Chapter 5
The assistant knocked on the door of the hotel suite.
The next second, I received a text message on my phone: "Come in."
He placed the room card on the sensor, and with a "beep," he pushed open the door and went inside.
"Boss, the medicine's back." The assistant placed a large bag of motion sickness pills on the coffee table, then looked around before spotting Chu Yue, who was leaning back in her armchair with her eyes closed, seemingly resting. "Are you sleeping?"
"What is it? Speak."
"Guess who I saw at the pharmacy just now?" The assistant, who had been holding back all the way, was finally able to share the fresh gossip with her boss.
Who else could you possibly run into here? Just the leaders and employees of Shanhe. Chu Yue kept her eyes closed and ignored him.
The assistant cleared her throat mysteriously and revealed the secret bit by bit, "It's that Xiao Ji who just came down from headquarters. Weren't you wondering why she voluntarily applied to be transferred from headquarters? Now I know the reason."
Chu Yue remained indifferent and didn't respond to his comment.
"Do you know what medicine she just bought?" the assistant asked again.
After a moment of silence, Chu Yue finally spoke, "Cold medicine, or vitamins."
"Neither. You couldn't figure it out even if you racked your brains!" The assistant revealed the answer, "It's folic acid."
Chu Yue really couldn't guess, because she had never even heard of it before, and asked, "A new health product?"
The assistant shook her head in exasperation, saying, "Alphas are just oblivious. Folic acid, folic acid, I took it when I was pregnant."
Chu Yue slowly opened her eyes. "You mean, she's pregnant?"
"I was wondering who would voluntarily apply for a demotion, turns out it's to take care of the baby! But she's quite smart, if she were at headquarters, she would definitely be transferred to logistics. The salary is low and the cost of living is high, let alone raising a child, she wouldn't even be able to afford the rent. Here, although the salary is low, the subsidies are high and things are cheaper. Before long, she's even saved money for raising the child!"
The assistant kept nagging beside her, but Chu Yue didn't hear a word. An omega who had recently struck up a conversation with an alpha was pregnant out of wedlock and was going to secretly give birth to the child? How could that be possible!
What is this woman thinking?
…
General Manager's Office.
Zhou Yaomin stood absentmindedly by the bay window, holding his thermos. He was still pondering what had happened at the elevator at noon. Chu Yue was rarely at headquarters; how could she know a junior employee from another department? Judging from their conversation and reactions, something was clearly amiss. One applied for an external transfer, and the other immediately followed—perhaps Chu Yue wasn't after him this time?
Ding ding.
The special assistant knocked on Zhou Yaomin's wide-open office door and came in, saying, "Mr. Zhou, the private room has been booked. What time do you plan to go? I'll arrange for someone to pick up Mr. Chu from the hotel in advance."
"Let's do it at six o'clock." Zhou Yaomin placed his thermos on his desk, lowered his eyes and thought for a moment, then added, "Invite the new guy, Xiao Ji, to come too, and arrange for him to sit next to President Chu."
The special assistant reacted quickly, saying, "Okay, I'll arrange it right away."
…
As soon as the elevator doors opened, Ji Mingfei bumped into Li Bo, who was coming out of the general affairs department. Li Bo quickly called out to her, saying rapidly, "Sis, don't leave after work. President Zhou wants you to go out to dinner with him. I'll come pick you up in a bit!"
"...Eat?" Before Ji Mingfei could ask clearly, Li Bo had already closed the elevator door.
Ji Mingfei returned to his office, completely bewildered. As soon as he entered, Sun Xiaomei repeated what Li Bo had said at the elevator entrance.
After she finished speaking, Ji Mingfei said, "I ran into Li Bo in the elevator. Were all the company people there?"
Sun Xiaomei shrugged, shook her head, and said, "Anyway, they didn't notify us. Maybe we're not high enough in rank!"
"But I'm just an ordinary employee. Do you think I'm entitled to have dinner with a big boss? There's not even enough room for one person at the table!" Ji Mingfei thought back to her meeting with Chu Yue at noon. Could it be that Chu Yue used her position to make a request to President Zhou?
Ji Mingfei sighed.
…
Because company policy prohibits drinking alcohol during work hours, lunch was just a fancy work meal; tonight's dinner is the real showdown.
Chu Yue, a seasoned drinker, immediately noticed the seating arrangement upon entering the private room. Zhou Yaomin, being of lower rank than her, would undoubtedly give her the head seat. He sat as the guest of honor, leaving the secondary guest of honor seat vacant; she wondered who he intended to reserve it for.
Even if Zhou Yaomin wanted to curry favor with her, he wouldn't go so far as to openly arrange for her to accompany him to drinks. Therefore, the only way to please her without losing face was—
A short knock on the door.
The door to the private room was pushed open from the outside, and everyone in the room looked towards the door at the same time.
Ji Mingfei stood at the door, like a rabbit that had wandered into a pack of wolves, completely bewildered.
"Xiao Ji is here! Come and sit down." Zhou Yaomin smiled and gestured to her, then said to his assistant sitting by the door, "Have the waiter bring the food."
Under the watchful eyes of the room full of alphas, Ji Mingfei nervously gripped his bag strap and moved aside to make way for his assistant. The only empty seat in the entire room was right next to Chu Yue—the seat reserved for the second-highest guest of honor!
Anyone present was of a higher rank than her, so how could Ji Mingfei dare to sit down there? She hesitated and looked at the seat her assistant had just left, as if it wouldn't be appropriate to take someone else's chair.
The waiters began serving the dishes one after another. The assistant came over and whispered in Ji Mingfei's ear, "It's President Zhou's idea. Please go and sit down."
With a heavy heart, Ji Mingfei walked with difficulty to the seat of the deputy guest of honor and sat down awkwardly.
Chu Yue turned her head and glanced at her, her gaze shifting from Ji Mingfei's flustered profile to her flat stomach. To others, this subtle change in her gaze was like appraising an omega's figure.
Zhou Yaomin adjusted his glasses with satisfaction and began his usual flattering opening remarks in a cheerful mood.
After several rounds of drinks...
Zhou Yaomin personally toasted Chu Yue with the first glass of wine, and said in a cheerful tone, "It is my honor that President Chu could take time out of her busy schedule to visit Shantou and provide guidance! I may not have much else, but I have a great deal of enthusiasm for the company and for you, who represent the group. In terms of work, the department manager and I will definitely cooperate fully! In terms of life, we will make sure you feel at home! So please drink this glass of wine no matter what."
Chu Yue picked up the wine glass on the table, raised her hand to Zhou Yaomin, and drank it all in one gulp without saying a word.
"Mr. Chu has a really good capacity for alcohol!"
Ji Mingfei dared not breathe too loudly and could only eat carefully. Unbeknownst to her, she ate a small dent into the plate of walnuts and yams in front of her.
Someone please turn the table! Am I really going to be eating only this one dish tonight? One dish isn't a problem, but if I eat any more, the plate won't look pretty anymore! But besides eating, she has nothing else to do; she can't just sit there like an idiot!
"Xiao Ji, you should also toast President Chu." Zhou Yaomin suddenly called out to Ji Mingfei, instantly pulling her wandering thoughts back to the table.
That's right! She's the second guest of honor, so it'll be her turn after General Manager Zhou finishes his toast! But the other managers haven't even toasted yet, so how can she go first? Ultimately, this seat isn't hers to sit in!
Ji Mingfei turned his entire body towards Chu Yue, cautiously seeking her permission, and asked, "President Chu... I don't drink alcohol, could I offer you water instead...?"
Zhou Yaomin interrupted her with a laugh, stepping past Chu Yue to reprimand Ji Mingfei, saying, "One glass won't make you drunk. You need to show our company's sincerity! Look how much President Chu has nurtured you, how can you possibly offer her water?"
After Zhou Yaomin finished speaking, the manager sitting on the other side of Ji Mingfei had already placed a full glass of baijiu in front of her. She was now in a bind; she had no choice but to drink!
In the past, she would have drunk it without hesitation, but now that she is pregnant, all her previous efforts would be wasted if she drank this glass of wine.
Under the constant urging of Zhou Yaomin and the managers, Ji Mingfei was forced to pick up her glass. The wishful thinking that it wouldn't be a problem to drink just one glass flashed through her mind.
"Mr. Chu, this glass is for you..."
Chu Yue held the glass by the bottom and took it from her hand, holding it between them with a smile, and asked, "What's your reason for drinking this glass of wine?"
Ji Mingfei suddenly realized that she had panicked and forgotten all her words before toasting. She needed to quickly think of some flattering words to praise her... but she couldn't think of a single word!
Chu Yue put the wine glass back on the table and said without any mercy, "Come back to toast me when you've made up your mind."
Being refused a drink by the boss in public created an awkward atmosphere that affected every manager present. Only Ji Mingfei breathed a sigh of relief; finally, he didn't have to drink!
This put immediate pressure on the department managers, and the atmosphere at the dinner table instantly plummeted. Before coming up with the perfect toast, no one dared to rush forward and offer a toast.
…
After a satisfying meal, it's time to move on to the second half of the event, barring any unforeseen circumstances.
With a drunken expression, Zhou Yaomin smiled and talked about a newly opened upscale club in the city, inviting Chu Yue to go there for karaoke and a massage.
Chu Yue had come specifically for this club, so of course she wouldn't refuse Zhou Yaomin's kind offer. She glanced at Ji Mingfei beside her and subtly hinted to Zhou Yaomin, "Since it's the second half, shouldn't the omega leave now?"
"Mr. Chu, you're overthinking it. Xiao Ji is very thoughtful. If you drink too much later, she'll be there to keep an eye on you. Besides, Xiao Ji hasn't been drinking, so she can take you back to your hotel after the party. It's not easy to find a designated driver around here."
Knowing exactly what he was up to, Chu Yue pretended to be unable to refuse his kind offer and agreed.
Chu Yue only stayed at the club for an hour before leaving early, citing her intoxication. As Zhou Yaomin had hoped, she also took Ji Mingfei with her.
The assistant, who had been waiting at the club entrance, saw his boss being helped out and quickly opened the back door of the car, helping Ji Mingfei put her into the car.
Chu Yue, who had been completely drunk, sobered up instantly after getting into the car. She asked Ji Mingfei, "Where do you live? I'll take you home first."
Ji Mingfei was unaware that the person next to him had miraculously sobered up; a normal person would have been dead from drinking that much alcohol.
"Tsinghua Residential Area. It's right next to the company. Just drive that way, and I'll let you know when you get there." Ji Mingfei was clearly not talking to Chu Yue.
The assistant stole a glance at his boss sitting calmly in the rearview mirror, his heart pounding with anxiety. That clueless Zhou Yaomin had actually pimped out a pregnant omega for his boss—that was truly outrageous!
Ji Mingfei stared out the dark car window, watching the orange streetlights recede one by one until the car stopped, at which point she realized she had been lost in thought. Looking outside again, she saw the entrance to her dormitory complex.
Ji Mingfei didn't hear Chu Yue speak along the way, wondering if she had fallen asleep.
"Mr. Chu, I'll be going now. You should get some rest too."
Ji Mingfei kept her voice very low, afraid of waking Chu Yue. She had just opened the car door to escape when Chu Yue's clear voice suddenly came from behind her, "Did you run here to hide from me?"
Ji Mingfei's back stiffened: "..."
Suddenly, the assistant in the front row, who was watching the drama unfold, exclaimed: "???"
The assistant quickly picked up his phone, opened the car door, and got out. "Hello, I'm Deng Jie, Mr. Chu's assistant. Regarding that matter I mentioned earlier..."
The assistant passed by the back seat, casually closed Ji Mingfei's door, and disappeared into the night while making a phone call.
Inside the quiet car, the temperature began to rise.
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