Chapter 26: Chapter 26 Report
Yuanfang International Investment Company is located in the bustling commercial district of Third Ring Road, in an 18-story grand building that exudes luxury, gathering the nation's top traders and brimming with financial elites from top to bottom.
After reporting to the human resources department, the HR director took Suxin to the twelfth floor.
The twelfth floor houses the entire Investment Department. Observing the busy professionals at their desks—some typing lightning-fast, others flipping through documents, and some speaking rapidly on the phone—Suxin's first impression was that this place was akin to a battlefield. Everyone was working against the clock with hurried expressions; there was no trace of slackers or idlers. Tension was in the air everywhere.
The person welcoming Suxin was the team leader of the first group in the Investment Department, a graceful and beautiful woman named Su Rui, who appeared to be in her thirties.
"Our Investment Department has a total of sixty-four people. In addition to the team members, the rest are part of the common pooled staff," Su Rui explained as she sat in her office chair, looking at Suxin who was in front of her.
"What are 'common pooled staff'?" Suxin asked, puzzled.
"Common pooled staff are part of the Support Department. Put simply, they handle various basic tasks. Whichever team needs an extra hand, they can you pull you in to help," explained Su Rui.
"And what about the members of those four teams?" Suxin asked again.
"It seems you are still not familiar with Yuanfang International," Su Rui said with a smile, picking up a pyramid model on her desk, "Our Investment Department is like this pyramid. You are here," she pointed to the base of the pyramid, "and the members of the four teams are here," she pointed to the middle, "the members of each team are elites from the investment banking field, and the leaders of each team are on an even higher level."
Looking at the pyramid model, Suxin pondered for a moment before asking, "Then who's at the very top?"
"The person at the top is, of course, the director of our Investment Department, a remarkable figure who is extremely capable—you'll have the chance to meet him later," Su Rui assured.
Suxin nodded. She felt a wave of nervousness; she hadn't expected that even within one department, the hierarchy would be so clearly defined. It seemed that no matter where she went, she was fated to start at the bottom.
After talking to her about the regulations and things to note at work, Su Rui took her to the Support Department, which comprised the common pooled staff of the Investment Department.
The Support Department had thirty-six people, all of whom seemed to be around thirty years old. Seeing that her colleagues were of similar age, Suxin felt comfortable.
After Su Rui introduced Suxin and left, the others immediately became livelier, contrasting sharply with the stern atmosphere when Su Rui was present.
"Suxin, welcome to the Support Department! Let me introduce myself, I'm Li Tian," a sweet-looking young girl sitting next to Suxin said, offering her right hand.
"Hello, and please take care of me in the future!" Suxin said, smiling. She was happy to have found an approachable colleague so quickly.
"Of course! Let me tell you, our team gets along very well. Our work is a bit of a mix, but not as stressful as those in the four main teams, so we're the relaxed and happy type here. When no one's around, it's okay to have a bit of fun, but if the leaders of those four teams come over, we need to be on high alert—like Su Rui just now. You know, despite how pretty she looks, she's quite serious. Around here, we secretly call her the 'old maiden' behind her back!" Li Tian whispered to Suxin, checking their surroundings.
"Old maiden? Can't be, right? She doesn't look old at all."
"Please, Su Rui is already thirty-four years old and still unmarried. But never mention her age in front of her—it's her most sensitive topic," Li Tian confided.
"Okay, thanks for the warning; I'll remember that," Suxin hastily thanked her.
"Good, just arrange your desk for now. The team leader has gone out for errands and should be back this afternoon. You'll probably be assigned work then. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me. I may not be an expert, but I've been working here for a year and generally know what to do," Li Tian spoke gently, and Suxin felt a rush of warmth, nodding vigorously in response.
That afternoon, the Support Department team leader did not return, and Suxin, who had been sitting at her desk reading the company manual, ended up being assigned by a colleague from the third group to photocopy a large stack of meeting documents, working non-stop until she was able to leave for the day.
After work at six o'clock, she took the subway home and arrived by seven o'clock.
As soon as she walked through her door, a call from Bai Xiaoyan came through.
"Susu, are you home yet?"
"I just stepped in, do you have X-ray vision or something?" Suxin, exhausted, flopped onto the sofa.
"This is what you call a telepathic connection, don't you know?"
"Sure, we're telepathically connected. My dear mama-to-be, what brings you to call me?" Suxin sprawled on the sofa, holding her phone in one hand while massaging her other hand.
"What else? I'm committed to finding you a husband, of course!"
Just the mention of matchmaking made Suxin feel lightheaded.
"Can't you spare me the torture?" she said pitifully, the thought of her last two blind dates making her cringe.
"Torture? I'm doing this for your own good. Trust me just this once again—it will be great!"
Hearing Bai Xiaoyan's confidence in the "it will be great," Suxin couldn't help but shudder.
"Xiaoyan, it's my first day at work today, and I haven't gotten into the swing of things at the company. How about we wait until I'm more settled at work before planning another blind date?"
"Well..."
"Let's just leave it at that for now. I've just got home and am starving. I haven't even had dinner. I need to hang up, we'll talk next time. Take good care of yourself and rest, okay?"
Without waiting for Bai Xiaoyan to reply, Suxin quickly ended the call, knowing that if she let Bai Xiaoyan speak, the conversation could drag on.
Chen Ziqian finally picked up his Ferrari from the shop that day, and seeing the white wedding dress still neatly lying in his car, he felt the itch of annoyance. His new car had been decidedly marred on its very first day.
Holding the wedding dress in his hands, Chen Ziqian returned home, still unsure of how to deal with this cause of trouble.
Lying on the sofa and munching on the watermelon she just bought from the supermarket, Suxin's gaze suddenly caught a flash of white. Curious, why did that wedding dress look so familiar?