Lin Ze returned home.
"Ding-dong."
His phone chimed with a message notification.
A notification from a second-hand trading platform popped up on his screen.
Lin Ze tapped directly into it.
Someone was inquiring about the luxury men's designer pants he had listed.
Lin Ze immediately replied with enthusiastic customer service flair:
"Guaranteed authentic, ten times the compensation for any fake."
"Comes with the receipt, garment tags, and original packaging."
"Dear ~ the quality is fantastic, brand new and never worn, would you like to consider it?"
Seeing that the buyer hadn't replied, Lin Ze was just wondering whether he should offer a slight discount when a message came through:
"I'll take all the clothes you have listed on your profile."
Holy crap!!!
Lin Ze stared at the screen, his pupils dilating in shock.
"Is local delivery available?"
"You're buying quite a lot of clothes here, so if you pay an extra fifty bucks, I'll have them coughed over to you via express delivery."
As if a rich person cared about fifty bucks.
Today happened to be the weekend and he wasn't working.
Instead of letting some delivery courier make that extra cash, he might as well pocket it himself.
……………………
Lin Ze put on his helmet and hopped onto his electric scooter.
His phone was secured in the handlebar mount.
"Riding my beloved little electric scooter, it's never stuck in traffic..."
Lin Ze sped along, following the GPS navigation.
Twenty minutes later,
he finally arrived at the delivery address:
Green City Huangpu Bay.
Average prices sat at twenty thousand per square meter, with monthly rents starting in the six-figure range.
This wasn't Lin Ze's first time here.
Back when he used to drive for a designated driver service, he had occasionally picked up orders in this neighborhood.
After double-checking that the apartment number was correct,
he pressed the doorbell.
He carried two large shopping bags in his hands,
a professional, eight-toothed smile plastered across his face.
Facing a customer-god, a professional smile was an absolute must.
Once he got his money, he was going to treat himself to an egg crepe wrap with two extra eggs!
Two minutes later,
"Click."
The front door swung open.
An exquisite, stunning face appeared in the doorway.
Lin Ze's smile froze instantly.
"Lin Ze."
"President Su?!"
Lin Ze stiffened completely on the spot.
Why was Su Qingqing here?
Could it be that his major buyer was none other than Su Qingqing?!
Lin Ze's mind went blank!
Was this all a coincidence?!
If not, why would Su Qingqing buy back the clothes she had gifted him?
What terrible luck!
Even after getting off work, Su Qingqing wouldn't let him go; she was like an inescapable ghost.
Damn this wretched coincidence!
Su Qingqing looked him up and down, her brows slightly furrowed: "Working a part-time job on the weekend?"
Idiot!
Why didn't he just tell her directly if he was short on cash?
"Short on money?"
"…Of course not."
"Selling the clothes I gave you—is it because you're broke?"
Su Qingqing suddenly stepped closer, a faint trace of perfume enveloping him. "If you're short on money, I can just transfer it to you directly."
Lin Ze: "………"
Those words were like a sharp thorn, piercing deeply into Lin Ze's heart.
The physical damage was minimal, but the insult was astronomical!
He yanked the two bags up fiercely: "I'm not selling them anymore!"
With that, he turned and bolted.
……………………
Back home, staring at the pile of clothes stacked in the corner,
Lin Ze was filled with deep regret.
He slammed his fist hard against his pillow.
What was the point of putting up a front? Why act so tough?
Fifty-two thousand yuan!
A suffocating wave of heartache washed over him.
To avoid making the same mistake twice,
he deliberately switched to a different second-hand platform.
The page refreshed three times.
View counts climbed steadily upward.
Yet the inquiry chat box remained stubbornly blank.
When he finally got a message after a long wait,
the buyer slashed the price straight down to the loose change: "A thirty-eight-thousand-suit, will you sell it for three hundred?"
Lin Ze rolled his eyes at the screen and typed at lightning speed: "Why don't you just ask me to give it to you for free?"
He blocked them without hesitation.
Early the next morning, after finishing his routine wash-up, his gaze fell upon that glaring pile of luxury items resting on the sofa.
A designer suit jacket draped carelessly over the shabby fabric sofa,
a Gucci belt slung diagonally across a paint-peeled coat rack—
these expensive garments looked entirely out of place in his modest rental apartment.
Tch!
"As expected, luxury goods only fleece the fools."
Lin Ze casually grabbed his frayed backpack,
and closed the door behind him.
"Beep..."
The fingerprint time clock emitted a crisp sound.
Lin Ze managed to punch in right down to the very last second.
Two consecutive nights of poor sleep left his energy completely drained,
and to top it all off, he had woken up with a stiff neck.
Yawning, he rubbed his stiff neck as he turned it left and right, his brows tightly knitted.
Life really was miserable these days.
Bai Weiwei walked over holding a cup of hot tea and asked with concern, "Are you alright? Your complexion looks terrible."
Lin Ze lifted his eyelids lazily, listless and apathetic: "I'm fine."
………………
Bai Weiwei looked at Lin Ze's pale complexion and heavy dark circles, her brows knitting together involuntarily.
She handed the exquisite tin of Longjing tea she was holding over to Lin Ze,
her tone gentle: "This is authentic Longjing, care to try some?"
"Oh, Longjing huh." Lin Ze replied flatly: "Must be pricey."
Days of lingering nightmares had left his spirit shattered,
infusing even his tone with unmistakable impatience.
Bai Weiwei choked on her breath.
She was being kind enough to offer him tea, and who was he trying to pass sarcastic remarks at?
Just as she was about to snap back at him,
Bai Weiwei caught a glimpse of a figure out of the corner of her eye at the far end of the corridor.
She instantly switched into her standard professional smile: "Good morning, President Su!"
Su Qingqing's gaze swept over the tin of tea in Lin Ze's hand.
"Like drinking tea?"
Without waiting for an answer,
she gave direct instructions: "Have the administrative department purchase two imported tea-brewing machines, and stock up on some Longjing, scented tea, and Biluochun. Keep the pantry supplied all day long."
Bai Weiwei's eyes lit up: "Thank you, President Su!"
She wouldn't have to spend her own money on tea leaves ever again!
Her heart blossomed with joy,
but noticing that Lin Ze still wore an utterly listless expression, showing zero enthusiasm for anything,
Su Qingqing spoke up: "Though, it seems some people might not care for it."
Seeing the still-wilting Lin Ze, Bai Weiwei panicked inwardly—
She couldn't let this guy ruin the company perk for everyone!
Even though... it was glaringly obvious who this perk was meant for.
Bai Weiwei hurriedly gave the daydreaming Lin Ze a stealthy nudge.
Lin Ze slowly lifted his eyelids, speaking with a total lack of energy:
"…I like it."
……………
Five minutes later, in the president's office.
"President Su."
Bai Weiwei stood respectfully before Su Qingwan to report:
"The matter of the tea-brewing machines has already been arranged, and they can be put into use starting tomorrow."
Su Qingqing nodded, her gaze falling on the computer calendar—tomorrow was the weekend.
Su Qingwan tapped her fingertips rhythmically against the desktop.
"The company is organizing a team-building trip this weekend."
She asked with feigned casualness: "You've been with the company for a while; who do you think would be suitable to take charge of this team-building event?"
Bai Weiwei's heart skipped a beat.
She was specifically called in just to be asked this?
She wasn't even in Human Resources.
In a flash of inspiration,
Bai Weiwei's eyes lit up.
She tested the waters:
"How about... assigning Lin Ze?"
"He's always been conscientious and dedicated since joining the company, and he hasn't made any mistakes."
"Him?"
Su Qingqing feigned a thoughtful pause, pondering the idea for a moment.
"Since you strongly recommend him, let's have him give it a try."
Bai Weiwei's mouth twitched slightly.
She hadn't expected the cold and aloof president to be such a good actress!
Quite the pretender.
Keeping her face completely neutral, she responded respectfully: "I'll go make the arrangements right away."
Su Qingqing paused her fingertips: "Do you know what to say?"
"Understood."
Rule number one of the corporate worker: an employer's intentions don't need to be spelled out!
Su Qingqing relaxed her intertwined fingers: "Double bonus at the end of the month."
"Thank you, President Su!"
Bai Weiwei's eyes lit up instantly.
Starting today, she was the most loyal fan of the Su Qingqing and Lin Ze ship.
Number one president of the "Qing-Ze CP" fan club!
…………………
Stepping out of the office, Bai Weiwei headed straight for Lin Ze's workstation.
"Starting tomorrow, we have a two-day, one-night team-building trip at Dilin Villa."
"I recommended Lin Ze to President Su to be in charge of this company team-building event."
"The person in charge is not allowed to take time off."
Lin Ze: "？？？"
Ha!
Why didn't anyone bother asking the person involved?!
He still had to deliver food on the weekend.
Lin Ze spoke up: "I'm not going!"
"The person in charge cannot take leave," Bai Weiwei stated in a strictly professional tone.
Refusing to give up, Lin Ze continued: "Everyone's been busy working all week, and some people have plans for the weekend."
Bai Weiwei added: "Those who don't want to go don't have to, but anyone who attends the team-building gets double pay."
The entire office erupted instantly!!!