"Call the police, and don't let him leave the premises!"
Shen Qingyan seemed to be perpetually smiling, but her response was harsh and swift, and she acted decisively. Her inscrutable and unpredictable nature made her someone to reckon with, and it was never wise to take such a person lightly.
"Yes, Miss Shen."
The tall woman responded and promptly made the call to the police from her handphone.
Guan Tong was ashen-faced, and he plopped on the floor, trembling—he had just dug a pit to start a fire and then jumped into it.
"Hold on!"
Xiao Luo called out to the tall lady as he strode toward her. When she looked up at him, he suddenly seized her phone and canceled the call before handing it back. Guan Tong and he had been university classmates, and he couldn't just watch as his friend wallowed neck-deep in trouble. Xiao Luo then turned around to Shen Qingyan and said, "Miss Shen, he didn't intend to trouble your organization. I think there's no need to make such a big fuss over it."
Shen Qingyan raised her eyebrows and sat down once again. She began playing with her pen as she asked, "Do you know him?"
"Yes," Xiao Luo answered.
"What's your relationship?"
"A classmate and a friend."
"Oohhhh... I see."
Shen Qingyan nodded, dragging her voice slyly as she raised a corner of her mouth to form a mocking smile.
Xiao Luo had said certain things that she couldn't agree with, and he even dared to grab the phone from her assistant. Now was her opportunity to strike back, and she relished the chance.
She smiled playfully and said, "So, you want me to let him go?"
Xiao Luo didn't answer but only gave her a slight nod.
"Very well then, if you can impress me and land the sales consultant job, I will not hold him accountable," Shen Qingyan said.
Xiao Luo frowned as things just got more complicated. His plan to merely go through the motions had now gone awry, and this sudden turn of events had caught him off-guard.
Guan Tong jumped off the floor and ran to Xiao Luo, holding his hands with a woeful look. "Xiao Luo, please help me, you must help me, although my parents have some money, it's certainly much less than 5 million. If I'm required to pay the compensation, my family will lose everything we have," he pleaded in tears. This time, he had indeed gone overboard and gotten himself into quite a predicament. Shen Qingyan didn't look like the type to forgive, and she sounded dead serious.
"I'll try my best."
Xiao Luo tried to console his friend though he didn't quite know what he should do. It was only a while ago that he had thought how cool Guan Tong's little ruse was, but now, he was somewhat speechless with how things had turned out.
Then, something else occurred to him. If Su Li could set an interview for him at Huayao Corporation, she could very well arrange for more interviews with other companies. For every day he didn't have a job, he would know no peace. Perhaps it wasn't such a bad idea to land the sales consultant job here after all, and it did seem there wouldn't be much for him to do anyway.
Shen Qingyan was enjoying every moment of watching Xiao Luo grapple with the situation and found it thoroughly amusing. She had decided to teach him a good lesson for daring to look down on her company, or her surname wasn't Shen, she told herself.
She coughed dryly and said, "You don't need to try your best, Xiao Luo. As far as I'm concerned, you don't qualify. This job is not for you."
"Well, I think it is," Xiao Luo said, shaking his head and giving her a wry smile.
"Oh? Do you think you have some special qualities that could impress me and land you the job?" Shen Qingyan sneered as she took a sip of tea.
Xiao Luo didn't respond to her, but nodded his head, looking smug.
Shen Qingyan was amused. "You are pretty confident about yourself, aren't you? I want to know where your confidence came from?" she said.
"From her."
"Her?"
Xiao Luo said, "Yes, her. Before I came, she would've already spoken to you about it, and you've probably promised her that no matter how bad my performance turned out to be, you'll make an exception and hire me. Otherwise, you wouldn't have personally conducted this interview, am I right?" He spoke matter-of-factly, neither humbly nor overbearingly.
As soon as Xiao Luo uttered those words, both the tall woman and Guan Tong looked at him in total shock. They immediately realized that there was more to this man than met the eye, and his status suddenly took on a whole new level.
As much as she tried to suppress it, Shen Qingyan's expression changed instantly. If she had a word to describe him, it would be—despicable! How could he even imply that Su Li had spoken to her? What kind of a man was he to even say such a thing?
Xiao Luo continued, "You and she are the best of friends, and you will do whatever you can to help her. Undoubtedly, I am to be one of your company's sales consultants. Miss Shen, I don't think there's a need to continue this charade, what do you say?"
"Marche à l'ombre! (Walk in the shade!)"
Shen Qingyan jumped to her feet, pounding the table and rebuked Xiao Luo in French, angrily pointing her finger at him. She had alluded to Xiao Luo not to get too cocky and to stay out of the limelight. She couldn't contain herself and had never known such a shameless man before.
Playing on her phrase, Xiao Luo replied in French, "Je suis désolé, il n'y a pas d'arbres ici (I'm sorry, there are no trees here!)"
Huh?"
Shen Qingyan was taken aback as she didn't expect that Xiao Luo could speak French.
Not to be outdone, she continued speaking in French, "It is regrettable when a man lacks knowledge and knows not self-restraint, and you, Sir, fit the description of such a miserable man."
"I know not if I can be considered to be such a miserable man, but I do know that I'm a person who loves to think. Honoré de Balzac once said that 'men of thought believe in a divine providence,' therefore I'd surmise that a person who can think is a person with limitless strength," Xiao Luo responded.
Shen Qingyan was stunned after hearing Xiao Luo's articulate riposte in French. She had studied for more than two years to have acquired such proficiency in the French language, yet, Xiao Luo, a country bumpkin as far as she knew, had just conversed with her like he was a native speaker.
She wouldn't have been so surprised if he had just spoken English, but French? Was French the foreign language that he studied during university?
Shen Qingyan refused to accept defeat. She uttered in Russian, "пошелнахуй, сыншлюхи!"
Xiao Luo's eyebrows furrowed deeply because the sentence meant: f**k you, son of a wh*re.
He thought that it was unbecoming of a woman of culture to utter such that such obscenities.
"Miss Shen, please respect yourself," Xiao Luo responded in fluent Russian.
What, he knows Russian as well?!
Shen Qingyan was speechless. She was already surprised that Xiao Luo could speak French, but now, she was aghast that he knew what she had said in Russian. Exactly who was this man?
Shen Qingyan blushed a bright crimson, and as strong-minded as she was, right now, all she wanted to do was find a hole and stick her head in it. Fortunately, only Xiao Luo understood what she had said, and that was a slight relief.
The tall lady and Guan Tong were dumbfounded. Although they could not understand the banter between Xiao Luo and Shen Qingyan, they knew enough to recognize that two foreign languages had been spoken, and the speakers both seemed very fluent in them; even their accent sounded like foreigners.
Guan Tong gawked as he wondered how much more talents Xiao Luo still had hidden in the closet.
CLAP... CLAP... CLAP
Shen Qingyan stood up and applauded, looking at Xiao Luo with admiration. "A talent... what a talent, I've wholly misjudged you!"
Oh no, that's the same thing she said to me!
Guan Tong's heart thumped rapidly.
As he had expected, Shen Qingyan's tone changed, and she said, "However, even though you're very talented in languages, you still did not impress me."
"At times, it pays to humble oneself, for bountiful is the inheritance of the meek. Hence, never trouble trouble till trouble troubles you," Xiao Luo replied, this time he spoke in the Queen's English.
Shen Qingyan was startled as she immediately knew that Xiao Luo was referring to Su Li. Xiao Luo was insinuating that if she went overboard, he would no longer play along, and she would be hard-pressed to answer to Su Li.
What a shameless guy!
Shen Qingyan was exasperated and once again felt a tightness to her chest. Xiao Luo had run circles around her leaving her no room to articulate a suitable response.
BAM!
Suddenly, the office door swung open loudly, jolting everyone in the room, except Xiao Luo.
...
A man in his fifties barged in. He had a haughty demeanor with a head of white hair with gray streaks underneath, and three deep frown lines stretched across his forehead, giving him the appearance of a fearsome tiger. He was casually dressed in a white T-shirt and was accompanied by a small entourage of snooty-looking men and women trailing behind him.
Among this group of people, stood an olive-skinned woman who was dressed plainly. She had a straight nose, long wavy hair, healthy white teeth, perfectly arched eyebrows, and a lovely pair of eyes. She was obviously a foreigner, and although she was garbed in local streetwear, she looked natural and carried herself with a noble bearing that seemed to exude from within her.
Shen Qingyan glowered and looked the uninvited visitor square in the eyes. Somewhat unkindly, she said, "Third Uncle, could you have the decency to knock before you enter?"
Third Uncle?
Wouldn't this man be Huayao Corporations' number two, Shen Xingqing?
Xiao Luo recognized the man immediately, and his interest was piqued. Despite his reluctance to be part of the Huayao Corporation, Xiao Luo was quite familiar with the history of one of the largest companies in the city of Xiahai. The corporation was wholly owned by the Shen family, and due to Shen Qingyan's outstanding abilities, she took over the reins from her father to lead the organization. All the shareholders were members of the Shen family, and after Shen Qingyan, her third uncle, Shen Xingqing, was the largest shareholder and wielded immense power and influence.
Shen Xingqing ignored her brusque remark and said, "Qingyan, my niece, I came here to see you on an urgent matter."
He smiled cockily at Shen Qingyan and showed no regard for her position as the company's chairman. He had known Shen Qingyan since she was a little girl and watched her grow, and for her to now be seated above him in rank was something he couldn't reconcile with readily. He didn't see the need to treat her any differently now, even after assuming the chairman's office.
"Regardless, it is only common courtesy to do so."
Evidently, there were no holds barred when it came to Shen Qingyan and her uncle. There had been a long history between the two, and it was no secret that Shen Xingqing coveted her position. Had it not been for her father's support and her own capabilities, she would already have been forced to step down from her position a long time ago.
"Alright, since you're so adamant, I'll make up for it right now!"
Shen Xingqing scowled, then promptly walked back through the open door and dramatically knocked on it once again, or rather he pounded heavily on the door. He came across like ruffian out to create a scene.
Shen Qingyan had to dig deep to suppress her annoyance but got him back in a subtler way. In her most condescending tone, she said, "Yes, you may come in now."
Shen Xingqing stomped in like the class bully as one of his subordinates hurriedly brought a chair to him. He dispensed with any further courtesies, duly dropped himself into the chair, and crossed his legs, giving off an air of supreme authority.
"Uncle, please get to the point," Shen Qingyan said. She was curt and had no wish to prolong the conversation if she could help it.
"Fine with me!"
Shen Xingqing gestured at the foreign woman with his hand. "This lady over here came to us with a list of medical supplies, but she speaks in a weird language, sounds more like a chirping bird if you ask me. She must need something," he said, disdainfully, "but none of our company's translator can understand a word she's saying. I wanted to tell her to f**k off, but then I thought that maybe my brilliant niece, who's such a talented linguist, might understand her, so I brought her here."
"Uncle, I know you, so, let's cut through the chase, what are you trying to do here?" Shen Qingyan was tired of his games, and she knew that his intention was to put her in a spot and see her embarrass herself.
"What are you saying? I'm here to sincerely ask for your help. This woman might very well be a VIP, and should that be the case, ignoring her will be a big loss for the company."
Shen Xingqing said it with a cunning smile, shaking his legs impatiently. He couldn't wait to see Shen Qingyan make a fool of herself. Didn't she proclaim that she was well-traveled and unafraid to fly anywhere around the world? Didn't she say that there was no client that she couldn't handle? He was now keen to see how she would handle this client, and if she failed, then, as her uncle, he had every right to put her in her place. That would be the perfect way to take the edge off her spirit, he thought. But Shen Qingyan was on to his devious plan and decided to fire the first broadside. "Uncle, if you have the time to play these games, why not you use it more productively for the company instead?"
"Qingyan, my niece, you measure the stature of great men by the yardstick of a midget. I'm really not as bad as you think," Shen Xingqing said, breaking into a chuckle and shaking his legs even more vigorously.
Shen Qingyan simply ignored him. She turned to look at the foreign woman and smiled warmly. Speaking in English, she said, "Hello, Ma'am. I'm Shen Qingyan, the person in charge. Welcome to Huayao Corporation. Is there anything I can help you with?"
English, being the lingua franca of the business world, was naturally her first option.
The foreign woman stared at Shen Qingyan blankly, unable to understand what was said. She looked anxious and began to gesticulate with her hands as she replied, ".حيةطيبة. أودشراءالأدوية,"
"Huh?"
At no moment in her life did Shen Qingyan feel more helpless than she was right then. Having mastered three foreign languages, she had often bragged about traveling around the world, but never was she aware that such a language existed. In a sense, her third uncle was quite right, for, when she first heard it, she wondered if it was really a language.
The foreign woman continued to speak for some time, desperately using gestures to help explain herself.
Shen Qingyan's head was in a spin. In the end, she smiled apologetically and decided to throw in the towel. "Ma'am, I'm so sorry, but I don't understand what you mean. I'm afraid I can't help you," she said.
"Now, who would've thought, even my talented niece, Qingyan, would have helpless moments. Uncle always thought that you were so knowledgeable and all-knowing, but it seems that I've overrated you, how sad. So, it looks like no matter how brilliant a person might be, one can't excel in everything, am I right?"
Shen Xingqing stood up energetically, looking smug and feeling quite pleased with himself. He proceeded to dust off his pants in a deliberate manner, and when he thought he had everyone's attention, he looked at his niece and sneered, "Qingyan, you're too young, and still need much guidance from people much older and more experienced than you. So, be careful, don't turn our family business into an unachievable dream."
Shen Qingyan had no response, and her face reddened. She was seething inside but as disdainful as Shen Xingqing was, she had to admit that he got the better of her this time around.
Suddenly, Xiao Luo spoke up. He stood casually by the far side and spoke to no one in particular. "This lady says that she's Princess Salama from Dubai, and she wishes to order a shipment of medical supplies worth 8 million dirhams."
"Huh?"
Then was a sudden lull in the room, and everyone there—be they Shen Xingqing, Shen Qingyan, Guan Tong, or the tall lady, turned to look at Xiao Luo all at once, with looks of disbelief.
"You can understand what she's saying?" Shen Qingyan asked.
Xiao Luo nodded as he replied, "She's speaking Arabic, but in her tribal dialect, so it sounds a little strange."
"Kid, where are you from? Please don't talk nonsense around here, or else I'll kick you out!"
Shen Xingqing scowled, questioning the veracity of Xiao Luo's translation. "What dirhams? I haven't heard of it before. And a princess? Judging by the cheap street clothes she's wearing, it's not even worth a little bit over a hundred dollars, could she possibly be Dubai's princess? If you are making things up, please come up with something better!"
"Just because you have not heard of it, does not mean it doesn't exist. Dirham is the currency of the UAE. Please don't show everyone your ignorance," Xiao Luo responded.
Only moments ago, Shen Xingqing was feeling pleased with himself for putting Shen Qingyan in her place. He had long felt outdone by Shen Qingyan and had an ax to grind. But, much to his chagrin, Xiao Luo had come out from nowhere and stolen his moment, even daring to insult his intelligence. He pointed furiously at Xiao Luo and screamed, "Do you know who I am? Get the hell of out here! You don't seem too keen to continue working in Huayao!"
He naturally assumed that anyone in Shen Qingyan's office was an employee of the corporation.
...