My Boss Always Wants to Join My Family - Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Mint Leaves (3)

She crashed directly into Zhou Ran, who steadied her by the shoulder just in time for her to regain her balance.

Clutching her documents, Lu Yue felt she had reached a new peak of embarrassment. She lowered her head and let out a few dry laughs: “I’m so sorry.”

Zhou Ran said: “It’s fine.”

She looked up at the crowd huddled on the left side pretending nothing had happened and said coldly: “There is plenty of space in the elevator.”

The employees looked at their noses and hearts, gave a few sheepish smiles, and silently spread out a bit, finally ceasing to occupy only the right side in a swarm.

The elevator ascended steadily. Lu Yue pretended to look down through her documents, secretly peeking at Zhou Ran through the gaps in her hair.

Zhou Ran stood at the edge, her long black hair hanging by her side. Her back was ramrod straight, and her shirt clung to her body, tracing a slender waist.

Her waist is so thin, and her fingers are beautiful, too… It’s just that her skin is too pale, lacking any color.

Lu Yue emboldened herself to sneak a few more glances before shifting her gaze back as if unintentionally. The numbers flicked by, and with a soft “ding,” the 86th floor arrived.

They were just crossing paths by chance; they probably wouldn’t run into each other again.

Lu Yue sighed inwardly, tightened her grip on her files, and walked out of the elevator lobby.

This floor was extremely spacious. Many bamboo landscapes and penjing were placed around, and the sound of water trickling over rockeries created an ethereal, mountain-like atmosphere.

Lu Yue walked around a “Gathering Fortune” screen and saw someone sitting at the front desk, holding a book titled An Introduction to Primary School Pinyin, reading it very intently.

Her dark hair was scattered casually. On her black shirt, four large characters were written in gold ink in a flamboyant style: “I LOVE MY WIFE”.

…Are the people at Serein all this arrogant?

Lu Yue felt a vague sense of unease. She walked forward, and the beauty at the front desk put down her book, staring at her silently.

“Hello, is this Serein?” Lu Yue asked apprehensively. “I have an appointment with Miss Dong from PR.”

The receptionist shook her head and went back to her book, replying lazily: “This is Niantao Jade. Serein is on the 89th floor.”

Lu Yue was instantly dumbfounded.

Why the hell would a beauty company set up so many plants, rockeries, and water features? Are they changing careers to Feng Shui consulting?!

After thanking the receptionist, she hurried back.

Standing in the elevator lobby, Lu Yue let out a long sigh, lamenting that she was truly so busy she’d become muddled, even misremembering such an important thing.

After she pressed the button, her brain suddenly exploded with a boom. She finally understood where the sense of incongruity from earlier had come from.

—The 89th floor of the building… Wasn’t that the floor Zhou Ran was going to?!

This floor was in a bright, glass-transparent style, with massive makeup posters hanging everywhere. Finally, it looked like a cosmetics brand.

The young girl at the front desk was very skilled. As soon as Lu Yue gave her name, she already knew the purpose of her visit.

Lu Yue followed behind her, glancing around. She didn’t see Zhou Ran among the working employees and breathed a secret sigh of relief.

The girl led her to a lounge and told Lu Yue to wait a moment, saying the marketing manager would be over shortly.

Besides Lu Yue, several other influencers were in the lounge. Lu Yue looked around and recognized a few familiar faces.

The Serein Group had many branches encompassing makeup, perfume, skincare, and more. Most of the influencers invited were bloggers or uploaders of these types.

For example, the woman sitting by the water dispenser with the most glamorous makeup was KateBaby_Kate, who had over two million followers on Weibo. She was currently very popular and had taken on several major brand promotions.

Lu Yue’s initial platform was Instagram. Weibo was a sub-account she opened later, so her follower count there was relatively low, only around 800,000.

However, since she had decided to return to the domestic market, her focus had naturally shifted. Expanding her social circle was also very necessary.

After a moment of thought, Lu Yue made up her mind. She walked over to the water dispenser and greeted the other woman: “Sister Kate.”

“I’m a fan of yours. I especially like the eyeshadow series you recommended,” Lu Yue said with a smile. “Could we get to know each other?”

Kate didn’t reply. Lu Yue’s extended hand hung awkwardly in the air.

“Who are you?” Kate didn’t even look up, her nails clacking as she tapped away on her phone. “Forget it. There’s no point in knowing someone who can’t even make it to the Annual Influence Awards.”

The well-known bloggers surrounding her didn’t even spare Lu Yue a glance; their words were filled with sarcasm and contempt.

Lu Yue’s temper flared up instantly.

The corners of her eyes narrowed slightly as she smiled tenderly: “Speaking of the Influence Awards, it really is getting worse every year. It used to be about real substance, but it’s been different lately.”

Lu Yue gazed at her, her voice lingering: “They dare to stuff just any random person in there now. Aren’t they afraid of choking themselves and losing all credibility?”

Kate was ignited instantly. She stood up abruptly and questioned: “You aren’t even qualified to participate in the awards, and you have the face to talk about me?”

“I indeed have fewer followers, but at least I get hundreds of comments and reposts. Take a look at your pitiful dozen or so, Sister Kate. Your User Engagement (UE) isn’t even one percent, let alone the KPI index that companies value most.”

Lu Yue curved her brows and smiled, her voice gentle: “Out of those two million, who knows how many are ghost accounts.”

Kate was accustomed to being flattered by fans; she had never endured such sarcasm.

She was so angry she couldn’t even speak. Her fists were clenched, and her face was flushed red. Suddenly, she took a few steps forward, almost lunging into Lu Yue’s space.

No way, is she going to push me here? Lu Yue hurriedly backed up a few steps, but her retreat was blocked by the wall.

At this critical juncture, a soft “click” came from nearby.

The door to the lounge opened.

Zhou Ran appeared at the door, looking at the crowd expressionlessly. Her voice was incredibly cold: “Finished arguing?”

Kate froze in place, not daring to move. Lu Yue’s eyes widened in slight shock, wondering what on earth Zhou Ran was doing here.

She probably didn’t come specifically to bail me out, she figured there must be an underlying reason.

The small bloggers behind them whispered to each other, while Kate’s expression was incredibly excited. She hurriedly greeted her: “President Zhou, why are you here? Could it be…”

Zhou Ran nodded and explained plainly: “This promotion is quite important, so I am taking over the responsibility for it.”

As soon as she spoke, everyone grew excited.

They had originally thought it was just a small promotion, but now that the CEO had said she would personally be in charge, it was enough to show the company’s sincerity and the level of importance they attached to it.

Kate’s breathing grew even more rapid. She looked at Zhou Ran with nervousness and anticipation, waiting for her to speak.

However, Zhou Ran looked down at her tablet, then suddenly tilted her head and looked toward a certain someone hiding in the corner.

She said: “Miss Lu.”

“Please come with me,” Zhou Ran’s voice was flat. “The company attaches great importance to your promotion. All matters will be handled entirely by me.”

Lu Yue was just taking a sip of water to cool her temper. Zhou Ran’s sudden sentence scared her so much she nearly coughed the water all out.

—”Great importance”??

After interning at Yinglu Group, Lu Yue knew that a small project like hers would be worth at most a hundred thousand or so.

A single contract for Zhou Ran would involve amounts in the millions or tens of millions. Was there any need for her to personally come and negotiate?

Lu Yue’s eyes were filled with terror, but Zhou Ran maintained that ice-cube face, silently opening the door and gesturing for her to follow.

Lu Yue hissed as she took a cold breath, but she still followed the other woman obediently. She was led all the way to a conference room. Zhou Ran calmly set down the tablet and documents, appearing as if she were truly going to discuss the project with her.

“This is the drafted contract, but it is not the final version,” Zhou Ran handed the file to her. “Today is mainly for discussing project requirements.”

Lu Yue took the contract, but she wasn’t in the mood to read it.

The conference room had a glass wall. Many employees outside were sneaking peeks at the door, intentionally or unintentionally looking in, their eyes sparkling with the light of gossip.

Lu Yue felt like there were needles in her back. Feeling uncomfortable being watched, even though she was flipping through the contract, she hadn’t actually absorbed a single word.

Zhou Ran saw her flipping through the papers with a “swish-swish” sound. Her gaze paused, and she stood up.

“One moment,” she said.

Zhou Ran took out her phone and adjusted something casually. The glass wall seemed to grow foggy, instantly turning into a frosted texture and blocking the view of the people outside.

“Smart dimming glass,” Lu Yue said with curiosity. “Once it’s atomized, can you not see inside at all?”

Zhou Ran nodded: “Mm.”

Lu Yue tilted her head and saw Zhou Ran holding a pen, circling important content on the tablet.

Her expression was serious, her long lashes slightly lowered. The indoor light filtered through her ink-black hair, casting sparse shadows on her cheek.

When Zhou Ran finished circling the areas and handed the tablet over, Lu Yue didn’t take it immediately. Her voice was slow and steady: “I have one more question.”

She twirled her pen, tilting her head slightly. A strand of curled hair rested in front of her long lashes, swaying playfully in the cool breeze.

“If I were to forcibly kiss you here—”

Lu Yue asked with great interest: “Would no one be able to see that, either?”

As expected, Zhou Ran was stunned. Lu Yue looked at her expression with a beaming smile, highly anticipating the other’s reply.

Zhou Ran was silent for a moment, then pointed to the ceiling with the end of her pen.

This reaction is too boring. Lu Yue was quite disappointed and muttered: “What does that mean?”

Zhou Ran said: “The camera.”

Lu Yue followed her gaze and spotted a small black orb in the corner.

…This woman, Zhou Ran, really cannot be grouped with normal people.

Lu Yue shrugged and took the tablet: “I was just joking just now. Don’t take it to heart.”

She sat up a bit straighter and carefully read the terms, considering them from her perspective as a blogger and proposing several revisions.

The project part wasn’t long, but the formal contract was quite time-consuming. The two of them spent about two hours in the conference room before determining the general process and plan.

“I will transfer this to the company lawyer and notify you once it’s finalized.” Zhou Ran stood up, her movements suddenly pausing.

“The ground floor is undergoing renovations lately, and the signs aren’t set up clearly,” she explained softly. “I’ll walk you out.”

Lu Yue packed her things and nodded casually: “Then I’ll trouble you.”

The two left the company. Zhou Ran didn’t speak, and Lu Yue didn’t know what to say, so she followed silently behind. They maintained this awkward atmosphere all the way down the elevator to the parking garage.

The parking garage had insufficient power, and the corridor lights were dim.

Just when Lu Yue thought Zhou Ran was going to remain silent until the end, the other woman suddenly stopped in her tracks and turned to look at her.

She stood slightly against the wall, a layer of warm shadow falling over her face, softening the sharp contours of her features. She looked lonely and gentle.

“…There was an error in circuit maintenance earlier, and several main power lines were accidentally cut,” Zhou Ran said softly. “The cameras over here are all down.”

Lu Yue suddenly laughed, her eyes curving like crescent moons. She raised her hand and rested it on Zhou Ran’s shoulder. With a slight push, she pinned the other woman against the wall.

Her fingers moved up along the waist like fluttering butterfly wings, softly passing over the shoulder line, the neck, and the jaw before stroking her cheek.

“So, if I were to forcibly kiss you here, no one would be able to see it, right?”

Lu Yue tilted her head up slightly, her nose brushing against Zhou Ran’s cheek. Her voice carried a hint of a smile: “That’s what you mean, isn’t it?”

Her voice was slightly hoarse, her breath extremely light and soft, climbing up her fingertips like a kitten, winding around her heart and scratching it bit by bit.

Pinned against the wall, Zhou Ran’s dark pupils gazed at Lu Yue. After a long while, she finally spoke: “Theoretically…”

“…Yes.”

Support My Boss Always Wants to Join My Family