Chapter 16 [16]

put on a show

After a weekend of rest, Luo Qingyue got out of bed on Monday morning amidst the bombardment of five alarm clocks.

Reluctantly, the process was still difficult, but because she had made a tough statement to Lu Mingxiao, she still smiled and convinced herself: "The company won't give us a holiday unless the earth explodes. Come on, it's another energetic day."

Luo Qingyue felt that her sense of responsibility and high aspirations were intermittent, depending entirely on whether she was willing or not.

For example, she can't arrive at the company early like her other colleagues; being on time every day is her fate. But if she is asked to do something or given a task, she tells herself to complete it seriously.

For example, if it were Cheng Wang or Director Lin who said, "If you don't pass the probation period, I'll let you go," she wouldn't really care. But if it were Lu Mingxiao, this matter would fall into the S+ level category, which requires the most serious attention.

On Monday afternoon, Luo Qingyue went on a field trip with Xu Jie to the printing factory to check the proofs of promotional materials.

The packages need to be packed and shipped to stores across the country by Friday, so the timeframe is a bit tight.

The printing plant was located in the suburbs of Dongchuan. Xu Jie drove, and Luo Qingyue sat in the passenger seat.

Xu Jie's car is the Mingyue "Xingyue" series, which is designed specifically for women, with a striking exterior and interior.

The air conditioning was blowing very strongly, which caused the citrus scent in the car to spread, and it smelled wonderful.

Luo Qingyue asked Xu Jie to send her the link later, and then asked about the probationary period.

Xu Jie used voice control to turn down the music in the car, turn the red light green, and then introduced the intersection to her.

“Mingyue’s probationary period has performance indicators, and different departments have different focuses. In our marketing center, for example, we will focus on your professional skills and task execution ability. After that, there will be many activities, big and small, that require you to come up with plans, and we will also examine your innovation ability.”

Complex and multi-dimensional, Luo Qingyue nodded subconsciously.

Perhaps because she hadn't spoken for a while, Xu Jie comforted her, "You were personally selected by President Cheng, so there's absolutely nothing to worry about."

As the car drove onto Yanghu Bridge, the sun shone brightly, and the lake water shimmered with light.

Luo Qingyue pulled down the sun visor, feeling guilty and worried at the same time.

"President Cheng is above President Lu. If President Lu won't let me stay, ten President Chengs wouldn't be enough."

Xu Jie: "Boss Lu has to worry about far more than we do. He never bothers with such trivial matters."

I'm different; he'll definitely pay attention to me.

As Luo Qingyue was thinking this, she heard Xu Jie tease her, "Are you waiting to get a raise after you become a full-time employee so you can sell more blind boxes?"

On the day of the interview, Lu Mingxiao said that his identity should be kept strictly confidential.

Luo Qingyue thought about it and realized it made sense; it could avoid a lot of unnecessary trouble.

So she replaced all her designer clothes, shoes, and bags with affordable ones, the kind that would never reveal her financial situation.

The blind boxes were brought from home by Luo Qingyue as decorations for her workstation.

Several of her colleagues also happen to be collectors, and when they saw a few rare hidden pieces, they all praised her for her incredible luck.

Luo Qingyue was too embarrassed to say that she had bought those items from others at high prices, and that she wanted to collect the whole set, not a single one could be missing.

Luo Qingyue gave a negative answer, saying that she hadn't seen any blind boxes she liked recently.

"How about I buy my brother a new pair of pants?"

Xu Jie: ...What kind of family is this? The younger sister has to buy pants for her older brother! [sympathetic.jpg]

Luo Qingyue: After being thrown into Mingyue by Luo Hanzhou, I angrily cut up his favorite faded jeans. [guilty.jpg]

During their conversation, they arrived at the printing factory and Xu Jie parked the car under the sunshade.

Today's temperature exceeds 30 degrees Celsius, and the sparse vegetation in the factory area looks sickly, as if it has been drained of moisture.

The light was blinding, so Luo Qingyue took out sunscreen from her bag, applied it, and handed it to Xu Jie.

Xu Jie opened the cap and squeezed some sunscreen onto her arm before she saw the M&D logo on the packaging.

Luo Qingyue stopped moving and noticed her surprise. She pretended to be proud and said, "I won this in a lottery during the live stream. Isn't that amazing?"

This girl has always been lucky. Xu Jie didn't suspect anything, but returned the sunscreen.

"We still need to use them sparingly; one is not cheap."

Luo Qingyue immediately reached out and squeezed out some more for her.

"I bought a year's supply, so I need to use it extensively, otherwise it will expire."

"If you like this texture, I'll bring you two more tomorrow. The sun protection is excellent; it's the best I've ever used."

After arriving at Mingyue, Xu Jie took good care of her, and Luo Qingyue was happy to share her things with Xu Jie.

In Xu Jie's eyes, Luo Qingyue was warm and pure, without any ulterior motives, and very comfortable to be around. Therefore, she was willing to take her under her wing and teach her everything she knew.

After getting out of the car, Luo Qingyue and Xu Jie walked towards the printing workshop. It was hot and sunny with little wind on the way.

Fortunately, it wasn't far, and we arrived quickly. The cool air conditioning dispelled the summer heat, and my mind calmed down quickly.

The person in charge of liaising with the printing factory was surnamed Qian, and Xu Jie called him "Engineer Qian".

Qian Gong brought them bottled water, and Xu Jie handed him a USB drive containing printed documents.

After connecting to the computer and confirming that the parameters are correct, we prepare to produce samples, including brochures and car model posters.

Having received the samples, Luo Qingyue opened the brochure.

Xu Jie asked her, "What do you think are the problems?"

In the past, when "Moonfall" was launched, promotional materials were also distributed, and Luo Qingyue had done a lot of research on printed materials.

Of course, the design was outsourced to a graphic designer, and she was responsible for making the final decisions, thus fulfilling the responsibilities of the client.

Since Xu Jie had asked, Luo Qingyue answered truthfully according to her own opinion.

"The red printed on the front and back covers is too dark, which is a significant color difference from what we need. It will look dirty if we don't adjust it."

"The right side of the paper is cut too much, and the text is almost touching the edge. I saw that the design draft has a bleed box with a suitable distance, so it must be a defect in the cutting process at the printing plant."

"And the material, we told him we wanted a matte finish, but he gave us a glossy finish. Isn't that a bit perfunctory?"

Having accurately identified the root cause, Xu Jie then handed over the task of communicating with Qian Gong to Luo Qingyue.

Qian Gong was the kind of contractor Luo Qingyue disliked. If you wanted a matte finish, he would insist that a glossy finish was better, completely ignoring the client's needs. He would even try to persuade them to change it by making various excuses. But the truth is that the matte finish process is more complicated and more expensive. Whether it was to save time or to make more profit, she had no idea.

Three versions of the brochure and two versions of the poster were printed. Luo Qingyue and Xu Jie both approved them and instructed Qian Gong to print them in bulk.

Xu Jie and Qian Gong went to sign the confirmation form. Luo Qingyue unplugged the USB drive from the computer. Her gaze inadvertently glanced at the stack of magazines on the desk to her right, with "Car Rider" on the top one catching her eye.

Luo Qingyue leaned closer, and the bold white title on the cover read: "Dialogue with Lu Mingxiao, President of Mingyue: The Survival Battle in the Automotive Industry, How Do We Break Through the Encirclement?"

It was the episode featuring Lu Mingxiao's interview.

Xu Jie told Luo Qingyue to go home.

Surprised, Luo Qingyue took a magazine photo and sat in the passenger seat of Xu Jie's car. She intended to send the picture to Lu Mingxiao, but the @ mention in the group chat popped up first.

The group was created by hiring people to distribute flyers.

Last month, she promised her uncle Jingxi that she would buy four thousand magazines and have them distributed on Pingtan Road.

After booking their schedule, Luo Qingyue never spoke again in the group chat, so someone asked her about it.

【Da Mao Xiao Mao】: @Yue'er Wanwan Yuejie, when will the magazine be arranged?

[Da Mao Xiao Mao]: Business is bad right now, I'm almost starving, I'm just waiting for you.

Luo Qingyue was generous, paying wages much higher than the market rate, so everyone was happy to work for her.

However, things are different now. Her allowance is limited, and she can barely make ends meet. With no money left, she can only send a red envelope in the group to express her apology.

As the car entered the city, Luo Qingyue leaned her head against the window, her phone in her hand, when it suddenly vibrated.

Luo Qingyue slid to unlock her screen, and Lu Mingxiao sent her a message.

[Lu Mingxiao]: Lao Liu sent me twenty copies of "Car Hero", ten of which were already signed, and they were the ones for you.

[Lu Mingxiao]: You can come to my office to pick it up whenever you have time.

Luo Qingyue sent the magazine photos she had taken to Lu Mingxiao, rapidly tapping the screen on her phone.

【The crescent moon】: What a coincidence, this is what I saw at the printing factory.

Lu Mingxiao didn't comment much on the coincidence, but instead asked her.

[Lu Mingxiao]: Are we going on fieldwork today?

Luo Qingyue gave an affirmative answer. Her fingertips moved lightly and gracefully across the phone's keypad.

【Crescent Moon】: Together with Sister Xu, we looked at the proofs of the posters and brochures.

【Crescent Moon】: I'm back now. I just arrived in the city. It's past my get off work hours, so I plan to go straight home.

[Lu Mingxiao]: Okay, get some rest.

【Crescent Moon】: As for the magazine, could you ask Xiao Xie to help me call a delivery person to send it to my house?

On the one hand, she couldn't wait to see what was inside.

On the other hand, ten magazines are not light. It must be exhausting to carry them out of Lu Mingxiao's office and back home.

She wanted to take a little break.

Unexpectedly, Lu Mingxiao replied to her.

[Lu Mingxiao]: I'll be passing through Guanjiangyue on my way home, so I can give you a ride.

This time, Luo Qingyue was more careful.

【Crescent Moon】: I didn’t tell you, I live in Guanjiangyue.

[Lu Mingxiao]: You posted a night view photo on your WeChat Moments. It's not hard to deduce this from the surrounding environment.

That was sent the night before she started her job. Luo Qingyue then asked Lu Mingxiao.

【月儿弯弯】：Where do you live?

[Lu Mingxiao]: Starlight Water Pavilion.

Starlight Waterside Pavilion is not far from Guanjiangyue, about a seven or eight-minute drive away.

Luo Hanzhou also found her an apartment, but Luo Qingyue didn't like the decor, so she didn't choose it.

Lu Mingxiao was going to bring the magazine to her.

She would see him again tonight. Of course, Luo Qingyue couldn't refuse.

【Crescent Moon】: What time will you arrive? I'll need to prepare.

[Lu Mingxiao]: I still have some things to take care of at the company. I should be able to do it before nine o'clock. I'll call you when I'm almost there.

Today, when Luo Qingyue went to the printing factory, she wore a pink T-shirt and jeans, with no makeup.

Back at Guanjiangyue, she immediately went to the dressing room, found her favorite white chiffon dress, changed into it, and put on exquisite makeup.

When you're in a good mood, you won't get tired even if you spend two hours doing something.

Ten minutes to nine, Lu Mingxiao called. Luo Qingyue grabbed her bag and rushed out the door.

When they arrived at the north gate of Guanjiangyue, Lu Mingxiao's car was parked in a roadside parking space with the parking light on. Luo Qingyue recognized it at a glance; it was the black SUV that she had hit.

Under the dim streetlights, Lu Mingxiao saw a familiar figure approaching through the car window.

He turned off the car, opened the door, got out, and went straight to the trunk.

Luo Qingyue's gaze fell on him, and she automatically activated her tracking and location services.

As she walked towards Lu Mingxiao, his handsome profile came into view, and she suddenly had a whimsical idea, deciding to play a little trick.

At this moment, the various shoujo manga she had thoroughly read could come in handy. Without realizing it, the corners of her lips curled up slightly.

With the trunk opened to its maximum angle, Lu Mingxiao stood tall at the rear of the car.

As Luo Qingyue approached, he leaned forward, preparing to take out the stack of magazines. With a startled cry of "Ah!", he instinctively turned his head and saw Luo Qingyue lose her balance and fall towards him.

Luo Qingyue's dress was sleeveless, and Lu Mingxiao instinctively supported her shoulders, the warm touch spreading between his palms.

Lu Mingxiao was slightly stunned, probably because he had crossed the safe distance between himself and a woman, and his mind went blank for a moment.

Luo Qingyue looked up into Lu Mingxiao's deep eyes. He remained silent, as if petrified, revealing no emotion.

To make the performance convincing, Luo Qingyue decided to strike first, her face grave as she wailed, "I twisted my ankle! It hurts so much!"

[Author's Note]

Moon: How does Your Excellency plan to deal with this?!

Xiao: [Eating melon seeds][Eating melon seeds][Eating melon seeds]