OBS Chapter 1534 Xu Yuntian
Chapter 1534 Xu Yuntian
Chapter 1534 Xu Yuntian
Having just seen Liu Mengyao off, Qin Hao returned to his desk, stretched, and was about to turn on his computer to check the stock market trend. The market had been quite volatile recently, and he needed to keep an eye on the tech stocks he held.
Just then, my phone vibrated and a video call window popped up on the screen.
A gentle smile unconsciously appeared on Qin Hao's lips. He casually answered the call and propped the phone up on the table: "Why are you calling me so early today? Did you not sleep last night, or did you wake up early?"
In the video, Liang Danning looked tired and yawned deeply: "Don't even mention it, last night was a nightmare. One of Xu Yuntian's big clients opened a new high-end bar, and to show my support and maybe even boost his business, I went with Mr. Xu to support him. We drank from 10 p.m. until 3 a.m., and didn't get back until after 5 a.m. I had only managed to doze off for a couple of hours when my mom's phone call woke me up, and my head is still spinning."
Looking at her exhausted appearance, Qin Hao's eyes were full of heartache, but he still couldn't help but tease her, "Oh? Auntie woke you up, and you immediately called me. Could it be that this has something to do with me?"
Liang Danning pouted, a helpless look on her face: "You didn't secretly learn fortune telling, did you? It really is related to you. My mom asked me on the phone that you haven't visited her in a long time, and asked if we had a fight or something."
Upon hearing this, Qin Hao chuckled and couldn't help but laugh out loud. He and Liang Danning had confirmed their relationship three years ago, and their relationship had remained stable for the past three years. However, due to the nature of Liang Danning's sales job, she often needed to entertain clients, frequently working late into the night, so the two of them didn't have much time to truly spend together peacefully.
However, Liang's mother was very satisfied with him. She liked him very much from the first time they met and often urged the two of them to get married and settle down as soon as possible. Each time, Liang Danning would make excuses that "his career is at a critical stage and he wants to work hard for another two years."
"Tell me honestly, what kind of love potion did you give my mother to make her so obsessed with you and talk about you all the time?" Liang Danning stretched, her body relaxed slightly, and her face showed a lazy and charming posture.
Qin Hao shrugged and said with feigned smugness, "Sigh, what can I do? I'm just too outstanding. Auntie must be afraid that you'll miss this opportunity, so she's in a hurry for you to catch me quickly."
"Pah, so vain!" Liang Danning spat, but a faint blush rose on her face. She had to admit that a man like Qin Hao, who was good-looking, educated, and successful in his career, and who didn't mess around, was indeed a rare find. It was lucky that she had met him.
Seeing that Liang Danning couldn't stop yawning and her eyes were filled with unconcealed fatigue, Qin Hao said gently, "Alright, I won't banter with you anymore. You should get some rest and catch up on your sleep. Don't push yourself too hard. I'll go to your house this afternoon, and then we'll go see your aunt together."
"Okay, I'll hang up now. Don't overwork yourself." Liang Danning nodded, a relieved smile on her face, and waved at the screen.
"Okay, bye-bye, have a good night's sleep." Qin Hao waved before hanging up the video call.
At four o'clock in the afternoon, Qin Hao finished dealing with the company's urgent affairs, gave his assistant a few instructions, and then left the company early.
He drove to the apartment complex where Liang Danning lived, not far from her company. It was a place she rented herself. Initially, the two had lived together for a while, but Liang Danning's work schedule was always upside down, completely different from Qin Hao's. Often, Qin Hao would leave for work in the morning, and she would just be coming home from a social event to sleep; when Qin Hao came home from get off work in the evening, she would be going out to meet clients or attend social events.
In addition, Qin Hao's rented apartment was quite far from Liang Danning's company, making commuting inconvenient. So Liang Danning simply rented this small apartment by herself, and the two of them would only stay together on weekends or holidays to enjoy their rare time together.
Qin Hao took the elevator to Liang Danning's floor. He gently pressed the electronic lock, and with a "beep," the door opened.
After changing her shoes, she tiptoed into the room. The room was dimly lit with thick curtains drawn. Liang Danning was lying on the bed, sleeping, her breathing even, her brows slightly furrowed, as if she was still troubled by the fatigue of the previous night.
Qin Hao walked to the bedside, reached out, and was about to help Liang Danning cover herself with the blanket that had slipped off, but Liang Danning suddenly threw the blanket up.
Immediately afterwards, a pair of soft arms wrapped around Qin Hao's neck.
"When did you wake up?" Qin Hao looked down at the face so close to his and asked with a smile.
Liang Danning opened her eyes, her gaze devoid of any sleepiness, instead revealing a sly glint as she smiled smugly: "Just now, when you opened the door..."
Qin Hao shook his head helplessly. This electronic lock does have this drawback: the opening prompt sound and the sound of the motor are quite noticeable.
Holding a soft, fragrant body in his arms, Qin Hao naturally wouldn't let this opportunity pass. He flipped over and pinned Liang Danning beneath him, revealing a "hunger tiger pouncing on its prey" posture, which caused Liang Danning to scream repeatedly, but her face was full of smiles.
In an instant, the bed was in complete chaos, with crisp laughter and playful squabbles echoing in the dimly lit room, filling it with a sweet atmosphere.
After a whirlwind of tenderness, Liang Danning leaned limply against Qin Hao's chest, her shoulders partially exposed, her skin delicate and fair, flushed with a faint blush. She breathed softly and said softly, "Sometimes, I feel like I'm dreaming, it doesn't feel real at all."
"Oh? Why would you think that?" Qin Hao lowered his head and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, his fingers lightly tracing her delicate, smooth skin, his tone tender.
Liang Danning gave Qin Hao a playful glare, but didn't stop him. Her eyes were full of tenderness: "Three years ago, I was just a sales promoter who lived day to day, earning a meager salary and doing the hardest work every day. But three years later, I've not only been promoted to sales supervisor with a monthly salary of 50,000, but I also have such a wonderful boyfriend. I've achieved success in both my career and love life. Sometimes when I calm down and think about it, I really feel that God has been kind to me."
Qin Hao stopped what he was doing and gently hugged her.
"This is just the beginning. The good days are just getting started."
"Oh no!" Liang Danning, whose eyes had just been moved to tears by Qin Hao's words, suddenly seemed to remember something, cried out in surprise, and sat up abruptly.
"What's wrong? What happened?" Qin Hao was startled by her sudden reaction and quickly asked.
Liang Danning hurriedly picked up her phone from the bedside table, turned it on, and immediately said with annoyance, "It's almost five o'clock! My mom will be calling to urge me soon, it's all your fault..."
"What's it to me?" Qin Hao looked at her with a mischievous grin, deliberately teasing her: "Just now, I don't know who it was, but they were holding me tightly and wouldn't let go, and even took the initiative..."
"You're so annoying!" Liang Danning blushed and quickly interrupted him, scolding, "Stop talking! Hurry up and get dressed and get up."
The two quickly got out of bed, dressed, and got ready. Just as they picked up their things and were about to leave, Liang Danning's phone suddenly rang again.
"Who is it? Could it be my mom?" Liang Danning glanced at the caller ID, breathed a sigh of relief, and said to Qin Hao, "It's Zhao Mei calling."
She pressed the answer button and said with a smile, "Hello, Zhao Mei, good morning."
On the other end of the phone, Zhao Mei couldn't help but laugh and scold, "Early? It's already five in the afternoon, and you're still calling it early! Did you just get up?"
"Isn't that how it is in our line of work? We work day and night." Liang Danning said with a smile.
Zhao Mei sighed helplessly and nodded: "Who says otherwise? I just got out of bed and my stomach is growling. I woke up early today, so let's find a place to eat something together. It's been a long time since we had a proper chat."
Liang Danning subconsciously looked at Qin Hao, her eyes questioning. Qin Hao nodded to her, indicating that it was no problem. Liang Danning then said, "How about we go to my mom's? Qin Hao is here today too."
"Oh? So Lao Qin is here too." Zhao Mei teased on the other end of the phone, "Would it be inappropriate for me to come? Would it disturb your romantic time together?"
"What do you mean by 'suitable'? We're like family." Liang Danning patted her chest and said, "He's the one who's the third wheel. Someone's been getting really cocky lately, so you can help me teach him a lesson."
"That's great!" Zhao Mei laughed with satisfaction on the other end of the phone. "I knew you weren't the kind of person who would prioritize romance over friendship. Okay, I'll head over now."
As soon as Liang Danning hung up the phone, Qin Hao's face darkened, and he looked at her with feigned displeasure: "Who did you just call a third wheel?"
Seeing this, Liang Danning quickly put on a smile, stepped forward and took Qin Hao's arm, and said coquettishly, "Oh dear, I'm just used to it because I work in sales. I can talk to people in a human way and to ghosts in a ghost way. You taught me that."
"Hmph, so now, are you speaking human language or ghost language?" Qin Hao said with a forced smile, deliberately teasing her.
While shaking Qin Hao's arm, Liang Danning continued to coax him in a coquettish manner: "Oh, darling, I really know I was wrong, please forgive me this time, okay? Please, don't be angry."
Seeing Liang Danning soften her stance and try so hard to be charming, Qin Hao's anger had long since dissipated. He decided to give her a chance to make amends: "I can forgive you, but you have to agree to one condition."
"What are the conditions? Tell me, and I'll definitely agree as long as I can do it." Liang Danning nodded quickly.
Looking at her eager expression, Qin Hao smiled mischievously and said, "I want to see you wear that purple evening gown this weekend."
Upon hearing this, Liang Danning's cheeks flushed instantly, the redness spreading to her ears. She still remembered the first time she attended the company's annual party, wearing a purple off-the-shoulder evening gown, her graceful figure stunning everyone present. When she returned, Qin Hao insisted on keeping her in his dress, clinging to her all night.
"You're so annoying!" Liang Danning playfully punched Qin Hao.
"No objection, then take that as a yes," Qin Hao said with a smile, pulling her into his arms and kissing her on the cheek.
"Hey, stop fooling around!" Liang Danning pushed him and pointed at her phone, saying, "Look, my mom really did call to urge us. Let's hurry over, or she'll start nagging again."
Qin Hao smiled and nodded. The two picked up their things and quickly walked out of the apartment, heading towards Liang's mother's small shop.
The familiar hole-in-the-wall restaurant was still the same as before, except that two more red lanterns hung at the entrance, making it look even more festive. Mother Liang was busy tidying up tables and wiping dishes. Seeing Qin Hao and Liang Danning walk in hand in hand, her eyes lit up. She quickly put down what she was doing, even wiping her hands with a towel, her face beaming with a kind smile.
"Little Qin is here! Please sit down, please sit down. You must be tired from your journey." Mother Liang warmly took Qin Hao's hand and ushered him inside, her tone exceptionally affectionate, as if Qin Hao were her own son.
Liang Danning followed behind, rolling her eyes and saying with a hint of jealousy, "Mom, what about me? I'm back too, why don't you say you welcome me?"
"You're back, so what's there to welcome?" Liang's mother impatiently pushed Liang Danning aside and continued to ask Qin Hao all sorts of questions: "Little Qin, have you been busy with work lately? Are you tired? Have you been eating on time? Danning, does she often order you around? Don't take it to heart, I've just spoiled her."
Standing to the side, Liang Danning listened to her mother's constant talk about Qin Hao and couldn't help but mutter to herself, "Is this really my mother? I suspect I was adopted."
Qin Hao, who was listening from the side, was overjoyed, but he still quickly said, "Auntie, I'm not busy, I'm fine, Daning is fine too, we have a good relationship, don't worry."
Just as Liang's mother was chatting with Qin Hao, asking him a lot of questions, Zhao Mei walked in with a big fruit basket, smiling: "Auntie, I'm here!"
When Liang's mother looked up, she quickly smiled and said, "It's Zhao Mei! Come in, come in! Why did you buy so many things? It's too much of a waste."
Zhao Mei placed the fruit basket on the table, her gaze falling on the boxes of high-end health supplements Qin Hao had brought. She couldn't help but tease him, "Tsk tsk, Qin Hao, you really went all out to visit your future mother-in-law. Look at all these things you brought, they're all high-end products. My fruit is nothing compared to what I have."
Mother Liang smiled broadly, but said politely, "What are you saying, girl? You came to see your aunt, why bring anything? It's the thought that counts. Don't bring anything like that again, or your aunt will be angry."
"Okay, Auntie, I'll come empty-handed next time," Zhao Mei said with a smile, winking at Liang Danning.
"Alright, you two sit down and chat for a bit, I'll go serve you the food." Mother Liang said with a smile, "It's the same old routine, hot pot. Your favorite beef, tripe, and vegetables are all ready, they'll be done soon."
"Thank you for your hard work, Auntie," Zhao Mei said with a smile, watching Liang's mother walk into the kitchen.
After Liang's mother left, Liang Danning immediately grabbed Zhao Mei's hand and complained with a wronged expression, "You saw it, right? My mom treats Qin Hao better than she treats me. If you didn't know better, you'd think she was his mother and I was the unwelcome daughter-in-law."
Qin Hao said gloatingly from the side, "There's nothing we can do. Elders always like a child like me who is excellent in both character and academics and is sensible and filial from a young age."
Liang Danning wrinkled her nose and made a face at Qin Hao in protest, but she had to admit that Qin Hao really was the kind of "other people's child"—good at studying, handsome, and with a good personality. He was popular wherever he went, and the elders really liked him.
"Hey, you two, that's enough!" Zhao Mei couldn't help but complain as she watched the two flirting. "I just broke up with my boyfriend, and you two are showing off your love in front of me. Don't you have any consideration for my feelings?"
Upon hearing this, Liang Danning's smile vanished instantly, and she looked at Zhao Mei with surprise: "What happened? When we had dinner together last time, didn't you tell me that you and that guy were getting along quite well? How come you suddenly broke up?"
Zhao Mei chuckled self-deprecatingly, picked up her water glass, took a sip, and said calmly, "Actually, it's normal. With our jobs, we're upside down, sleeping during the day and working at night. It's the complete opposite of a normal person's schedule. We've been together for so long, but we've only seen each other a handful of times. With so little time together, our feelings naturally faded. He wants a girlfriend who can be there for him regularly, and I can't provide that, so breaking up was inevitable."
Looking at Zhao Mei's feigned strength, Liang Danning felt a pang of heartache. She held Zhao Mei's hand tightly and whispered, "Don't be sad. He just doesn't know how to cherish you. A girl as outstanding and hardworking as you will definitely find someone better."
Zhao Mei smiled indifferently and shook her head: "Alright, there's no need to pity me. I'm not that fragile. Anyway, I didn't invest much emotion in him. I just felt lonely and wanted a companion to relieve our loneliness when needed. It was a win-win situation. It's good that we broke up now. It saves me trouble, and I can focus on my career from now on."
Seeing that Zhao Mei spoke lightly but there was still a hint of disappointment in her eyes, Qin Hao quickly changed the subject and said with a smile, "Just based on your attitude, we should have a good drink later to celebrate your regained freedom. From now on, focus on your career and achieve your promotion goal as soon as possible."
Zhao Mei's eyes lit up, and she waved her hand generously, saying, "Great! My alcohol tolerance has improved a lot recently. I didn't get to drink enough with you last time, so let's have a good drink together today and get my revenge."
As they were talking, Mother Liang came out carrying a large copper pot. The broth inside was bubbling and steaming, filling the air with a wonderful aroma. Then, she brought out sliced fresh beef, tripe, vegetables, meatballs, and other ingredients, filling the entire table.
"Alright, everyone's here. Eat up, don't be shy." Mother Liang said with a smile, "Xiao Qin, Zhao Mei, eat more, we'll bring you more if you're not full."
"Thank you, Auntie," Qin Hao and Zhao Mei said in unison.
The three sat around the table, chatting and eating hot pot, creating a very harmonious atmosphere. Liang's mother would frequently come over to serve Qin Hao food, showing him extra care and concern. Although Liang Danning complained, she was secretly happy that Qin Hao had gained her mother's approval.
After chatting for a while, Zhao Mei suddenly seemed to remember something, put down her chopsticks, looked at Qin Hao and asked, "By the way, Lao Qin, can I ask you something? Do your company's livestreamers accept orders for imported liquor?"
Upon hearing this, Qin Hao casually replied, "Sure, why are you suddenly asking this? Are you guys starting to do short video promotions now?"
Zhao Mei nodded and complained, "Yeah, those foreign executives used to think that Ghost, with 60% of the high-end liquor brands, had a stable position in the industry and acted superior. They were incredibly stingy with marketing and promotion, only willing to advertise on TV, thinking that was the only way to be high-end. But in recent years, our competitor Wilson has been throwing money at short videos, hiring many well-known livestreamers to sell their products, and doing a lot of online activities. Their sales have skyrocketed, almost catching up with ours. Now, the company's top management has finally panicked and started to pay attention to short videos."
Qin Hao smiled, picked up his phone, and directly sent Zhao Mei the WeChat contact of the person in charge of business liaison at his company: "You can talk to him directly, and make sure to mention that he's my friend. Our company's pricing for business orders is a bit higher than the industry standard, but don't worry, the quality of our orders will also be significantly higher. Our livestreamers are all professionally trained, their product explanations are very thorough, and their fan base is quite targeted, consisting of people with purchasing power, so the conversion rate will definitely not be low."
“Okay.” Zhao Mei quickly took out her phone, added the other party on WeChat, and smiled happily. “I’ll recommend it to our boss, Xu Yuntian, and try to close this deal. If you ask me, the company should have started working on marketing a long time ago. It’s making it harder and harder for my sales promoters to get things done. What era are we living in? It’s not like ‘good wine needs no bush’ anymore. Those foreign executives still expect TV commercials to have any promotional effect. I’m really speechless.”
Liang Danning echoed this sentiment, saying, "Yes, Wilson's momentum has been really strong lately. Although they control fewer high-end spirits brands than Ghost, they have several whiskies and brandies that are selling very well thanks to online promotion, which has seriously squeezed our market share. Our offline stores are doing much worse business than before. If this continues, in just a few quarters, Wilson will be able to rival Ghost."
The three chatted as they ate, talking about everything from work to life, from the south to the north. Time flew by, and it gradually got dark. Seeing that it was almost time for work, Liang Danning and Zhao Mei exchanged a glance and put down their chopsticks.
"Mom, we have to go to work now, we're leaving first." Liang Danning stood up and said to her mother.
"Okay, be careful on the road, don't work too hard, take care of yourself," Liang's mother instructed, then looked at Qin Hao: "Little Qin, come over often when you have time, Auntie will cook you something delicious."
"Okay, Auntie, please take care of yourself too. We'll be going now."
……
After returning to the company, Zhao Mei immediately went to the office of her immediate supervisor, Xu Yuntian.
Xu Yuntian looked at her with a half-smile: "What, you've already got your eye on this marketing budget before it's even been approved?"
Zhao Mei walked to the desk and said seriously, "This is a friend of mine's company, but I didn't take a single penny from it, and his company doesn't need my help to bring in business."
"Oh?" Xu Yuntian raised an eyebrow, opened his computer with some skepticism, and searched for "Xingyao Media" that Zhao Mei had mentioned. The search revealed that this company was far from simple; it was a dark horse in the live-streaming e-commerce industry in recent years, boasting several top streamers and annual sales exceeding 10 billion yuan, with a very strong reputation and influence within the industry.
Xu Yuntian's surprise deepened. He looked at Zhao Mei and asked curiously, "Is Xingyao Media really owned by your friend? What kind of friend?"
Zhao Mei casually replied, "It's Liang Danning's boyfriend, Qin Hao. He's the CEO of this company."
"Oh? Liang Danning?" Xu Yuntian recalled for a moment and said with some surprise, "Is that Liang Danning, the sales manager who was promoted from a sales promoter last year? I didn't expect her boyfriend to be so capable. He really is a hidden talent."
Xu Yuntian nodded and said thoughtfully, "Okay, I understand. I will recommend it to the senior executives. But as you know, those foreign executives have always felt that short videos and live-streaming e-commerce are not high-end enough and do not fit our Ghost brand positioning. No one can guarantee whether this marketing budget will be approved. I can only try my best to get it."
"It's nothing, Mr. Xu. I just thought it was a good opportunity and wanted to let you know," Zhao Mei said. "I just wanted to make things easier for my sales staff when they're promoting the products. Besides, Lao Qin's company doesn't really need our orders. They've already made a fortune just from live-streaming sales."
After hearing Zhao Mei's words, Xu Yuntian's interest in Xingyao Media grew even stronger.
(End of this chapter)