Chapter 13: The Reception Room

When Qin Miaoyu arrived at the Anhe reception with her documents, she suddenly thought of Lu Qi'an. Lu Qi'an worked at Anhe as well—not in upper management, but his salary was certainly above that of an ordinary employee. Other than this, she realized she had no idea what exactly Lu Qi'an did at Anhe.

"Miss Qin Miaoyu, is it? Vice President Xu is available now. I'll take you to her office," the receptionist said, leading Qin Miaoyu toward the elevators.

The elevator was descending, and when the display reached the first floor, the doors slid open to reveal Chen Anxin, the Anhe company representative whom Qin Miaoyu had met only a few days ago. Now knowing Chen Anxin was Lu Qi'an's cousin, and that she recognized her, Qin Miaoyu smiled in greeting. Chen Anxin looked surprised to see her, but soon returned the smile.

"Xiao Jiang, where are you taking Miss Qin?"

"Secretary Chen, Miss Qin is going to discuss the new car launch event with Vice President Xu," the receptionist replied.

A flash of relief crossed Chen Anxin's face. If she hadn't run into them just now, her cousin might've been exposed in front of Vice President Xu!

"Xiao Jiang, you can go back. President Qi just went to see Vice President Xu. I'll take Miss Qin to the reception room."

Qin Miaoyu entered the elevator and noticed Secretary Chen pressed the button for the top floor.

"Um, Secretary Chen, isn't the top floor the president's office? Wouldn't it be better to wait in the reception room near Vice President Xu's office?"

"That reception room isn't as comfortable, and President Qi has important matters to discuss with Vice President Xu. It will probably take at least half an hour, so it's better to wait in the president's reception room," Chen Anxin explained.

After settling Qin Miaoyu in the reception room, Chen Anxin hurried to message her cousin. Knowing he sometimes went downstairs without his phone, she pushed open the office door and, as expected, saw his phone lying on the desk. With no other choice, she left instructions with a few colleagues and headed to Vice President Xu's office.

Left alone in the reception room, Qin Miaoyu glanced at her phone a few times out of boredom. Finding nothing of interest, she picked up a book from the coffee table and, to her surprise, found it quite engaging. She became absorbed in reading, only to be interrupted by a sudden bang.

"Who are you?" A woman stood at the doorway, her brows furrowed as she stared at Qin Miaoyu on the sofa.

"I'm here to see Vice President Xu, but President Qi and Vice President Xu are having an important discussion, and there's no telling when they'll be done. So Secretary Chen brought me here to wait."

"Secretary Chen—Chen Anxin? What is she thinking, letting random people into the reception room that's usually reserved for important guests?" The woman called out for Secretary Wang.

"Take her to the reception room on Vice President Xu's floor. And in the future, make it clear to Secretary Chen not to bring just anyone to this reception room," she instructed.

Secretary Wang hesitated, feeling caught between conflicting orders. This young lady had been here several times, and Secretary Chen had always brought her to this very reception room, asking them to take good care of her. But this Miss Qin had also been brought by Secretary Chen, who'd given the same instructions.

Just as he was torn over what to do, Secretary Chen appeared like a savior at the president's office door, and Secretary Wang quickly explained the situation.

Chen Anxin narrowed her eyes and strolled to the reception room.

"Jiang Ruxue, you don't need to teach me how to do my job. The last few times you were here with the Qi Group team, that's why you were allowed into this reception room. I don't believe Qi Group has a scheduled meeting with Anhe today," Chen Anxin said coolly.

"Chen Anxin, I grew up together with Qi'an, we're so close—do I need an appointment to come here? Then why does Mo Mingyang say he doesn’t need an appointment?" Jiang Ruxue retorted, visibly upset.

Chen Anxin was speechless; it seemed this young lady had come because she was provoked by Mo Mingyang.

"Jiang Ruxue, President Mo comes for legitimate business. If you aren’t here for anything important, you’d better leave. You know President Qi's rules. If he finds out, your so-called childhood friendship might not be worth much."

Left with no choice, Jiang Ruxue left in a huff.

"Miss Qin, she didn't give you a hard time, did she?" Chen Anxin asked.

"No, though her attitude was a bit harsh, you arrived just in time," Qin Miaoyu replied.

"That's good. Miss Jiang has certain feelings for President Qi, so she's hostile toward any woman she finds in this reception room. I didn't expect her to suddenly show up," Chen Anxin explained.

Qin Miaoyu blinked. "Does Miss Jiang not know President Qi is married? I heard from Lu Qi'an that he cares deeply for his wife. Even if she’s hostile to women in this room, President Qi's wife hasn't said anything, so Miss Jiang has no right to, does she?"

Chen Anxin laughed. "You’re right. Jiang Ruxue has no such position. In fact, she doesn't know much about it. President Qi and his wife have a marriage of convenience, so it hasn't been publicly announced. Maybe once their relationship is more secure, it will be."

Now Qin Miaoyu understood; it was a classic marriage-before-love arrangement.

Just then, Chen Anxin's phone rang. Seeing President Qi's name on the screen, she stepped out to take the call.

"Secretary Chen, is Miss Qin still in the reception room?"

"Yes, she is."

"I just finished with Vice President Xu, but I have to head over to Su Peng's office. Keep Miss Qin there for a while. When I get back, you can take her to see Vice President Xu."

"Understood," Chen Anxin replied, hanging up before returning to the reception room and closing the door behind her.

"Miss Qin, please wait a bit longer. Someone will inform you when Vice President Xu is available, and I’ll take you over then."

Qin Miaoyu nodded. Noticing the book about art exhibition design in her hands, Chen Anxin asked, "Miss Qin, you’re a design assistant at Yu Hong, correct? Did you major in art or design before?"

"I studied art before," Qin Miaoyu replied.

"No wonder you’re interested in exhibition design. I heard the Huixin Art Museum is hosting a major exhibition soon, featuring renowned artists and promising new talents. It’s well worth attending. If you’re interested, I happen to have an extra ticket. I’m not one for these events, so I’d be happy to give it to you."

Qin Miaoyu was delighted. "You really have a ticket? I wanted to buy one, but it’s so popular I couldn’t get any. May I pay you the regular price for it?"

Chen Anxin shook her head. "You know my relationship with Lu Qi'an, right? You should call me cousin. Just take the ticket—next time, you and Lu Qi'an can treat me to a meal."

Qin Miaoyu was about to refuse, but then remembered the premarital agreement she had signed, which included helping Lu Qi'an deal with his family. So she swallowed her words.

"Alright, thank you, cousin."

After work, Qin Miaoyu called Gu Jing, happily telling her there was no need to help her get tickets for the Huixin Art Museum exhibition.

Gu Jing replied, "These tickets are really hard to get. Remember that guy from the student council who works at Huixin Art Museum? He said a rising star, Liang Sixuan, is featured this time. She’s rumored to be incredibly talented, has won many awards both at home and abroad, and is great at curating her online presence. A lot of people bought tickets just to see her."

Qin Miaoyu fell silent. It had been a long time since she’d heard that name, one that cast a shadow over her life.