The next day, Liang Rou saw An Luxi off and hurried back to the Company to start working on documents.
Not only did she have to finish this project, but there were still other previously assigned projects left incomplete.
In the evening, she had to go with Xia Rui and another male colleague to dine with a Client.
Liang Rou was miserable about this.
When she used to work before, the thing she hated most was this Workplace Drinking Culture, because she was always the one forced to drink, and being soft-hearted, she’d always help female colleagues by drinking for them too…
After returning home, she’d get scolded by Wen Xiaoliang.
Of course, this kind of life didn’t last even two years, because she quit that Company before reaching her second work anniversary and became a girl on the run.
“Sigh, I’m already tired, and I just want to go home to rest tonight, but I still have to go eat and drink,” she complained during lunch to her eating companion, Xia Rui.
Xia Rui shrugged. “There’s nothing we can do about it. There are always a few Clients who are particularly picky and hard to deal with. Of course~ if you’re unlucky, you run into them. Before, uh… my family’s relatives hardly ever ran into such situations, luck was just better~”
Does luck really matter for things like this?
Liang Rou tilted her head and thought for a moment, then sighed.
She never seemed to have good luck.
“Sigh, forget it, let’s just take it one step at a time. What if the Client tonight is actually friendly?”
That evening, Liang Rou decided to take back what she’d said at lunch, as she sat speechless in front of the boasting Client and his malicious gaze.
She and the male colleague had arrived first. Xia Rui said she would be there soon, but who knew what she was up to.
In short, for now, she and the male colleague had to deal with the Client alone.
The male colleague was an old hand—decent enough, he’d helped Liang Rou out several times—but even he couldn’t manage everything.
Liang Rou was left to flatter the Client, forced to drink twice to show respect.
“Damn it,” she cursed inwardly, “once I finish that project and get promoted, they probably won’t send me to deal with these idiot Clients anymore, seriously…”
This kind of Workplace Bullying at the dinner table was truly a sad story, but fortunately, Liang Rou had never encountered the Old Employee type of Workplace Bullying.
She’d seen plenty of that in Drama Series. Compared to that, she felt she was rather lucky.
But all the drinking table bullying seemed to come to a sudden halt the moment Xia Rui entered the private room.
Liang Rou clearly saw the Client’s surprise and embarrassment, and after that, he reined himself in quite a bit and started behaving himself.
Xia Rui didn’t even glance at the Client and walked straight over to sit beside Liang Rou.
As soon as she sat down, she frowned and sniffed twice.
“Senpai, you smell pretty strongly of alcohol~”
She pulled out two pieces of candy and handed them to Liang Rou.
Liang Rou gave an awkward smile and accepted the two Fruit-Filled Candies, but didn’t eat them, instead slipping them into her pocket.
Xia Rui’s eyes flickered, but in the end, she just smiled and reminded her, “That’s not just ordinary candy~ those are Sobering Candies… Senpai, don’t forget to eat them. You’ve had so much to drink and have to get up early tomorrow—if you don’t sober up, you might get a headache~”
Liang Rou nodded at Xia Rui gratefully, feeling warm inside.
Ah, it’s really not easy to meet such a good friend.
What she didn’t notice, though, was that the wrappers on those two fruit candies showed signs of having been opened and resealed.
How could she possibly suspect the passionate and kind-hearted blonde gal? That girl had always been so nice and caring towards her.
And after receiving Liang Rou’s approving nod, Xia Rui showed a satisfied smile.
“It’s fine, Senpai. When the time comes, I’ll remind you to eat them,” she said, then turned to entertain the Client.
Although the Client had reined himself in a lot, that only applied to Xia Rui—he wasn’t so polite to the others.
He even pressured Liang Rou to drink two more glasses when Xia Rui stepped out to use the restroom.
Liang Rou’s own tolerance for alcohol was decent, but this body didn’t seem to hold its liquor well.
She could feel herself already tipsy and eagerly awaited Xia Rui’s return.
Xia Rui’s relatives must be really something—these Clients must have met Xia Rui before, probably introduced by her relatives, and seemed a little afraid of her.
Clueless as ever, Liang Rou still had no idea that Xia Rui was actually the Top Boss’s Daughter of this Company.
And Xia Rui had left the room on purpose.
She knew, first, that the Client was a woman who didn’t like women—she only kept pretty boys.
Second, that Client, while arrogant, was actually a coward, and wouldn’t dare get physical with Liang Rou; she just wanted to show off her authority.
As long as Xia Rui sat there, the Client wouldn’t dare pressure anyone to drink; only in her absence would the Client dare.
“As long as I let Senpai feel that her getting drunk this time has nothing to do with me…” She toyed with the neatly folded Sugar Wrapper. “After all, who would suspect that the Sobering Candy has already been switched out?”
She stood by the door, leaning against the wall, humming a little tune in a good mood.
At that moment, a figure—silver-white streaked with tender pink—flashed before her and slipped into the private room next door.
Immediately after, laughter and sycophantic praise drifted out from that room.
Xia Rui didn’t notice that before closing the private room door, that woman had glanced deeply in her direction.
No, more precisely, she hadn’t looked at Xia Rui, but at the private room behind her, where the door was left open just a crack.
In the end, that woman closed the door, but left a sliver of a gap—her intention unknown.
Xia Rui didn’t notice any of this. She didn’t care about other people or things; after all, her goal tonight was to take Liang Rou home, to bring her beloved Senpai back, on the surface for Liang Rou’s own good, but in reality… to have her most beloved Senpai warm her bed~
She was vexed that the next weekend was still far off—she really, really wanted to get close to Senpai.
Even just holding her in her arms for a bit, kissing her cheek or forehead, would be enough… Now, the opportunity had presented itself—why not make the most of it~?
“Don’t worry, Senpai, I super like you~! So… bringing you home this time, I’ll just take a few photos and cuddle you while we sleep~”
Looking at the photos she’d taken with Liang Rou on her phone, Xia Rui felt a wave of dissatisfaction.
She… really wanted to do even more to Liang Rou, but she was afraid that if Liang Rou ever found out the truth, she’d hate her, thinking she was someone who took advantage of others.
So, she’d better stick to her original plan…
“Wait.”
She suddenly straightened up as if waking from a dream.
“I’ve already drugged her—so even if I really do something, as long as I don’t confess, how would Senpai ever know?”
Yes, why hadn’t she thought of that before?