The cool light of the underground garage washed over the Obsidian Black paint of the Mercedes-Benz E-Class. Inside, the ambient lighting cast a warm glow, and the chestnut-brown leather seats framed Shen Meng’s silhouette in the passenger seat. She was looking down, smoothing out the pleats of her JK skirt, her pale thighs peeking from beneath the hem. The thin-strapped heels at her ankles refracted specks of light with her every slight movement.
She was still reliving the sense of security she’d felt earlier when her back was pressed against his chest. She stole a glance at his handsome profile out of the corner of her eye, and a sudden flutter stirred in her heart.
Yang Hui turned to glance at her. The corners of her eyes were crinkled in a slight smile, her eyelashes casting delicate shadows in the car’s ambient light. The faint dimple near the corner of her mouth seemed to hold a honeyed sweetness.
His fingertips tightened unconsciously on the steering wheel. The crisp cedarwood scent from the car’s air freshener was still present, yet now it seemed mingled with the faint fragrance from her hair, silently invading his senses.
Outside the window, the camphor trees lining the roads blurred into a stream of reflections. Yet his gaze, as if pulled by an invisible string, couldn’t help but drift back to the passenger seat. She was still looking down, adjusting her skirt, the nape of her slender neck forming an elegant curve. Her smile from moments before was seared into his mind, refusing to fade.
"What are you looking at?" Shen Meng asked, feeling a bit bashful under his repeated glances.
"At you."
"What’s so interesting about me?"
"I keep looking because you’re beautiful."
Shen Meng looked down and smiled. ’This guy is unbelievably shameless,’ she thought.
The two of them had left together in the afternoon and returned together just before closing time, which naturally attracted the attention of their coworkers.
"Hey, any guesses what those two were up to this afternoon?"
"Isn’t it obvious? They were ’working,’ of course. Whether they were *actually* working, who knows."
"Still, with his talent and her looks, they make a good match."
"Don’t you guys go and get Manager Yang in trouble! He’s so young and promising. He can’t let a woman jeopardize his career."
As soon as Yang Hui sat back down at his desk, Zhu Jing scurried over to tell him that people were gossiping about him and Shen Meng. Judging by the curious look on her face, he figured she was dying to know the real story too.
"I took her to a store to show her how to do livestream shopping. If this path proves viable, I’ll negotiate with the company separately."
"Negotiating separately" meant ensuring the sales figures from livestreaming wouldn’t be attributed to the Operations Department. Yang Hui didn’t mind for a one-off attempt. But if this format became a regular, effective strategy, he would absolutely have to negotiate. If the company refused, his plan was simple: he’d just stop doing it and let them see who suffered the bigger loss.
At that point, Li Yang would have no choice but to compromise.
He wasn’t making a fuss this time because he didn’t yet know how effective in-store livestreaming would be. Without data to back him up, many of the terms would be difficult to negotiate.
BRRRING~
The internal line rang. It was Dan Biao.
He glanced at the time. 5:20 PM. ’What could he want now? I hope this doesn’t make me late,’ he thought.
"A Hui, come in, have a seat!"
Yang Hui noticed that Dan Biao seemed like a different person today. He had always been polite, but it was the kind of courtesy reserved for a new hire in their "honeymoon period." Today was different; he could see genuine admiration in his boss’s eyes.
"A Hui, President Li wants you to join him for dinner tomorrow night."
"Not going. It’s after hours. Why would I eat dinner with him?"
"A Hui, President Tian from Xinyue Square is going to be there. You have to give face on this one."
’President Tian is invited?’ Yang Hui instantly knew what this was about. He scoffed. "I told you, my time after work is my own. I don’t accept any arrangements from the company."
Surprisingly, Dan Biao wasn’t angry. Yang Hui could see envy in his eyes. ’Envy? Is he envious that I can be so willful?’
"Fine, I’ll tell President Li. He might just come talk to you himself."
Yang Hui understood Dan Biao’s implication. If Li Yang approached him directly and he ended up agreeing, Li Yang would surely berate Dan Biao for being useless. After all, why would he agree for the big boss but not for his direct superior?
He glanced at the time. "President Shan, it’s 5:28!"
Dan Biao laughed, exasperated. "Alright, alright. A Hui, you really are punctual about getting off work, aren’t you? Not a second to spare."
"Good habits are built on long-term consistency, President Shan. I suggest you try it sometime."
Dan Biao gave a wry smile. He’d love to try, but he didn’t dare. He had a family to support with this job. He couldn’t imagine how Yang Hui managed to be so nonchalant.
"A Hui, I heard you live in Wenjing Yunlu. How much is your mortgage payment each month?"
This was pure small talk. He was curious as to how Yang Hui could be so casual about his job, always seeming to have an attitude of ’if this place doesn’t want me, there are plenty of others that will.’ Did the man have no financial pressure at all?
"I paid in full. Anyway, President Shan, I really have to clock out. See you tomorrow!"
With that, he got up and left, rushing to clock out. Dan Biao remained in his office chair, staring blankly, as the words "I paid in full" echoed endlessly in his mind.
’Life is so unfair!’ he thought. ’I work my tail off and I’m still drowning in bank loans, but my subordinate can afford to buy a luxury apartment with cash.’
’Who came up with that crap about "enduring the bitterest of hardships to rise above others"?’
’Look at my work ethic, then look at his. It feels like the only reward for being willing to suffer is getting to suffer endlessly.’
He began to question whether his years of perseverance had been the right path after all.
Yang Hui, oblivious to the fact that he had just sent Dan Biao into an existential crisis, returned to his desk, grabbed his briefcase, and showed up at the time clock at precisely 5:29:58 PM.
He was the only one in the entire company to do so. Everyone else would at least wait a few minutes, putting on a show to avoid having a manager comment on how eager they were to leave.
"Manager Yang really is a maverick."
"Or maybe he just doesn’t think before he acts."
"If he thought before he acted, would he really be making moves on Shen Meng?"
"He probably doesn’t even need this salary. Drives a Benz to work, you know? Why would he care about this chump change?"
"Sigh. It’s a shame I need this job. Otherwise, I’d totally go after him."
"I think you just know you’re out of your league. Otherwise, quitting your job to be supported by a handsome guy with a Mercedes? You’d be making out like a bandit."
"Hey, that’s a good way to look at it. Maybe I should get on that."
"Give me a break. He’s clearly after Shen Meng. How could you possibly compete with her?"
It was after closing time, but the group of colleagues didn’t dare leave early, so they stayed at their desks to gossip. Meanwhile, Yang Hui had already driven his Mercedes E-Class away from the office. His meeting point with Liu Shasha was the Xinyue Hotel, as usual.
It was their old, familiar spot.
As usual, he booked a business suite. Then he composed a text to Wenren Meng, telling her he wouldn’t be home for dinner.
To avoid the discomfort of vigorous activity on a full stomach, he decided to have Liu Shasha first, and then think about what to have for dinner.
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