Chà Chà Novel

“How should I thank you? I could give you some shares in the company, if you want. But with your family’s business empire, would a few shares like that even interest you?”

Completely defeated by Lin Huaiqing’s innocence, Qin Fan could only sigh.

Expecting this oblivious darling to pick up on his hints was asking too much.

All that flirting had gone straight over his head.

“Come on. Give me a tour of your company.”

When they reached the departments downstairs, the first thing Qin Fan noticed was how empty they were.

During the shutdown, more than half the employees had resigned. Anyone with ability or an established client base had already moved to another company.

Losing over half the workforce might have reduced expenses, but those who remained were only moderately capable. The company needed fresh talent.

“Are you recruiting?”

“Yes! But we barely get any applicants. Capable ones are even harder to find.”

Next, they went to the business department. The whole place felt utterly stagnant.

Some employees were slacking off; others were asleep. A few were even getting openly affectionate with their office sweethearts. It was a sorry sight.

Lin Huaiqing’s face darkened. No wonder the company had no business coming in. Bad habits had spread from top to bottom, and the orderly workplace Lin Zhen had once run was long gone.

Qin Fan walked up to a sleeping employee and tapped his desk.

“Where’s your department manager?”

“Huh? In his office…”

The employee was still groggy after being woken.

“Go get him.”

Qin Fan spoke briefly, but his tone and bearing commanded attention.

Although the employee had no idea who he was, his presence was intimidating enough to send him obediently off to fetch the manager.

The others noticed too. Those who had been sleeping woke up, while the slackers began whispering.

“Hey, who’s that? He’s barely arrived and he’s already demanding to see our manager.”

“No idea. A new boss, maybe? He’s handsome, though!”

“Shit! Am I the only one who sees young Mr. Lin standing behind him? Wake up! Stop sleeping!”

Before long, the business department manager came hurrying over.

“Young Mr. Lin! What brings you down here for an inspection? And this gentleman is…?”

“Ahem. He’s my personal assistant. I’ll let him discuss things with you!”

Lin Huaiqing had never been in charge of anyone. All his life, he had been the one following other people’s instructions.

He was still unfamiliar with how to handle subordinates.

Since Qin Fan happened to be here, he stood aside to watch closely and learn.

Suddenly assigned the role of personal assistant, Qin Fan took it entirely in stride.

His manner was strictly professional. Every word offered either guidance or a firm warning to the department manager.

The manager did not know Qin Fan’s background, but his way of speaking made one thing clear: this was not someone he could easily brush off.

Besides, young Mr. Lin was currently the company’s president and CEO. His personal assistant would naturally carry considerable weight, with far more influence than a department manager.

“Yes.”

“Yes!”

“Understood. I’ll take care of it right away!”

With that, he hurried off to call a staff meeting.

Lin Huaiqing watched in amazement. Why was it that his subordinates always told him one thing could not be done and another could not be finished in time?

Yet with Qin Fan, they followed every instruction without question.

“What did you tell him to do?” he asked once the manager had left.

“Dock pay, tighten attendance monitoring, and deal firmly with anyone caught slacking or sleeping. No exceptions.”

“Won’t that make them all quit?”

“Given the job market, they’ll need somewhere else to go before they resign. As long as they choose to work at the Lin Group, they need to do the job they’re paid for. Anyone who just wants to coast along and collect a salary should leave sooner rather than later.”

Lin Huaiqing gave him a thumbs-up and teased:

“Impressive! So this is how a capitalist operates!”

For the rest of the afternoon, Qin Fan took Lin Huaiqing from department to department, putting things in order one by one.

By the time they left the building, Lin Huaiqing finally felt that the Lin Group was beginning to resemble a proper company again.

But after watching Qin Fan all day, there was a question he had been wanting to ask.

“You’re so good at this. Why doesn’t your father put you in charge of the Qin Group?”

“My older brother comes before me. Naturally, you don’t think much of him, but he really is very good at running a company.”

Qin Fan’s eyes remained calm, revealing neither pleasure nor resentment.

“I can carry on being an idle rich boy. Isn’t that a perfectly good life?”

Unexpectedly, Lin Huaiqing, who had never been particularly ambitious about his own career, shook his head.

“I don’t think it is!”

“Hmm?”

“I don’t have a head for business. I only took over the Lin Group because I was backed into a corner and had no other choice. But you’re different. I remember that you and your brother both graduated in business administration, and you spent several more years studying abroad. However you look at it, you shouldn’t be any less capable than Qin Feng!

“More importantly, you want to run a company. You enjoy making your mark in the business world. In that respect, you and your brother are alike. I could tell earlier!”

They had never discussed this before. Even when they were together, Qin Fan rarely spoke about his family.

For a moment, he seemed taken aback, an indefinable sadness crossing his face.

But he quickly concealed it and returned to his usual composure.

“I didn’t realize you understood me so well. But you’re wrong about one thing. My brother and I aren’t the same kind of person. Come on. Let’s go home for dinner.”

Catching that subtle shift in Qin Fan’s mood, Lin Huaiqing realized he had touched a particularly vulnerable place in his heart.

If Qin Fan had no interest in managing a company, how could he explain everything he had done today?

The trouble was that the person standing in his way was none other than the older brother he had grown up with for more than twenty years.

For the sake of their family bond and the peace at home, he would naturally refrain from competing with Qin Feng.

If Lin Huaiqing had never noticed, would Qin Fan have spent his entire life quietly holding himself back?

Sooner or later, all that pent-up frustration would take its toll…

Over the month Qin Fan spent teaching him how to run the company, Lin Huaiqing felt he had made considerable progress.

The Lin Group gradually found its footing again.

Compared with what it had once been, however, it was now only a small company with an impressive name and an enormous office building.

Even so, Lin Huaiqing was more than satisfied.

The days passed, and soon Qin Feng and Shen Jingyi’s engagement banquet was almost upon them.

Busy with company affairs, Lin Huaiqing had not asked about the Qin family’s business in quite a while.

Only when Qin Fan’s parents called did he remember that he still had to help the heroine escape her engagement ceremony.

Qin Fan’s parents were flying all the way back from Europe to meet their future daughter-in-law.

Lin Huaiqing had also been invited to the family dinner arranged before the engagement banquet.

“You can’t be serious! You’re not joking, are you? Your parents want to meet me too?!”

Qin Fan calmly nodded as he read the newspaper.

“No. I’m not going! It’s your family dinner. What would I even be going as? I’m not showing up just to make a fool of myself!”