My Boss Always Flirts With Me - Chapter 53
Chapter 53: Banquet
Fang Ci left the room with a red face. It was a good thing it was dark outside and no one could see clearly.
When he passed the work area again, an employee who was giving directions greeted him and asked, “Manager Fang, did you find CEO He?”
Fang Ci said, “Yes, I did. Thank you.”
“Your speech was excellent just now.”
Fang Ci smiled politely and said goodbye. After walking a few steps, the employee called out to him again, ran up to him and said, “I almost forgot. This is the admission pass for the banquet. Two people from the AP department can go. The executives and investors are all there.”
Fang Ci had already heard from He Chi. He said, “I already have a pass. Just give me one more.”
“Ah, really? Okay.” The employee was slightly stunned and handed him the pass holder.
Fang Ci thanked him and returned to the press conference venue.
Cheng Wen and Xiao Zhu were waiting for him in the aisle. As soon as he appeared, the two of them surrounded him, asking about He Chi’s reaction.
“Did he criticize our department? Will our bonuses be deducted? How was the expert’s problem solved?”
Fang Ci saw their anxiety and told them that it had already been handled. As for the bonus, it was not within his power, and it had to be handed over to the executives for profit calculation. There were no temporary penalties for the press conference mistake.
The two of them were relieved after hearing this. Xiao Zhu said, “That’s good. We were so worried when you were gone for so long. We thought something big happened.”
Cheng Wen said, “As long as the product sells well, our bonuses will be safe.”
Xiao Zhu patted him. “All you think about is money. Xiao Ci Ci’s lips are all chapped. It must have been hard to convince the boss. You should at least show some concern.”
After saying that, she handed Fang Ci a bottle of water and said with a smile, “Drink up. Same for us, we haven’t had a drop of water all this time.”
Cheng Wen scoffed. “Brown-noser.” Xiao Zhu gave him a glare.
Fang Ci’s cheeks turned red again. He touched his lips. There was indeed a gritty, painful feeling. So he twisted off the cap and gulped down two big sips. The cold temperature barely managed to suppress the heat.
Cheng Wen was a carefree guy and didn’t notice anything. He was still arguing with Xiao Zhu about him not caring about their manager. Fang Ci’s mood improved. He gave him the pass, cutting him off, and said, “Remember the time for the banquet tonight.”
Cheng Wen finally stopped.
The press conference had reached the fan interaction segment. The DEC team was indeed very popular with young people. The audience was lively, and it instantly turned into a fan meet for a professional e-sports team. The entire atmosphere was different.
Fang Ci looked up at the big screen. The screen was aimed at Xiao Fan’s face. Xiao Zhu sighed with emotion, “God Xiao is so handsome.”
Cheng Wen saw her infatuated face and asked, “Who do you think is more handsome, God Xiao or CEO He?”
Xiao Zhu: “Is there any point of comparison? They’re not the same type.”
Cheng Wen: “I’m just curious about your standards for a handsome guy.”
Xiao Zhu thought for a moment and was about to vote. Fang Ci said, “I choose CEO He.”
The two of them looked at him. Cheng Wen had only asked casually and didn’t expect Fang Ci to answer.
“Don’t you guys think so?” he said.
Xiao Zhu and Cheng Wen paused for a moment and nodded. “Of course. Who else would we support if not the boss?”
Fang Ci smiled to himself. He didn’t care. Teacher He was the most handsome.
The press conference lasted for a long time. After the fan interaction was over, there were media interviews and a product exhibition from Zhiyoun Technology. Fang Ci didn’t need to be present for the next few segments. He was happy to rest with his team members in the audience.
Xiao Zhu ordered takeout. The few of them were eating and chatting when Yuan Cheng came over from the side and poked his head in, saying, “CEO He is here.”
The team members quickly shoveled the last few bites of rice into their mouths and cleaned up the messy takeout boxes around them.
The few of them guessed that He Chi happened to have some time and was here to give his employees some encouragement, a bit of pie-in-the-sky promises and a shot of adrenaline. Cheng Wen whispered to his colleague, “Don’t panic. This always happens after every major event.”
As soon as he finished speaking, He Chi came up the stairs with Shang Qu. As the department manager, Fang Ci naturally stood at the front, looked at him, and said, “CEO He.”
He Chi nodded. His presence was so powerful that ordinary employees easily felt pressure. Some lowered their heads, and others looked awkward and didn’t dare to look him in the eye. After a quick scan, he finally looked back at Fang Ci.
“Have you eaten yet?”
Fang Ci: “…”
The tone was so casual, almost like he was just making small talk. Not only was Fang Ci surprised, but Cheng Wen and Xiao Zhu had also never seen He Chi speak in this tone. They looked at each other. Xiao Zhu saw that Fang Ci hadn’t replied and thought he was also scared. She quickly poked his back with her finger.
Fang Ci came to his senses. “Yes, I have.”
He Chi: “That’s good.”
Cheng Wen and Xiao Zhu: “?”
Good thing. He Chi’s slightly strange attitude didn’t last long. After a simple greeting to everyone, it was pretty much over. After all, the boss was busy and had interviews and the banquet lined up.
“…We’ll continue to work hard.” The team members all expressed their determination, and the atmosphere was quite harmonious.
He Chi nodded.
Yuan Cheng reminded him of the time from the side. He said, “The media are almost at the conference room.”
Seeing that the man was about to continue being busy, Fang Ci, on behalf of the department, finally showed some concern for his boss. He said, “You should remember to eat, too.”
Cheng Wen and Xiao Zhu were stunned again.
He Chi didn’t show any signs of doubt. His eyes seemed to soften a little. “Okay.”
The team members’ faces were filled with shock.
After He Chi walked away, everyone gathered around Fang Ci and asked, “Can we talk to CEO He in that tone? We were so scared.” It was like an ordinary person asking a CEO worth hundreds of millions, “Have you eaten?” It was abnormally strange.
Fang Ci said, “There’s nothing wrong with that, is there?” He explained that the banquet only had desserts and cocktails. It was okay to show concern for the boss. It also made the boss seem more approachable.
Xiao Zhu: “You’re right.” It just felt a little weird.
“It feels like you’re very familiar with the boss.”
Fang Ci: “Yes, we see each other every day for department reports.”
Xiao Zhu was convinced by him.
Before she could say anything else, Fang Ci grabbed Cheng Wen and slipped away.
“The banquet is on the 11th floor. Why are you going so early?” she muttered to herself.
Compared to Xiao Zhu, Cheng Wen was more carefree. He couldn’t get anything out of it and praised Fang Ci’s performance, saying that he would follow him and try to get more face time with CEO He.
Fang Ci readily agreed. He took out the pass to identify the floor, and the two of them got on the elevator.
“Huh, your pass is different from mine?”
Fang Ci glanced at Cheng Wen and put the pass back in his pocket. “Maybe they were printed in two batches.”
“Oh.”
Fang Ci had his hand in his pocket, his fingertips lightly rubbing the back of the clip. The fronts of all the passes were similar, but the back patterns were different. The one in his hand was more special.
It was the only one in the company.
Just thinking about it made his mood better.
People were gradually entering the banquet hall on the upper floor. Fang Ci and Cheng Wen got a glass of cocktail and mingled with the crowd, greeting other department heads. Since the press conference had just ended and Fang Ci had made a name for himself, he was the star of the night. People gathered around him to chat for a while. After Fang Ci finished one glass of wine, someone handed him a new one.
Among them, some were praising him to suck up, and others were taking the opportunity to talk to him about conditions. Fang Ci was caught off guard and surrounded. He couldn’t move.
“The AP R&D tasks are over. What about the temporary staff transfer you mentioned last time?”
Fang Ci kept drinking and blocking them off. “I can’t decide now, Brother Hui. Let’s talk about it at the next meeting, okay?”
“Do we need to add more budget for media marketing?”
Fang Ci was helpless. “That depends on the sales situation later on.”
One person started, and the others couldn’t help themselves. Fang Ci couldn’t stop them in time. Just then, the lights in the venue suddenly dimmed.
“Fifteen minutes early?” someone questioned.
“No way. The media aren’t here yet. Maybe it’s a rehearsal?”
Then everyone saw He Chi go on stage, surrounded by people. It really was early.
With no lights in the venue, Fang Ci took the opportunity to slip out of the crowd and hide in a corner. He couldn’t find Cheng Wen, so he had to stay by himself.
He Chi’s banquet speech continued the theme of the press conference and was mainly about the company’s strategy. Fang Ci leaned against the wall and listened carefully. From a manager’s perspective, he could see higher and farther. The industry terms were mature and precise.
The man under the spotlight was especially charming.
He wondered what He Chi thought about when he was standing on the stage.
Applause rang out from all sides. He Chi’s brief speech was over, and another executive took his place. The banquet hall was too dark. In a flash, He Chi was swallowed by the darkness. Fang Ci couldn’t see where he was at all. He couldn’t help but frown.
Not far away, a reporter was also complaining about the lighting. It was even darker than the press conference. Only the stage was lit up. Even the servers with drinks didn’t dare to move, afraid of bumping into someone.
He looked for a while longer but came up empty-handed and had to give up.
“What are you looking for?”
A familiar voice suddenly floated to his ears.
Fang Ci turned around abruptly. He was already at the end of the aisle. In the corner, there was a table and a pillar, which blocked a lot of views. But even so, it was still possible for someone to see them.
He opened his mouth, but the person behind him made a shushing motion.
The two of them moved further into the shadow of the wall. Fang Ci’s breathing was lighter. He had one hand in his pocket and the other holding a wine glass, pretending to bring it to his mouth. His eyes scanned the surroundings.
Good. No one noticed them here.
“How did you know I was here, Teacher He?”
They were very close, almost whispering. He Chi said, “I saw you were surrounded by people.”
“Huh?” Fang Ci was a little surprised.
So Teacher He came at that time, too. Then… was the early start of the banquet… on purpose? Fang Ci’s heart thumped. No way, no way.
His mind went blank for a moment. He even lowered the hand holding the wine glass.
He Chi didn’t know what he was thinking at the moment. He just instructed, “Drink less.”
“I… didn’t drink much. I only had two glasses.” Fang Ci was brought back to reality, withdrew his imagination, and showed him the capacity of his wine glass.
“I’m fine. I’m not drunk.”
There were hidden meanings in his words. Fang Ci didn’t fall for it, but he still obediently put the wine glass on the table.
The muffled sounds from outside the shadows were barely audible, adding to his inner tension and a layer of excitement. They were so close, and their voices were so low, but their heartbeats were very obvious. Fang Ci felt like he could hear his heart pounding against his chest every time.
He looked at the person in front of him, his breathing a little hurried.
In the next few minutes, they didn’t move or speak until a warm palm rested on his chin, sliding down his neck.
He Chi felt his throat moving up and down as he swallowed.
His fingers left his skin. Fang Ci heard him ask in a low voice:
“Didn’t get enough kisses?”
After a slight pause, he said, “Want more?”