Volume 1, Chapter 23: Deliberately Picking a Quarrel

Today is my first day on the job. After more than two months of unemployment, I have been tormented by anxiety every single day, much like being trapped on a Ferris wheel, circling round and round. Now, that Ferris wheel of uncertainty has finally come to a stop.

After signing the contract, completing the onboarding procedures, and collecting my office supplies, the HR representative took me to meet Ms. Mei.

I followed the beautiful woman in the tight-fitting skirt as she wound through the office, finally arriving at Ms. Mei’s office.

She was dressed in a white shirt and black trousers, which outlined her proud, tall, and curvaceous figure. A stunning smile graced her bright, beautiful face, giving her an air of elegance that seemed to outshine everyone else in the office.

Seeing me walk in, she approached with a light step and gracefully extended her hand.

"Welcome to the team. We are colleagues now."

Her voice was melodic, and her words were particularly comforting. She would be my superior from now on, yet I sensed no arrogance from her; when she spoke, she placed us on equal footing.

Having spent enough time in the workplace, I pride myself on having seen all sorts of leaders, but this was the first time I had encountered one who treated her subordinates as equals.

I gently shook her porcelain-like hand, not daring to show any disrespect.

Ms. Mei led me on a tour of the company. As the owner of this startup, the scale was quite small—only about a dozen people—but everyone was friendly, making it easy to get along.

Everyone, that is, except for Yang Shao.

After Ms. Mei introduced me, Yang Shao arrived fashionably late. Although his face was plastered with a kind smile the moment he saw me, his eyes betrayed his true feelings. I could sense at least a hint of hostility in them.

In the workplace, I’ve long since grown accustomed to people wearing masks. I didn't take his attitude to heart. Simply put, it’s just a job; as long as I keep a clear conscience, I shouldn't get too emotionally invested.

After meeting everyone, I turned to Ms. Mei and asked with a smile, "I still don't know where my workspace is."

Ms. Mei smiled, her eyes dancing with charm as she looked at me. "Did Shu Tong not tell you?"

I was stunned and shook my head blankly. "No, she didn't say anything to me."

Ms. Mei chuckled, a playful glint in her mesmerizing eyes. "Actually, most of your work won't be done at the office."

I was even more confused. "If not at the office, then where?"

"At her place!"

"What!"

I was astonished. Yang Shao’s face turned grim, but he quickly masked it when he realized Ms. Mei was watching, returning to his usual expression.

Ms. Mei tilted her chin. "She is a streamer, and you are responsible for the stream's operations. She discussed it with me; she hopes you can be there to manage the stream when she goes live. As she becomes more popular, she’s finding it hard to handle everything alone. Secondly, you are familiar with the backend operations, so if a customer asks in the chat whether their product has been shipped, you can check it on the spot instead of her having to message our warehouse staff on WeChat. And thirdly..."

Ms. Mei gave me a sly look, deliberately leaving me in suspense.

"As for the third reason... that was her own idea!"

I was left speechless, not knowing what to say. Zhou Shutong and I have a good relationship, but the thought of a man and a woman alone in a room together for countless nights to come made my heart flutter.

Yang Shao spoke up urgently, "Ms. Mei, isn't that a bit inappropriate? Logically speaking, he should be working a full eight-hour day. If he's streaming at Shu Tong’s home, won't there be no one to supervise his work?"

Ms. Mei replied dismissively, "To me, it doesn't matter if the cat is black or white, as long as it catches mice. As for where he works or how many hours he puts in, I don't care."

Yang Shao’s face flushed red. He hesitated, then continued, unwilling to give up, "Then how about we have Shu Tong stream at the office instead? We can set aside an office for her to use. That way, we can see each other every day and communicate better."

Ms. Mei frowned, a hint of dissatisfaction appearing in her calm, ocean-like eyes, though she still said patiently, "The contract I signed with Shu Tong includes a clause that allows her to work from home, provided she meets the monthly quota for stream frequency and duration. If you force her to come to the office and she refuses, there’s nothing you can do. Besides, she streams at night. You can't expect Yu Bin to stay and work overtime at the office every single night, can you?"

I smiled and glanced at Yang Shao, saying, "It's not impossible. But since Manager Yang is in charge of e-commerce, I think it would be more efficient if he worked here with me during the evening streams."

Yang Shao didn't expect me to prick him right after joining the company. His handsome face turned bright red. He waved his hands repeatedly and gritted his teeth in refusal: "No, no, I have plenty of work during the day!"

Ms. Mei nodded slightly, a subtle smile touching her lips as she made the final decision. "Then it's settled. We’ll do it that way from now on!"

She paused, her gaze shifting to me with a brilliant smile. "Even though you don't need to be based in the office, you still need to come in every Monday for meetings with Shu Tong. Make sure you cooperate well with each other!"

I nodded with a smile, while Yang Shao’s angry eyes felt like knives, as if he wanted to poke holes in me.

Although my hours were flexible, Ms. Mei still had the 36D HR girl clear a desk for me. As luck would have it, it was right next to Yang Shao.

I held the attitude of "live and let live," but Yang Shao had no such intention. As soon as I moved in, he began making snide, passive-aggressive remarks.

"Huh, why would someone who works from home need a desk? Isn't that a waste of company resources?"

I could tell the HR girl was usually afraid of him. After Yang Shao spoke, her calm demeanor suddenly became tense. With a fawning smile, she said, "This was arranged by Ms. Mei. She said that even though Brother Yu works from home often, he should still have his own spot when he comes to the office."

Yang Shao looked up, shot her a dark glare, and said with evident displeasure, "Hmph, are you trying to use Ms. Mei to pressure me?"

The HR girl turned bright red with anxiety, not knowing where to put her hands or how to explain.

I patted her shoulder and said with a smile, "Thanks for helping me move my things over. You can go back to your work now."

My intervention let her off the hook. She looked as if she had been granted a pardon, nodding frantically. "Right, right, I still have work to finish! You two carry on."

With that, she cast me a grateful look and hurried away as if she were stepping on wheels of fire.

I silently unpacked my things, acting as if he didn't exist. My indifference only fueled his anger. He stared at me coldly, unable to stop himself from making more snide remarks.

"Yu Bin, don't forget to submit a streaming plan to me before you leave today."

I turned my head to look at him and nodded. "Sure thing!"

He hadn't expected me to agree so readily, thinking he had me under his thumb, and couldn't help but let a smile tug at the corner of his mouth.

Unfortunately for him, no sooner had he nodded than my next words froze that smile in place.

"And before you leave today, don't forget to submit an e-commerce operations plan to me as well."