Forty-Five

 After lunch, Su Hao took a short break and then opened her computer to start drafting her resignation letter.

She had looked into the company's resignation procedures. There was no standard template for the resignation letter; it had to be written from scratch. The search engines only yielded humorous resignation letter templates like "The world is so big, I want to go see it."

Su Hao's reasons for resigning were straightforward: firstly, she genuinely wanted to sever ties with Zhou Yang; secondly, she had been in this job long enough and found that there was limited room for advancement; thirdly, she had learned a bit about Tang Yu's job and realized that sales weren't that difficult; and fourthly, Su Hao's English was quite good, and she planned to switch to foreign trade.

Having written the resignation letter sincerely, the phone on her desk suddenly rang, disturbing Lu Mimi, who was resting nearby. Lu Mimi, being close, answered the phone.

It was General Manager Zeng on the other end.

Lu Mimi immediately perked up and sat up straight. "Good afternoon, General Manager Zeng."

General Manager Zeng said something, and Lu Mimi's eyebrows lifted with joy. The next moment, her expression changed. She looked at Su Hao and, after hanging up the phone, said with a difficult expression, "General Manager Zeng asked me to take you downstairs for the promotional video and magazine shoot."

Su Hao closed the document, paused for a moment, and said, "Is it necessary to go?"

Lu Mimi thought to herself that Su Hao was being ungrateful. She straightened her clothes and said, "Yes, your name has already been reported. Do you think this is a joke? Didn’t you sign up yourself?"

"No, I didn’t sign up," Su Hao said, standing up and grabbing her phone.

Lu Mimi’s face fell further upon hearing this. Was it General Manager Zeng who had signed Su Hao up? She walked ahead to lead the way and pressed the elevator button.

She thought to herself that General Manager Zeng was too partial.

The elevator descended to the fourth floor.

This area was for the live streaming and short video department.

The equipment for shooting was all here, and people from the publicity department were present. Many people stood outside the door, most of them famous beauties from the company. There were more people from the live streaming and short video department compared to other departments. Last year, Tang Yu had been the top performer, but she wasn't participating this year. The company magazine and promotional video were being shot repeatedly, all featuring her. Although the promotional video and magazine might not perfectly reflect reality, it didn't prevent Tang Yu from having an incredibly successful year.

Beauties always have a sense of superiority. The live streaming department was particularly confident. After going in to get their makeup done, dressing up, and taking a few photos, they didn’t even glance at Su Hao and the others from different departments, treating them as insignificant. Su Hao sat on a chair, browsing job openings for foreign trade companies nearby.

Lu Mimi was continuously competing with those beauties and entered with a determined attitude when her turn came.

Her competitors were all focused on the beauties from the live streaming department, completely disregarding Su Hao.

When Lu Mimi emerged, she seemed like a different person, heavily made up with curled hair, exuding a charming aura. Then it was Su Hao's turn to go in. Holding her phone, she pushed open the door. Inside were a few familiar faces. Seeing Su Hao wave, Qi Lin was among them. He sat on a chair and smiled when he saw her. "Did Zeng Xiao send you here?"

Su Hao nodded.

The director of the publicity department glanced at Su Hao's appearance, finding her quite non-threatening. She reached out and pulled Su Hao along. "Come in. This year, we plan to go for a certain style, but we haven't decided yet which one suits you."

Clothes hung on racks. They were clearly all high-end.

The director picked up several options and gestured towards Su Hao. Makeup artists and stylists on the side were also studying her. Finally, the stylist snapped her fingers.

She pulled out a light-colored cheongsam.

The director's eyes lit up. "This one!"

With that said, she grabbed the cheongsam, and the three of them escorted Su Hao into the dressing room. In no time, their eyes all sparkled, and they pulled Su Hao out again to do her makeup.

This was Su Hao's second time wearing a cheongsam. This one was pale in color but had a high slit. The makeup artist worked on her face while her hair was slightly curled and left partly down.

When Su Hao stood up, her hair fell to one side, partially covering her face, and when she lifted her eyes, the three women's hearts skipped a beat.

She was too beautiful, incredibly sexy.

Then the three of them led her out.

Qi Lin and the others sitting in chairs all looked up, and many stopped what they were doing.

At that moment, the door opened.

Zhou Yang also glanced over. Su Hao happened to look over, and their eyes met for just a second. Su Hao looked away, and Zhou Yang remained silent for a few seconds, took the cigarette out of his mouth, and then looked at Qi Lin, tapping his fingertips twice. Qi Lin immediately came to his senses, quickly got up, and walked over to Zhou Yang.

The whole room fell silent because of Su Hao's cheongsam outfit. Zhou Yang glanced at Qi Lin and walked to the side, stubbing out the cigarette butt. "Still not awake?"

Qi Lin smiled and said, "I am now."

Zhou Yang forcefully crushed the cigarette, veins bulging on his forehead. He said, "I'm going on a business trip for a while. Bo Jie, you'll take charge. Deal with those people from the Hai Shi group. Fire anyone who's stirring up trouble, and I'll take responsibility."

Qi Lin nodded. "Got it."

"A lot of people in Kyoto are poaching. Go over there, stir up some trouble, and make sure none of them stay."

"Okay."

There was silence for a few seconds.

Zhou Yang asked, "Was that Su Hao just now?"

Qi Lin was a little surprised. He glanced at Zhou Yang and only now seriously observed that Zhou Yang's demeanor today was lacking a bit of charm and had a touch of hostility.

There were slight dark circles under his eyes, and he seemed somewhat tormented.

Zhou Yang smiled faintly. "Yes."

After taking a few more photos, Su Hao thought she could leave. Unexpectedly, they also took videos and changed into two more cheongsams. Su Hao idly checked her phone.

There were over 900 messages in the company's gossip group.

"Damn, Su Hao has settled it!"

"Oh my god, Su Hao outshined a big wave of beauties, taking the lead. Damn, what does she look like? I haven't really seen her seriously."

"What kind of beauty is she? I want to see her too. Is she prettier than Tang Yu?"

“It's really beautiful. When the cheongsam came out, even our General Qi was stunned. My goodness, even the usually aloof General Qi was captivated; what do you think?”

Tang Yu sent her several messages privately.

Tang Yu: “Congratulations! You’ve won first place this year and become the spokesperson for Feijie.”

Tang Yu: “We’re sisters conquering the world together.”

Su Hao then realized that she was the lead actress in the promotional video and magazine. She didn’t reply to Tang Yu, feeling embarrassed to tell her that she was resigning and wouldn’t see next year’s magazine or video.

The plane landed at the Yiwan Shanshui helipad.

Zhou Yang, wearing black sunglasses, a white shirt, and long pants, looked down at his watch and walked up the stairs to board the plane. Assistant Lu followed closely behind. The interior was spacious, and after the two of them took their seats, the captain came in and said softly, “Mr. Zhou, I’m sorry, but one of the flight attendants is stuck in traffic.”

Zhou Yang raised an eyebrow. “We still have to wait?”

“She’s almost here. Sorry about that.” The captain glanced at his watch anxiously.

Zhou Yang clicked his tongue. “Fine.”

A minute later, footsteps were heard on the stairs. A woman adjusted her collar and walked in, saying, “Sorry, Zhou Yang, I’m late.”

Zhou Yang frowned and looked over.

He encountered a somewhat familiar face.

But he couldn’t quite place it at first.

“Who are you?”

Zhou Yang continued to look.

Then he remembered.

He said, “Oh, long time no see.”

“Indeed, it’s been ages.” Chi Lin still carried her usual arrogant, confident demeanor. She turned around to arrange things and soon reentered the cabin.

She instructed Zhou Yang and Assistant Lu to fasten their seatbelts.

Then the plane took off. Chi Lin sat opposite Zhou Yang, smiling and swinging her long legs. It was just like when she used to sit on Zhou Yang’s desk in school, constantly swinging her legs.

Zhou Yang browsed through documents, ignoring Chi Lin’s actions.

Perhaps it wasn’t so much ignoring as being preoccupied; his mind was on the slit in the cheongsam. He frowned and then closed his notebook.

He turned to look out the window.

The plane leveled out.

The flight was smooth.

Chi Lin unfastened her seatbelt, got up, and served tea and water to Zhou Yang. Her movements were impeccable, her fingers delicate and white, with just these few actions.

A hint of tenderness was barely visible, drawing Zhou Yang’s gaze toward her.

Another flight attendant poured tea for Assistant Lu, her lips curling into a slight smile with a dimple. Zhou Yang glanced at her as well.

This man, with his outstanding looks and as the young master of the Zhou family from Licheng, had an immeasurable worth. Even in a simple white shirt and long pants, his well-defined physique was evident.

Any glance from him, carrying both authority and a hint of smile, could overwhelm any woman.

The flight attendant glanced at Chi Lin and then switched to serving Zhou Yang.

Chi Lin snorted coldly and stood aside with a smirk.

The flight attendant who took over was even gentler. Every gesture she made seemed to be a reflection of Su Hao’s demeanor. Zhou Yang felt that if he reached out, she would definitely fall into his embrace.

“Mr. Zhou?” the flight attendant said softly.

Zhou Yang leaned back and asked, “What’s your name?”

“Lin Qiao.”

“Thank you.” Even Lin Qiao’s “thank you” sounded graceful. She saw Zhou Yang rubbing his forehead and whispered, “Would you like me to massage it for you?”

Zhou Yang’s narrow eyes swept over her. After a few seconds, he shook his head.

“No need.”

“You all go and rest,” he said, closing his eyes with his Adam’s apple prominently visible and his collar slightly open.

Chi Lin had a purpose in coming here.

Lin Qiao was attracted to Zhou Yang by chance.

Assistant Lu asked quietly, “Mr. Zhou, would you like me to make you a cup of coffee?”

Zhou Yang replied, “Hmm.”

He didn’t feel like interacting with either of them.

Neither Chi Lin, whom he usually favored, nor the gentle Lin Qiao sparked even a hint of interest or playful mood in him. Zhou Yang ground his teeth.

Was it because he couldn’t have her, so he kept thinking about her?

Su Hao.

You are impressive.

After more than four hours of flying, the plane arrived at the helipad at the base of Cangyuan Mountain. This was a confidential base, and the plane had to return immediately after Zhou Yang and Assistant Lu disembarked.

During taxiing.

Lin Qiao came over to tidy up the magazines for Zhou Yang. He rubbed his temples and took out his phone to check.

Just then, a voice message from General Zeng arrived.

He opened it.

“Mr. Zhou, Su Hao has resigned.”

Zhou Yang was stunned, immediately stood up, gripping his waist and phone tightly, and asked, “Say that again. What happened to her?”

“Su Hao has resigned.”

After a few seconds of silence, Zhou Yang lowered his voice, “Is that so.”

Zhou Yang looked out the window, where there was an endless expanse of grass. Lin Qiao noticed he seemed distracted and gently reminded him, “Mr. Zhou, you can disembark now.”

Zhou Yang didn’t respond.

He picked up his phone and dialed Su Hao’s number.

It was out of service.

She had blocked him.

.................................................................................................................

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