Chapter 402: Chapter 399: The Broken Shoe
It took an enormous effort, but she finally met with her collaboration partner for this occasion.
He Qianhui felt her intuition was still spot-on.
The man seemed easy to talk to, but getting him to willingly sign the contract was definitely not going to be easy.
"Miss He, I’ve long heard of your reputation. The fact that your company has sent you here shows great sincerity," he said.
"However, I had an unpleasant experience when I cooperated with another company before, so I am now seriously doubting whether everyone in this industry is the same."
He Qianhui gave a slight smile, "It may be that people in this industry vary in quality, which has led to your bad experience."
"However, I hope that my professional ability can improve your perception of our industry."
The man was very satisfied with He Qianhui’s reply; in fact, the previous question was just a little test.
If she had asked what the name of the company was, and proceeded to belittle others to elevate herself, it would have shown that her intentions were not pure.
But acknowledging the industry’s shortcomings showed she was someone who could recognize problems.
Negotiating with such a person was indeed a fortunate thing.
"I’m not sure, Miss He, whether you prefer coffee or tea?" he asked.
"Either coffee or tea is fine. However, when I was coming here, I didn’t notice any tea houses around, but since you’ve mentioned it, you must have a place in mind, so let’s go for tea," she replied.
The man laughed heartily, "Miss He, it seems like you know exactly what I’m thinking."
He Qianhui shrugged her shoulders and said, "Perhaps it’s just that we’re on the same wavelength."
The man found the answer interesting, "Since you say we’re on the same wavelength, why don’t you guess whether we can successfully sign the contract today?"
He Qianhui pretended to ponder, her eyebrows gently drawing inward, giving off the impression of someone in need of love.
"That, I really couldn’t guess. I can only say that I will have to do my utmost to change your mind," she said.
"In fact, I came here prepared for the possibility of returning in disappointment."
He Qianhui followed him into the elevator, and as they descended, other people also entered.
Throughout the entire journey, He Qianhui didn’t say much until the elevator indicated they had reached the basement level.
The man was still very gentlemanly, gesturing for He Qianhui to exit first the moment the elevator doors opened.
A car had been waiting at the elevator entrance for quite a while.
"Ladies first, Miss He!" he exclaimed.
He Qianhui straightened her clothes and sat in the car gracefully.
The man walked around to the other side and got in; the car left the underground parking and merged onto the main road, blending into the traffic.
He Qianhui also took this opportunity to have a good chat with the man about some topics that were completely unrelated to their work.
Only through this chat did she learn that the man once had a very happy family.
But because he was always working, he neglected to pay attention to his wife and children.
This led to a divorce, and now he was a sought-after bachelor.
Even though many women tried to get close to him, he always felt that the women who came after were only looking to live a lavish life, deliberately approaching him for that reason.
If he were still a poor guy, those women probably wouldn’t even spare him a second glance.
He Qianhui listened with rapt attention and also expressed her honest opinion.
"It’s a pity I already have a boyfriend now. If I were single, I would definitely try to get close to you," she said.
"After all, how wonderful it would be to live comfortably without having to worry about bank balances and to have everything at my beck and call twenty years ahead of time."
Upon hearing this, the man grew curious about what He Qianhui’s boyfriend did for a living.
He followed up with a question, "So, what industry does Miss He’s boyfriend work in, and where do I fall short in comparison?"
He Qianhui repeatedly waved her hands, "It’s not that you’re lacking in any way, you’re still very accomplished."
"You might have misunderstood my meaning, but I wouldn’t leave my current boyfriend just because you’re sufficiently accomplished."
"The two of us like each other, and we can share joy and hardship alike, and in my line of work, I either meet new bosses who have just started their businesses."
"Or successful people who have spent years fighting their way through this field; if I fell for every one I met, that would be rather unseemly."
"He’s just an ordinary traditional Chinese medicine doctor, earning a modest salary every month, but being with him, I feel extremely secure."
"We’re just ordinary people, we can’t compare with you."
As they chatted, the car stopped in front of a teahouse.
The man was still very chivalrous, taking the initiative to get out of the car and open the door for He Qianhui.
The moment she stepped out, He Qianhui suddenly felt something was wrong with the shoes on her feet.
She had only climbed one step when she felt the heel of her shoe loosen.
But these shoes were only bought yesterday, they couldn’t possibly be broken.
Yet as she climbed another step, the heel suddenly snapped off.
This break made her lose her balance instantly.
The man quickly came to her aid, preventing He Qianhui from embarrassing herself in front of everyone by falling face-first into the dirt.
In her panic, He Qianhui heard something else break.
A string of real pearls was embroidered on her red dress.
Possibly because her movement just then was too aggressive, exceeding the dress’s tolerance.
The pearls scattered, the neckline tore, making an already low-cut dress dip even lower.
Add to that her fear of falling and looking foolish, she instinctively grabbed onto the person beside her as a lifeline, their bodies almost pressed together.
"Miss He, are you alright?" the man asked.
Still shaken, He Qianhui shook her head repeatedly.
She immediately covered the chest area of her dress with her hands to prevent any indecent exposure.
"Thank you so much. If it wasn’t for your support just now, I would have certainly fallen."
"It’s just that the quality of these shoes is so poor, I’ll have to figure out a way to buy a new pair later."
Upon hearing He Qianhui say this, the man immediately instructed his driver to go to a nearby ladies’ shoe store and purchase a similar pair of shoes.
He even showed concern for He Qianhui, asking if her foot got twisted during the fall, explaining that it would be painful to wear high heels if so.
He Qianhui shook her head, "That’s not the case, get me a pair of eight-centimeter heels, thank you."
The driver set off, searching the streets for ladies’ shoe pads.
Meanwhile, the man escorted He Qianhui into the teahouse and they settled down at a table.
Only then did He Qianhui look down and notice some damage at the front of her dress.
Unconsciously frowning, she muttered softly,
"Such an expensive dress, and it still gets damaged, and it’s brand new, too."
Thinking the man wouldn’t hear her, he unexpectedly responded,
"Miss He, that dress is very pretty, but in comparison, I think Miss He herself is even more attractive."
He Qianhui looked down and chuckled, "Don’t make fun of me, for someone as successful as you, the beautiful women you’ve met are too numerous to count."
"Among them, I am just the most ordinary one."
Having said that, He Qianhui slightly adjusted her dress, and even this adjustment was made with a bit of tact.
