"Ah-choo——"
Song Xinya was sitting in the office when she suddenly sneezed.
At the neighboring desk, Chen Siyan turned his head to look at her. "Someone must be thinking of you," he said.
Who would be thinking of her?
Song Xinya picked up her phone and sent Qin Yuhe a message: [Were you thinking of me?]
Qin Yuhe: [I want to think of you in positions—missionary, from behind, sideways—and make you pregnant.]
Bang— Song Xinya's heart jolted with shock, and she threw her phone away.
"What's wrong? What's wrong?" Chen Siyan pushed off with his foot, sliding his chair over to Song Xinya. "What happened? You actually threw your phone."
He tried to glance at the phone on the table.
Song Xinya covered the screen with her hand.
"Nothing."
Chen Siyan: "If it's nothing, why are you acting all jumpy? Trying to give us a fright or something?"
Song Xinya: "Did I scare you?"
Chen Siyan: "Looks more like you scared yourself."
Song Xinya: "I just read a horror story, and it freaked me out."
Chen Siyan: "How scary?"
Song Xinya: "Scary enough to kill me, that level."
Chen Siyan: "If it's about life and death, yeah, that's pretty terrifying."
"You know, horror movies aren't really that scary. They're fake, right? What's there to be afraid of? But after watching one, you're drenched in sweat. You touch it, bring it up to your nose and sniff—oh, I pissed my pants."
"Alright, fine, I admit it. Even us big men are scared of horror movies."
Chen Siyan looked at Song Xinya's hand, still tightly covering her phone screen, and said, "Teacher Song, I have to say, you're such a kind soul. You're worried I'll get scared too, so you keep covering the screen. Truly generous."
Song Xinya had nothing to say, so she just let him believe it.
Chen Siyan pushed off with both feet and slid back to his seat. He picked up a banana, then pushed off again to slide over to Song Xinya. "Here, eat a banana to calm your nerves."
Song Xinya peeled the banana and took a bite.
Chen Siyan: "Now that you've eaten my banana, we're the best two monkeys in the world."
Song Xinya: "..."
Strange and weird, but also kind of adorable.
Zhao Yinian walked over carrying a stack of documents. When she saw Song Xinya and Chen Siyan chatting happily, a sarcastic smile curled at the corner of her mouth.
Don't be fooled by how close these two seem now. When real conflicts of interest come up, their little friendship boat will tip and sink instantly.
Zhao Yinian had always lived by one saying: All relationships are based on interests.
Today, she had a big announcement to make. Once she made it, it was sure to send Song Xinya and Chen Siyan's relationship plummeting, freezing it to the point of hostility, even open enmity.
Zhao Yinian couldn't wait any longer and called out to the group: "Everyone, gather up. Meeting in the conference room."
Chen Siyan grabbed his notebook, walked over to Song Xinya, and tapped her desk with the corner of it. "Come on, time for the meeting."
Song Xinya: "What's today's meeting about?"
Chen Siyan: "No advance notice. Probably just Abbess Miejue acting on a whim again—one moment she thinks of something, the next she does it."
Song Xinya and her colleagues headed into the conference room.
Zhao Yinian sat at the center, dressed in a black professional suit that made her look sharp and aggressive, with a smug, gloating expression on her face.
Song Xinya: "What's she so proud of?"
Chen Siyan: "Probably ate some crap and is super happy about it. It's a dog's favorite food, after all."
Song Xinya laughed.
The two of them sat down in neighboring seats.
Zhao Yinian glanced at them, her smile laced with sarcasm.
Song Xinya and Chen Siyan just thought this woman was crazy.
Zhao Yinian began: "The purpose of today's meeting is simple: to boost the company's performance."
"If you want to stand in this world, you need a job. Only with a job can you consider building a career down the line."
"Every employee must recognize this: as long as you're part of the company, put the company's interests first, always prioritize them, and understand the boss's challenges. Only then will I, as the boss, value and promote you."
Chen Siyan rolled his eyes. The company's real boss was President Qin, not Abbess Miejue.
What a load of hot air. No shame at all. Before achieving anything, she crowns herself as some grand master. Thick-skinned to the core.
Zhao Yinian stared at Chen Siyan: "Rolling your eyes that much, did you get cataracts?"
Chen Siyan: "Actually, I have conjunctivitis. Whoever looks at me, I'll pass it on."
He extended his index and middle fingers, first pointing to each of his own eyes, then pointing at Zhao Yinian's eyes. "Biu— now you've got it."
Zhao Yinian: "..." Damn it. What a crappy employee. Total garbage.
If he weren't the top salesperson, she would have fired him long ago.
Zhao Yinian swallowed her anger and continued, "Everyone, go around and share your key work priorities. Song Xinya, you go first."
Song Xinya: "I've organized the key client data. The client I plan to visit next is Sheng Tianjun, a seventeen-year-old high school student."
When Zhao Yinian heard the name Sheng Tianjun, a flicker of unusual light flashed in her eyes...
She asked with a smile, "Why do you want to visit Sheng Tianjun?"
Because Sheng Tianjun's father was a top international expert in burn research.
Qin Yuhe still had scars on his hands that hadn't healed.
Song Xinya wanted to get close to Sheng Tianjun's father by becoming his tutor, so she could get him to treat the scars on Qin Yuhe's hands.
That was her personal motive.
As a seasoned professional, Song Xinya knew the unspoken rules of office communication. Everyone has their personal reasons for doing something, but no matter what you're thinking, when you speak, you have to make it sound good.
Tailor your words to your boss. Be human if your boss is human, and speak nonsense if your boss is a ghost.
Song Xinya spoke eloquently and with conviction: "As an employee, I never think about what the company can do for me. I always think about what I can do for the company. Late at night, in the still of the night, waking from dreams, I often feel incredibly fortunate to work here. So I want to give back to the company as much as I can. Among all the clients, Sheng Tianjun offers the highest fee. I want to land this big deal, boost the company's performance, relieve the boss's worries, and contribute to the team."
This was exactly Zhao Yinian's usual style of speaking, so Song Xinya had mimicked it perfectly.
If Zhao Yinian tried to pick a fight, she'd only be slapping herself in the face.
Unsurprisingly, Zhao Yinian couldn't find anything to criticize: "Alright, you can sit down now."
Chen Siyan leaned close to Song Xinya's ear and whispered, "That was some top-notch acting. I'd give it full marks."
Song Xinya: "Thanks, I appreciate it. Now it's your turn."
Zhao Yinian's voice echoed through the conference room: "Chen Siyan, tell us your work plan."
Chen Siyan: "My main focus remains online live teaching. This month, I plan to run a thousand-person online course, and also a small class of ten people, each charging 9,999 yuan per person."
Zhao Yinian: "Can you fill the spots?"
Chen Siyan gave a slight smile: "I'm only worried that too many people will sign up, and some will be in tears because they couldn't grab a spot."
Zhao Yinian knew Chen Siyan's capabilities. Although he usually acted carefree and undisciplined, once he started working, his professional skills were incredibly impressive.
Then the other employees shared their opinions.
After all the employees had finished speaking, Zhao Yinian looked toward Song Xinya and Chen Siyan.
"Today I have a major announcement to make. Every one of you will feel happy when you hear it."
