Chapter 22: The Female Secretary

After Zheng Qian left, Han Huahao flipped over his hole cards to take a look.

A pair of Aces.

"This man has integrity at the table and the instincts of a gambler; he is steady yet ruthless, and ruthless without being greedy. He is destined for great things."

"Qiangzi, how did you come to know him?"

After revealing the cards, Han Huahao couldn't help but praise Zheng Qian’s character. While they were showering earlier, he had asked about Zheng Qian's age—three years out of university, not yet twenty-six.

Twenty-six...

If he had possessed that kind of capital at twenty-six, he would have bought a sports car immediately. Aside from eating, drinking, and having fun, he would have been living a life of debauchery. How could he have possibly stayed patient enough to settle down, invest, and enter the business world?

If it weren't for the many trials he had endured, watching those around him go down one by one, and weathering such great storms, Han Huahao never would have reached his current age—forty-something, a time of seasoned strength—guarding the assets of Moonlight Island and living a life of near-retirement.

"A friend introduced us," Chen Weiqiang replied.

He also felt that Zheng Qian had an excellent temperament and didn't seem like a man living off a woman at all. Zheng Qian’s suit was impeccably matched; either he had good taste, or the woman behind him did. But would someone with that kind of taste really take a fancy to a gigolo? Chen Weiqiang absolutely did not believe Zheng Qian’s claim that the thirty million had come from his girlfriend.

Back in the KTV room, everyone had initially assumed Zheng Qian was a pushover and treated him as such. But Zheng Qian had been alert enough to sniff out their intentions and immediately demanded a change of personnel. The underlying message was clear: I am not a pushover, so don't think about messing with me.

With a personality like that, how could he be content living as a kept man?

Zheng Qian’s final hole cards were a pair of Aces. As Han Huahao said, he was steady yet ruthless, with a firm grasp on the situation. This man was an excellent potential partner. He hadn't fully emerged yet, mostly because he lacked a wide network of connections. If Han were willing to share his own resources, Zheng Qian would surely be grateful and reciprocate. If Zheng Qian were to eventually soar to the clouds, Han would benefit from it as well.

Only Liu Shiqi underestimated Zheng Qian, misled by the final round. She believed Zheng Qian’s ruthlessness was merely that of a brute—a mindless, headlong charge. She had stayed in until the end, and the fact that Zheng Qian refused to fold, in her eyes, proved he was brainless.

It was like entering the business world: relying solely on the ruthlessness Chen Weiqiang spoke of was not enough. If Chen were only ruthless and decisive, he wouldn't even know how he ended up dead. To get to where he was today, there was much more to it than just ruthlessness. Chen Weiqiang was smart; when his cards were bad, he simply stopped playing, refusing to go deeper into the hand and avoiding any further risk to his chips.

Han Huahao was even more so. A man in his forties, he was as steady as a rock, whether playing cards or doing business. To Liu Shiqi, Han seemed almost too steady, unlike his former self. Being too steady was just another word for being cowardly, lacking his previous edge. However, given Han’s unique history, if he hadn't become this "cowardly," he never would have held onto Moonlight Island. His business would have been investigated, and he would have ended up in prison alongside his brothers. At forty-something, he was already living a semi-retired life, guarding his assets.

To Liu Shiqi, a wolf that has lost its savagery is just a sharp-mouthed dog. She only had one doubt left: was Zheng Qian really a kept man whose girlfriend gave him thirty million?

"Boss Han, could you look into this person for me?" Liu Shiqi suggested.

"Sure. Since Manager Liu has asked, how could I refuse?" Han Huahao replied with a smile. He was quite interested in Zheng Qian himself. Liu Shiqi worked in funds, so she naturally had her own ways of gathering intelligence, but Han Huahao might be able to dig up something different. Only by gathering information from multiple channels could one truly understand what kind of person Zheng Qian was.

...

Zheng Qian had Xia Xixi drop Li Tao off at home first before taking him back to Jiangshan International.

"Manager Zheng, I will prepare the documents tomorrow morning and clear out an office for you. You can come to the company in the afternoon."

"From tomorrow on, I’ll be your secretary."

On the way, Xia Xixi broke the news to him.

"Aren't you Manager Chen's secretary? How did you become mine by tomorrow?" Zheng Qian asked, curious.

"I don't know. These were Manager Chen's orders. I suppose it's because the way you looked at me wasn't very proper," Xia Xixi said, showing no hesitation in speaking bluntly to her future boss.

Zheng Qian was taken aback. What the hell did she mean his look wasn't proper? Although he had looked at her a few times at the dinner table and in the KTV room, it wasn't improper!

"Improper? And what do you think? Do you think I'm a proper person?"

"I don't think you're very proper either," Xia Xixi replied while driving. "When you changed your mind and decided you wanted an 'older sister' type, I knew you were the type who frequented these kinds of places. You're probably not a saint."

Zheng Qian: ???

This was awkward; Xia Xixi had clearly misunderstood him. However, Zheng Qian didn't bother to explain. "I'll be your boss tomorrow. Aren't you afraid of offending me by saying things like that? Aren't you worried I'll make things difficult for you?"

"That’s just my personality. Besides, I'm not afraid of you making things difficult for me. I do every task flawlessly and leave no openings. You won't find a way to undermine me."

"I'm not a materialistic woman. If you're thinking of starting something with me, abandon that thought early. I didn't have any ambiguous relationship with Manager Chen, let alone you."

"If you feel we aren't a good fit, you can tell Manager Chen tomorrow and have him replace me."

Zheng Qian’s favorability toward her suddenly increased. He glanced at her favorability score—only 30 points. If she wasn't a materialistic woman, didn't that mean he could spend money on her limitlessly and trigger the system's cash-back feature?

"No need to replace you. You'll do," Zheng Qian said firmly.

"Huh? Why?" Xia Xixi had actually been prepared to be replaced; her words just now were partially an attempt to get him to let her go. Chen Weiqiang, despite his hedonism, was highly capable, and she could learn things from a boss like him. As for Zheng Qian, she couldn't see anything special about him, so she would rather have stayed with Chen.

"I think you're capable, sharp, and eager to learn. You should be a great assistant to have by my side."

"I'm not the person you imagine me to be. You'll find out in the future."

The car arrived at Jiangshan International. After Zheng Qian got out, he sent Xia Xixi on her way. Aside from the potential for spending money, Zheng Qian genuinely felt Xia Xixi was quite good. It was likely that Chen Weiqiang had passed her on to him precisely because of her personality, her work style, and her desire for a change. As long as Xia Xixi wasn't a spy or an informant planted by Chen, Zheng Qian felt she would be very useful to have around.