On Saturday morning, Zhong Qing ate breakfast with Yi Chengcheng, the silence between them comfortable and familiar.
Although Yi Chengcheng seemed "abnormal" by society's standards, she understood Zhong Qing better than anyone else in the world. Even during breakfast, she sensed that Zhong Qing must have something to do—some invisible weight pressing on her sister's shoulders. After putting down her chopsticks with careful precision, she obediently sat down at her drawing board and started drawing, her movements indicating that Zhong Qing should go do what she needed to do and not worry about her.
Zhong Qing patted Yi Chengcheng's head, her heart filled with affection that threatened to overflow. After cleaning up the dishes and asking Aunt Liu from next door to help look after Yi Chengcheng, Zhong Qing went out.
Sitting on the bus heading into the city, watching the increasingly bustling street scenes flash by outside the window like frames of a film, Zhong Qing fell into thought.
Shi Tao had said that the research task assigned to them was a test, and the research target was a randomly chosen medical examination institution. Because there was no readily available information about this institution online, it would better test their ability to collect and integrate information.
A gentle breeze from outside the window squeezed into the bus, brushing against Zhong Qing's face like a hand gently patting her cheek to wake her up.
Zhong Qing's mind was clearer than ever before, sharp and focused.
Was it really as Shi Tao said? Was it really just a task to test their information gathering and integration capabilities? Was that medical examination institution really just randomly chosen?
She didn't think so—
Last night before bed, Zhong Qing had searched online for as much information as possible about Zhiqiang Medical Examination, her laptop screen glowing in the darkness.
She searched every website she could think of: government databases, industry association publications, consulting firm market reports, media reports, academic journals—she left no digital stone unturned. But the information she found was still very limited, frustratingly sparse.
She only knew that the owner of Zhiqiang Medical Examination, Cui Zhiqiang, was originally a doctor who later left the hospital to found the medical examination institution. Now it was in its third year.
Zhong Qing searched for a long time and found a news interview with Cui Zhiqiang. In the interview, Cui Zhiqiang introduced that his Zhiqiang Medical Examination, in terms of both scale and number of people served, was a leader in the industry; in addition, Zhiqiang Medical Examination had a significant competitive advantage over other medical examination institutions because they had signed many experts from top-tier hospitals to work at Zhiqiang Medical Examination. Besides, Zhiqiang Medical Examination was also expanding its stores nationwide, determined to contribute to the health of people in every corner of the country.
Besides these platitudes and promotional language, nothing else could be found.
Zhong Qing stared at this information, lost in thought in the quiet of the night, the world outside her window already sleeping.
Zhiqiang Health Checkup's extensive network of stores must require a significant investment—capital that didn't appear from thin air. Cui Zhiqiang was originally just a doctor, not a capitalist; he couldn't possibly have that much money on his own.
Therefore, she didn't believe this was as simple as Shi Tao described. This didn't seem like just a test; it was likely that Zhiqiang Health Checkup was seeking investors to expand, and their own ability to connect with investors was limited, so they needed a professional financial advisor (FA) to help—so this was very likely Qiao Mingxuan's next project.
Thinking of this, Zhong Qing perked up, adrenaline replacing exhaustion. The long night was no longer a soporific lullaby; she wasn't sleepy at all, but rather full of energy that demanded to be used.
She decided she had to complete this not-so-simple "test" properly—not just competently, but excellently.
Since she couldn't directly find Zhiqiang Health Checkup's financial information, she would think of other indirect methods, approaching the truth from angles others wouldn't consider.
She meticulously compiled sales figures for Zhiqiang Health Checkup's packages from various e-commerce platforms, along with user reviews and experiences, her eyes scanning screen after screen of data.
While reviewing the reviews, she discovered a problem: many positive reviews were clearly fake, their language too similar, their praise too generic.
It was clear that the sales figures for health checkup packages on e-commerce platforms were inaccurate, containing inflated figures designed to mislead.
After compiling sales and reviews from various e-commerce platforms, Zhong Qing realized that this was all the information she could gather online. She decided to go to sleep quickly, and the next morning, she would visit every Zhiqiang Health Checkup branch in the city to experience and observe firsthand—to see what data couldn't tell her.
After a nearly one-hour bus ride with frequent stops, she arrived at the Zhiqiang Health Checkup branch in the north of the city.
Zhong Qing had pre-purchased a health checkup package through a group-buying platform. As she paid on her phone, she could almost hear the pain in her wallet crying out. For a moment, she wondered if this checkup should be considered work-related and reimbursed—though she already knew the answer.
After registering at the front desk, Zhong Qing began to move through the checkup items in the package with methodical precision.
She observed the interior design, the doctors, and the service as she moved between each checkup, her mind cataloging every detail. The lighting choices. The wait times. The staff's body language. The cleanliness of the facilities. The efficiency of the process.
After completing all the checkups, she didn't rush to leave. After submitting her form, she sat on the sofa in the lobby, appearing to be working overtime and opening her computer, but actually silently counting the number of people entering and leaving the health checkup center.
Since she had just made a purchase, the staff didn't come to shoo her away, assuming she was waiting for results.
So she silently began compiling the data she needed, her fingers flying across the keyboard. Once she had a good grasp of one store's data, she would take the bus to another, then another.
After finishing on Saturday, she continued compiling data at other stores on Sunday, her weekend disappearing into research.
That evening, armed with the data from two days of visiting all the stores, she turned on her computer and continued writing the report, the blue light illuminating her determined face.
After filling the report with the data from the field research, Zhong Qing felt something was still missing—an incomplete puzzle.
She felt that the current information and data weren't enough to fill a research report that would truly impress.
She needed to add something more, but not just for the sake of adding; it had to be meaningful information that would change everything.
She thought for a moment, then had an idea and began working late into the night on the research report—
Monday morning, Ling Na and Lü Pengshan clocked in at the company entrance, just before they were about to be late, their footsteps hurried. Then they noticed dark circles under each other's eyes.
Ling Na gave a wry smile and asked Lü Pengshan, "You stayed up all night too, didn't you? Have you finished your research report?"
Lü Pengshan shook his head with visible exhaustion. "I still need to adjust it."
Ling Na sighed and said, "Me too." She paused, then asked curiously, "I wonder how Zhong Qing's work is going."
When the two entered the company, they found Zhong Qing's workstation completely empty; neither she nor her briefcase were there—an absence that felt conspicuous.
Ling Na was somewhat surprised but not entirely. "Did she stay up all night and not get up? Should I call her and ask?"
Lü Pengshan, however, curled his lip and said sarcastically, "Maybe she's hiding at home writing her report. She still has to work at the company, doesn't she?"
Ling Na thought that if that was the case, then she'd let Zhong Qing finish at home and not disturb her. She put away her phone.
The two new employees, taking advantage of the fact that no senior employees had asked them to help yet, quickly continued adjusting their research reports, racing against the clock.
Zhong Qing was currently squeezed onto a bus, flattened by the Monday morning rush hour traffic like a pressed flower, all the way to the Zhiqiang Health Checkup store.
She was there to continue collecting customer traffic data.
Last night, while rushing to finish her report, she suddenly realized that while she had already tallied the holiday foot traffic, weekday traffic should perhaps be counted separately—business patterns changed dramatically based on the day.
So this morning, she called Shi Yani early to ask for leave, then squeezed herself flat on the bus all the way to the Zhiqiang Medical Examination Center.
Before heading to work in the afternoon, Zhong Qing rushed back to the company.
The bus was less crowded at lunchtime, so she sat down and worked on her research report on her laptop while commuting, maximizing every available minute.
When she arrived at the company, Ling Na asked with genuine concern, "Why didn't you come this morning? Did you finish the report?"
Zhong Qing replied simply, "I had some things to do this morning, so I took the day off. I just finished the report."
Lu Pengshan, standing nearby, said sarcastically, "We two aren't as lucky as you. You can take time off to work on the report at home. We had to help our seniors. We finished it while eating lunch."
Zhong Qing found these nonsensical remarks extremely uncomfortable, like fingernails on a chalkboard. She wasn't a pushover; how could she tolerate such discomfort? So, with a sincere and honest expression that could have won awards, she told Lü Pengshan:
"Next time we get assigned to write a research report, I'll talk to the seniors and ask them not to assign you any work yet, otherwise you won't be able to eat lunch in peace."
"..." Lü Pengshan was momentarily speechless, his mouth opening and closing. "Wait, Zhong Qing, can you always grasp the main point of what I'm saying?"
Zhong Qing looked at him sincerely and nodded honestly, her expression perfectly guileless. "Yes."
Lü Pengshan felt speechless, as if all his wild punches had hit a brick wall and accomplished nothing.
Ling Na, however, found it inexplicably funny and laughed, the sound bright in the office.
Zhong Qing thought with quiet satisfaction: See? Sincerity is always the ultimate weapon.
Soon it was time for the afternoon meeting.
The three department heads were the first to enter the meeting room, their presence commanding attention.
Shi Tao called three new employees to his workstation and asked if they would decide the order of their presentations themselves or draw lots.
All three chose to draw lots, letting fate decide.
The result was that Zhong Qing drew third, Lü Pengshan second, and Ling Na first.
Shi Tao's expression grew serious. "You all need to perform well later. Your performance will affect the impressions and evaluations of the department heads regarding your abilities. Whether you can stay after your probation period will be determined by the department heads through mutual selection based on these impressions and evaluations. Only if you are selected can you be officially hired."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhong Qing felt Ling Na next to her gasp, the sound sharp with sudden fear.
"I'll go in and set up the projector first. Once it's set up, you can all come in and we'll begin." After Shi Tao finished speaking, he went into the conference room.
As soon as Shi Tao left, Ling Na immediately stopped hiding her nervousness. Her voice was choked with tension as she said to Zhong Qing, "What should I do? I'm so nervous!"
Lü Pengshan's eyes flickered as he looked at Ling Na and said with calculated generosity, "How about you switch with me? I'll speak first, Zhong Qing last, and you'll be in the middle, which is the safest."
Ling Na was immediately tempted to switch, but she still felt a little guilty, so she asked Lü Pengshan, "Are you sure it's okay if you switch orders with me?"
Lü Pengshan generously said that he didn't care whether he was first or last.
Zhong Qing, however, had a sudden change of heart and took Ling Na's hand to the restroom, her grip firm.
In the restroom, she gave Ling Na a reassuring smile and asked, "Besides the basic data from Zhiqiang Medical Examination, did you include any of your own analysis in your report?"
Ling Na thought for a moment and said uncertainly, "Does summarizing the company's situation count?"
Zhong Qing didn't think so. Therefore, Ling Na's report didn't contain any unique analysis of her own—nothing that would distinguish her.
That meant that Ling Na's content was basically all publicly available information. And since there's only so much publicly available information, it's natural for whoever speaks first to be right—to claim the territory before others.
Zhong Qing advised Ling Na with quiet certainty, "I think, given your tendency to get nervous, you should speak first. After all, the earlier you speak, the better; the longer you wait, the more nervous you become."
Ling Na thought about it and agreed with Zhong Qing's logic. When they got back, she told Lü Pengshan that she wouldn't switch orders with him; she would present first.
Lü Pengshan was a little confused, wondering why she had changed her mind while she was in the restroom.
He asked Ling Na, "Are you sure you don't want to switch with me?"
Ling Na nodded firmly, "Yeah, I'll listen to Zhong Qing. The one who gets nervous should be the first to speak!"
Lü Pengshan then looked up at Zhong Qing, his tone as sarcastic as ever. "You don't seem to like being nervous, but you're a bit of a busybody."
Zhong Qing grinned at him, making herself look rather silly.
There was also a hint of deliberate provocation dancing in her eyes.
The next moment, the three of them were called into the conference room.
Ling Na took a deep breath, connected her computer to the projector, and began presenting her document with trembling fingers.
She had compiled all the relevant information she could find online; the document was very organized, the format was proper, and the overall presentation was decent, without too many stumbles due to nervousness.
However, Lü Pengshan's expression changed as he listened, realization dawning. He turned to Zhong Qing, lowering his voice to a whisper, "Ling Na is really fortunate to have you with her. I'm actually starting to regret letting you drag her to the restroom; it prevented me from switching places with her."
Zhong Qing glanced at him sideways, finding it all quite intriguing. What was this guy up to? He was practically laying his ulterior motives bare before her. How could he be both calculating and upright? He was truly a twisted character.
Ling Na stepped down, and it was Lü Pengshan's turn to speak.
He looked somewhat nervous as he spoke, his confidence shaken.
Eighty percent of the content in his research report overlapped with Ling Na's. Only at the end of the report, combining his interview with Cui Zhiqiang, did he summarize his own observations: In short, Zhiqiang Health Checkup is developing rapidly and has an optimistic future. In just two or three years, it has become the second largest in the industry, and at its current pace, becoming the number one in the industry is just around the corner.
After Lü Pengshan finished his report, he returned to his seat, disappointment settling over him like fog.
While Ling Na was reporting to him, he had been observing the expressions of the three department heads, especially Qiao Mingxuan's.
During their report, the other two department heads would occasionally react, nodding or shaking their heads. Only Qiao Mingxuan remained expressionless throughout, offering no emotional response—his face an unreadable mask.
Although he didn't explicitly express good or bad, one could sense that the more he acted this way, the more dissatisfied he was with the report's outcome—a deep dissatisfaction that radiated from his stillness.
Because of this dissatisfaction, he simply didn't bother to respond.
But what could be done to satisfy him? Lü Pengshan felt he had already tried his best. He felt he had given his best within his capabilities to complete this report.
He couldn't help but feel a little frustrated, defeat creeping in.
He heard Shi Tao calling Zhong Qing's name.
He watched as Zhong Qing connected the projector to her laptop and double-clicked the mouse with casual confidence.
A PowerPoint presentation immediately appeared on the projector, its quality resembling a high-end business plan—professional, sleek, commanding attention from the first slide.
He suddenly had a complex feeling washing over him: he felt that Lingna and he had been betrayed by Zhong Qing—after all, Shi Tao had said that their report only needed to be written as a document; yet he also felt that Zhong Qing's PPT was indeed very well done, and it would make people think of something extraordinary as soon as it was presented.
And there was also some regret—he should have also made the document into a PPT, even though others said that a document was enough.
But Zhong Qing had understood something they hadn't: "enough" and "excellent" were separated by a chasm.
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