Chapter 379: Chapter 378: Serves You Right for Being Single
When they returned in the afternoon to summarize their results, they found that besides Xue Yue’s two deals, other teams also had prospective orders for textiles, cotton cloth, and general daily goods.
Jin Shaoming asked Xue Yue, "Can you confirm the deals on your end?"
"The Su Xiu embroidery has been verbally confirmed, but the contract isn’t signed. As for the Jingtai Blue, they want to visit the enamel factory to inspect our packaging, as they’re worried about damage during transit."
Jin Shaoming nodded. "Alright, I’ll leave this to you. I will contact the enamel factory and have them cooperate with you. Finalize the contract as soon as possible."
"Okay."
Because the contracts hadn’t been formally signed, Xue Yue was still waiting to hear from Dennis’s side.
「Three days later.」
Just as Xue Yue was wondering if she should go find them, Dennis arrived.
"My apologies, something came up and delayed me. I shouldn’t have kept a beautiful lady waiting so long."
Dennis apologized as soon as he saw Xue Yue, even taking her hand and kissing the back of it.
Fortunately, Xue Yue knew this was a customary greeting for them, so she simply smiled.
"It’s no problem, Mr. Dennis. So, can we sign the contract today?"
Dennis shrugged. "Of course. I’ve brought the contract with me."
"Great."
After Master Yang arrived, the two sides signed the contract.
Master Yang was very emotional. He grasped Xue Yue’s hand and said, "Thank you."
"Master Yang, you’re too kind. Please, call me Xue Yue."
Master Yang nodded. "Alright. Let’s exchange contact information. I’ll write down our shop’s address for you."
"Okay."
Afterward, Xue Yue took Dennis to the enamel factory in Beijing City. Since they had been notified in advance, the tour of the factory went smoothly.
Before signing the contract, Dennis made a point of stating their requirement. "If the goods you ship are defective in quality, this contract will be void."
The factory director nodded. "I will personally oversee production. We destroy all defective products as a rule."
"That’s good to hear."
Once the contract was signed, Xue Yue finally breathed a sigh of relief.
After they left, Dennis invited Xue Yue to a meal. She felt it would be rude to refuse, and fortunately, she had Guo Zhaoyang and Deng Weiwei with her.
"I should be the one treating you. We’re the hosts, so it’s my duty to show you proper hospitality."
Dennis smiled and nodded. "Alright."
Dennis drove them to a restaurant.
Considering that foreigners often can’t handle spicy food, she ordered non-spicy dishes.
Xue Yue took the opportunity to introduce Guo Zhaoyang and Deng Weiwei to Dennis.
Guo Zhaoyang was a great conversationalist and got along wonderfully with Dennis. Xue Yue found herself a little impressed with the young man.
Partway through the meal, Xue Yue stepped out to use the restroom. To her surprise, she saw Guan Wenwen in the adjacent private room with a man. Xue Yue glanced over, and Guan Wenwen saw her too but didn’t say hello.
On her way back from the restroom, she stopped by the front desk to pay the bill.
Not long after she returned to the table, they all left together.
Dennis dropped them off at the entrance to their workplace and then departed.
Xue Yue went back inside and immediately reported the results to her superior.
Jin Shaoming said with a smile, "Good work. You’ve signed contracts for both deals on your end. You’ll get a bonus this month. By the way, Team Leader Xue, you’ve been with us for two years now. If you need it, you can apply for company housing."
Xue Yue had heard her colleagues talk about it before. The company housing consisted of dormitory-style buildings, and you could only apply after three years of employment. Xue Yue hadn’t been there for three years yet.
Typically, you submitted the paperwork, and the leadership would consider your situation and allocate housing at their discretion. Just as Yang Xiaoxia had said, she had applied for years without getting approved, which of course had to do with her relationship with the leadership.
Xue Yue shook her head. "Minister, I won’t apply for housing. The units are already in short supply, and it’s not my time yet anyway. If I applied, my colleagues would have something to say about it. It’s better to leave the spot for another comrade. Could this be exchanged for a small benefit for my team members instead? They’ve worked very hard these past few days."
Jin Shaoming was taken aback for a moment, then he smiled. "It’s rare to see such a good team leader who thinks of her subordinates. Alright, I’ll give your entire team a collective bonus this month."
"Thank you, Minister."
After leaving the minister’s office, Xue Yue made a stop at Zheng Guofeng’s office.
"You were the first to get contracts signed. The other teams haven’t closed their deals yet, and Minister Jin has been stressing about it these past couple of days. You’ve given him some peace of mind."
Zheng Guofeng said with a smile, "But with such a major contribution, didn’t he give you some sort of reward?"
Xue Yue nodded. "He said he’ll give me a bonus this month and also told me I could apply for the company dormitory."
Zheng Guofeng raised an eyebrow. "Did you apply?"
Xue Yue shook her head. "No. I have a place to live, so I don’t want to compete with my comrades for it. I exchanged it for a bonus for my team members."
Zheng Guofeng smiled at her words. "That’s a good move. Securing some benefits for your subordinates from time to time will make them work harder for you."
The main reason was that Xue Yue didn’t lack housing at the moment. If she really didn’t have a place, she wouldn’t have turned her nose up at a dormitory-style apartment. But circumstances change.
Back in the office, Xue Yue announced the news, and everyone was delighted.
Ding Ruzhi, in particular, looked like she was about to hug Xue Yue and give her a couple of kisses.
Xue Yue found this strange. "Aren’t you well-off?"
Ding Ruzhi sighed. "No, I’m broke. My mom cut off my allowance. Now, my salary is my lifeline each month. I haven’t bought any new clothes in over a month."
Deng Weiwei looked at Ding Ruzhi and said, "But I see you wearing new clothes every day."
Ding Ruzhi waved her hand dismissively. "Those are ones I bought before."
Xue Yue remarked with feeling, "At the rate you buy clothes, who could possibly afford to support you?"
Ding Ruzhi hmphed. "My parents can afford it! They only cut off my allowance because they’re trying to force me into blind dates and I won’t give in. So, the husband I find in the future must be a big earner. At the very least, he has to be able to support my lifestyle."
Guo Zhaoyang clicked his tongue. "Tsk, tsk. I doubt it. Just hearing that makes me, a single man, tremble. My entire month’s salary probably isn’t enough for you to buy a single piece of clothing."
Ding Ruzhi shot back irritably, "That’s why you deserve to be single."
Zhao Li grumbled to herself, ’What a spendthrift. She has no idea how to manage a household. Who would dare marry her? She’ll probably be single for life.’
"ACHOO!"
Ding Ruzhi suddenly sneezed, then looked at her coworkers with a puzzled expression.
"Which one of you was badmouthing me?"
Deng Weiwei and Guo Zhaoyang both gave her a helpless look and shrugged.
Ding Ruzhi then turned to Zhao Li, startling her. Zhao Li hurriedly said, "It wasn’t me, either. I didn’t say anything."
Ding Ruzhi asked, "Were you cursing me in your head?"
Zhao Li waved her hands. "I wasn’t!"
"Hmph."
Ding Ruzhi didn’t press the matter. "Forget it. You’re all just jealous of me. I know it."
Zhao Li: "..."
The next day was Sunday. Xue Yue was surprised to get a call from Guan Wenwen asking to meet.
The two of them didn’t meet at the clothing store, choosing a teahouse instead.
"Is it strange that I asked to meet you at a teahouse?"
Xue Yue glanced at their surroundings and nodded. "It is a little unexpected, but the atmosphere here is quite nice."
Guan Wenwen poured Xue Yue a cup of tea. "I’ve been here twice before with my father. Have a taste. This is this year’s new tea."
Xue Yue picked it up, took a sip, and set it back down.
