Gao Ge got a promotion and he was not stingy. He treated everyone to a dinner in the evening as requested.
Everyone told each other that in the end there were about twenty people competing, and they joked that Gao Ge would have to spend a lot of money tonight.
Gao Ge didn't mind and went to Xia Xi's office to invite her in person. Xia Xi didn't refuse. Before leaving get off work, she called Xu Yanfeng and said, "My colleagues are treating me to dinner tonight. I can't accompany you and the children. Don't wait for me."
Xu Yanfeng hummed and asked, "Is the meeting over? Do you have any plans for this Saturday?"
Xia Xi was speechless for a while, then sighed: "I'll tell you when we get back."
From her tone, Xu Yanfeng had a premonition that something might have prevented her from going. He didn't show his disappointment, but said softly, "Where are you eating? I'll pick you up after we're done."
Xia Xi: "I drove the car."
Xu Yanfeng: "You guys are not allowed to drink alcohol during the dinner."
Xia Xi thought about it and said, "I'll send you the location when I get there."
After get off work, Xia Xi was too lazy to drive, so she shared a car with her colleagues to go to the dinner party.
Several long dining tables were put together, with about ten people sitting on each side. Several grill plates were placed on the tables, piled high with fresh meats and vegetables, as well as snack platters. Everyone had worked together for a long time and was familiar with each other, so no one was reserved and everyone ate and drank freely.
Gao Ge poured a glass of baijiu, held it up with both hands, and toasted Xia Xi: "Thank you for your recommendation at the meeting today. Don't worry if you laugh at me, I really want to be the director, and I want to be the vice president in the future. Because I messed up Mrs. Li's project before, I didn't have the courage to recommend myself. This glass of wine is for you. I used to be petty, but not only did you not care, you also gave me a push. I am very grateful."
Gao Ge downed the cup in one gulp, wiped the corner of his lips, and smiled with bright eyes: "I'll drink it. If you can't drink, just be casual and drink juice."
Xia Xi pushed the coconut water in front of her away and switched to white. She wasn't as good of a drinker as Gao Ge, so she took two sips and said, "Let's not talk about the past." Xia Xi tilted her head, lowered her voice, and revealed to her, "At the meeting today, even if I didn't say anything, the director position would still be yours. Lu Mingji knew it all. He said that everyone could raise their ideas, but in fact, he had already made a decision, and it was just a formality."
Gao Ge laughed out loud: "Is it really okay for you to say that about Mr. Lu behind his back?"
Xia Xi: "He is just an old fox. He deliberately pointed at me and made me speak up."
Gao Ge suppressed his smile, puzzled: "Why?"
"That way, even if someone feels unbalanced, they won't blame him because I recommended him."
Gao Ge didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "Boss Lu, aren't you afraid that others will have opinions about you because of this?"
"He and I are in different positions. He's the boss and rarely interacts with everyone else," Xia Xi said. "I mingle with you all the time. Even if someone isn't convinced, they won't take it too seriously."
Gao Ge nodded and brought up the matter of appearing on the show again: "So, Mr. Lu has already decided that you will participate in that variety show?"
Xia Xi couldn't bear to hear this. She felt a headache coming on. She picked up the wine glass and took a sip: "That's it."
"It's okay." Gao Ge breathed a sigh of relief. "When I saw you resisting so much, I felt a pang in my heart. I thought I had done something wrong with my good intentions. I really think you're suitable for the show. You have a good resume and a good image. Maybe you'll become an instant star and become our Boya spokesperson."
Xia Xi smiled dryly.
She wasn't really stage-frightened about appearing on TV shows, but she just didn't like dealing with complicated situations. The older she got, the more she dreaded the hassle. The cameras would be on, and all sorts of weirdos would be flashing before her eyes. Then, the editing would mess things up, creating conflicting scenes and gimmicks, which would cause the audience to argue non-stop. If she wasn't careful, she might even get cyberbullied... Just thinking about it made Xia Xi shudder and take a sip of wine to calm her nerves.
Gao Ge patted her shoulder and smiled comfortingly, "Maybe it's not as complicated as you think. Isn't the director a friend of Mr. Lu? Ask Mr. Lu to inform the director so that he can open a backdoor for you and take good care of you." She held the tongs in one hand and the scissors in the other, cutting the roasted beef into small pieces and putting a few pieces on Xia Xi's plate. "It sounds like a very simple program. There shouldn't be too much fancy hype. You can just communicate with the client normally, draw a design that satisfies them according to their needs, and then have the construction team install it according to the design. It's just like our daily work, except that there's a camera recording while we work."
"I wish it were that simple." Xia Xi picked up the barbecue on the plate with chopsticks, dipped it in the dry seasoning, wrapped it in lettuce leaves, stuffed it into his mouth, and chewed slowly.
The dinner ended around eight o'clock, but everyone was still not satisfied and suggested going to a nearby KTV for another round. Xia Xi waved her hand: "You guys go, I won't go."
Some people, like Xia Xi, wanted to go home and rest early. Several people, more or less drunk, were waiting for a car on the roadside.
The other colleagues who were about to go to KTV asked with concern: "How are you guys going to get back?"
"Pei Yichuan and I are going the same way, so let's share a carpool."
"I called a designated driver, and he'll be here in five minutes."
"I booked a car."
"Where's Mr. Xia? What's your response? You've been drinking too, right?"
Xia Xi was holding her phone, looking down at the message. Upon hearing this, she looked up at them, hesitated, shook her phone, and said truthfully, "My boyfriend is coming to answer it."
The word "boyfriend" instantly ignited the gossip fervor of everyone present. Rumors had circulated throughout the company that Xia Xi and the man from the Xu Group were dating, with more than one person having spotted them being intimate. Everyone kept it a secret, and no one approached Xia Xi to confirm it. Tonight was a rare opportunity, and the atmosphere was perfect, so everyone let go of their inhibitions and began to explore.
"Mr. Xia, is your boyfriend Xu Yanfeng?" someone asked.
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