Xu Jia spent the entire afternoon touring the apartment, sighing again and again. ’This is what I call living!’
Seeing Zhao Xiangjun’s new life, she was genuinely happy for her best friend.
Back when they first met, Zhao Xiangjun was nothing more than a money-making machine, earning a fortune she couldn’t even spend on herself.
She hadn’t known when it would ever end.
But things were different now. It looked like Chen Xiao was taking meticulous care of Zhao Xiangjun, which set her mind at ease.
She wouldn’t have agreed to go back to her hometown and get married if her family hadn’t forced her. She had been worried that with her gone, no one would be there to protect Zhao Xiangjun.
When Chen Xiao walked in, Xu Jia was helping Zhao Xiangjun in the kitchen.
Xu Jia did all the dirty and tiring work, while Zhao Xiangjun handled the cooking.
He scratched his head. ’This scene is so familiar. It’s just that in the past, Zhao Xiangjun was the one doing all the dirty, tiring work while I was in charge of making a simple dish of shredded potatoes.’
Seeing Chen Xiao, Xu Jia greeted him with the ease of an old friend. She supported him from the bottom of her heart for treating Zhao Xiangjun so well.
Before this, Xu Jia had always believed that no man on earth was worthy of Zhao Xiangjun, because she was so beautiful, both inside and out.
"Chen Xiao, go lie on the sofa for a bit. I’ll call you when dinner’s ready!" Zhao Xiangjun shouted, poking her head out of the kitchen.
Xu Jia secretly pinched her. "You’re so biased! Why am I, the guest, the one doing all the work?"
"Because you know how to help, and he doesn’t!"
She replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Xu Jia looked to the heavens and took a deep breath. ’Fine, I give up!’
While they were eating, Zhao Xiangjun habitually peeled a shrimp and placed it in the dipping bowl in front of Chen Xiao.
Xu Jia watched for a moment before saying, "I used to do that too."
Chen Xiao said, "So your boyfriend doesn’t like peeling shrimp either? You peel them for him every time?"
Xu Jia said forlornly, "I’d never peel them for my boyfriend. I used to peel them for Zhao Xiangjun. She’s the one who hates peeling shrimp!"
Zhao Xiangjun stuffed a shrimp into her mouth. "Just eat and be quiet!"
Xu Jia made a few muffled sounds, then sighed plaintively, "My darling doesn’t love me anymore!"
Chen Xiao really liked Xu Jia’s personality. ’In those difficult years,’ he thought, ’it must have been her companionship that brought a few smiles to Xiangjun’s face.’
’Otherwise, with the life she used to lead, she’d truly tasted all of life’s bitterness.’
He asked about Xu Jia’s current situation.
After getting married, she had stopped working. She’d had several miscarriages, so she didn’t dare go back to work.
Working as a sales guide was a pretty exhausting job.
So now, her husband was the sole breadwinner. On his monthly income of 10,000 yuan, there was little left after the mortgage payment. Their life was far from wealthy.
"Have you considered moving to Jiangzhou for work?"
Chen Xiao’s main thought was that Zhao Xiangjun was very happy with her friend. ’I can’t be with Xiangjun every second of the day,’ he mused, ’she needs some female friends.’
’Move to Jiangzhou?’ Xu Jia looked at Zhao Xiangjun. She really did want to come.
The only thing was, they had bought a house in their hometown, and her husband’s job was there too. It would be difficult to convince their family to move everyone to Jiangzhou.
Seeing her hesitation, he continued, "You can work directly in the merchandise department at the Yino Jiangzhou Branch. The work is pretty relaxed, which would be good for trying to get pregnant."
"As for your husband, I can arrange for him to work at a friend’s company. The monthly salary won’t be less than 20,000."
’Her husband is a coder,’ Chen Xiao thought. ’He can write code anywhere. Both Dr. Feng’s Robot and Zhi Fei Aerospace need people like him. All I have to do is ask; I have that much pull.’
"Oh, and since you’d be moving from out of town, Yino can also give you a housing allowance."
Xu Jia was tempted. ’If that’s the case,’ she thought, ’our income would be higher than back home, and I could see Zhao Xiangjun all the time. It couldn’t be more perfect!’
’Wait a minute.’ "Chen Xiao, why do you talk about Yino as if you own it?"
"Because I practically do. If you don’t believe me, ask Xiangjun."
Xu Jia looked at her, completely puzzled. Zhao Xiangjun said, "Chen Xiao has made a great arrangement. Jiajia, you should come to Jiangzhou!"
Chen Xiao added, "How about this: I’ll get your job arranged tomorrow. Whether you decide to come or not will be up to you."
That night, Zhao Xiangjun naturally went to be with Chen Xiao. Under Xu Jia’s forlorn gaze, Chen Xiao "kidnapped" Zhao Xiangjun back to his room.
Are you kidding? With Xiangjun’s beauty and Chen Xiao’s Endurance Value, any night they didn’t battle till dawn would be a colossal waste, a crime against nature!
Gao Yue went to Yunfeng Building first thing in the morning.
Last night, she and her team had drafted the contract and cooperation agreement according to Ding Yong’s requirements. Today, she had an appointment with the investment department manager of Junxiao Capital to confirm the details in person.
She arrived at Yunfeng Building at 9:00 AM and was still negotiating with the investment department at 11:30 AM.
Her head was already spinning. Earlier, when she first arrived on the 28th floor, she had been stunned by the extravagant decor.
Now, she was discovering that the people who managed the money were incredibly difficult to deal with.
’It’s true what they say,’ she thought. ’Money makes you king.’
The investment department manager wasn’t questioning the broad strokes of the deal, as that had already been agreed upon by upper management on both sides. Instead, he was nitpicking every little detail.
It was driving Gao Yue crazy, but she could only force a smile and keep explaining. After all, she was the one asking for money, so she couldn’t afford to lose her temper.
In a way, she was being unfair to the investment manager. He was new, after all, and hadn’t yet figured out the preferences of his superiors.
So, his only choice was to be as diligent as possible, haggling over every last detail to show that he would fight tooth and nail for the company’s interests.
The salaries here were over 30% higher than the industry average for a similar position, so everyone cherished their job.
President Xu usually carried herself with a noble, intellectual air, but she could occasionally reveal a domineering CEO side. Her subordinates were all terrified of her now.
Gao Yue was currently stuck on a few contract details. Contract negotiations were supposed to be about give and take, but the manager in front of her was scrutinizing every single word.
Gao Yue pleaded in a low voice, "Brother, it’s just this one tiny non-issue. Can we just let it go? Please, give me a break!"
The investment manager gave a bitter smile. "Ma’am, this is a matter of principle. I just started here; you can’t get me fired already!"
They were at a stalemate. This couldn’t go on. When would the contract ever get signed?
’If the contract isn’t signed, they won’t transfer the funds. Any delay will affect President Ding’s grand plan.’
Gao Yue was getting anxious. But seeing the unyielding investment manager before her, she felt she was at her wit’s end. She had no choice but to excuse herself to the restroom to catch her breath.
The moment she was out the door, a curse flew from her lips: "Damn it!"
’Who does this guy think he is?’ she fumed. ’We’ve been at it for two hours and he won’t give an inch. It’s so humiliating! And the one he’s playing this war of attrition with is a beautiful woman! Don’t beautiful women get any special privileges?’
She dawdled in the restroom for a few minutes. Coming out, she couldn’t help but marvel at how extravagantly wealthy Junxiao Capital was. Even the bathroom was luxurious, fitted with top international brands and cleaner than most people’s living rooms.
She tried to figure out how to persuade the investment manager, but after wracking her brain, she couldn’t think of a good solution. The only way was to keep grinding away, but that guy was a total blockhead... Ugh.
Just as she was walking ahead, head down and completely dejected, she suddenly heard a charming, feminine voice call out to her. "Ah Yue!"