This Time, She Confesses First - Chapter 9

Chapter 9

There was a two-liter bottle of coke on the office coffee table. When Ke Qingyun saw Jing Huan enter, she beckoned to her, “Come over quickly.”

Jing Huan approached, puzzled, “Ms. Ke, what did you need me for?”

With a fizz, Ke Qingyun unscrewed the coke bottle. White vapor rose from the opening, and the smell of carbonated drink filled the air. “Later, when there are fewer people around, help me swap the red wine for this coke.”

Jing Huan was stunned. Her mouth opened but no sound came out. Her eyes blinked rapidly, trying to process what Ke Qingyun meant. Was this really something Ke Qingyun would do? She couldn’t seem to connect it to her at all.

It was a bit unexpected.

And a bit… cute? What was going on?

“What’s wrong? Never done anything mischievous?” Ke Qingyun smiled. Once the coke in the bottle had settled down, she pulled an empty red wine bottle from under the table and carefully began pouring the coke into it. The soda started bubbling noisily. Ke Qingyun couldn’t help but slow down. “I’ve been drinking every day recently, and my body isn’t doing too well.”

Jing Huan quickly asked, “Are you feeling unwell?”

“No,” Ke Qingyun laughed. “But if I drink too much tonight, I might start feeling unwell.”

Jing Huan nodded, “Okay, then… please don’t drink tonight.”

“Whether I drink tonight depends on you,” Ke Qingyun finished pouring the coke, looked up, and said, “There will be name cards on the dining tables. Find my seat and help me replace the red wine in the decanter. Don’t let anyone notice.”

The banquet hall was already mostly filled with employees, aside from the leaders. It would be quite difficult to swap the red wine in the decanter without being seen. Jing Huan pursed her lips, “What if I get caught?”

Ke Qingyun looked at Jing Huan, her eyes darting. She pondered for a moment, and the corners of her mouth curved up, “If you get caught? If you get caught, just say I told you to do it.”

“Ah?” Jing Huan had expected a much better excuse.

Ke Qingyun looked at her, “Do you have a better excuse?”

“No,” Jing Huan’s heart was beating fast. She lowered her head, “Then I’ll try my best not to be seen.”

Ke Qingyun was amused by Jing Huan’s nervousness. “Do you want me to go with you? To give you some courage?”

Jing Huan quickly shook her head, taking a deep breath, “No need. You’re too conspicuous if you follow me.”

“…” Ke Qingyun opened her mouth but said nothing.

Fine, then.

In the banquet hall, the two tables closest to the stage were much larger than the others, and name cards were placed on them, designating the leaders’ seats. Jing Huan held the red wine bottle, moving casually toward the tables, her eyes quickly searching for Ke Qingyun’s name.

“Jing Huan, come sit down quickly.”

Jing Huan was assigned to the Administration Department’s table for the annual meeting. Wu You saw her, smiled and waved at her, patting the chair next to her. “I saved you a seat.”

Jing Huan’s heart jumped. She quickly turned around, put her hands behind her back, and chuckled twice, “Coming right away.”

“Good, hurry up. The annual meeting is about to start.” There were mandarin oranges, sunflower seeds, and candy on the turntable. Wu You cracked seeds and turned back to chat with the colleague next to her.

“Hurry up! We need two more people at the main tables! We don’t have enough people to serve the dishes. The leaders are about to take their seats!”

“The catering staff are still busy in the kitchen and won’t be seated anytime soon. They don’t need anyone to attend to them. Have the people responsible for the back tables come help up front first,” said Chen Wenying, the catering supervisor, holding a walkie-talkie and scrambling to organize staff.

Seeing the situation, Jing Huan quickly placed the red wine bottle on the nearby side table, mixing it with the other bottles, and went up to greet her, “Sister Ying, are you short-staffed here? I’m free right now and can help.”

Chen Wenying saw Jing Huan, smiled, and patted her shoulder, speaking courteously, “We are indeed short-staffed. We still need someone to serve food and pour wine.”

“I’ll do it! I can,” Jing Huan’s eyes lit up when she heard this.

Things easily become chaotic when there’s a lot to do, and the person she called for hadn’t arrived after a long time. The main tables were two large tables, and currently, only three people were assigned, which wasn’t nearly enough. Chen Wenying pursed her lips, “Alright, thank you for your help.”

“No trouble at all, no trouble.”

Chen Wenying briefly explained the serving order and pouring method to Jing Huan, then was called away to attend to other matters. Dishes were about to be served, and the plates with fruit and seeds on the tables needed to be cleared. Two colleagues from the catering department had already cleared one table and started on the other.

“I’ll pour the wine then,” Jing Huan told them.

“Okay, thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

Jing Huan walked to the side table, grabbed the red wine bottle containing coke without hesitation, turned, found Ke Qingyun’s name card, and began pouring the coke into the decanter. Because she was rushing, she poured too quickly, and the liquid in the glass container began to bubble. Jing Huan was startled and immediately slowed down, nervously glancing around before continuing to fill the decanter until it was full.

“Jing Huan, you’ve poured too much.”

Looking over, the “wine” in the decanter in front of Ke Qingyun’s name card was much higher than that of the other leaders. “Pour some into Ms. Ke’s glass.”

Jing Huan swallowed hard, forcing herself to stay calm, “Oh, okay.”

After all the dishes were served, the leaders took their seats one after another. Jing Huan’s mission was accomplished, and she quickly turned to retreat. She ran into Ke Qingyun face-to-face. Ke Qingyun was walking and exchanging polite pleasantries with other leaders. She caught sight of Jing Huan out of the corner of her eye, slightly raised an eyebrow, and quickly gave her a look.

Jing Huan’s heart fluttered. She nodded blankly. Ke Qingyun instantly flashed a smile, her eyes approving, and she extended her hand to the leader next to her, “Mr. Hua, please sit here.”

The venue was noisy and bustling. This was a secret signal only they knew. Only Jing Huan knew that Ke Qingyun’s smile was a response to her.

She had said, I know.

Phew!

After sitting down, Jing Huan felt a fullness in her chest, and a slight ache. She wondered if the music was too loud, or if her heart was about to jump out of her throat. She couldn’t help but clench her fists, staring intently at the back of Ke Qingyun’s head.

The host’s voice was cheerful and festive. After a long opening speech, he enthusiastically said, “Let’s welcome General Manager Hua Rong to the stage to deliver a speech!”

Applause erupted from the audience. Jing Huan retracted her gaze and looked at the stage. The woman was not tall, with neat short hair, holding a microphone. She first delivered a segment of official blessings and gratitude, maintaining an impressive aura despite her smile.

Then, the focus of her speech shifted, and she suddenly looked down at the stage, “Ke Qingyun.”

It was like suddenly being called out by a teacher in class. Jing Huan’s heart trembled. She secretly glanced at Ke Qingyun, who was listening, her face slightly turned, a faint smile on her face, calmly waiting for Hua Rong to speak.

“Have you thought of a way to boost the occupancy rate?”

A leader knows well how to follow a slap with a carrot. After saying that, Hua Rong laughed, pushed up the glasses on her nose, and said in a teasing tone, “It’s quite a damper to bring up work and performance during such a happy time, but if I don’t, alas, I worry about your year-end bonuses.”

The people below only chuckled, and no one took the bait.

Hua Rong looked at Yao Jie, “The university president of Keda has retired and is now leisurely at home. Did you bring gifts to visit the elderly gentleman for the New Year? Do you visit him often? You must learn to utilize such a good name.”

“We’ve visited three times,” Yao Jie said. “The old gentleman returned to his hometown during the New Year visit.”

Hua Rong nodded, her gaze turning to Ke Qingyun, “Alright, then this is my final order: you must bring this elderly gentleman to live in our campus by April next year. Can you achieve this? Please don’t disappoint me.”

“Yes, absolutely.”

The speech concluded, and the annual meeting continued enthusiastically with singing, dancing, fashion shows, skits, and various programs. Jing Huan, however, was not focused on the show. She constantly glanced at Ke Qingyun, who hadn’t touched her food much, holding a wine glass and occasionally taking a small sip, her lips curved, but her eyes didn’t show much emotion, looking preoccupied.

It wasn’t until the lottery drawing segment, when the host called for “Ms. Ke,” that Ke Qingyun tidied her jacket, smiled, and stepped onto the stage. There had already been several rounds of prizes: suitcases, headphones, rice, flour, and oil. The girls weren’t very interested in these and were all intently focused on the grand prizes in this round: the Hermès bag and Chanel lipstick.

“It’s clear that the ladies in the audience are very excited,” the host teased first.

The audience immediately stirred. Wu You grabbed Jing Huan’s hand, trembling with excitement, “It’s here, it’s here! Amitabha, this believer is willing to eat only vegetarian food for the next month, no milk tea, no fried chicken, and no staying up late, in exchange for an eternal bond with the Hermès bag.”

“Ahhh, pick me, you must pick me.”

Jing Huan smiled. She pulled the slightly wrinkled ticket from her pocket and looked up at the stage. The host raised the microphone, “Actually, I also really want to know who will win this grand prize. Since everyone is so eager, please ask Ms. Ke to draw this round’s lucky winner for us.”

“In a moment, the numbers on the large screen will start scrolling quickly. Ms. Ke, just count a random number and then call stop.”

After the host spoke, the numbers on the large screen began to scroll rapidly. The audience immediately fell silent, surprisingly quiet, all staring at the numbers on the screen.

Affected by the atmosphere, Jing Huan also became inexplicably nervous. She took a deep breath, clenching the ticket in her hand, her eyes fixed on the dazzling numbers on the large screen.

“Three.”

“Two.”

Ke Qingyun stood on the side of the stage, her back to the display screen, slowly calling out the numbers. Time passed second by second, and the final number was about to settle.

“One.”

“Stop!”

“20201561.”

It appeared prominently on the screen.

The moment she saw the number on the screen, Jing Huan almost subconsciously looked at Ke Qingyun. Their eyes met. Ke Qingyun’s eyes curved into crescents when she smiled, her lips curving into an arc. It was a genuine smile, without any pretense.

The audience instantly burst into groans, “It’s not me, boohoo.”

“Ahhh, not me either.”

“My Hermès flew away.”

Host: “Who is 20201561? Please raise your hand and let everyone envy you.”

Jing Huan still hadn’t recovered from the shock. Ke Qingyun’s smile was deeply imprinted in her heart, refusing to fade. She had never won anything before. She was actually a little suspicious—did the person on stage rig the draw for her?

How could she win?

How could she be so lucky?

Is it really her?

“It seems the lucky colleague with 20201561 is unwilling to show their face and attract hatred.”

Only when the host called out the number on the ticket for the second time did Jing Huan slowly raise her hand, “It’s me.”

Wu You turned around, her eyes wide, hugging Jing Huan incoherently, “Jing Huan! Ahhh, you won the prize! It’s you! Quick, let me soak up some of your luck! Chanel perfume and lipstick—I’m not picky.”

Jing Huan was a little embarrassed by Wu You rubbing against her arm. She slowly lowered her head, her cheeks flushed.

“This lucky colleague, you can claim your gift at the front desk after the annual meeting with your ticket stub. Happy New Year,” Ke Qingyun’s voice came through the microphone, mixed with static, her tone slightly altered.

But Jing Huan heard it perfectly clearly.

Happy New Year to you too.

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