Chapter 45: Overly Familiar
Chapter 45: Chapter 45: Overly Familiar
No one knew why the CEO was being so unsparing, and they could only force a few awkward laughs.
The waiter served the hot drinks, placing one in front of Zhao Xiangjun. Wu Ting stared expectantly at Zhang Shijie, waiting for her boss to give the word. She didn’t want to drink alcohol either, but Zhang Shijie acted as if he hadn’t seen her, leaving her with a look of grievance.
Just then, Zhao Xiangjun asked, "Assistant Wu, would you like a hot drink?"
She wanted one, but since Zhang Shijie hadn’t said anything, she didn’t dare say yes. She was completely stuck.
"Assistant Wu, you can have a soft drink too."
Zhang Shijie spoke up at just the right moment. Wu Ting’s face immediately broke into a smile, though in her heart, she was thanking Zhao Xiangjun.
Now everyone at the table could see it. President Zhang was truly looking out for Zhao Xiangjun. Ah, well, what could anyone do? She was just that beautiful.
During the toasting portion of the meal, the only person Zhang Shijie stood for was Liu Haoran, rising slightly to clink glasses. For everyone else’s toast, he remained seated as he drank.
When it was Zhao Xiangjun’s turn, she was holding a soft drink and already felt a bit awkward. The others were all watching, eager to see what would happen.
To everyone’s astonishment, the moment Zhao Xiangjun stood up to speak, Zhang Shijie rose to his feet as well, as if he had been paying close attention to her the entire time.
Zhao Xiangjun felt even more self-conscious. It was just a soft drink, after all. "President Zhang, this is just a soft drink..." she said.
Zhang Shijie didn’t seem to mind in the slightest. "That’s fine," he said heartily. "When you get a chance, exchange contact information with Assistant Wu. If you have any issues later on, you can contact her directly!"
He drained his glass in one go, which only made Zhao Xiangjun feel more awkward.
As she sat down, Wu Ting asked if it was a good time to add her on WhatsApp.
These people were acting strangely today; every one of them was being excessively polite, a fact that even the other guests noticed.
But they could only chalk it up to Zhao Xiangjun being exceptionally beautiful and the CEO having a soft spot for pretty women.
At the same time, they were all thinking, ’Now that Zhao Xiangjun has Assistant Wu’s WhatsApp, she’ll have a direct line to the top for any future matters.’
’We’ll have to be more careful around this sales guide from now on. The good thing is, we’ve never treated her unfairly. After all, where else could we find someone with such strong sales skills?’
While adding Wu Ting’s contact information, she noticed an unread message from Chen Xiao.
He was asking where she was having dinner and said he wanted to come pick her up.
Knowing he was worried about her drinking, she sent a reply: "No need to pick me up. It’ll be over soon. I’ll just grab a cab."
After a moment’s thought, she added another message: "I didn’t drink any alcohol!"
"Okay, then. Send me the cab’s license plate number when you get in. And another thing—starting tomorrow, you’re going to practice driving!"
Zhao Xiangjun replied with an emoji of a face breaking into a cold sweat.
Zhao Xiangjun got back to the apartment late that night, so the two of them didn’t see each other.
「The next morning」
Chen Xiao was woken up by a phone call from Xu Wu.
’This woman has no pride,’ he thought. ’She angrily hangs up on me yesterday, then calls first thing in the morning. Can’t she have some backbone? Why not just stop contacting me forever?’
Chen Xiao was grumpy from being woken up. But complaining was one thing; he still answered the call.
Xu Wu invited Chen Xiao to stop by Zhi Fei Aerospace today. She said their general manager wanted to meet him and thank him in person.
"For your sake, Miss Xu, I suppose I can go meet your general manager."
"You’re such a charmer," she retorted. But despite her words, Xu Wu found his flattery quite pleasing.
After waking up, he first made plans with Zhao Xiangjun to go see "People are more beautiful than flowers" that evening, then drove straight to Zhi Fei Aerospace.
The offices of Zhi Fei Aerospace were much larger than those at Dr. Feng’s Robot Company, around 500 square meters.
Chen Xiao first took a look at Xu Wu’s office. It wasn’t large—less than 20 square meters—with only a minimalist bookshelf and an executive desk. Two chairs were placed directly across from the desk.
There was no sofa for guests; there simply wasn’t enough space.
A few potted plants stood in the corner, and the small space was decorated with a certain simple elegance.
"So, what do you think? Better than your office setup, right?"
Xu Wu was feeling a little smug. She knew that Dr. Feng’s Robot Company had been a pretty average operation before, with limited office space.
Plus, Chen Xiao was just a salesman, so he definitely wouldn’t have his own office.
And she wasn’t wrong. Even a department head like Yuan Kai hadn’t managed to snag a private office.
Chen Xiao smiled. ’What’s she so proud of?’ he wondered. ’This isn’t even as impressive as my study at Bihu Twin Seals.’
Besides, at Dr. Feng’s Robot Company, if he wanted a private office, Feng Feifei would personally see to it immediately, given his recent performance.
The main issue was that the company’s current location was too small, and they were already planning to move. He couldn’t be bothered to make a fuss about it at this point.
Xu Wu stepped out for a moment. When she returned, she asked Chen Xiao to come with her to the general manager’s office.
Cha Lan was a smooth operator. The moment Chen Xiao entered, he personally hurried forward to greet him, shook his hand enthusiastically, and ushered him to the sofa.
"Ah, brother, I’ve been wanting to meet you for ages!"
Chen Xiao cringed. ’This guy is old enough to be my father, and he’s calling me ’brother’?’ It was strange, but in the business world, you heard everything—some people would even call you ’dad’ if they thought it would help.
"Here, brother, try some of this Fuding Silver Needle from my personal collection!"
It was a type of white tea, famous for its long shelf life; the older it got, the more valuable it became. There was even a saying that after three years, it was practically medicine.
The idea was that a three-year-old tea had medicinal properties and was beneficial to one’s health.
Chen Xiao lifted the cup, took a sip, and praised, "Excellent tea!"
At the same time, he thought to himself, ’I may have money now, but my tastes haven’t caught up. I should learn from these guys, get a little more ’worldly.’ It would make me seem more grounded.’
"Do you like it? If so, you can take some with you. Your big brother here has quite a collection of fine teas. Feel free to come by and grab some anytime you like!"
The man was incredibly forward. In just a few moments, he was acting as if Chen Xiao were his long-lost brother.
Of course, Chen Xiao had no intention of taking his tea. It wasn’t worth much, but it would put him in the man’s debt, and that was something he wouldn’t do.
"So, brother, I hear you brought in 27 million in orders for your company in just two weeks!"
This was no longer a secret. Since Xu Wu knew, it was easy for Cha Lan to find out as well, so Chen Xiao openly admitted it.
"You know," Cha Lan sighed, "if you ask me, your company doesn’t properly value its talent. A man with your abilities, brother, should be a vice president, easy. How are you still just a salesman?"
Chen Xiao immediately understood what he was getting at. Any positive feelings he might have had for the man evaporated.
’This President Cha is trying to cut off my source of income! He’s even more ruthless than Feng Feifei.’
’The most Feng Feifei could do is zero out my Diligence Points. This guy wants to reboot my entire system.’
’Cha, you’re treading on thin ice, you know that?’
Cha Lan had no idea that Chen Xiao was already cursing him to hell and back in his mind.
He was still talking, oblivious. "Brother, I feel like we’re kindred spirits. We hit it off right away. I truly hope we can grow and develop together!"
’Who’s a kindred spirit with you? That’s an insult!’ Chen Xiao complained internally. ’You and your whole family are kindred spirits!’
He let out a light chuckle. "President Cha, you flatter me. I’m not worthy of such praise, and I certainly can’t compare to you."
Cha Lan replied, "Don’t be so modest, brother. I can tell just by looking at you that you’re a man who works diligently, someone who’ll even forget to eat and sleep for the sake of his job."
Chen Xiao blushed. ’Well, forgetting to eat and sleep while playing League of Legends was pretty common for him, anyway.’