The other office staff were already used to this situation. Lin Yao and Ming Xinyue were hard to get angry with, and joking with them was really boring and lacked any passion. So, eventually, everyone simply ignored their "**" and went about their work as usual. Even their bickering didn't stop because of them.
"Oh, right, be careful, you received five more bouquets of flowers today. I'll take the trouble to dispose of them for you during lunch break. It'll also help clean up our office and contribute to the cleaning lady's efforts." Lin Yao quickly offered his help when he saw several more bouquets of flowers on the floor near Ming Xinyue's desk.
"No need, it's better to let the cleaning lady handle it. If you go out with so many flowers in the middle of the day, people will think you're a flower seller."
Ming Xinyue glanced at Lin Yao, but did not slow down her movements at all.
Lin Yao declared that he had no choice but to accept the offer, saying, "What does it matter? Just hold your own flowers and let others talk."
"You're so unambitious. All you know is how to exchange these little flowers and plants for money." Xiang Honglian on the right brushed the tip of her pen across her hair, exuding charm. "This kind of unambitious behavior is degrading. It will make you give up on yourself and you'll never get rich."
"It's okay, Yueyue will take care of me." Lin Yao habitually steered the conversation toward Ming Xinyue. He thought this gentle girl was too easy to bully; she never got angry, and even when she frowned occasionally, she was still so beautiful.
Lin Yao comforted himself by constantly teasing and flirting with Ming Xinyue, saying, "Since I'm in this world, I should try to experience more of the ways of the world. Stealing someone's partner is also a very important thing. Anyway, neither of them has that intention, so using Ming Xinyue as a practice subject is a good idea. I can experience the feeling of stealing someone's partner without causing any consequences."
"Xiao Lin. Dinner's ready. Come with me." Zhou Xiaoqi appeared at the gate, standing there with a smile. She didn't even need to think to know that Lin Yao was teasing Ming Xinyue. This guy was so dishonest, yet all he did was talk nonsense.
"Hey, wait, I'm shutting down the computer." Lin Yao quickly pressed the computer's reset button, and then the power button. This was the fastest way to shut down the computer, even more convenient and faster than clicking with the mouse.
Does it matter whether it will damage the hard drive?
"Seventh Sister, I can't accept your invitation to dinner..." Lin Yao clapped his hands, then flicked off non-existent dust from his clothes, saying sorry as he quickly walked towards the door.
"Sorry, you should treat me back. It's not like I don't have the money!" Zhou Xiaoqi looked at the shameless young man with a mix of amusement and exasperation, thinking that Lin Yao had the nerve to say such things in front of everyone, he had no shame at all.
“I’m poor…” Lin Yao’s face fell, looking bitter and resentful. “I have to save up my meager salary to get married. The money I’ve saved isn’t even enough to buy a toilet. And it’s the smallest kind with the least facilities.”
"Poor Lin, you might as well go to the countryside and buy a woman. You're trying to save money, but you still can't afford a wife." Xiang Honglian had already cleared the table and picked up her lunchbox to go downstairs for dinner. Looking at Lin Yao's dashing and extraordinary figure, she thought to herself, "What a waste of such a good physique."
Ignoring Xiang Honglian's attack, Lin Yao turned back to Ming Xinyue in the distance and called out, "Xiaoyue, I'll take care of your flowers this afternoon. I'm busy at noon, so I'll get rid of them after get off work this afternoon. I don't want these fly-men's things to bother you."
"Thank you." Ming Xinyue didn't know what else to say, so she simply thanked her.
The act of handling the flowers was indeed damaging to Lin Yao's image; she had overheard some company employees discussing it in the cafeteria. However, since Lin Yao insisted, she didn't force him to refuse. Perhaps Lin Yao was really short of money.
"Hypocrite," Xiang Honglian pouted. "Aren't you just after the benefits the flower shop gives you for buying back the flowers? Tell me honestly, how much did you sell each bouquet for?"
"Ten yuan." Lin Yao immediately confessed, "The florist is a rip-off. He only gave me ten yuan for the flowers that cost at least a hundred yuan. Luckily, I didn't have to drive there, otherwise I wouldn't even have enough to cover the gas money."
"Well, you're something else, Mr. Lin. Even the oil your car uses is high-end." Zhu Youmei joined the chorus of criticism against Lin Yao. "Stop complaining about being poor. We won't let you use the money you earned from selling flowers to treat us. You should save your money and find a wife."
For a moment, the entire office was filled with giggles, which surprised Wang Sheng, who had just come out of his office. He completely forgot about Ming Xinyue, who was covering her mouth and laughing, and then walked past Lin Yao with his head held high, without even glancing at him.
The coffee shop not far from Changlong Building is doing very well. It's packed with people at lunchtime, mostly white-collar workers. These young people, who are not used to, or rather disdain eating in the cafeteria, and do not want to order boxed lunches, gather here to enjoy the attentive service.
Of course, the services here are quite expensive. Lin Yao noticed that some people were actually putting on a show of wealth, even though they were heartbroken, they could still see the same few people every time they came.
There are not many taboos when eating with Zhou Xiaoqi. The rule of "not talking while eating or sleeping" is not a concern at all. In Lin Yao's opinion, meals should be lively. The more lively the meal, the more delicious it is. Eating in a lifeless atmosphere is simply too painful.
As for not speaking in bed, Lin Yao had reservations. He always slept alone, and he didn't have anyone to talk to.
"Xiao Lin, you've been in Beijing for over a month, and you still haven't gone to see your Pink Lady and Black Lady? And that outspoken girl." Zhou Xiaoqi had just stuffed a piece of celery into her mouth when she choked on her own words and quickly covered her mouth to avoid spraying it onto the table.
"No." Lin Yao picked up a large piece of mutton and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing vigorously. "Seventh Sister, you know that apart from that outspoken girl, I can't find anyone else. They don't even have a phone number."
"Serves you right for ignoring the pink-haired girl at the last party. You deserve it. She's changed her number now, so she's not going to give it to you again."
Zhou Xiaoqi simply put down her chopsticks to avoid making another fool of herself. She couldn't help but laugh every time she ate with Lin Yao. This guy was so funny, both smart and clumsy, he was simply the best.
"Are you going to meet someone tomorrow? Don't lie to me." Zhou Xiaoqi continued to inquire about gossip. She really cared about this little guy and always wanted him to find a good partner, just like she cared about her own younger brother, even though she didn't have a biological brother.
“It’s to meet people.” Lin Yao swallowed a large piece of mutton. He felt that mutton was the only good meat in Beijing, and it wasn’t gamey at all. He had always suspected that it came from Mianyang, a saline-alkali grassland, unlike the gamey goat meat in Sichuan. “But it’s not a blind date, and it’s not to meet women. It’s men, several men.”
In fact, Lin Yao would also meet a woman, Yi Guoguo, the next day.
This highly talented girl is only twenty-five years old this year, not yet twenty-six. Not only is she gifted in martial arts, but she is also very good at learning other knowledge. Her English listening, speaking and writing skills are very high. So Lin Yao arranged for her to be his translator and accompany him to rip off international friends.
Lin Yao concealed the information about Yi Guoguo from Zhou Xiaoqi, and it was really difficult to make up a story about Yi Guoguo. He couldn't very well say that she was someone who could fly over walls and easily break through fifteen layers of red bricks with her palm.
Therefore, at this moment, Yi Guoguo is not considered a woman, but rather a part-time employee acting as her translator.
"If it's not true, it's not true. Why are you so nervous?" Zhou Xiaoqi wanted to laugh again. Lin Yao's expression was very interesting, like a child eager to clarify the truth.
"Oh." Lin Yao didn't know what else to say, so he picked up a large piece of mutton and stuffed it into his mouth. He thought to himself that he always got flustered when women were mentioned, so it seemed that he was a little pent up.
"Xiao Lin, it's not that I'm criticizing you, but when it comes to matters of the heart, you should take the initiative, especially boys." Zhou Xiaoqi began to lecture Lin Yao earnestly. "If you don't try, you'll never get what you want. You can't expect girls to chase after you, can you? That would put them in a difficult position and might even cause them to miss out on a good match."
“But I don’t know their phone number,” Lin Yao replied, then buried his head in his food and continued eating.
Zhou Xiaoqi stirred the coffee in the cup with a small spoon, turning the brown coffee into a vortex. The white foam gathered in the center of the vortex, which looked pretty. "That's your excuse. You said you know the pink girl's uncle and that the woman in black is your best brother's wife's best friend. If you want, you can definitely get their phone numbers."
Lin Yao stopped eating, looked up at Zhou Xiaoqi, opened his mouth, but didn't know how to reply.
Looking at Lin Yao's expression, Zhou Xiaoqi sighed, "When men and women look for friends and date, it's like doing business. If you don't take the initiative to contact them, you will never have a chance. Pie won't fall from the sky, and even if it does, it's unlikely to land on your head."
"It's the same with sales. Just because we make contact doesn't mean we'll get business. But if we don't make contact, we'll never get any business. You work with other office staff all day, don't you understand this principle?"
Zhou Xiaoqi glanced at Lin Yao, and seeing that the other party's expression did not change, she paused slightly and continued, "If the client has related business in progress, it means that there is a premise for cooperation. Just like when men and women are looking for friends, they need to understand each other's appearance, figure, age, hobbies and family situation in the early stage, and sometimes they also need to include common ideals."
"If both parties to a business deal can meet their conditions, they can start discussing business, just like a man and woman starting to date. Next, getting a marriage certificate is like signing a business contract, and buying a house together, paying off the mortgage, and having children are like paying a deposit and purchasing insurance in the company's business."
"A happy life means continued and pleasant business cooperation. A happy life means that the two companies have formed a strategic partnership, or even cross-shareholding. If either or both parties no longer want to continue the relationship, the foundation for business cooperation is lost, and a win-win situation cannot be achieved. If either or both parties have the intention to change partners or even transform production, then the relationship will naturally come to an end."
"Seventh Sister, your words are so insightful, they're practically an easy-to-understand textbook." Lin Yao put down his chopsticks and gave Zhou Xiaoqi a thumbs-up in praise.
"Brilliant! Just do it this way. First, get their phone numbers, then take the initiative to contact them and see if there's any possibility of a relationship developing. You can't run away from it. Hearing you say that, I feel like those girls are all pretty good, at least they're all beautiful." Zhou Xiaoqi wanted to pick up a soup spoon and hit Lin Yao, but immediately realized that it was inappropriate and quickly suppressed the thought.
"Oh, okay, I'll give it a try." Lin Yao also felt that Zhou Xiaoqi was right. It was wrong to keep avoiding the issue. Even if he was hesitant because he didn't understand those girls, he had to take the initiative to contact them and get to know each other as much as possible. Only then would there be a possibility. Otherwise, he would be a bachelor for life, or he would have to find a woman who would cling to him and live a life that he didn't want.