The Green Tea Supporting Girl Is Still Playing Her Role Today (GL) - Chapter 28

Chapter 28

The weather gradually turned cooler, and with the arrival of early autumn, mornings and evenings felt chilly. The office air conditioning was strong, so Wen Pinghan had to keep a jacket on hand.

As the workday neared its end, she received a message from the regional manager, saying it was Friday and he wanted to treat everyone to a team dinner. He had already booked a restaurant and shared the address in their group chat.

This was the first team dinner since the regional manager took over. Because Wu Fangda’s incident led to his sudden promotion, he hadn’t had much preparation time. Right after taking the role, he had to follow Ms. Xie to handle a multinational project, followed by many other tasks. Only now did he finally have time to gather with his team.

Since it was the first time, Wen Pinghan naturally wouldn’t decline, especially as it was also her first team dinner since her promotion. She wrapped up her work early and headed to the restaurant to wait.

A few colleagues had already arrived, and since they weren’t strangers, they quickly started chatting. Others trickled in, and then the regional manager, Li Junxiang, walked in. Everyone greeted him, and they all took their seats.

Li Junxiang, in his forties, was honest and easygoing. A long-time Qisheng employee, he had climbed the ranks step by step without any backing from the board, so his temporary promotion didn’t stir any objections from the team.

Otherwise, with a marketing manager already parachuted in and potentially another board spy, the team might have had some complaints.

On the topic of the marketing manager’s sudden appointment, Li Junxiang was full of praise.

The conversation soon turned to the recent multinational project. Everyone showered the boss with compliments, praising his ability to step up in a crisis. Li Junxiang shook his head with a smile. “If we’re talking about the biggest contributor, it’s Ms. Xie. I just assisted from the sidelines. The real hero is Ms. Xie. Don’t let her youth or her sudden appointment fool you—once you work with her, you’ll see how impressive she is.”

Others nodded in varying degrees of agreement, but Wen Pinghan genuinely appreciated his words. Seeing his sincere praise and admiration for Xie Zhifei, her impression of him improved.

At that moment, someone jokingly said, “We’d love to work more with Ms. Xie, but we don’t get the chance.”

“Yeah, even catching a glimpse of her in the company is a treat. As for working on a project with her, that’s a long shot.”

“Exactly.”

As they went back and forth, painting Ms. Xie as busy and unapproachable, Wen Pinghan couldn’t help but recall how, not long ago, this lofty Ms. Xie was eating noodles at her place and rolling around on her couch. She found it amusing and quietly chuckled to herself.

“Pinghan, what’re you laughing at?” a colleague next to her suddenly asked.

“Nothing,” Wen Pinghan said with a smile. “Just thought of something funny.”

Then Li Junxiang suddenly asked the group, “Since you’re all so curious, should I invite Ms. Xie to join us for dinner?”

Everyone was stunned. Someone doubted, “Ms. Xie’s super busy. Would she even come?”

“Yeah, are we even worthy?”

“Worthy or not, Ms. Xie said at the last meeting that you’re the backbone of Qisheng. Soon, there’ll be an assessment. Those who pass can either pursue further education or work directly with her on projects, which means access to bigger and more projects. That’s a huge boost for your future,” Li Junxiang said.

Hearing this, everyone perked up, faces lighting up with excitement as they bombarded him with questions.

Wen Pinghan knew this assessment was the talent plan Xie Zhifei had mentioned before, still in its early stages and needing board approval. Since Li Junxiang was bringing it up now, it meant the plan was likely set and ready to roll out.

“Since you’re all so curious, why don’t I invite Ms. Xie over to explain it in detail?” Li Junxiang asked.

Some hesitated, worried about getting along with Ms. Xie. As they wavered, a calm voice suddenly said, “Good.”

Everyone turned to the speaker, surprised to see Wen Pinghan, who had been quiet and reserved throughout. Her boldness gave them courage, and they all agreed.

Li Junxiang then made the call, smiling. “Ms. Xie, I’m having dinner with the sales managers. Care to join us for a bite?”

“Hm? Are all the sales managers there?”

“Yes, everyone’s here.”

“Alright, send me the address. I’ll come over now.”

After hanging up, Li Junxiang smiled at the others. “Ms. Xie will be here soon.”

They quickly told the waiter to hold off on serving the food. Everyone chatted casually while keeping an eye on the door.

Soon, there was a knock, and Xie Zhifei pushed the door open, smiling brightly. “Sorry for crashing your dinner.”

“Not at all! We all want to share a meal with you, Ms. Xie,” Li Junxiang said.

Everyone instinctively stood up, but Xie Zhifei waved them down. “Sit, sit! No need to be so formal.”

They laughed and started making room for her.

Xie Zhifei immediately spotted the most stunning woman in the crowd, but unfortunately, there was no empty seat next to Wen Pinghan, and Li Junxiang called out, “Ms. Xie, sit here.”

So she had to sit next to Li Junxiang.

The waiter began serving the dishes, and Li Junxiang urged everyone to eat and chat. Soon, he brought up the talent plan. Xie Zhifei said, “Good point. A formal announcement will come soon. I’ll hold a meeting to explain it then, as it’s hard to clarify in a few words now. Keep an eye out for updates, and if anything’s unclear, you can ask me later.”

Everyone was excited, nodding eagerly and rushing to praise her brilliance while toasting her.

It was Wen Pinghan’s first time seeing her drink. Xie Zhifei’s face didn’t flush, and her heart didn’t skip—she was clearly a seasoned drinker. As Wen Pinghan watched her, Xie Zhifei, holding her glass, suddenly sensed her gaze. She looked over, her eyes shimmering, lips slightly curving. She lowered her gaze to sip her wine, her thick lashes casting a faint shadow beneath her eyelids.

“Ms. Xie is so pretty,” a colleague beside Wen Pinghan whispered, then leaned over, as if no one else was gossiping. “Pinghan, don’t you think Ms. Xie is pretty?”

Wen Pinghan looked up, gazing at the woman across from her. Her skin glowed under the lights, one side of her hair tucked behind her ear, the diamond stud sparkling with reflected light. Her refined features were captivating.

“Yeah, she’s pretty,” Wen Pinghan nodded.

“You’re pretty too! Come on, you beauty, go toast Ms. Xie!” The colleague filled her glass, whispering, “Go make an impression.”

Toasting was like that—once someone started, others couldn’t sit still. Wen Pinghan waited until everyone else had toasted, then stood with her glass, smiling faintly. “Ms. Xie, a toast to you. I’m lucky to work at Qisheng and to meet you here.”

Xie Zhifei’s eyes curved, her smile deepening as she raised her glass from across the table. “Manager Wen, I have high hopes for you. I hope you’ll stay with Qisheng for the long haul.”

They drank, and the colleague beside Wen Pinghan excitedly said, “She even knows your surname is Wen? She must have noticed you already!”

Wen Pinghan smiled.

During dinner, the lazy Susan turned slowly as everyone seemed more focused on chatting than eating. Wen Pinghan tried a few dishes in front of her, then set her sights on the spicy spareribs across the table.

She slowly spun the turntable, finally bringing the dish to her. She picked up a rib and started gnawing. After finishing one, she noticed the turntable had moved halfway around. It kept inching along, and just as the spareribs were about to reach her again, someone else spun it away.

She waited a while, suppressing her appetite, and turned to chat with the person next to her. A few sentences in, she glanced over and saw the spareribs coming back her way.

Quick as a flash, while talking, she deftly grabbed a rib. Glancing up, she realized Xie Zhifei was the one turning the table. After Wen Pinghan took her piece, Xie Zhifei winked at her and subtly spun the dish away.

Wen Pinghan gnawed on the rib, paused, and her lips slowly curved into a smile.

After a few rounds of drinks, the group discussed whether to move on to a second round, maybe karaoke. Xie Zhifei said, “I’ll skip the rest. You guys go have fun and enjoy yourselves.”

They tried to persuade her, but she said she needed to rest early, so they let it go.

“My dad called me. You guys keep drinking. I’m heading back. See you,” Xie Zhifei said, checking her phone, bidding them farewell, and leaving.

Wen Pinghan’s seat was near the door. She stood to open it, and as Xie Zhifei passed by, her gaze landed on her. Her steps were unsteady, one deep, one shallow.

“You okay?” Wen Pinghan instinctively steadied her arm, whispering, “Is the driver here?”

“Yeah, downstairs. Have fun.” Xie Zhifei smiled, patted the back of her hand, and walked out confidently.

The others were getting rowdy, competing to drink, and Wen Pinghan found it noisy, so she made an excuse to leave.

But when she stepped outside, she saw the familiar luxury car still parked in the lot. Puzzled, she walked over and knocked on the window.

The window slowly rolled down, revealing Xie Zhifei with her head resting on the edge, face flushed like a peach blossom, blinking slowly. Her hair was messy, and she brushed some aside, looking up at Wen Pinghan.

“Why haven’t you left? Didn’t your dad call?”

“Nope, lied to you guys. I was waiting for you. Come on, get in.” Xie Zhifei opened the door and nearly tumbled out, but Wen Pinghan caught her in time, helped her back in, and slid into the car.

Xie Zhifei slumped weakly against the seat, told the driver to go, and turned to ask, “Uh, Sister… where’s your place again?”

The alcohol was hitting her now. Seeing her like this, Wen Pinghan didn’t trust her to manage alone at home. “Let’s get you home first.”

“Okay~ hic!”

Wen Pinghan tidied her messy hair, but as she touched her, Xie Zhifei suddenly grabbed her arm, pressing her warm cheek against it.

“So comfy…”

Wen Pinghan, half-laughing, half-exasperated, asked, “Your drinking skills aren’t that great, huh? Knew you were drunk and made an excuse to slip away?”

“Yeah… kinda hot.”

The AC was already cold, and any colder might give her a chill, so Wen Pinghan pressed her cool hand to Xie Zhifei’s forehead. “Feel better?”

“Mmm…” Xie Zhifei leaned woozily against her, grabbing her hand and sliding it to her left cheek, then her right, then tilting her head to cool her neck.

Her slender neck rested in Wen Pinghan’s palm. In the dim light, with her hair slightly messy, Xie Zhifei tilted her head back, her flushed face close, eyes half-closed, lashes curled. Her breathing, uneven from the alcohol, came in soft and heavy waves. She seemed like a fragile porcelain doll, liable to shatter at a touch.

For the first time, Wen Pinghan felt her palm wasn’t so cold anymore—it was growing warm, even a little too hot.

Just then, at a traffic light, the driver turned back and saw Wen Pinghan’s hand, seemingly gripping Xie Zhifei’s neck.

Driver: ?!!!

Wen Pinghan: “…”