Jing Qichi ultimately went to the barbecue gathering. Even though he knew this would surely place him within someone’s circle of trust and might later be seized upon by those with ulterior motives, his reason for deciding to attend was simple—he didn’t want Jiang Sen to lose face.
Everyone in Huandao AILab knew that four years ago, he had been handpicked by Jiang Sen and admitted as an exception. Along the way, Jiang Sen guided him through difficult projects, turning doubts into visible progress and achievements. To Jing Qichi, Jiang Sen was both a talent scout and a leader; his support and help couldn’t be described in mere words. Not attending such a private gathering would tell everyone that either Jiang Sen could not command respect, or—Jing Qichi didn’t know how many attendees knew inside information, but at such a moment, distancing himself from Jiang Sen might send some kind of signal to those who were still uncertain and testing the waters.
—Look, even little Jing has split with him, striking out alone has no future.
No, from his character to his qualifications to the connections he’d built over many years of hard work, even going solo, Jiang Sen could carve out his territory.
It was precisely because he knew this that Jing Qichi came.
There weren’t many attendees, besides Jiang Sen’s close subordinates there were several experienced engineers from other groups. Usually working on different floors with little interaction, everyone met with tacit understanding, as if truly just gathering for a barbecue.
Qiu Yang was still sulking. In the morning, when Jing Qichi wanted to call him to leave together, he found the other had already gone, leaving only the address stuck to the door, with an attitude of “come or don’t come, suit yourself.” At today’s gathering, he was probably the only one treating it as just a get-together among close colleagues—Qiu Yang was certainly clever, but his cleverness was all spent in the virtual world; if he had to engage in workplace politics, he probably wouldn’t survive the first episode.
“You,” taking advantage of a moment when they were alone, Jing Qichi said quietly, “should learn more from Sir Jiang in the future.”
“Save your damn lecture.” Qiu Yang glared at him.
Well, having Jiang Sen protect this guy might not be a bad thing.
People chatted in small groups, talking about work and company gossip. No one was foolish enough to break through that layer of paper and declare their stance, but listening carefully, some were making roundabout advances while others were subtly dodging. The workplace had its rules—some things were written in black and white about equal treatment, while others would never appear on paper and could only be carefully explored.
“I was a bit harsh yesterday.” Jing Qichi didn’t look at him, raising his hand to pat the other’s shoulder.
“Forget it.” Qiu Yang pretended to be annoyed and dodged, “I’m not that petty.”
Between brothers, a formal apology would only create distance.
Qiu Yang asked again, “Did you fight with Huan’er?”
Jing Qichi wasn’t the type to lose his temper without reason. At the time, being angry himself, Qiu Yang hadn’t thought deeply about it, but looking back now, he had simply walked into the line of fire, becoming an outlet for anger without cause.
“I don’t know either.” Jing Qichi sighed softly, “She must be quite busy lately, but with such distance, it’s not like I can just buy a plane ticket and go over.”
“Your Chen Huan’er is well-educated and reasonable, if there’s a problem it must be your fault,” Qiu Yang declared confidently. “Such a good catch being wasted on a pig like you, just keep messing around, and one day when she flies away, I’ll watch you flounder.”
“That won’t happen.” Jing Qichi’s mouth twisted slightly.
“Huh.” Qiu Yang gave a cold laugh, “That confidence of yours couldn’t be found in three villages.”
As they were talking, Jiang Sen walked over, “What’s so fun to chat about?” Seeing Jing Qichi skillfully flipping the grilled meat, adding oil and seasonings in one smooth motion, he teased, “Didn’t know you had this skill, took some lessons?”
Jing Qichi smiled, “Back when we lived in the staff quarters, our families often got together for meals. Huan’er’s dad was good at barbecue, I learned by watching him.”
“We were just talking about Huan’er, boss, quickly give him some relationship advice, otherwise this guy will keep taking his anger out on me,” Qiu Yang started plating the food, “This batch is ready, right? I’ll take it over to everyone.”
Jiang Sen certainly knew about Jing Qichi’s girlfriend, while putting vegetables on the grill he asked, “Huan’er still has more than a year before coming back?”
“Mm.”
“Not planning to visit?” Then he slapped his forehead, “Don’t ask for leave now though, won’t approve it.”
Jing Qichi already had plans, “During Chinese New Year, I want to save up vacation days to spend more time with her.”
“You two were north and south before, now east and west, it hasn’t been easy to get to today.” Jiang Sen looked at him, speaking slowly, “When my wife just got pregnant, the company sent me to Hangzhou for six months. Before I’d been gone a month, she was crying on the phone. She was quite emotionally fragile then, and I was there cleaning up messes, stressed to the point I couldn’t sleep. Divorce was just a thought away.”
Jiang Sen rarely mentioned his family matters. Jing Qichi asked, “Then what happened?”
“What else could I do? Desperately found solutions to get back to Beijing quickly.” Jiang Sen searched through his phone photos, “Let me show you when I was at my thinnest.”
The screen showed a team photo, with Jiang Sen in a crisp suit standing in the center, full of vigor and confidence.
Jing Qichi looked at the photo and then examined the person before him, breaking into a laugh, “Boss, you’ve indeed… gained a bit of weight.”
Jiang Sen clicked his tongue and put away his phone, “I’m grateful neither of us spoke that thought aloud. Qichi, work is important, but family is equally important. The further you go, the more you’ll realize that the strength and encouragement given by your loved ones, your family, is immeasurable.”
Jing Qichi remained silent.
“It’s priceless.” Jiang Sen added seriously, while hitting the back of his head, “Work hard, young man, be careful when making choices.”
He was still that good teacher and friend, subtly pointing out the undercurrents behind this gathering.
“Boss,” Jing Qichi nodded to him, “thank you.”
Jiang Sen smilingly accepted this sincere thanks, then glanced at the grill and exclaimed in alarm, “Quick, flip them, my chicken wings are burning!”
The news of Jiang Sen’s imminent departure once again became the main topic of after-hours conversation at Huandao AILab.
Naturally, Jing Qichi couldn’t avoid his colleagues’ private probing. His response remained consistent: “I’m not sure, ask Sir Jiang if you’re curious.” He thought, perhaps even the person involved was hesitating—from youth to middle age, project after project growing from withered seeds to blooming flowers and lush growth, wasn’t Huandao Jiang Sen’s old ground as well?
Saying goodbye requires courage.
In early December, Jing Qichi was called into Gong Nailiang’s office.
The door closed tight, blinds drawn, and the other got straight to the point, “You know Jiang Sen is leaving, right?”
Gong Nailiang’s expression was complex as he said this.
It was lunch break, and outside people were discussing where to eat.
Jing Qichi pressed his lips together, looking down without answering.
“Little Jing,” Gong Nailiang called out, “I talked with Jiang Sen last week, I… probably know.”
“Gong Bo, I have no say in this matter.” Jing Qichi didn’t know the other’s intention, employing stalling tactics, “It’s better for you to communicate with him directly.”
“I’ve already spoken with President Li’s side. For personnel changes at Jiang Sen’s level, the company needs to prepare in advance.” Gong Nailiang said, “I called you here to get your position. You joined the team before graduation, everyone has seen your achievements these past few years, and the promotional video you shot also increased our lab’s visibility quite a bit. I hope you’ll stay.”
Jing Qichi fell silent again.
“Little Jing, I’ll be frank with you too.” Gong Nailiang cleared his throat, “The platforms under Jiang Sen—though the initial medical AI development is concluded, after entering sales, the work will only increase, not decrease; graphics algorithm is a long-term project, and the company plans to heavily invest in 3D facial recognition next year; voice recognition needs to coordinate with business-end commands, future work will be divided according to actual application scenarios. I suggested to the company to separate medical into a parallel team reporting to me, with you leading it, but… considering your experience and qualifications, the proposal was rejected by headquarters.”
Jing Qichi hadn’t expected the other to think so highly of him, saying softly, “Gong Bo, I’m not ready.”
Gong Nailiang waved his hand, “Don’t underestimate yourself. You have a solid foundation and drive. Wasn’t Jiang Sen pushed to lead a team right after joining the company? Sometimes, I see his shadow in you.”
The other was sincere; it seemed Jiang Sen’s departure was settled.
“I…” Jing Qichi paused, “Gong Bo, if possible, I’d like to transfer to the R&D Center.”
“R&D Center?” Gong Nailiang looked surprised, “So you don’t plan to stay in Beijing?”
Jing Qichi shook his head.
Song Cong had suggested using data to make decisions, and he had tried, but no matter how he calculated, Huan’er’s impact coefficient was one hundred percent—an unshakeable hundred percent. Jiang Sen’s departure happened to give him a chance to choose anew. Going to the R&D Center meant he would return to the city where they had studied; he would wait for Huan’er’s return.
“Little Jing, have you thought this through?” Gong Nailiang frowned, “Of course, I’m not saying the R&D Center isn’t good, but the lab is the company’s future focus for support, resources will be tilted in our favor in all aspects. This proposal didn’t pass but there will be next time, I don’t want you to be discouraged because of this matter…”
“I’m not.” Jing Qichi smiled, “Gong Bo, thank you.”
“Then why? Because of the leadership change?” Gong Nailiang was eager to retain talent, trying to change his mind, “It hasn’t been decided yet whether to recruit externally or have headquarters send someone over. If you’re worried about being a former subordinate, there’s no need. We’re in research positions, everything we do is for the projects. If anyone has ulterior motives outside of work, I’ll be the first to show them the door.”
“It’s not that.” Jing Qichi scratched his eyebrow, “It’s entirely my consideration. And I heard from colleagues at the R&D Center that they’re developing some medical products, which aligns better with my future career expectations.”
Gong Nailiang narrowed his eyes, “When did you do this research?”
“Just recently.”
“Seems you’ve given it careful thought.” Gong Nailiang sighed, “Little Jing, you’re a good seedling. I still don’t want you to leave, even if just transferring positions.”
Facing this lab director nearly old enough to be his father, Jing Qichi boldly met his gaze, “Gong Bo, this might sound ridiculous to you, but I’m increasingly understanding what’s important. I… I don’t want to do things I’ll regret anymore.”
Having experienced a painful loss at eighteen, for a long time after, Jing Qichi had been struggling with remorse and self-blame in his heart. Time had made the pain less sharp, and also made him more composed when facing choices. Even if everyone thought starting over at the R&D Center wasn’t a wise decision, Jing Qichi was certain he wouldn’t choose wrong.
He wouldn’t hesitate anymore.