Sigh, there's no one else who could pull off this kind of tone but Xia Mengmeng. It's been so long since I've heard her feigned youthful Hunan-Taiwan accent; it really makes me nostalgic.
"It really is me, silly big sister." I know she hates being called silly big sister, not because of the word "silly," but because the word "big sister" makes her sound older. But I still miss the times when she poked my forehead to correct me.
Sure enough, she stretched out her bright red finger and poked it straight at my forehead. I hadn't expected her fingernails to grow so long in just a few months. If she actually poked me, I was terrified. In a panic, I shrank back and used the handle of my fork to block her finger. After taking a closer look, I couldn't help but shake my head: "How many times have I told you? Don't think that just because you paint your nails you don't need to wash your hands. Look at the filth hiding under these nails. It's so disgusting that I can hardly eat anything."
"It's been so long, and you can't even say anything nice when we meet. You're so annoying." Xia Mengmeng glanced at the few handsome young men from the contract department around her and immediately continued to flirt loudly.
"Save your breath, all the handsome guys are gone." It was quite amusing to see those boys running away like the plague.
Xia Mengmeng finally abandoned her ladylike demeanor, plopped down in the chair next to me, and unceremoniously forked a pork chop from my plate and stuffed it into her mouth. As she chewed, oil splattered everywhere, she said, "Hmph, you, Li Hao, you got promoted and didn't even treat your little sister to a meal. That's so ungrateful. You know that's called forgetting your roots? Forgetting your roots will get you struck by lightning."
As I hurriedly moved the plates to a safe area, I said without any mercy, "I wonder whose ID card says they were born in 1962. I'm afraid I'll be struck by lightning if I call you 'little sister'."
"Shh, keep your voice down. How annoying you are, with such a foul mouth, you'll never get married and become an old spinster."
For her, the greatest punishment in life was dying alone, but for me, it had no effect whatsoever. I wasn't afraid of dying alone; I was only afraid of dying without money. So I ignored her and continued working hard.
"Hey, why did you spend money on new clothes today? They don't look cheap, let me see what brand they are." Ignoring everyone's stares, she leaned over my neck and pulled out the brand label. I was busy eating and didn't bother with her, but then I heard her exclaim, "My god, it's a knock-off Prada! These days, even counterfeit clothes are this good quality! Honestly, which stall on Rat Street did you buy it from? What discount did you get? If you dare to hide anything, I'll sleep at your house tonight. Also, which swindler gave you this diamond jewelry? How many grams does it weigh?"
"Hmph, it's clearly a bunch of fake stones trying to pass themselves off as genuine, it's laughable, mainlanders." Joyes suddenly appeared out of nowhere and mocked us two country bumpkins.
Xia Mengmeng was immediately intimidated by her imposing manner and stood there speechless.
I was enraged by her dismissive use of the word "mainlander," and was about to retort when Yi Rou, who had come over, grabbed me and pulled me away.
"What? My plate is still there, I haven't finished eating yet," I said irritably.
"Alright, don't take it to heart. She's had a crush on President Lin but it hasn't worked out, so she can't stand any woman getting close to him. When she saw you walk in with President Lin, her eyes were practically spitting fire," Yi Rou comforted me.
"What? No way?" I was surprised that I couldn't smell any fishy smell at all.
“Are you that deaf? The whole company knows about this,” Xia Mengmeng interjected.
Xia Mengmeng has always been such a gossip, so I'm not surprised she said that. I just don't understand how Yi Rou could find out so much information after only being at the company for a few days.
I was stunned for a moment before realizing I hadn't introduced them yet, only to find them already chatting away. Normally, Xia Mengmeng is the least interested in any pretty girls, but I don't know what trick Yi Rou used, but she was incredibly happy, chatting away about all sorts of company gossip, from the security guard's rumored girlfriend to the chairman's blood relatives within three generations. Right now, they were talking about how Willson's mother learned to make kimchi to gain status in the family. I was getting a headache listening to this and just wanted to leave. But before I could, Yi Rou was quickly swept away by several guys from the business development department who had come looking for her, leaving Xia Mengmeng to continue her rambling. I had no idea what she was rambling on about; I just felt that even my eyes and nose couldn't keep up with the long table covered in red velvet and laden with food. Finally, I caught a glimpse of a few pieces of bright red salmon left on the sashimi plate. I lunged forward, grabbed my fork, and was about to dig in when a figure, far more agile than me, suddenly appeared from the side and snatched all the salmon from the plate in one swift motion. After cleaning the plate, he turned and grinned at me—"Yellowhead!"
Sigh, I should have realized sooner that among everyone in the company, besides Huang Tou'er, who else is more ruthless than me at the dinner table!
"How come you haven't improved at all after being at head office for several months?" He shook his head at me with a look of utter disappointment. While he was shaking his head, I quickly forked a piece of the fattest salmon from his plate and put it in my mouth, saying indistinctly, "It's not yours to put it on your own plate. You can only let your guard down after you've eaten it. That's what you taught me."
With a look of utter melancholy, Huang Tou'er watched me swallow the last bite of salmon before finally managing to utter, "That's more like someone from our sales department."
Xia Mengmeng rushed over in a flurry: "Li Hao, can you introduce me to Young Master Yin, the heir of Hengwei? I heard they said you two were together just now, how come you disappeared so quickly? Do you remember that Taiwanese guy who kept calling and bothering me? It's him! He's so handsome, rich and good-looking! I knew God wouldn't truly treat a peerless beauty like me unfairly."
Huang Tou and I exchanged a wry smile. Huang Tou patted my shoulder and said, "Come with me for a moment, I have something to tell you."
"Oh." I obediently followed him to a quieter corner. Huang Tou, his usual jovial demeanor gone, turned serious and said, "Girl, I personally recruited you into the company. You're not meant to be just any ordinary person. I knew that from the beginning, and I understand that being a salesperson is really beneath you. But you simply can't handle working at head office." He waved his hand to stop me from interrupting and continued, "You're prone to impulsiveness and acting on emotion, which are fatal flaws in a complex workplace. I don't want to see you end up with a miserable fate, so girl, you must always control yourself, understand? It's not that I'm heartless, but the truth is, if one day you can't stand it up there and want to come back, I'm afraid even if disaster strikes, I won't be able to help you."
I looked at Huang Tou'er, puzzled: "Could you please tell me clearly what you want to say to me?"
I had a vague feeling that what Huang Tou'er wanted to tell me was something that had a lot to do with me, and given Huang Tou'er's disloyal character, it was already quite remarkable that he would go this far. Unfortunately, I just couldn't understand it.
Huang Tou hesitated for a moment, then, as if he had finally made up his mind, said, "Girl, listen to me, actually..." Suddenly, the music filled the hall. Apart from seeing Huang Tou's mouth opening and closing in a sudden burst, I couldn't hear a single word. All I heard was Joyce, the MC, announcing loudly through the loudspeaker, "The ball is officially beginning. Please welcome General Manager Lin and his dance partner to lead us in the first dance."
A spotlight shone on Willson, suddenly making him the center of global attention. He showed no sign of unease, merely smiling slightly as he glanced around the room and nodded in acknowledgment. Hiding in the crowd, our eyes met, and my heart began to pound. My legs went weak. The thought of him, under the spotlight and surrounded by onlookers, walking up to me and asking me to dance made me want to run away. Before I could think further, Willson was already walking straight towards me. The crowd began to whisper and look around, eager to see how stunning this year's leading lady would be. This only fueled my panic. The elegant music sounded like a death knell to my ears. All I could see was Willson's tall, straight figure drawing ever closer, then suddenly turning left and stopping beside a woman in a white dress. He bowed slightly and extended his hand. The girl generously offered Willson her hand, and the two then twirled and entered the dance floor with perfect coordination, their movements as elegant as the gentle swirl of red wine in a crystal glass. I immediately recognized the woman in the white dress as the Korean girl—Choi Oh-wol. The surrounding crowd erupted in thunderous applause. How strange! Just watching the boss dance, was it really necessary to be so obsequious?!
My emotions plummeted instantly, but I couldn't help thinking: it's all my fault for being such a terrible dancer; I can't possibly be dragged out and humiliated in a situation like this, can I? Just imagine how terrifying it would be if Willson and I were on the dance floor in this situation!
"Why did President Lin dance with another girl for his first dance?" Yi Rou said quietly but angrily, standing next to me at some point.
I was about to explain that I'm a terrible dancer when Xia Mengmeng interrupted me: "What other girl? Do you know that's our CEO Lin's official fiancée, Choi Oh-wol, the only daughter of the president of the Korean Jungwoo Group? I heard they grew up together as childhood sweethearts, and their engagement ceremony was held last year at the Hyatt Regency in Hong Kong, with over 300 tables. I just heard the hot news, isn't it amazing?! Tsk tsk, look at them, they're a perfect match, only a beauty like that is worthy of a young talent like our CEO Lin."
"Who told you that?" Yi Rou asked before I could finish.
"It's TK from the business development department. I heard he got into the company through this route and he's still having a great time fighting with Ouyang Ce."
That little man—I immediately felt relieved; his credibility was -100%. Although I had seen Willson and Cui Wuyue holding hands, although I had heard Willson and Cui Wuyue talking softly on the phone, although Willson was currently embracing and dancing with Cui Wuyue, I only believed the one who had talked silly things with me by the nameless river, the one who had secretly thrown Ferrero Rocher chocolates into my drawer, the one who could not be swayed by my emotions. Suddenly, my chaotic thoughts cleared.
But Yi Rou didn't seem to think so, constantly pressing Xia Mengmeng for more information about Cui Wuyue, acting strangely tense. Just then, someone came over and invited Yi Rou and me to dance, so I quickly pushed the male colleague who had come to find me to Xia Mengmeng. Seeing my colleague looking heartbroken as Xia Mengmeng excitedly practically kidnapped him, I couldn't help but laugh so hard I fell over. It seems his nightmare is about to begin tonight.
The dance floor was packed with people, and by the end, I couldn't see Yi Rou and Xia Mengmeng anymore, nor could I find Willson. The music in the lobby was just too loud, and it was boring for me to stand there and watch since I can't dance, so I decided to sneak off to the riverbank for some fresh air and come back to dance my fill when the dance party started.
Those unfortunate high heels were making my feet ache so much that I simply took them off and carried them in my hand, walking barefoot through the garden.
"Brother!" Someone called out in Korean from under the tree ahead. Recognizing it as Choi Oh-wol's voice, I couldn't help but mutter to myself, "Are we going to stick together tonight? I can't avoid you no matter what I do?" Just as I was about to walk around her, I heard Willson's voice reply, "I'm here."
Every time I hear Willson speak Korean, it gives me goosebumps. It's not because his Korean is awful; quite the opposite, it's because his voice is deep, masculine, and a little mysterious, making it...sexy, yes, sexy. I finally understand why I'm a little hesitant to move.
"Brother, you seemed a little distracted while you were dancing."
Do I have one?
"Look at that expression on your face right now. What are you thinking about?"
"I'm wondering what other strange requests you might have besides wanting me to dance the first dance with you, little princess."
"I want my brother to lull me to sleep every day."
"Don't I put you to sleep every day now?"
"But you didn't come home one night a few days ago. Do you know how sad I was sleeping alone in bed? I thought you weren't going to take care of me anymore."
"How could that be? Didn't I order your favorite Charlotte Bear the next day to apologize to you? Little girls who hold grudges like this will grow old quickly."
"Then come dance with me again, brother. I'd also like to have a couple of drinks later."
"No, your body won't be able to handle it. If you dance one more dance, I'll have the driver take you home."