Chapter 35

Recently, Lin Qingle had sent out several resumes and attended interviews at three companies, but after speaking with the HR representatives, none of them met her expectations. As a result, she had put the job search on hold.

Until Monday, when she received an interview invitation from Aurora.

A while ago, after Xia Tan gave her his business card, she had followed the company’s updates, and she was interested in the Aurora brand. So, after thinking it over that day, she submitted her resume.

She hadn’t expected to receive an interview notice today.

When she saw the interview notification, she briefly thought about the relationship between Xia Tan and Xu Tingbai.

She wondered if she was intruding into his circle… But after thinking it through, she realized she had simply applied to a company where one of his friends worked. Xia Tan was a senior leader, so they probably didn’t have much interaction, and there was no reason to bring up any potential connections with Xu Tingbai.

It was probably zero.

After considering it, Lin Qingle replied to the email and confirmed her attendance for the interview.

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After reflecting on this, Lin Qingle replied to the email and confirmed her attendance for the interview.

In fact, she wasn’t sure why she initially considered Xu Tingbai’s social circle; it felt like she was subconsciously avoiding something. But what exactly was she avoiding… she couldn’t really explain.

---

The next day, Lin Qingle went for the interview for the Assistant Manager of Planning position at Aurora.

This company was an established brand overseas, especially famous in Europe. Now, as the company entered the domestic market, it was a bold move with an office located in the city center, occupying an entire building.

Lin Qingle vaguely remembered passing by the area a few months ago and wondering what was being renovated here. It turned out to be a new company moving in…

The interview had three rounds, and Lin Qingle didn’t leave the company until after 4 p.m.

The HR staff told her to wait for the results. Although her first two jobs were in planning-related positions, giving her some experience, Aurora was still a much higher-quality company compared to her previous ones. So, even though she got along well with the interviewers, she wasn’t completely confident that she would get the job.

For the next two days, she continued helping out at the guide dog training center. Since she didn’t hear back about the interview, she thought it was likely a failure.

But unexpectedly, on the third day, she was woken up from sleep by a phone call and received the job offer.

“You’re going to work now? Next Monday, right?” That evening, she was having dinner with Yu Tingting and Dong Xiaoni.

Lin Qingle: “Yeah, I’ve had enough rest. It’s time to get back to work.”

Dong Xiaoni: “Yeah, it’s been a while, more than three months.”

Yu Tingting: “But she’s really strong. She has savings. Hey, how’s the salary?”

“Forty percent more than my last job.”

“Wow… That’s impressive, so high!” Yu Tingting sighed. “How come I’m still stuck with this miserable salary? People just make me feel bad.”

Dong Xiaoni: “Well, if you had come from a prestigious university and had some impressive achievements, you could be in a good position like her.”

Yu Tingting: “Forget it. I won’t even mention my terrible grades in high school. Hey, Qingle knows.”

Lin Qingle picked some meat for her: “You’re doing okay now, just don’t keep supporting Huang Chengxu.”

Yu Tingting immediately deflated: “Well… it’s not that bad.”

Dong Xiaoni: “Tingting, you really need to think about your relationship.”

Yu Tingting: “But he’s really good to me… Though he lacks ambition and ability, well… I don’t really know how to explain it.”

Lin Qingle and Dong Xiaoni exchanged glances but didn’t bring it up again.

Relationships are something only the people involved truly understand. They could only see their friend suffering, and naturally, they felt sorry for her. But in the end, it was something they couldn’t comment on.

---

On Monday, the first day at work.

Lin Qingle wore a new outfit, a more casual small suit that wasn’t too formal but still showed that she was taking her first day at work seriously.

She arrived at the company building at 9 a.m., half an hour before her official start time. She had arrived early to account for breakfast.

When she started, she was told that the company offered great benefits, including three meals a day, with a restaurant located inside the building.

Standing at the entrance, Lin Qingle took a deep breath and walked inside. A new life, a new job—she was a bit excited.

“Qingle, hey~”

As she swiped her card and walked to the elevator, she ran into a familiar face: Qian Xiaojing, the HR person who had interviewed her for the first round.

Lin Qingle greeted her: “Good morning.”

“Good morning. You look great in that outfit,” Qian Xiaojing, who was about the same age as her and worked in HR, said, always chatty. “Wow, you have such a good figure. Wearing a small suit makes you stand out.”

Lin Qingle felt a little shy: “Thank you.”

“By the way, where did you buy it? Was it from a physical store or online?”

“Online, there’s a link. Do you want it?” Lin Qingle asked.

“Sure, sure! You have me on WeChat, right?”

“Mm.”

“Come on, send me the link,” Qian Xiaojing said with a smile, but then suddenly paused.

Seeing her serious expression, Lin Qingle was about to ask, “What’s wrong?” when she heard Qian Xiaojing greet someone behind her, “Good morning, Mr. Xu.”

Everyone else waiting for the elevator also greeted the person behind her.

Lin Qingle hadn’t sent the link yet and stopped, turning to look behind her.

She knew it had to be someone in a higher position, but she hadn’t expected it to be Xu Tingbai…

Xu… General Manager?

She knew Xia Tan worked here since she had his business card, but did Xu Tingbai also work at this company?

Lin Qingle was momentarily stunned.

Xu Tingbai paused when he saw her. His gaze lingered on her face for a few seconds, then slowly moved to her employee badge.

Assistant Manager of Planning: Lin Qingle.

Ding—

The elevator arrived. Qian Xiaojing pulled Lin Qingle in, and they entered the elevator together.

Qian Xiaojing checked her phone and was about to ask why the link hadn’t been sent yet when she saw Xu Tingbai walk in.

She froze. Huh? Was the VIP elevator broken? Why did the boss enter this one?

Xu Tingbai was known for being strict and cold in the company. As soon as he stepped in, the atmosphere in the elevator stiffened. Everyone held their breath, not daring to speak.

Lin Qingle, who had no idea what was going on, glanced at Xu Tingbai, wondering if she should say, “What a coincidence.”

“When did you join the company?” Before Lin Qingle could think of what to say, Xu Tingbai spoke.

Everyone in the elevator fell silent, glancing at each other, unsure who he was speaking to.

“I didn’t hear you say you were coming here.” Xu Tingbai turned his head, this time, looking directly at Lin Qingle.

Lin Qingle, caught off guard by his gaze, suddenly felt nervous: “Ah? It’s my first day at work today.”

“…Oh.” Xu Tingbai looked at her, his calm expression showing a moment of surprise.

Lin Qingle didn’t know what to say, but seeing his gaze still fixed on her, she could only speak up: “Hmm… Is something wrong?”

“Nothing,” Xu Tingbai withdrew his gaze.

The elevator continued to rise, and just as Lin Qingle thought their conversation had ended, Xu Tingbai suddenly asked, “Did you have breakfast?”

Lin Qingle replied, “Not yet…”

“The custard buns in the cafeteria are really good.”

Lin Qingle was stunned for a moment: “…”

“You should try them.”

“Oh…”

Xu Tingbai gave a faint smile, and then said nothing further.

The elevator reached the fifteenth floor, which was where the cafeteria was located. The doors opened, and the people inside began to file out.

Lin Qingle nodded at Xu Tingbai: “I’ll go have breakfast now.”

Xu Tingbai replied, “Okay, go ahead.”

---

Lin Qingle walked out with Qian Xiaojing. Once the elevator doors closed behind them, those who had walked ahead of them turned around to glance back at her.

Qian Xiaojing immediately grabbed her arm, “Oh my gosh! You know Xu Zong?”

Lin Qingle replied, “We were… classmates. Is he also working here?”

Qian Xiaojing exclaimed, “Aurora’s European headquarters was founded by his aunt and uncle! Xu Zong was sent here as a special envoy to China. Although they haven’t officially made him the president of the China branch yet, it’s only a matter of time… Wow, you two were classmates? You didn’t know any of this?”

Lin Qingle was taken aback: “I didn’t know. We were classmates many years ago, so naturally… we haven’t been in contact.”

“Really? But this is the first time I’ve seen Xu Zong take the initiative to speak to someone! I thought there was something going on between you two… I can’t believe you were just classmates,” Qian Xiaojing said, almost overthinking it, since Xu Tingbai had always given her the impression of being cold and distant. Seeing him so friendly was a first for her.

Qian Xiaojing continued, “Hey, was Xu Zong already impressive back in school?”

“Well… I suppose so.”

“Wow, amazing! I heard that a couple of years ago, Aurora ran into a major obstacle. At the time, Xu Zong was just a university student working part-time at the company, but he used his core technical abilities to turn things around for our smart home products. He’s really something! No wonder the headquarters trusts him so much, sending him here at such a young age to handle such a big responsibility,” Qian Xiaojing said, her eyes lighting up as she talked about Xu Tingbai, practically treating him like a super idol.

But she wasn’t exaggerating. It seemed that Xu Tingbai truly had the credentials to be regarded this way.

However… if he was indeed the future leader of the company, then she might run into him quite often in the future.

“Xu Zong even recommended the custard buns to you. You should try one!” After they entered the cafeteria, Qian Xiaojing put one onto Lin Qingle’s tray with tongs.

Lin Qingle glanced at it: “Are they really that good?”

“Yes, these custard buns are special. The chef was specially invited from Hong Kong. They’re a specialty of our cafeteria.”

“Oh…”

“It seems Xu Zong likes them too. He personally invited this chef. We’re just lucky to enjoy them,” Qian Xiaojing said. “Hey, do you know any other stories from Xu Zong’s student days? Let’s talk while we eat.”

“Uh, I’ve forgotten some of them.”

“No way, you’ve forgotten the campus superstar’s stories?”

…

After breakfast, Qian Xiaojing went to the HR department, and Lin Qingle went to report to the planning department. After hearing Qian Xiaojing’s endless chatter about Xu Tingbai, she finally let out a sigh of relief.

She was a bit disoriented by Xu Tingbai’s appearance, but since there was a lot to handle on her first day, she had to push those thoughts aside and focus on her work.

After work, Dong Xiaoni came to pick her up and they went for dinner.

“Are you not busy today?”

Dong Xiaoni replied, “I have some free time today, thought I’d celebrate your first day at work. How was your first day here?”

“It was okay, pretty busy,” Lin Qingle said. “What about Tingting?”

“She went to see her boyfriend today. She said she’s spending the evening with him.”

“Isn’t Huang Chengxu working at a bar?”

“Yeah, she’s with him at the bar,” Dong Xiaoni sighed. “Love… it’s really exhausting.”

Lin Qingle laughed: “So what do you want to eat? I’ll treat tonight.”

“Alright, then I won’t hold back.”

---

That evening, Lin Qingle and Dong Xiaoni had dinner outside and then bought a bunch of snacks to take home. They snuggled up in the living room to watch a movie.

Meanwhile, Xu Tingbai was once again dragged by Xia Tan to the Max Bar.

In the car, Xu Tingbai’s expression was indifferent, but his tone carried a hint of accusation: “You didn’t tell me she was working at our company.”

Xia Tan responded, “I didn’t know either. You’re the one who told me she got hired. I gave her my business card, but I was desperate for talent, so I definitely didn’t give her any special treatment. Whether she made it into the planning department is all on her. But it looks like I have good judgment—she got hired so quickly, so she must be very capable. What, are you unhappy?”

Xu Tingbai replied, “No.”

“Then you’re too happy.”

“…”

Xia Tan glanced at him sideways: “It’s fine, right? If you can’t be a couple, you can at least be friends.”

Xu Tingbai’s heart sank, and he turned his gaze to the window.

“Alright, stop thinking about that. Chen Ke brought some excellent wine tonight. You’ve been so busy lately, you should relax.”

For Xu Tingbai, a bar was hardly a place to unwind. If it weren’t for Xia Tan and Chen Ke insisting, he wouldn’t have gone.

So once they sat down in the booth, Xu Tingbai wasn’t in the mood for anything and just quietly drank his wine.

He had originally planned to have a few drinks and leave, but unexpectedly, as he casually glanced around, he saw a couple holding hands and embracing.

He didn’t recognize the woman, but the man…

He had seen him before—Lin Qingle’s boyfriend, Huang Chengxu.