Chapter 173: An Old Acquaintance, Who?

Xu Yinsheng hurried out of the office and took the elevator to the floor where Jin Xinnu was.

As soon as she stepped out, she saw someone volunteering to direct the staff in setting up the venue.

A banner reading ‘Congratulations Minister Jin on Your Promotion’ hung on the wall.

They were employees, not cattle or horses.

What does it mean to be an employee?

You can complain, report issues, and vent frustrations.

You get paid to do work, not to grovel and lick boots in gratitude.

Thanks to the Union, the Company even had a dedicated meeting room for small events and ceremonies.

Of course, the most important thing was that the Union was genuinely brave—when employees had problems, it truly dared to stand up!

Xu Yinsheng walked straight up to Jin Xinnu, and every employee she passed couldn’t help but pause and greet her.

It was no secret that she was President Zhao’s personal secretary, and according to some whispers from the security Department, a few days ago, President Zhao had even brought over the secretary’s Sister, holding her closely, looking very content…

Although Xu Yinsheng didn’t understand why every time people looked at her, the corners of their mouths curled into a mysterious smile, she knew how the world worked and practiced proper etiquette.

She nodded repeatedly as she walked, occasionally stopping to exchange a few words with those she had met before.

The short walk of several dozen meters to Jin Xinnu took her over a minute.

When she reached Jin Xinnu, a freckled woman with glasses poked Jin Xinnu’s lower back with her finger.

“Xiao Fei, what are you…”

Jin Xinnu turned around, but when she saw Xu Yinsheng, her previously joyful expression stiffened slightly.

Beneath that stiff expression was a complex swirl of emotions.

Xu Yinsheng had never seen such a richly layered look on anyone’s face before.

How to describe it?

Three parts awkwardness, three parts guilt, four parts apology, all mixed into one.

“Junior schoolmate.”

“Senior schoolmate, congratulations on your promotion.”

Xu Yinsheng raised a glass of champagne in toast.

Jin Xinnu’s face flushed faintly.

After hesitating, she accepted the glass and drank the champagne inside.

“Thank you.”

“Junior schoolmate, about before—”

“Senior schoolmate, if there’s something to say, let’s move somewhere more private.”

Xu Yinsheng glanced around at the colleagues moving about and spoke quietly.

Only then did Jin Xinnu realize her earlier loss of composure.

She quickly collected herself and nodded in agreement.

They found a quiet corner and sat down on a sofa.

Breaking the silence, Jin Xinnu spoke first.

“Junior schoolmate, about before—”

“No need for that. Let’s talk about something happier today. After all, it’s your promotion. I heard you’re going from Minister to General Manager, skipping several levels.”

Xu Yinsheng sat beside her with a casual familiarity.

“I’m so jealous, haha. Senior schoolmate, I came here to freeload. You’re not going to introduce me around, are you?”

She definitely would never forgive the betrayal, though she suspected Zhao Yicheng had set it up.

Some things, once done, were done.

A broken mirror was hard to mend, and even if it was pieced back together, the cracks wouldn’t disappear.

“A junior schoolmate as capable as you coming to support me is always welcome.”

Jin Xinnu smiled, but there was a hint of sadness in her eyes.

For some reason, it quickly shifted back to a smile.

She opened her mouth, and after a thousand words condensed into one, she said:

“I’m sorry.”

She knew the gap between them had grown too wide to repair, no matter how hard they tried, but that didn’t stop her from apologizing.

She only sought peace of mind.

“I already said, no talk of that today.”

Xu Yinsheng took her hand and rested her head on Jin Xinnu’s shoulder like a close best friend.

“Senior schoolmate, you’re about to get promoted. Got any workplace tips for me? Hehehe.”

“Jin Jie, it’s time for the photo.”

The freckled woman with glasses ran over and called out.

“Coming, Xiao Fei.”

Jin Xinnu let go of Xu Yinsheng’s hand, gave her a ‘wait a moment’ look, and walked off with the woman.

Xu Yinsheng wisely didn’t follow.

Was it appropriate for an outsider to join their Department photo?

But… Xu Yinsheng grabbed a Bear Biscuit and popped it in her mouth with a crisp crunch.

No photo for her, but freeloading food and drinks was fine; after all, sharing happiness was better than enjoying it alone.

As she ate, she noticed Jin Xinnu’s “wait a moment” look really meant “wait an eternity.”

After the photo, Jin Xinnu was immediately pulled into wild celebrations by her Department members—raising toasts, offering blessings, chatting, almost drowning her in affection.

Watching all this, Xu Yinsheng couldn’t help but feel itchy inside.

Ever since Zhao Yicheng’s betrayal, she hadn’t been to a party.

She grabbed a glass of champagne and naturally blended in, clinking glasses with everyone.

The next three hours were nonstop for the entire Department.

Luckily, everyone kept some restraint, knowing this was a Company event, not a nightclub.

The HR Department had only approved half a day’s leave.

Finally, amidst the well-wishes and toasts, Jin Xinnu, overwhelmed by alcohol, flushed deeply.

With Xu Yinsheng’s support, she barely managed to steady herself.

Xu Yinsheng helped Jin Xinnu sit down on the sofa, her whole body smelling strongly of alcohol.

Xu Yinsheng was slightly tipsy too, but having treated alcohol like water before, she could still handle this.

She poured a cup of Xingjiu Tea, ready to feed it to Jin Xinnu, but Jin Xinnu waved her off, eyes glazed over.

She reached out to an empty space, clutching an imaginary glass, and began mumbling nonsense.

“It’s fine, I’m not drunk, I can still drink.”

“Manager Zhang, this toast is for you; Manager Li, this toast is for you; Manager Chen, this toast is…”

Enough. No wonder she’d climbed the ranks from the bottom to Minister; she had all the necessary skills.

Xu Yinsheng pried open Jin Xinnu’s mouth, forcing the Xingjiu Tea down, then lightly slapped her cheeks a few times to sober her up physically.

“Senior schoolmate, it’s me.”

Blushing, Jin Xinnu literally had two red handprints on her face.

She looked at the person before her and, relieved, put her hand down.

“Junior schoolmate, it’s you.”

“Yes, it’s me.”

Xu Yinsheng looked at this drunken woman before her, feeling somewhat reluctant to meet her gaze.

“Senior schoolmate, are you okay? Drinking this much, do you want me to call a car to take you to the Hospital?”

“I’m fine.”

“My tolerance is… still okay. Hic!”

“You can’t ruin the fun for everyone hic!”

At her words, Xu Yinsheng glanced around.

Drunk, passed out, even some vomiting—people were sprawled everywhere on sofas and floors, a complete mess.

Goodness, they all liked this, huh?

They thought others hadn’t had enough to drink, so they drank themselves into such a state.

“Alright then, enjoy yourselves. I have something to attend to.”

Xu Yinsheng checked the time.

After partying for three hours straight, if she didn’t go back to report her safety, President Zhao Yicheng—the so-called “family head”—might let his imagination run wild.

She was about to leave.

Suddenly, a small, fair hand reached out and grabbed her sleeve.

She turned and met a pair of watery, drunken red eyes.

Jin Xinnu’s flushed face hiccupped:

“Junior schoolmate, you actually remind me a lot of an old acquaintance, hic! in terms of personality.”

Old acquaintance?

Who?