Chapter 20: Onboarding (1)

Return: My Hell and Heaven
Chapter 20: Onboarding (1)

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“Miss Qin, are you single?”

Qin Lou’s question hung in the air, instantly silencing the room. The interviewer seated on the far end was so shocked that he nearly tore the resume in front of him—though he caught himself in time, the sound of the torn paper corner echoed clearly in the quiet conference room.

But now, no one had the leisure to pay attention to him. All eyes were shifting between Qin Lou and Song Shu, trying to settle their own startled emotions.

Song Shu has the calmest reaction.

Just as Qin Lou understood her, she also understood Qin Lou. Despite the years apart, despite their appearances no longer resembling their teenage selves, despite each having acquired new “shells” and “masks,” deep down, the two children who had once stumbled through life holding hands had never changed.

Whatever Qin Lou did, she wouldn’t be surprised, and certainly not afraid.

Song Shu thought for a moment. “I am unmarried, and I have no plans to marry within the next five years, so President Qin, you needn’t worry about me delaying the company due to marriage or pregnancy—”

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“—!”

Ckd Nsw’p lulp okeldle.

Emotions have no sound, but a few seconds later, when he turned his gaze to the unfortunate head of Legal Compliance, he had clearly intimidated him, forcing the man to lower his head and avoid eye contact.

“Fiancée.” Qin Lou repeated softly after a long pause, then smiled. “Okay.”

“…”

No one dared to ask what was good about this situation. They all averted their eyes.

“The interview is over.”

Qin Lou stood up, not even glancing at the woman across the long table. He turned aside, one hand slipped into his pocket, the unhealed wound on his wrist causing his fingers to tremble.

He didn’t want anyone to see.

Qin Lou stood still for two seconds, his body finally relaxing slightly from its rigid state. He raised his hand and patted the shoulder of the HR executive now standing to his right. “Hire her as usual and handle her onboarding,” he instructed.

The HR executive’s lips trembled at the pat, managing a strained smile. “Yes, President Qin.”

Qin Lou withdrew his hand and took a step forward. In the next instant, without any warning, he kicked the empty chair in front of him violently. The wheels spun rapidly, and the chair slammed into the wall with a loud “bang.”

The faces of the dozen or so people in the conference room changed simultaneously.

However, Qin Lou’s fury dissipated as quickly as it had come. Before anyone could steady their nerves or mentally prepare their last words, he had already stormed out of the conference room without a backward glance.

It took the stunned group several seconds to regain their composure.

The eldest among them clutched his chest and sighed. “I think I should transfer to a more relaxed position from now on, and stay away from President Qin. If this keeps up, I’ll end up in the hospital from fright.”

The others nodded in agreement, still shaken.

The HR executive finally came to his senses and forced a smile. He quickly walked around the long table to Song Shu.

“Miss Qin, were you frightened?” he asked.

“No,” Song Shu replied with a smile as she stood up.

“Your composure is impressive. Truly befitting a top graduate from an international law school,” he joked, giving a thumbs-up. “Our President Qin has a temper, so please don’t take it to heart.”

“Of course not. President Qin is young and accomplished. I had heard of his reputation even while studying abroad. It’s normal for someone so capable to have a strong personality,” Song Shu replied.

The HR executive’s smile became more genuine. “Miss Qin, you are very understanding. May I ask, did you know President Qin before today?”

Song Shu feigned a moment of surprise, then shook her head with a smile. “No, I’m puzzled by this as well. I thought I might have somehow offended him.”

“Offended? That doesn’t seem likely…” He recalled Qin Lou’s decision to attend an interview during his hell week and chuckled awkwardly. “In any case, congratulations on passing the interview, Miss Qin.”

Song Shu shook his hand politely and nodded with a smile. “Thank you.”

“No need to trouble anyone else. Since President Qin has approved, I’ll personally assist you with the onboarding process,” he offered.

“Isn’t it too much trouble for you to handle it personally?” Song Shu responded.

“Miss Qin, what are you saying? We’ll be like family working in the same company, helping each other out. Besides, I can see you are exceptionally talented and will surely thrive at Vio. Your promotion is just around the corner—who knows, I might be asking for your guidance soon.”

“You flatter me…”

As Song Shu exchanged pleasantries with him, she and the others left the conference room to complete her onboarding process.

~

On Friday, Song Shu officially joined Vio Capital’s Legal Compliance Department under the Risk Management Division.

After an afternoon and evening of rumors circulating, the company was abuzz with various speculations about the background of the newcomer from Junsheng Law Firm.
Most of these were centered around a love triangle involving Song Shu, Qin Lou, and Luan Qiaoqing. A smaller portion speculated about some past romantic entanglement between Song Shu and Qin Lou.

Song Shu overheard these rumors in the company restroom. In person, her colleagues seemed friendly and warm—as expected, the seasoned Vio employees didn’t want to offend her until they understood her background.

A colleague named Yao Yiqin, who was responsible for helping her get acclimated to the new job, was assigned to her in the Legal Compliance Department. Yao Yiqin, in her early thirties, was affectionately called “Sister Qin” by her colleagues, and Song Shu followed suit.

On her first official morning, Song Shu spent most of her time overwhelmed by the mountain of company documents she needed to familiarize herself with.

Near noon, Yao Yiqin came over and knocked on her cubicle.

Song Shu looked up from the pile of legal documents.
“Sister Qin.”

“Little Qin, you don’t need to work so hard.” Yao Yiqin smiled kindly, like an elder. “You’ve just started, and you won’t be able to get through all this in one go. Remember to take breaks.”

“I know, thank you, Sister Qin.”

“It’s lunchtime. You probably haven’t seen our staff cafeteria yet. Come on, I’ll show you.”

Song Shu glanced hesitantly at the unfinished materials in front of her. After a moment, she looked up and smiled. “Alright, I’m coming.”

She quickly grabbed some sticky notes, wrote down her notes and a few incomplete thoughts, and stuck them on the relevant pages.

Yao Yiqin observed this and nodded approvingly before joking, “With your diligence, I bet you’ll be a shoo-in for the Newcomer Award at the year-end party.”

“…”

Chatting and laughing, they headed to the elevator together.

In the cafeteria, Song Shu followed Yao Yiqin to get their food and find an empty spot to sit. Along the way, many colleagues from other departments noticed her new face.

It was clear that after yesterday’s buzz, Song Shu had already become a minor celebrity across all departments in the company.

Song Shu pretended not to notice, chatting and laughing with Yao Yiqin as they walked back. Then she sat down beside a group of colleagues from the Legal and Compliance Department.

No department lacked individuals skilled in lively conversation, and as the new member of the department, Song Shu was approachable and without airs. After overcoming the initial hesitance and probing, the conversation flowed freely.

“Qin Qing, I heard that Mr. Yu, the head of Junsheng Law Firm, is your fiancé. Is that true?” asked a colleague sitting diagonally across from her, the first to ask for gossip.

Song Shu paused with her spoon in hand, then smiled faintly. “Yes, it’s true.”

“Wow, you’re so lucky! Mr. Yu is known as a wealthy lawyer, with impressive achievements and looks, and he even runs his own law firm…”

“I’m so envious. If it were me, I’d definitely stay at home as a full-time wife. Why bother going out to suffer?”

“Haha, spare us. Qin Qing is a top graduate from an international law school. Her aspirations are definitely not like yours.”

“Exactly, Qin Qing must be outstanding, otherwise, why would Mr. Yu propose to her?”

“Speaking of which, Qin Qing, how did you meet your fiancé?”

The topic circled back to her again. Despite their inquiries, Song Shu didn’t show impatience. “We were classmates in university, and our families have some connections.”

“Wow, childhood sweethearts!”

“I want a childhood sweetheart too! Growing up together from a young age, that’s so enviable…”

“You? That’s never going to happen. Do you think everyone has such outstanding childhood sweethearts?”

Two female colleagues teased each other, while the others at the table laughed. No one noticed Song Shu, lost in thought as she stared at the metal spoon in her hand.

Childhood sweethearts…

She did have one, someone she had laughed and cried with, someone she had grown up supporting together.

But alas, that was in the past. The past that could never return, the events that could never be erased…

Isn’t that right, Qin Lou?

Song Shu’s lips curled slightly, and she lowered her head to sip her soup.

Yao Yiqin, sitting beside her, happened to glance over and froze for a moment. After spending half a day together, she could tell that Song Shu was someone who buried her emotions deeply. Outwardly gentle and harmless, she had just witnessed a rare glimpse of a less gentle emotion.
It was authentic, despite the smile, it seemed more like sorrow.

And it was a sharp, piercing sorrow that could hurt others and herself.

As Yao Yiqin pondered this, her gaze inadvertently lifted and caught sight of someone approaching behind Song Shu.

She froze.

The next moment, her chopsticks dropped a piece of food onto the table with a soft “clatter.”

Yao Yiqin snapped back to attention, not bothering to pick up the dropped chopstick. Instead, she stood up abruptly.

“President Qin!”

This single call silenced the discussions at nearby tables.

A few seconds later, everyone else stood up as well. Song Shu, with her back to the approaching figure, briefly froze before quickly composing herself. She stood up with her tablemates.

“President Qin,” they all greeted in unison.

Under the surprised gazes of everyone present, Qin Lou walked directly to their table. His eyes scanned over everyone except Song Shu, then settled on Yao Yiqin.

“I’ve come to eat. Could you make some space for me?” he said.

Yao Yiqin hesitated. This was the first time since she joined the company that she had heard Qin Lou ask someone to “make space.” Everyone, including Yao Yiqin, recalled yesterday’s rumors circulating around the company, and many glances, subtle and direct, fell on Song Shu.

The colleagues at the table nervously began to shift positions, but before they could stand up, Song Shu stood first.

“No need to trouble yourselves, President Qin. Please sit here with me. I’m finished.” She smiled apologetically, “It’s my first day, and there are still a lot of materials and documents to review upstairs. I’ll head back now.”

With that, Song Shu prepared to pick up her tray.

“Busy in your department?” Qin Lou asked suddenly, without warning.

Song Shu paused, raising her eyes with a smile. “Just starting out, President Qin. I’ll adapt quickly.” She began to lift her tray again.

But before she could, a slender and forceful hand swiftly pressed the tray back onto the table with a loud “clatter.”

Everyone held their breath. Song Shu maintained her smile. “President Qin?”

“If you’re busy, let me take care of clearing your tray.”

“…”

Someone at the neighboring table choked and started coughing violently. Amidst this background noise, Song Shu almost lost her smile.

She slowly released her grip. “Thank you for your concern, Mr. Qin. The welcoming treatment and corporate culture here are very touching.”

Her colleagues exchanged uncertain looks.

Why didn’t we experience such a welcoming treatment and corporate culture when we joined?

Song Shu didn’t dare linger any longer. She didn’t want to find out what else this man might do.

She nodded slightly to Qin Lou and turned to leave.

But just as she took two steps away, a very soft murmur came from behind her:

“Little clamshell.”

“…”

Song Shu froze in her tracks.

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Sansukini: She can’t run from him. He knows her too well.

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