Chapter 48: A Clever Move Backfires

"Since President Liu is also here, I have something I'd like to ask you." Zheng Qian said, getting straight to the point.

Chen Weiqiang was a bit puzzled; Zheng Qian's eyes were filled with dissatisfaction, a look he had never seen before.

Although he hadn't reached the point of losing his temper yet, he was very close. Zheng Qian was like a pile of dry firewood right now; a single spark would be enough to ignite a raging inferno.

"Oh?" Liu Shiqi sat on the sofa, crossed her legs, and leaned back. "President Zheng, if you have something to ask, feel free."

"Why did you transfer my subordinate without authorization? What is the meaning of this?" Zheng Qian suppressed his dissatisfaction. If he lost his temper in this situation, he would certainly be criticized for lacking broad-mindedness and appearing petty.

"Who are you talking about, President Zheng? I don't understand what you mean."

At this point, Liu Shiqi was still feigning ignorance, and Zheng Qian didn't know what her intentions were.

"Oh~" Liu Shiqi dragged out the sound. "Are you talking about Deng Shuxin, President Zheng?"

"If it's about Deng Shuxin, I can certainly provide President Zheng with an explanation."

"Deng Shuxin was originally my employee. It's just that the company was very busy a while ago, so she was temporarily transferred over."

She was originally her employee? Temporarily transferred?

How come Zheng Qian had never heard of this?

If that were truly the case, then his coming to Liu Shiqi about this matter would actually make him the one at fault.

Zheng Qian looked back at Xia Xixi, but she looked helpless; clearly, she also didn't know whether Deng Shuxin had been temporarily transferred or not.

Once Chen Weiqiang heard it was about this matter, he immediately understood.

"President Zheng, let's sit down and talk about it slowly." Chen Weiqiang stepped forward to explain.

Zheng Qian sat next to Chen Weiqiang, keeping a distance from Liu Shiqi. He wanted to know if Deng Shuxin had really been temporarily transferred.

"That's right, I do have an impression of this employee. She was indeed originally Liu Shiqi's subordinate and was indeed temporarily transferred to that work group," Chen Weiqiang explained for Zheng Qian.

A temporary transfer is equivalent to a loan.

Borrowing someone's employee means that, in the end, you have to return them, and you even owe a small favor.

If she was indeed a borrowed employee, then Zheng Qian's actions were clearly a bit rash.

But the fault couldn't lie with Zheng Qian; after all, he didn't know about this "loan."

"Well, President Liu should have at least given me a heads-up. To not say a word—that's where you're in the wrong, President Liu."

"Oh, how could I mention such a thing over the phone? I have to tell you in person. You only spend half the day at the company; I hadn't even had the chance to tell you before you came looking for me," Liu Shiqi laughed.

Chen Weiqiang poured a cup of tea for Zheng Qian, and Zheng Qian took a small sip.

Liu Shiqi was truly silver-tongued. This matter was originally her fault, but with a few words, she made it seem like it was his mistake.

"President Chen, it's just a small employee. Is it really worth making such a big fuss?" Liu Shiqi could, of course, see the dissatisfaction in Zheng Qian's eyes, which was exactly what she wanted.

The whole thing was a trap she had set.

There were two goals.

One: To suppress Zheng Qian within the company and establish her presence.

Two: To see if Zheng Qian had any feelings for this employee.

Liu Shiqi had already heard about what happened at Deng Shuxin's home last night. After arriving at the hospital, Zheng Qian had immediately paid three hundred thousand in medical expenses for Deng Shuxin without a second thought—a very generous move.

If you say Zheng Qian is a good boss, paying medical expenses might be considered being considerate to a subordinate, but no one is that considerate.

Deng Shuxin was indeed her subordinate who had been seconded to the Public Relations Department. Liu Shiqi understood Deng Shuxin's family situation.

Although she was a white-collar worker with a decent salary, she was, in the final analysis, just a wage earner. Even with an annual salary of fourteen months' pay, it would take nearly two to three years of not eating or drinking to pay off her debts.

Regarding the two goals, Liu Shiqi already had an idea about the former.

As for the latter, she hadn't had the chance to ask yet.

In other words, she had already anticipated that Zheng Qian would come to her in such a rage to ask about Deng Shuxin.

"Could it be... does President Zheng have feelings for Little Deng? Have you fallen for her?" Liu Shiqi asked half-jokingly.

"How could that be? That shouldn't be the case." Chen Weiqiang added with a forced laugh.

Liu Shiqi appeared to be joking, but in reality, it was an interrogation. Chen Weiqiang didn't know what to say about this; it all depended on Zheng Qian's answer.

It was only then that Zheng Qian realized what Liu Shiqi meant by transferring Deng Shuxin away.

From the first day he entered the company, Zheng Qian had been quite generous. He had spent hundreds of thousands just on red envelopes, and after work that day, he had treated his subordinates to a team-building event at Wangyue Island, spending another few hundred thousand. It was exceptionally extravagant.

President Liu did this to suppress the authority he had unintentionally built up in the company. She even suspected that he liked Deng Shuxin, so she deliberately transferred her away.

Previously, when Liu Shiqi had given him the cold shoulder, Zheng Qian hadn't responded.

He knew Liu Shiqi had skills and ability, but using one's body to climb the corporate ladder—although many people did it—was something Zheng Qian didn't believe made Liu Shiqi the same kind of person as him. On the contrary, entrepreneurs like Chen Weiqiang, who were full of passion and fighting spirit, were the kind of people Zheng Qian wanted to follow.

Whether she wanted to disgust Zheng Qian or was deliberately picking a fight to provoke him, she just wanted to establish her presence in front of him so that he would notice her.

"President Zheng, at any time and in any company, office romances are not allowed. Even a rabbit doesn't eat the grass around its burrow. I shouldn't need to remind you of that, right?"

Damn it, the fox's tail had finally been revealed. Zheng Qian was now certain that this was a trap set by Liu Shiqi.

And yet, he had foolishly walked right into it.

After calming his mindset, Zheng Qian felt relieved and exhaled a long breath.

Meanwhile, Xia Xixi, who had been standing behind Zheng Qian, was eager to see how he would handle the trap Liu Shiqi had set. She was even a little expectant.

Liu Shiqi understood human nature very well; she was calculating and deep. This matter was clearly Liu Shiqi's fault—she hadn't given Zheng Qian a heads-up and had transferred Deng Shuxin without his consent. But now, she was turning the tables, blaming Zheng Qian, with all her subtext implying that he didn't understand the rules and was overstepping his bounds.

"President Liu, what do you mean by that? Why are you saying that I have feelings for the employee Deng Shuxin?"

"Last..." Liu Shiqi had just started to speak when she was interrupted by Zheng Qian.

"I need this person. Transfer her file back to the Public Relations Department immediately."

"I have other things to attend to, so I'll be going now."

After saying this, he took Xia Xixi and walked away, returning to his own office.

Chen Weiqiang and Liu Shiqi looked at each other.

"President Liu, it seems your scheme backfired. He isn't falling for your tricks." Chen Weiqiang drank a sip of tea and said with a smile.

"Hmph." Liu Shiqi snorted coldly, looking very unconvinced.