"I know, I'll be back tomorrow... What? Another introduction, Mom, can we please not do this? I understand my own matters... Alright, alright, I'll just take a look when the time comes."
At the grand entrance of an imposing office building in Mile City, a woman dressed in a black business suit, with big wavy curls and large black-rimmed glasses covering half of her cheeks, was walking in while talking on the phone. Her glasses failed to hide her extraordinary elegance.
Her stride showed her to be a decisive and efficient white-collar professional, and from her chilly demeanor, one might guess she was a senior executive.
This woman was named Xu Yingying, the general manager of Qingfeng Group's subsidiary, Huayang Trading Company. Originally, Huayang was just a small branch with an investment of a mere twenty million, but under Xu Yingying's efforts, its assets had soared to seven or eight hundred million within two years. For a woman who was only twenty-six years old to achieve this much was enough to prove her capabilities.
However, during the call, she seemed quite helpless, a rarity within the company.
"Good morning, President Xu!" A security guard greeted Xu Yingying with a salute as she passed the main entrance.
Xu Yingying walked by as if she hadn't heard, being accustomed to daily greetings from the security staff at the door, which no longer caught her attention.
But after a few steps, she suddenly turned her head to look at the security guard who had just greeted her. The guard was a young man in his mid-twenties, with a square face, distinct features, and roughly 1.8 meters tall. Though not particularly burly, his uniform looked smart and showed off his manly vigor. Mengxin would have recognized him as the unforgettable Flying Hawk 002.
"What's your name?" Xu Yingying had regained her cool tone, her gaze fixed on the security guard.
"Li Yifei!" the security guard replied firmly, puffing out his chest.
"Good, come to my office in ten minutes." With that, she entered the elevator.
Li Yifei was somewhat stunned, standing motionless. He had been at the company for less than two months. Even though it was a short period, he knew President Xu was tough to talk to. Suddenly being summoned by her, he had no idea what to expect.
"Yifei, what's up?" Another security guard, also in his twenties, came over and nudged Li Yifei.
"President Xu asked me to go to her office."
"Oh, then just go. Maybe she wants you to do some heavy lifting. But to do a job for President Xu is quite cool, you know—she's the number one beauty in the entire office building."
"I see. I thought maybe I'd done something wrong and she was going to reprimand me."
"Even if we security guards make a mistake, we don't get dragged straight to the general manager's office. Besides, we're not directly under their company's management; we belong to the building's security department, so it's none of her business."
After waiting a few minutes, Li Yifei arrived on the twelfth floor, where Huayang Trading was located.
Today was the twenty-eighth of the twelfth lunar month; in just one more day, it would be New Year's Eve. Most companies would start their holidays tomorrow, and typically, there weren't many people working anymore. But at Huayang Trading, everyone was busy at work, showing how strict General Manager Xu Yingying was in her management.
After notifying the secretary, Li Yifei arrived at the general manager's office door and knocked. Xu Yingying's voice came from inside, "Come in."
Pushing the door open, Li Yifei saw Xu Yingying sitting in the boss's chair behind her desk, with her arms on the armrests and eyes fixed directly on him. She commanded, "Close the door."
Li Yifei hesitated for a second but did as he was told. He then approached the desk and said, "President Xu, I'm here."
Xu Yingying leaned forward slightly, resting her arms on the desk, "Take a seat."
Li Yifei grew even more puzzled. It seemed Xu Yingying wasn't here to take advantage of him as a laborer.
As Li Yifei sat down, Xu Yingying said indifferently, "How old are you this year?"
"Twenty-six."
"Do you have a girlfriend?"
"No."
"Where are you going to spend the New Year's holiday?"
"I am alone. The Security Department has already arranged for me to be on duty for the entire New Year's holiday."
Behind her black-framed glasses, Xu Yingying's eyes suddenly brightened as she asked, "You don't have any family?"
"No, I've been an orphan since I was a child, President Xu... What are you asking all these questions for?" Li Yifei was utterly confused by Xu Yingying's questioning; it almost seemed as if she was trying to arrange a marriage for him.
Xu Yingying adjusted her glasses and lightly tapped her fingers on the table, but didn't immediately speak, which made Li Yifei even more puzzled, and he even felt an urge to leave. Sitting face to face with this cold and beautiful president, the pressure was indeed not small.
"Li Yifei, I am now hiring you to pretend to be my boyfriend over the New Year's holiday… to accompany me home for the New Year."
Xu Yingying's words left Li Yifei with his eyes wide open and his mouth agape, staring dumbfounded at Xu Yingying for a long time without snapping back to reality.
"Starting from tomorrow until the return on the sixth day of the new year, a total of eight days, I will pay you five thousand yuan, which should be enough to cover your overtime pay. How does that sound?"
"President Xu... this... isn't this inappropriate?"
"You don't agree?"
"It's not that I don't agree, I'm just afraid I won't play the part well. I'm just a security guard, and you're a senior executive. For me to pretend to be your boyfriend, it won't be convincing."
"As long as you agree, that will do. When the time comes, I'll give you a proper makeover. You just need to come back with me, let my parents see you, and that will be sufficient."
"But... the Security Department has already scheduled me for shifts, and if I leave, will that be okay?"
"I'll talk to the Security Department and have them arrange someone else for the shifts."
"Alright then, thank you for your appreciation, President Xu." Li Yifei grinned, his smile somewhat forced.
"Okay, you may leave. You must not tell anyone about this, and you mustn't let anyone know, whether now or in the future. If any rumors were to leak out, then you'll have to pack up and leave," Xu Yingying looked at Li Yifei with a voice as cold as ice, a powerful pressure emanating from her.
"Understood, then I'll be taking my leave." Li Yifei stood up and walked straight out.
That left Xu Yingying stunned for a moment. Under her own pressure, Li Yifei's last reaction had been surprisingly nonchalant, which somewhat surprised her. But, at least this troublesome matter was resolved for now. When going home, she wouldn't need to endure endless blind dates anymore, nor listen to her parents nagging her about her lifelong issues daily.
Picking up the phone to call her parents, but after a moment's thought, Xu Yingying put it down again. She was still uncertain whether Li Yifei was really up to the task, and if he weren't, she couldn't bring such a fake boyfriend home.