't finish them. Qin Hao is making grand pronouncements now; let's see how he handles things when he can't eat anymore.
However, he soon realized he was wrong.
Qin Hao ate at an astonishing speed.
It wasn't the kind of ravenous, coarse eating; rather, it was an efficient, mechanical way of eating. One bite, and half a plate of sashimi was gone. Another bite, and a plate of sushi was empty. He chewed quickly and swallowed crisply, almost without pausing.
The key point is that his eating manners were actually not bad.
After finishing the first round of dishes, Qin Hao wiped his mouth and looked at the waiter: "Next round."
The second round started at the same pace.
The same thing happened in the third round.
Zhuang Guodong's smile began to freeze.
He himself was already full after eating only seven or eight dishes, and Huang Yimei put down her chopsticks after only three or four. Qin Hao, on the other hand, had already cleared out all three menus.
"Any more?" Qin Hao asked the waiter. "Two more books, please."
The waiter was already numb and turned to take the order.
The fourth book, the fifth book, the sixth book...
Zhuang Guodong's face went from rosy to pale, and from pale to ashen.
He quickly calculated in his mind—how much would a menu cost? With over forty dishes, at the average price of this restaurant, one menu would cost at least twenty or thirty thousand yuan. Six menus would already be over two hundred thousand yuan.
Qin Hao was still eating.
The seventh book, the eighth book...
Huang Yimei was initially worried that Qin Hao wouldn't be able to handle it, but when she saw the eighth book, her worries turned into shock.
Qin Hao remained unfazed and didn't even go to the restroom.
If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she would have even suspected that Qin Hao was cheating—like secretly pouring the food into something. But she was sitting right next to him, watching the whole thing, and the food definitely went into his stomach.
Is this guy's stomach a bottomless pit?
Finally, when it came to the tenth book, the owner of the Japanese restaurant came in person.
The boss was a Japanese man in his fifties who spoke broken Chinese and bowed deeply to Qin Hao.
"I'm so sorry, we've sold out of all our ingredients for today..."
Qin Hao then put down his chopsticks.
He slowly wiped his mouth, a look of lingering enjoyment on his face.
"What a spoilsport." He threw his napkin on the table. "In that case, bring the bill."
Then he turned to look at Zhuang Guodong with a bright smile.
"By the way, Mr. Zhuang will be paying the bill."
When the waiter handed over the bill, Zhuang Guodong finally saw the numbers on it.
278,650 yuan.
The bill was as thick as a notebook, with each page densely filled with the names and prices of the dishes.
Zhuang Guodong's hand trembled slightly.
Two hundred and seventy thousand! And that was after the boss gave a 20% discount.
His face turned pale and then red, his lips trembled a couple of times, but he finally took out his credit card and handed it to the waiter.
"Mr. Zhuang is indeed very generous." Qin Hao stood up and patted Zhuang Guodong on the shoulder: "Let's have dinner together again next time."
Zhuang Guodong's shoulder slumped down as he was patted.
He looked up at Qin Hao's smiling face and suddenly felt an urge to punch him.
But he held back.
"Definitely." He squeezed out the two words through gritted teeth.
Qin Hao put his arm around Huang Yimei's shoulder and swaggered out of the Japanese restaurant.
Zhuang Guodong was left alone in the private room, with a mountain of empty plates in front of him and a maxed-out credit card in his hand.
The waiter stood at the door and cautiously asked, "Sir, would you like some takeout?"
Zhuang Guodong closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"no need."
He stood up and walked out without looking back.
The night wind blew on his face, and he suddenly felt that Beijing's autumn was a bit cold.
-
As she left the Japanese restaurant, Huang Yimei finally couldn't hold back any longer.
"What kind of monster are you?" She looked Qin Hao up and down, her eyes searching him like he was an alien. "Ten menus! Ten menus! Where did you eat them all?"
Qin Hao patted his stomach: "Here."
Aren't you afraid of stuffing yourself to death?
"I wouldn't say I'm stuffed to death." Qin Hao thought for a moment, "But I am indeed a bit thirsty. There's a teahouse up ahead, shall we have some tea to help with our digestion?"
Huang Yimei: "..."
She suddenly realized that she might not know her boyfriend nearly as well as she thought.
"Oh, right." Qin Hao suddenly stopped in his tracks: "Stay away from Zhuang Guodong from now on."
Huang Yimei blinked: "Jealous?"
"It's not that I'm jealous." Qin Hao was unusually serious. "That kid's gaze towards you is strange. I don't care about necessary work-related contact, but don't accept any of his private invitations."
"I know." Huang Yimei took his arm and rested her head on his shoulder: "Even if you didn't say it, I wouldn't agree to it."
Under the streetlights, her eyelashes cast two faint shadows on her face.
"That's good."
Qin Hao's lips curved into a smile.
270,000.
I wonder if that kid Zhuang Guodong has the money to pay the bill. (End of Chapter)