Everything I bought on online shopping platforms was genuine.

Chapter 835 Speaking the most cowardly words in the harshest tone

Unfortunately, compared to Miss Yuan's school days, Lin Mo and Zhang Wei were like the other extreme—ordinary people, the kind who would disappear into a crowd in the next second.

Simply put, Miss Yuan is the main character during her student days, while the other two are just background characters, not even supporting characters.

This is a common problem for ordinary families like theirs, especially those with well-educated children.

After all, children from ordinary families often have parents who instill in them things like, "Don't cause trouble, don't fight, or our family can't afford to pay for the damages you cause to others," which naturally makes the children more cautious.

Secondly, a good education, even if it's not about preferential treatment in resources, will at least raise a child to be a kind person.

However, given the concerns ahead, coupled with a decent temperament, if academic performance remains average and modeling skills are somewhat rough, then during one's student years, one can only be a background figure.

Conversely, if any one of the reasons mentioned above were missing, this student would not be so ordinary.

Children from wealthy and influential families are kind-hearted, but their studies and looks are average. If everything goes smoothly, that's fine, but if anyone bullies such a person, their family will have already taken action.

If someone is born a bad seed, like Chao Xiong, or one who specifically wants to be the big brother and is restless, they won't be unknown in the class.

Those who excel academically are highly regarded by teachers and even the school; those who are good-looking are liked by many people; none of them are ordinary.

Lin Mo and Zhang Wei could be said to have met all four criteria during their student days, while Miss Yuan at most had only average academic performance. Although her academic credentials were somewhat questionable, they were still far superior to the two of them.

Regardless, the two of them agreed with what Miss Yuan said. Indeed, youth can punish everyone who follows school rules.

To put it simply, he never got into a fight, never skipped a class, and never even dated before college. If it weren't for the sudden arrival of the shopping page, he probably would have had a smooth four years of college life.

As for dating? We'll have to see how things go after graduation.

So the two unfortunate brothers could only exchange a glance before starting to eat heartily.

"Brother Wei, you guys get a holiday on the 28th of the twelfth lunar month, have you bought your tickets yet?" Lin Mo asked.

Hearing this, Zhang Wei sighed helplessly and said, "I can't get one. I'll see later. But it's not a big problem. I can always find a ride home."

That's why Chuanmei and the others left a few days earlier. It's the 25th of the twelfth lunar month now, and although it's not yet the real peak of the return journey, there are already some signs of it.

After all, most companies will give employees a holiday during these few days, and the period including the two days before Lunar New Year's Eve is the peak season for returning home.

Train tickets and high-speed rail tickets are almost always available, and even sleeper berths are in high demand.

Not to mention buses, they are almost always full. Fortunately, conditions are better now and more people own cars, so there are many ridesharing services available during holidays.

By carpooling home, the driver not only saved on highway tolls and fuel costs, but could even make a small profit.

Zhang Wei wasn't new to the workforce; he already had strategies for dealing with these situations. After all, he experienced several ticket-buying frenzy events every year, and he'd gotten used to it.

"Tch~ That woman Liu Ruyan is a real piece of work, a despicable capitalist, exploiting her employees' labor. Can't she just give them a holiday earlier!" Miss Yuan spat.

Lin Mo shook his head helplessly. Normally, if someone said that about his girlfriend, he would definitely stand up and say something, but if it was Miss Yuan, he felt that he should sit down and keep his mouth shut.

After all, Miss Yuan was already like this before he got together with Liu Ruyan, and Liu Ruyan herself didn't care.

However, he didn't say anything. Zhang Wei, on the other hand, unusually defended Liu Ruyan, saying, "Oh, Sister Yuan, it's already very good. There are quite a few companies that give off the day off on New Year's Eve now, and this year they give off the day off a day earlier than last year."

The official start of the New Year holiday is on the 28th of the twelfth lunar month. I can leave after get off work on the 27th. At worst, I might get stuck in traffic on the highway for a while, but I should be home by the afternoon of the 28th, as long as there's no major traffic jam or snow.

Hearing this, Lin Mo nodded. Traffic jams are also divided into levels. A minor traffic jam is not a big deal. You know, he often gets stuck in traffic when he goes back to Nancheng.

However, if there is a major traffic jam, you might have to spend the Lunar New Year on the highway, which happens almost every year.

"How are you planning to spend Valentine's Day?" Miss Yuan asked curiously.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Wei rolled his eyes at her: "Don't mess with me, Sister Yuan. I don't even have a girlfriend, why would I celebrate Valentine's Day?"

"But that's perfect, how about the three of us go and stay overnight?" Miss Yuan suggested.

Upon hearing this, Lin Mo waved his hands repeatedly: "No, no, no, you don't have any, but I do. I still have to go!"

"What's the point of celebrating? That woman Liu Ruyan, when have you ever seen her? Why do you have to celebrate a holiday? Listen to me, leave her alone for a few days, then the three of us brothers will go have some fun!" Miss Yuan said disdainfully.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Wei shook his head and said, "Sister Yuan, I want to go too, but I have to work these two days, okay? We have to take a day off this Saturday and Sunday!"

That's right. Logically speaking, today is Friday, and Zhang Wei and others should be resting for the next two days. But since the Chinese New Year is just around the corner, they have to take a day off in lieu of a holiday.

"Pah! I knew there wasn't a single good person among capitalists! Who invented this thing called 'compensated leave'? If you can't afford to take leave, then don't! They deserve to die!" Miss Yuan was furious, but then she changed the subject: "However, I'll talk to Liu Ruyan later and ask her to have two days of fun with us. You'll still get paid, and you can leave earlier on the 27th. What do you think?"

"Huh? Is that okay? I'm fine with it. But isn't it a bit inappropriate?" Zhang Wei said, glancing at Lin Mo, thinking that he wanted Lin Mo to go and whisper sweet nothings in his husband's ear.

Miss Yuan naturally understood Zhang Wei's meaning and couldn't help but purse her lips and say, "Don't count on the little black dog. He's a coward who's afraid of his wife. I'll ask for leave for you in a bit as the top salesperson. If I, Sister Yuan, slip something out between my fingers, Liu Ruyan will be more than happy to let you out."

After all, you haven't created much value for the company in the past two days!

Zhang Wei:
Lin Mo:
Although what they said was the truth, I have to say, it really hurt.

But soon, Lin Mo understood why Miss Yuan said that.

After a quick lunch, the three of them went upstairs together, since they still had work to do in the afternoon.

The moment the three entered, they immediately attracted a lot of attention. Zhang Wei was secondary; the main focus was on Lin Mo and Miss Yuan, both legendary figures in the company.

One of them is the company's top salesperson. He only stays at the company for a few days each month and then goes out to play, yet he still earns the highest salary.

He's cute, short, and has a cocky demeanor; even the managers have to fawn over him, and he'll even kick down the general manager's door.

She's the sales manager's tyrant. Whenever it's time to boost sales, she's domineering and can yell at anyone she wants. Even Liu Ruyan sometimes has to avoid her.

As for Lin Mo, he's even more amazing. His abilities are average, his education is average, and his work efficiency is even more average, but he successfully stole the general manager's place and became the man riding on the general manager's head. You could say he rose to the top in one step.

Women gossip, and men are jealous—not just jealous that he's living off a woman, but also that he's living off a beautiful, rich woman.

Not to mention Liu Ruyan's looks and figure, plus the added advantage of being a boss, even if she were just an ordinary employee, any man who could win her over would be proud enough to brag about it.

If Liu Ruyan were truly a greasy, overweight woman in her forties or fifties, the men wouldn't be jealous; they might even laugh at her behind her back.

Feeling the gazes of the crowd, Zhang Wei decisively ran away and went back to his post to slack off.

Miss Yuan, looking completely unconcerned, led Lin Mo toward Liu Ruyan's office.

As for Lin Mo, there was nothing he could do but pretend he didn't care.

With a 'bang,' the door to Liu Ruyan's office was kicked open, and Miss Yuan strode in with an air of utter indifference.

Seeing this, Liu Ruyan rolled her eyes at him and said, "I'm telling you, if you keep doing this, I'll replace this door with a sliding door next time!"

"Tch~ Then go ahead and change it! You know, the company's morale is completely low right now, why don't you just give everyone a holiday!" Miss Yuan spat.

As soon as the three of them came upstairs, it was obvious that the company's employees were restless.

Everyone seemed to be busy working at their desks, but they were actually whispering among themselves and not as focused on their work as before. It's fair to say that their work efficiency was extremely low.

This is just like the day before the end of high school holidays. The teacher doesn't lecture seriously, and the students don't listen attentively either. Both sides are just trying to get through it.

Although they may appear to be physically present, their minds are already elsewhere, ready to have some fun.

"Do you think I wanted to? There was no other way, and besides, it's only human nature."

Although it's less efficient, I can't just not use it. Fortunately, I've set a quota, and I have to finish those tasks before the end of the year.

As long as they can do their job well, it doesn't matter if their efficiency is low. Especially the sales department, what's the point of having them negotiate deals these past two days?
"There aren't any orders left now. They're lucky if they can even organize the reports they have," Liu Ruyan said speechlessly.

Ultimately, it's because this loophole can't be opened. If it is, it will be difficult to manage the team next year. Besides, labor costs are still a expense. We can't just support so many people for nothing, can we?

“That’s true. If we finish up our work before the New Year, things will be easier when we start again after the New Year,” Lin Mo said with a smile as he poured himself a glass of water and sat down on the sofa.

Upon hearing this, Liu Ruyan nodded and smiled: "My brother understands me best. Have they all been seen off?"

"Yes, we're all on the plane. Hurry up, we'll be home soon." Lin Mo nodded.

Liu Ruyan pushed up her glasses: "That's good. Tomorrow is the only day, and the company's annual meeting is the day after tomorrow. I'll leave early then and spend Valentine's Day with you!"

"What a load of crap, you sure know how to enjoy yourself. In that case, let's stay in the city for the next couple of days. Also, give that Zhang Wei guy two days off, the three of us are going to have some fun."

"You have to agree to this whether you like it or not, or don't blame me for messing things up for you two on Valentine's Day!" Miss Yuan threatened.

Upon hearing this, Liu Ruyan rolled her eyes at him: "Are you threatening me?"

Miss Yuan: "It's a notification, of course, if you're not afraid of me staying at your place on Valentine's Day!"

The next second, a notebook was thrown over. Miss Yuan subconsciously caught it and saw that the top of it was a blank leave slip signed by Liu Ruyan.

"Take it and let him sign it himself, then get HR to stamp it. I'll approve the slip, he'll write the report. I don't want to see you on Valentine's Day!" Liu Ruyan said calmly.

It could be said that he was saying the most cowardly things in the harshest tone.

There was nothing she could do; she knew Miss Yuan all too well, and it was simply not worth letting her ruin her date.

As for Zhang Wei, as Lin Mo's girlfriend, she had naturally paid attention to him as well. Given the current situation at the company, having him one more or one less wouldn't make a difference, so why bother herself?

"Tch~ You're smart to know what's good for you, I'm off now."

After saying that, Miss Yuan took the leave slip and ran out to find Zhang Wei. She couldn't let her last bit of fun be delayed, could she?

"I've been quite busy with work these past few days. In that case, shall we stay in the city for a couple of days?" Liu Ruyan asked after Miss Yuan left.

She now drives to and from get off work every day, which takes more than two hours each way. Living in the city would definitely be more convenient.

"I'm fine with either option, shall we go to my cousin's place?"

"Go to Su Su's place tonight and tomorrow, and then go to my place on Valentine's Day the day after tomorrow, understand?" Liu Ruyan blinked and said meaningfully.

Upon hearing this, Lin Mo couldn't help but sigh: "Then I'll see if I can find some time to pack my things!"

“Sure, it will be more convenient for you to go home from the city!” Liu Ruyan said with a smile.

(End of this chapter)