13: Best Friends

Shen Yifei (a male name) threw a simple, unadorned punch, meeting Brother Meng's (a rough, intimidating man, often a gang leader) fist.

“CRACK!”

With a crisp snap, Brother Meng’s face twisted in agony. The immense force emanating from Shen Yifei's fist had directly shattered his wrist.

“Agh!” Meng clutched his right arm, unable to suppress a scream.

Shen Yifei gave a chilling smile, extended his right hand, and clamped down on Meng’s throat. With a slight exertion of force, he lifted the man clear off the ground.

“Mer… mercy, Big Brother! (a term of respect or deference for a powerful male figure, especially in the underworld)” Meng’s face was contorted with terror, all defiance gone.

This time, he’d truly run into a tough opponent.

“Tell me, who sent you?” Shen Yifei’s eyes flashed with a cold light.

“I… I’ll tell you! It… it was Brother Zhang (Zhang Wenzhi) who sent us!” Meng’s face had turned the color of liver (indicating extreme terror or suffocation).

“Zhang Wenzhi?” Shen Yifei raised an eyebrow. That was the ‘Kidney-Deficient’ Man from last night (a common Chinese colloquialism implying a lack of virility or overall weakness). As expected, he was a persistent ghost.

“Tell Zhang Wenzhi this: if he dares to provoke me again, next time I’ll break his legs!” Shen Yifei said with a smile.

“Yes, yes! Big Brother, please let go quickly, I… I can’t take it anymore.” Meng’s forehead was beaded with large drops of sweat, and he looked as if he could barely breathe.

Shen Yifei casually flung Meng aside.

Meng’s body felt weightless as he flew over Shen Yifei’s head, slamming violently into the minivan.

With a resounding “BOOM!”, Meng’s substantial body flipped the minivan over.

After accomplishing all this, Shen Yifei calmly walked into the Aiya International building.

The CEO’s office on the top floor.

As Su Muqing (a female name) had just settled down, Liu Xiaoxiao (a female name) entered, carrying a stack of documents.

“Xiao Xue (Little Snow, a common affectionate nickname), I’m here to deliver the documents.” Liu Xiaoxiao smiled at Su Muqing.

“Thank you for your hard work (a common polite expression).”

Su Muqing and Liu Xiaoxiao were classmates and the closest of confidantes. They were the dearest of friends to each other.

Seeing that Su Muqing seemed a bit low on spirits, Liu Xiaoxiao couldn’t help but ask with a frown, “Xiao Xue, your eyes are a bit swollen. Didn’t you rest well last night?”

“My ‘relatives’ paid a visit (a common euphemism for menstruation),” Su Muqing sighed, touching her flat lower abdomen, which was throbbing faintly.

“Be sure to rest, and definitely don’t stay up late! Xiao Xue, you’re so beautiful; it wouldn’t be good if you got old and lost your looks.”

“I know,” Su Muqing shook her head.

Liu Xiaoxiao sighed, “Don’t frown all day; that’ll make you age faster too. Try not to dwell on unhappy things. Let me help you with some of your workload for a while.”

“Xiaoxiao, no need to trouble yourself,” Su Muqing shook her head slightly.

“What kind of relationship do we have? There’s no trouble between us. Oh, by the way, there’s something I need to tell you.” Liu Xiaoxiao said.

“Just tell me directly. Why be so formal with me?” Su Muqing laughed.

“Didn’t the company hire a new Public Relations Department manager yesterday? That shameless man actually secretly called me a ‘She-Tyrannosaurus’ (a derogatory term for an extremely aggressive woman)! I absolutely cannot stand for that! Xiao Xue, you *have* to let me get back at that man!” Liu Xiaoxiao’s anger flared up at the mere thought of it.

“Pfft!”

Su Muqing was amused. To dare call Liu Xiaoxiao a ‘She-Tyrannosaurus’—that man sounded quite interesting.

“Xiaoxiao, why are you still acting like a child? Just let it go.”

“No way! I absolutely have to get him back. Xiao Xue, please agree!” Liu Xiaoxiao whined playfully.

Unable to resist the beautiful girl’s persistence, Su Muqing finally relented, “Alright, alright. If you want to get him, then get him. It’s not my business anyway, but don’t go too far.”

Liu Xiaoxiao’s lips curved into a sly smile. *That* guy? He thought he could contend with *her*?

“Xiao Xue, I knew you were the best to me!” Liu Xiaoxiao giggled, hooking an arm around Su Muqing’s slender waist.

“Alright, stop messing around! Keep your little paws to yourself. I’m a woman, you know! Put away your ‘fox spirit’ tricks (referring to the seductive wiles of a mythical creature often depicted as a beautiful, dangerous temptress).” Su Muqing’s lips curled upwards.

“Xiao Xue, if you were really a man, I, your little sister, would have offered myself to you long ago!” Liu Xiaoxiao winked at Su Muqing. She knew Su Muqing had a lot on her mind lately, which was why she was trying so hard to cheer her up.

“Oh, stop it! You’re a grown woman, acting like a spoiled little girl,” Su Muqing playfully scolded.

Arriving at the Public Relations Department on the third floor, Shen Yifei pushed open the door and walked straight in.

“Good morning, Manager Shen.”

“Hello, Brother Shen! (a friendly or respectful address for a male colleague)”

“Manager Shen is looking handsome today!”

A group of young women from the Public Relations Department greeted Shen Yifei, flattering him so much that he felt a little light-headed with flattery.

Shen Yifei’s office was quite large, including his assistant’s workstation.

Lin Cair’er (a female name) arrived a bit late today. Upon reaching the office, she repeatedly bowed and apologized to Shen Yifei, “I’m so sorry, Manager Shen, I’m late today!”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. You still have a minute before work starts, no need to rush,” Shen Yifei smiled.

Lin Cair’er quickly organized her belongings and returned to her desk, starting her work.

Such a diligent young woman was truly rare.

Shen Yifei’s job was quite simple: mainly handling documents and recording information about new fashion items. Since he didn’t need to meet clients during this period, he had a lot of free time.

About an hour or two later, noticing Lin Cair’er at the adjacent desk seemed a bit dazed, Shen Yifei couldn’t help but ask, “Assistant Lin, you seem a bit out of sorts today. Has something happened?”

“Something happened at home, but… it’s nothing. Thank you for your concern, Manager Shen,” Lin Cair’er forced a smile.

Shen Yifei could easily tell that Lin Cair’er was probably affected by something upsetting at home, but he didn’t want to pry into her personal affairs.

“If you’re tired, take the day off and go home to rest. I’ll handle your work,” Shen Yifei said.

“No, no, no, how could I trouble you, Manager? I’m fine, I don’t need to rest,” Lin Cair’er repeatedly shook her head, continuing her work.

Shen Yifei didn’t press further, but seeing Lin Cair’er’s delicate appearance as she forced herself to work, he felt a slight pang of sympathy.

Soon, Shen Yifei finished his own work.

Frankly, while this manager’s position was easy, it was also incredibly boring.

With over an hour left until quitting time, Shen Yifei spent the rest of his time playing a competitive online game.

Just as he was engrossed in his game, the office door suddenly burst open.

Liu Xiaoxiao, clad in a uniform, strode in. She was there to supervise Shen Yifei’s work.

Seeing the guy openly playing games during work hours, Liu Xiaoxiao was so enraged she felt like she was having an asthma attack.

“Shen Yifei, how dare you play games during work hours?”

“Director Liu, just let me finish this round. Otherwise, I’ll be reported (for abandoning the game),” Shen Yifei continued to manipulate his mouse and keyboard.

“Are you *kidding* me?!”

Liu Xiaoxiao’s pretty face alternated between green and white, utterly furious, she directly pulled the computer’s power plug.