Jian Yan gave He Xiu an unhappy glance and asked him with a sour expression, "What scientific basis do you have for this theory?"
He Xiu hurriedly said, "There's no scientific basis for that. I was just talking nonsense. How about we change positions?"
Jian said, "No need. Anyway, after changing positions, the smoke will still drift towards me." Fortunately, she had brought an extra set of clothes when she came out. Otherwise, when she went to work later, her whole body would be filled with the smell of hot pot, and that would be terrible.
Thinking of this, she raised her eyes and said to He Xiudao, "By the way, I might be leaving my job in the next two days."
He Xiu was slightly stunned and looked at her, saying, "I was wrong. I was just talking nonsense just now. You don't have to quit your job, right?"
Jian Yan smiled and said, "Mr. Lin only gave me a one-month leave. I had agreed with Zhou Wenwen to leave after Christmas."
He Xiu slightly pursed his lips. It wasn't that he was afraid that if Jian Yan left, there would be no one in the Dream Wardrobe. Rather, if she left, the chances for him to interact with her would be even fewer.
He thought for a while and said to her, "Huihui will go to City C after the Spring Festival. Why don't you stay until before the Spring Festival and go with her?"
"Well... it's not impossible." But in that case, she might have to wait a little longer before starting to prepare for her new work.
He Xiu, undaunted, said, "There will be a New Year's fee at the Spring Festival, and you'll get one too."
Jian Yan raised her eyebrows slightly: "So good?" She was still a probationary employee after all.
"Hmm." He Xiu nodded. If he said there was, there was.
"All right then. There aren't many days left anyway."
When He Xi saw that she agreed, he felt a little relieved. He smiled at her and asked, "Do you want anything else to eat? I'll go and buy it for you."
"Well, not for now. Let's finish these first."
"Hmm." He Xiu picked up a pair of chopsticks and scooped up a bit of food without paying attention to what it was and put it in his bowl. Right now, he was thinking that time was pressing and he had to try his best to get closer to Jian Yan before she left. "By the way, are you free the day after tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow?" Jane thought for a moment. "January 1st?"
"Um."
It seems that I'm on the morning shift.
"Then, are you free after work? I want to take you somewhere."
Jian Yan was a little curious: "Where?"
He Xiu smiled at her and said, "It's a secret for now."
Jian Yan squinted her eyes and sized him up: "Are you up to something bad?"
He Xiu chuckled and said, "Absolutely not. Believe me."
Jian Yan thought for a moment and still agreed: "All right."
He Xiu's lips curled up slightly, clearly showing a hint of happiness: "Then wait for me outside the mall after work. I'll drive you there."
"Okay." She responded and then, as if remembering something, asked He Xi, "Oh, right. Tomorrow night is New Year's Eve. A lot of brands are going to sell lucky bags, right?"
He Xiudao said, "The lucky bags will be on sale after the mall opens on January 1st in the morning. However, many customers will queue outside all night."
"Well, I know that too. So do we have to work overtime tomorrow night?"
You don't have to, but I might stay at the company all night.
Jane looked at him sympathetically: "So bad?"
He Xiu chuckled, "It's the same every year. I'm used to it."
Jian Yan had intended to say, "You're the general manager. Why do you have to do everything yourself?" But the words stuck in her throat. He Xiu's position in the He family was sensitive, and she was afraid that she might accidentally say something that would make him sad again.
"This spicy beef is really delicious. You should try it too." Jian Yan picked up a pair of chopsticks and put some beef into He Xiū's bowl. He Xiū looked up at her with a smile and said, "Thank you."
“…… "No." Jian Yan lowered her head, secretly cursing herself in her heart. She had been so careless as to be bewitched by his good looks.
The year-end lucky bag battle is a big deal for many people. Brands that are usually as unattainable as flowers on a high mountain also offer affordable lucky bags on this day.
Jianyan was still on the night shift that day. When she came out of the mall after work, a long queue had already formed on the Starlight Square. Just like the previous few Christmases, the police and urban management officers would be on duty here all night, and the entire security team of Starlight Department Store would also be working through the night without a doubt.
The several security guards at the door all knew Jian Yan. When they saw her come out, they greeted her. Jian Yan kept an appropriate distance from them, smiled at them and said, "Thank you for your hard work tonight."
The security guard said, "Sigh, it's like this every year. I'm used to it, but my wife has a lot to say about it."
Jian Yan laughed and saw that among the people queuing up in the square, there were still some playing mahjong. She was somewhat surprised: "There are still people playing mahjong?"
The security guard glanced in the direction she was looking and said calmly, "Oh, it's them again. They came last year. I heard they were a gambling god. They played mahjong all night and never lost."
"So amazing?"
"Yeah, but they don't bet money. They just play for fun. Time flies, it's already another year."
"Yeah." Jian Yan was also a bit touched. At this time last year, she was still in front of the computer working on a draft. She didn't chat with them any longer. Jian Yan went to a nearby restaurant to buy some midnight snacks and returned to Xingguang Department Store. The store's door was already closed. Jian Yan said to the security guard apologetically, "Could you please open the door for me? I'm here to deliver some midnight snacks to my colleagues who are working overtime."
The security guard knew that there were other colleagues working overtime inside just like them and didn't stop her. Instead, he directly opened the staff entrance door for her. Jian Yan thanked him and walked into the mall.
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Without the hustle and bustle of people and the dazzling lights, the department store after closing time is completely different from the daytime. It is quiet all around, and the distant ceiling light that is on gives it a mysterious veil.
Jian Yan unconsciously quickened her pace and headed upstairs. At this moment, the elevators were all out of service, so she could only take the stairs. The corridor was even darker than outside, and she started to run up the stairs directly.
It was only at this moment that Jianyan realized that after all these years, even though she had grown up so much, she still felt scared when climbing the stairs alone.
Stopping in front of an office door, Jane raised her hand and knocked. From inside, she heard a voice say, "Come in."
Jane turned the doorknob and pushed the door open, sticking her head in. He Xiu, sitting behind the desk, looked up and saw her, slightly taken aback: "Why are you here?"
Jian Yan raised the bag in her hand and said to him, "I think you must be hungry working overtime here alone. You treated me to hot pot yesterday, so I'll treat you to a late-night snack."
He Xiu's lips involuntarily curved up. He looked at Jian Yan by the door and said to her, "Come in and sit down."
Jian Yan walked in with a smile and placed the late-night snack she was holding on his desk. "Am I disturbing you at work?"
"Indeed, a bit," He Xiu said here, deliberately pausing for a moment, "But I like being disturbed by you."
Jian Yan was momentarily at a loss for words, not knowing what to say, and her cheeks turned slightly red. Fortunately, she promptly spotted a small object leaning against the wall: "Haha, isn't this the washboard I gave you?"
She walked over, picked it up and played with it curiously, saying, "It's of pretty good quality. Did you kneel down?"
“……” He Xiu fell silent for a moment and then suddenly asked her with a smile, "Do you know there are inscriptions on the back of this washboard?"
"Huh? Really?" Jane turned to the back and took a look. Sure enough, five big characters were engraved there -
Honey, I'm wrong.
Jian Yan: "..."
He Xiu's smile became even more enigmatic: "What do you mean by giving me this?"
……
Jian Yan coughed awkwardly and said, "Ah, I remember now. This washboard can be engraved with words. If I don't leave a note for the shop, it will be engraved by default with 'My wife is wrong.'"
"Oh, is that so?" He Xiu deliberately spoke with a hint of regret, making Jian Yan even more embarrassed. She put the washboard back and walked back to her desk, saying, "Why don't we have something to eat first?"
"Okay." He Xiu didn't tease her anymore. The two of them opened up the night snacks one by one and started eating right in the office. Jian Yan had bought a lot of duck necks. Seeing her eating so happily, He Xiu couldn't help but chuckle and said, "Do you want to watch TV? There are several New Year's Eve concerts on tonight."
Jian Yan shook her head and said, "No need. I don't have any particular favorite singers. It's better to listen to your singing."
He Xiu blinked his eyes and asked her, "Then do you want me to sing it for you on the spot?"
Jian Yan looked up at him and pushed the boxes of midnight snacks towards him. "Just eat well."
He Xiu lowered his eyes and chuckled twice, then ate in silence.
Midway, Lin Zhen called Jian Yan and invited her to go out and have fun. Jian Yan looked at He Xiu sitting opposite her and told Lin Zhen, "No, I have to work overtime today."
"Overtime, overtime and more overtime. When will you ever get to celebrate the New Year without working overtime?"
"Uh..." Jane was at a loss for words.
"Never mind. Since you love your work so much, I won't disturb you. I wish you could earn more money next year!"
"Thank you..."
After she hung up the phone, He Xi asked her, "Was it Lin Zhen?"
"Well, she let me go out to play."
"Are you not going?"
"No, anyway, she has many people to keep her company." After saying this, she quickly added, "Oh, of course I don't mean you have no one to keep you company..."
He Xiu smiled and said, "Yes, I really have no one to keep me company. I'm so pitiful."
Jian Yan: "..."
It has no persuasive power at all, okay?
As it was approaching twelve o'clock, the crowd in the square was also getting excited. He Xiu stood by the window and looked down, then turned around and asked Jian Yan, "Are you going down to celebrate the New Year with them?"
Jianyan still shook her head: "It's so cold outside. It's warmer here."
Although the air conditioners in the mall were all turned off at night, it was still warmer than outside. He Xiu poured her a cup of hot water and said to her, "Then let's just watch them count down here."
"Hmm." Jane picked up the water cup and blew on it.
Even though I was in an office far away from the crowd, the collective countdown from the square still clearly reached my ears. There is a large clock tower in Starlight Square. When the hands of the clock met at the number twelve, it seemed as if the whole world burst into cheers.
The old year has passed, and the new year has come as scheduled.
"Happy New Year," Jian Yan said with a smile to He Xiu.
The softest spot in He Xiu's heart was touched, and his eyes unconsciously warmed up: "Happy New Year."
The cheers of the people in the square were still going on. He Xiu looked at them through the glass window and said to Jane beside him, "Since I took over Starlight Department Store, I have spent every New Year's Day alone in this office. Every year, I would stand here and watch the people below count down and cheer, but I couldn't feel a bit of their joy. But this year, I'm very happy."
He turned his head to look at Jian Yan. At that moment, Jian Yan seemed to see the entire galaxy in his eyes: "Thank you."
Stay by my side.