Chapter Twenty-Nine: Gazing at the Departing Figure

A young man sat in the office, his hair neatly parted. He had a handsome, square-jawed face with well-defined features, and he was busily occupied with attending to the line of job applicants.

Feng Yueliang watched him with appreciative eyes, imagining that he must look even taller and more dashing when standing. She intentionally gave a soft "Hi," hoping to catch his attention. However, the young man was focused on his work, occasionally taking ID cards from applicants or handing out stacks of recruitment registration forms from his desk, never finding a moment to look around.

This left Feng Yueliang feeling somewhat disappointed. After standing by the office door for a few minutes, unwilling to continue waiting in vain, she spoke up directly: "Excuse me, are you Secretary Liu Xiangnan?"

Only then did the young man look up to size up Feng Yueliang, who was dressed in a bright red qipao. He nodded and replied, "I am. Is there something you need?"

"I want to apply on behalf of my husband, Xu Sigui," Feng Yueliang said. "He will be here in a few days."

"That won't work." Liu Xiangnan cut her off before she could finish, stating firmly, "He must come in person. The positions might be filled in a few days; if he wants the job, he needs to come today."

Feng Yueliang stammered, "Your General Manager Wu promised to let my husband, Xu Sigui, apply."

"Then you should go find General Manager Wu." Liu Xiangnan suddenly hesitated, adding, "Or you can stand here and wait. Let me finish processing this line of applicants, and then I can inform General Manager Wu and see what he says."

Unable to bear the wait, Feng Yueliang backed away from the office door. She wanted to go home but felt conflicted, unable to make up her mind.

She descended from the second floor to the first, looking around until her eyes fell on a floor directory by the hallway entrance. She ignored the various departments listed and focused on the line that read "Room 308, General Manager’s Office." This was likely the office of General Manager Wu Xiaofeng.

She decided to go to the third floor to look for him and set off immediately. Upon climbing to the third floor, she found the door to Room 308 closed. There was no sound from within, so she realized the general manager must be out, and she stood by the door to wait.

A man emerged from a neighboring office and studied Feng Yueliang carefully, seemingly captivated by her beauty and attire. He smiled and said, "General Manager Wu is out. Is there something you need to tell him? I can pass on a message."

Feng Yueliang felt it was unnecessary to tell him, as it would serve no purpose. "I am an acquaintance of General Manager Wu," she said. "I just happened to be looking for him; it's nothing too important." She then headed downstairs. Upon exiting the main entrance, she saw a BMW parked in the lot.

At that moment, the imposing, suit-clad Wu Xiaofeng stood among a small group of people like a crane in a flock of chickens. He was speaking, gesturing forcefully with his arms as if giving a speech or directing an operation.

A lean, bamboo-like middle-aged man shook open a piece of paper and handed it to Wu Xiaofeng. It was a blueprint. Feng Yueliang was several meters away, but she could see the dense, intricate red, yellow, and blue markings covering the large sheet. She didn't understand it, but she knew it was important. Only after the middle-aged man spoke a few words did she realize it was an architectural design.

After Wu Xiaofeng returned the blueprint, the group dispersed. As he looked up, his eyes suddenly lit up when he spotted Feng Yueliang in her red qipao standing in front of the building, staring at him. Their eyes met, and he called out, "Yueliang, what are you doing here?"

Feng Yueliang took a few steps closer and said in a coquettish tone, "Can't I come? I was just looking for you."

Facing the radiant, beautiful young woman felt like an irresistible temptation. Wu Xiaofeng asked with some excitement, "You have something to tell me? Let's go to my office to talk."

"Talk in your office? I just went to your third-floor office and there was no one there. The door was closed. I waited a long time before coming back down, and I was just about to leave when I ran into you." Feng Yueliang felt a bit disgruntled saying this, but facing the enthusiastic Wu Xiaofeng, her disappointment quickly faded.

She followed Wu Xiaofeng up to the third floor. Passing a department in the middle of the hallway, a chubby girl wiping down a desk looked up at her. Feng Yueliang didn't recognize her; she turned her head and walked into the office as Wu Xiaofeng opened the door.

The office was spacious and clean. Across from them was the east wall with a window—one pane closed, one open. This reflected the shrewd character of Wu Xiaofeng; in his dealings with others, he would never reveal his entire mind, always leaving a space to retreat or advance.

The desk in the office was dark, oily, and shiny. It was quite wide, and against the wall sat a delicate, exquisite model sailboat. The sails were inscribed with the four characters "Smooth Sailing" in red paint, which were quite eye-catching, seemingly offering a silent blessing to Wu Xiaofeng's construction business. Beside the desk was a leather swivel chair, which, paired with the desk, seemed like an inseparable business partner, tacitly achieving something.

Against the south wall sat a black leather sofa, as wide as three or four wooden benches in a rural home pushed together. It seemed to bear not just the weight of a person, but an aura of luxury and extravagance.

Wu Xiaofeng, not yet seated in his office chair, gestured for Feng Yueliang to sit on the sofa.

Feng Yueliang remained standing, intending to finish what she had to say and leave. Before she could speak, the chubby girl entered, holding a rag in one hand and a water bucket in the other to clean.

Wu Xiaofeng told her, "Leave the cleaning for later. Go get some tea first." He pointed to Feng Yueliang and said, "This is Sister Feng from our village."

The chubby girl gave Feng Yueliang a silent look and said obediently, "Sister Feng, wait a moment, I'll go brew some tea right away."

Feng Yueliang nodded and sat down. The chubby girl took Wu Xiaofeng's large, covered health-tea mug and left.

Wu Xiaofeng introduced her: "She is the niece of Wan Shangao, the deputy mayor of Mianhua Town. She isn't very capable, but to maintain the relationship, I had to arrange for her to do odd jobs."

"I know your construction company only hires men, not women," Feng Yueliang said, getting to the point. "My husband is coming in a few days. Can you save a position for him, Manager Wu?"

Wu Xiaofeng laughed. "I keep my promises, but your husband must come as soon as possible. If the spots for men are filled, it will be hard to make arrangements. Of course, it's not that we don't hire women at all. We have just started a new site on the outskirts of town—the blueprint you saw downstairs was for that site. Once work begins, we will need a woman to cook in the site shed. If you are willing, I can make the decision now. The salary is 1,500 yuan a month, with three meals included. Think about it, and if you agree, come find me, but do it quickly."

"Alright! I agree." Feng Yueliang, feeling she couldn't earn a penny at home, didn't want to let this opportunity slip away.

"You will also need to bring your ID card and a copy. Our personnel department will sign a contract with you, and you will enjoy the same benefits as the other employees."

As Wu Xiaofeng spoke, his eyes were fixed on her. He found her beautiful—far more beautiful than his own wife—and he caught the scent of violets on her, which only piqued his interest further.

Facing Wu Xiaofeng's suggestive gaze, Feng Yueliang lowered her head in shyness and said, "I'll go back and prepare."

Just as she stepped out, the chubby girl arrived with the tea. Feng Yueliang said, "Thank you, but I'm not thirsty, I won't drink any."

Wu Xiaofeng watched her beautiful back and listened to the rhythmic sound of her departing footsteps. He didn't feel as though she had left at all; instead, he felt as if she were stepping closer and closer to his heart.