A man in his fifties barged in. He had a haughty demeanor with a head of white hair with gray streaks underneath, and three deep frown lines stretched across his forehead, giving him the appearance of a fearsome tiger. He was casually dressed in a white T-shirt and was accompanied by a small entourage of snooty-looking men and women trailing behind him.

  Among this group of people, stood an olive-skinned woman who was dressed plainly. She had a straight nose, long wavy hair, healthy white teeth, perfectly arched eyebrows, and a lovely pair of eyes. She was obviously a foreigner, and although she was garbed in local streetwear, she looked natural and carried herself with a noble bearing that seemed to exude from within her.

  Shen Qingyan glowered and looked the uninvited visitor square in the eyes. Somewhat unkindly, she said, “Third Uncle, could you have the decency to knock before you enter?”

  Third Uncle?

  Wouldn’t this man be Huayao Corporations’ number two, Shen Xingqing?

  Xiao Luo recognized the man immediately, and his interest was piqued. Despite his reluctance to be part of the Huayao Corporation, Xiao Luo was quite familiar with the history of one of the largest companies in the city of Xiahai. The corporation was wholly owned by the Shen family, and due to Shen Qingyan’s outstanding abilities, she took over the reins from her father to lead the organization. All the shareholders were members of the Shen family, and after Shen Qingyan, her third uncle, Shen Xingqing, was the largest shareholder and wielded immense power and influence.

  Shen Xingqing ignored her brusque remark and said, “Qingyan, my niece, I came here to see you on an urgent matter.”

  He smiled cockily at Shen Qingyan and showed no regard for her position as the company’s chairman. He had known Shen Qingyan since she was a little girl and watched her grow, and for her to now be seated above him in rank was something he couldn’t reconcile with readily. He didn’t see the need to treat her any differently now, even after assuming the chairman’s office.

  “Regardless, it is only common courtesy to do so.”

  Evidently, there were no holds barred when it came to Shen Qingyan and her uncle. There had been a long history between the two, and it was no secret that Shen Xingqing coveted her position. Had it not been for her father’s support and her own capabilities, she would already have been forced to step down from her position a long time ago.

  “Alright, since you’re so adamant, I’ll make up for it right now!”

  Shen Xingqing scowled, then promptly walked back through the open door and dramatically knocked on it once again, or rather he pounded heavily on the door. He came across like ruffian out to create a scene.

  \r \r \r

  Shen Qingyan had to dig deep to suppress her annoyance but got him back in a subtler way. In her most condescending tone, she said, “Yes, you may come in now.”

  Shen Xingqing stomped in like the class bully as one of his subordinates hurriedly brought a chair to him. He dispensed with any further courtesies, duly dropped himself into the chair, and crossed his legs, giving off an air of supreme authority.

  “Uncle, please get to the point,” Shen Qingyan said. She was curt and had no wish to prolong the conversation if she could help it.

  “Fine with me!”

  Shen Xingqing gestured at the foreign woman with his hand. “This lady over here came to us with a list of medical supplies, but she speaks in a weird language, sounds more like a chirping bird if you ask me. She must need something,” he said, disdainfully, “but none of our company’s translator can understand a word she’s saying. I wanted to tell her to f**k off, but then I thought that maybe my brilliant niece, who’s such a talented linguist, might understand her, so I brought her here.”

  “Uncle, I know you, so, let’s cut through the chase, what are you trying to do here?” Shen Qingyan was tired of his games, and she knew that his intention was to put her in a spot and see her embarrass herself.

  “What are you saying? I’m here to sincerely ask for your help. This woman might very well be a VIP, and should that be the case, ignoring her will be a big loss for the company.”

  Shen Xingqing said it with a cunning smile, shaking his legs impatiently. He couldn’t wait to see Shen Qingyan make a fool of herself. Didn’t she proclaim that she was well-traveled and unafraid to fly anywhere around the world? Didn’t she say that there was no client that she couldn’t handle? He was now keen to see how she would handle this client, and if she failed, then, as her uncle, he had every right to put her in her place. That would be the perfect way to take the edge off her spirit, he thought. But Shen Qingyan was on to his devious plan and decided to fire the first broadside. “Uncle, if you have the time to play these games, why not you use it more productively for the company instead?”

  “Qingyan, my niece, you measure the stature of great men by the yardstick of a midget. I’m really not as bad as you think,” Shen Xingqing said, breaking into a chuckle and shaking his legs even more vigorously.

  Shen Qingyan simply ignored him. She turned to look at the foreign woman and smiled warmly. Speaking in English, she said, “Hello, Ma’am. I’m Shen Qingyan, the person in charge. Welcome to Huayao Corporation. Is there anything I can help you with?”

  English, being the lingua franca of the business world, was naturally her first option.

  The foreign woman stared at Shen Qingyan blankly, unable to understand what was said. She looked anxious and began to gesticulate with her hands as she replied, “.حيةطيبة. أودشراءالأدوية,”

  “Huh?”

  At no moment in her life did Shen Qingyan feel more helpless than she was right then. Having mastered three foreign languages, she had often bragged about traveling around the world, but never was she aware that such a language existed. In a sense, her third uncle was quite right, for, when she first heard it, she wondered if it was really a language.

  The foreign woman continued to speak for some time, desperately using gestures to help explain herself.

  Shen Qingyan’s head was in a spin. In the end, she smiled apologetically and decided to throw in the towel. “Ma’am, I’m so sorry, but I don’t understand what you mean. I’m afraid I can’t help you,” she said.

  “Now, who would’ve thought, even my talented niece, Qingyan, would have helpless moments. Uncle always thought that you were so knowledgeable and all-knowing, but it seems that I’ve overrated you, how sad. So, it looks like no matter how brilliant a person might be, one can’t excel in everything, am I right?”

  Shen Xingqing stood up energetically, looking smug and feeling quite pleased with himself. He proceeded to dust off his pants in a deliberate manner, and when he thought he had everyone’s attention, he looked at his niece and sneered, “Qingyan, you’re too young, and still need much guidance from people much older and more experienced than you. So, be careful, don’t turn our family business into an unachievable dream.”

  Shen Qingyan had no response, and her face reddened. She was seething inside but as disdainful as Shen Xingqing was, she had to admit that he got the better of her this time around.

  Suddenly, Xiao Luo spoke up. He stood casually by the far side and spoke to no one in particular. “This lady says that she’s Princess Salama from Dubai, and she wishes to order a shipment of medical supplies worth 8 million dirhams.”

  “Huh?”

  Then was a sudden lull in the room, and everyone there—be they Shen Xingqing, Shen Qingyan, Guan Tong, or the tall lady, turned to look at Xiao Luo all at once, with looks of disbelief.

  “You can understand what she’s saying?” Shen Qingyan asked.

  Xiao Luo nodded as he replied, “She’s speaking Arabic, but in her tribal dialect, so it sounds a little strange.”

  “Kid, where are you from? Please don’t talk nonsense around here, or else I’ll kick you out!”

  Shen Xingqing scowled, questioning the veracity of Xiao Luo’s translation. “What dirhams? I haven’t heard of it before. And a princess? Judging by the cheap street clothes she’s wearing, it’s not even worth a little bit over a hundred dollars, could she possibly be Dubai’s princess? If you are making things up, please come up with something better!”

  “Just because you have not heard of it, does not mean it doesn’t exist. Dirham is the currency of the UAE. Please don’t show everyone your ignorance,” Xiao Luo responded.

  Only moments ago, Shen Xingqing was feeling pleased with himself for putting Shen Qingyan in her place. He had long felt outdone by Shen Qingyan and had an ax to grind. But, much to his chagrin, Xiao Luo had come out from nowhere and stolen his moment, even daring to insult his intelligence. He pointed furiously at Xiao Luo and screamed, “Do you know who I am? Get the hell of out here! You don’t seem too keen to continue working in Huayao!”

  He naturally assumed that anyone in Shen Qingyan’s office was an employee of the corporation. ……