Chen Siyan sat on his chair, leaning back slightly with his rear legs supporting the floor, rocking the chair slowly as he pressed on the backrest. He looked lazy and at ease, carrying a hint of rakish charm.
He glanced sideways at Song Xinya. "Sure you want to hear the reason?"
Song Xinya suddenly caught on, snatched up her notebook in a flash, and held it in front of her face. "Evil spirits be gone! Little ghost, scatter!"
Chen Siyan let out a scoff. "You're the little ghost."
The two turned to face their own desks and started working.
At ten o'clock, Song Xinya and Chen Siyan received a message from Zhao Yinian.
[Come over and submit your Gold Instructor application forms.]
With their completed forms in hand, they went to Zhao Yinian's office.
Zhao Yinian flipped through the forms and said, "The selection for Gold Instructor is a very serious matter. It evaluates candidates based on performance metrics, work attitude, inner potential, communication skills, and more. We pick the best of the best to promote and reward with a salary increase and a share of the Qin Group's stock dividends."
"The criteria are extremely high, and I am one of the review officers."
Her tone carried a subtle pressure, hinting that since she was a reviewer, they ought to show her respect.
Chen Siyan wasn't buying it. He shot back, "If the criteria are so high, how did you get selected?"
Zhao Yinian: "What do you mean by that?"
Chen Siyan: "Seeing that you could become a Gold Instructor, I figure the bar can't be that high."
Zhao Yinian flung his application form to the floor. "I'll give you a zero when the time comes."
Chen Siyan bent down, caught the form midair with one hand, and slapped it back onto the table.
"If you dare give me a zero, I'll go straight to President Qin and expose your abuse of power. I'm a results-driven professional—any company would fight to have me. You, on the other hand, if you get fired from Qin Group for misusing your authority, see which company would still dare hire you."
Zhao Yinian's voice softened. "Oh, Manager Chen, no need to be so serious. Didn't you catch that I was just kidding?"
Chen Siyan snorted, mimicking her tone. "Oh, Director Zhao, no need to be so tense. Didn't you catch that I was just kidding too?"
They both gritted their teeth and smiled at each other, putting on a facade of harmony.
Zhao Yinian turned to Song Xinya and said, "Teacher Song, Manager Chen is so outstanding and seems determined to win the Gold Instructor title. You'd better step up your game."
Song Xinya replied, "Yes, I will."
A smirk of satisfaction curled at the corner of Zhao Yinian's mouth.
Song Xinya and Chen Siyan walked out, and the employee ranked third in performance entered.
Zhao Yinian didn't even glance at his application form; she was more concerned about something else. "Yesterday afternoon, I left early for personal reasons. Did Song Xinya and Chen Siyan go out for barbecue together?"
The employee asked, "Director Zhao, why are you suddenly asking about that?"
Zhao Yinian replied, "I'm concerned about the employees' well-being."
Since Song Xinya and Chen Siyan were now competitors, how could they possibly go for barbecue together? They'd be at each other's throats.
The employee said, "Yesterday, Brother Yan and Teacher Song did have barbecue together, and they really enjoyed it."
The smile vanished from Zhao Yinian's face.
Meanwhile, Song Xinya and Chen Siyan stood by the door, overhearing the conversation inside.
They straightened up and walked back to their desks.
Chen Siyan said, "See the face of Abbess Miejue? She's nothing but moldy grapes—full of bad juice, can't squeeze out a single decent idea."
Song Xinya added, "Thanks to her, I've learned the diversity of species. Looks human, but doesn’t do human things."
Chen Siyan continued, "A general manager too lazy to boost company performance, spending all her time stirring up trouble. She's like someone pickling soybeans in brine—way too salty and bored."
Song Xinya said, "A hanged ghost batting her eyelids—shameless to death. And with a heart too small to hold even a hair."
After trash-talking Abbess Miejue, Chen Siyan raised a fist, and Song Xinya did the same. They tapped fists, then each went back to work.
At the end of the day, Song Xinya received a call from Tiantianquan. "Babe, you treated me to dinner last night, so tonight it's my treat."
Song Xinya said, "Let's make it another day, Quanquan. I've got plans tonight."
Tiantianquan asked, "Who is it, that they get priority over me, your best friend?"
Song Xinya replied, "A friend, you don't know them. It's mainly to discuss something."
Tiantianquan pressed, "What about?"
It was about treating the scar on Qin Yuhe's palm.
As the head of Qin Group, every move Qin Yuhe made affected the company's stock performance, and his injury had never been disclosed publicly. Song Xinya naturally wasn't about to blab about it like a loudspeaker.
She made up an excuse: "A friend just came back from abroad, a doctor. I want to consult him about scientific pregnancy preparation."
Tiantianquan said, "The little princess and little prince of the Qin family are precious, so I won't hold you back from having them soon."
"Some fall in love, some get married, and some stay single forever. I guess this lonely soul will just pack up and go home to eat instant noodles."
Song Xinya glanced at the desk next to hers and said, "Quanquan, Brother Yan is free tonight. You could ask him to grab dinner with you."
Chen Siyan clasped his hands and bowed to Song Xinya. "Thanks for the matchmaking—pulling strings to tie the knot. Let me first toast to our matchmaker, Song."
Song Xinya replied, "You're welcome. I'll be waiting for your wedding feast."
After leaving the office, Song Xinya headed to a tea restaurant.
In a corner spot by the wall, with few passersby and a quiet atmosphere, a pot of bamboo sat on the table, its leaves lush and vibrant green.
Beside the bamboo sat a man with brows like paintings, handsome and refined, with an elegant demeanor.
He had been watching the restaurant entrance. When he saw Song Xinya, he stood up and waved at her. "Xinxin, over here."
Song Xinya walked over and sat across from him. "Brother Jingyi, have you ordered yet?"
Han Jingyi said, "Not yet. I didn't know when you'd arrive, so I figured if I ordered early, the dim sum would get cold and lose its flavor."
Song Xinya handed him the menu. "Order now."
This tea restaurant was chosen by Han Jingyi. It served not only mild Cantonese dishes but also spicy options like Typhoon Shelter-style shrimp with dried chili, medium-spicy aged black pepper roast duck, and spicy crispy fish.
Han Jingyi ordered roast meat and shrimp dumplings for himself and all the spicy dishes for Song Xinya.
He also ordered two desserts for her: egg waffles and French toast.
The table was full, and Song Xinya looked at the spread, then up at Han Jingyi. "Can we finish all this?"
Han Jingyi said, "We don't need to finish it. I ordered this much just so you could taste all the dishes you like."
"Eat as much as you can. Don't force yourself to stuff it down to avoid waste. I care more about your well-being and your enjoyment of the meal than avoiding leftovers."
Song Xinya picked up her chopsticks. "Let's eat, I'll try everything."
Han Jingyi smiled, used the serving chopsticks to add food to her plate, refilled her tea, and attended to her with gentlemanly care and consideration.
Song Xinya had something on her mind and wasn’t very hungry. After taking a bite of each dish, she put down her chopsticks.
“Brother Jingyi, I asked you earlier to help my husband find a way to remove the scar on his palm. Have you gotten any results?”
………
This chapter is a bonus update. There will be two more chapters today.
Currently, there are 12,000 book reviews. When will my lovely readers boost the five-star ratings to 13,000? That’s when I’ll add another bonus chapter.
Let’s go for another 1,000 five-star reviews!
Let’s go for another 1,000 five-star reviews!
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Thank you to every princess who gives a five-star review! I wish all princesses will grow more beautiful, get rich, and become little rich ladies!
