Having failed to secure business for his company from Zhan Jingrui, He Yao was unwilling to give up. This time, she decided to be direct.
She stood up, raising her wine glass, and announced loudly,
"Our CEO Xu has invited you to dinner again and again. Money doesn't grow on trees, and we've already spent tens of thousands on the pants you bought earlier."
"Considering his sincerity in trying to win you over, and the fact that you were once desk mates, please give him some business."
"Otherwise, if we keep spending without bringing anything in, we'll all be left drinking from the northwest wind."
"A little business wouldn't be difficult for you, would it? If you think it's fun to see an old classmate down on his luck and reject an old friend, then don't drink this wine. I'll drink it myself."
With that, He Yao tilted her head back and downed the entire glass in one go.
Xu Zheng, standing beside her, watched with a racing heart, but at the same time, he secretly gave her a thumbs-up.
Her words were rough but made sense.
It was better to be direct with someone like Zhan Jingrui, who liked to feign ignorance while understanding everything.
She wanted a direct answer, to avoid constantly guessing his thoughts and living in constant anxiety.
Zhan Jingrui hadn't expected He Yao to corner him like this.
Among adults, many things are understood but not explicitly stated.
This pretense allows for no awkwardness when they meet again.
When He Yao insisted on saying everything, and Xu Zheng watched with expectant eyes, Zhan Jingrui decided to speak his mind.
"For a company as small as yours, with such minor business, there's no need for me to get involved. Moreover, if I personally allocate business to you, it would be unfair to other companies, and my subordinates would resent it and gossip behind my back."
"Therefore, from this perspective, Xu Zheng, I will not handle your matter."
Xu Zheng's heart sank, but he had to play along.
"Yes, yes. You have your considerations. It's not easy for anyone, not easy at all."
"However, since you've invited me to dinner several times and spent tens of thousands on pants, it wouldn't be right for me to take without giving anything back. How about this: I'll give you an opportunity to bid. Whether you succeed or not will depend on your own efforts."
Xu Zheng's hope rekindled slightly.
"Really, top student? But what does bidding mean?"
"The specific procedures will be sent to you later. Just follow them. Alright, I've eaten and drunk my fill today, and even got a pair of pants. It was a pleasant evening. I won't disturb you further and will take my leave now."
Xu Zheng hastily stood up to see him out.
Since everyone had been drinking, driving was out of the question, and he offered to call a designated driver. Zhan Jingrui didn't refuse.
He Yao accompanied them, having called the designated driver. Zhan Jingrui suddenly turned to her.
"What about you? How are you getting home?"
He Yao pointed to her nose. "Me? I'll take a taxi."
In reality, she planned to figure out whether the subway or bus would be more convenient.
She was reluctant to spend money on a taxi.
Zhan Jingrui suddenly patted her shoulder, as if recalling their old friendship.
"Both our cars are empty, why waste money? Where do you live? I can give you a ride for a portion of the way."
Before He Yao could respond, Xu Zheng quickly relayed her hotel address.
"Thank you for your trouble, Mr. Zhan. Then I'll entrust He Yao to you."
He Yao, pushed into a corner, got into Zhan Jingrui's car.
Once inside, Zhan Jingrui searched for her hotel on his phone and discovered it was only a three-star establishment. He thought to himself, Xu Zheng is quite stingy.
In school, he always said he liked He Yao, but he didn't put much effort into pursuing her. Now he claimed to still be infatuated with her, yet acted like this when it mattered.
He suddenly felt annoyed on He Yao's behalf.
"Have you ever seen a social survey? It turns out that many public items in hotels are very unhygienic."
He Yao knew this, of course. That's why she slept fully clothed every night. What else could she do?
"Staying in a hotel for a few days is already close to costing Mr. Xu an arm and a leg. What more can we expect? He can't possibly help me rent an apartment, can he? I'll just make do for now."
Renting an apartment? That wasn't impossible.
Zhan Jingrui said, "Xu Zheng just likes to cry poor. From what I know of him, even if he didn't eat or drink, he could squander his father's accumulated wealth for decades. Don't listen to his nonsense about saving him money."
"Arranging dormitories for employees is something he should do. If you want, I can help you ask for it."
He Yao certainly wanted it. Who wouldn't want a good deal? But, "You'll help me ask? How?"
"Do you want to ask him openly, or covertly?"
He Yao thought to herself: Isn't that a silly question? If she could ask covertly, who would want to ask openly? Besides, if she could get it by asking openly, would she need your help?
Zhan Jingrui could tell what she meant from her expression and didn't waste any more words. He turned to look out the window.
The streets were lined with a dazzling array of shops.
Soon, he spotted a convenience store. He told the designated driver to pull over.
The driver stopped, and He Yao looked at him, confused, as he entered the convenience store.
She thought he was going to buy water, but he bought two bottles of yogurt, a bag of bread, and a packet of snacks whose name she couldn't recall, and got back into the car.
"You probably didn't eat much dinner, did you?"
He handed one bottle of yogurt, the bread, and the snacks to He Yao.
He Yao indeed hadn't eaten enough, as she had barely managed to eat a few bites.
Thinking that since things had come to this, there was no need to be polite, she took the yogurt and drank a couple of sips. She then opened the bread.
"Continue. How will you help me ask?"
Zhan Jingrui didn't answer. "Eat first. I'll tell you after you've eaten your fill."
He Yao immediately crushed the bread into a tight ball and quickly stuffed it into her mouth, finishing the yogurt.
She finally felt a little full.
Then, she unwrapped the snacks and slowly chewed them. "Can you tell me now?"
Zhan Jingrui glanced at her and reached into the snack bag.
He grabbed two pieces of snacks, crushed them in his hand, and sprinkled them onto his shirt. Then, to He Yao's utter bewilderment, he opened the yogurt and poured it onto his shirt as well.
Though they were clean food items, when mixed together, they looked disgusting, like human vomit.
He Yao's skin crawled.
"What are you doing?"
Zhan Jingrui didn't explain. He picked up his phone, took a picture of himself, and sent it to Xu Zheng via WeChat.
"Your assistant ruined another shirt of mine."
Xu Zheng had been thinking that the business matter was looking up and that he should praise He Yao tomorrow and have her do well in the bidding.
But then Zhan Jingrui sent this, making his forehead throb.
"She must have been too excited because we haven't gathered in a while, and He Yao drank a bit too much today. Don't hold it against her."
Immediately following this was a transfer of 20,000 yuan.
"You understand, I'm a man and don't know much about clothes, so I don't know how to help her compensate. Consider this money for dry cleaning. Calm down, calm down."
Zhan Jingrui said nothing and accepted the red envelope.
Then, he opened a QR code and handed it to He Yao.
He Yao looked at the QR code that suddenly appeared.
"What for?"
"The money has been received. I'll transfer it to you. Don't you want it?"