Chapter 290 - 209: She Said You’re Ugly (Part 2)

’Was Zhang Chun’s comment aimed at me? What’s wrong with Zhao Rui?’ Suddenly, she remembered what President Liu had told her. ’Could it be that Zhao Rui wasn’t telling me the truth?’ A chill ran down her spine. When she recalled the way Zhang Chun had looked at her, she couldn’t sit still any longer.

Zhu Jing was moving today. For renters like them, it wasn’t like they accumulated too much stuff. All that needed moving were some clothes, skincare products, and the like, so a single moving van was all it took. Because Xia Jie had worked overtime on Saturday, she was required to take a day off in lieu this week. So, she took the day off to help Zhu Jing move.

"Hey, Xia Jie, this apartment complex you found looks really nice. It’s new, and the property management seems decent too."

She was a bit too trusting. The last time she’d heard Xia Jie was planning to rent a place near Yanghe Trading Company, she figured it wouldn’t be long before she moved to Yanghe Commerce herself, so she might as well move over in one go. Rooming with Xia Jie was definitely safer than with a stranger, plus she’d have company. So, without even asking where the apartment was or how much the rent was, she just asked Xia Jie to save a room for her.

This all stemmed from her trust in Xia Jie; she knew Xia Jie would never stick her with a bad place. And sure enough, the small apartment was decorated quite nicely. She’d heard it was originally the marital home for a young couple, but they had both been transferred to work in another city just a few months after their wedding. So, they decided to rent the place out, but only to someone who was clean and would take good care of the existing interior.

Xia Jie was beautiful and had the look of a tidy person, so the young couple felt at ease handing the apartment over to her.

"Zhu Jing, you should take the master bedroom. It’s a little bigger."

"I don’t need to. As long as I have a bed to sleep in, that’s all that matters. The common areas are shared, anyway. But let’s be clear, we’re splitting the rent fifty-fifty."

Xia Jie had originally planned to have her pay a smaller share of the rent since she was taking the smaller room, but Zhu Jing insisted, so Xia Jie dropped it. ’Once she starts working at Yanghe Commerce, with that salary, she won’t be sweating this small amount of money.’

’The rent was 2,600 a month, so 1,300 each. Although Zhu Jing had readily agreed, she still felt the pinch. The rent for the place she currently shared was only 800 a month; the extra 500 was usually her spending money for a whole week. She was actually quite curious. Xia Jie used to be even more frugal than her, saving every penny she could. Why had she suddenly become so lavish?’

For dinner, they cooked themselves. Since both of them knew their way around a kitchen, they worked together and whipped up two meat dishes, two vegetable dishes, and a soup.

"Here’s to our new place, Xia Jie! I even invited Manager Yang to come over this weekend. We can make dumplings for him."

At the thought of Yang Hui, Xia Jie blushed. Her mind flashed back to the scene at Yuzu Xuan. ’If he comes here, it’ll certainly be convenient. I remember he said that if he got another chance like that, he wouldn’t let it go. So if he does come over... should I prepare some... supplies in advance?’

Zhu Jing had no idea what was running through her friend’s mind. Since Xia Jie had left their old company, the two of them rarely had a chance to just chat. "Xia Jie," she asked, "ever since you went to Yanghe Commerce, it’s like you’re a different person. Even your spending habits have changed."

’I can’t believe she’s so close with Manager Yang every day but still has no idea what employees at Yanghe Commerce make.’ Of course, Xia Jie knew her own salary was so high because her rank was P10; a P7 specialist’s base salary was only 10,000 yuan. ’But Zhu Jing is even closer to Yang Hui than I am. When she joins Yanghe Commerce, her compensation package will definitely be no lower than mine.’ Xia Jie was certain of it.

"Zhu Jing, once you come to Yanghe Commerce, your spending habits will change too."

Zhu Jing didn’t understand what she meant. Since Xia Jie wasn’t sure what rank the company would give Zhu Jing at Yanghe Commerce, she didn’t want to spoil the surprise about the salary. Anything could happen, after all. If the package the company offered wasn’t as high as she’d suggested, she worried it might create some resentment.

She changed the subject. "Has Manager Yang said when you’ll be coming over?"

Zhu Jing tilted her head and thought for a moment. "He was being all mysterious and just said it would be soon. He said that once he’s out of the company, I can get out too."

Xia Jie guessed that Yang Hui must still have some loose ends to tie up. ’But none of us could possibly imagine that he’s actually waiting for Li Yang to fire him.’

The next morning, while Zhu Jing was washing up in the bathroom, she noticed that Xia Jie’s skincare products were all high-end international brands. Her suspicions grew. ’This girl’s spending habits have changed so much.’ But she didn’t press the issue. Their new apartment was near Yanghe Trading Company but far from Futong Commerce, which meant she had to leave for work an hour earlier than Xia Jie, who wasn’t even out of bed yet.

In Dan Biao’s office, Yang Hui sat across from him. Dan Biao got up to make him tea, a courtesy Yang Hui had never enjoyed here before. He felt a flicker of surprise.

"A Hui, to be honest, you haven’t been with the company for long, but you’ve made huge contributions to the operations department and the company as a whole. With you here, I have a lot less to worry about."

Yang Hui smiled, knowing what was coming next.

Dan Biao walked over and shut the office door, which had been ajar. He came back and said in a low voice, "A Hui, you must not tell anyone what I’m about to say today. Otherwise, President Li will kill me."

’So he’s trying to put me in his debt.’ Yang Hui’s opinion of him wasn’t great, but it wasn’t terrible either. Dan Biao was competent enough, but his time at Futong Commerce had bred a certain servility in him. He lacked creativity, though his execution was decent.