Christmas Carnival
With Christmas approaching, Lin Tingyue recently noticed that the office was decorated with new paper-cut window decorations, creating a festive atmosphere.
That day, she stood in her office, smiling as she looked towards the door, anticipating someone's arrival.
Chi Zhuo was free these past two days, so he specifically told her on his phone that he would come upstairs to pick her up today.
But he clearly didn't need to do that.
She specifically instructed everyone today not to work overtime for the next two days and to leave on time.
But the other people in the studio refused to leave, seemingly waiting for her to go first. This put Lin Tingyue in a bit of a predicament.
One minute.
Two minutes.
Five minutes.
After waiting for a long time, Lin Tingyue finally couldn't resist and walked out of the office. Her assistant quickly came up to her when she saw this.
"Sister Yue, is something the matter?"
Lin Tingyue pointed to the other people in the office, "Did you tell them that it's almost the end of the month and it's cold at night, so everyone should go home early?"
The assistant quickly nodded, "I told her, Sister Yue, but everyone thinks it's normal work, and the company's benefits are good, so they...don't want to leave so early..."
Lin Tingyue rubbed her temples, troubled once again.
The company's compensation... is about average.
"Never mind," she said, waving her hand and whispering, "Tell everyone to leave work early. Just say I said it's mandatory, or your wages will be docked."
"ah?"
The assistant looked at her with a puzzled expression, somewhat surprised.
"What? Hurry up and inform them that whoever walks the slowest will have their pay docked."
"Oh, oh." The assistant immediately understood and made a quick getaway.
After giving her instructions, Lin Tingyue returned to her office, satisfied.
Sure enough, just before the end of the workday, the assistant clapped her hands at the door and announced loudly, "Sister Yue said everyone must leave on time today. The slowest one will have 10% of their performance bonus deducted!"
There was a moment of silence in the office.
The next second, the sounds of computers shutting down, packing up belongings, and people urging each other on erupted.
Within two or three minutes, the employees had already picked up their bags and gotten up, all smiling as they passed by Lin Tingyue.
"Thank you, Sister Yue!"
Merry Christmas, Yue-jie!
"We're leaving now!"
Lin Tingyue stood in the center of the office, looking at her sensible colleagues, and couldn't help but shake her head and chuckle.
As the crowd dispersed, the office fell silent. She lowered her head to tidy her handbag, her heart pounding faster with each passing second.
Now, when Chi Zhuo comes over, she shouldn't be stared at by so many people, and she won't have to be watched by so many people.
The glass door was gently pushed open.
Chi Zhuo was wearing a dark gray coat, with a few unmelted snowflakes clinging to his shoulders.
He stood at the doorway, his gaze piercing through the empty office area and landing precisely on her.
"Everyone in your company has left?" he asked with a smile.
Lin Tingyue picked up her bag and walked towards him, feigning helplessness: "That's right, they're all thinking about going home early for the holiday."
Chi Zhuo chuckled softly and took her bag from her: "Then let's go too."
The two walked downstairs hand in hand, but Chi Zhuo pressed the button for the first floor of the elevator.
Lin Tingyue was a little surprised, "Hey, isn't it the basement? You didn't drive today?"
Chi Zhuo smiled calmly, "The car is parked outside."
"Oh." Lin Tingyue felt a little worried.
As soon as the elevator reached the first floor, a cacophony of voices greeted you.
A Christmas event was being held in the hall, which was packed with people, with several long queues. Their appearance immediately attracted a lot of attention.
"Wow, that man is so handsome..."
As soon as Lin Tingyue stepped out of the elevator, she heard a girl exclaim in a low voice.
She glanced at him, giving him no further attention, and tightened her grip on Chi Zhuo's hand, wanting only to leave as quickly as possible.
Wow, what a handsome guy and beautiful girl combination!
"Absolutely amazing..."
Someone even secretly raised their phone in the corner. Lin Tingyue sighed inwardly, "Wow, you really have to become stronger when you're with Chi Zhuo."
He was completely unaffected, not even giving her a glance.
But she had sharp eyes and spotted the employees from her studio who had just slipped away. They were now standing in line, making faces at each other, and some were even secretly taking pictures with their phones.
Someone saw her and was waving and greeting her.
Lin Tingyue gave an awkward laugh, as if someone had caught her red-handed.
Her ears turned red, and she gently tugged at Chi Zhuo's hand: "Let's walk faster."
Chi Zhuo deliberately stopped at this moment, "Are those your employees?"
Not far away, that group of people were looking this way with great interest.
Lin Tingyue couldn't lie, so she forced herself to admit, "Yes."
"Let's go over and say hello."
"ah?"
Before Chi Zhuo finished speaking, he naturally led her towards the group.
Lin Tingyue instinctively tried to grab him, but his warm hand firmly enveloped hers. He turned his head and whispered, "Since we've met, why not be more generous?"
The employees were clearly not expected to come over directly. They immediately put away their phones, stood up straight, and shouted in unison, "Sister Yue!"
Lin Tingyue coughed once before formally introducing herself.
“This is my husband… Chi Zhuo.”
Everyone's eyes lit up. The head of Zhuoyue Group, a big shot, immediately nodded and said, "Hello, President Chi!"
Chi Zhuo smiled and nodded: "Are you queuing up for an event?"
The assistant cleverly replied, "Yes, Mr. Chi, this milk tea shop is having a Christmas raffle today, and I heard the grand prize is a trip to an island for two."
“Very good.” Chi Zhuo’s gaze swept over everyone, finally landing on Lin Tingyue’s reddened ear tips. “I want to thank everyone for their support of my wife’s work. It’s our first meeting, and I didn’t have time to prepare gifts for everyone. So…”
Chi Zhuo turned around and looked at Lin Tingyue. "Tingting, I'm here to make a decision for you today. I'll give your employees some benefits. You don't mind, do you?"
Everyone was overjoyed.
Lin Tingyue also shook her head.
Then, she saw Chi Zhuo whisper a few words in her ear, and Lin Tingyue then turned on her phone screen.
"bite--"
A notification sound suddenly came from the work group. Chi Zhuo said, "This is a small token of my appreciation. I hope you all like it, and I wish you all a happy holiday."
"Holy crap, over three thousand..."
In an instant, everyone else checked their phones and found that a red envelope had been sent in the work group, with each person receiving a different amount.
"My God! I owe over a thousand..."
"Help--"
Everyone's eyes lit up with fervor, and they were practically jumping up and screaming the next second.
"Thank you, Mr. Chi!"
Merry Christmas, Mr. Chi!
"Long live Sister Yue!"
The employees were overjoyed, holding their phones. The long queue had long since broken up, and everyone surrounded the two of them, their faces beaming with excitement at receiving such a pleasant surprise. Some even jumped up excitedly to hug their colleagues.
Lin Tingyue felt a warmth in her heart as she watched this scene, and gently squeezed Chi Zhuo's hand.
"Alright, let's not keep everyone waiting in line for the lucky draw any longer." Chi Zhuo spoke up at the right moment, his voice gentle yet commanding. "I wish everyone the best of luck in winning their desired prizes."
The crowd calmed down slightly, but their joy was still palpable. The assistant, quick-witted, took the lead and said, "Then we won't disturb President Chi and Sister Yue's holiday!"
The others understood and made way for them, watching them leave.
Stepping out of the hall, the chill of the winter night hit her face, yet Lin Tingyue still felt her face burning.
Shops lining both sides of the street were decorated with lights and colorful decorations, and Christmas carols filled the air.
"Why did you suddenly think of sending red envelopes?" she asked softly, her breath rising gently under the lamplight.
Chi Zhuo pulled her closer and helped her adjust her scarf: "Your employees are adorable, and..." He paused, a sly glint in his eyes, "I can't just let them watch the show for nothing."
Lin Tingyue was taken aback, then realized he was referring to the employees' earlier teasing and taking photos, and couldn't help but laugh out loud: "So you already found out."
"You did that on purpose," she said, glaring at him reproachfully.
Chi Zhuo chuckled and adjusted her scarf: "I just think that rather than letting them take pictures secretly, it's better to greet them openly."
"That's great, the whole company will know tomorrow..."
"Know what?" Chi Zhuo stopped and looked at her through the swirling snowflakes. "Know that their boss is actually very shy?"
Lin Tingyue turned her face away: "Who's shy?"
"Not you?"
She was speechless for a moment.
Chi Zhuo gently turned her face back, his fingertips warm: "Listen, we're already married, it's not an affair."
"I just don't want to be the center of attention..." she whispered in defense, "You're too eye-catching wherever you go."
“Then let them see.” Chi Zhuo held her hand. “I wish everyone knew that you were mine.”
The two walked slowly along the sidewalk, and Lin Tingyue quickly changed the subject, "Where exactly did you park your car?"
Suddenly, Chi Zhuo stopped, gently smoothed her hair, and said softly, "Listen, promise me, from now on I will be your only one, okay?"
Lin Tingyue didn't understand why he suddenly said this, but just smiled and nodded, "Yes, of course."
Just then, Lin Tingyue's phone vibrated repeatedly. When she opened it, she saw that the studio's group chat had exploded with activity.
"I won the second prize! A year's worth of free bubble tea vouchers!"
"I won third prize, a 50% off coupon!"
"Ahhh, I'm sharing in President Chi's good fortune!"
Amidst the cheers flooding the screen, there was also genuine admiration for Chi Zhuo.
Her assistant sent her a private message: "Sister Yue, President Chi is so handsome! Have a good holiday, we won't bother you~" followed by a playful wink emoji.
Lin Tingyue handed her phone to Chi Zhuo to look at. He glanced at the screen, and the smile in his eyes deepened.
"Looks like I sent out the red envelopes at just the right time," he said with a hint of smugness.
She couldn't help but tease, "President Chi is so generous. From now on, they'll be looking forward to you picking me up from get off work every day."
Chi Zhuo smiled gently, "I couldn't ask for more."
Lin Tingyue joked, "Oh dear, Mr. Chi, can your wallet handle this?"
Chi Zhuo took her hand, their fingers intertwined, and said solemnly, "As long as it's you, I can handle anything."
Lin Tingyue instinctively ran away, "Ugh, I can't listen, it's so cheesy."
As they chatted and laughed, they reached the street corner, where the car was parked.
He opened the car door for her, and as she bent down to get in, he naturally reached out to protect the top of her head.
The car's heater was on just the right setting. Lin Tingyue, sitting in the passenger seat, suddenly remembered, "Hey, where are we headed?"
Chi Zhuo started the car, and the wipers gently swept away the snowflakes on the windshield.
"Mom just called and said she made your favorite braised pork ribs." He turned to look at her, his gaze gentle. "Don't you like them?"
A warm feeling welled up in Lin Tingyue's heart. Since their last heart-to-heart talk, Chi Zhuo had been slowly changing.
"Okay," she replied softly, reaching out to adjust the rearview mirror, which reflected her smiling eyes.
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