Chapter 12 [12]
Discount
Perhaps because her prediction had worked, Luo Qingyue was in an unexpectedly good mood after saying goodbye to Lu Mingxiao.
After completing the formalities and receiving her welcome package, she left the HR department, went down two floors, arrived at the marketing center, and reported to the director.
The director, surnamed Lin, was a shrewd and capable woman with short hair. He adjusted his glasses, sat at his desk, and carefully observed her.
Luo Qingyue was puzzled, but she kept smiling, assuming she was attracted by her own beauty. Her mouth was almost frozen from smiling when she finally heard the other person speak.
“Our marketing center hasn’t had anyone for three months, and I’m happy to see fresh blood like you join us.”
"You were assigned by General Manager Cheng, so you must have undergone a comprehensive evaluation. Your abilities are beyond doubt. Keep up the good work, and you'll definitely get a promotion and a raise in the future."
I, such an outstanding talent, was actually seen through.
Luo Qingyue feigned humility: "As a newcomer, I still need to learn a lot from my seniors. Thank you for your high expectations of me; I will definitely work hard!"
...That's strange.
Director Lin arranged for an experienced employee named Xu Jie to be Luo Qingyue's mentor.
However, Xu Jie had tasks to complete and couldn't spare the time to help Luo Qingyue organize her work, so she asked Luo Qingyue to look through the employee handbook and familiarize herself with the environment first.
Luo Qingyue turned on her computer, downloaded the music software, and put on her headphones.
Leaning back in my chair, I opened the employee handbook, and on the title page, a message from General Manager Lu caught my eye.
The message was a photocopy of his handwritten note; the handwriting was elegant and beautiful.
As for the content, Luo Qingyue read it word for word and gave it a four-word evaluation: brilliant writing.
I heard that Lu Mingxiao won the top prize in a writing competition before, which is absolutely well-deserved.
She picked up her phone, opened WeChat, intending to send a message to Lu Mingxiao and praise him.
On second thought, if he caught me not doing my job during work hours, wouldn't that be like walking into the line of fire? So I quietly let it go.
Luo Qingyue glanced at the signature in the corner and turned the page.
Before long, she started to feel sleepy, tossed the manual aside, and started playing a match-3 game.
She spent a boring morning like this. When it was lunchtime, Xu Jie called her to go to the cafeteria for lunch.
Accompanying them were another man and a woman, named He Jiale and Song Tao respectively. They had been with Mingyue for just over a year, while Xu Jie had been there for two years, so they both called her "Sister Xu".
As newcomers, everyone was obviously very curious about Luo Qingyue.
On the way to the cafeteria, He Jiale asked her which school she graduated from.
Luo Qingyue answered C University, and then told him, "My ideal back then was to be a panda keeper, but unfortunately I didn't have enough zoology credits, so I was assigned to marketing."
"C University."
He Jiale searched on his phone and found out that it was a bottom-tier second-tier university.
Fortunately, Luo Qingyue was not perceptive and did not notice his meaningful expression, so she threw the same question back at him.
"I am Lu Zong's junior."
He Jiale raised his voice to emphasize, "Last year during the campus recruitment, Mr. Lu returned to his alma mater to give a presentation. I was sitting in the middle of the first row when he called on me to ask a question. I'm sure that's when Mr. Lu took a liking to me at first glance. My interview process went smoothly, and that's how I came to Mingyue."
Song Tao rolled her eyes helplessly: "He tells everyone about this, I'm sick of hearing it."
There's a bit of showing off involved.
Aside from her, probably no one in the entire Mingyue company wouldn't want to be associated with the big boss.
Luo Qingyue expressed her understanding, but He Jiale retorted, "You ate at the table next to President Lu, rode in the same elevator with President Lu, and kept talking about him to me while swooning over him for a whole month and four days!"
The scene of bickering was always very interesting, and Luo Qingyue couldn't help but laugh out loud.
To ease the tension, she casually remarked, "President Lu also eats in the cafeteria, right?"
"Both he and President Cheng will go."
Song Tao replied, "However, they travel a lot for work, so it's rare to run into them. Even if you do, the two bosses are sitting together, and others only dare to observe from afar, not get close."
So today...
Luo Qingyue frowned slightly, and Song Tao added, "Unfortunately, you won't be able to feast your eyes today. According to rumors, the two bosses have been invited to participate in an event."
Luo Qingyue let out a long sigh, her face showing regret, but deep down she was overjoyed.
That's good; on her first day at work, she can finally have a decent meal.
Unlike the lively chatter of the trio, Xu Jie spent the entire journey on the phone.
It seems there was some problem with the supplier they were working with, which made her extremely irritable.
She may seem gentle and weak, but when she insults someone's ancestors for eighteen generations, she is incredibly hot-blooded.
The Mingyue canteen and office building are separated by a road and have three floors.
Xu Jie hung up the phone, and they arrived at the cafeteria. Luo Qingyue followed them inside; it was lunchtime, and the cafeteria was packed.
Luo Qingyue has always disliked crowded scenes, like dumplings being boiled in water, as it makes her very irritable.
During her four years of university, she never stepped into the cafeteria. Her first experience was unexpectedly given to Lu Mingxiao.
People kept brushing past me, and the noise around me was deafening. Even with the air conditioning blowing, the stuffiness was hard to dissipate.
Luo Qingyue frowned and rubbed her shoulder after being bumped into. Xu Jie explained to her, "Mingyue includes three meals a day, with a meal standard of one hundred yuan per day. You can start ordering by swiping your employee ID on the machine. The daily menu will be displayed on the LCD screen above."
There was a long queue to order food, and she hung her head, longing for the days when she could just sit back and wait for meals at home.
As the saying goes, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. Nostalgia cannot change the status quo, so Luo Qingyue had no choice but to patiently follow the other three and stand at the end of the line.
Song Tao hurriedly shared with her: "Mingyue's food is my biggest motivation to work overtime every day. I gained ten pounds in a whole year. I can't fit into my old jeans anymore. Even my mom dislikes them and sends me messages every few days urging me to lose weight."
Xu Jie also said, "At my previous company, I would encourage my colleagues to order takeout after eating in the cafeteria for a week. I've been at Mingyue for two years and I'm still not tired of it."
He Jiale chimed in, "Every time I post photos of my three meals in the group chat, my friends are incredibly envious, and it's all free."
She was tempted. Luo Qingyue subconsciously asked, "Are there any private rooms here?"
Seeing that the dining area not far away was full of people, my appetite suddenly dropped by half.
He Jiale, being straightforward, gave a negative answer: "What are you thinking? Do you think this is a vacation? Even the boss doesn't give me this kind of special treatment."
Luo Qingyue: ...With such a good employee, Lu Mingxiao will definitely be proud of him.
Although there were many people queuing at the ordering counter, the process was efficient.
When it was Luo Qingyue's turn, she followed Xu Jie's example and picked up the plate, placing it on the portable food rack.
Tell the lady at the window what you want to eat, and she will scoop a spoonful and put it on your plate.
When Luo Qingyue was at home, every meal was beautifully presented, while Mingyue Canteen served large pot dishes that were not very appealing.
Is this thing really edible? It's comparable to...
A word flashed through Luo Qingyue's mind, and her expression turned ferocious.
Unlike the excited people around her who were making their choices, Luo Qingyue simply couldn't bring herself to do it.
She passed by each dish, treating them as mere fleeting farewells. At the final checkout, Xu Jie, noticing her empty plate, asked with concern, "None of these dishes suit your taste?"
Luo Qingyue pressed her lower abdomen and changed the subject: "I'm going to the restroom."
And then, he never came back.
...
That evening, Luo Qingyue received a message from Cheng Wang, asking her how her first day at work went.
After taking a shower, Luo Qingyue came out of the bathroom and saw the concerned inquiry. She sat cross-legged on the sofa and quickly typed on her phone.
【Crescent Moon】: Everything is great except for the cafeteria food, which is just indescribable.
The other end replied quickly.
[Cheng Wang]: How exactly is it difficult to explain?
【The crescent moon】: Don't be angry when I tell you this.
[Cheng Wang]: No, you say.
Luo Qingyue had no reservations.
【The crescent moon】: resembles pig feed.
Cheng Wang: ...
Cheng Wang sent the screenshot to Lu Mingxiao, and the two bosses appeared together in the cafeteria the next day at noon, causing quite a stir.
At Mingyue, no one has the right to cut in line, not even the owner. After picking up their food, they found a seat by the window.
After carefully tasting each dish, Lu Mingxiao looked at Cheng Wang and asked, "Does it resemble the dishes?"
“Not really.”
Cheng Wang was completely baffled. "The fish fillets are tender and the braised chicken is smooth and flavorful. It's still the taste I like."
Since the two-person sample was not comprehensive enough, Lu Mingxiao authorized the head of the logistics department to randomly select twenty able-bodied men.
The question is this: "Some people have complained that the food in the cafeteria tastes like pig feed. What's your opinion?"
Xiao Jia, who sat at the table next to Lu Mingxiao, became the first lucky winner.
"Nonsense. I've stolen pig feed before. It's dry and hard to swallow, a world apart from what we eat in the canteen."
Next up is Kobayashi from the finance department.
"Didn't you know that Mingyue's cafeteria is nicknamed 'pig farm'? As a top car company, I won't allow anyone to disobey me!"
...
Every three months, Mingyue sends a cafeteria satisfaction survey to the email addresses of all employees.
Only at the very beginning, when it was heavily criticized, did Lu Mingxiao change the contractor, and every time after that, the satisfaction rate reached as high as 98%.
It has been 21 days since I last visited the cafeteria.
Upon seeing the screenshot sent by Cheng Wang, he genuinely thought something had gone wrong.
Considering that the eldest daughter of the Luo family relies on the family chef's expertise and ingredients from all over the world for her three meals a day, Lu Mingxiao understood why Luo Qingyue would be among the remaining 2%.
Judging food is a matter of personal preference and life experience; opinions vary.
It's impossible to please everyone. As a decision-maker, Lu Mingxiao has always believed that it's enough to take care of the vast majority.
However, Luo Qingyue's description was too exaggerated, and he couldn't ignore it, so he and Cheng Wang came over specifically to verify it.
It adds unnecessary workload and is a complete waste of time.
With a hint of helplessness, Lu Mingxiao got up and, together with Cheng Wang, took the plates to the recycling center.
As Cheng Wang walked out of the cafeteria and toward his office, he noticed that the atmosphere around him was rather tense.
“I just saw a few familiar faces in the marketing center, but Luo Qingyue wasn’t there. Do you think she might be thinking of going on a hunger strike?”
After replying to his partner's WeChat message, Lu Mingxiao asked, "Do you have some misunderstanding about her?"
After a moment's hesitation, he continued, "Anyone might wrong themselves, but Luo Qingyue would never do that."
As soon as he finished speaking, Cheng Wang glanced over and saw Luo Qingyue carrying a plastic bag of takeout food and stepping up the office building steps.
Under the blazing midday sun, she held up a parasol with her other hand and walked quickly without looking to her left.
The takeout plastic bag had the words "Yunshi" on it, indicating it's a well-known high-end restaurant in Dongchuan.
Cheng Wang turned to look at Lu Mingxiao: "You guessed right."
Luo Qingyue's figure disappeared from sight, and Lu Mingxiao's voice was indifferent.
"Give her the meal allowance in cash, and whatever she eats in the future, as long as she's happy."
[Author's Note]
Moon: Your meal allowance is just a drop in the bucket for me.
Xiao: Something is better than nothing.
Cheng Wang: [Eating melon seeds][Eating melon seeds][Eating melon seeds]
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There will be another update tomorrow night~~~
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