The on-site work for the hotel project was nearly complete. Qian Fei and Li Yifei returned to their respective companies, where each would finish the remaining tasks according to their division of labor.
Qian Fei’s role was limited to organizing the working papers; she wasn’t involved in writing the materials. Back at the company, she watched her colleagues in the project team discussing how to write the prospectus while she merely assisted with a stack of file folders. She couldn’t shake the feeling that she was still an outsider in the project team, just like before, as if she were still part of the special service personnel.
The more she watched Liu Yifeng and the others engrossed in their heated discussions, the stronger her sense of marginalization grew. Especially when she looked at Little Zhang on the project team, she felt as if she had wasted the past few years of her life.
She and Little Zhang had joined the company around the same time. She had entered the back-office service department, while Little Zhang went directly into the project department. Both started with a monthly salary of 4,000 yuan. Years later, when she finally managed to transfer to the project department with a monthly salary of over 8,000 yuan, Little Zhang was already earning tens of thousands as an associate. At 26 years old, the gap between them had become so significant.
Qian Fei thought to herself, that saying was right: some people lose at the starting line. If she had joined the project department from the beginning, she might have become an associate by now. Instead, here she was, organizing working papers while others wrote the prospectus, dined and played golf with corporate leaders, and prepared materials for the Securities Regulatory Commission. She was forever stuck organizing working papers, unable to develop any real skills.
Thinking back, it was all because of Wang Ruohai that she had chosen to enter the back-office service department. Wang Ruohai didn’t want her to be constantly traveling if she joined the project team. He said he wanted a “home” feeling, with hot meals on the table when he returned from work.
So she had desperately tried to create that “home” feeling for him, completely suppressing her life aspirations and making him the sole focus of her life. Looking back now, she realized her treatment was more like a housekeeper than a girlfriend.
She watched enviously as the others discussed issues, longing to join in. When she heard them struggling with certain details, she wanted to tell them that she knew all those specifics – like which day the environmental assessment expired, the exact amounts on each guarantee letter, who the top ten customers in procurement and sales were, and what percentage they accounted for in the total volume. While organizing the working papers, she had not only entered this information into the computer but also into her brain.
That evening, she returned home feeling dejected. During dinner, she explained her situation to Li Yifei and asked, “I don’t want to spend my entire life organizing working papers. I want to do more. How can I fight for that opportunity?”
Li Yifei pondered for a moment before replying, “Qian Fei, your biggest problem is that you don’t know how to showcase yourself. If you say you know all those details your colleagues are unsure about, why not let them know about your abilities? Sometimes I hate traditional Chinese education. It constantly teaches people to be modest and not show off, to the point where they can’t even normally display their abilities. You could be a phoenix, but you end up becoming a weak chicken!”
Qian Fei found the first part of his advice quite reasonable. She was flattered by the “phoenix” comparison but shot up indignantly when she heard “weak chicken.” “Who are you calling a chicken? You’re the chicken!” she exclaimed.
Li Yifei gave her an exasperated look. “Sister, can you please grasp the main point and central idea of what I’m saying?” He rolled his eyes at her again. “Besides, did I call you a chicken? Why are you yelling for no reason? I clearly said ‘weak’ chicken!” He emphasized the word “weak.”
Qian Fei was so irritated she almost spat out her food. Just as she was about to lose her temper, Li Yifei preemptively said, “Can you not make a fuss and listen to me finish? Do you still want my advice or not?”
Qian Fei’s face contorted, “Go on then!”
She stared at Li Yifei’s face, imagining she had slapped him hundreds of times.
She felt much better after that.
Li Yifei composed himself and said seriously, “I think you should talk directly to Liu Yifeng, the project team leader at your company. Tell him straight up that you want to help write the prospectus. Share all the information you know with him, and let him see that you have the ability. Qian Fei, you need to understand that having skills but not showing them is the same as not having skills in others’ eyes. So don’t be afraid of being called a show-off, because it’s better than being called incompetent.”
Qian Fei found Li Yifei’s words very reasonable. After hearing them, she felt as if she had experienced some sort of epiphany.
She looked at Li Yifei and expressed her gratitude sincerely: “Thank you! I didn’t expect that a vain, flashy, sharp-tongued person like you could be useful!”
Li Yifei looked at her, raising his eyebrows dramatically, “I didn’t know that’s how people in your village express gratitude!”
The next day, Qian Fei mustered up her courage and went to talk to Liu Yifeng.
She showcased herself well, just as Li Yifei had suggested.
After she finished, she felt that Liu Yifeng’s gaze towards her had changed somewhat. “Qian Fei, I had no idea you understood the materials so thoroughly! I underestimated you before, thinking that since you came from the back-office department, I should only assign you secretarial-type work. How about this: starting today, you can join us in writing the prospectus. Once you get the hang of it, you can also help with the application materials in the future!”
Qian Fei was overjoyed and extremely grateful to Liu Yifeng.
She hadn’t expected that the issue she had been struggling with for so long would be resolved so easily, almost without any detours.
That evening, she specially prepared several elaborate dishes, intending to properly thank Li Yifei.
However, even after the food had been on the table for quite a while, Li Yifei still hadn’t returned.
She took out her phone and sent Li Yifei a WeChat message: When are you coming back?
After a while, she received a reply: Something up?
She sent: Are you out having fun? Well, enjoy yourself then. I was just asking, nothing important.
A minute later, she received Li Yifei’s reply: Forgot to tell you, don’t keep dinner for me tonight. Sorry.
Qian Fei stared at the screen, momentarily stunned. This guy said sorry? Had this young master changed heart?
She set out her bowl and chopsticks, preparing to eat. Looking at the table full of dishes, she sighed. If only she had asked him beforehand, she wouldn’t have made so much. There was no way she could finish it all by herself. What a waste.
Just as she raised her chopsticks to start eating, her phone on the side chimed with another message: Save some food for me, I’ll have it as a late-night snack when I get back.
Qian Fei chuckled. She felt that this young master was still the same young master after all. Her earlier impression that he had changed was just a momentary lapse in judgment.
If he was going to have a late-night snack when he returned, wouldn’t she have to reheat the food for him? She wondered if she owed him something…
At a certain club, Da Jun noticed Li Yifei constantly fiddling with his phone and irritably said, “What are you doing? Bros, I splurged on organizing this gathering today to let you have some fun, not play with your phone! Let me tell you, the girl I set you up with today is pure as ice and clean as jade, a long-haired soft girl, a future star from the film and television department. She’s so gorgeous I almost violated the great principle that a friend’s wife is off-limits and made the first move! Her figure is so soft, that she can strike any pose. If you marry her and bring her home to your bed, you’ll be blessed for life, who knows how many kids you might have! She’ll be here soon! Hey, it’s about time you completely turn the page on that little true love of yours! I’m not kidding, who are you texting? It’s been dinging non-stop!”
As he spoke, Da Jun tried to peek at the phone. Li Yifei covered his face with one hand and pushed him away forcefully, “Get lost, what are you trying to look at?”
Da Jun’s expression turned to one of extreme horror as if he had eaten a dead mouse. “Li Yifei! Did you say sorry to that tomboy? Has someone possessed you? Are you still you? Back in elementary school when you broke my nose, you didn’t even say sorry! I can’t take this, I’m ending our friendship! I’m going to claim that soft girl for myself!”
Li Yifei closed the WeChat interface with the “tomboy” and kicked Da Jun, “Get lost!” His expression turned serious, showing a hint of displeasure, “When is that girl coming anyway? Who does she think she is, keeping us waiting? You think this young master is someone who waits around for women?”
With that, he stood up to leave.
Da Jun panicked, grabbing him while cursing, “F*ck! You can’t be serious, I set this up for you, where are you going?”
Li Yifei looked extremely impatient, “Going home to eat!”
Da Jun’s face went blank.
“Li Yifei, don’t tell me you’ve fallen for that tomboy landlord of yours!”
Li Yifei gave him a contemptuous look, “I simply don’t like women who use tardiness to show their importance! Come to think of it, that tomboy landlord of mine never pulls this kind of stunt!”
As they were talking, a string of “I’m sorry” came floating over. The voice was soft and sweet, sticky like a small white delicate hand caressing one’s face.
Li Yifei and Da Jun stopped their tussle and turned their heads together. A long-haired girl with a sweet face was repeatedly bowing and apologizing: “I’m so sorry I’m late! The traffic on Chang’an Street was terrible at this hour!”
Li Yifei glanced at the girl, then turned back to look at Da Jun.
Da Jun winked at him, grinning like a Cheshire cat, and whispered, “Well? Worth the wait, right?”
Li Yifei allowed himself to be pulled back onto the sofa, half-willingly.
“Can you not make introducing a potential match sound as sleazy as pimping?” he snapped at Da Jun.
Da Jun made a dismissive sound and waved at the girl, “Jin Tian, come over here, let me introduce you to my buddy!”
Li Yifei looked at the pretty girl smiling sweetly at him, thought for a moment, and quickly sent a message to Qian Fei: Save the food for me, I’ll have it as a late-night snack when I get back.
When Li Yifei returned home, he saw a table full of dishes in the living room.
That night, he had gotten along quite well with the newly introduced girl – she was sweet and sensible, very much to his liking. However, this pleasant feeling was tinged with a few strands of guilt when he saw the table full of cold dishes.
He went to knock on Qian Fei’s door.
By this time, Qian Fei had finished reading a chapter of her accounting textbook and was about to wash up and go to bed. Hearing the knock, she ran out of the bathroom. As soon as she opened the door, she smelled a faint scent of alcohol on Li Yifei.
“What do you want?” she asked, a bit irritably.
Li Yifei looked down at her from his height, pointed at the food on the table, and said arrogantly, “Reheat my late-night snack for me.”
Qian Fei was furious, “You really think I’m your housekeeper? Heat it yourself!”
She was about to close the door, but Li Yifei’s foot wedged in, blocking it.
“If you don’t move it, I’ll crush it till you’re crippled, you believe me?” She looked up, threatening Li Yifei.
He took advantage of the moment to push forward, tilting his head to look at her, “Go ahead, crush it. After all, you’ll have to sell your house to pay for my medical bills.”
Whether it was because he had been drinking, Qian Fei felt his eyes were frighteningly bright. Being stared at like this, she inexplicably began to feel guilty.
She had never noticed before that he was quite tall, even a bit taller than Wang Ruohai, who claimed to be the standard 180cm. Her height of 165.5cm wasn’t considered short for a girl, but face-to-face with him like this, she still had to tilt her head up. This height difference immediately weakened her initially imposing demeanor.
She pushed Li Yifei impatiently, “Move aside, move aside. Blocking a female landlord’s door in the middle of the night, aren’t you afraid I’ll scream and you’ll be on the community’s front page tomorrow?”
Li Yifei didn’t budge an inch, standing firm as he asked, “Why did you make so many dishes tonight?”
Qian Fei answered irritably, “Well, Liu Yifeng let me help write the prospectus, so I wanted to thank you! Is that okay? If it’s okay, then please, evil spirit, begone! This lady needs to sleep!”
Li Yifei looked down at her, and as he looked, he slowly withdrew his foot.
He walked to the round table in the living room and sat down, beckoning to Qian Fei, “I grant you the opportunity to thank me. Come, reheat the food!”
Qian Fei watched him shamelessly sit there waving at her, really wanting to take off her slipper and throw it at his face.
She gritted her teeth and went to reheat the food.
After it was heated, Li Yifei pulled her to sit down together.
She sat across from him and asked irritably, “When can I go back to sleep?”
Li Yifei looked at her without speaking, until her eyes were practically shooting fire. Then he said slowly, “Alright, Qian Fei, now I feel your gratitude!”
Qian Fei snorted at him, “Your eyes must need money to fix them!” There was only anger, not gratitude, in her eyes!
Li Yifei ignored her, picking at his food leisurely, and changed the subject: “But Qian Fei, what did you promise me before? Didn’t you say you wouldn’t be a saint anymore? Didn’t you say you’d have some temper and personality from now on? How come you still reheat food for others in the middle of the night when they ask? When will you ever show some improvement?”
Qian Fei really couldn’t hold back anymore. She pulled off one of her slippers and flung it at Li Yifei’s face with all her might, “Li Yifei, will you die if you don’t act smug when you get the upper hand?!”
Before going to bed, Qian Fei sent a WeChat message to Yao Jingjing: Vixen, how do you deal with thick-skinned scoundrels?
Yao Jingjing replied: Others might be able to deal with them, but you can forget about it. Don’t you know? Thick-skinned scoundrels specifically counter heartless saints!
Qian Fei felt herself slowly cracking…
Before going to bed, Li Yifei sent a message to Da Jun: Damn it, I got hit in the face with a slipper by that yellow-faced tomboy today!
Da Jun replied quickly: F*ck, you didn’t kill her, did you? Calm down, calm down, give me the address, I’ll get dressed and come over right now!
Li Yifei laughed and replied: What the hell are you coming for? I didn’t do anything to her! I just wanted to ask you, after getting hit with a slipper by that tomboy tonight, not only did I not get angry, but I couldn’t help laughing. What do you think is wrong with me? Is this something the young master me would do?
After about a minute, Da Jun replied: Bro, I think you’d better find a new place and move out as soon as possible! If you keep living with that tomboy, you’re going to turn into a scoundrel yourself!
Li Yifei cursed and tossed his phone aside.