You Must Marry Me! - Chapter 2
Chapter 2
Qi Zhen’s expression remained calm, but a storm raged in her heart.
Wasn’t this woman the heiress of the company? Why was she using an employee’s mug so casually? That was far too unpretentious.
She watched as Yan Yiyun’s red lips touched the rim of the cup, leaving behind a perfectly shaped lipstick mark. The plain white mug suddenly seemed to take on a touch of charm.
Qi Zhen felt like a kitten had just scratched her heart. She was starting to understand why people in the company were so crazy about her.
Yan Yiyun held Qi Zhen’s mug in her hands. The warmth of the coffee seeped through the ceramic and into her palms, making her feel cozy. Even the bitter taste of the coffee became tolerable.
“I’ll bring my own cup tomorrow,” Yan Yiyun said lightly after taking a sip. “Do you drink the company’s coffee often?”
Qi Zhen nodded. “I usually just drink the company’s coffee.”
To her, coffee was simply something to stay awake. Since the company provided it, there was no need to buy her own.
Yan Yiyun happily patted her shoulder and said, “Great! I have a meeting to attend. Let’s get coffee again next time.”
She’s pretty approachable. What kind of boss invites employees out for coffee? Qi Zhen felt a bit more favorable toward her and replied gently, “Sure.”
When Yan Yiyun heard her agreement, she was so happy she could float. Qi Zhen had agreed to have coffee with her!
Images popped into her head: the two of them sitting at the rooftop restaurant, a pristine white tablecloth, a delicate three-tiered dessert stand, chatting while sipping afternoon tea. The corners of her lips curled up in a smile.
Yan Yiyun handed her business card to Qi Zhen. Because there were subordinates watching by the door, she had to keep it official. “This is my new number. See you this weekend.”
Qi Zhen accepted the card, watching as Yan Yiyun walked out of the break room with her mug, her mind full of question marks.
What was that about? Was she serious about meeting up for coffee?
Also, why did Yan Yiyun take her mug?
That mug wasn’t expensive, but it was something Qi Zhen had bought during her graduation trip to Turkey, and she really liked it.
Yan Yiyun had come to “inspect” the company and ended up confiscating her cherished mug. That bit of goodwill Qi Zhen had just developed began to quietly retract.
She couldn’t very well go chase her down to ask for it back. All she could do was accept the loss.
Qi Zhen walked out of the break room. Yan Yiyun and the high-level executives had already gone far ahead, except for their design department head who had lagged behind. When he saw her come out, his eyes lit up and he gestured for her to check her phone, then quickly ran off to catch up with the group.
Qi Zhen took out her phone and saw that her boss had messaged:
“Qi Zhen, do you know Ms. Yan?”
Although Yan Yiyun currently held only the title of head of the business department, it was clear to everyone she had come to help her father manage the company. Everyone had tacitly acknowledged her as the future successor and now called her “Little President Yan.”
Qi Zhen frowned slightly. She was still preoccupied with her mug, but her boss had always treated her well. Back when her family was in trouble, he had been the one to lend a hand. She naturally wouldn’t ignore his question.
“No, I don’t know her,” Qi Zhen replied. “Why?”
Seeing her reply, Xu Haiyang felt a little disappointed. He had seen Qi Zhen chatting with Yan Yiyun in the break room and thought maybe they knew each other. If that were true, then the little problems their design department was facing might be easily resolved.
Xu Haiyang knew a bit about Qi Zhen’s background. Her family used to be well-off, quite well-known locally. Her grandfather had been upright and honest, never opened doors for his family, and after retirement, the family’s fortunes declined. A few years ago, her father fell seriously ill and they spent all their savings to save him. Qi Zhen had quit her job at an art studio and joined Xingyun Entertainment to earn money and support her family.
Even if a noble horse starves, it’s still taller than others. With that background, it wouldn’t have been surprising if she had known Yan Yiyun. But turns out, it was just a regular work encounter.
“It’s nothing,” Xu Haiyang replied. “Just focus on your work. The internal promotion is coming up—try to make some more achievements.”
Qi Zhen replied with a single word: “Okay.”
Xu Haiyang sighed at her message.
Qi Zhen was great in every way—especially her work ability. No matter what style you asked for, she delivered fast and well. But her personality was just too distant.
She had been in the company for quite a while, yet Xu Haiyang had never seen her become close with anyone. Forget meals or gossip—others attended team building for camaraderie; Qi Zhen attended out of pure professionalism.
After finishing a cigarette on the rooftop, Qi Zhen returned to the office.
Her coworker had been waiting for her. There had been chatter in the group chat: Qi Zhen had run into the heiress in the break room. Right then, the coffee machine had broken down, and Qi Zhen had fixed it with a good smack. Rumor had it, the heiress didn’t look too pleased.
As soon as Qi Zhen sat down, the coworker leaned over and asked, “You ran into the heiress just now?”
Qi Zhen never liked gossiping with coworkers. She just nodded and said plainly, “Mm.”
Hou Yunlan wasn’t giving up, full of curiosity. “What did you talk about? I heard the heiress got mad?”
“No,” Qi Zhen said as she reopened Photoshop, ready to continue the design she hadn’t finished earlier. “She was just there for coffee.”
Hou Yunlan let out a long “ohhh,” and seeing that Qi Zhen didn’t want to chat, turned back around to type on her keyboard, delivering updates to her gossip group:
“Qi Zhen said the heiress wasn’t mad—just came to get coffee.”
“Hahahaha, and you believe her? The heiress went to the break room just for coffee?”
“She’s just making excuses. That ice queen never chats with us anyway.”
“Maybe she really did upset the heiress and is just covering it up.”
“Exactly! Qi Zhen’s EQ is nonexistent. It wouldn’t be surprising if she offended her.”
Hou Yunlan felt a dark, twisted sense of satisfaction. Sure, Qi Zhen’s work always got praised, and she represented the company in competitions, but so what? She didn’t have a single friend.
Still, gossiping behind someone’s back made her feel a little guilty. She peeked at Qi Zhen and saw her working away in Photoshop, her fingers flying over the shortcuts. The image on her screen was already coming together with harmonious colors and clear structure.
…That must be for the company’s latest big project. She probably stood to earn quite a bonus.
Hou Yunlan was truly jealous. That project would be displayed all over subway stations and bus stops. Only a few senior designers and Qi Zhen were assigned to it. The rest, like her, couldn’t even get close.
“Makes sense. Sigh, Qi Zhen’s working again. I don’t see what good all that effort does her.”
“Trying to show off, I guess. Didn’t you notice how hard she tries when the heiress walks by?”
“So what? Our department head is so young—like she’s ever going to get promoted?”
“Exactly. Even if she’s good, she’s still just a bottom-rung designer.”
Seeing those messages finally put Hou Yunlan’s mind at ease. She had joined the company earlier than Qi Zhen, and now Qi Zhen was already working on the big projects while she was still stuck on minor ones. It really didn’t feel fair.
She leaned back in her chair and, seeing it was almost ten, relaxed with a sigh. Another morning, successfully wasted. She began looking forward to lunch.
Xingyun Entertainment’s lunch break started at noon. As the clock struck twelve, offices filled with chatter as everyone gathered friends for lunch.
Hou Yunlan messaged her girlfriends in the group chat to go to the cafeteria.
As she passed Qi Zhen’s desk, she saw her pulling out a lunch bag from her drawer—getting ready to heat it up in the break room.
When is she ever going to learn to be sociable?
Recalling all the cold shoulders she had received from Qi Zhen, Hou Yunlan didn’t even bother to invite her and walked straight out.
In the conference room, Yan Yiyun glanced at her watch. She’d spent the whole morning listening to these people’s reports. They were either full of hollow buzzwords or plans that weren’t up to par. She really couldn’t tell if they were incompetent or just perfunctorily dealing with her.
The company’s financial reports had looked terrible the past two years, and these people were definitely part of the problem. Yan Yiyun rolled her eyes inwardly—she’d have to straighten them out sooner or later.
She was already hungry and had no patience to continue the meeting. Hearing the noise outside, she knew lunch had arrived. She stretched and stood up from the head seat. “Alright, let’s wrap up for now. We’ll continue this afternoon.”
The presenter felt a wave of relief. He had just finished going over the morning session in detail, but the heiress still didn’t look satisfied. His nerves were shot.
As Yan Yiyun walked out, she casually asked her assistant, “What are you having for lunch?”
The assistant had followed her for a few days and had long since stopped being nervous around her. She answered honestly, “I’m eating at the cafeteria.”
No sooner had the words left her mouth than the admin manager began sweating.
If Yan Yiyun insisted on going to the cafeteria with her, what would happen? She had already seen the sad mugs in the break room that morning. Was she going to eat the potato stew with barely any meat next?
Would he even keep his job after that?
Sure enough, Yan Yiyun got interested. She’d been working here for two weeks and hadn’t been to the cafeteria yet. Why not give it a try?
Besides checking on company perks, she had another small motive. Since Qi Zhen drank coffee in the break room, she likely also ate lunch in the cafeteria.
If she went, maybe she’d run into her again!
That thought lifted her mood instantly, and a smile appeared at the corners of her mouth.
A crowd escorted her into the cafeteria, only for her to see a sea of heads in the dining hall. There was no way she could spot Qi Zhen in that crowd.
Yan Yiyun: “…”