Chapter 4: A Fortuitous Encounter in the Restaurant
The next morning, a ringing of the alarm woke Ye Shikai; he opened his sleep-bleary eyes and in a daze saw the caller ID showing An Lan, "Hello, what’s up."
"Today’s your first day at work, don’t be late." An Lan’s voice came through the phone with a hint of concern. Ye Shikai glanced at the clock beside his bed; it was already seven o’ clock, and the employees’ workday started at eight. The beautiful female colleagues had mentioned yesterday that the company was very strict with its rules. If employees were late, at the very least, they’d be stripped of their bonuses, and at worst, they’d be fired on the spot. Even many senior executives didn’t dare to be late. Ye Shikai exclaimed in shock, hurriedly hung up the phone, quickly got ready, and left the villa without even having breakfast. He saw Su Qingyu’s Lamborghini was gone and chuckled bitterly–his wife was really a workaholic. Compared to her, he was just like a pretty boy who had nothing to offer.
After leaving the residential area, Ye Shikai hailed a taxi and rushed to the office, ran into the elevator, and made it to the eighth floor, heading straight to the Public Relations department. Just after clocking in, "Eight o’clock sharp, lucky guy." But as he pushed open the PR department door, he saw a face cold and handsome; the slight smile on An Lan’s lips gradually solidified as her phoenix eyes stared intensely at him, "Ye Shikai, come to my office." An Lan turned her head, thinking to herself, "This lad, I had high hopes for him yesterday, he almost got late today." Because of Tianya Group’s strict rules, many employees feared being late. Thus, they would typically arrive at least half an hour earlier than required. The company had maintained a record of no one being late for over a year, and here was Ye Shikai, nearly breaking that record on his first day.
"Explain, what happened today? Trying to set a new record for the fastest to be late?" An Lan sat in her office chair, staring at Ye Shikai in front of her desk. She was very angry—after reviewing Ye Shikai’s profile, she knew that his only close relative had passed away when he was in high school. Although not highly educated, his abilities were commendable. Moreover, An Lan herself was a woman who appeared cold on the outside but warm on the inside. She felt sympathy for Ye Shikai’s hardships and had even planned to recommend him to her superiors. However, an issue arose today.
Ye Shikai did not dare to look at An Lan’s face; he knew that she was angry. His gaze slowly shifted downwards, inadvertently landing on the peaks of her chest. She really was a stunner. But he quickly snapped back to reality, knowing that if An Lan discovered his impure thoughts, it would spell disaster. Swallowing, he looked at An Lan’s flushed cheeks, "Well, I stayed up late last night and got up late this morning. It won’t happen again." Ye Shikai felt a bit guilty, lowering his head like a child who had done something wrong.
Listening to Ye Shikai’s apology, An Lan’s fire energy cooled down considerably. She had initially intended to give him a small punishment as a warning, not to be unreasonably harsh with him. In the end, she just warned him that this should not be repeated and then let Ye Shikai off the hook.
"Today is your first day at work. As per tradition, as the new member of the PR department, I intend to host a dinner tonight to formally welcome you. You’ll be free this evening, won’t you?" An Lan looked at Ye Shikai’s somewhat excited face and understood what was on his mind—having so many beautiful women in the PR department was surely a treat for him.
"Sure, I’ll definitely be there." Slowly closing the office door behind him, the gloom on Ye Shikai’s face was wiped away. Tonight, with so many beautiful women throwing themselves at him, just the thought made him revel. Then, Ye Shikai suddenly thought of his drop-dead gorgeous wife at home, the ice queen. Sigh, he could look but not touch; that’s what hurt the most.
Returning to his desk, Ye Shikai also started working. Having had enough of a violent lifestyle, occasionally experiencing the life of a white-collar worker didn’t seem too bad. Although it was dry, he didn’t have to be always on edge. Staring at a desk full of documents, Ye Shikai immersed himself in work. It has to be said that Ye Shikai was very efficient and understood some of the products quite well. In no time, he managed to finish a significant amount of work. An Lan watched Ye Shikai through the blinds, and saw his dedicated side profile. They say a man is most handsome when he’s serious, and she found herself captivated by Ye Shikai’s earnest gaze. This man was indeed quite handsome.
From childhood to adulthood, she, like Su Qingyu, had always been an aloof goddess, unhesitatingly rejecting every male suitor. But now, even An Lan hadn’t realized that she could be attracted to a man she had only met yesterday, as her cheeks began to redden...
After work, the group arrived at the hotel entrance in twos and threes. This hotel named Sea and Sky is a favorite among white-collar workers due to its great value and central location, and with a KTV and bar behind the hotel, as well as rooms above, its comprehensive services are incredibly suitable for urban professionals to de-stress.
Entering the hotel, the pure European decor gave off a sense of classic elegance and a petty bourgeois atmosphere. An Lan, accompanied by Ye Shikai, headed to the private room, and one by one, the members of the public relations department arrived. At the dining table, as the only male, Ye Shikai, this rare species, became the center of attention. Many bold and open girls continuously challenged Ye Shikai to drink-offs and told risqué jokes. One has to admit, Ye Shikai was pretty handsome, the kind that grows on you. During his high school years, many female classmates had crushes on him.
A few glasses of red wine later, An Lan’s cheeks were flushed as she said to Ye Shikai, "Ye Shikai, let’s go to the KTV to sing later." She then winked at Ye Shikai, a blatant temptation. Her enchanting figure and seductive eyes caused a reaction in Ye Shikai’s lower body, as if pushing him towards debauchery after drinking.
While Ye Shikai was in turmoil, a fair arm looped around his neck, "Ye, do you think I’m pretty?" Ye Shikai looked up and recognized her as the group leader from the public relations department, known as Wanna, famous for being seductive. Many male colleagues from other departments had pursued her. Seeing Wanna so boldly flirting with him, Ye Shikai couldn’t help but sigh at this daring and open femme fatale.
Feeling a heat in his nose, Ye Shikai knew he had to do something, or he really feared that he wouldn’t be able to resist pushing them away. He gently pushed Wanna away, "Stop it, I’m a married man." Ye Shikai sat upright, displaying an air of profound understanding and immovable determination.
Before Wanna could respond, An Lan reacted to his statement, suddenly standing up and exclaiming, "How is that possible." The dozens of people present all turned to look at An Lan, who realized she had lost her composure. Her cheeks blushing like little apples, even Ye Shikai was startled by An Lan’s action. "It’s true, I’m married."
"So what, Ye, is your wife as pretty as me?" This was a naked challenge. His own wife was Qingyu, one of Yanjing’s four great beauties, who could cause a sensation in Yanjing with just a step outside. Although Wanna was quite attractive, she still fell short in comparison to Qingyu. Ye Shikai really wanted to make clear his relationship with Qingyu, but suddenly remembered that on their marriage registration day, Qingyu had warned him not to reveal their relationship publicly and swallowed back his words. Besides, even if he did reveal it, he doubted anyone would believe it, for in others’ eyes, he was just a slightly more handsome white-collar worker, not even fit to carry the shoes of the high and mighty beauty CEO.
After drinking a few glasses with the girls, Ye Shikai felt the urge to urinate, a good excuse to escape the temptation of the beauties. After finishing in the bathroom, Ye Shikai washed his face with ice water to cool down. Unexpectedly, just as he left the restroom, a beautiful woman with a slender waist and perky behind, as lovely as an immortel, approached him. Their eyes met, and to his astonishment, it was Qingyu. What a coincidence, his own wife was also here for dinner.
"Ye Shikai, what are you doing here?" Qingyu too was surprised by Ye Shikai’s appearance. Today, she was discussing business with several moguls, and the talks weren’t going well, with some of them even leering at her, which greatly displeased Qingyu. She had made an excuse to step out and hadn’t expected to run into Ye Shikai here.
"I’m here for a company dinner." Qingyu looked at Ye Shikai suspiciously. As she passed by him, she smelled the scent of perfume, and with her sharp senses, determined that it was more than one kind. This bastard, he must have come out to flirt with women.