On her first day back at work, the office was unusually lively. Everyone was gathered around her chatting when Zhao Sili came by, carrying several boxes of pastries that looked pricey.
"Xinrou, to celebrate your return, I bought you some desserts. You said you liked them last time, so I had someone queue up to get a few more boxes."
As Zhao Sili spoke, the colleague at the desk in front of Tao Xinrou stood up, sniffing the air. "Wow! That's the coffee cake that's so hard to get! Xinrou, you're really lucky."
"Oh, you have good taste, kid. Here, have a box." Zhao Sili handed one over.
The colleague couldn't believe his eyes as he looked at the cake. "This... Fourth Miss, can I really take this?"
"Take it, take it. If you like it, I'll buy more."
"Thank you, Fourth Miss! You're so generous!"
"Don't call me Fourth Miss at work. We have to follow the rules. Just call me Sili."
While they were joking, other colleagues who heard the commotion gathered around. Surrounded by the crowd, Zhao Sili pulled out more cake boxes. "Everyone gets one. Don't rush."
In no time, the office was buzzing. Tao Xinrou's desk became the liveliest spot on the whole floor. Wei Hao only poked his head out, smiled, and went back in.
Everyone happily munched on their cake at their desks. A few sweet talkers kept saying, "Sili, you're the most down-to-earth heiress I've ever met," and "Sili, from now on, you're my real sister."
Zhao Sili was floating on the praise. With a grand wave of her hand, she announced, "Tonight, dinner's on me! Order whatever you want!"
The cheers nearly blew the roof off.
Just as the group was heatedly discussing where to eat, two people suddenly appeared at the office door—Ying Jingsheng and Wang Anran.
Seeing them, everyone fell silent. Wei Hao hurried out.
"President Ying, what brings you here?"
Ying Jingsheng's face was expressionless. He only paused his gaze on Tao Xinrou before saying, "I was passing by and heard all this noise, so I came to check."
Zhao Sili immediately bounced over. "Ah, it's President Ying! Perfect timing. I'm treating everyone tonight. Want to come?"
"No."
Zhao Sili pouted. She walked over and tugged his arm. "Come on, you heard us. Join us! As the general manager, you should mingle with the common people."
"I have things to do." Ying Jingsheng replied coldly, pulling his arm free.
"Tsk, you're so boring."
Ying Jingsheng shot her a glance, didn't respond, but turned to look at Tao Xinrou. "Tao Xinrou, at nine tomorrow morning, come out with me to visit that complaining guest."
Tao Xinrou was startled, then quickly nodded. "Yes, President Ying."
Ying Jingsheng hummed in acknowledgment and turned to leave. After a couple of steps, he paused as if remembering something. He looked back and added blandly, "Have fun tonight. Send the bill to Wang Anran for reimbursement."
The office was silent for a second, then erupted into even louder cheers. "No way! President Ying is treating?" "Ahhh? Did I hear that right?" "President Ying, you're the best!"
Zhao Sili's eyes sparkled. She shouted too, "Cousin, you said it! No backing out!"
Ying Jingsheng nodded and left. Wang Anran followed, sneaking a smile and giving everyone an "OK" sign.
The door closed, and the office went wild.
Standing behind the crowd, Tao Xinrou watched through the glass door as Ying Jingsheng waited for the elevator. He turned his head and looked back toward the office. Their eyes met. Tao Xinrou instinctively wanted to look away, but she caught a faint curve at the corner of his mouth.
By the time she snapped back to reality, Ying Jingsheng had already stepped into the elevator. Her heart seemed to float up with him. She wondered, did he treat everyone to dinner because of her?
*
At six-thirty in the evening, the group swarmed to a Japanese restaurant. Zhao Sili had booked a large private room with a long tatami mat seating twenty. The housekeeping department colleagues had never gone out for a meal together so uniformly. Everyone was thrilled, flipping through the menu.
"One sashimi platter!"
"Wagyu too!"
"Two bottles of sake!"
...
Zhao Sili sat at the head seat, beaming as she watched everyone order. She occasionally added, "Order whatever you want. Don't save my cousin's money."
Wei Hao sat nearby, a bit uneasy. "Miss Zhao, isn't this too extravagant..."
"Supervisor Wei, don't worry. Even if the sky falls, my cousin will catch it. This little bit of money won't bankrupt the Ying family."
Wei Hao: "..."
Unable to dissuade Zhao Sili, Wei Hao let his subordinates do as they pleased.
Dishes arrived one by one, and the atmosphere in the room grew livelier. Everyone drank sake and chatted, moving from work to life to gossip.
After a few rounds, everyone was full and satisfied. Zhao Sili excused herself to touch up her makeup in the restroom. Some people were getting a bit tipsy.
"Hey, let me tell you a secret," a male colleague said mysteriously, lowering his voice. "Our President Ying lives in an old residential complex not far from our hotel."
"Really?" someone questioned.
"Really! I saw him heading that way once after a late shift. Another time, I saw Wang Anran drop him off at that complex's entrance. Tell me, why would the third young master of the Ying family live in an old complex instead of a mansion?"
"Maybe he's keeping a low profile."
"That's too low-key. Why not rent a nicer place?"
"Do you think the landlord knows he's the third young master?"