Chapter 71: This is Little General Manager Yao

Yao Jia’s mind went completely blank.

Her tongue was entwined and sucked, stealing her breath and her senses.

Her heart pounded so fiercely it felt like it might burst from her chest. All she could hear was the thunderous sound of her heartbeat and their ragged breathing.

He filled her completely, leaving no space for air, making her feel both tortured and ecstatic.

So this is what a French kiss is like, she thought. This is how it feels to be kissed until the world spins.

Suddenly, Yao Jia snapped back to reality.

She realized she was being kissed by him, in the most thorough, invasive, and passionate way possible.

But what right did he have to kiss her? Did he even know what he was doing? Did he know who he was kissing?

Her rationality returned in an instant.

She struggled fiercely, using her tongue to push back against his invasion, breaking free from his sealing kiss to reclaim her breath and voice.

She leaned against him, forcing distance between them, her hands pressed against his chest, staring unblinkingly into his eyes.

Her breathing was rapid, her voice hoarse and trembling.

She asked him, “Do you know what you’re doing?”

She saw a hint of drunken confusion in his eyes.

He wasn’t even fully aware.

Her voice turned almost sorrowful, “Do you know who I am? Do you? Do you know?”

—I am not some other woman, not your ex-girlfriend, not those rich beauties you date, not your blind date. I am me, I am Yao Jia! Do you know who you’re really kissing?!

Meng Xingzhe had no idea when he passed out from drinking or how he ended up in his own bed.

He just felt a tightness in his throat, an unbearable discomfort.

And so he suddenly woke up.

Opening his eyes, he saw her.

The room was bathed in a blue-tinted darkness by the moonlight. She was like a beam of light in the night, making him no longer fear the vast darkness.

His head was spinning as he listened to her incessant chatter.

Her rosy lips moved, sending a sweet fragrance wafting toward him.

His heart was numbed by that sweetness. His senses were thrown into chaos by her sweet appearance.

The night and the alcohol amplified his affection and desire for her.

Before he realized what he was doing, he couldn’t resist pulling her in, sealing her chattering lips with his own.

In that moment, the world collapsed.

He completely occupied her, devouring and engulfing her fiercely.

Their rapid breaths intertwined and rose, filling the night, heating the darkness.

But suddenly, she pushed him away.

She looked into his eyes, asking painfully, “Do you know who I am? Do you? Do you know?”

In that moment, her question woke him up. His rationality returned, cutting into his soul like a knife.

She was Yue Xuran’s girlfriend.

She had a boyfriend, yet he had taken advantage of his drunkenness to forcibly kiss her.

How could he do such a thing…

He felt both regret and a lack of it, staring at her in a daze.

Yao Jia looked at Meng Xingzhe’s bewildered gaze, her heart filled with anger and sorrow.

He really couldn’t tell who she was; he had acted impulsively under the influence of alcohol!

How could he be such a jerk?!

She shoved him hard, struggling to her feet, and kicked his leg in a mix of grief and anger before turning to leave.

The door opened and closed. The room was left with only one person.

Meng Xingzhe raised a hand, resting the back of it on his forehead.

He closed his eyes, his heart filled with intense pain.

He thought it strange that he didn’t fear the darkness as much now.

Apparently, intense sorrow can make one forget the fear of darkness.

Yao Jia returned to her room, filled with shame and anger.

The night was deep, but she couldn’t sleep.

Her senses were filled with the lingering traces of that kiss.

She pulled open the curtains, kneeling on the window seat, hugging herself tightly.

She gazed at the half-full moon outside, wondering why she felt like crying.

It was as if she had suffered a great grievance, yet had no place to voice it.

She touched her lips, and her heart began to race wildly again.

In the blue-tinted moonlight, she clutched her chest, examining herself.

She didn’t know when it started, but her eyes would unconsciously search for him. When she couldn’t see him, she felt uneasy, but once she did, everything felt right.

Seeing him talk and eat with other girls, she would spill a glass of water without realizing it, her heart churning with silent anger.

But when he came back to have hotpot with her, just a few pieces of candy could make her happy.

Eating hotpot with him, she never felt the night was too long.

What was happening to her?

She recalled what Ling Xiaoxin had told her:

—Liking someone means thinking of them constantly when you can’t see them, wanting to see them; and when you do, no matter what they say or do, you feel happy, wanting to spend as much time with them as possible.

She thought sadly, so she really did like him, didn’t she?

This jerk who didn’t even know who he was kissing.

Yao Jia took a brief nap. She had a fragmented dream where Meng Xingzhe was kissing a line of faceless women one by one, and she was at the end of the line.

When he finally reached her and was about to kiss her, she shouted, “Get away, you’re disgusting!” and pushed him away.

She woke up from this absurd nightmare.

It was not yet six in the morning. The sky was gradually brightening.

The daylight made everything from last night impossible to hide. Without the cover of darkness, the memory of that kiss felt like torture, making it impossible for her to face Meng Xingzhe naturally.

Before anyone else woke up, she quickly gathered her things and left.

She planned to hide at home for the weekend.

Sitting in the taxi, Yao Jia thought for a moment, then picked up her phone to send a message to Yue Xuran.

Now that she had come to terms with her feelings and realized she liked Meng Xingzhe, regardless of whether she had a future with this jerk, she couldn’t continue to accept Yue Xuran’s pursuit.

It wouldn’t be fair to him.

She typed in the chat with Yue Xuran: [I’m sorry, I might not be able to respond to your feelings anymore.]

She didn’t expect Yue Xuran to be up so early; his reply came almost instantly: [If I called you now, would you find it hard to speak? So can you tell me here why you can’t respond to my feelings?]

She remembered that Yue Xuran had called her during hotpot the previous day, saying he had to get up early for the weekend because Tang Xin was rushing to film a documentary with him and Tao Lie, so he wouldn’t be able to meet her.

Yao Jia pressed her lips together. She thought Yue Xuran was so considerate and gentlemanly; why wasn’t he the one she liked?

She bit her lip and typed: [I think I like someone else…]

Yue Xuran’s response was quick: [What kind of person is he? Will he treat you well?]

Yao Jia pouted: [By little sister standards, he’s pretty good to me.]

By women’s standards, he’s a jerk.

Yao Jia thought for a moment and sent another message to comfort Yue Xuran: [Don’t be sad, there are plenty of girls better than me.]

After a while, she received a long message from Yue Xuran.

Yue Xuran: [Don’t worry, I’m not sad. To be honest, Yao Jia, I kind of had a premonition. I sensed that one day you would tell me you don’t like me, that you like someone else. Because of this premonition, I subconsciously prepared myself. Let me guess, the person you like is Meng Xingzhe, right?]

Yao Jia’s heart skipped a beat. They say women have strong intuition, but how could a man hit the mark so accurately?

She continued reading the long message: [You might not have noticed, but when you’re with me, you often mention Meng Xingzhe. It’s not just with me; Tao Lie also said that during the press conference, when you were chatting about industry-related or technical issues, you frequently mentioned a colleague named Meng Xingzhe. So have you realized that when you can’t see Meng Xingzhe, you’re subconsciously thinking about him?]

Yao Jia’s heart pounded as she read the message.

Yue Xuran: [Subconsciously, I must have sensed that you liked him too. But as long as you didn’t make it clear, I didn’t want to admit it. I wanted to try harder. But now it seems there’s no need. Don’t worry, Yao Jia, I’m not the kind of man who clings or can’t let go. Even if we can’t be a couple, we’re still partners. You’ll always be the investor behind Four Dot Technology; without you, there wouldn’t be today’s Four Dot Technology and Yue Xuran. Well, I have to go film the documentary now. I hope we both find the happiness we want!]

Yao Jia looked at Yue Xuran’s message, and inexplicably, her eyes filled with warmth.

Why couldn’t she like such an upright and considerate gentleman? Instead, she had to fall for a jerk. It was infuriating!

When Yao Jia arrived home, both Yao Bingkun and Gan Yu were a bit surprised.

Yao Jia said she missed home and wanted to spend the weekend there. Gan Yu hurriedly prepared breakfast for her. Yao Bingkun looked at her with a serious expression. “Did you get into a fight with someone outside? If only you were half as gentle as your sister.”

In the past, Yao Jia would have rebelliously retorted, “You’re absolutely right. Besides picking fights, what else can I do? You gave all the good traits to my sister!”

Yao Bingkun would then be provoked, yelling at her, “When will you grow up? When will you learn to be as accommodating as your sister?”

And her heart would tremble with hurt.

But this time, Yao Jia thought, forget it. There’s no point in arguing with the old man; he’s getting on in years. Better to stop this negative cycle right here.

She responded calmly, “No fights, just some disagreements. I came home to cool off.”

To her surprise, Yao Bingkun nodded. “It’s good to avoid confrontation and calm down.”

Yao Jia was almost shocked.

Was it really this easy to get a positive response from her father? All she had to do was not be rebellious!

If only he would stop comparing her to her sister.

Soon, Gan Yu had breakfast ready.

While Yao Jia was sipping her porridge, she received a message from Meng Xingzhe.

He apologized, saying he drank too much last night and asked if something unpleasant had happened between them. Had he upset her? Why else would she disappear so early in the morning?

He also asked if he had caused her any trouble after getting drunk, pleading with her not to hold it against him. Finally, he invoked their sworn sibling bond, reminding her that as her sworn brother, they had promised to share life and death, and a single night of drinking shouldn’t ruin their precious friendship.

Yao Jia was furious as she held her phone.

This guy always knew how to conveniently forget his misdeeds after drinking. With just a claim of memory loss, he expected everything to be forgiven. But who would give her back her precious first kiss?

She wanted to storm back to the dormitory and cut ties with him right then and there!

In the morning, Yao Jia lay in bed trying to catch up on sleep, but no matter how she tossed and turned, she couldn’t doze off. Just as she was getting frustrated, her phone chimed with a new message.

She picked it up to find a picture from Meng Xingzhe.

The image was filled with colorful candies of all kinds—milk candies, fruit candies, lollipops, you name it. The vibrant sweets looked enticingly delicious.

He also sent a text: [I went to seven or eight supermarkets and stores early in the morning to buy all the candy I could find for you. Please don’t be mad anymore, okay?]

Yao Jia’s heart twisted with emotion, finding him utterly infuriating.

How did he know exactly how to press her buttons and soften her heart?

Suddenly, she felt herself starting to forgive him, and she was angry at herself for being so weak-willed.

And so, she muddled through Saturday and Sunday.

On Sunday evening, she unexpectedly received a call from Lu Fangfei.

Lu Fangfei said, “Yao Jia, I need to tell Meng Xingzhe something urgent, but I can’t reach his phone. I had no choice but to contact you!”

After taking the call, Yao Jia immediately went to the study to find Yao Bingkun.

The next day, when Meng Xingzhe clocked in at the call center, Yao Jia was nowhere to be seen.

Feeling restless, he wondered how to appease her. Even when the work bell rang, she still hadn’t arrived.

He thought about messaging her to check on her, but his phone had fallen into the toilet the previous night in his flustered state. The new phone was still on its way.

He considered asking for leave on her behalf when Lin Qian approached him.

She looked serious.

He thought for a moment and said to Lin Qian, “Yao Jia has something to deal with and will be a bit late.”

Lin Qian informed him, “Yes, she already told me she’d be late.” After a pause, she added, “Meng Xingzhe, during the morning break, please visit Manager Li’s office.”

Meng Xingzhe nodded in agreement. During the morning break, he got up and went to Li Wangli’s office.

He didn’t expect Li Wangli to say, “Xiao Meng, the performance review for this month is out. You took half a day off without a leave certificate, which counts as Unauthorized Absence. According to company policy, Unauthorized Absence leads to dismissal. So, Xiao Meng, I’m sorry, but after collecting this month’s salary, you should pack up and head home.”

Meng Xingzhe raised an eyebrow.

He had planned to quit after this month anyway. But quitting on his own terms and being fired were entirely different matters.

“I remember the company policy states that three Unauthorized Absences lead to dismissal, right?” he argued.

Li Wangli rummaged through his desk and pulled out a company document with a red header. It was the newly revised regulations from last weekend, changing the rule from three days to one day of absence leading to immediate dismissal.

This was interesting. The policy seemed tailor-made for him.

Meng Xingzhe smirked, feeling he couldn’t swallow this targeted treatment. He thought he might need to have a smoke with his old friend behind the ancient tree.

“What if I don’t accept this targeted decision?” His defiant and sarcastic smile provoked Li Wangli.

Li Wangli dropped his facade of friendliness and became blunt, telling Meng Xingzhe, “That’s not up to you! We have to follow the rules. You don’t have a leave certificate, so it’s Unauthorized Absence, right? You must accept the penalty. Xiao Meng, I advise you to pack up and leave on your own. If it comes to calling security, you’ll be the one embarrassed!”

As Li Wangli’s voice trailed off, there was a knock on the office door, which then opened from the outside.

It was clear that quite a few people were gathered outside.

The employees, for some reason, had gathered there during their break.

The first to enter was the Chairman’s assistant.

Li Wangli quickly stood up. The assistant recognized Meng Xingzhe and nodded in greeting. Li Wangli was a bit bewildered.

The assistant stepped aside and invited another person in.

Both Li Wangli and Meng Xingzhe were taken aback by the newcomer.

Yao Jia walked into Li Wangli’s office.

Her attire and demeanor were completely different from usual. Normally, she was a demure little customer service representative, but now she was a dazzling professional.

Her usually youthful ponytail was let down, straightened, and neatly draped over her back.

She wasn’t wearing her usual uniform but a fitted pencil skirt with a white silk blouse, paired with high heels. Her figure was elegantly highlighted.

She wore light makeup, enhancing her fair complexion, and her bold lipstick made her face strikingly beautiful.

The Chairman’s assistant introduced, “Manager Li, let me introduce you to the Chairman’s daughter, our company’s Little General Manager Yao. Little General Manager Yao is officially taking her position today and has some matters to discuss with you.”

Li Wangli was stunned.

His mouth hung open, eyes wide, as Yao Jia smiled at him, her expression bright and commanding.

He heard her say, “Manager Li, Meng Xingzhe’s leave certificate was submitted to me. Is there a problem?”

Li Wangli quickly shook his head, stammering, “No, no problem at all, Little General Manager Yao!”

Yao Jia no longer looked at him. She turned her attention to Meng Xingzhe.

He was staring at her without blinking.