Chapter 2
Ji Mingfei finally landed after a two-hour flight. As soon as he turned on his phone, messages started coming in one after another.
[Sister Ji, I've arrived at the airport]
[picture]
[Waiting for you at the exit]
As soon as the transfer order came down from headquarters, Ji Mingfei, who was adept at navigating interpersonal relationships, immediately called Zhou Yaomin, the general manager of Shanhe Company, to extend her greetings. The leader on the other end of the phone warmly welcomed her arrival and even assigned a young man to pick her up at the airport.
The young man's name is Li Bo, a recent graduate who was just hired this year. He contacted Ji Mingfei last night to inquire about her flight's arrival time.
There weren't many people at the exit, and Ji Mingfei quickly spotted a young man based on her experience. As she walked, she dialed Li Bo's number, and when she saw her target answer the phone, Ji Mingfei immediately waved to him.
I see you.
As soon as Ji Mingfei came out, the suitcase in his hands was immediately taken by his diligent junior. Li Bo followed behind Ji Mingfei and said with a smile, "This flight is quite punctual. I've never been late when I come to pick someone up."
Unsure whether this airport pickup service was exclusive to newlyweds, Ji Mingfei asked preemptively, "Isn't there a direct bus from the airport to the city center?"
"Yes, there is, but it's very slow. If we take the bus back now, it will be dark by the time we get to the company." Li Bo casually opened the door of the black Passat parked by the roadside, and only went to the trunk to put the luggage after Ji Mingfei got in.
Along the way, Li Bo addressed Ji Mingfei as "sister this" and "sister that," introducing the company's situation. Since the company had just been registered, there were many trivial matters to handle in the early stages, such as opening business accounts, tax registration, and bank accounts. Many things were still unresolved, and everyone was becoming almost all-rounders.
"Are we living in a dormitory?" Ji Mingfei, who was pregnant, was most concerned about the accommodation. If she had to sleep in bunk beds like when she was in school, she would probably have to rent a place on her own.
“The company rented two apartments in a residential complex. It should be quite comfortable for you. There are very few Omegas stationed overseas, currently only the cashier and the administrator, plus the three of you, so it’s just right for each of you to have a room.” Li Bo said this with eyes full of envy.
Ji Mingfei felt a little relieved and said, "A three-bedroom house? That's quite big."
"It's not so easy for us Alphas. Apart from those who rent houses outside, there are ten of us living here, all in bunk beds."
Ji Mingfei could relate to this all too well. Because the headquarters had a lot of Omegas, she had also lived in a dormitory with seven or eight people when she first graduated. Her clothes were hung to dry in the hallway where there was no sunlight all year round, and she had to go to a public bathhouse to take a shower. She was only able to move out after she saved up some money.
Everyone started as an intern!
In order to retain the young and capable staff of the new company, Ji Mingfei could only lie and comfort the intern, saying, "The company has just been established, so it will definitely be tough in the early stages, but things will get better gradually."
If we don't make empty promises, all these college graduates will have left by next spring. Fortunately, these words came from the mouth of this recently demoted veteran employee, so they didn't sound offensive. In most people's eyes, those who get kicked out of headquarters are mostly low-status, low-connections laborers.
Li Bo gripped the steering wheel tightly with both hands, enthusiastically encouraging himself, saying, "If we carry forward the fine tradition of hard work and plain living, we will have bread and milk!" So said President Zhou.
It took Ji Mingfei a while to react, and she didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
The promises made by leaders always sound more appealing!
…
Li Bo escorted Ji Mingfei to her dormitory, pointing to the door next door and saying, "That's the Alpha dormitory. If you need any physical labor, feel free to come to us anytime. Serving Omegas is an honor for Alphas!"
Ji Mingfei smiled politely and said, "Thank you!"
After seeing Li Bo off, Ji Mingfei turned and opened the door. The overwhelming smell of laundry detergent gave him a headache. At a glance, the cramped living room was filled with women's clothes.
Sigh, dormitories will always be like this.
It's during working hours now, and my other two roommates aren't home. Only one of the three bedrooms has its door open.
Ji Mingfei pulled his suitcase into the only remaining room. The small space contained a 1.5-meter bed, a single-door wardrobe, and a plywood table that cost 50 yuan with free shipping on Pinduoduo. That was all the furniture.
Ji Mingfei sat on the bare bed to rest for a while, and took out her phone to check the logistics information. If the luggage didn't arrive before dark, she would have to buy ready-made bedding, but fortunately the courier was already in transit.
Ji Mingfei rubbed her lower back, preparing to go downstairs to get something to eat. When she entered the residential area earlier, she saw that the entire street outside was lined with restaurants.
Because it wasn't mealtime, every small restaurant was quiet. The owners were either cleaning or sitting in the doorway sunbathing or playing on their phones.
The plane trees lining the streets are as thick as a person can hug, their branches and leaves growing wildly, blocking the sunlight overhead. Piles of fallen leaves swept up by sanitation workers are scattered on the asphalt road, and the chirping of sparrows comes from somewhere, but it doesn't feel noisy.
In short, it's comfortable.
"Fengyuan Community: Ready-to-move-in apartments for sale! Young lady, would you like to see some apartments?" The older woman, holding a red real estate advertisement, handed one to Ji Mingfei, who was passing by.
Ji Mingfei instinctively wanted to refuse, but his gaze swept over the eye-catching words "Special Price Rooms Starting at 100,000" and he inadvertently accepted the advertisement handed to him by the other party.
"Is Fengyuan Residential Area far from here?" Ji Mingfei was inexplicably tempted.
The woman turned her head and pointed to the residential area not far away, saying happily, "It's right there, very close. Do you want to go see the apartments now? We have fully furnished apartments ready to move in."
"If needed... I'll consider it." Ji Mingfei put away the advertisement, nodded politely to the middle-aged woman, and was urged by his rumbling stomach to walk into the noodle shop.
When a customer arrives, the owner immediately puts down his phone and comes over to greet them, "What would you like to eat? The menu is on the wall."
Ji Mingfei stared at the menu on the wall with red background and white characters, sat down and said, "Stir-fried pork with knife-cut noodles, large bowl."
Worried that she wouldn't be able to finish it, the owner pointed to the bowls on the shelf behind him and said, "That's a big bowl, and the ones next to it are small bowls."
"Yes, a big bowl, I'm especially hungry today," Ji Mingfei said to the shopkeeper with certainty.
Since the customer had said so, the owner could only smile and say, "Don't judge a book by its cover," before putting his phone away and going into the kitchen.
While waiting for her food, Ji Mingfei eagerly flipped through the advertising brochure. The apartments here were incredibly cheap; a 90-square-meter unit could be had for just 200,000 yuan. Compared to renting, Ji Mingfei felt she could totally buy a new apartment.
Just as Ji Mingfei was mentally marveling at how cheap and delicious the large bowl of stir-fried pork with knife-cut noodles was at 15 yuan, he was once again moved to tears by the unbelievable housing prices.
Are these prices even real? Applying for a transfer was definitely the best decision I ever made!
…
The doors to the VIP lounge of the Jinsheng Business Club suddenly opened, and Chu Yue, who never attended high-level gatherings, arrived late. The shareholders, who were just starting to feel slightly tipsy, cast questioning glances at this uninvited guest.
Why is she here?
"Look at this scene, I feel embarrassed for her! If it were me, I would resign immediately. Anyway, I can't benefit from the Shen family, so why should I beg to live under their roof? She didn't climb to her current position by being a kept woman."
"She signed a ten-year non-compete agreement; if she leaves the company, she'll have no choice but to go back home and farm. I wouldn't leave either!"
"Stop talking, Mr. Shen is watching us. Come on, try my treasured red wine. It's said to be made using a lost winemaking technique. If you don't drink it now, you'll never get to taste it again."
The shareholders' gossip reached Shen Qing'an's ears. She absentmindedly swirled the champagne glass in her hand, her playful gaze falling lightly on Chu Yue.
"Didn't you say you were too busy to come?"
After hearing all that nonsense, you probably couldn't find many people in the world who could still sit calmly in front of their "ex-girlfriend."
“You haven’t been to the office lately, and there are some things that need to be reported in person.”
Shen Qing'an picked up the decanter on the table and personally poured Chu Yue a glass of red wine. "This is a private party. You want to talk to me about work here?"
When it comes to work-related matters, Chu Yue never considers the atmosphere; she only talks about what she considers important. "The Shantou-Hebei project is progressing slowly, and I want to go down and take a look."
Shen Qing'an pushed the wine glass in front of Chu Yue and said, "You are the project director, you don't need to ask me about this kind of thing."
Chu Yue looked away from the glass of wine and, for the first time since entering the room, looked directly at Shen Qing'an. "The situation over there is special."
"Nothing special. Just go ahead, and tell me directly if you have any questions." Shen Qing'an casually leaned against the sofa armrest, slowly peeled off the inhibitor patch on her neck, and brazenly released pheromones at Chu Yue.
"I'm leaving now."
Seeing that Chu Yue remained unmoved, Shen Qing'an finally dropped her nonchalant facade and asked, "Don't you have anything to say to me besides work?"
After thinking for a long time, Chu Yue asked with her usual daily concern, "Drink less alcohol."
"Stay with me tonight, okay?" Shen Qing'an's tone was still proud, but Chu Yue knew that it was almost a plea.
Chu Yue reminded her, "We've already 'broken up'."
Shen Qing'an lowered her eyes and chuckled softly, revealing a helpless expression, and asked, "When were we ever together?"
Chu Yue sighed.
It was precisely because they weren't together that Chu Yue was willing to endure the slurs of being a "gold digger" for her friend's sake. However, after Shen Qing'an gained real power in the company, she suddenly proposed to confirm their relationship, which was tantamount to turning other people's gossip into fact.
From the day Shen Qing'an invited her to become his "advisor," they could never be family again. To help Shen Qing'an seize power, she personally sent his uncle and cousin to prison. They had witnessed each other's dirtiest methods; as comrades, this was ability, this was loyalty. But entering into a close relationship would only create obstacles and suspicion.
Chu Yue admired her friend's ambition, nothing more.
"If you drink yourself into the hospital again, I will leave the company." Chu Yue didn't want to see her hurt herself anymore, and for the first time, she threatened Shen Qing'an without any reservations.
To completely sever someone's feelings, sometimes only a ruthless and decisive approach is possible. Over the years, Shen Qing'an had become too dependent on her, which led him to mistakenly believe that this trust was love.
Shen Qing'an will definitely find an Alpha who truly loves her, but that person will never be her.
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