That day, Lu Chen had a meeting to attend, with Qiao Sixing accompanying him.
Passing a large shopping mall, Lu Chen glanced out the window, thought for a moment, and instructed the driver to pull in.
Inside the mall, Qiao Sixing was curious what Lu Chen intended to buy, only to see him purchase a few items from a milk tea shop and a bakery.
Buying milk tea and bread was nothing unusual, even if Lu Chen rarely indulged in such things.
What caught attention, however, was that Lu Chen paid with a bank card—not his phone.
Qiao Sixing: ?
Next, they entered a store selling various small trinkets, stationery, and knick-knacks. Lu Chen casually wandered through with his hands in his coat pockets, stopping in front of a shelf.
He spotted a small cat ornament standing upright on its hind legs, front paws raised like a human celebrating—its excited pose reminded him of Xiao Yuan’s cat.
A smile flickered in his eyes as he picked up the cat.
At the register, he again paid with a bank card—this time, He Xiaoyuan’s card.
Qiao Sixing, barely restraining himself, finally asked: “Boss, are you trying to rack up your bank card’s annual spending?”
Otherwise, how else to explain paying for a dozen or so yuan with a card?
As Qiao Sixing was asking, Lu Chen’s phone rang. He had already paid, gestured for Qiao Sixing to take the items, and stepped outside to answer.
On the line, He Xiaoyuan’s voice sounded annoyed: “Bro! Really? Only buying things worth a dozen or twenty yuan? Who are you looking down on?”
The bank card was already a gift, and didn’t he always claim he spent well and wouldn’t buy cheap things?
Just this?
Lu Chen laughed: “Not working properly.”
He Xiaoyuan: “Spending on my card like this, I can’t focus on work.”
That evening, the high-rise entrance elevator opened. He Xiaoyuan kicked off his shoes and rushed inside.
Lu Chen was standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, sipping water. Just as he turned, he felt weight on his back—He Xiaoyuan had jumped up.
Lu Chen quickly reached back with an empty hand to catch him. He Xiaoyuan clung to Lu Chen’s shoulders, growling playfully in his ear: “How can you only spend a dozen or twenty? Didn’t you say you ‘spend well’? Are you teasing me?”
Lu Chen laughed, carrying the boy: “Taking me as a horse?”
He Xiaoyuan: “You used my paycheck card as a bookmark first!”
Lu Chen chuckled: “Did I?”
He Xiaoyuan: “No?”
Lu Chen lifted his cup, and He Xiaoyuan took it.
With both hands free, Lu Chen adjusted the boy’s legs, bouncing him slightly to settle him comfortably, and said: “Lie down properly.”
No sooner had he spoken than he started running around the apartment with He Xiaoyuan on his back—fast enough to surprise him.
He Xiaoyuan shrieked in laughter: “You really treat me like a horse! Water! The water’s spilling!”
Still laughing on Lu Chen’s back:
“Slow down! You’re jostling my stomach!”
“Ah!”
“Want to get down?”
“No.”
“Hahaha.”
The room filled with laughter.
A few days later, the new week began: the department report meeting.
He Xiaoyuan arrived early, dressed neatly, opened his PPT, and quickly reviewed everything.
Qin Chengfei beside him encouraged: “Don’t be nervous, stay calm.”
He Xiaoyuan replied while scanning the screen: “It’s fine. I’d be nervous only if it were graded.”
Finished reviewing, he grabbed his laptop and walked briskly out. Colleagues called after him: “Go get ’em, Boss Xiaoyuan!”
Chang Bei teased: “You’re going to a meeting, not an exam.”
He Xiaoyuan smiled, raised a hand to wave at his colleagues in the office, and pushed open the glass door.
Arriving at the waiting meeting room, only a few people were seated, bustling quietly. He recognized one mid-level manager, and as soon as they made eye contact, the other raised a hand in greeting: “Manager He, your department is presenting today, right?”
He Xiaoyuan walked over, shook hands, and asked: “General Manager Chen as well?”
Chen sighed: “Don’t mention it. It’s me every year—I’m used to it by now.”
He Xiaoyuan smiled: “Looks like it’s not exactly a fun assignment.”
Chen: “Well, can’t say it’s that bad.”
He drew an analogy: “Even if your results are excellent, and your thesis is perfect, you may still face a strict professor at the defense, right?”
He Xiaoyuan casually: “Strict?”
Chen, with the tone of someone experienced: “Depends on luck.”
He Xiaoyuan: ?
Chen summarized: “Generally, if the big boss doesn’t speak up, you more or less get through.”
Get through?
He Xiaoyuan chuckled inwardly. He could see this report wouldn’t be easy.
Sitting down, he stopped the small talk and pulled out his phone, seeing a message from Lu Chen: “Waiting next door?”
He Xiaoyuan: “Yes.”
He thought for a moment, then typed: “I hear today’s presentation is tough to just get through?”
Lu Chen: “Get through?”
Lu Chen: “Your PPT is only three pages?”
He Xiaoyuan: “Not that short.”
He Xiaoyuan: “Is General Manager Tang strict?”
—General Manager Tang, Tang Xingzhou, widely known as the CEO of Sipu, whom He Xiaoyuan considered the company’s big boss.
Lu Chen: “You should ask me if I’m strict.”
He Xiaoyuan: “You are strict, but not with me.”
Lu Chen: “Then you should be able to get through just fine.”
He Xiaoyuan smiled at the message.
He typed back: “What if General Manager Tang is strict with me?”
Only after sending did he realize this wasn’t the professional tone he’d normally use with Lu Chen—it was the playful, teasing tone he used in their personal banter.
He quickly deleted the message. Immediately, Lu Chen replied: “Don’t worry, I’ve got your back.”
Seeing that, He Xiaoyuan’s lips curved into a smile.
He typed back: “I won’t give the bosses the chance anyway.”
He added: “I can back myself up just fine.”
At that moment, the one with the curved lips was Lu Chen, seated in the adjacent meeting room.
Beside him, Qiao Sixing asked: “Mr. Lu, shall we start?”
Lu Chen lowered his phone, focused: “Let’s begin.”
Time passed, minute by minute, with the two nearby meeting rooms running concurrent department presentations—one waiting, one ongoing.
He Xiaoyuan didn’t glance at his PPT anymore; his speech for the report was already prepared, no last-minute cramming needed.
With some spare time, he logged into OA on his laptop to handle a few tasks, stepped out to take two work calls, and returned to his seat.
Chen, holding his phone nearby, remarked: “The people before you got scolded.”
He Xiaoyuan raised an eyebrow.
Chen sighed: “Stick your head out, you get hit; keep it down, still get hit.”
He Xiaoyuan asked: “Scolded for what? Poor presentation? Or last year’s KPIs not met?”
Chen, who knew the details, leaned in gossiping: “Back in March last year, HR tried some personnel streamlining—it’s basically layoffs, but the upper management halted it immediately. They got scolded all year long.”
He Xiaoyuan, who joined the company in May, hadn’t known this. Curiously, he asked: “Was it harsh?”
Chen glanced at him: “You’ll see once it happens to you.”
Chen continued: “Anyway, this report isn’t easy. Fast ones take ten to twenty minutes, slow ones half an hour to forty. Just endure it, that’s all.”
Hearing this, He Xiaoyuan didn’t dare relax, opening his PPT again.
Looking at it, thinking that Lu Chen would be watching from the audience, he resolved to stay steady—not to embarrass his boss.
He straightened his clothes, adjusted the Silver Leopard brooch on his chest.
Finally, someone came to notify him: “Time to go to the project team.”
In the multimedia tiered meeting room, the central seats were occupied by several senior managers, expressions serious and varied.
The previous report had ended, and the content had left many dissatisfied. Before the next presenter took the stage, some whispered or discussed quietly.
Seated to Lu Chen’s right, Tang Xingzhou remarked to his companion: “Go tell Old Pei (HR General Manager), we really don’t need so many people. Positions can be streamlined after departures.”
“Graduates hired in the past two years are few—how much more can we cut?”
“The company isn’t only about efficiency. Don’t let HR make KPIs for themselves unnecessarily.”
At that moment, the meeting room door opened. A strikingly handsome young man walked in directly onto the stage, followed by a colleague managing the presentation flow, helping with the USB and PPT.
Tang Xingzhou looked and asked: “Wasn’t Xue Jinming supposed to present for the project team this year?”
The person beside him, knowing He Xiaoyuan, replied: “New guy, He Xiaoyuan. Last year’s management trainee. He started with General Manager Yang, then transferred to the project team.”
On stage, the PPT opened. The colleague handling the meeting stepped down, and He Xiaoyuan raised his gaze, composed.
With a remarkable appearance and exceptional presence, wearing a suit with the Silver Leopard brooch pinned to his chest, he stood on stage, calm and commanding, and spoke into the microphone:
“Good morning, everyone. I am He Xiaoyuan of the Business Integration and Client Services Department. Last year, I was seconded to the project team and have been working here since.”
“Next, I will be responsible for today’s report.”
In the audience, Lu Chen sat quietly, his eyes carrying a hint of admiration—over the past year, the young man on stage had transformed. From the wide-eyed senior who once carried a bag outside the elevator, clueless and unfamiliar with everything, he had grown into the confident, capable figure now presenting.
Lu Chen still remembered the first time he’d been captivated—how that face, that expression, had made his heart skip a beat. Today, he was certain: the one he liked, the one he wanted, was this intelligent, diligent, and talented young man standing on stage.
On stage, He Xiaoyuan felt a rising fire in his chest—the drive and ambition to perform well. Perhaps it was because of the special occasion… or perhaps because of someone sitting in the audience.