Free Web NovelChapter 39: Chapter 39: Picking Up from Work
She laid on the sweet talk for a solid ten minutes, making Chen Xiao wonder if she’d majored in Chinese literature. How else could she be so endlessly eloquent?
"Alright, alright. For the money. Contact Yang Ming directly for the order—it’s for 4 million! Just don’t forget my sales commission!"
Four million. Xu Wu was so excited she blew him a kiss through the phone. "Don’t worry," she said, "The moment the payment clears, your commission will be sent!"
After hanging up, he returned to the office and reported to Feng Feifei on Central Inspection’s procurement needs. An order of that magnitude required advance preparation.
When Feng Feifei heard he’d landed a 12-million-yuan order, she was so overjoyed she was practically speechless. After a moment, she finally asked, "Chen Xiao, you’re never in the office. Have you been off praying to the God of Wealth or something?"
"If praying to the God of Wealth could land orders, do you think it would even be my turn?"
She was just joking, of course. Since it was an order from Central Inspection, and she had just seen Li Guoqiang’s attitude toward her and Chen Xiao, the deal was practically a sure thing. That’s why she felt confident enough to start preparing the stock in advance. freewebnøvel.com
After discussing the order, she said to Chen Xiao, "When you’re out and about, keep an eye out for a suitable office space. Thanks to your incredible contributions, the company’s financial situation has improved dramatically. We’re already entering a phase of rapid growth."
"As we hire more people, this office clearly won’t be big enough. We need to find a new location. You’re out and about more often, so please keep an eye out."
Chen Xiao agreed and left her office.
He sent a text to Zhao Xiangjun, telling her he would pick her up after work so they could go look at places at Bihu Twin Seals.
Zhao Xiangjun usually took the subway home alone, but since Chen Xiao was picking her up today, she took the elevator down to the parking garage after work.
This prompted a few colleagues to tease her relentlessly. She was a creature of habit; for the past eight years, her routine was set in stone—from her apartment to the office and back again. There were never any exceptions, unless she took leave to go back to her hometown.
"Xiangjun, what’s up? Someone picking you up after work today?"
Going to the underground garage meant one of two things: either you were driving, or someone was picking you up. And all her colleagues knew Zhao Xiangjun didn’t drive.
"Yeah," she replied casually.
"Don’t tell me it’s a guy?"
"What’s that supposed to mean? You think I can only get along with other women?" she pouted.
Zhao Xiangjun had an incredibly close best friend. They were so inseparable that they worked together, rented an apartment together, went shopping together—they did everything as a pair. For a while, people even mistook them for a couple.
Later, her best friend got married and moved back to her hometown, nearly a thousand kilometers away from Jiangzhou City. After that, Zhao Xiangjun became a bit of a loner.
Her colleagues were only asking because they hadn’t seen her with a man in all those years.
"Has our dear Xiangjun finally come to her senses? I’ve told you before, a woman has to find a rich boyfriend or a sugar daddy while she’s still young, otherwise you’ll waste your best years!"
Zhao Xiangjun didn’t take the bait. There were plenty of people around her eager to set her up with a boyfriend, but how many of them truly had her best interests at heart? ’They just want me to sell myself,’ she thought.
"Just look at Xu Li. Her boyfriend picks her up in a Mercedes-Benz every single day and even gives her a monthly allowance. I’m not so lucky. I ended up with a useless boyfriend who drives some cheap Qin. He works as a rideshare driver during the day before coming to pick me up at night."
By "not so lucky," she meant her looks weren’t good enough to land a sugar daddy.
Zhao Xiangjun just smiled. That’s how it was in their circle, especially for sales associates at men’s clothing stores. If you met a wealthy patron and the two of you hit it off, you could make way more money than you ever would from your salary.
Chatting and laughing, the women made their way down to the parking garage. Just then, Xu Li spotted her boyfriend’s car and gave a wave. A Mercedes-Benz S350 pulled up.
"Xiangjun, Sister Nan, my boyfriend’s here. I’m taking off!"
Xu Li got in the car, but when her boyfriend didn’t start the engine, she asked, "What’s wrong? Let’s go!"
Her boyfriend finally snapped out of his daze. Starting the car, he asked, "Were those two your colleagues? I saw you all talking."
"Hmph! You just thought my colleague was pretty, didn’t you? Well, you can forget about it. It doesn’t matter that you drive a Mercedes-Benz; even the guys who roll up to our store in a Rolls-Royce strike out. They can’t get her number or her WeChat, nothing!"
Her boyfriend was almost fifty and looked like a mangy dog. If he weren’t rich, even she wouldn’t have given him a second glance, to say nothing of Zhao Xiangjun, who wasn’t even interested in money.
Xu Li’s boyfriend chuckled. "How could I? You’re more than enough for me! But speaking of which, your colleague sure is proud. I wonder what kind of man could actually catch her eye."
Xu Li rolled her eyes and ignored him. ’Lesson learned: never bring Zhao Xiangjun along when you’re meeting a guy. It’s just too demoralizing.’
"See that, Xiangjun? Don’t mind that Xu Li’s boyfriend is old and ugly—he’s willing to spend money on her! I heard he’s been taking her house-hunting lately. He’s apparently going to cover her down payment and even help with the mortgage payments!"
Zhao Xiangjun just mumbled an "Oh." She wasn’t interested in this kind of talk and busied herself with texting Chen Xiao her location. It was his first time picking her up here, so neither of them knew their way around, and the garage was packed with cars, causing a delay.
"I know you don’t like hearing this, but I’m just looking out for you," Sister Nan said. "You’re young and beautiful right now. You should find a man, buy a house, and save some money. That’s what really matters. If you wait until you’re over thirty, it’ll be too late to change course!"
’Why do people always have to say, "I’m just looking out for you," before they start lecturing someone? Can’t they see their audience is already getting impatient?’
Zhao Xiangjun’s standard response to such lectures was silence.
"Sister Nan, has your boyfriend arrived yet?" she asked, deliberately changing the subject.
"Yeah, he’s stuck in traffic. The garage is always so congested right after work! Oh, wait, I see him! Look, that Qin L up ahead is my boyfriend’s car!"
Zhao Xiangjun followed her finger and saw a BYD Qin L. And what a coincidence—Chen Xiao’s car was right in front of it.
"My boyfriend’s a pretty decent guy. He’s frugal when it comes to spending on himself, but he treats me well. He told me the other day that picking me up every day is inconvenient, so he’s planning to buy me a small electric car to get around in!"
She sounded a bit smug as she said this. Sister Nan was in her thirties. You wouldn’t call her beautiful, but she wasn’t ugly either. The fact that a man was still willing to spend money on her was a small point of pride.
Besides, for sales associates like them on a modest income, getting a small car for commuting was considered a major acquisition.
"Well, congratulations, Sister Nan!"
She had meant to congratulate Sister Nan on having a boyfriend who cared so much for her, but Sister Nan misunderstood, thinking the congratulations were for getting a car.
She said happily, "I’ll take you for a spin once I pick up the car! We can go check out the view at Bailu Lake!"
Zhao Xiangjun hummed in acknowledgment and, seeing Chen Xiao’s car approaching, walked a few steps forward to meet it.
Only then did Sister Nan remember that Xiangjun was also waiting for a ride. "Has your ride arrived?" she asked.
"He’s here," she said. "The car right in front of the Qin L."
Sister Nan froze. Her eyes were fixed on the car ahead, its white paint gleaming under the garage lights. It was a stylish, avant-garde Mercedes-Benz CLS, and it was gliding slowly toward them.
