Betsy, born on September 10, 1988, is the CEO of Zhuomei Shopping Center. She hails from Suzhou and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a master’s degree in business administration.
I was reading her resume, utterly shocked. The woman I had driven away from that dilapidated house last night turned out to be the newly appointed CEO of Zhuomei Shopping Center. Although I don’t work at Zhuomei, it is the biggest competitor of our Baoli Department Store, which indirectly connects me with Mi Cai. At least we are both in the retail industry, albeit with a vast difference in status.
Could it be true that enemies are destined to meet? After intersecting in life, we indirectly connected at work.
Chen Jingming noticed my abnormality and asked in confusion, “What’s wrong? Is there a problem with this personnel file from Zhuomei?”
“No, no… I just think the new CEO of Zhuomei is too beautiful. She’s only 26. I wonder if she has a boyfriend.”
Chen Jingming looked at me helplessly, speechless for a long time.
“Well, Manager, you go ahead with your work. I’m going to work now.” Without waiting for Chen Jingming’s response, I took the personnel file of Zhuomei and left the manager’s office.
…
Back in my office, I flipped through the personnel file again. After reading it all, I turned back to Mi Cai’s page, still finding it unbelievable. Subconsciously, I compared myself with her and instantly felt the gap between people could be so huge. Zhuomei has been suppressing our Baoli in Suzhou for years. As the CEO of Zhuomei, Mi Cai is more successful in the industry than our CEO, Yang Huaqing. In the more than two years I’ve been working at Baoli, I’ve hardly seen Yang Huaqing due to the difference in our ranks. In my mind, Yang Huaqing is a man I have to look up to. But not long ago, Mi Cai, who is stronger than Yang Huaqing in the industry, was treated rudely by me. I still remember the scene when I threw her sheets and quilt out of the window into the rain. Mi Cai really cried in front of me, and my behavior afterwards was even worse…
I didn’t want to think about it anymore. At this moment, I was really glad that I was working at Baoli, not Zhuomei!!
Zhao Li, who was sitting next to me, looked at my changing expressions and asked in confusion, “Zhao Yang, why is your face so twisted?”
“My face hurts!”
“Oh… What’s that document in your hand? You’ve been flipping through it for a while.”
“It’s the latest personnel file from Zhuomei. You take it and familiarize yourself with it.” I said, tossing the file to Zhao Li.
Zhao Li immediately started flipping through it. After seeing the first page, he exclaimed in surprise, “The CEO of Zhuomei has changed!”
“Yep.” I replied.
Zhao Li continued reading and sighed, “She’s only 26 and so beautiful. Is she just a figurehead?”
“You think she’s a figurehead too.” I said to Zhao Li, feeling a sense of camaraderie, but also a sense of imbalance. Why is it that both Mi Cai and I were born in the 80s, but she lives like a fairy while I live like a cockroach.
“But she’s a master’s graduate in business administration from the University of Pennsylvania. She probably won’t be just a figurehead. Everyone knows that the business school of the University of Pennsylvania is the best in the world.” Zhao Li looked at Mi Cai’s photo and negated his previous opinion.
I glared at Zhao Li and said, “Zhao Li, do you have a stance? What about a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Pennsylvania? Modern business competition is about wisdom and experience, not education.”
“Why are you so agitated! I was just saying. Whether she’s a figurehead or not has nothing to do with us small fries.”
“Sissy, don’t talk to me.”
“Who’s a sissy? I’m a man who loves outdoor sports.” Zhao Li said to me, his face turning red.
“Outdoor ballet, right?”
“Zhao Yang, you beast, you’re even more damaging when you speak than when you act!”
I replied nonchalantly, “Keep cursing, keep cursing with your pinky finger up.”
Zhao Li: “……”
…
That evening, I stayed at the company with my colleagues for an extra two hours. I had been in this state of work for several days in a row, and I was gradually getting used to this busyness and pressure. This was a significant change for me, and my long-depressed life needed such a change.
As I was about to leave the company, I received a call from Circle. He told me that he and Yan Yan had returned from Sanya and invited me to dinner. I cautiously asked him if Jian Wei was there. He told me that Jian Wei had gone to Nanjing with Xiang Chen. Only then did I let down my guard, but my heart was filled with an indescribable sense of loss. I knew very well what Jian Wei and Xiang Chen’s trip to Nanjing meant.
The heaviness of the night kept suppressing my sensitivity, making me feel more and more depressed and lost…
When I arrived at the restaurant where I had agreed to meet Circle, I smoked a cigarette at the door, grinned at my reflection in the window, and felt that my smile was flawless. Then I put out the cigarette and walked into the restaurant.
Yan Yan waved at me from a distance. I struggled to maintain my smile as I walked towards them.
After I sat down, Yan Yan immediately handed me a convenience bag and said, “I know you like beer, so I bought you a lot of ready-to-eat seafood… Zhao Yang, your sister is good to you, right?”
I took the bag from Yan Yan and said with a smirk, “You’re a married woman now, don’t pretend to be young and call yourself a sister in front of us. I really can’t say it.”
Yan Yan slapped me and said, “You’re really mean. What’s wrong with me being a married woman? I’m still your sister.”
I laughed heartily, but my mood was still immersed in an undeserved sense of loss.
In the midst of my laughter with Yan Yan, Circle asked me, “I heard from Manager Chen that Zhuomei will have a large-scale promotional event targeting our Baoli soon.”I nodded and said, “Well, this was expected. Otherwise, Chen Jingming wouldn’t have been so eager to call you back. It’s a pity about your honeymoon.” Then I turned to Yan Yan and asked, “Young lady, are you upset about being summoned back before you’ve had enough fun?”
Yan Yan, holding onto Circle’s arm, said, “I always support my husband’s work. I don’t mind missing out on a few days of fun.”
“What a good wife, a virtuous helper!” I exclaimed sincerely.
Circle, hugging Yan Yan, smiled at me and said, “You could also put some effort into cultivating your girlfriend into a virtuous helper!”
I remained silent, looking around and waiting for the waiter to serve the dishes.
During the meal, Circle and I talked about work. I briefly told him about my recent work situation. Suddenly, he asked, “By the way, I heard that the CEO of Zhuo Mei has changed. You should have their latest personnel files, right?”
“Yes, Chen Jingming gave me a copy this morning.”
“Do you have it with you? Let me see.”
I suddenly realized that the new CEO of Zhuo Mei was Mi Cai. If Circle saw that personnel file, he would be shocked, and I would have a hard time explaining. It was so incredible that I never dreamed that the woman I had forcibly pretended to be my “girlfriend” was actually the new CEO of Zhuo Mei.
I immediately said, “Why would I carry that thing around with me?”
“You must have looked at that personnel file. Can you briefly introduce the new CEO of Zhuo Mei and the situation in their planning department?”
I said impatiently, “It’s off work time, can we not talk about work?”
But Circle said to me very seriously, “I’m always clear about work. For me, there’s no difference between on and off duty. As members of the company’s planning department, it’s our duty to understand the movements of our competitors as soon as possible.”
I was silent, knowing that I couldn’t hide this matter. Circle would see Zhuo Mei’s personnel file sooner or later. With a firm heart, I took out the file from my bag and threw it in front of Circle, saying, “This is it.”
Circle picked up the file and asked in surprise, “Didn’t you say you didn’t bring it with you?”
“Don’t ask, just read it.”