Chapter 14

The second day when Xu Yuan went to work after making her wish, she felt that many of her coworkers’ gazes were following her as she walked by.

When she arrived at the finance department, she happened to bump into a male colleague, who promptly lowered his head and made way for her. Various signs made it clear without guessing that by the end of the day, many people in the company, both higher-ups and lower downs, probably knew that she had joined the company.

Fortunately, Xu Yuan didn’t feel uncomfortable being the centre of attention like this. She confidently held her notebook and made her way to Sister Zhou’s office. At the moment, Sister Zhou hadn’t arrived yet.

Normally, a new employee like her should proactively offer a cup of water to the leader when they come in early. However, she couldn’t do that now. She needed to play the role of a little sister in front of Sister Zhou, but she couldn’t forget her current identity either.

Just then, a woman wearing black-framed glasses entered the room, and she even bowed slightly to Xu Yuan. Based on what Sister Zhou had mentioned, this person should be her assistant. The assistant placed a cup on Sister Zhou’s desk; it was the cup she used for drinking water.

Since she didn’t know how to address Xu Yuan, the woman asked cautiously, “Um, do you need me to pour you a glass of water?”

Xu Yuan glanced at her and smiled, saying, “Could you take me to the tearoom?”

Building a good relationship with Sister Zhou’s assistant was the second step, but she didn’t need to be too deliberate about it. Sister Zhou’s understanding of the relationships among the finance department’s staff was limited, as she saw it from the company’s perspective. To truly understand the dynamics of this small group, Xu Yuan would need to rely on ordinary employees.

The assistant nodded quickly and said, “Of course.”

And so, Xu Yuan walked alongside the assistant out of the manager’s office, heading towards the tearoom, with the curious eyes of their colleagues following them.

There was a brief silence in the finance department, but soon, everyone turned to gossip about the assistant.

“Chen Jie got the lady boss’s attention so quickly… Well, the lady boss must remember Chen Jie by now.”

This comment dripped with envy and bitterness.

The internal employees of Meng Corporation were discussing this matter all morning. Everyone believed that the finance department would now become the most attention-grabbing department in the company. No one could hide their envy and jealousy.

“Well, who knows? The boss lady is currently following Sister Zhou, and Chen Jie is Sister Zhou’s assistant. They’re bound to have a close relationship. Don’t worry, I heard that the boss lady will at least stay until Sister Zhou returns from maternity leave. That’s like half a year, so just relax.”

Whether building a good relationship with the boss lady would lead to a promotion and raise was still a question mark, but getting along with her was undoubtedly advantageous.

After all, the current boss lady was still the daughter of the Xu family.

In the tearoom, the assistant, Chen Jie, was gently explaining to Xu Yuan how to use the coffee machine. Meng Corporation had excellent employee benefits, with a wide range of beverages, including coffee, tea, and even daily dessert and afternoon tea provided by the cafeteria chef. Ultimately, whether a company could retain its employees often came down to the matter of the treatment.

“Is Sister Zhou not here yet?” Xu Yuan asked, holding a coffee cup.

Chen Jie was now quite relaxed, given the circumstances. She had never imagined that she would be so close to someone from such a wealthy and influential family, and Xu Yuan was the most beautiful person she had ever seen in real life. Being in the presence of someone so distant from her own life made her feel like she was living in a dream.

“S-Sister Zhou’s house is quite far from the company, and it’s rush hour now…” Chen Jie added quickly, “But Sister Zhou rarely arrives late!”

Xu Yuan liked the way Chen Jie supported her boss.

“Sister Zhou’s belly is so big now; even if she’s late, it’s understandable.” Xu Yuan thought for a moment and said, “If I were as pregnant as her, I definitely wouldn’t be able to get up every day.”

Chen Jie chuckled at Xu Yuan’s remark. People like her couldn’t possibly continue working when pregnant.

It had to be said that Xu Yuan’s words had a relaxing effect on Chen Jie. She had previously felt constrained because of Xu Yuan’s identity, always thinking that it was too unreal. But now, Xu Yuan’s words were like something any colleague would say. Breaking through this sense of unreality, Chen Jie felt that Xu Yuan had become genuinely real.

“Will they deduct your salary if you’re late?” Xu Yuan asked casually.

Chen Jie hesitated and nodded, “If you’re late for less than twenty minutes each month, they won’t deduct your salary. But if it’s more than twenty minutes, they’ll deduct it.”

“I see.” Xu Yuan blinked at Chen Jie and asked, “So how much did they deduct from you last month?”

“Um, I was late for fifty minutes last month,” Chen Jie replied with a hint of embarrassment. She smelled the faint fragrance of Xu Yuan’s perfume and found it very pleasant.

I don’t know why, but every day the mood when going to work is the same, facing the same job. But today is different because of this feeling, because of being close to the person she finds wonderful, her mood also quietly soared.

When the two of them were going back, Xu Yuan said to Chen Jie, “You remind me of someone I used to know.”

Chen Jie was puzzled, not knowing who she looked like. Could it be one of her friends?

In fact, Chen Jie resembled a palace maid with whom Xu Yuan had a good relationship in her previous life. That palace maid followed the unfavoured concubine. Xu Yuan had saved her once from an accident. At that time, she had not yet become a prominent figure by the emperor’s side. The palace maid would occasionally bring her some delicious food. Regardless of how others evaluated her, feared her, or envied her, this little palace maid always considered her a good friend.

If there had to be any friendship from her past life, it was only this one.

Of course, she wouldn’t superimpose these emotions onto a still unfamiliar person. She was just feeling sentimental for a moment.

She was very clear about the differences between her past and present lives.

Well, except for the face of Meng Zhengrong, of course.

Meanwhile, as soon as Meng Zhengrong arrived at the office, he called over his friend who is in charge of personnel matters.

Song Yu had been a close friend of Meng Zhengrong for many years. He had become discreet along with Meng Zhengrong and served as the vice president of personnel management for the Meng Corporation. He also handled projects from time to time.

“I’m glad I woke up early today. Otherwise, if I came in late when you called me, you’d deduct my salary for sure,” Song Yu said, sitting on the couch wearing a casual outfit with a sandwich in hand.

Meng Zhengrong called him over and pointed to the woman on the computer screen, and asked, “Do you know this employee?”

Song Yu, with a mouthful of sandwich, finished it in a few bites and said, “I didn’t know her at first, but after yesterday’s incident, I guess the entire senior leadership of the Meng Corporation knows her now.”

“What happened?”

“Yesterday, your wife followed her to the Operations Department and happened to run into the department manager. She asked the manager, “What’s the woman’s name?”

“Last night, the Operations Department manager treated me to a good meal and asked for my guidance.” Song Yu paused and curiously asked, “What’s going on? Why did your wife follow her and ask for her name?”

Meng Zhengrong was momentarily stunned and then burst into laughter.

It seemed that Xu Yuan already knew the woman’s name and even found out which department she worked in. Yesterday, she claimed not to know anything.

She was indeed a cute schemer.

“What’s her name?” Meng Zhengrong came back to his senses and asked seriously.

Song Yu replied, “It seems her name is Bai Wei, one of the few beauties in the Operations Department.”

Meng Zhengrong looked at Song Yu, his long and fair fingers tapping on the desk. After a moment of silence, he said, “Tell the department manager to dismiss this Bai Wei.”

Song Yu almost couldn’t believe his ears. “Dismiss?”

“Yes,” Meng Zhengrong nodded slightly, “and see how to compensate her; she should receive every penny she deserves.”

An employee he barely remembered actually knew his birthday and even talked about it on the phone. It was obvious what her intentions were. People like Xu Yuan, even though they didn’t have any romantic feelings, they were still newlyweds. Xu Yuan had already expressed her clear dislike for this woman. If he didn’t do anything, it wouldn’t seem appropriate.

Song Yu initially nodded but couldn’t hide his confusion. “Could it be that Bai Wei is interested in you, and your wife just happened to find out? But do we really need to dismiss her? After all, you won’t have anything to do with that woman anyway.”

This didn’t quite fit Meng Zhengrong’s personality. There were probably many female employees in the Meng Corporation who admired him. Did they all have to be dismissed?

However, it was unfortunate for this Bai Wei that her intentions were known to Xu Yuan. Meng Zhengrong couldn’t afford to have any issues between him and his newlywed wife.

Meng Zhengrong looked at Song Yu and nodded seriously. “Yes, I’ll play the role of an ‘indifferent boss’ just this once.”

Song Yu thought to himself, “This isn’t being indifferent; it’s clearly being controlled by your wife!”