Chapter 113 - 101: Manager Julie

Chapter 113: Chapter 101: Manager Julie

T.A. Enterprise Services Consulting was located on a high-end street in the First Ring, an area lined entirely with office buildings.

Though they were called office buildings, they were only five or six stories tall at most for safety reasons.

The street, however, was quiet and clean, decorated with plenty of artificial flowers and grass. The building facades weren’t drab and dusty like in other areas; the paint was fresh, and the large glass panels exuded a high-end quality.

Seeing a place so much like a modern CBD in this world of constant natural disasters left Ning He in a daze. For a moment, she thought she had been transported back.

But the next second, an alarm suddenly blared through the air, snapping her back to reality.

"...Emergency announcement. All residents, please take immediate shelter. The city will experience a magnitude 4 earthquake in one minute. Please take evasive measures immediately. The broadcast will continue with a countdown... 30, 29, 28..."

Ning He stood rooted to the spot, dumbfounded.

’Wait, didn’t I check the almanac before I left? It said nothing was supposed to happen today!’

"Get inside, quick!"

Someone appeared out of nowhere, grabbed Ning He’s hand, and pulled her toward the building in front of them.

Ning He’s eyes went wide.

’Shouldn’t we be running to an open space? Why are we going inside?’

"The buildings here are specially reinforced. They can withstand a magnitude 8 earthquake, so don’t worry."

Seeming to sense her unease, the person in front turned back to explain, their smile gentle and inexplicably reassuring.

"Thank you."

Once inside the building, the person pulled her directly under the reception desk. Ning He finally snapped out of it and immediately thanked her.

The person who had pulled her in was a woman in her thirties or forties. She had black hair and green eyes and was dressed in professional attire, looking both intelligent and beautiful. Under the desk with them was another young woman, who was probably the receptionist.

"Don’t mention it. The earthquake is coming. Be careful."

The broadcast countdown had reached the single digits.

"5... 4... 3... 2... 1..."

Ning He squeezed her eyes shut and covered her head with her hands. She felt a deep rumbling coming from underground, growing louder until it exploded in her ears like a bomb. The ground beneath her began to tremble violently, and the entire building shook along with it. Everything on the nearby desks tumbled to the floor.

Ning He had never experienced anything like it. She was so startled she almost screamed, but seeing the calm expressions on the other two women, she swallowed it back down.

Sure enough, aside from the vibration underfoot and the occasional sound of objects falling and shattering, there was no other danger.

The walls didn’t collapse, the building didn’t fall, and not a single windowpane shattered.

Ten minutes later, the tremors gradually subsided.

The broadcast came on again, confirming the earthquake was over and the city district was safe.

Ning He crawled out from under the desk. Seeing the mess on the floor, she started to help clean up. The black-haired woman hadn’t left and joined her.

The young receptionist thanked them gratefully.

"Ms. Julie, I can handle the rest. You have a meeting soon, so you shouldn’t be late."

The young woman clearly knew the black-haired lady.

"Alright. Be careful then, and don’t hurt your hands."

The black-haired woman gave a small smile and turned to leave.

The young woman then looked at Ning He.

"Miss, who are you here to see at our company?"

Ning He scratched her head.

"I was referred here for a consultation, but I’m not sure who I’m supposed to see."

"Oh, I see. May I ask who referred you? Perhaps I can point you in the right direction," the young woman said politely.

"It was Mr. Tom," Ning He said.

The sound of receding footsteps behind her stopped. The black-haired woman turned back to look at Ning He.

"Are you the person Tom mentioned, the one who wants to open a food company?"

Ning He turned to meet the woman’s surprised gaze, feeling a little embarrassed.

"That’s me."

The black-haired woman smiled. "What a coincidence. Follow me."

Ning He nodded and followed her. They took an elevator to the top floor and entered a spacious office.

"My name is Julie. I’m the manager of this company. It’s a pleasure to meet you."

Ning He extended her hand and shook Julie’s.

"You too. And thank you again for saving me just now."

Julie smiled and gestured for her to sit down.

"Tom told me you want to start a food company?"

Ning He nodded. "Yes, I’ve been thinking about it. But I’m completely clueless about the process, so I came to ask for guidance."

"You don’t look very old, but you’re certainly ambitious," Julie said. "The food industry isn’t for the faint of heart. The water runs very deep."

"How so?"

"For starters, the technical barrier to entry is very high." Julie sized Ning He up and smiled faintly. "Do you have any background in a related field? For example, agricultural production, biological research, or food processing technology?"

’Uh... does planting things in black soil count?’