Chen Siyan's words accurately hit Zhao Yinian's sore spot.
Did Zhao Yinian hate those women who could sit on the boss's lap? What she hated was that the woman sitting on the boss's lap wasn't her.
Flying into a rage out of humiliation, she glared at Chen Siyan and said, "Openly challenging the company's upper management, repeatedly contradicting your superiors, having such low emotional intelligence—you really don't act like someone who has been working for eight years."
Chen Siyan smiled lazily, "I've been working for eight years. Am I supposed to act like a college student fresh into the workplace, terrified at the sight of a leader, nervous whenever I speak to one, not daring to talk back when scolded, and awkwardly smiling while agreeing that the leader is right? That would be truly pathetic and incompetent.
"I'm long past the yes-man phase. Right now, I drive an 800,000 yuan Audi A8, have 5 million in savings in my card, and own a 150-square-meter luxury apartment in Jingbei City.
"Putting money aside, I'm fully capable and confident, with genuine talent in every pore of my body. As long as I say I'm resigning, there are people everywhere who want to poach me. I'm not afraid of losing this job, so what do I have to fear?
"True high emotional intelligence means being liked and trusted by others, generously sharing your good things with them, and reaching out to help without hesitation when others are in trouble. Only this kind of emotional intelligence can put you in the center of a crowd without being rejected.
"If high emotional intelligence means wronging yourself to make others happy, then I'd rather not have it. Better feed it to the dogs."
Zhao Yinian's face turned ashen as she sarcastically replied, "Don't think everything you say is right. If you're so correct about everything, why are you still just a department manager while I am already the company's general manager?"
Chen Siyan: "Because you're older than me. Did you forget that you are five years older than me? In five years, I might very well reach your position."
The word 'older' pierced Zhao Yinian's heart even more.
She reached out, picked up the client files on the desk, and left with a dark expression, her high heels clicking against the floor.
Chen Siyan raised his arm toward his colleagues in the hall: "Brother Yan is treating you all to lunch today. We're going to Haidilao."
Enthusiastic applause erupted in the hall: "Brother Yan is so handsome!"
After the excitement settled down, Song Xinya sat at her desk and started working.
Chen Siyan asked her, "About what I mentioned last time, doing online live-streamed classes with me, how are your thoughts on it?"
Song Xinya hadn't told Qin Yuhe about this yet: "I haven't thought it through yet."
Chen Siyan: "Then take your time to think about it. No rush. Decide when you've thought it through. After all, your status is quite special; you are Boss Qin's girlfriend."
Not girlfriend, but Mrs. Qin.
Song Xinya silently corrected him in her heart.
She started working, replying to clients' paid consultation questions, reviewing client files, organizing lecture notes, and making PPTs for her students.
When one is busy, a whole morning passes by very quickly.
At noon, as the group was getting ready for lunch, Chen Siyan said to Song Xinya, "Call your best friend Tiantianquan over, let's all go to Haidilao together."
Song Xinya asked curiously, "Don't you have her contact info? Why don't you invite her yourself?"
Chen Siyan: "I did. I was either messaging her or calling her every day, sincerely asking her out to treat her to a meal, and then she blocked me."
Song Xinya grew even more curious: "She wouldn't block you just for that, would she? Did you bombard her with non-stop calls?"
Chen Siyan took out his phone, opened his call log, and showed it to Song Xinya: "I didn't bombard her. Fearing she'd get annoyed if I called too much, I only dared to call her twenty times a day."
Song Xinya gasped, looking at Chen Siyan like he was a monster: "And that's not bombarding her?"
Chen Siyan: "I called her once every half an hour. I didn't call continuously without stopping, so it doesn't count as bombarding."
Song Xinya: "Teacher Chen, I must educate you a bit. There are twenty-four hours in a day. Subtracting eight hours of sleep, you're left with sixteen hours. You calling someone twenty times a day means you're calling more than once an hour. It's too frequent and seriously disrupts their work and life. You completely deserved to be blocked."
Chen Siyan muttered, "So Tiantianquan blocked me because I called too much, not because of anything else, right?"
Song Xinya smelled gossip: "What else did you do to Tiantianquan that would make her block you?
"That day in the bar's restroom, did you and Tiantianquan really not do anything?"
Chen Siyan waved his hands and said, "No, no, really nothing, absolutely nothing."
Song Xinya was certain now—something definitely happened.
If nothing had really happened, with Chen Siyan's personality of not being able to stand the slightest false accusation, he would have shouted: Don't spread rumors about me, or I'll beat you up!
Now that Chen Siyan was avoiding the question and speaking vaguely, it showed just how unspeakable the thing he did to Tiantianquan was...
Did Chen Siyan force himself on Tiantianquan?
Given Chen Siyan's character, he couldn't do such a thing.
Given Tiantianquan's personality, she would definitely have called the police to arrest him.
So, did the two of them sleep together consensually?
Then why did Tiantianquan block Chen Siyan?
Was the experience too bad?
Was Chen Siyan's technique terrible?
Or...
Was Chen Siyan's equipment too small?
After running through these wild thoughts, Song Xinya dialed Tiantianquan's number: "Hey, Quanquan, treating you to Haidilao for lunch. Want to come?"
Tiantianquan: "I actually wanted to get my nails done today, so I can go to Haidilao and score a free manicure.
"For us doctors who hold scalpels, we can't normally wear nail polish. I'll just have them taken off right after they're done. Just experiencing it to satisfy my craving is enough.
"Anyway, the free manicures at Haidilao don't cost anything. Might as well do it."
Song Xinya sent the address to Tiantianquan and said to Chen Siyan, "I've asked her out for you. Whether you two can take things further is up to you."
Chen Siyan: "Thanks for the assist, Teacher Song. When Quanquan and I get married, I'll definitely let you sit at the head table. And when Quanquan and I have kids, I'll definitely make you the godmother."
Song Xinya: "...Just win her over first before you say all that."
………
At the hotpot restaurant.
All the dishes were served, and Tian Quanquan arrived.
She held out her freshly done nails in front of Song Xinya: "Babe, my new nails. Are they pretty?"
Song Xinya: "These nails are so long you could go practice the Nine Yin Skeleton Claw."
Tiantianquan: "What Nine Yin Skeleton Claw? I'm not Zhou Zhiruo from The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber. We're not watching the same show. Every time I get long nails like this, I feel like I'm Zhen Huan, the heroine from Empresses in the Palace."
She asked Song Xinya again: "Does it look good or not? Just tell me if it looks good."
"It looks good."
Chen Siyan's voice interjected: "Nails full of diamonds, next year full of profits. The ten fingers are connected to the heart; beautiful fingers mean a beautiful heart."
Tiantianquan looked up at him: "You're here too? I didn't see you just now."
Chen Siyan: "A fairy's eyes are meant for appreciating beautiful things. It is just that we mortals are too ordinary and unworthy of catching a fairy's eye."
As the saying goes, you do not slap a smiling face. Since Chen Siyan started off with such sweet compliments, Tiantianquan naturally could not just turn around and leave.
She sat opposite him, looking down and playing with her fingernails.
Chen Siyan struck up a conversation, asking, "Are those fake diamonds embedded on your nails?"
Tiantianquan: "Of course they are fake. Who would be willing to put real diamonds on their nails? If one fell off, wouldn't that be a huge loss?"
Chen Siyan: "I would. I have a bag of real diamonds at home. I will bring them to you tomorrow so you can play around and put them on your nails. If they fall off, just ask me for more. I have more than enough diamonds."
Tiantianquan: "Trying to tempt me with money, huh?"
Chen Siyan: "If a fairy is willing to spend my money, it is my absolute honor. It means you think highly of me. If you spend my money, I should be the one saying thank you to you."
Sweet words always fall pleasantly on the ears; they are simply comforting to hear.
Tiantianquan was amused by Chen Siyan's words and laughed.
The scene Song Xinya had anticipated, where Tiantianquan and Chen Siyan would be at each other's throats the moment they met, did not happen.
It had to be said, when it came to coaxing women, Chen Siyan really had a trick up his sleeve, and a handsome one at that.
Halfway through the meal, seeing that Tiantianquan and Song Xinya had finished their dipping sauces, Chen Siyan proactively stood up to go mix more sauce for the two ladies.
Only Song Xinya and Tiantianquan were left at the dining table.
Song Xinya asked Tiantianquan, "Fess up. What exactly did you and Chen Siyan do in the bar restroom the other day?"
Tiantianquan: "Why are you bringing that up again?"
Song Xinya: "Because you still have not told me the truth."
Tiantianquan's eyes darted left and right before she let out a long sigh. "Sigh, I guess I will not hide it from you anymore. That day in the bar restroom, Chen Siyan serviced me..."
Song Xinya, realizing something: "The service you are talking about... it couldn't be that kind of service, could it..."
"It was exactly that kind of service. He..."
Tiantianquan: "Licked..."
