{Where did this little brat come from? So damn annoying! 1}

The snow on the roof had yet to fully melt, and the Winter Solstice had arrived.

Qian Xu wanted to go to the staff canteen for some wontons but discovered that her canteen card had been swiped by Zhao Buhui.

In desperation, she, who was not very good at communicating with the underground staff, had to force herself to become friendly.

She stepped into the lunchtime crowd and approached a kind-looking female colleague to strike up a conversation. “I forgot my meal card; could I borrow your employee card? I’ll transfer you the money through Alipay later.”

The person borrowing the card was no longer the idle Zhao Buhui but the usually serious and composed Qian Xu.

The employees were taken aback.

This new beautiful leader rarely talked to people unrelated to her, appearing naturally aloof and not keen on mingling.

Was she deliberately trying to integrate with the grassroots staff by using this opportunity to get to know them better?

The young female employee was judging her boss’s attempts to fit into the team. Seeing the angelic face in front of her, she began to feel flustered and forgot about the other party’s authoritative status. “I wouldn’t mind treating you to a meal.”

“Great, thank you! I’ll treat you to some milk tea later,” Qian Xu didn’t overthink it, smiling lightly at the other person’s kindness. “You can come to my office to get it, or I can bring it to you; either works.”

The female employee was flattered, feeling that this new, cool leader was completely different from her expectations. She was so approachable, unlike the previous arrogant executives.

Instantly, she felt a sense of admiration.

“Let’s see what you want to eat later; I think our golden soup pickled fish is delicious,” the employee said, staring into her boss’s beautiful eyes and recommending various dishes. “Sometimes, I even add a portion of fatty beef.”

Qian Xu smiled gently, “I’ll just have a bowl of wontons.”

“Boss, don’t be so polite,” another female employee approached, eager to share her meal card with the new leader.

Qian Xu was squeezed in the middle and cheerfully said, “I just like eating this during the Winter Solstice.”

Everyone seemed to be in high spirits. The first female employee, Lin Mei, took the initiative to save a seat for her. “You must try the spicy tofu afterwards.”

“Sure!”

Today, Qian Xu was open to anything.

It was her first real step into the workplace, and she felt that while the world might have countless hardships, even this ordinary job was far better than staying home and taking care of those two kids day after day.

At least, normal adults could control their emotions, and no one would throw tantrums.

“Boss,” before Lin Mei returned, the friendly female employee couldn’t help but admire Qian Xu’s looks, especially her delicate, porcelain-like skin. “Your skin is so well-maintained! What skincare products do you use?”

Someone as low-key and reserved as Qian Xu wouldn’t want to admit her natural beauty. Instead, she listed the cosmetics she used after switching to her autumn and winter routine, mentioning some so-called international brands along with many ordinary drugstore brands.

She even shared the health supplements she took daily.

This got the surrounding female employees excited. One beautiful employee, who worked a side gig after hours, exclaimed about how nice their boss was. “Our Boss Qian speaks so in-depth; I recorded it all. By the way, do you have a Little Red Book account? I’ll tag you.”

The people around her were envious. “Unlike you, we don’t have three thousand followers to tag the boss.”

At that moment, Qian Xu didn’t seem to mind socializing anymore and calmly replied, “I’ve never registered. I’ll seriously look into it after work.”

In the clean and bright space, which radiated an Italian casual style, Qian Xu sat together with her new colleagues, engaging in conversation without any airs.

Certainly, Qian Xu was eye-catching.

Even among a crowd, her striking looks couldn’t be overlooked, but at the same time, she appeared cold and distant—not quite the unreachable flower, but definitely someone who seemed difficult to work with, easily raising people’s guard.

However, after interacting like this, the group couldn’t help but let go of their prejudices against her.

The atmosphere at the table was exceptionally pleasant, but the arrival of male colleagues from the neighboring table somewhat disrupted it. For no other reason, the person was another executive’s subordinate, who had thought he could still rise in the company.

Now, with the unexpected arrival of Qian Xu, the long-term employees under him were not pleased.

They started talking about the power struggles.

“Bringing in a woman who studyed abroad, isn’t it just to help their son get promoted?” one man speculated.

“I say, once Zhao’s own son comes back, what business would she have here?” another man joked during lunch, “It’s just a formality; she’s good for appearances, I suppose.”

To them, a beautiful woman was merely the company’s facade, unlikely to possess any real talent, let alone stand on her own.

What they loved most was speculating on internal company relationships, confidently believing that Zhao Buhui and the new Qian Xu were inherently incompatible, expecting that this new employee would have a hard time ahead.