Qin's Group, one of the top fifty largest companies in Huaxia Country with branches across all fifty-six provinces, and Qin Manshu, being the general manager for the northern twenty-six provinces, was not someone you could meet at any given time.

Li Guangxin had now lost his previous air of authority and submission advanced toward Qin Manshu.

"Manager Qin, here's the situation. We were organizing interviews when someone started causing trouble here. I've already notified the security team to handle this..."

"Yes, Manager Qin, it was this person, he's too barbaric. Look, my face is all swollen from his hits. But, Manager Qin, for the sake of the company, I absolutely will not bow down to such a barbarian."

Chen Hong did have a bit of a talent for acting, displaying a face full of grievance as if she had just suffered greatly, and her words even suggested a sacrificial dedication to the company.

Watching from the side, Ding Fan was speechless. Chen Hong truly wasted her talent by not pursuing a career in acting.

While Li Guangxin and Chen Hong were waiting for the general manager to defend them, Qin Manshu suddenly looked as if she saw something, her eyes widening significantly.

"Brother Fan? Is that you?"

Brother Fan? What is going on?!

At that moment, Li Guangxin felt his mind whirl. Knowing that Qin Manshu was the boss of the twenty-six provinces of the north, she was an almost revered figure in his heart, yet here she was, calling someone else "Brother." Moreover, what surprised him even more was that the person Qin Manshu called Brother Fan was precisely the one who had hit Chen Hong.

Li Guangxin felt overwhelmed, and Chen Hong was blatantly flabbergasted. The man who hit her, even the general manager had to call him 'Brother'?

While Li Guangxin and Chen Hong were staggered, Qin Manshu simply walked over.

Ding Fan also stood up. "Hello, Manager Qin."

After all, this was someone else's company, and it wasn't appropriate for Ding Fan to address Qin Manshu by her name.

Qin Manshu, however, did not expect Ding Fan to call her Manager Qin, and though the title came from Ding Fan's mouth, she felt somewhat uncomfortable.

Qin Manshu turned to Li Guangxin. "What exactly is going on?"

Swallowing hard, Li Guangxin couldn't believe that the plain-looking person before him was so influential as to make his own boss call him brother. Now, Li Guangxin realized that Ding Fan was clearly playing the fool to catch the wise.

"Manager Qin, it's like this. There were many candidates today, and we found one who wasn't qualified, so we simply pulled her out. But we didn't know that she was Brother Fan's friend, which upset Brother Fan..." said Li Guangxin from the side.

Since the general manager herself called Ding Fan 'Brother Fan', he, a mere junior project manager, naturally picked up the cue to do the same.

Ding Fan then huffed, "I'd like to know on what basis you deemed her unqualified."

Li Guangxin awkwardly smiled, unsure of what to say, especially since extracting Ning Luoxi was all Chen Hong's idea, and at this moment he silently cursed her for creating this mess, which now left him between a rock and a hard place.

Moreover, what was most fatal for him was that Brother Fan of the general manager had just caught him and Chen Hong in a passionate moment in the office. If Qin Manshu found out about this, his situation would be dire.

Ding Fan continued, "Even if Ning Luoxi isn't qualified, she shouldn't be deprived of the chance to interview. I myself came without even presenting self-recommended documents, yet I was allowed to participate in the interview. It really makes me wonder what your grounds for disqualification are."

Hearing this, Qin Manshu roughly understood the situation. She glanced at Li Guangxin, who by then was sweating profusely and extremely uneasy.

"Manager Li, bring me Ning Luoxi's documents."

Li Guangxin was extremely worried. There was actually nothing wrong with Ning Luoxi's documents. The only reason Ning Luoxi had been excluded was due to Chen Hong's personal vendetta.

Li Guangxin could see that the general manager and Ding Fan were very close, and if the general manager learned that Ding Fan's friend had been wrongly excluded, his role as project manager would definitely be at its end.

If Ding Fan were to reveal to the manager what had happened in the office with Chen Hong, then presumably, he wouldn't be working at Qin's Group much longer.

He had to do something. Li Guangxin quickly weighed his options. Eventually, he briskly walked to the trash can, then directly pulled out a resume, and very respectfully handed it over to Qin Manshu.

Qin Manshu immediately opened the resume and examined it carefully.

"Manager Qin, this is my fault. Chen Hong and Ning Luoxi were college classmates and had some grudges during their college days. She then asked me to exclude Ning Luoxi's self-recommendation documents. This was my mistake, please punish me," said Li Guangxin, lowering his head.

Chen Hong was taken aback for a moment, but quickly realized the situation. If she didn't show some weakness now, she might very well be driven out of Qin's Group. She was not a foolish woman; on the contrary, she was quite shrewd.

"Manager Qin, it's all my fault. I've had an unresolved issue that made me act unfairly toward Ning Luoxi. It was all my wrongdoing..."

Chen Hong said these words and turned around directly. "Brother Fan, I know I was wrong. The previous matters were all my fault. Please forgive me..."

After Chen Hong finished speaking, tears actually streamed down her face.

Good actress! Ding Fan couldn't help but give a thumbs up in his mind.

Qin Manshu had just finished reviewing Ning Luoxi's resume. At this moment, her expression became serious, and she glanced at Li Guangxin beside her.

"Is this how you handle your work? There is nothing wrong with these materials, and from the resume, this should be an excellent talent. Just for your personal grievances, you actually mixed public with private affairs... Starting today, you don't need to be the manager anymore. Report to the HR department for notice tomorrow," Qin Manshu said coldly.

"Yes... yes..." At this moment, Li Guangxin dared not say anything else. Although he was already dismissed, he still felt a sense of relief that at least he had not been fired from the company. For him, as long as he could stay at the company, it was fortunate.

Now that jobs are so hard to find, a company like Qin's Group is simply a golden rice bowl. If he lost this job, he would indeed be remorseful to death.

At this moment, Chen Hong was dumbfounded. She had not expected that the general manager would be so decisive. With just one sentence, she had directly demoted Li Guangxin, the project manager.

"And you..." Qin Manshu turned her gaze to Chen Hong.

Before Qin Manshu could speak, Chen Hong had already knelt down. "Manager, I was wrong. Please give me another chance. It was my fault..."

"Brother Fan, Luoxi, please say a good word to the manager for me. I still have my father paralyzed in bed at home. I cannot lose this job, please..."

Ning Luoxi saw this scene and looked at Ding Fan beside her.

How could Ding Fan not know Ning Luoxi's thoughts? She wanted him to plead with Qin Manshu. However, Ding Fan had no intention of speaking up for Chen Hong, who was like a wolf. If you spared her, she would sooner or later turn around and bite you.

"Starting today, you are fired. Go to the finance department to collect your two months' salary," Qin Manshu said and waved to the security guards nearby.

The few security guards understood immediately and directly dragged the kneeling Chen Hong outside.

Chen Hong now felt a bitter smile in her heart. She had originally called the security to deal with Ding Fan and Ning Luoxi. Now, she herself was being dragged out by the security.

"Miss Wang," Qin Manshu called out to a young woman who had come along.

"Manager."

"You take over the recruitment work. You're fully responsible for this matter."

"Yes, Manager."

Having briefly arranged the work here, Ding Fan silently observed. Previously, he just thought Qin Manshu had an aristocratic demeanor, and she always spoke unhurriedly. Today, he discovered that Qin Manshu was also a person who acted decisively and thoughtfully.

"Brother Fan, the matters here have ended. How about we have a meal together?" Qin Manshu said with a smile.

Ding Fan nodded. "I'd be delighted."

...

Qin Manshu initially wanted to invite Ding Fan to her house. Her grandfather was very eager to chat with the young man who had cured his illness. However, after parting with Ding Fan at Dancheng Phoenix Tower, Ding Fan mysteriously disappeared,

Qin Manshu did not expect to see Ding Fan at the company in Dongcheng.

Qin Manshu really liked the feeling of being around Ding Fan. Ding Fan had an extraordinary demeanor, a transcendent and detached aura. In Qin Manshu's view, even the aristocrats of America probably did not possess Ding Fan's kind of charm.

Qin Manshu drove Ding Fan to a specialty restaurant called Sichuan Cuisine.

The restaurant specialized in Szechuan dishes. Qin Manshu had been here before, and the food tasted good.

Ning Luoxi did not come along; sitting together with big shots like Qin Manshu made her feel awkward, so it was better not to come at all.

Qin Manshu reserved a private room. The environment here was quite pleasant, the decor, although simple, was elegant, upscale but not luxurious. Ding Fan really liked the atmosphere here.

There and then, Qin Manshu ordered several specialty dishes. Recalling the scene at Phoenix Building, Ding Fan had nearly eaten all the dishes by himself. So Qin Manshu ordered eight dishes in one go, and almost all these dishes had meat.

Qin Manshu remembered that that day at Phoenix Building, Ding Fan seemed to particularly favor the Crystal Pork Knuckle.