"Qiqi, over here." Han Tao's heart swelled with excitement as he looked at Wang Qiqi, who had finally returned to his side after nearly a week apart.

Xiao Rourou, luggage cart in tow, spotted Han Tao's figure before even exiting the airport. She swiftly pulled her cart over to him, hooked her arm through his, and declared, "Finally back. This place is better. No more New York next time."

Han Tao found Wang Qiqi’s clear reluctance about New York strange. "Isn't Manman there?" He worried if the women had fallen out. He knew that after seeing Song Yao and the others off, Wang Qiqi had gone to New York with Juliana, as Shi Man needed to see them about something. Han Tao wondered if Shi Man had cooked up some new scheme. He always felt a bit apprehensive about them being together; their ideas were so numerous that he felt utterly unable to keep up with their thinking.

"Ugh, don't even mention it. I’m worried sick," Wang Qiqi genuinely looked troubled. "Ah, I’m so fed up. I was hoping to buy some Apples, but forget it now." Forget buying Apple stock; she probably wouldn't even get the cores.

Seeing Wang Qiqi looking so dispirited, Han Tao felt perplexed. "What’s wrong with you?" Could it be another new plan from Shi Man? The more Han Tao thought about it, the more he was convinced that was the only explanation; otherwise, Qiqi wouldn't be so low-spirited.

"Money." Shi Man recounted the previous plans of Shi Man. "Now I feel like no amount of money is ever enough." Although she still held shares in Song Yao’s factory, Wang Qiqi felt too awkward to cash them out. She knew Song Ziwen had just bought several villas domestically. If he then decided to invest in the real estate company, and given that Juliana’s company might not cooperate with him, Wang Qiqi had no idea how Song Ziwen would manage his plans. He certainly wouldn't give up the shares in the cabinet factory. That meant the only option was the shares in the processing plant, and to prevent multiple people from meddling, Song Yao and his wife would absolutely insist on buying them all. As for the shares Wang Qiqi held, they wouldn't be able to touch those even if they wanted to.

Han Tao was aware of Wang Qiqi's scheme to push Song Ziwen into collaborating with Gao Kai. He wholeheartedly approved of Qiqi's plan. Since they were already so calculating, there was no need to hold back just because they were relatives. If he had known about Juliana’s subsequent plan, Han Tao might have felt an immense, satisfying thrill. "How about asking Sister to transfer the shares to him?"

Wang Qiqi sighed, laying out the potential difficulties Song Ziwen might face. "Song Ziwen is already selling off some of his properties. If he finds out Nana isn't collaborating with him, won’t he have a fit?" Wang Qiqi guessed that Song Ziwen would ultimately turn to her, as in his eyes, her relationship with Juliana was the best, and a word from her would seal the deal, while the cost to him would be minimal.

Han Tao's eyes widened so much he nearly stalled the car. "Ah? You mean Juliana isn't planning to work with Song Ziwen?" Even if he didn't pay close attention to the cabinet factory, he knew Juliana’s real estate firm provided a substantial number of orders to Song Ziwen’s company annually. Moreover, Song Ziwen’s factory had expanded beyond kitchen cabinets to include bedroom wardrobes and bathroom vanities, ballooning the scope of his operations. With the reliance on Juliana’s company, business security was assured. Even if the profit margins were smaller, it was enough to cover a factory’s annual expenses, leaving all other orders as pure profit. Suddenly losing such a significant chunk of business—Han Tao figured 'going frantic' wouldn't even begin to describe Song Ziwen's reaction.

"It’s not that they won't cooperate, but that it’s going to be put out for tender. Nana said Song Ziwen has gotten a bit arrogant lately, probably assuming that because of their good relationship, no one below him would dare raise objections. As a result, his rapport with the staff is quite poor." Wang Qiqi truly didn't know how to comment on Song Ziwen. "But he should be fine. Song Ziwen bought all those commercial properties previously, right? He won't struggle to offload them."

Han Tao had initially assumed Juliana was simply terminating the cooperation to help Wang Qiqi vent some anger, never expecting Song Ziwen to bring it upon himself. "Sigh, it’s impressive that Juliana has tolerated him for this long."

"But Manman’s plan is quite good. However, the company won’t be issuing dividends for the next two years." Han Tao knew the company’s strategy. Although there was some income, it was still in the investment phase; aside from salaries, they shouldn't expect anything else. As for Feng Xuanxiang’s investment firm, Han Tao estimated they wouldn't see returns for two years either. If they opened a new factory domestically, even with bank loans, they couldn't cover everything through financing; the women would collectively need to put up several million. This thought alone made Han Tao secretly sweat for Wang Qiqi. Even though no funds were needed in the first half of the year, the money would have to be ready by year-end or early next year. Yet, Han Tao knew Qiqi would constantly worry about it. He pondered for a long time but couldn't devise a way to help her.

Wang Qiqi certainly knew those two ventures wouldn't yield dividends soon. "I hope the beauty salon can make some money," she murmured, though she knew it was likely wishful thinking. For the next two years, the only dividends she could realistically count on came from Song Yao’s factory—and she shouldn't count on those much. Thinking it over and over, Wang Qiqi realized that besides selling the properties she had previously purchased, she had no other options. "If it really comes down to it, I’ll take out a bank loan." She really didn't want to sell the Beijing property. It seemed that with future development, non-local residents faced restrictions on purchasing property in Beijing, and the current location of her holdings was excellent, guaranteed to always have tenants. Selling one felt like losing a fortune.

"Don't worry, we'll find a way," Han Tao said, kissing her forehead as he watched her troubled expression. "Go back and get some proper rest. John is really looking forward to you coming back to work." Recalling how often John had asked him when Qiqi would resume work over the past few days, Han Tao couldn't help but smile. "He even wanted you to start today."

Starting work today? Wang Qiqi was startled by Han Tao’s words. "I can’t possibly be that important, can I?" Wang Qiqi remembered she had already completed all the necessary hiring. There shouldn't be much left for her to do, so why was John still acting like she was a key figure?

Han Tao sighed at Wang Qiqi’s confusion. Honestly, he too had been taken aback by John's idea. "He intends for you to handle Human Resources." If John hadn't said it so seriously, Han Tao would have thought he was joking. "He said you already handled all the necessary HR tasks previously, so he thinks you’d be a great Deputy Manager for the HR Department."

Me, handling HR? Wang Qiqi was stunned by John's wildly imaginative notion. "I’ve never done that before, and I didn't study any related major." Wasn't handling HR supposed to be complicated? She had been terrified enough just completing the recruitment task; having finally gotten that sorted, why was she being assigned to continue with HR? "Is he out of his mind? Did he say that while drinking?"

Han Tao looked at the disbelieving Wang Qiqi and genuinely felt a pang of pity for John. For a CEO to assign work to a subordinate, only for the subordinate’s first thought to be whether the boss was sober—"You can talk to John yourself, but it seems he’s already issued the company appointments."

Wang Qiqi was speechless. She had planned to discuss her job assignment with John tomorrow once she arrived at the office. In her mind, she intended to remain an assistant, or at worst, become Fatty's assistant. Once her man was permanently at the company, she could assist him, and no one would bother her. But John couldn't stand seeing her idle, and the problem was Han Tao said John had already circulated her appointment notice. "This violates my human rights; I haven't agreed to it!"

"He’s your superior; giving you a promotion is normal," Han Tao said very quietly, noticing Wang Qiqi’s anger. A superior promoting a subordinate is a good thing; where could Qiqi possibly find grounds to complain? "Besides, your dissatisfaction probably stems from thinking the company won't grant you much leave. I think you can discuss it with John, and you aren't the manager; you have someone above you."

Han Tao thought that the real unfortunate person was Wang Qiqi's direct supervisor. He was the one she had hired, and now he was her immediate leader, yet this subordinate was incredibly free with taking leave—and the most aggravating part was how quickly she vanished after getting approval, not returning until she was done having fun. Firing her was also problematic.

Wang Qiqi had almost felt reassured by Han Tao’s words, thinking a managerial role wouldn't be so bad. But then she rethought the situation and realized something was off. "I feel like John is worried he can't control me, so he’s put a leader above me. Then, when I take leave, I’ll definitely have to ask the manager for approval, right?" Previously, she just told John when she needed time off, and the helpless John would always sign her leave request. Now, she couldn’t just bypass the manager to get John’s signature; that was workplace protocol, and no superior welcomed an employee who constantly requested leave. Wang Qiqi felt her future days looked promising. "Does the company offer a lot of vacation time? Never mind that—I’m going to get pregnant, have a baby, and then I can resign to stay home and raise the child." By then, even if John didn't approve of her resignation, he would have to.

Han Tao was overjoyed. The reason he helped John dig a pit for Wang Qiqi to jump into was entirely because he wanted Qiqi to stay closer to him. He hadn't expected this extra surprise. "Great, great!" Having a baby was wonderful. Even if it felt like an impromptu marriage due to pregnancy, they were already old partners; who cared about such formalities? However, to avoid any suspicion that their son might have been conceived under such circumstances, Han Tao felt they should hurry up and register their marriage before boarding the plane. (To be continued) (.)RU

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