Chapter 12 Class Reunion
When Song Yilin arrived at Xu's Group, it took her a while to find a parking space. A high percentage of Xu's Group employees drive to work, and most of them drive cars of their brand.
It seems that the cars purchased last year were indeed given to the employees.
However, the embezzlement in this area is likely due to the price difference. 4S stores usually have a lot of room for discounts on bulk purchases. Currently, there are large discounts on gasoline cars. If a car costs one million, it can get a discount of around 100,000. If someone embezzles money during a purchase, the price reported to the company cannot exceed the price on the official website. In other words, they can embezzle millions in a single purchase.
A few million in embezzlement wouldn't warrant the personal investigation of Xu Qingmin, the CEO. The company's disciplinary inspection department could handle it, so the person being investigated must be someone of considerable importance.
When Song Yilin went to the front desk, she deliberately raised her voice to say the car brand name and her job title.
The receptionist flashed her a perfect eight-tooth smile: "Hello, Director Song, please come up with me."
The receptionist led her all the way to Xu Qingmin's office before leaving.
When Li Muzi saw her, she nodded and knocked on the door for her. Only after hearing Xu Qingmin's voice did Li Muzi open the door to Xu Qingmin's office.
Xu Qingmin's office has a great view; two walls are floor-to-ceiling windows, offering a panoramic view of the city.
"Hello Mr. Xu, I brought you Pu'er tea specially. I hope you don't mind."
Song Yilin placed a Pu'er tea and a car model from the original factory on Xu Qingmin's coffee table.
I knew before that Xu Qingmin liked figurines, and I hoped that this original car model would catch his eye. 4S stores usually don't give very expensive gifts, and this car model is already the most expensive gift they've ever given.
Xu Qingmin picked up the car model and examined it closely: "Thank you, Director Song, for remembering my hobby."
"Mr. Xu, you're too kind. Which car do you prefer?"
Xu Qingmin put down the car model and stopped playing games with Song Yilin: "Were there many companies that made large-scale purchases from your company last year?"
"If Mr. Xu wants any data, due to the nature of my industry, I cannot provide it to you, but I can offer you a new quote."
Sales data is a company secret, and she couldn't possibly give it out. However, she could provide Xu Qingmin with a quote that was significantly different from the actual sales data. Xu Qingmin could still catch mice, but it wouldn't be as convincing as having the original sales data.
Xu Qingmin did not directly answer whether a quote was needed, but instead brought up an unrelated topic: "It's been so many years, Director Song has really changed a lot."
Song Yilin's mind went blank for a moment, and she swallowed hard before saying, "Mr. Xu, you flatter me."
Xu Qingmin leaned back on the sofa, looking quite languid, and said, "You work so hard, does your husband feel sorry for you?"
Her husband? He's been dead for seven or eight years. Whether she can bear to part with him or not, she can't see him anymore.
"I have to support my family. No matter how reluctant I am, isn't it all for the sake of making a living?"
She's a widow; if she doesn't work hard, who will support her family? She and Bai Ye are just ordinary people with modest means; they don't have the luxury of choosing not to do anything.
Xu Qingmin suddenly stood up, looked at the scenery downstairs, and said to her, "You go back first. I'll let you know if I need to make any purchases."
Xu Qingmin heard the door close and turned around to look at the things Song Yilin had brought.
He played with the model car for a bit, then got impatient and casually threw it on the ground.
Why did you so heartlessly abandon him back then and marry a man who can't even protect his wife and children?
Song Yilin is clearly a very smart person, but she never does anything smart.
What exactly did Song Yilin want from Bai Ye back then?
While sorting through Xu Qingmin's emails, Li Muzi saw an invitation to a high school reunion. She was about to put it in the trash when she saw that Song Yilin was on the confirmed attendance list, so she stopped moving the mouse.
Should he tell his boss about the high school reunion?
Xu Qingmin never attends such gatherings. He had previously mentioned that he would not attend any classmate reunions without needing to confirm with him again.
Peeking through the crack in the door that Song Yilin had opened, Xu Qingmin was playing with the car model that Song Yilin had brought.
Li Muzi handed the documents to Xu Qingmin for him to sign. After Xu Qingmin signed them, Li Muzi tentatively asked, "Mr. Xu, there's a high school reunion this weekend. Would you like to attend?"
Xu Qingmin frowned: "Didn't I already emphasize that to you?"
Li Muzi quickly explained, "I saw that Director Song is on the confirmed list of participants. We were planning to purchase a car recently, so I wanted to confirm with you."
"I'll say it again, I will not participate."
Although Xu Qingmin had emphasized that he would not participate, Li Muzi did not confirm Xu Qingmin's absence on the invitation. His boss had been a bit unpredictable lately, and he had a feeling that Xu Qingmin would attend.
Song Yilin used to dislike these kinds of gatherings, but ever since she became a salesperson, she attends every single one. She makes sure to be impeccably made up, dressed from head to toe, and arrives at the gathering in the company's most expensive car, all to make others think she's doing well. Then she adds people on WeChat, but not to directly sell cars.
There are three channels for car dealerships to sell cars: walk-in customers, customer inquiries through car websites, and referrals from friends. Not many people buy cars directly from friends, but Chinese people have a habit of using acquaintances for big purchases. So if a friend of yours is buying a car, you will ask someone you know to help you buy one.
Therefore, the WeChat Moments of employees in sales companies are all advertisements.
As soon as she entered the private room, Yi Tiantian called out, "Song Yilin, over here."
Song Yilin immediately attracted everyone's attention upon her appearance. They were all around 34 years old. Some were already balding, and some had the charm of middle-aged women. However, Song Yilin and Yi Tiantian, the two sisters, still looked like they were in their twenties. But Song Yilin had the charm of a mature woman, sexy and alluring.
Before Song Yilin appeared, Yi Tiantian had already told her about Song Yilin, and male classmates who had a crush on her in the past began to get eager to try their luck.
Because of Yi Tiantian's promotion, many male classmates came over to toast Song Yilin and add her on WeChat. Song Yilin added them all.
Song Yilin and Yi Tiantian were completely at the center of the party and drank quite a bit of alcohol.
Liu Lian, the former class monitor for arts and sports, and her deskmate Xu Qing were chatting idly in the center of the gathering.
Xu Qing: "Look at these boys in our class. They couldn't catch up with Song Yilin before, but now that they hear she's a widow with a child, they think they can. They don't even look at how much she earns a month. There aren't many boys here who can earn as much as her."
Liu Lian also looked at Song Yilin and Yi Tiantian: "Song Yilin has had a tough time these past few years. Her husband died early, and she has to raise her child and support three elderly people all by herself."
Xu Qing: "But it's this kind of woman that these men want to marry so they can take care of their parents. They think that if they die one day, Song Yilin can help support their parents."
Liu Lian: "But they're overthinking it. I think Song Yilin is very shrewd now. She used to be quite introverted and quiet, not exactly gentle. She doesn't have the same air of a江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and chivalry) she has now. This is a quality she has honed in the workplace. These men can't handle her, but Xu Qingmin is more like it."
Xu Qing: "Forget about big CEOs like Xu Qingmin, they're too far removed from our lives. I think class monitor Shen Youheng is more suitable. He organized this gathering. He saw Yi Tiantian's WeChat Moments and immediately organized it."
Liu Lian shook her head, disagreeing with Xu Qing's words: "Financially, it's quite suitable, but don't you think Shen Youheng can't handle Song Yilin's aura right now? Besides, Song Yilin cheated on Xu Qingmin before, so Xu Qingmin can't handle her either."
At this point, Xu Qing became even more interested: "Do you think Song Yilin really cheated on Xu Qingmin back then?"
Liu Lian: "That's what they say, but who knows what happened between them? Xu Qingmin is a gentleman, though, and he didn't say anything bad about Song Yilin."
Yi Tiantian suddenly joined their discussion: "I heard what they were talking about. I also think that after so many years, the quality of the boys in our class isn't that great. I was originally planning to help Song Yilin find a boyfriend, but it seems like that won't work now. I'm going to take Song Yilin to a bar later. Want to come along?"
Liu Lian and Xu Qing agreed: "Okay, we'll leave after we finish eating."
As the trio plotted to find Song Yilin a man, Xu Qingmin walked in.
The entire process fell silent instantly.
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