Chapter 18

 

Today, the Jinjiang Hotel on Nanjing Road in Haigang was packed. It was the venue chosen by local business owners for their annual year-end dinners.

Every year, the bosses hosted these banquets to reward their employees for their hard work.

The year-end banquet of Longmao Parkway was also held today, also at the Jinjiang Hotel. Ming Xi, as a new employee who had just joined the company, was completely unaware of this and only heard about it after her shift that afternoon.

However, He Lingna said she would not go and asked Ding Xiao to take her instead.

Ming Xi didn’t understand why Sister Lingna didn’t want to go. He Lingna smiled gently, her tone tinged with fatigue, “I have participated for many years. It’s nothing more than everyone toasting back and forth. I’m a little tired. I’d rather go back to my apartment and rest.”

He Lingna lived in an apartment near Longmao Parkway. Though Ming Xi had never been there, she knew that the rent there was very expensive.

“Are you sick? Do you have a fever?” “Ming Xi was still concerned, but she was more puzzled as to why someone would skip a once-a-year party. As a newcomer, just hearing the words “company banquet” got her excited. Maybe this was the difference between a veteran and a rookie.

Ming Xi wanted to reach out to touch Sister Lingna’s forehead, but He Lingna avoided her and blurted out, “No…”

Ding Xiao looked at her coldly, then shook her head. Cutting off Ming Xi’s string of questions, she changed the subject by asking Ming Xi what she was going to wear in that evening?

That stumped Ming Xi. She didn’t really have anything to wear—her best outfit was her work uniform. The two sets of clothes she’d ordered from the tailor were still waiting to be picked up; she’d been too busy. She looked a little distressed.

“Can I just wear my uniform?” The next second, she asked Ding Xiao with a mischievous look in her eyes.

“Of course you can. As long as you don’t mind people mistaking you for the waitress bringing out the dishes.” Ding Xiao teased her.

Ding Xiao always spoke like that, and Ming Xi had already used to it. She pondered Ding Xiao’s suggestion for a while, and then replied with a grin: “That’s not bad. I’ll just bring all the seafood, shellfish and roasted pigeon from other tables to ours.”

No matter what joke others made, Ming Xi never got offended. She could always toss back something playful.

Ding Xiao was amused and poked her forehead: “Why do you always think about such good things?”

Ming Xi kept smiling, but appropriately restrained herself.

As a newcomer on the sales team, she had a good temper and a quick mind. Even if some sales associates were jealous of her increasing number of orders and higher transaction price, they would not make trouble for her; the reason was not because she had extraordinary tact, but her colleagues were genuinely impressed by her.

She’d managed to blend into the team fast—mainly because, right from the start, she’d allied herself with two of the strongest people there.

One was naturally her mentor He Lingna—the reigning sales champion. The other was Ding Xiao. Although she was sharp-tongued, she also had a keen eye and a strong sense of justice. In that sales department, Ding Xiao’s words carried weight. She never played favorites or took sides.

There was a saying among Longmao’s sales staff: You can afford to offend Manager Li—but never Ding Xiao. Cross her, and you would be scolded to death…

Ming Xi and Ding Xiao clicked right away. Ding Xiao, five years older, twenty-five now, had no family around, no boyfriend, and no interest in finding one. Her greatest hobby was saving money.

Sister Lingna knew how much money Ding Xiao had saved, and she described it as unimaginably high.

Ming Xi thought for a second and tossed out a number. “Fuck!” Ding Xiao jumped up and asked her in shock, “How do you know… You peeked at my passbook!”

Ming Xi quickly shook her head and defended herself: “I calculated it.”

“How did you calculate it?”Ding Xiao put her hands on Ming Xi’s shoulders.

Ming Xi gave a helpless little sigh, looking all innocent but speaking like a seasoned negotiator. “You revealed the information yourself. You came to work in Longmao two years ago. I estimated your average salary plus your annual bonuses over that time, multiplied by the number of years worked.”

The main reason she could calculated so accurately was that Ding Xiao was a total penny-pincher. She barely spent a cent on anything.

Ding Xiao was really impressed.

Ming Xi did not forget to emphasize: “This year’s bonus—you bragged about it before…”

Ding Xiao: …

That wasn’t enough for Ming Xi. She puffed herself up and poked Ding Xiao’s chest with one finger: “Don’t flaunt your wealth, understand? Letting people know how much money you have is dangerous! You’re lucky I’m honest and good-natured—at worst, I might borrow a little. But others? You never know! It’s not the thief you should fear—it’s the one who keeps thinking about your money.”

Ding Xiao ground her teeth, glaring at her like she might bite. “You’re the thief here, you little crook!”

The little thief who looked innocent but actually had more tricks than a sieve!

“Don’t even think about borrowing money from me. In this life, I will do good deeds and accumulated virtues, but I will never lend money.” Ding Xiao made a vow.

Ming Xi nodded and gave her thumbs-up. “Very wise.”

“…” Ding Xiao really loved and hated Ming Xi.

She was just pretending to be angry just now. He Lingna had already stepped in protectively. Looking at Ming Xi’s height and figure, which were not much different from her own, she took the initiative to offer: “Ming Xi, do you want to come to my place after work? I’ll pick out a nice dress for you.”

Ming Xi looked at Sister Lingna and said happily: “Master, do you want to lend it to me?”

Lingna smiled quite coquettishly and deliberately teased her: “Of course. What, did you think I’d sell it to you? Do you even have the money to buy it?”

Ming Xi huffed playfully, “Hmph, I thought you were going to give it to me!”

Lingna: “Give it to you is fine too. I have a lot of clothes anyway.”

Ming Xi’s eyes lit up: “Really?!”

Lingna: “Nope.”

Ming Xi burst out laughing—she knew it was a joke. Still, she’d become noticeably more cheerful lately.

Thanks to Ming Decheng, she was generally quite accurate in judging a person’s wealth, though she couldn’t quite tell when it came to Sister Lingna. She felt Lingna was wealthier than the others, but her words hinted at a less privileged background.

Never mind, Sister Lingna liked her, and she liked Sister Lingna too. That was enough!

After work, Ming Xi happily followed Sister Lingna to her apartment.

He Lingna’s apartment wasn’t one of those old-fashioned apartments most common in Haigang, but an exquisite “birdcage” apartment built by a certain Hong Kong businessman named Li. While it wasn’t as luxurious as the sprawling mansions in Haigang, it was still the sort of stylish housing many white-collar professionals longed for.

From the moment they entered, everything inside—the environment, the décor—was sleek and modern. The elevator ride up opened onto corridors that somewhat resembled those of a shared dormitory, but here they were wide and elegant.

There were four elevators in that one building alone.

Ming Xi wasn’t one to pry on sensitive matters. Since Sister Lingna didn’t volunteer the information, she would never ask whether the apartment was owned or rented, or how much the monthly rent cost.

Sister Lingna wasn’t like Ding Xiao, who always said whatever came to mind. Although she was nice, she still felt a little distant.

Ming Xi came to room 1204 where Sister Lingna lived and began to choose a dress. The large wardrobe against the wall was almost full—garments of every color and cut, each beautiful and stylish. Coats and dresses hung above; below, a row of shoes—shiny patent-leather heels—displayed their owner’s taste and charm down to the last detail.

Ming Xi couldn’t help but reach out and touch the texture of the coat. It felt luxuriously soft—expensive. No wonder Sister Lingna said she couldn’t afford such things; indeed, she couldn’t.

“Pick whatever you like. If you find one you want, just take it.” Sister Lingna said generously.

Ming Xi turned around and put away her smile.

It still felt impolite to rifle through someone else’s closet, no matter how kindly they offered. So even with Lingna’s invitation, she restrained herself and avoided the pricier pieces. At last she chose a simple knitted sweater-dress that looked the most ordinary.

“Is this okay?” she asked.

Lingna, bending toward the mirror to fix her hair, tilted her head to glance at it and replied with a faint look of disapproval: “Pick seriously—choose something better.”

Oh. Ming Xi continued browsing, finally picking out a green lantern-skirt dress. She liked green—so full of life.

Lingna shook her head but didn’t insist further. As Ming Xi hung the black knitted dress back, sliding open the wardrobe to put it away, her eye accidentally caught on something out of place wedged between the drawer gaps—a man’s item.

A pair of dark blue striped men’s underwear.

Ming Xi was embarrassed for a moment, silently averted her gaze, pretended to turn her head casually, and then closed the double doors of the wardrobe.

“Take this box of mung bean cakes with you. Share it with Ding Xiao and the others at dinner tonight,” Lingna said as they were about to leave, lifting a box from the dresser and slipping it into a plastic bag for her.

“Thank you, Sister Lingna.”

“What’s with the sudden politeness?”

Ming Xi raised her eyes slightly, her expression a little complicated. “I’m just… moved. You’re so good to me.”

Sister Lingna touched her shoulder, speaking sincerely from the heart. “I was your age when I first came here. I understand how hard it is. You look carefree every day, all smiles—but you’ve got no one to rely on. I was the same. Honestly, if your family background were better, you wouldn’t be working at this age. You’d still be in school. You don’t look like someone who couldn’t study well.”

Ming Xi suddenly felt extremely embarrassed. “I really wasn’t good at studying…”

Sister Lingna chuckled. “Then just work hard. We’re sales associate at a joint venture department store. It’s not bad at all.”

Yes!

It wasn’t bad at all…

In just half a month, her life had changed dramatically. Since leaving Yicheng, every day had been better than she had imagined.

But—could it get even better?

Could she still make a big wish at the end of the year?

For instance—that one day she wouldn’t have to drift from place to place. That she could sip good wine in her own home. That she could step out wearing a warm, soft coat, walk to her car without fear of the cold, and breathe freely in the crisp winter air.

The poor imagine wealth in the most concrete ways. All she wanted was a car to drive and a home to live in. Yet to a girl making her way alone in the city, such things were like dreams. To have much money, she needed the ability to earn much money.

But she couldn’t do it the way Sister Lingna did… Ming Xi kept a secret buried deep in her heart.

—

At six o’clock in the evening, Ming Xi and Ding Xiao arrived at the Jinjiang Hotel.

When Ding Xiao saw that Ming Xi had ultimately chosen a green lantern-skirt dress, she was speechless—especially since she herself was wearing red. Walking together, they looked like a green bell pepper and a red chili pepper.

A fiery pair.

“Out of all Lingna’s clothes, how did you end up picking this green one!”

“Doesn’t it look good?” Ming Xi was cheerful as ever. Red and green might clash horribly, but the two of them together looked like some flashy Hong Kong-Taiwan singer duo—each eye-catching in their own way.

How could someone be so arrogant! Ding Xiao reached out to pinch her cheek.

Don’t pinch her face! Ming Xi was very angry and quickened her pace.

But Ding Xiao’s legs were long; she caught up easily, and the two of them shoved and teased each other all the way up to the large banquet room on the second floor.

The double sliding doors were opened in an grand style, and the room was already packed.

Ming Xi, never having seen such a scene before, gasped in surprise. “We have this many people at Longmao?”

There were about a dozen tables inside.

“Probably not enough private rooms, so the New Year’s dinners of several companies are arranged together.”

So that’s how it is…

Pushing their way through the noisy central aisle, Ming Xi and Ding Xiao finally found the tables reserved for Longmao Parkway. There were less than five tables in total, and the rest belonged to other companies.

As a newcomer who had already changed positions twice, Ming Xi hardly knew anyone at those five tables. For a while, she looked at them, and they looked back at her.

Seeing the two big sisters from the clerk office, Ming Xi naturally went over to greet them.

The more outgoing of the two took her hand, giving her an appraising look filled with half-praise, half-teasing, “Being in sales really changes you—you’ve gotten prettier.”

Ming Xi replied, “New year, new look! A bit of makeup makes a difference.”

The woman shook her head and stared at her. “Don’t be modest! I’m talking about temperament. For us women, having a pretty face isn’t as good as having a good temperament!”

Ming Xi laughed politely, but before she could respond further, Ding Xiao appeared, grabbed her by the arm, and pulled her away—

“What are you chatting for? Do you still want to go back?”

“…”

“Those two are the nosiest people in the company. Stay away from them.”

“…”

Ming Xi pursed her lips.

“There’s no such thing as everyone liking you. When you work at a company, you have to take sides!” Ding Xiao said sternly, sounding uncharacteristically serious.

Ming Xi tugged gently on the hem of Ding Xiao’s jacket and said softly, “Alright, alright—I’m on your side, I’m on your side.”

Only then was Ding Xiao satisfied. She brightened up again, her usual bold cheer returning, and led Ming Xi to the sales team’s table—charging in like a general entering battle.

“Where’s the booze? White liquor or beer? We’re all drinking tonight!”

Ming Xi, being new, didn’t dare showing off. Her smile stayed modest, restrained—like a shy young wife tagging along with her loud, boisterous husband. Because the husband was so brash, the delicate little wife felt even more restrained.

 

Someone at the table pointed toward the opposite side of the hall and said, “We actually borrowed someone else’s space tonight. The new manager here at Jinjiang messed up. They accepted our reservation even though there wasn’t a private room left. We had to beg them before they agreed to seat us.”

“No wonder it’s so crowded,” a chubby saleswoman joked.

“Where isn’t it cramped when you’re sitting?” another teased.

That earned them a few playful glares.

“Whose space are we taking over?” someone else asked.

“Some foreign trade company.”

“How can a foreign trade company have so many people?”

“Probably invited their suppliers and partners too.”

“…”

“Hey, you guys know? Those foreign trade sales representative make crazy money these days. Our year-end bonuses are nothing—my friend said one commission deal at her firm beats our whole year-end payout.”

At that, Ming Xi’s head snapped up, her chopsticks pausing midair.

“Well, that depends on connections,” another chimed in. “You’ve got to have a boss generous enough to give you clients. Otherwise, just living off the base salary—you can barely eat.”

That was true. Even the best industries have their share of mediocre people, and even the worst industries have their share of exceptional elites. Social networking was still underdeveloped, and information was mostly spread by word of mouth.

“I don’t know all the details. Do you guys ever go online? I’ll recommend a forum—it’s new, started just last year. Tianya Forum. Lots of people share industry stories there, even post short fiction. Super fun.”

Again, Ming Xi lifted her head slightly and mentally noted the name.

Their table was full of salespeople—some local, most from other provinces. Everyone spoke in different accents, the chatter lively and overlapping, so the atmosphere was warm. Listening to them, Ming Xi couldn’t help feeling that the coming year would be a good one.

That kind of “good”—even if uncertain—was filled with hope and energy.

She drank a little, carefully controlling her intake so no one would notice how well she could actually hold her liquor. Ding Xiao, on the other hand, was already flushed from drinking, face and neck turning red. A male colleague teased, asking when she planned to find a boyfriend.

Ding Xiao waved her hand dismissively and cursed, “Get lost! Why are you cursing on New Year’s Day!”

The man closed his concerned mouth.

The whole table burst into laughter again. The salespeople had nimble lips, and of the five tables at Longmao Parkway, theirs was the loudest and most spirited.

The atmosphere was also the best. Even if there was a bit of competition on weekdays, tonight no one held grudges.

Ming Xi loved this kind of unrestrained joy—the shared, upward energy between people. Others talked and laughed; even when she didn’t, she could still happily focus on eating.

It was wonderful!

Why Sister Lingna said it was boring?

Ming Xi still couldn’t figure it out.

In such a cheerful atmosphere, everyone’s thoughts seemed lighter. No one imagined that anything bad could happen that night.

They all believed that the joyful atmosphere of today’s year-end banquet would last until the very end!

But before their stomachs were even half full, a sudden clamor erupted outside the banquet hall doors—so loud and startling it froze the whole room.

Everyone turned their heads as several burly men dragged a woman whose head hung limply down as they entered.

Leading them was a square-faced woman clutching a megaphone—

Her presence was menacing.

“Come one, come all! Take a look, everyone—see for yourselves the filthy tramp who seduced someone else’s husband!” The woman’s voice blared through the speaker. Though slightly muffled, every word rang clear in the room.

The hall was as if it had exploded, and a momentary silence fell.

Though the square-faced woman was the one shouting, everyone’s eyes went to the disheveled woman being hauled along. Her hair was a tangled mess, damp strands clinging to a pale face; her once-elegant makeup was smeared beyond recognition. Her dress was wrinkled, torn at the hem—

Being carried the entire way, the woman’s steps were unsteady, and several times she nearly fell, only to be roughly and mercilessly lifted again.

A surge of dread and panic rose in Ming Xi’s chest.

She was the first to stand up—because she recognized the woman being dragged in. It was her mentor, her friend—Sister Lingna.

Ming Xi, usually so composed, stood frozen in shock, her face drained of all control.

Then, Ding Xiao, who was beside her, burst into curse words: “Damn it… It’s really Lingna!”

Almost instantly, the entire Longmao import sales team was on their feet.

Clatter! Clatter!

Similarly, the company on the other side of the aisle, Xinghai Foreign Trade.

One moment, Xinghai’s boss, Liang Jiancheng, was socializing while holding a wine glass, and the next moment he set it down heavily and rose to his feet.

The composed, genteel expression he’d worn a second before was gone, replaced by a tense frown as his sharp gaze turned toward the group of intruders storming in to cause trouble.

Under the glittering light of the crystal chandeliers, everyone exchanged uneasy looks. The men fell silent.

“Let her go!” At this moment, a trembling but powerful girl’s voice bravely sounded in the hall.

Then, two young women rushed forward toward the commotion—

One in green, one in red.

By coincidence, Liang Jiancheng actually recognized the one in green.

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