After hanging up the phone, I felt much more at ease.
Next, I still needed to report the current work situation to Zhang Zhiyuan since he attached great importance to this matter.
When I called Zhang Zhiyuan, I heard a woman's voice in the background. I vaguely sensed it was Liu Jing's.
It seemed that after being transferred to the sales department, Liu Jing hadn't severed ties with Zhang Zhiyuan—in fact, their relationship had grown closer.
This was the fundamental reason why Liu Jing could completely dominate the sales department.
Of course, I didn't dare to hide anything, so I gave Zhang Zhiyuan a report on today's work.
More importantly, I could only claim reimbursement for today's meals and lodging after obtaining Zhang Zhiyuan's approval.
Although Zhang Zhiyuan's financial situation wasn't very good, he was still willing to spend money on work matters.
Zhang Zhiyuan said to me, "Everyone worked hard today. After dinner, get some rest and try to make a good start tomorrow."
After hanging up, I said to Ren Tingting and Fu Xin, "Let's go eat."
They listened and smiled broadly.
Being on a business trip had its advantages—you could eat and play for free.
We quickly found a cheap hotel and booked two rooms.
Seeing this, Ren Tingting was not pleased and said, "We've been working hard out here. The three of us should have at least three rooms!"
At that time, I still thought of Zhang Zhiyuan and said, "Two rooms are enough. Anyway, you have your own, and we won't disturb you."
I originally had this plan in mind, but I didn't know that Ren Tingting had other intentions—though I didn't realize them yet.
Ren Tingting continued, "You two men sleeping together with such loud snoring, how can you possibly sleep?"
After saying that, she gave Fu Xin a push, meaning he should be alert.
Fu Xin had much less seniority in the sales department than Ren Tingting but was a smart guy. Hearing her words, he realized she had ulterior motives.
"Yeah, yeah, I've been having some insomnia recently. Manager Zhao, wouldn't want to disturb your rest."
Since they said that, I had no choice; besides, Nanhu was just a third-tier city—rooms didn't cost much.
Next was finding somewhere to eat, which was Ren Tingting's specialty.
She knew that Nanhu was famous for its "Three Whites": white fish, white shrimp, and white crab.
Anyone coming to Nanhu had to taste the "Three Whites."
But when she suggested that, my brow immediately furrowed.
Using company money to eat and drink lavishly was obviously unrealistic; I had to save money for the boss.
I said to Ren Tingting, "I saw a Chinese restaurant downstairs from the hotel. The food there might be good."
Upon hearing this, Ren Tingting stopped talking, frowned, and said, "Boss, I'm a bit tired today. I don't want to eat; I want to go back to my room early and sleep."
Maybe in her mind, after such a tiring day, she deserved a delicious dinner.
Seeing she was unhappy, Fu Xin and I said nothing and simply went to that Chinese restaurant and had a good meal.
Of course, I still cared about Ren Tingting and specially packed a portion for her.
When I returned, I realized a problem—we hadn't brought any clothes to shower in.
At that moment, I recalled Liu Jing's malice.
She obviously knew I'd be on a business trip today but didn't notify me in advance, so I could prepare.
Looking at Fu Xin and Ren Tingting, they were in the same state.
Men could bear it; it would pass. But what about the girls?
As their leader, shouldn't I be concerned?
So I went to Ren Tingting's door and knocked, saying, "Is anyone there?"
Soon someone answered, "Manager Zhao? I'm here; the door's not locked—just come in!"
Although I felt it was inappropriate for a man and woman to be alone in a room, I was clear of heart and had nothing to fear.
I pushed open the door and entered Ren Tingting's room, placing the packed food on her table and saying, "If you're hungry, have some. Your health is most important."
At that moment, Ren Tingting was already lying in bed, obviously having showered.
Perhaps because she had no clothes to change into, she covered herself tightly with the quilt.
I continued, "I'm staying next door. If you need anything, just call me."
Just as I was about to leave, Ren Tingting called out to me.
"Manager Zhao, I need your help right now."
When she said this in a soft voice, even a fool could tell she was trying to seduce me.
Actually, I didn't have any good impression of Ren Tingting—her reputation was bad. She was infamous in the company as trash.
At that moment, I had a hunch she wanted to take this opportunity to seduce me.
If that was true, I was in big trouble.
If I played along, given Ren Tingting's personality, everything would go smoothly afterward.
If I refused, Ren Tingting would make life difficult for me in the future, which I wouldn't be able to tolerate.
If she was more subtle, I could find a way to refuse, but what if she expressed her feelings directly? What would I do?
Thinking about this made my head ache.
I looked at Ren Tingting and asked, "What do you need?"
Ren Tingting then pulled out two bright red 100-yuan bills from her wallet and said, "Zhao Jian, please buy me a set of pajamas and underwear."
I had no choice but to agree.
I walked to her bedside, and as I took the two bills, Ren Tingting's chest was unintentionally revealed.
My face immediately flushed, and I silently left her room.
Behind me, I heard Ren Tingting's triumphant laughter. It seemed she had already taken me as her prey.
I'd been married to my wife for over a year, and I'd bought her underwear before, so I wasn't unfamiliar with women's garments.
I thought at least to buy Ren Tingting some higher-quality items.
But the 200 yuan she gave me clearly wasn't enough.
To keep my subordinates loyal, I didn't care anymore; even if I had to spend my own money, I'd do it.
The pajamas and underwear cost me 800 yuan altogether.
Walking back, I felt quite happy. Maybe Ren Tingting didn't know this now, but if she did, she'd be grateful.
Perhaps this was a way to win over subordinates!
But when I got back to the hotel, I felt uneasy.
I kept thinking: Would it be inappropriate if I personally delivered the underwear?
After thinking it over, I knocked on Fu Xin's door.
Fu Xin had just showered and was lying in bed watching TV.
Seeing me, he was surprised and asked, "Manager Zhao, you're still not resting?"
"Fu Xin, I have something I want you to do," I said seriously.
This guy had just come out of school with little experience; otherwise, Liu Jing wouldn't have passed this thankless task to him.
What I admired most about Fu Xin was that he was hardworking. If I could secure this position, I would definitely cultivate him well.
"Manager Zhao, don't hesitate. Just tell me what to do."
I threw the pajamas and underwear onto Fu Xin's bed and said, "Fu Xin, you deliver these to Ren Tingting."
Fu Xin looked a bit puzzled but still agreed.
When he was about to leave, I added, "There's one more thing."
Fu Xin turned his head, looking at me silently.
I continued, "If Ren Tingting asks about me, just tell her my wife is here, so it's inconvenient for me to come."
Anyone who could go to college wasn't that stupid. Hearing this, Fu Xin finally caught on.
"Okay, Manager Zhao. You can rest assured. I'll take care of it."
Hearing that, I was quite happy. At least in front of Fu Xin, I could still hold some authority as the manager.
Back in my room, maybe because I felt really tired, I fell asleep quickly.
Maybe I was too exhausted during the day. That night was the best sleep I had had in a long time.
When I woke up in the morning, it was already past six.
After a quick wash, I went to knock on Fu Xin's door.
To my surprise, no one responded, no matter how many times I knocked.
I found it strange—did he get up earlier than me?
Reluctantly, I went to knock on Ren Tingting's door.
After a long time, I finally heard her voice from inside.
"Who is it?"
"It's Zhao Jian. At seven o'clock, we're going to have breakfast together."
Ren Tingting answered, "Got it."
I wanted to ask more, but I thought better of it.
Back in my room, I started thinking about work.
Today was the first day of the exhibition. Our main task was to attract people's attention.
Maybe because of my inexperience, no matter how much I thought, I couldn't find an effective plan.
Time unknowingly passed to seven o'clock.
When I went to knock on Fu Xin's door again, I found he was already inside.
That was a relief.
When we went to breakfast together, I noticed Ren Tingting's walk looked strange.
I immediately realized there had been a man in her room last night.
If it wasn't me, it must have been Fu Xin.
No wonder there was no answer when I knocked on Fu Xin's door earlier—he was in Ren Tingting's room.
I started paying attention to Fu Xin and noticed he didn't look very well.
At that moment, I had to silently curse Ren Tingting—a beast for not even sparing a fresh graduate.