Chapter 23
On the Sunday after the banquet, someone contacted Chu Muchao through a group chat created by former friends and privately sent him a message to add him as a friend.
Chu Muchao saw it, but she ignored it.
Not long after, that person tagged Chu Muchao in a hastily created group chat.
[@Chao Xiaochu, can we be friends? I had to leave early yesterday and didn't even have a chance to chat with you much. You just got back, so there must be a lot to adjust to. Feel free to contact me if you need any help.]
When Chu Muchao saw the group message again, he was taking a walk in the yard in front of his house.
The phone notification sound suddenly rang, startling her.
Upon seeing the group message, Chu Muchao felt a bit annoyed.
I created this group this morning. After adding her, my friend whom I haven't been in touch with much left the group chat.
At the time, there were only seven people in the group including her, and no one was saying anything, so Chu Muchao left the group untouched.
Looking at it now, there are thirteen people in the group.
After the first person posted a message with their hair on it, several more new messages tagging them appeared.
It all boils down to adding friends.
Does she look like she's planning an arranged marriage?
"bite."
[Chao Chao, do you want to go out for dinner with your brother tonight?]
It was a message from Chu Wen.
Chu Muchao had a flash of inspiration.
Before his brain could process it, Chu Wen's fingers pulled him into that small group chat.
Chao: @Chuwen I only have one older brother. Why don't you guys talk to my brother and see if you want to take turns being my older brother?
Chu Wen: ?
Hmm, saying "taking turns to be the older brother" seems a bit too much!
Chu Wen must be very sensitive about knowing that he is not his parents' biological child.
She even said things like that in the group chat.
Chu Wen will definitely overthink it!
Chu Muchao quickly made amends by calling Chu Wen.
The call was answered instantly.
"Brother, that's not what I meant!" Chu Muchao hurriedly explained.
Chu Wen's voice was indifferent: "Hmm, speak slowly, I'm listening to your explanation."
"I was added to this group this morning, and everyone in it wants to add me as a friend, saying I can ask them if I don't understand anything. It's getting a bit annoying... so I added you as a shield. But I absolutely didn't mean anything by it! I only have one brother! Don't be angry!"
"Oh."
Cold, or a cold laugh?
Did Chu Wen actually sneer at her?
Chu Muchao suddenly felt a tightness in his chest.
She called out in a soft, coquettish voice, "Brother."
Chu Wen asked, "I only have one older brother?"
"Of course! I only have one older brother, named Chu Wen!" Chu Muchao said firmly.
Chu Wen chuckled again: "If I remember correctly, you called Qin Ye that too."
"Well……"
Why has her brother suddenly become so petty and vengeful?
You have a great memory.
Chu Muchao abruptly changed the subject: "Brother, what are you taking me out to eat tonight?"
"Oh."
Although there was no one else in the garden, and Chu Wen wasn't home at the moment, Chu Muchao still felt guilty and touched his nose, acting coquettishly.
"I can't wait! The restaurant my brother found must be amazing."
Chu Wen sighed on the other end of the line.
"Understood. I'll handle the people in the group. You can leave the group."
Chu Muchao responded sweetly.
Okay~
After hanging up the phone, Chu Muchao took a few steps forward and arrived at the pavilion.
The pavilion was built in the southwest corner of the courtyard, and some landscaping was done in front of it.
Upon seeing someone approaching, several plump koi carp emerged from the crystal-clear pond, vying to surface and blow bubbles.
Chu Muchao picked up a can of fish food from the table in the pavilion, found a comfortable spot to sit down and feed the fish.
Suddenly, the system's gentle voice rang in my mind.
Miss Mu Mu, your brother is being a bit harsh on you.
"ah?"
Chu Muchao was somewhat stunned when he suddenly heard the system's voice.
"You mean my brother? What happened?"
He spoke in a commanding tone, and his tone seemed a bit impolite to me.
Chu Muchao: Oh. Hmm, it's rare to see you working on weekends.
【^-^ I was wondering if Miss Mu Mu had been mistreated while I was resting, so I came to check on her.】
Chu Muchao: Isn't it normal for my brother to talk like that? I originally wanted to leave the group, so I pulled him in to help me clean up the mess.
Miss Mu Mu, would you like to guess how your brother will handle this?
Chu Muchao thought for a moment.
Based on Xu Sui and Gu Xinyi's description of Chu Wen as a "sister-complex" person, it's not hard to imagine what Chu Wen would do.
Chu Muchao shook his head: I'm not curious. Let him do whatever he wants, as long as he achieves his goal.
Miss Mu Mu is always so Zen-like.
Chu Muchao: It's not that I'm indifferent. I can roughly guess what he'll do, but I don't mind.
The system remained silent.
Chu Muchao lay on a chair by the pavilion, casually pinched a handful of fish food, and sprinkled it into the pond.
The fish that were nearby and had sunk to the bottom of the pond also rushed up, scrambling for the food.
Several exceptionally large koi carp leaped out of the shimmering pond water.
Chu Muchao smiled and sprinkled some more fish food over.
"We have everything, we have everything."
-
In a small group.
After Chu Wen was added to the group, the group became quiet.
Not a single one dared to step forward.
Chu Wen: Don't bother her.
...
There was no movement.
Chu Wen: I saw it, so I left the group myself.
[xxx has left the group chat]
III left the group chat.
[...]
-
It was evening, in a booth at a bar.
"Who the hell is spreading rumors that the Chu family is looking for a son-in-law for their youngest daughter? I was almost kicked out of the banquet."
"I was also kicked out by Qin Ye, okay?"
"Ha, I'm different from you guys. I was personally kicked out by his brother."
Those who left the group today: "..."
"Hey, no. It's one thing to dislike Chu Wen, as the older brother, I'm sure he doesn't like us either. But what's with that Qin Ye?"
"Who knows? Could it be that Qin Ye wants to become the Chu family's son-in-law?"
"It's not impossible. Didn't Qin Ye grow up with the Chu siblings since childhood?"
"But I heard that Qin Ye and Chu Wen don't get along?"
"Tsk, who cares. It's too hard to get into a top-tier wealthy family, I'm not going to try. Who knows, maybe one day Chu Wen will take a dislike to me and stop cooperating with my family, and my company will be finished."
*
Once it was confirmed that Director Zhou would be transferred to the headquarters group, the news quickly spread within the department.
Many people, including Shen Jia, both hated and missed Director Zhou.
Director Zhou is the only long-time employee in the operations department who has stayed since the company's inception. Many new employees who joined the operations department afterward have been mentored by him for a few days.
Some people hate him for his inaction and for making his people take the blame and suffer. But apart from his inaction and lack of involvement, he would occasionally treat everyone to a meal and join in the fun of "the first cup of milk tea in autumn," using small favors to win people's hearts.
Jiang Lan is the only exception.
She truly loathed Director Zhou.
So much so that after the news spread, Jiang Lan revealed her true nature in the office, wishing she could give them a grand send-off with drums and gongs.
Shen Jia didn't understand or agree with this, and advised her, "You're still in the office, and Director Zhou hasn't been transferred yet. Why are you making it so obvious?"
Jiang Lan rolled her eyes at her: "Mind your own business. I want milk tea now. Hey, anyone want some milk tea? It's on me!"
Just as she finished speaking, her gaze met Chu Muchao's.
Jiang Lan casually asked, "Intern, would you like a cup of milk tea?"
Chu Muchao smiled politely: "No, thank you."
Jiang Lan pursed her lips, completely unconcerned: "It's up to you whether you drink or not. I'm just saying beforehand that this is a rare opportunity. If you get a permanent position later, you'll have to treat us to a drink."
"Tsk."
Shen Jia stood up and pushed Jiang Lan away.
After pushing the person to another group's desk, Shen Jia returned and said to Chu Muchao, "Ignore her. There's no such thing."
-
In the afternoon, Director Zhou privately messaged Chu Muchao on the work software, asking her to come to his office.
Just then, Jiang Lan passed by behind them. After glancing at the chat history, partly unintentionally and partly intentionally, she said with schadenfreude.
"Ha, I knew Old Zhou would cause trouble before he left. We're doomed, someone might not get promoted."
The system's gentle voice sounded.
Miss Mu Mu, don't worry, and don't pay any attention to her.
Chu Muchao didn't take it to heart.
She wouldn't have cared about other people's sarcastic remarks, nor would she have worried about suffering any grievances in her own company.
She was simply curious. Jiang Lan's reaction to Director Zhou was abnormal. What exactly did Director Zhou do to make Jiang Lan act this way?
Chu Muchao went to the small conference room to find Director Zhou.
Upon seeing her approach, Director Zhou merely glanced up, made eye contact with Chu Muchao, and politely nodded before returning his gaze to the documents on the table.
Chu Muchao pulled out the chair opposite Director Zhou and sat down.
"It's a good thing that I can be transferred to the group. I don't know your background, and I don't want to guess. I heard it's related to you, so I'll just do you a favor."
Director Zhou signed the last few pages of documents in front of him and pushed them in front of Chu Muchao.
"Your proposal last week was adopted, and it was very well done. I applied with General Manager Zhao for your early promotion, and it has been approved. Take these documents and go through the process. If you have any questions about the process, you can ask Shen Jia."
Chu Muchao picked up the few sheets of paper on the table.
The document at the top is the application form for formal employment.
A signed contract should generally be read through first, and then taken back to the legal department to check for any loopholes or pitfalls in the specific clauses.
Chu Muchao picked up the document and began to read it carefully.
Director Zhou was taken aback for a moment: "You can go back now. Just take the documents and go through the procedures."
Along with Director Zhou's voice, a gentle reminder from the system also rang out.
[Ms. Mu Mu, this is a little different from the contracts you've seen before. These documents are application forms for employee probation and early probation for outstanding employees. You just need to fill out the forms and get a few responsible persons to sign them.]
"...Okay, sure."
Chu Muchao took the documents, got up, and left.
In my mind, that gentle voice rang out again.
[I suspect you might need the system to interpret Director Zhou's unspoken message.]
Chu Muchao: ? (Voiceover)
[What he meant by "doing a favor" was that he roughly guessed your relationship with Chu Wen was close, but wasn't sure. He wanted to do you a favor by helping you get promoted early, and he also hoped to get something in return so that he could be more comfortable after being transferred to headquarters.]
[Secondly, his statement that "last week's plan was adopted" is a legitimate reason to give you an early promotion.]
Chu Muchao: Oh, so I've become one of his connections?
Hmm, maybe he didn't expect this.
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