Wen Ya slept very well, until she woke up because of the smell.
The scent of alcohol on her body had fermented overnight in the tightly sealed air conditioned room. The result was unforgettable.
Who would have thought that the first thing after waking from a hangover would not be holding her head and recalling the night before, but jumping up to open the windows.
She felt slightly hopeless.
By the time she finished showering and walked out of her room, it was already past ten. Wen Ya collapsed onto the sofa and was immediately handed a cup of honey water by her mother.
“Your abilities are improving. Coming home late is one thing, but you even dare come back drunk.”
Wen Ya took a sip, pushed the cup away, and rolled over to face the other direction. “I’ve been an adult for many years already.”
Her mother reached out and twisted her ear. “You’ve been an adult for many years, yet after all those years you still don’t even have a boyfriend.”
“How can everything lead back to that…” Wen Ya was truly speechless. Rubbing her ear, she turned to look at her mother. “It’s already this day and age. Can’t a woman live without a man? That’s ridiculous.”
Her mother snorted at her. “Who was the one grinning at her phone like a fool last time? After getting dumped, you say things like this. It’s not convincing.”
“That situation was different. If there’s someone you like, of course you try to develop the relationship properly, but that doesn’t mean you must have a man.” Wen Ya scooted aside. “My head hurts, stop bothering me… Oh right, where’s Auntie?”
“Only remembering now? She left this morning. Went out at six thirty. I wanted to wake you up to see her off, but she refused and said you were tired and should rest well. Wen Ya, your aunt really treats you well. After all these years, you should know that yourself. Don’t hurt her feelings.”
Listening to her mother’s earnest lecture only made Wen Ya’s head hurt more.
“I know. I just don’t like how she arranges things for me without asking… Anyway, you two are the same.”
Her mother immediately became angry. “You ungrateful child!”
Wen Ya grabbed a cushion and pressed it over her head, refusing to listen.
The sound of the television began echoing beside her. As she lay there, she started drifting back to sleep.
“Hey.”
Her mother’s tone suddenly turned ambiguous. Wen Ya let out a lazy nasal sound in response.
“Last night you went drinking with that Mr. Lin…”
What the hell!
Wen Ya shot upright from the sofa, startling her mother into yelling, “Wen Ya, what are you doing!”
Oh no, oh no, oh no. Wen Ya pressed a hand to her forehead. She had completely forgotten that she went drinking with Lin Xuehe last night. Then she had fallen asleep halfway through. So how exactly did she get home?
Thinking of this, Wen Ya solemnly grabbed her mother’s hand. “Mom, did I walk home by myself last night?”
Her mother looked at her with disdain. “How could that be? You were drunk like a puddle.”
“Then did you and Dad go pick me up?”
Her mother shook off her hand. “We thought you were working overtime. That Mr. Lin carried you back. You were lucky, sleeping comfortably on his back.”
…Oh my god.
She had missed being conscious during such an incredible moment?
No, wait. Wen Ya shook her head. Start again.
“Mom, when Mr. Lin came, what did his expression look like? Did he look unhappy?”
Her mother thought for a moment and felt that everything seemed fine. “No. I thought he looked polite and well mannered… You really have no chance with him?”
Wen Ya rolled her eyes. “Don’t be a toad dreaming of eating swan meat. A man like Mr. Lin, could I even handle serving him?”
“Who said you have to serve him? If you two were dating, wouldn’t he be the one pampering you?”
“Forget it.” Wen Ya did not take it seriously. “Could I make him serve me? He looks like a heavenly immortal. I’d feel too guilty.”
“He was willing to carry you home. There’s definitely something there.” Her mother insisted. “I refuse to believe any man would spend that kind of effort on a woman he doesn’t like.”
Here she goes again.
Wen Ya ignored her, grabbed the honey water and finished it in one gulp, then shuffled back to her room in her slippers.
Half a minute later, a completely uncontrollable scream came from the room.
“I still have to go to work!”
Although the hangover left her in chaos, Wen Ya’s spirits did improve a little.
For now, she decided not to think about it and just put everything aside.
Her fingers clattered across the keyboard. For three days in a row, she watched the little Minion avatar sink lower and lower in the chat list, until she had to scroll down quite far to find it.
She had been hesitating about whether to apologize and thank him at the same time.
“Sigh.” Her middle finger resting on the mouse clicked the right button. In the menu that popped up, she selected “delete this chat.” Wen Ya tapped her forehead lightly.
Let it be. Three days had already passed anyway. Bringing it up now would just feel strange.
“Baby, want some milk tea?”
Liu Yun, who was in a great mood after her child’s recovery, held up two packets of powdered milk tea. “They’re free today.”
Wen Ya stretched her neck to glance across the room. Qiao Mu was not there.
“Alright.”
The two of them walked to the pantry together, chatting affectionately.
The moment the milk tea packet was torn open, a heavy sweet smell spilled out. It was hard to tell what concentration of artificial sweetener it was made with.
Hot water dissolved the powder. As Wen Ya stirred, she said, “So stingy. It’s only one yuan and you still chose a moment when Xiao Qiao isn’t here to invite me.”
Liu Yun rolled her eyes. “Don’t wrong me. I invited her before when you weren’t here too. Tsk, tsk. We’re from different worlds. I don’t want to put her in an awkward position again.”
“Oh, that’s true.” Wen Ya understood. People like them lived very different lives from Qiao Mu, and some things had boundaries that could not easily be shared. Thinking about sharing reminded her of something. “By the way, baby, a new children’s clothing store opened on Xican Street. The fabric is pretty good. Prices range from a few dozen yuan to about two hundred, very affordable. You can go take a look when you have time.”
“That sounds good. Kids’ clothes are ridiculously expensive these days. But why were you going to a children’s clothing store?”
Wen Ya waved her hand. “I was just passing by. There’s a very quiet vegetarian restaurant at the corner of Xican Street.”
Liu Yun looked puzzled. “A vegetarian restaurant? You? Aren’t you the one who claims you can’t live without meat and loves strong flavors?”
“When the renovation work was done for the day, Mr. Lin took me there. Actually the food wasn’t bad.”
“What?” Liu Yun was stunned, her hand unconsciously stirring the cup. “You made that untouchable Mr. Lin go with you to a children’s clothing store?”
Wen Ya remained completely unaware. “I only stopped by for a quick look. From the moment I entered to when I left, it took less than three minutes.”
“That’s not the issue of time…” Liu Yun stopped abruptly. “Ah, President Duan.”
She looked at Duan Ming’an, who had just reached the doorway, then at Wen Ya leaning against the window holding her cup. Her smile instantly turned playful, and she threw the previous topic straight out of her mind. “Oh, I just remembered there’s a document I still need to send. Wen Ya, take your time drinking.”
She rushed out like a gust of wind, leaving Wen Ya and Duan Ming’an facing each other.
It was rather awkward.
Fortunately, they were both adults, and Duan Ming’an was especially experienced in social situations. He smiled first and broke the silence. “I caught you slacking off and chatting. What should I do about that?”
His expression was natural. Wen Ya relaxed and pretended to stroke her chin thoughtfully. “Maybe I could bribe you?”
Duan Ming’an poured himself a cup of plain water and refused righteously. “I remain pure even when rising from the mud.”
Wen Ya laughed. “So what exactly is the mud?”
Duan Ming’an laughed too. “Whatever it is, I am upright and incorruptible.”
“Alright then.” Wen Ya set down her cup and turned her face slightly toward him. “When did you get back?”
Duan Ming’an pulled over a chair and sat down, his fingers interlocked. “Last night. Exhausted. What about you? How have the past few days been?”
Wen Ya smiled quietly. Now that things had come to this, chatting with him actually felt lighter than before.
“I’ve been very busy too. But Mr. Lin’s house is finally finished, so things are much easier now. And there’s a new colleague helping me, so work has become a lot more manageable.”
“You’re training a new employee?” Duan Ming’an smiled. “If your workload is being shared, just remember to keep up with the follow ups. After all, if a new employee makes a mistake, the responsibility still falls on you.”
Wen Ya thought about how she had been out of the office before and had delegated some tasks. Her heart suddenly skipped a beat.
It should be fine. They were all simple tasks. There was no reason they could not be done properly.
“Sorry, President Duan. I need to go too.”
Wen Ya finished her milk tea in one gulp, rinsed the cup casually, and hurried out of the pantry.
No, no. The more she thought about it, the more nervous she felt. She had better quickly confirm all the tasks she had assigned earlier.
Hopefully her moment of carelessness had not caused any trouble. God bless.
She went through everything recorded in her notebook and everything she could recall, confirming each item with Qiao Mu. She also walked around to several departments to ask about the progress. Nothing seemed wrong. Wen Ya finally relaxed and collapsed into her chair.
Very good.
She knew she could not possibly suffer misfortune again and again.
Wen Ya looked at the work in front of her. Most of it was already finished. She could simply wait until the end of the workday.
Just as she was sitting comfortably, she saw the procurement manager storm past the doorway in anger. About ten seconds later, his hysterical shouting could be heard.
Wen Ya felt puzzled. The direction he went led either to the chairman’s office or the general manager’s office.
Liu Yun was also confused. “What the hell? Why is this tyrannosaurus heading somewhere other than the finance office first today?”
Everyone in the company knew that the procurement department and the finance department were practically at war. One constantly requested funds, while the other refused to release them. On average they had a small argument every three days and a big one every week. After fighting, both sides usually stormed into the general manager’s office together to continue arguing. But they had never seen one side go straight there alone.
Another half minute passed before the general manager personally appeared at the entrance of the secretary’s office. His gaze swept across the room, passing over Qiao Mu before finally stopping on Wen Ya.
“Wen Ya, come here for a moment.”
Something to do with her?
Wen Ya’s scalp went numb. She barely managed to keep her composure.
After entering the general manager’s office, she closed the door as instructed. Before she could even turn around, she was hit by a barrage of flying spit.
“You wrote this procurement application form, right? Huh?” The man with thick hair and beard waved the thin sheet of paper in his hand as he stepped toward her. “How long have you been working here? Huh? The file storage cabinets need eleven units? Do you even know how big our office building is? If we add eleven more cabinets, where exactly are you planning to put them?”
“Wen Ya, when you filled out this form, were you even thinking clearly?”
The rapid barrage left Wen Ya stunned. Her face flushed as she tried to explain. “I didn’t order eleven. I only ordered one…”
A sheet of paper slapped against her face. The procurement manager sneered. “Only one? Take a look yourself!”
The paper had no weight, yet Wen Ya’s face burned as if it had been struck. She held back the tears that were about to surge out, grabbed the paper, and forced her blurry eyes to focus on the numbers written on it. Two clear strokes, unmistakable.
“Now the goods have already been delivered. They’re sitting right out in the hallway. Tell me, how are you going to deal with this?”
Wen Ya lowered her head and spoke with difficulty. “I’ll contact the supplier and see if they can take them back.”
“You contact them? I’ve never heard of returning goods just because you ordered too many! What are you even talking about? Do you think before you act? If the quantity was changed, even though the general manager had already signed before, how could you make the decision not to let him review it again? If you had shown it to him once more, would it have turned out like this?”
“It was shown to the general manager after the change. It must have been filled out incorrectly when the application form was written…”
The general manager shook his head. “I did not see it after the change.”
Wen Ya’s vision went dark. What was going on?
“This doesn’t look like your handwriting. You were often not in the office recently. Did you let the new employee fill out the form?” The general manager had almost figured out what happened. “Bring the original copy here so we can take a look.”
Wen Ya gritted her teeth and nodded. She returned to the office and retrieved the original copy from Qiao Mu, where it had been casually thrown in a drawer.
Seeing Wen Ya’s reddened eyes, Qiao Mu spoke nervously. “Sister Wen Ya…”
“It’s fine.” Wen Ya took the form and hurried back to the general manager’s office, handing it to him.
On the original form, the number of file cabinets had been manually changed from 2 to 1. Because the correction had been written over the number, making the “1” thicker, and leaving a gap in the middle, it was possible to mistake it for “11” if someone was not paying close attention.
Whose fault was it? Wen Ya, who had left room for misunderstanding by manually altering the number, or Qiao Mu, who had been careless and thoughtless?
Obviously, Qiao Mu should bear most of the responsibility. But she had only been here a short time and could not possibly shoulder that responsibility.
So the blame would inevitably fall on Wen Ya.
The procurement manager pointed at her nose. “If you’re going to delegate work, at least explain things clearly. Are you expecting a newcomer who just arrived to carefully clarify every detail for you, or are you expecting the procurement clerk to notice your mistake? Each cabinet costs two hundred and forty six yuan. What are you going to do about it?”
“That’s enough, Old Li. Let’s stop here.” The general manager stepped in to mediate. “No one wanted this to happen. Check with the production factory to see if they need any cabinets. If they do, send a few over. For the rest, return what can be returned. If some cannot be returned, we can try selling them back to the supplier at a slightly lower price. If there’s a price difference they can profit from, they probably won’t refuse.”
This somewhat eased the situation for Wen Ya. But to make the procurement manager drop the matter, some disciplinary action had to be taken.
“Wen Ya, one month of your performance bonus will be deducted. Be more careful next time.”
“Everyone may go back now.”
The procurement manager glared at Wen Ya viciously and stormed off to deal with the aftermath.
Wen Ya bowed to the general manager, then turned and closed the door behind her.
She did not return to the office. Instead, she went to the restroom first.
Cold water splashed onto her face. Wen Ya closed her eyes.
She just wanted to stay here quietly for a moment.
Just for a moment.
But the phone resting on the sink began vibrating insistently. Wen Ya cursed under her breath through the droplets on her face, turned off the faucet, and wiped her face.
She was about to lose her mind.
When she saw the caller’s name on the screen, she had no choice but to collect herself slightly and answer. “Mom, what is it?”
Her mother’s voice on the other end sounded cheerful. “Don’t work overtime today. After work come straight to Rongxin Hotel. Six o’clock. We’ll be waiting for you.”
“What?”
Her mother did not answer and insisted without explanation. “Anyway, there’s something going on. Just come on time. Call me when you arrive.”
“Wait, what exactly—”
The call had already ended.
Wen Ya stared down at the darkened screen, then at the solid tiled floor beneath her feet, expressionless.
Maybe she should change her phone.
Author’s note:
Such terrible luck. Even Mr. Lin can’t comfort her anymore.