Chapter 42 [VIP]

The lavish decor, the two seated facing each other, one focused on eating while the other watched him eat. She remarked that working as a secretary for a long time inevitably leads to stumbling upon some of the secrets of the wealthy!

Jiang Zhuochen, who was in front of her, looked up and must have recognized her. He gave her a warm and cheerful smile. Secretary Liu was about to smile back at him when Xu Xing's gaze also fell on her.

His upturned lips were forced into a formulaic, polite curve, almost twitching with effort. Secretary Liu stepped forward and handed over the documents. "Excuse me, Mr. President, for interrupting your meal. This is the contract revised as requested. Please sign it if there are no problems."

Jiang Zhuochen stared at them while Xu Xing was signing the contract, slowly chewing the food in his mouth with his fork. When Secretary Liu took the contract, his glance out of the corner of his eye met Jiang Zhuochen's.

He felt a little amused for some reason. "Sister, have you eaten? Want to eat together?"

"No, no!" What a joke! Before she could finish speaking, she felt a chill run down her spine. Staying here for even a second longer would jeopardize her bright future. Besides, she didn't want to eat now, she didn't even want to deliver the contract; she just wanted to rush back to the company, call out all her girlfriends, and share the gossip she'd seen as soon as possible.

"No, you guys eat. I've already eaten, so I won't bother you any longer."

"Okay, goodbye." Jiang Zhuochen was only saying goodbye anyway, so he didn't linger.

He turned around, stopped eating his food, and lightly wiped the glass with his fingertips, a forced smile on his face.

"You're using my money to treat others to a meal?"

“How can subordinates be anyone else?” Jiang Zhuochen said innocently. “You need to be well-fed to have the energy to work.”

"Where did you learn that capitalist stuff?" Xu Xing was amused by him, and he could no longer maintain his composure.

Jiang Zhuochen winked at him, "Isn't there one right in front of me?"

Xu Xing accepted it readily, raising his chin slightly and nodding at him. "It'll get cold if you don't eat it soon."

"I'll eat it, it's not like I can't eat it even if it's cold..." Jiang Zhuochen muttered to himself, burying his head back into the plate.

After eating and drinking his fill, he followed Xu Xing to the company. While Xu Xing worked, he occupied the break room to sleep. Xu Xing was abusing his position; the break room was half the size of Xu Xing's office area, and the bed there was soft and spacious, just like at home. Jiang Zhuochen rolled around on it a few times before falling into a deep sleep, clutching the blanket.

When he woke up and couldn't find Xu Xing, he took his water glass and walked around the office to admire the view. When he got bored, he simply went out to visit the other company.

Although it was supposed to be a visit, the employees were all at work at that time, so it wasn't convenient for him to go into the office area. He could only wander around in the corridor.

He walked down a few floors and found that the layout of this floor had changed. There was no independent area with desks; instead, it was filled with things unrelated to work. And at that moment, it was very lively.

The ceiling and walls were covered with balloons and ribbons, and in the most conspicuous place was a sign with a series of strange characters he didn't recognize.

The long tables around the room were covered with off-white tablecloths, and the frosting on the cake was delicate and exquisite. The candles hadn't been lit yet, but a warm and joyful atmosphere emanated from the space. A few rays of sunlight filtered through the blinds, adding a touch of warmth to the noisy space.

Most of the employees coming and going were also curious about this person they had never met before, and many curious and scrutinizing eyes were cast upon him.

Jiang Zhuochen hesitated, looking around, wondering if he was disturbing someone.

The HR staff, who were working on the process, were better informed than others. Upon seeing this person, they immediately stopped what they were doing and went over to ask them questions.

"Mr. Jiang, what are you doing here?"

Jiang Zhuochen touched his nose. "I was just looking around. Did I disturb you? I'll be leaving now."

The other girl nodded in agreement after listening, and very kindly invited him: "It's okay, we don't work here. If you have nothing to do, why not join us?"

"What are you doing?" Jiang Zhuochen asked.

"Today is the company's monthly birthday party. Everyone here has a birthday this month. We'll all be having snacks and playing games later," the HR lady said cheerfully. "How about joining in?"

Jiang Zhuochen hesitated: "Am I available?"

"Of course it's convenient, why wouldn't it be?" The HR lady felt she had a chance and extended the invitation even more enthusiastically. "Everyone here is very nice, there's no need to feel pressured."

Jiang Zhuochen glanced at the table full of small cakes and agreed without hesitation. "Okay, thank you."

You're welcome, you're welcome.

A girl led Jiang Zhuochen to his seat, telling him to eat as much as he wanted without worry. Another girl was quietly pulled away by several colleagues, who whispered something to each other, and then dispersed a few minutes later with beaming expressions.

Then, the contents of this secret conversation became an open secret in just ten minutes. Everyone's eyes lit up, and they were very enthusiastic towards Jiang Zhuochen, hoping to see a handsome guy or find out some gossip about the president. He was so busy that he didn't even have time to eat his dessert.

After Xu Xing finished his meeting and returned to his office, he waited for someone but no one came. When he finished his work and went to look for them, the entertainment room was in the midst of the last treasure hunt. They were moving from one area to another, and it was noisy and exciting everywhere. No one noticed his arrival.

Jiang Zhuochen had already become close with his colleagues. He let out a howl under the table and was immediately dragged out by a boy with a wicked grin.

"Little brother, let me have this reward. I need it more than you do."

The result of the fight between the snipe and the clam was that another girl overheard their conversation, squeezed through the gap, and took out the box.

Wow, two days of paid leave!

"Zhang Xiaohui, don't you have any professional ethics?!"

Now it was Jiang Zhuochen's turn to hold the boy's arms. He kindly advised, "She's a girl, just let her have her way."

The boy was heartbroken. "What do you mean, male or female? Do cows and horses have males and females?"

...

After the game countdown ended, Jiang Zhuochen realized that all the company benefits he had were useless to an unemployed man like himself, so he generously gave them all to his employees.

"You're being too kind, Xiao Jiang."

"Who understands the happiness of being able to be an hour late with a clear conscience for the next week?"

"I don't understand, I have five hundred yuan, hehe."

"Is Xiao Jiang really that lucky?"

The HR representative walked onto the stage with a smile, followed by two other girls who brought up a large spinning wheel and a number box. The representative gestured with both hands to signal the audience to be quiet.

"Aren't our company's benefits attractive? Still want more? No problem, you all have one more chance. In a moment, everyone please go to the number box and draw a number, then come up according to your number to spin the lucky wheel!"

A cheer erupted from below, and following the staff's instructions, people went to get their numbers, leaving Jiang Zhuochen's side completely empty.

When the girl who had just gotten her number came back, she saw Jiang Zhuochen standing there alone and teased him, "Oh, our little Jiang is a bit pitiful."

Another girl put one hand to her mouth and shouted to the host on stage, "Why don't we give Xiao Jiang a chance to participate too?"

Jiang Zhuochen smiled and waved his hand, "No need, it wouldn't be good if I stole your rewards."

The girl was beaming with joy. Pointing to the giant spinning wheel, she said, "See? Half of them are 'thank you for participating.' How many people do you think will win?"

Jiang Zhuochen didn't understand, so he could only nod in agreement. "That's true, heartless capitalists."

"Hahahaha, how dare you!"

After everyone had received their numbers, the host asked for their opinions: "Do you agree to give Xiao Jiang a chance to win a prize?"

The unanimous agreement startled Jiang Zhuochen, who raised his hand and said, "Then I'll go last."

"No problem~"

The employees below stepped forward one by one, cheering and envious, and others gloating over not winning. Jiang Zhuochen was surrounded by the crowd and walked towards the red-decorated spinning wheel on the stage.

"Come on, let's see if Xiao Jiang's luck will be as good this time."

The girl who was coming off the stage stuffed the reward in her hand into Jiang Zhuochen's hand without hesitation, then winked and said, "Enjoy your meal."

As those words fell, a room full of melodious and loud cheers followed. Jiang Zhuochen didn't understand what they were shouting, but he had just heard the host mention the reward in the girl's hand: lunch with the CEO.

He smiled and took it, "But I already ate lunch with him."

"Wow!!!"

"Ohhhh!!!"

"It's okay, let's eat again!"

Jiang Zhuochen felt like he'd stumbled into a horde of screaming chickens; his ears were ringing. Why all the excitement over lunch?

The host had initially retreated to a corner to watch the commotion, but when she caught a glimpse of half a figure at the entrance, she immediately became more reserved, though a glint of shrewdness flashed in her eyes.

As Jiang Zhuochen stepped onto the stage and stood before the large rotating platform, she promptly spoke up: "Are you ready? I'll count to three and start. Three, two, one!"

Jiang Zhuochen pushed the colorful turntable downwards, and it spun so fast it left afterimages.

Everyone held their breath, staring at the swaying pointer as it swept across each enticing reward before gradually slowing down and stopping on the narrowest, most inconspicuous black square.

The entire recreation room fell silent.

"Two art exhibition tickets?" someone read out. "What's so special about these that they're worth such a small box?"

The host took out a black envelope, and just as Jiang Zhuochen was about to take it, the host turned to face everyone with a bright smile. "The ticket to the duo art exhibition is a special prize for this birthday party, and there's only one available. We have to give him some recognition."

She looked towards the door with obvious intent, her tone light and cheerful: "Such an honorable moment definitely needs an indispensable sense of ceremony, right?"

As everyone followed the host's gaze, a few scattered gasps of surprise rose in surprise when they saw the figure who had appeared out of nowhere and was now leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed.

Jiang Zhuochen tilted his head, his eyes widening, then blinked, seemingly surprised that Xu Xing had come looking for him.

"So, could we please invite our CEO to come up on stage and present an award?"

A note from the author:

I accidentally made it onto the list, so I'll be updating daily for the next three days!