Qinyang clicked her tongue in annoyance as Luciel’s loud crunching came over the other end of the call.
"Luciel Wang!” she huffed. “Could you please stop eating those crackers? We are in the middle of a discussion here."
"I have to agree with Xiao Yang,” a stern-sounding female voice interjected. “It's seriously annoying.”
The voice belonged to a woman named Lu Weiwei, the president of Lu Corporation's only daughter. The Lu family were influential entrepreneurs known best for their company, which had been rated as one of the top five businesses in China. Only the Lee family rivaled their influence. At present, Lu Weiwei was CEO of Lu Corporation, but she was soon expected to take over her father’s position.
"You ladies don't know how to appreciate the beautiful taste of the AMAZING Salty Banana and Bacon Chips!” Luciel pouted and brushed the crumbs off his hands. “Hey, AJ! You gotta admit it's good, right?"
A deep, sleepy, and muffled voice on the other line answered him sweetly, "I haven't eaten the packet you sent me, so I don't know. Honestly, even without tasting it, the name already sounds disgusting."
"Luciel, you gotta listen to me and start eating normal, healthy food," a cutesy-sounding, male voice agreed.
"I don't want to hear that from you, Huang Jian,” Luciel shot back, folding his arms across his chest. “Someone who eats cup noodles 24/7 isn't considered very healthy either."
During the past seven years, Zhou Qinyang had decided to not only heal herself but also other people in need, too. She had set up a private organization called Saints, which collected and donated funds to people in need. Over the years, their work had helped many women, victims, underserved individuals, and more. Even though the organization did many good deeds, Qinyang had to admit that there were times when illegal methods had been used to obtain the resources or necessary information they needed… but Qinyang didn't care as long as it ultimately helped those who were in need.
Luciel was a starting member of the organization. He had helped Qinyang gather potential members for the organization, which had been convenient for him to do so since he was the best hacker in the underworld. Whenever the members of Saints had something to discuss, they always used encrypted phone or video calls for their meetings, thanks to Luciel.
Along with Weiwei, AJ, an A-list celebrity, and Qin Huang Jian, a top player in the esports industry, were also members of Saints.
In actuality, AJ was just a stage name, and his real name was Ahn Qiaofu. He was born in South Korea and had lived there for a while before moving to China during middle school. As a result, he was well-versed in the customs and trends of both his home countries. Coupled with his extraordinary looks and talents in singing, dancing, and acting, all these traits together made him the star he is today. Every year, he consistently won awards for Artist of the Year and Actor of the Year. Among his fans, he was known for his carefree and flirty personality that stole every girls’ heart.
Qin Huang Jian, on the other hand, was the son of a famous national footballer. To his father’s dismay, he did not follow in his footsteps. Instead of picking up a ball to play football, he picked up a gaming console and played football games. Before long, his prowess in esports became clear, and he had made a name for himself: Qin the Strategist. When analysts studied Huang Jin’s successes, they didn’t look at his wins but rather how he played his match. Behind his innocent looks and aloof personality was a genius boasting an IQ of 150!
"The pot calling the kettle black,” a cold, harsh voice entered the fray. “Can we stop this pointless argument? Don't waste my precious time, I don't have all day.”
"Sure,” Luciel sighed, “then keep your lady in check, Haojie."
Qinyang massaged her forehead, "Haojie has a point. We’re all busy and it’s not easy for all of us to be available today."
Liu Haojie was also the CEO of one of the other top 5 business companies in China, Liu Technologies. They developed and manufactured the best computers and software programs in China. Their proprietary technology had become so advanced in recent years that countries like America, Japan, and Germany were willing to pay billions of RMB for it. Haojie’s straightforward and trustworthy attitude added to their success since it gave his clients the confidence to trust in his decisions. Incidentally, Liu Haojie and Lu Weiwei happened to be childhood sweethearts and were currently engaged.
Very few outsiders actually knew about the organization. Only elites and those with high social standing knew about them, because they were the ones who were personally invited to attend a gala and auction held every so often by Saints.
The three men felt guilty and apologized for their bickering.
"Weiwei, I have prepared the guestlist for the party and have sent the email to you. Keep in mind that there are a few more guests who have yet to reply. I will update the list once I receive their replies."
"Alright. I’ve gone over the inventory list for auction with Ah Jie and sent you an email just now. Ah Fu, have you booked the place? Is it expensive?" Weiwei asked.
Qiaofu cheerfully replied, "I did. It was expensive at first, but with my handsome looks, they gave me a discount. It's within the budget."
Luciel clicked his tongue, "Narcissist. Ah Jian and I managed to buy a few authentic artifacts for the auction. They were really generous...''
Hearing his sarcastic tone, Weiwei interrogated them further, "They asked you for a high price?"
"More than the original price. Ten times, you know. Unbelievable. They thought they could get away with it," Huang Jian let out a fake laugh.
Luciel whistled, "I just threatened to hack their bank accounts. Man... all that money in their Swiss bank accounts could easily buy me another five limited edition sports cars and more."
After they discussed a few more details, the sun started to set.
"That concludes our meeting today,” Qinyang looked at the evening sky and slouched back into her chair. “I will keep in touch.”
"Wait,” Huang Jian's words caught their attention, “I have a bit more time before my next match. Let's chat. It's been so long since we were able to talk like this”
Feeling that everyone seemed to have agreed, Qiaofu decided to tease Qinyang.
“I heard Xiao Yang’s going for an interview with a major corporation. Our leader is finally leaving the nest!”
Even though the members of Saints didn’t see each other often, they were periodically given updates on each other’s lives, especially since Luciel was such a blabbermouth.
Luciel suddenly sneezed.
"Xiao Yang, please don’t curse me."
"You told them? I told you not too!” she huffed. “And what nest are you talking about?!"
Qinyang somehow knew this topic would be brought up one way or another. Drinking a mouthful of water, she prepared for another round of questions.
"Why not? It's a big deal!" Huang Jian chuckled.
Qiaofu laughed, "You are so cute when you are angry, Xiao Yang."
"Which corporation will you be interviewing with?" Wei Wei asked, leaning on one arm propped against her desk.
"Lee Corporation. Honestly, why does that name sound so familiar to me?" Qinyang scratched her head.
Huang Jian gasped.
"You don't know them?!” he exclaimed. “Xiao Yang… you should really get out of the house. It really seems you have been living under a rock or something. Lee Corporation is the top business company in the Asian market—they are even top 3 in the world! I heard that their boss is quite young."
"It's a good company,” even the usually picky Haojie agreed. “You will be fine there."
The lively atmosphere then became quiet and Qinyang remained unresponsive for quite a while.
Haojie was first to break the awkward silence.
"Qinyang, if it is too much for you… Just quit."
Qinyang’s muscles tensed up at his words. She frowned.
‘
Right, I can just quit… but doesn’t it seem too cowardly?’
"Shouldn't you be encouraging her?" Luciel laughed even though he didn’t disagree with Haojie's statement.
"Yes, yes! If it is hard, your brother AJ will give you a hug and a kiss!" Qiaofu started making kissing sounds over the phone.
"Ew... Ignore him, Qinyang,” Huang Jian said. “If you are having a hard time, just come over and we’ll play a few rounds of M Kart to destress!"
Weiwei then chimed in, assuring her, "Qinyang, you know whatever it is, we got your back."
Hearing how her close friends worried about her, Qinyang smiled.
"I know."
She clenched her fists and nodded.
'Even if the whole world turns their back on me, you guys won't.'