Chapter 8

“Today, I called this meeting to find out why Rong Corporation’s shares plummeted thirty percent the moment President Rong had her accident?” Su Qingqiu stood at the front, asking indifferently. “Who can explain?”

Everyone looked at each other in confusion.

Why did Su Qingqiu want to know this?

Hadn’t Su Qingqiu taken advantage of Rong Corporation’s stock plunge to buy up shares in massive quantities, precisely to hollow out and swallow the company whole? She should have been seizing the moment while morale was low, replacing people with her own to firmly seize control of Rong Corporation. Unless that mysterious shareholder holding fifteen percent stepped in, Rong Corporation would be under Su Qingqiu’s command as long as Rong Jin remained unconscious. If Rong Jin slept for a decade, Rong Corporation would belong to Su Qingqiu for a decade.

And if she played her cards right and dragged it out long enough, even if Rong Jin woke up, there would be nothing she could do.

Suddenly asking this made it seem like she was here to help Rong Corporation weather the crisis.

Su Qingqiu pointed at someone. “Director Chen?”

Director Chen stood up shakily. “Most of our projects were arranged by President Rong. With her car accident, the projects stalled, so…”

Su Qingqiu’s eyes turned cold. “Does that mean aside from President Rong, all you directors are just drawing salaries for nothing?”

Everyone’s faces turned exceedingly ugly.

The statement was blunt and merciless, but it was the truth.

Rong Jin held absolute controlling interest in Rong Corporation at sixty-one percent, with fifteen percent in the hands of a mysterious shareholder and the remaining twenty-plus percent scattered among minor shareholders and the stock market.

No one on the board had the ability or authority to challenge her. Her decisions set the company’s direction.

That was why she was so busy, and over time, the board meetings became mere formalities.

Until her car accident. Until Su Qingqiu started acquiring shares.

Had she made a mistake?

The entire conference room fell silent.

Su Qingqiu spoke slowly. “You directors are all part of Rong Corporation too. Now that I’m sitting here, I hope you’ll work with me to get through this crisis and keep Rong Corporation moving forward.”

Everyone was stunned.

Including Rong Jin.

Rong Jin wondered, what exactly was Su Qingqiu up to?

Was she dissatisfied with the current size of Rong Corporation and planning to fatten it up before swallowing it whole?

Or did she want to siphon off Rong Corporation’s resources?

She couldn’t actually want to help, could she?

“Alright, next I want to understand Rong Corporation’s current situation—how many projects are stalled, and who’s responsible for each.”

The directors exchanged glances filled with suspicion, then stood up one by one.

“The Green Investment Bank project was handled by Little Zhou from the planning department. President Rong’s accident happened while she was negotiating that deal…”

“The collaboration with Lily was brought in by Director Zhao; he should know the details best.”

“As for Zhongtou…”

Su Qingqiu listened while summoning her assistant and giving low instructions. “In a bit, contact Xiao Qiangwei and have her bring over the department managers.”

Rong Jin, sitting beside Su Qingqiu, heard every word clearly.

Only then did she snap back to reality, remembering why she had insisted on coming today.

She was here to find Xiao Qiangwei.

Rong Jin tugged at Su Qingqiu’s sleeve, her voice childish and tender. “Xixi wants to go to the bathroom.”

Su Qingqiu looked down and patted her little head. “Wait a moment, okay? Mommy will take you.”

“…”

What was the point if you were coming along?

Rong Jin blinked her eyes pitifully at her.

“Xixi really has to go.”

She had gotten better and better at acting like a child.

It was all life’s fault.

Director Chen was still droning on about Rong Corporation’s basic situation, and it wasn’t right to interrupt. Su Qingqiu called over her assistant. “Take Xixi to the bathroom.”

The assistant agreed, lifted Su Xijing from the chair, took her little hand, and the pair in the pink bubble skirt slowly left the conference room.

The boardroom was on the top floor of the office building, right next to Rong Jin’s president’s office. And beside the president’s office was an open-air Small Garden.

Xiao Qiangwei usually stayed in the partitioned office within the president’s office, always ready for Rong Jin’s summons.

The public restroom was at the far end of the hallway.

With the assistant holding her hand, Rong Jin headed toward the corner restroom. She glanced back at the receding president’s office, deep in thought.

This wouldn’t do; she needed a plan.

Rong Jin suddenly stopped, and the assistant stopped too.

The assistant asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Sister, Xixi doesn’t want to go to the bathroom anymore.” Rong Jin flashed an innocent, adorable smile. “Xixi wants to go to the garden and bask in the sun.”

The assistant hesitated. “But President Rong told me to take you to the bathroom.”

Rong Jin blinked her eyes. “But Xixi is cold and wants to sunbathe.”

The assistant was utterly charmed, clutching her heart and tempted to pinch Su Xijing’s cheeks.

Reluctantly, she agreed. “Alright, but Xixi has to be good and not run off.”

The assistant led Su Xijing in a change of direction toward the Small Garden next to the president’s office.

The Small Garden had originally been an aerial bridge connecting the top floors of the Twin Towers, but since the other tower belonged to the rival Su Corporation, Su Qingqiu had completely sealed it off after Rong Jin bought the building. Rong Jin didn’t mind and had turned it into a Small Garden instead.

From the Small Garden, one could faintly see the silhouettes of people in the cubicles across the way.

The Small Garden was fairly large, even featuring a swing set. The assistant brought Su Xijing inside. The sun was lovely that day, warming their skin pleasantly.

But there were many small pebbles on the ground, easy to trip over. The assistant turned, worried Su Xijing might fall, and reached for her hand—only to find the child gone.

The assistant: “???”

Where did she go? She was just here!

“Xixi…”

The assistant searched the garden frantically.

Rong Jin had quietly slipped out of the Small Garden and doubled back. With a nimble dodge, she reached the door of the president’s office.

She strained on tiptoes to reach the handle. The door clicked open.

The office wasn’t locked. Rong Jin looked around.

Behind the massive desk stood tall bookshelves lined with countless trophies. The furnishings were exactly as she’d left them. The floor was spotless; the cleaning lady still came regularly.

Suddenly, her heart stirred, like a stone hanging in midair finally settling.

For no reason, she felt a wave of sadness.

Soul transmigration had seemed absurd at first, but now that it had happened to her, she had no choice but to accept it—though it still felt like a dream.

Standing in her old office now made the pain feel real.

What if she stayed like this forever? Would she have to live as Su Qingqiu’s daughter indefinitely?

Where was Su Xijing’s soul, anyway?

She shook her head. No point dwelling now that things were like this.

Rong Jin entered the partitioned office. It was empty.

Xiao Qiangwei wasn’t there. Where could she be? Downstairs?

But the building had so many floors—how would she find her?

Unwilling to give up, Rong Jin searched the office thoroughly, confirmed no one was there, and quietly left.

The hallway was deathly quiet, save for the faint calls of the assistant from the Small Garden.

The boardroom door next door was shut, muffling any sounds inside. Rong Jin crept past, heading for the elevator to search downstairs.

The elevator indicator lit up, climbing floor by floor.

Someone was coming up.

She recalled Su Qingqiu still needed to meet with the department managers; Xiao Qiangwei might be among them.

Hide first, worry later.

Rong Jin scurried on her short legs and ducked into the restroom at the hall’s end.

No sooner had she entered than the elevator dinged. Hurried footsteps approached, along with muffled voices.

“No idea how long this meeting will drag on. I’m hitting the bathroom first.”

“Me too, me too.”

Two women’s voices.

Rong Jin’s alarm bells rang.

The top floor was sparsely populated. The women’s restroom had only two stalls: one under maintenance, the other locked with someone inside.

Just then, the locked stall door opened from within.

The two women approaching the restroom grew louder.

Rong Jin hurriedly tried to enter, but her short legs tripped on the step. She tumbled with a thud onto the person emerging—and that person didn’t stay upright either.

They collapsed in a heap.

The restroom was cleaned daily by the janitor; the floor gleamed spotlessly.

Rong Jin had a human cushion and was unharmed.

The cushion let out a pained groan, as if she’d twisted her waist.

Xiao Qiangwei, the human cushion, clutched her waist. “Which little brat runs into people without looking? My back…”

Rong Jin, the little brat: “…”

After all that searching, here you are without effort. Should’ve checked earlier.

“What do you think President Su wants with us? I’m kinda scared.”

“I heard President Su is super strict. She’s made at least ten assistants cry.”

“No way?!”

“True, I know one of her assistants.”

“What do we do?”

The two women’s voices reached the door.

Rong Jin’s face changed. She grabbed Xiao Qiangwei and yanked her into the stall.

Caught off guard, Xiao Qiangwei stumbled in, nearly toppling into the toilet.

Don’t underestimate Su Xijing’s five-year-old frame; it packed surprising strength.

Xiao Qiangwei opened her mouth to speak but was silenced by small hands over it. A childish voice whispered, “Shh—”

Xiao Qiangwei’s eyes widened.

What the hell is this?!

The women knocked on the stall door. Rong Jin eased her grip on Xiao Qiangwei’s mouth.

“Mmph…”

Seeing it occupied and hearing someone call them to hurry for the meeting, the women didn’t want to keep the new boss waiting. Disappointed, they left.

Xiao Qiangwei and Rong Jin stared at each other in the stall.

Xiao Qiangwei eyed the pink bubble skirt. “Whose kid are you? How’d you get up here?!”

Rong Jin looked at her speechlessly. “Doesn’t the office have its own bathroom? Why’d you come out?”

Making me search everywhere.

Xiao Qiangwei blinked. “The office bathroom’s broken…”

Her mouth slowly fell open.

The childish voice carried a familiar tone.

Xiao Qiangwei had followed Rong Jin for five or six years; she knew that cadence too well.

She stared in disbelief.

“Boss?!”