Lin Pingle’s presence had indeed added a lot of fun to Xiao Yufan’s otherwise monotonous workload.
Although both Xiao Yufan and Lin Pingle had recently been promoted to assistant managers, there were absolutely no benefits accompanying their new positions—just more work. Xiao Yufan took it in stride, but Lin Pingle constantly complained about the injustice, though no one paid him any attention.
“Xiao Ai…you should really bring this up with our CEO, right? Besides a promotion, we deserve some perks too—like a few extra vacation days, for example…”
As Xiao Ai strutted past, Lin Pingle suddenly pulled him over with a flirtatious look on his face, his expression oozing sleaze.
“Want some perks, huh?”
Xiao Ai turned around, flashing a grin so mischievous that Xiao Yufan nearly spat out his breakfast. As Lin Pingle responded with an overly eager smile, Xiao Ai continued, “Perks…are completely out of the question!”
With a dramatic flick of his finger, Xiao Ai slapped Lin Pingle’s hand away and, without sparing him a glance at his now slightly embarrassed face, continued walking forward.
“Pfft…you actually tried bargaining with Xiao Ai? Did your brain short-circuit or did a door crush it?”
Seeing Lin Pingle struck out, Xiao Yufan could only shake his head and laugh. He knew this guy didn’t care about money—he probably just wanted more free time to chase girls.
“Man, what did I ever do to deserve this? Why is it always me who ends up hurt? Can’t even get a little time to flirt! So pitiful!”
Lin Pingle was left speechless. After Xiao Yufan’s teasing, his romantic thoughts had been stirred up, and he couldn’t help but imagine creating all sorts of “chance encounters” on the street. After all, wouldn’t taking the initiative help boost his love luck?
Xiao Yufan was thoroughly amused. He almost sprayed out the sip of water he had just swallowed, barely managing to suppress his laughter in time. Just then, his phone suddenly rang.
“Big beauty Hu, what a surprise! Did you miss me so much that you had to call me?”
Seeing Hu Yingluo’s name on the caller ID, Xiao Yufan hesitated slightly before answering the call. Although he was at work, as an assistant manager, he still had the right to take a call or two.
“Of course I missed you! What, you don’t believe me?” Hu Yingluo’s voice sounded very relaxed, with a hint of coquettishness. Xiao Yufan immediately felt a bit overwhelmed—this girl had become increasingly bold with her words lately.
“Of course I believe you, but I know you wouldn’t call me just out of boredom. So, what do you need me for?”
“Very clever! And there’s a reward for being right. I’m already downstairs at your company, so come down. I need your help, but don’t worry—I won’t make you do anything too tiring!”
“Alright, wait for me!” Xiao Yufan had no idea what Hu Yingluo wanted, but since she had called, he naturally couldn’t refuse.
After hanging up, Xiao Yufan glanced at Lin Pingle, who was smirking at him knowingly, and said, “Bro, when she gets here, cover for me, will you? I’ll owe you one!”
“Relax, just focus on your date. Leave everything else to me!”
Lin Pingle gave a quick thumbs-up, confidently responding. From Xiao Yufan’s conversation, he had already figured out that the caller was definitely a woman.
Avoiding everyone’s sight, Xiao Yufan finally sneaked out under the pretense of going to the restroom. When he saw Hu Yingluo already loitering downstairs, a warm smile spread across his face. A few days apart hadn’t changed her radiant charm one bit.
“I thought you’d be too scared of your big boss Yu to come down, but I guess you do have some guts after all!” Their eyes met, and Hu Yingluo’s lips curled into an enticing smile.
“A beautiful girl inviting me? How could I not come? I can’t let a stunning lady wait outside the company all day. If her admirers found out, I’d never get out of here alive.”
“Always with the jokes. But I’ll give you points for being considerate. Otherwise, I really would have stormed upstairs to drag you out myself…”
Smiling sweetly, Hu Yingluo looked as charming as a blooming snow lotus. Xiao Yufan found himself momentarily lost in her beauty. If Qin Menglu’s charm came from her ethereal grace, then Hu Yingluo’s was captivatingly seductive.
“Then I’m lucky I didn’t keep you waiting. I’d love to see what would happen if a beauty like you walked into our office—definitely a sensation!”
Xiao Yufan recalled the commotion caused the last time Qin Menglu visited his company, and couldn’t help but chuckle. If Hu Yingluo showed up, he’d definitely be the center of attention—and not in a good way.
“One of these days, when you really piss me off, I might just do that. Anyway, I actually have a favor to ask you this time… Do you think you can do it?”
Finally getting to the point, Hu Yingluo slightly averted her gaze, carefully sizing up Xiao Yufan before speaking.
“Do we really need to be so formal? Even if you asked me to keep you company day and night, I’d be more than happy!”
Cracking a joke, Xiao Yufan fixed his intense gaze on her slim, attractive figure, causing her face to flush even more.
“Actually, it’s quite simple—I just need you to pretend to be my boyfriend for a few days!”
“Boyfriend?!” Xiao Yufan was momentarily stunned. This happiness had come way too suddenly. A gorgeous girl asking him to pretend to be her boyfriend—how could anyone possibly refuse such a request?
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