You Must Marry Me! - Chapter 39
Chapter 39
Under Yan Yiyun’s gaze, Qi Zhen showed no sign of panic. She remained composed and poised as she looked at them, waiting for their response.
Yan Yiyun exchanged a glance with the two board members and softly said to Qi Zhen, “Alright, you can head back now.”
Qi Zhen gave a slight bow to acknowledge, then lowered her head to gather her documents and left the room.
Only after stepping out of the conference room did Qi Zhen finally exhale a long breath. Yan Yiyun’s look just now—was it a sign of approval?
Qi Zhen was indeed determined to secure this internal promotion.
Inside the conference room, Yan Yiyun and the two directors spoke quietly.
“She was very well-prepared. I’d say she’s the most prepared candidate in this entire promotion round.”
“Indeed. The fact that she thought to approach it from a case study angle is impressive. And her casework is very practical too.”
Listening to their praise, the corners of Yan Yiyun’s lips couldn’t help but curl up slightly.
Whenever she heard someone compliment Qi Zhen, it felt like she herself was being praised—no, it felt even better than being praised herself.
Yan Yiyun cleared her throat lightly, stopping them from continuing.
The next interviewee’s performance was standard—no major highlights, but no glaring flaws either. Around noon, the internal promotion interviews finally came to an end.
Yan Yiyun gathered all the materials into a folder, tapped them against the table, and said lightly, “Let’s stop here for now. We’ll discuss again after lunch.”
The two directors naturally agreed. In front of Yan Yiyun, they didn’t have much say anyway. Thankfully, she wasn’t the kind of boss who lacked humanity. When it was time to rest, she let them rest. To her, exploiting employees’ time for the sake of higher efficiency was meaningless.
With a wave from Yan Yiyun, Yu Xiaotao instinctively stepped forward and took all the documents from her hands, smiling at the two colleagues, “Good job, everyone.”
Then she followed behind Yan Yiyun out of the conference room.
Yan Yiyun still held a bit of hope in her heart, thinking she might see Qi Zhen waiting outside the room. But the hallway was empty—all the candidates had already left.
She felt a little disappointed. She thought, The interview’s already over. Is it still necessary to keep things discreet?
She really wanted to have lunch together.
Since Qi Zhen wasn’t there, she could only eat with Yu Xiaotao.
Yan Yiyun didn’t show any expression on her face, just casually told Yu Xiaotao, “Pick a nearby restaurant.”
Having followed Yan Yiyun for a while, Yu Xiaotao had a decent grasp of her boss’s moods.
She immediately sensed that Yan Yiyun was not in a good mood.
But she didn’t ask anything. The key to being a good assistant was knowing what to say and when to say it—never overstepping boundaries.
Yu Xiaotao began scrolling through her phone, looking for nearby restaurants that might suit Yan Yiyun’s taste. Yan Yiyun was very picky with food, though she wouldn’t say it out loud. She would simply eat more of what she liked, and less—or none—of what she didn’t.
Before Yan Yiyun started having meals with Qi Zhen, whenever she didn’t bring food from home, Yu Xiaotao had gone through much trouble trying to find suitable takeout for her.
The elevator area, usually bustling, was unusually quiet and empty today.
Feeling bored, Yan Yiyun leaned toward the reflective glass beside the elevator, using it as a mirror.
While they waited in the elevator, Yu Xiaotao quickly scanned through more nearby restaurants and finally decided on a Cantonese place.
It was a safe choice.
The Cantonese restaurant wasn’t far from the office, simply decorated but clean and neat.
Yan Yiyun flipped through the menu without much interest and ordered an “ice fire pineapple bun.” Then she added a lotus root and pork bone soup, and shrimp dumplings, handing the menu over to Yu Xiaotao.
Yan Yiyun only ordered based on what she felt like eating, without caring about balance.
Yu Xiaotao looked at the menu and, based on what had already been ordered, added two meat dishes and a vegetable—tomato beef stew, three-cup chicken, and stir-fried greens.
After ordering, Yan Yiyun turned to her phone and opened her WeChat chat window to see if Qi Zhen had messaged her.
Qi Zhen hadn’t.
That made Yan Yiyun feel uneasy.
She knew Qi Zhen had no obligation to report her whereabouts, but she genuinely wanted to know what Qi Zhen was up to.
It felt like thousands of little cat paws were scratching at her heart, softly, incessantly, leaving her restless.
With a thud, Yan Yiyun set her phone down, tugged at her collar, and asked, “Why aren’t the dishes here yet?”
“Hungry?”
Yu Xiaotao glanced at the time—it was getting late. She raised her hand and called the waiter.
“Could you please help check on our order?”
The waiter nodded. Shortly after, the shrimp dumplings were served. “The rest is still cooking. Please wait a moment.”
The arrival of food temporarily distracted Yan Yiyun.
She picked up a shrimp dumpling. Its skin was translucent and glossy like crystal, revealing the faint pink shrimp inside. She took a bite—the shrimp was firm and juicy, releasing a rich aroma in her mouth. The wrapper had a pleasant flour fragrance. It was indeed delicious.
This Cantonese restaurant, located in a competitive industrial area, had real quality.
Just as she finished one dumpling, her ice fire pineapple bun arrived.
Yu Xiaotao wasn’t interested in it. She watched as Yan Yiyun broke open the pineapple bun, stuffed a piece of cold butter inside, and took a bite, her face lighting up with satisfaction.
The bun had a crispy crust and a soft inside. The cold butter—high quality and slightly salty—slowly melted into the sweet bread, forming a perfect match.
By the time she finished the bun, the rest of the dishes had arrived.
The meal didn’t take long. Around 1 p.m., Yan Yiyun returned to the meeting room with Yu Xiaotao to continue discussing candidate selections with the board members.
The other two directors didn’t really have final say—they would just relay Yan Yiyun’s decisions to the board. The final outcome would be determined at Monday’s board meeting.
After stating her opinion, Yan Yiyun frowned slightly. How could such a small matter like an internal promotion still require a board meeting? That’s terribly inefficient.
As she spoke, the two directors jotted down notes to report back.
Other than Qi Zhen from the design department, the other candidates were thoroughly discussed before reaching conclusions.
The meeting dragged on until 6 p.m. The sky was already dark by the time it ended.
“We’ve worked overtime for two days. Everyone’s tired. Dinner’s on me tonight,” Yan Yiyun said with a smile, motioning for Yu Xiaotao to pack up while addressing the admin team.
The staff cheered. Voices of thanks echoed in the room.
“Boss lady is beautiful and kind!”
“Exactly. Where else can you find such a great boss? Overtime and a free dinner!”
Thinking about how she’d soon be working next door to Qi Zhen, Yan Yiyun’s mood lifted a little.
She turned to Yu Xiaotao and said, “Ask them what they want to eat. Go with the majority. If it’s too mixed, we’ll just go for buffet.”
Yu Xiaotao nodded and asked, “Are you coming with us?”
Yan Yiyun wasn’t that interested, but since it was her idea, she felt obligated to show up.
She said, “Book the place first. I’ll make an appearance, then head home to eat.”
Yu Xiaotao nodded and went off to arrange things.
Meanwhile, Yan Yiyun opened her phone again to check if Qi Zhen had messaged.
To her disappointment, there was nothing. Qi Zhen’s chat window remained dark and quiet.
She opened it, wanting to say something—but couldn’t think of a good topic.
On the other side, Yu Xiaotao had gathered everyone’s food preferences, and they decided on a Japanese buffet near the office.
As the employees headed toward the elevator, one bold person called out, “Boss lady, if you don’t come now, you’ll have to wait for the next elevator!”
Yan Yiyun had just finished the promotion interviews and invited everyone to dinner—it was clearly an act of closeness, so she couldn’t say no.
Her eyes swept across them with a smile. “Alright.”
Everyone in the elevator stiffened. None of them had ever seen her smile before. Just that one glance was enough to make hearts flutter.
No wonder she rarely smiled. If she smiled like this all the time, who could handle it?
As Yan Yiyun stepped into the elevator, the crowd automatically made space for her.
Though the elevator was packed, there was a small open area where only Yan Yiyun and Yu Xiaotao stood.
Yan Yiyun looked around and joked, “Am I that scary?”
She usually wore a cold expression, but now, with her radiant eyes and warm smile, no one could take their eyes off her. Who could remember she was known as the company’s ice-cold devil boss?
“No no no, you’re beautiful and kind! Not scary at all!”
“Exactly, you’re adorable, not scary!”
A chorus of compliments filled the elevator. One clever person even stepped forward to fill the gap beside her, making it look less awkward.
Yan Yiyun glanced at that person. The person immediately straightened up, thinking, If I caught her eye today, maybe I’ll get to eat in the executive office someday, just like Qi Zhen…
Little did they know—if Yan Yiyun heard that thought, she’d blow her top.
Like Qi Zhen? How could they possibly be like Qi Zhen?!
With a “ding,” the elevator arrived. Yan Yiyun stepped out gracefully, and the chorus of flattery finally stopped.
“That’s enough,” Yan Yiyun said cheerfully. “With mouths like yours, you should all transfer to PR. Admin work is wasted on you.”
Yu Xiaotao followed her out, saying nothing, but thought to herself: If you’d seen the things they say about you in the group chat, you’d faint. It’s even more over-the-top.
She had already arranged a van at the entrance to take everyone to the buffet.
Yan Yiyun, however, took her own car. After making sure the employees were on their way and reminding Yu Xiaotao not to wait for her at the restaurant, she finally opened the door and got in.
But as soon as she sat down, her expression darkened.
She could socialize with others—but that didn’t mean she enjoyed it.
In a sour mood, Yan Yiyun opened her phone again. Still no message from Qi Zhen. For the thousandth time, she wondered: What on earth has Qi Zhen been doing all day?
Her curiosity about Qi Zhen grew stronger by the day. But Qi Zhen didn’t seem to know what she was thinking—her WeChat messages were sparse. Ironically, it was during work hours that Qi Zhen would occasionally ask her to lunch.
Yan Yiyun considered sending a message. After much deliberation, she finally thought of something casual enough.
She sent a cute bunny emoji first, then typed:
“Just finished the meeting.”
“We’re having a company buffet later—what about you, what are you eating?”