On the rooftop, while Xu Mei was alone savouring the joy of her “engagement,” in Shanghai, if the clock could be turned back three hours earlier,
Qin Yi had just hung up the phone, gripping it in a daze for a moment before recalling what he was doing the second before the call. He gave an apologetic smile to Yang Xi, who was sitting across from his desk:
“Sorry, let’s continue our discussion.”
“You’re the boss now, you call the shots.”
Since the last change in ‘Shrimp King’ shares, Qin Yi and his sister Qin Jiao became the largest shareholders. In the past, when Yang Xi came to Shanghai on business, she represented the head office, guiding major franchisees. Now, coming to Shanghai, Manager Yang was reporting to the big boss.
The difference could cause some people a psychological gap, but Yang Xi, thick-skinned, adapted quickly.
It’s not that Qin Yi was acting like a big boss. Qin Yi was easy to talk to, but Yang Xi found Wen Ying harder to fool.
However, Yang Xi and Wen Ying had a relationship built on mutual respect through conflict, while she didn’t have that bond with Qin Yi. Since she still worked at ‘Shrimp King,’ Yang Xi naturally had to show some deference to the big boss.
Boss Qin spoke gently even to his ex-girlfriend, a refinement ingrained in his bones.
Yang Xi lacked such refinement but wouldn’t mock those who had it.
Qin Yi smiled, “If I really called the shots, why won’t you come work in Shanghai?”
Yang Xi shrugged, “Boss, I love work, but I love Chengdu more. If you force me to come to Shanghai, I’ll have to find another job!”
Her education was Yang Xi’s weak point, and her age was a limitation.
Finding a new job, no one would let Yang Xi start as a supervisor; she’d have to prove her ability again.
With luck, it might take years to climb to a similar position… Salary wasn’t the issue; she could always do sales, reading people and schmoozing. Thick-skinned, sharp-tongued salespeople often earned well.
In short, Yang Xi’s bottom line was not leaving Chengdu, no matter the salary!
Qin Yi’s persuasion failed, but he wasn’t too disappointed.
Turning a franchise into the company’s largest shareholder meant different priorities. Qin Yi wanted to conquer the Shanghai market, but there was no rush. The Chengdu base still needed attention. His sister Qin Jiao was in Beijing for university, spending her first month settling into school and her major, with no time yet to manage ‘Shrimp King’ business.
The first year of university is crucial, even for top students who need to adapt. At Peking University’s Guanghua School of Management, where students are the nation’s best, Qin Jiao couldn’t afford to be careless unless she wanted to fall from top student to bottom.
Until Qin Jiao adjusted to university life and could manage it with ease, ‘Shrimp King’ relied on Qin Yi to oversee everything.
Though called the older brother, Qin Yi was barely older than Qin Jiao, still a university student himself. Many challenges in starting a business were new to him, and he was navigating them blindly.
His advantage over peers was his early exposure to business.
Without Qin Xianming’s “family education,” Qin Yi wouldn’t just fail to plan ‘Shrimp King’s’ growth; he’d have crashed long ago due to mismanagement when opening several franchise stores!
Qin Yi had the positive influence of family education, but Yang Xi didn’t. The Yang family, even in Chengdu, less prosperous than Shanghai, was at the bottom of the bottom.
Yang Xi’s starting point was low, but she learned fast and worked hard!
Qin Yi had desperately wanted to transfer Yang Xi to Shanghai, but after several rejections and learning about her family situation, he gave up. Now it was a running joke he teased her with when they met.
After discussing business for over an hour, Qin Yi and Yang Xi went downstairs to the store for a work meal, chatting more over food.
Upstairs was the office; downstairs was the ‘Shrimp King’ store.
This was Qin Yi’s first ‘Shrimp King’ franchise, closest to his university. As his franchises grew from one to several, Qin Yi rented the upstairs office space for easier management.
Such a close office allowed Qin Yi to earn money without neglecting school.
It was peak dining time, the store bustling with young servers darting about. Yang Xi ate with a beaming smile.
Good business at ‘Shrimp King’ meant a bright future for Yang Xi, so of course she was happy!
But spotting a young figure, her smile faded slightly.
“Boss, there’s something I’m not sure if I should tell you.”
“I know you’re straightforward, just say it.”
Yang Xi pointed at the young figure weaving through the store, “This afternoon, when you told me to wait in the office, I saw her touch your phone on the desk. When she saw me enter, she panicked, quickly saying you had a missed call and she was going to bring the phone to you.”
Qin Yi followed Yang Xi’s pointing finger, his brow furrowing.
Yang Xi was pointing at none other than Xu Mei’s good friend, Fu Jing.
Fu Jing touched his phone?
Normally, Fu Jing shouldn’t even be in his office, let alone touch his phone.
Qin Yi’s initial hires included many university students, who, though not full-time, were easier for him to communicate with and manage. Only while still in school could he hire them at such low wages. After graduation, few would stay in catering unless it was a large-scale company—even then, few ‘Shrimp King’ part-timers were Qin Yi’s university peers, as his prestigious university offered better part-time opportunities.
Fu Jing joined ‘Shrimp King’ during its rapid expansion, opening several stores in under a year. Qin Yi couldn’t oversee everything, and part-timers weren’t interviewed by him. He only noticed Fu Jing working there a week after she started.
The store manager said Fu Jing performed well, so Qin Yi had no reason to fire her without cause.
Fu Jing was indeed impressive, quickly earning the goodwill of the store’s staff. Just days ago, the manager suggested giving her deputy manager-level treatment.
To excel at a part-time job like that, Fu Jing clearly had ability.
But ability aside, Qin Yi had long doubted Fu Jing’s character, like a fishbone stuck in his throat, making it impossible to trust her.
Store staff could access the upstairs office area, where a rest room was set aside for them.
But Fu Jing shouldn’t have entered his office without permission, let alone touched his phone.
Especially since that call was from Xu Mei.
After their breakup, Xu Mei hadn’t pestered Qin Yi, making this one call significant, likely during a tough time for her.
If Yang Xi hadn’t seen Fu Jing’s actions, what would Fu Jing have done?
Qin Yi didn’t want to assume the worst, but… would Fu Jing have deleted Xu Mei’s call record?
“I understand, I’ll handle this. Thanks for telling me.”
Qin Yi thanked Yang Xi, who gave a dry laugh, “I’m not trying to badmouth anyone, I just thought—well, you handle it, boss!”
Every time she came to Shanghai, Yang Xi saw Fu Jing scheming to get close to Qin Yi.
Yang Xi worked for the paycheck; some worked to become the boss’s wife.
That wasn’t a heinous ambition. Qin Yi was single; having admirers was normal.
What wasn’t normal was Fu Jing treating Qin Yi like her possession, seeing every young woman in his life as a rival. Thinking of Fu Jing’s repeated probing, interrogations like a census, and that meaningful look upon learning Yang Xi only had a high school diploma, Yang Xi smirked: Little girl, you’ve fallen into Sister Xi’s hands!
Sister Xi never claimed to be a saint.
Sister Xi was always Sister Xi.
She had her own code for dealing with things. Any potential threat to Yang Xi’s stable job would be nipped in the bud when the chance arose!
Tch, taking a salary is such a hassle. Back in school, a girl like Fu Jing would’ve been floored with one punch—no need for subtle moves!
But Wen Ying once said, in such cases, don’t risk yourself; there are other ways to handle it… Damn, Wen Ying’s not even the boss anymore, so why does Yang Xi still subconsciously recall her words?!
