TNSFC – Chapter 17

Que Yining stood up, holding her bag, and waved to Qiao Yuchu: “Xiao Qiao, I’m going to eat.”

Qiao Yuchu understood her meaning and waved back.

Que Yining left Chun Chao with her bag and ran into a few people on the first floor.

Wang Ruiyuan, his head still wrapped in gauze, shot Que Yining a resentful look when he saw her.

He wanted to say something, but the people next to him laughingly pulled him forward, so he could only glare unwillingly at Que Yining’s retreating figure.

Que Yining chose to ignore him. In her eyes, Wang Ruiyuan was even worse than Gu Qianqian; there was no need to spare him even half a glance.

Over there, Gu Shanxue, who was about to get busy, saw the chat window with no further replies and frowned unconsciously.

Was she upset?

But, urged to dive into her work, Gu Shanxue didn’t have the mental space to dwell on it and could only set her emotions aside for the time being.

However, Que Yining, who was thought to be upset, was currently standing at the entrance of Chun Chao. She first called Wang Lu to pick her up, then looked at her contact list, lost in thought.

She needed to start cultivating her own people—intelligent individuals who could handle matters for her.

While sitting in the car, Que Yining searched for several headhunting firms on websites and forums, finally settling on one company.

After contacting a headhunter, Que Yining sent her requirements and paid half of the commission upfront.

Wang Lu arrived quickly. Upon seeing Que Yining’s new hair color, he offered some sweet compliments. Que Yining just smiled and had him drive her home.

After arriving home, Que Yining contacted a housekeeping company.

The original owner had a renovated house near the commercial street, but she didn’t live there often. It was probably full of dust now and needed cleaning before it could be inhabited.

After arranging these things, all that was left was to wait.

The next day, after the housekeeping company informed her that the house was clean, Que Yining got dressed and went out.

She had Wang Lu drive her to the new house and then sent him away.

Upon seeing the decor and furnishings of the house, a satisfied expression appeared on Que Yining’s face.

The house’s design suited her taste—simple yet stylish.

Que Yining took a look around the bedroom and then went to the study.

The bookshelves in the study were empty. The original owner hadn’t spent much time here, so naturally, she hadn’t added anything.

Que Yining wrote down the things she wanted to buy on a list and went from the study to the kitchen.

The kitchen was also spotless, and the refrigerator was empty. Apart from tableware, there were no condiments.

Que Yining added a few more items to the list. After looking through the entire house, she sat down on the sofa.

She had brought her laptop when she left and placed it on the living room table. The living room had decent lighting, though it was a cold winter day, and the light streaming in carried no warmth.

When night fell, she returned to the Que residence and handed the list to Butler Chen, asking the butler to purchase the necessities for her new home.

Butler Chen: “Miss, are you planning to live outside permanently?”

Que Yining: “It depends on my mood.”

Que Yining didn’t trust anyone here, so she naturally didn’t plan to reveal her intentions.

You Lanqing found out about this in the evening and came to knock on Que Yining’s door.

She was holding a fruit platter, which she placed on Que Yining’s desk.

At that time, Que Yining was looking at a market analysis. You Lanqing glanced at it, didn’t understand what was on it, and looked away.

“Ningning, why do you suddenly want to move out?”

Logically, Que Yining was now twenty-three, so it was reasonable for her not to live with her parents. However, You Lanqing ultimately hoped her daughter would stay by her side more before getting married.

Que Yining avoided her gaze, her voice tinged with a coquettish tone: “I’m already so grown up, isn’t it normal to move out? Besides, it’s not too far. If you miss me, just call, and I’ll come back.”

You Lanqing rambled, “I know, Mom isn’t trying to stop you from moving out. But if you’re living alone outside, you can’t come home too late from playing, okay? Mom and Dad would worry. And you have to eat on time. Don’t you like Nanny Liu’s cooking? How about having her go with you?”

Que Yining: “No need. I’ll definitely eat on time and take good care of myself. If Nanny Liu comes with me, it wouldn’t be any different from living at home.”

When Que Yining looked up, she put on a perfectly petulant act. She wasn’t afraid of revealing her different self in front of others, but only before these parents, there was a certain poignant reluctance to expose it, fearing they would become suspicious and hurt.

After chatting with You Lanqing for a while, You Lanqing reluctantly left the room.

Que Yining took a sip of her cold coffee and pinched the bridge of her nose.

She was still unclear about the mystery of this body. If possible, Que Yining hoped the original owner of this body hadn’t died, but her intuition told her the outlook wasn’t optimistic.

Que Yining sighed softly and continued browsing the web.

The headhunter sent electronic files the next day. After Que Yining rejected them, the headhunter scheduled a meeting for the third day.

Que Yining set the location and arrived on time for the appointment.

This time, she didn’t have Wang Lu drive her. Instead, she asked Wang Lu to pick something up for her, using it as an excuse to send him away, and took a taxi to her destination herself.

It wasn’t that she was very suspicious of Wang Lu, but she still felt a little uneasy.

The meeting place was a coffee shop in the city center. Que Yining saw a short-haired woman sitting by the window and walked over.

Ye Su was an experienced headhunter. When she received the client’s requirements and saw that the client didn’t haggle and paid generously, she assumed the client was probably a young, wealthy second-generation boss, likely male, between twenty and thirty years old, with a playful, irresponsible personality, planning a first attempt at entrepreneurship, unconcerned about profit or loss.

She had been waiting for such a target to walk in, so when the strikingly beautiful woman sat down in front of her, she hadn’t quite processed it yet.

Que Yining spoke first: “Are you Miss Ye?”

Ye Su was stunned for a moment: “Yes, I am.”

Que Yining hadn’t used her real name when contacting them and cooperated with the identity verification.

Ye Su placed several files in front of Que Yining: “After you eliminated two candidates the first time, these are a few more suitable candidates I’ve selected according to your requirements. Their resumes are here. You can take a look first and see if any meet your approval.”

As Ye Su spoke, her eyes never left the woman in front of her, observing her expression and reaction to the documents, suppressing her surprise.

If she hadn’t seen her in this particular setting, Ye Su might have thought she was a celebrity, or someone else with a prominent, eye-catching status.

Perhaps an artist, perhaps a wealthy heiress, perhaps a pampered beauty, but she wouldn’t have guessed she was a businesswoman.

But soon, Ye Su overturned her initial impression based on the woman’s appearance.

She possessed a certain aura. The scrutinizing and deliberative attitude she displayed while looking at the documents strongly resembled the type of people Ye Su interacted with most often. In an unguarded moment of eye contact, the other woman’s eyes were like an abyss.

She curved her lips at Ye Su. It should have been a charming, flirtatious gesture, but Ye Su inexplicably felt a chill run down her spine.

Ye Su presented five files. Almost all were outstanding talents with impressive resumes, valuable degrees, and rich work experience—except for the last one.

The young woman in the photo wore glasses and looked very composed. Her file stated she graduated from a top university with a double master’s degree. Unlike the previous four, her work experience consisted of only one job at a Global Top 300 company, where she worked for just two months before being dismissed.

Que Yining tapped this resume with interest: “Miss Ye, may I ask why this file is included?”

Ye Su knew she would notice and began to explain: “Your requirements were for someone with strong work capabilities, certain social and problem-solving skills, who can efficiently complete tasks and work independently. However, since you are hiring personally, which implies instability, the first four candidates might not agree to work for you. Therefore, during the selection process, I included this one.”

“I investigated the reason for her dismissal from her previous company, which was cited as a work error. However, after careful inquiry, I found it was a case of workplace sabotage. I’ve spoken with her, and she is willing to work for an individual. Moreover, I’ve seen her project proposals and have a good estimation of her work level. I believe she should meet your requirements, which is why I included her resume.”

Que Yining tapped her finger on the smooth paper, her gaze fixed on Ye Su: “Are you sure your information is correct?”

Ye Su responded with a smile: “Eighty percent true. Whether you use her or not is still your decision.”

Que Yining: “Her then. When can we arrange a meeting? We might need to discuss specifics in person.”

Ye Su: “This afternoon is fine.”

Que Yining nodded, watching the woman across from her arrange the meeting, then neatly gather her documents and leave.

After Ye Su left, Que Yining had the waiter clear away the coffee and put the remaining resume in her bag, thinking to herself that dealing with intelligent people was indeed hassle-free.

Was Ye Su’s reason for including this resume really as she stated? Not necessarily.

But the other party was guessing her thoughts. For an individual employer preparing to expand their own business, they would naturally hope that the person helping them would have a certain degree of “stickiness”—able to adapt and possess loyalty.

Experienced old hands, on the other hand, wouldn’t follow one person to the end; they would leave when things looked unfavorable. In such a situation, an employer would naturally prefer an assistant who is smart, driven, and adaptable.

Que Yining happened to think exactly that way. She needed an assistant who could handle matters for her, whom she could understand and control, and who could adapt to her style.

If Ye Su was correct, then the last candidate—talented but lacking in mental fortitude, having suffered a major setback right after entering the workforce, and currently at a low point—was indeed the best choice for Que Yining.

Que Yining blew on her warm coffee, her eyes downcast.

Gu Shanxue, walking into the coffee shop while discussing matters with someone, happened to see the beautiful woman by the window, her profile looking somewhat desolate. She suddenly remembered that Que Yining hadn’t sent her any messages for three days since she had sent that invitation.