Chapter 39 Picking Her Up from Work

She spoke in such a soft, persuasive tone for ten minutes that Chen Xiao began to suspect she had majored in Chinese literature; otherwise, how could she be so endlessly eloquent?

"Alright, for the sake of the money, just coordinate the order directly with Yang Ming. It’s a four-million-yuan order! Just don't forget the sales commission."

Four million. Xu Wu was so excited that she blew him a kiss over the phone and added, "Don't worry, as soon as the funds arrive, your commission will be paid immediately!"

After hanging up, he returned to the office to draft a procurement report for the China Inspection order with Feng Feifei. An order of this magnitude required advance preparation.

When Feng Feifei heard he had secured another 12-million-yuan order, she was so happy she was almost speechless. After a long moment, she managed to ask, "Chen Xiao, you're never in the office—did you go off to worship the God of Wealth?"

"If worshiping the God of Wealth could land orders, would it even be my turn to do it?"

She was only joking. Having just witnessed Li Guoqiang’s attitude toward both her and Chen Xiao regarding the China Inspection contract, she knew this order was essentially a done deal, so she felt confident enough to start preparing the inventory in advance.

Once they finished discussing the order, she said to him, "While you're out and about, keep an eye out for suitable office space. Thanks to your significant contributions, the company's financial situation has improved drastically, and we have entered a phase of rapid growth."

"With the increase in staff, this office is clearly no longer enough. We need to relocate, so keep an eye out while you’re out!"

Chen Xiao agreed and turned to leave her office. He sent a message to Zhao Xiangjun, telling her he would pick her up after work so they could go view property at Bihu Shuangxi.

Zhao Xiangjun usually took the subway home alone. Because Chen Xiao was coming to get her today, she took the elevator down to the parking garage after her shift. This drew playful teasing from several colleagues, as she was a woman of incredibly rigid habits; for the past eight years, she had traveled strictly between her home and the office, never deviating unless she took leave to visit her hometown.

"Xiangjun, what's this? Someone picking you up after work today?"

To get to the underground parking, one either drives themselves or gets a ride, and her colleagues all knew Zhao Xiangjun didn't drive.

"Yes," she answered naturally.

"Don't tell me it's a man?"

"What do you mean by that? Is it impossible for me to have anything but female friends?" she teased back.

Zhao Xiangjun once had an inseparable best friend—they worked together, rented together, shopped together, and were always a pair, to the point that people once wrongly assumed they were a lesbian couple. Later, her friend got married and returned to her hometown, nearly a thousand kilometers from Jiangzhou City, and Zhao Xiangjun had been on her own ever since. Her colleagues asked the question simply because they hadn't seen her with a man in all these years.

"Could it be that our Xiangjun has finally opened her heart? I told you long ago, a woman needs to find a wealthy boyfriend or a 'big brother' early on, otherwise, you'll just waste your youth!"

Zhao Xiangjun didn't take the bait. There was a group of people around her always trying to introduce her to boyfriends, most of them with ulterior motives, looking for nothing more than to sell her off.

"Look at Xu Li; her boyfriend picks her up every day in a Mercedes and deposits a fixed living allowance into her account every month. I’m not so lucky—I ended up with a loser of a boyfriend who drives a 998 Qin, running ride-shares during the day and picking me up after work."

When she said she wasn't lucky, she meant she didn't have the looks to land a 'big brother.' Zhao Xiangjun just smiled. That was how their circle worked, especially among the menswear sales clerks; if they happened to meet a wealthy man, they would hit it off immediately, which was certainly much more profitable than working a regular job.

The group chatted and laughed as they reached the parking garage. Xu Li caught sight of her boyfriend’s car and waved, and they watched a Mercedes S350 pull up.

"Xiangjun, Sister Nan, my boyfriend is here to pick me up, so I’m off!"

Xu Li got into the car, but seeing her boyfriend hadn't started the engine yet, she asked, "What’s wrong? Let's go!"

Her boyfriend finally snapped out of his daze. As he started the car, he asked, "Those two were your colleagues, right? I saw you all talking together."

"Hmph! You’re just looking because that colleague of mine is pretty, aren't you? Don't even bother. Even if you drive a Mercedes, it wouldn't make a difference—some guys who drive Rolls-Royces into our store can't even get her phone number or WeChat!"

Her boyfriend was nearly fifty and looked like a mangy dog; she wouldn't have bothered with him if he weren't wealthy, let alone someone like Zhao Xiangjun, who wasn't even interested in money.

Xu Li’s boyfriend chuckled, "How could that be? I have you, and that's enough! But honestly, your colleague is quite arrogant. I wonder what kind of man she’d even be interested in!"

Xu Li rolled her eyes and ignored him. She knew never to bring Zhao Xiangjun along when meeting men; otherwise, it was always a blow to their egos.

"See that, Xiangjun? Don't look at the fact that Xu Li’s boyfriend is old and ugly—he’s willing to spend money on her! I heard he’s taking her to look at apartments lately, planning to pay the down payment and help her with the mortgage."

Zhao Xiangjun just gave a faint "oh." She wasn't interested in these topics and busied herself sending her location to Chen Xiao. Since this was his first time picking her up, neither was familiar with the layout, and the underground parking was crowded, causing a slight delay.

"I know you don't like to hear it, but Sister Nan is doing this for your own good! You should use your youth and beauty to find someone to help you buy a house and save some money. If you wait until you're over thirty, it'll be too late to turn back!"

Why was it that people always prefaced their lectures with "I'm doing this for your own good"? Couldn't they see that their audience was already losing patience? Zhao Xiangjun responded to such preachiness with silence.

"Sister Nan, hasn't your friend arrived yet?" she asked, intentionally changing the subject.

"Yeah, stuck in traffic. The parking garage is always a nightmare at this hour. Oh, wait, I see him. Look, that Qin L up ahead is my boyfriend's!"

Zhao Xiangjun looked in the direction she pointed and saw a BYD Qin L. As luck would have it, Chen Xiao’s car was parked just one spot ahead of it.

"My boyfriend is actually a pretty good guy. He doesn't like to spend money on himself, but he treats me well. Just these past two days, he told me that picking me up every day isn't very convenient, so he’s planning to buy me a small new-energy car to get around!"

She spoke with a hint of pride. Sister Nan was in her thirties and wasn't exactly a beauty, so the fact that there was a man willing to spend money on her gave her a sense of superiority. For sales clerks like them on low incomes, buying a small car was considered a major purchase.

"Well, congratulations, Sister Nan!"

She meant congratulations on having a boyfriend who cared for her, but Sister Nan misunderstood, thinking she was congratulating her on the new car.

"Once I get the car, I'll take you for a drive! We can go see the scenery by Egret Lake!"

Zhao Xiangjun hummed in agreement. Seeing Chen Xiao’s car pulling up, she stepped forward to meet him.

Sister Nan finally remembered she was also waiting for someone and asked, "Has your friend arrived?"

"He's here. He's in the car right in front of the Qin L!"

Sister Nan froze, staring as a Mercedes CLS, with its sleek, avant-garde design and paint that gleamed white under the parking lot lights, slowly pulled up to a stop.