Chapter 1 Chapter 1 "So, you can accept office romance? ...
01
"After all, I can't escape the clutches of the overbearing boss."
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Downstairs at Hertz, a luxurious and eye-catching Rolls-Royce was parked in front of the door.
But even more eye-catching than the car itself was its owner. He was tall, at least 1.85 meters, and dressed in a safari-style cotton shirt. After exiting the car, he removed his sunglasses and casually played with them between his fingers. His narrow, long eyes were full of amorous feelings, and his posture was nonchalant.
Employees entering and leaving the company building frequently looked sideways. Even though they were already accustomed to the appearance of this young master, it was difficult to look away.
This wasn't his first time here. Everyone knew who his target was.
It was none other than Xu Zhixi, the newly appointed assistant copywriter in the creative department.
He frequently visited Hertz, sending flowers and roses, luxury cars and jewels – what was there that he hadn't sent to the creative department? However, without exception, they were all returned unopened.
Actually, it’s no wonder that he had such thoughts.
Many male colleagues in the company were interested in Xu Zhixi and frequently showed their affection. However, Xu Zhixi seemed to have taken a heartless pill. Apart from work, she only thought about getting off work every day. She would not attend any gatherings if she could avoid it, let alone go out for dinner with male colleagues alone.
Those who didn't know would think that she had hidden a treasure at home, so she rushed home every day, fearing that the treasure would be stolen if she was not careful.
At first everyone thought that Xu Zhixi was too picky and looked down on the male colleagues in the company just because of her good looks. Later, when they saw that she didn't even give any preferential treatment to Li Ji's prince, the young master who was waiting downstairs at that moment, these speculations gradually disappeared.
This young master came here again and again, but was turned away every time. However, since he came, he would not leave easily.
Considering that this person has a good background, they couldn't afford to offend him. Half an hour later, Vicky from the Account Department put down her work and came over.
At that time, Xu Zhixi was typing copy in front of the computer.
Suddenly someone stood beside him. Xu Zhixi was stunned and looked up blankly.
This wasn't the first time Vicky had faced Xu Zhixi's face, but sometimes her attention would wander. The words she was about to say stopped in her throat.
Especially from this perspective, her beauty is even more impactful.
Beauty lies in the bones, not in the skin, and Xu Zhixi not only possesses both, but also has a restrained and calm temperament like a painting. Although she is not breathtakingly beautiful, she is unforgettable at first sight.
Vicky caught a glimpse of the document on Xu Zhixi's computer screen. She raised her lips and asked, "Are you busy?"
Vicky is an AM in the customer department, or account manager.
Xu Zhixi had come into contact with her on several projects, and they were quite familiar with each other at work. Vicky was generous, enthusiastic, and outgoing. She got along with almost everyone in the company, and wherever she was, there was rarely a dull moment.
Xu Zhixi nodded: "Any work arrangements?"
Vicky smiled and said, "No, I just came to congratulate you on your successful promotion."
Xu Zhixi knew that she didn't mean that, but since she didn't say it, he didn't ask: "Thank you, Sister Vicky, I'll treat you to dinner next time."
"You even want to treat me to a meal. When are you going to treat the guy downstairs to a cup of tea?" Vicky glanced meaningfully out the window and spoke with a smile.
Xu Zhixi was confused for a moment: "Downstairs?" She soon realized what was going on, took out her cell phone and took a look, and sure enough, there was news about the young master.
Wang Zi: [Ms. Xu, I'll wait for you after work.]
Vicky smiled meaningfully, "Li Ji is a powerful backer behind this young master. Even if things don't work out in the end, being friends with him would be good for you. Why are you leaving him alone?"
As far as she knew, Xu Zhixi's family was not wealthy in Hangzhou, a city full of celebrities, but was just at a well-off level. It would be a great thing if she could marry into a wealthy family, but she didn't seem to be very proactive.
Most people work hard throughout their lives just to cross class barriers.
Is it a tactic of playing hard to get?
Vicky felt that she was not.
That means you have a boyfriend.
Vicky thought about it and dismissed the idea. If she really had a boyfriend, there wouldn't be no signs at all.
Xu Zhixi understood what Vicky meant, but she really had no good feelings towards Wang Zi, and could even be said to be avoiding him.
Before becoming a regular employee, she was fortunate to be recommended to the department director to support Li Ji's bid. Although there were many mistakes along the way, fortunately, she was successful in the end and the project was successfully completed. She was therefore made a regular employee ahead of schedule.
But she didn't expect that Li Ji's prince would pester her like this.
He showed his affection to her every day and ignored her rejection, which annoyed her to no end. But she could only endure his harassment and could not offend him, which made her dislike him even deeper.
Xu Zhixi pursed her lips, stood up and said, "Don't worry, I will solve it and won't cause any trouble for the company."
She thought too simply at the beginning, thinking that if she left Wang Zi alone, he would give up. Unexpectedly, he became more and more courageous after more setbacks.
In order to avoid being cheated again like in her previous job, she really had to think of a way to make Wang Zi give up his pursuit.
Seeing her serious look, Vicky joked, "Don't feel pressured. If he really dared to harass you, he wouldn't be so miserable waiting for you to get off work every day. If you need any help, you can come to me. I'll do my best to help you."
"good."
After the two finished chatting, Vicky thought Xu Zhixi would go downstairs, but she saw her turn a corner and walk towards the tea room.
Vicky couldn't help but frown.
…
Xu Zhixi made a cup of coffee in the tea room, turned around to go out, paused for a moment, took a deep breath, put the coffee down, and took out his cell phone.
Xu Zhixi pondered for a moment, then typed out, "Mr. Wang, please go back first. I'll tell you when I have time, and then I'll treat you to dinner."
Wang Zi replied quickly: [Why would a lady pay for the meal? Of course it’s my turn.]
Xu Zhixi: [You're welcome.]
Wang Zi: [It’s settled then. I’ll wait for you no matter how long it takes.]
Xu Zhixi: “…”
Who would have thought he would wait?
Her words were just a delaying tactic.
In the next few days, she had to come up with a plan that would not offend him but would make him give up.
Xu Zhixi has developed PTSD from the pursuit of rich people and is trying to avoid them as much as possible.
In her last job, she was pursued by a wealthy second-generation man and suffered a bitter defeat. The man was already married, and his wife was extremely critical of him. Despite her refusal, he still took her anger out on her. Upon learning that her husband was harboring infidelity, the wife didn't make a scene. Instead, she quietly set up a trap, luring him in, and gathering ample evidence of his infidelity to keep him under her thumb.
Meanwhile, the wife pretended to cooperate with Xu Zhixi's company, assigning her full responsibility for the project. Just as Xu Zhixi was working tirelessly to advance the project, the wife suddenly turned against him. The project ultimately failed, the company suffered losses, and Xu Zhixi lost her job.
Not only did he lose his job, but his reputation was also affected.
After a painful lesson, Xu Zhixi finally came to her senses. She realized that although she was somewhat pretty, the plot of idol dramas was ultimately too unrealistic, so it would be better to avoid them completely from the beginning.
After much deliberation, Xu Zhixi finally decided to take the civil service exam.
A stable and respectable job. She doesn't have to worry about not having enough vacation time, or being laid off or fired one day, and she doesn't have to deal with people like "Wang Zi" like she does now. She can also date a boyfriend with a good background in the system.
Compared to marrying into a wealthy family without being a good match and facing the melodramatic love stories in idol dramas, the stable five social insurances and one housing fund are more practical.
But I probably won’t have a boyfriend in the system…
After spending a few minutes in the tea room, Xu Zhixi came out to continue working.
At 5:30 pm, it was time to get off work. The office was still busy, and few people left on time.
In the advertising industry, there is no fixed working time, and overtime is the norm.
After Li Ji's project ended, there were no major projects for this period of time. Xu Zhixi originally thought that she could get off work early today, but the client sent a voice message asking for revisions, so she had to go back to her workstation and turn on the computer. She was busy until eight o'clock.
When she turned off the computer and looked up again, there were not many people in the office.
Xu Zhixi rubbed his head, dragged his tired body, packed up his things and prepared to go home after get off work, when the WeChat group suddenly became noisy.
It was a message from Xiao An, the assistant AD in the account department, saying that the director was treating everyone to a meal to celebrate the successful completion of Li Ji's project and also to reward everyone for their diligence and hard work in recent times.
After the last successful competition, no celebration party was held due to the urgency of the project. Xu Zhixi thought that there would be no celebration party, but he didn't expect it to be arranged today.
It seems that she won't be able to study tonight.
Some were happy and some were sad. It was obvious that Xu Zhixi was the sad one, but the other colleagues were very happy about this kind of gathering.
The most excited person is Liao Keke, an intern who came in at the same time as Xu Zhixi. She has not yet been hired as a regular employee, but because of her good family background and optimistic personality, she still works tirelessly every day, taking her meager salary and doing her job based on her hobbies.
Although there is a high possibility that she will not be able to become a regular employee, she does not feel sad. She thinks that every day she can stay in the company is a day.
After learning that a celebration banquet was to be held, Liao Keke ran to find Xu Zhixi.
Liao Keke has her own car, a million-level Panamera. She put a pink car film on it and goes to and from get off work every day with such exquisite elegance that she looks like a young lady coming out to experience life.
Xu Zhixi originally wanted to take a taxi, but Liao Keke insisted on going with her, so she had to cancel her taxi plan and got in Liao Keke's car.
In the car, Liao Keke kept talking. After chatting about work and gossip, she talked about Wang Zi, the rich second-generation man who had been pursuing Xu Zhixi madly recently: "Xiaoxi, you must not accept Wang Zi. This guy is an asshole in the circle. He changes girlfriends more than he changes clothes."
Xu Zhixi: "Yeah, I understand."
Liao Keke said disdainfully: "He is not worthy of you at all."
Xu Zhixi couldn't help laughing: "Do you know him well?"
Liao Keke said earnestly, "Everyone in the circle knows what kind of person he is. Just don't let him fool you."
Xu Zhixi accepted her kindness: "Okay."
"But I think some of the male colleagues in the company are quite good. You can consider them." Liao Keke changed the subject, stroking her chin and glancing at Xu Zhixi. "If you have a boyfriend, you shouldn't have so many bad peach blossoms."
Xu Zhixi smiled and said nothing.
"But you don't want an office romance, do you?"
Xu Zhixi lowered his head to look at his phone and was stunned when he heard her words.
Liao Keke continued, "If you could accept office romance, you wouldn't be so cautious with male colleagues."
Xu Zhixi put away his phone: "I'm not trying to avoid suspicion, I just don't like it and don't intend to give it hope."
Liao Keke grasped the point and was a little surprised: "So you can accept office romance?"
"Not really..." Xu Zhixi didn't know how to explain. It felt like something was getting off-topic, so he simply ended the conversation: "Why are you asking these questions? Look carefully at the road. We're almost at the restaurant."
Ask what's wrong?
Liao Keke felt something was wrong with her, but she couldn't put her finger on it. The restaurant was right at the intersection ahead, so she put her doubts aside and focused on driving.
The dinner venue was set at a high-end private chef restaurant in the city. It has a good environment, high consumption, and is equipped with entertainment facilities where people can sing after dinner.
The private room was on the third floor. Led by the waiter, Xu Zhixi and Liao Keke walked straight through the lobby to the elevator hall.
The elevator door opened, and just as Xu Zhixi was about to go in, he noticed out of the corner of his eye that the elevator door not far away had also opened, and two tall men walked out.
A staff member wearing a restaurant uniform and looking like a hotel management stood respectfully on the side waiting. After the two people got out of the elevator, he followed behind them.
Of the two equally striking men, Xu Zhixi only noticed the dull-looking man. The bright light illuminated his deep profile, his brows and eyes taking on a cool, cool hue. He pursed his lips, staring straight ahead as he listened to the equally distinguished man beside him, occasionally nodding in agreement.
Xu Zhixi stood still, frowning slightly.
"Miss?" the waiter beside him called out.
Liao Keke followed her gaze, but only saw the blurry silhouettes of two men walking away. She didn't notice anything unusual and asked in confusion, "What's wrong? Do you know them?"
Xu Zhixi shook his head: "I was mistaken."
Liao Keke was skeptical, but didn't ask any more questions.
The author has something to say:
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Mine Clearing/Reading Guide:
1. The heroine works hard to get a civil service exam just for the sake of stability, not career ambition. The heroine is beautiful and does not accept any rebuttal. The whole story is a Mary Sue who does not pursue reality.
2. The advertising industry has many inherent limitations, so don't get involved if you don't like them. For example, the advertising industry is incredibly overworked, and this needs to change, otherwise relationships won't last, and it's incredibly annoying. (There are many other limitations, so I won't list them all. However, if there are any industry taboos, please feel free to point them out.)
3. While the male protagonist's concealment of his identity is justified, it's ultimately deception, which is unacceptable in real life. If you can't accept the male protagonist's concealment of his identity and his relationship with the female protagonist, don't be tempted to do anything. Immediately! Run! The male protagonist deliberately conceals his identity just to achieve a happy ending with the female protagonist. The male protagonist is a complete pervert, and in the middle and later stages, he just loves to sleep (v.).
4. The male protagonist will definitely chase his wife to the crematorium, and the female protagonist will definitely forgive her. But it won't be too cremation, at most it will drag on for a few chapters, and the main focus will be on the love story. After all, the author is an old-fashioned romance dog.
5. If you can accept the above, I think there shouldn’t be any big problems, right?
Also, send a red envelope ~ kiss! [kiss][kiss][kiss]
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