“Are you two… rivals in love?” Xiao Yufan was so shocked upon hearing Yu Yihan finish telling the entire story between her and Hu Yingluo that his jaw nearly dropped.
“Not exactly rivals, we’re just used to competing with each other. Even when it comes to men, we like to vie for attention. Although, we used to be best friends…”
Yu Yihan’s tone sounded very nonchalant, while Xiao Yufan appeared speechless. These two beautiful women were truly formidable. He wondered who was so lucky to be pursued by both of them at once.
“The ways of the president are truly beyond comprehension for us ordinary people!”
Shaking his head, Xiao Yufan thought that the affairs of goddesses were indeed complicated. It was definitely better not to get involved; if the two ever decided to play a prank on him, he might not even find a place to cry.
“Ordinary people?” Yu Yihan curled her lips slightly, her voice barely audible. From the moment Xiao Yufan took out that exclusive gold credit card, his image in her mind had completely changed. Have you ever seen an ordinary person with a limited edition credit card?
Of course, Xiao Yufan had no idea what Yu Yihan was thinking. He only knew that after the previous commotion, the group quickly arrived at the nearest hotel. By now, everyone’s stomachs had started revolting…
“Is this on company funds, or is the president personally treating us?”
Xiao Ai went straight to the front desk and asked Yu Yihan behind her, since the nature of company funds versus personal invitations was entirely different.
“Since I brought you all out for dinner, of course I’m treating. Do you think I can’t afford the bill?” Yu Yihan smiled faintly, her beautiful dimples faintly visible. She no longer seemed cold at all.
…
As parts of the proposal’s new plan had been roughly determined, the afternoon’s work became much lighter. By the time Xiao Yufan and his group returned to the company, it was nearly three in the afternoon.
“It seems you have a very good relationship with the president. When are you planning to win her heart?”
“A very good relationship?” Xiao Yufan was somewhat taken aback, though he didn’t deny it. Not long ago, their relationship had still been very tense. He wasn’t sure exactly when they had started to gradually get along better.
“Isn’t that true? I’ve noticed that the president smiles more often when she’s with you, even if she doesn’t express much. Some feelings can be sensed!”
Lin Pingle had always been this gossipy. Once he noticed a hint of something between Xiao Yufan and Yu Yihan, he was determined to push them together. In his words, this was called accumulating good deeds…
“Never mind me, take care of your own business. Look at you, flirting with female employees all day long at the company. Aren’t you afraid the president will fire you? It would be easy for her to find someone else. Why do you provoke so many women? Be careful not to get burned.”
“You just don’t understand, my brother has a special technique for charming women. Just worship me and be jealous!”
Lin Pingle’s expression was very exaggerated. If it weren’t for the distance of a corridor, Xiao Yufan would have thrown this conceited guy off the rooftop already, though he only thought about it.
Throughout the afternoon, Xiao Yufan followed his plan, perfected the proposal, and submitted it to Yu Yihan. The reason he was so conscientious was to prove a point—that he didn’t get into the company through any connections.
Xiao Yufan had gradually come to understand the power of gossip. He had become indifferent to the rumors at work. As long as they weren’t too extreme, no matter what others said, he would just smile it off. He could feel their jealousy, but could jealousy alone achieve such results?
“Are you two… love rivals?” After hearing Yu Yihan recount the entire story between her and Hu Yingluo, Xiao Yufan was so shocked that his jaw nearly dropped.
“Not love rivals, we’re just used to competing with each other. Even when it comes to men, we have to vie for them. Of course, we used to be the best of friends…” Yu Yihan’s tone was nonchalant, while Xiao Yufan was left speechless. These two beauties were truly formidable. He wondered who could be so lucky to be pursued by both of them.
“The world of the CEO is something we mere mortals can’t comprehend!” Xiao Yufan shook his head. The affairs of these goddesses were indeed complicated, and he thought it best not to get involved. If the two of them ever decided to make him the target of their antics, he might not even have a place to cry.
“A mere mortal?” Yu Yihan pursed her lips, her voice barely audible. From the moment Xiao Yufan pulled out the gold card, his image in her mind had completely changed. Have you ever seen an ordinary person whose credit card was a limited edition gold card?
Of course, Xiao Yufan had no idea what Yu Yihan was thinking. All he knew was that after the earlier commotion, the group quickly arrived at the nearest hotel, and by then, everyone’s stomachs were growling.
“Is this on the company’s dime, or is the CEO treating us personally?” Xiao Ai went straight to the front desk and asked Yu Yihan, who was standing behind her. After all, there was a big difference between a company expense and a personal treat.
“Since I brought you all out to eat, it’s naturally my treat. Don’t worry, I can afford it!” Yu Yihan smiled faintly, her dimples faintly visible, and the icy demeanor she usually carried was nowhere to be seen.
…
Since the new plan proposal had been mostly finalized, the afternoon’s work was much lighter. By the time Xiao Yufan and the others returned to the company, it was almost 3 PM.
“It seems like you and the CEO have a good relationship. When are you planning to win her over?”
“A good relationship?” Xiao Yufan was momentarily speechless, but he didn’t deny it. However, just a while ago, their relationship had been quite tense. He wasn’t sure when the two of them had started to get along better.
“Isn’t it? I’ve noticed that the CEO smiles a lot more when she’s with you. Even though she doesn’t express it openly, some emotions are just felt!” Lin Pingle had always been a gossip. Once he caught a whiff of something between Xiao Yufan and Yu Yihan, he was determined to push them together. In his words, it was about accumulating good karma.
“Don’t worry about me. Focus on your own affairs. You’re always flirting with the female employees at the company. Aren’t you afraid the CEO will fire you? Just pick one and stick with her. You’re playing with fire by messing around with so many.”
“You don’t understand. I have a special way with women. Just admire me and be jealous!” Lin Pingle’s expression was exaggerated. If it weren’t for the distance of the hallway, Xiao Yufan would have seriously considered throwing this narcissistic guy off the building. Of course, he was only thinking about it.
For the rest of the afternoon, Xiao Yufan followed his plan and refined the entire proposal before handing it over to Yu Yihan. The reason he was so diligent was that he wanted to prove one thing: he hadn’t gotten into the company through any connections.
Xiao Yufan was slowly realizing how damaging rumors could be. He had grown indifferent to the gossip at the company. As long as it wasn’t too excessive, he would just laugh it off, no matter what others said. He could sense their jealousy, but was this something that could be achieved through envy?
“I’m naturally handsome. What’s the use of being jealous?” Even though he didn’t care, Xiao Yufan still felt a bit annoyed, especially when he heard the term “gold-digger.” It really pissed him off.
Back in college, when he was pursuing Cheng Ying, he had been labeled a gold-digger. Now, just when he thought he had moved past that, the label seemed to have inexplicably returned. The most important thing was that he and Yu Yihan weren’t even that close.
Just as he was thinking about how to pass the boring time until the end of the workday, his phone vibrated urgently. Xiao Yufan picked it up and saw that it was Mu Qing calling. He wondered what she could want at this time.
“Yufan, Ma Teng is in trouble. Can you help him?” As soon as he answered, Xiao Yufan heard Mu Qing’s choked-up voice. His heart skipped a beat. What could have happened? Everything was fine just last night.
“Don’t panic. Tell me slowly. What happened to Ma Teng?” Xiao Yufan stood up abruptly from his seat, drawing curious glances from his colleagues. He nodded apologetically to them and then sat back down, full of confusion.
“Ma Teng… he borrowed money from loan sharks…” Mu Qing paused on the other end of the line, trying to make her words clearer, but her emotions were still out of control.
“Loan sharks? Is he crazy?” Xiao Yufan was momentarily stunned. Ma Teng and Mu Qing’s lifestyle wasn’t exactly luxurious, but they were at least comfortably middle-class. What reason could Ma Teng have for borrowing from loan sharks?
Back in college, when he was pursuing Cheng Ying, he had once been accused of being a kept man. Now, finally free of that label, it seemed to have mysteriously returned. What’s more, he and Yu Yihan weren’t even that close.
As he was thinking about how to pass the boring time until the end of the workday, a sudden, urgent vibration from his phone came through. Xiao Yufan immediately picked it up and saw that it was a call from Mu Qing. He wondered what she needed at this time.
“Yufan, Ma Teng is in trouble. Can you help him…” As soon as he answered, Xiao Yufan heard Mu Qing’s voice, choked with emotion. His heart suddenly sank. He didn’t know what had happened; hadn’t everything been fine last night?
“Don’t panic, take it slowly. What exactly happened to Ma Teng?” Xiao Yufan stood up abruptly from his seat, drawing many curious glances from his colleagues. He apologetically nodded around, then sat back down, full of confusion.
“Ma Teng… he borrowed money from loan sharks…” On the other end of the phone, Mu Qing paused, trying to make her words clearer, but her emotions still fluctuated greatly.
“Loan sharks? Has he gone crazy…” Xiao Yufan couldn’t quite process it at first and appeared very surprised. Ma Teng and Mu Qing’s living conditions weren’t exactly wealthy, but at least comfortable. Why would Ma Teng have any reason to borrow from loan sharks…
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