Xu Zheng had previously considered bringing He Yao along, thinking that having two people share the burden based on their classmate connection would be better than him going alone.
However, Zhan Jingrui wasn't interested in her, so he hadn't dared to say much.
Unexpectedly, he brought it up himself today.
Still, Xu Zheng wasn't in the mood to bring He Yao along today.
"She, ah, has some personal matters these past two days. She has to look at apartments after work and just asked for leave. How about we two get together, and we can bring her next time we have a chance?"
Upon hearing news about her, Zhan Jingrui's heart stirred, and his mood instantly improved.
"What a coincidence. It's rare for classmates to gather, and she's looking at apartments. Where is she buying a place?"
Xu Zheng had no idea about his hidden thoughts; he thought Zhan Jingrui was just mentioning it casually and echoed,
"Exactly, but she's not buying, she's renting. It's quite interesting, the person introducing her to the apartment is one of your Zhan Corporation people, the one you saw at the restaurant last time. They might be dating recently."
Zhan Jingrui understood.
It was Engineer Tang who was helping her find a place.
This person was truly ubiquitous, so meticulous, involved in everything.
Was the technical department that idle? Or was it truly that he had no other women?
He Yao had only been to Zhan Corporation once or twice, and he'd already managed to hook up with her.
After talking so much, Xu Zheng thought Zhan Jingrui was interested in him, but then the topic shifted.
"I'm busy today. I have something to do, I'm leaving now."
After hanging up the phone, Zhan Jingrui opened the door to the CEO's office and went outside.
The CEO's special assistant quickly stood up to greet him as he emerged, "Mr. Zhan."
"Send me the complete employee list of the technical department and their job responsibilities."
Although he didn't know what he was planning to do, the CEO must have his reasons, the assistant agreed.
Zhan Jingrui watched him operate the computer for a while before returning to his office.
He found Engineer Tang's name on the employee list, clarified his job responsibilities, and then called the director of the technical department.
"The BOM for product nt590 is not detailed enough, and the version is very old. I can find such a major flaw with just a random check. If I look carefully, wouldn't it be a disaster?"
"The technical department should be a rigorous department. I don't want to see such issues in future work, so rectify it immediately."
Engineer Tang, being specifically called out, was startled. The director immediately convened a department meeting, severely reprimanded them, and demanded self-reflection and self-inspection from everyone, urging them to work overtime and fix any deficiencies.
Otherwise, if the CEO found such issues again, no one would be able to keep their jobs.
Having no choice, Engineer Tang sent He Yao a message to apologize, saying he couldn't accompany her to look at apartments tonight.
He had urgent work. He Yao understood, saying it was fine, she could look by herself.
As they were politely conversing, Xu Zheng came running over excitedly.
"He Yao, no matter how important something is tonight, you have to push it aside. Come with me to a dinner reception."
He Yao was confused and asked him what kind of reception it was.
"Mr. Zhan still remembers you as an old classmate and specifically asked me to bring you along for dinner tonight. Don't you think it's a great honor?"
"Whether our company can get business and whether we can have good development depends on your performance tonight. You must go, no matter what."
"Quick, quick, push back the apartment viewing and get ready."
He Yao was speechless.
Zhan Jingrui specifically asked her to attend a dinner? Was he crazy?
Hadn't they met privately enough these past two days?
When they met, his attitude was clear, as if he didn't want to get entangled with her further.
Why did he want to have dinner together now? What exactly did he want?
She didn't want to go: "They're urgently trying to offload, that's why the price is low. If you miss this village, there won't be such a good shop..."
Xu Zheng thought she was playing hard to get.
"Oh, as long as you can make Mr. Zhan happy and help me successfully negotiate business, isn't it just a bit of rent? I'll cover it for you!"
"Go ahead, boldly. From now on, I'll give you an extra 2000 yuan in rent every month, is that acceptable?"
If he had been this accommodating earlier, none of this would have happened.
It was just dinner, after all.
She would have to spend money on food herself anyway.
He Yao immediately agreed: "Okay."
Zhan Jingrui went back on his word. After dealing with Engineer Tang, he messaged Xu Zheng again, saying he was available to have dinner with him again.
Xu Zheng, being decisive, finished talking to He Yao and busied himself with booking a restaurant.
Before leaving, he didn't forget to remind her.
"Hurry up and go to the nearest mall to buy an outfit. Get something that is both dazzling and elegant. And change into it."
"If you can't impress him today and rekindle Mr. Zhan's old classmate affection, don't expect me to think of you for good things in the future."
He Yao said she had no money for buying clothes.
Since Xu Zheng needed her favor, he stared at her for two seconds with gritted teeth.
"Alright, alright, I'll transfer you 1000 yuan. Use it for public expenses, hurry up."
He Yao took a taxi to the nearest mall and chose a wine-red, square-neck, cinched-waist dress. She also went to the mall's makeup counter to get her makeup done. The whole process took nearly an hour.
Xu Zheng had already sent her the restaurant address. She then took another taxi to the restaurant.
When she arrived at the restaurant and pushed open the private room door, both Zhan Jingrui and Xu Zheng turned their gaze towards her.
Upon seeing her attire, both of their eyes lit up simultaneously.
He Yao was already slender and well-proportioned, with an excellent figure and fair skin.
As the sales assistant had said, wearing this wine-red color made her look like a collision of strawberries and milk, incredibly beautiful.
Coupled with her soft and sculpted features, her short hair made her look particularly spirited and cute, and she had a subtle, exquisite makeup.
She looked nothing like a corporate slave just out of the office; she was more like Audrey Hepburn heading to a banquet.
She was not only dazzling and elegant, but also incredibly pleasing to the eye!
In Xu Zheng's memory, he only remembered He Yao as pretty. Although she looked pleasing to the eye after they reconnected, she wasn't stunning.
Today, with this makeover, he truly felt his heart skip a beat again.
She was so charming.
He unconsciously started being attentive, pulling out the chair between himself and Zhan Jingrui for He Yao to sit.
"Come, come, sit down. It's not good for Mr. Zhan to wait for you so long. Let's use tea instead of wine. You apologize to Mr. Zhan first."
Zhan Jingrui watched the graceful He Yao, who seemed to float over like a light cloud to his side and sit down with a gentle smile.
An empty space in his heart began to feel satisfied.
After settling down, He Yao picked up the cup of water Xu Zheng had poured for her and touched it against Zhan Jingrui's cup.
She gave a fake smile.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Zhan, for making you wait. Please accept my apologies first. Help yourself, I'll drink mine."
She then downed the water in one gulp.
Zhan Jingrui looked at her fair neck, and a long-dormant desire within him instantly ignited. He involuntarily swallowed.
Xu Zheng watched the two of them and inadvertently caught Zhan Jingrui's unusual reaction.
He thought to himself: Could I be mistaken? Or is it that men all have their base instincts, and Zhan Jingrui is no exception? Why is he looking at He Yao with such adoration?