On Wednesday morning, when Lu Zhe arrived at the company to start work, he felt that he had finally regained his composure.
Because I slept very well last night.
He found that chatting with Xue Xiaodie gave him a strange sense of peace. He would fall asleep while chatting, and his sleep quality was quite good.
His workday proceeded as usual, and at noon, he met Xue Xiaodie again at the elevator entrance. This time, it wasn't a 'coincidental' encounter; the girl had arranged a time with him via WeChat.
"How did you sleep last night?" Xue Xiaodie asked as they entered the elevator together.
Lu Zhe: "Not bad."
Xue Xiaodie pushed up her glasses and smiled with a hint of slyness: "I watched you fall asleep, you know, your sleeping expression was so peaceful..."
Before the girl could finish speaking, a middle-aged man's voice rang out from the side.
"Xiao Lu, is this your girlfriend?"
Hearing this voice, Lu Zhe realized that his boss, Mao Kai, was also there, in the same elevator. And the conversation just now seemed a little easy to misunderstand?
Lu Zhe instinctively wanted to deny it, but for a moment he didn't know what to say.
At that moment, Xue Xiaodie glanced at his expression and explained for him, "We're just ordinary friends. He fell asleep when we were video chatting last night, so..."
Mao Kai smiled knowingly, "No need to say anything, I understand, it's okay."
There were several other passersby in the elevator. They didn't say anything, but they couldn't help but chuckle at the amusing conversation.
Lu Zhe glanced at his boss, whose smile held a deeper meaning, and at the innocent-looking girl, and suddenly had a feeling that the troubles around him seemed to be increasing.
————
At 3:30 p.m., today's work came to an end.
Of course, only the boss, Mao Kai, Lu Zhe, and three other managers left work early. Those who weren't part of the company's football team didn't receive this privilege.
For example, when Fu Hanchen watched his superiors and colleagues leave with the boss, he couldn't help but show a look of envy and jealousy, then lowered his head and continued working...
The football team boarded the company van. There were six of them, and the van had seven seats, which was more than enough.
Mao Kai was driving, while the other three management members sat in the front passenger seat and the two middle seats, and Lu Zhe and Xia Xiaobing were in the third row at the very back.
The seating arrangement seemed unintentional, but Lu Zhe had become increasingly sensitive lately, so he couldn't help but think about it a little more.
Was it intentional for President Xia to choose to sit next to him?
The senior management team was discussing company business, and Lu Zhe couldn't get a word in edgewise, so he could only quietly scroll through his phone. Xia Xiaobing was also looking at her phone, only occasionally joining in the conversation to offer her own opinions, which drew agreement and support from the senior management.
Lu Zhe could tell that their attitude wasn't just because of his status as the boss; to a large extent, they seemed to genuinely agree with what President Xia said.
After passing through a traffic light, the conversation about the company and the industry came to a halt.
Mao Kai suddenly asked, "Lu Zhe, didn't you ask your girlfriend to come and watch you play football?"
Lu Zhe looked completely bewildered: "I don't have a girlfriend."
Mao Kai laughed and said, "I know, she's not your girlfriend yet. But you should be more proactive and ask her out more often. Maybe you'll be all set in a few days."
Lu Zhe was about to say something in response when, in an instant, he vaguely sensed a murderous aura.
Subconsciously, she turned her head to look to the side and saw that President Xia was indeed looking at her. But there was only a teasing look in her eyes, like, 'Our company's new employee is quite capable,' without any strange meaning.
Was the murderous aura I felt just now merely my imagination?
Lu Zhe scratched the back of his head and said, "I'm busy with work right now, I really don't have the mind to date."
Before he finished speaking, everyone in the car burst into laughter.
The business department leader said, "It's good that you work hard, young man, but you can't do this. Let me tell you, if you get married, you'll not only get wedding leave, but the company will also give you a wedding gift!"
Another manager said, "Maybe the girl isn't pretty enough? Guys are all like that, they judge by looks, we all know that."
While driving, Mao Kai retorted, "Who says she's not pretty! I saw that girl today, she's gorgeous, a school beauty, she's such a perfect match for our Xiao Lu..."
Xia Xiaobing narrowed her eyes slightly as she looked at the familiar subordinate.
Mao Kai didn't have eyes in the back of his head, so of course he couldn't have noticed the boss's meaningful gaze. Moreover, even if he did have eyes in the back of his head, he probably wouldn't have been able to understand the true meaning behind that gaze.
He simply tapped the brakes, turned the steering wheel, and swerved the car into the side street on the right, saying, "We're here. Let's get out and change into our sneakers!"
————
Football stadiums in cities are often located in remote and quiet areas. Land prices are lower in these places, resulting in much lower operating costs for the stadiums.
Anyway, anyone who wants to play football can always find a field, so there's no need to worry about the location being too remote.
The venue the company booked this time, although in a remote location, was actually quite good. The surrounding area was relatively quiet, with no construction sites or dust, and the air was fresh, nestled in a small grove of trees. The court was surrounded by wire mesh, which largely eliminated the hassle of retrieving the balls.
Lu Zhe stepped onto the court and stomped his feet twice, feeling the springiness under his feet.
While both are artificial turf fields, some are filled with plastic granules, while others are filled with pebbles; the latter is obviously more prone to injury. The artificial turf under his feet, however, was entirely filled with plastic granules, and a relatively soft one at that.
So Lu Zhe said, "This place is pretty good."
Mao Kai, who was stretching his old back next to him, casually said, "Yeah, the boss booked the place."
Lu Zhe glanced at the van parked not far away and asked, "Does the boss want to watch us play football later? Or is she driving back herself?"
Mao Kai suddenly stopped his warm-up exercises and stared straight at him.
Lu Zhe felt a little uneasy under his boss's gaze: "Uh... is something wrong?"
Mao Kai suddenly laughed: "It's nothing, I just realized I forgot to tell you. Since you don't know yet, I won't tell you for now."
Lu Zhe: "You're not going to tell me what?"
"You'll find out soon enough..." Mao Kai stopped mid-sentence, then changed his mind, "No, you'll understand now."
Following Mao Kai's gaze, Lu Zhe looked at the van again and then froze.
Xia Xiaobing was wearing a football jersey and proper football boots!
Lu Zhe was stunned, his mouth agape: "She kicked too?"
"Hahahaha..." Mao Kai couldn't help but laugh.
————
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