In the afternoon, He Xiyan knocked off work on time and left the office with several new colleagues who she had just met. They were all young and intelligent young ladies who had graduated from good foreign universities and had impressive resumes.
However, there was a clear difference between the women who were single and those who were married. Those young women who were in their twenties and still single mostly chattered about where to eat and play.
A colleague named Yumin threaded her arm through He Xiyan’s and said, “Xiyan, why don’t you follow us to the nearby restaurant? We’ll all be going there!” Then, she pointed at the five or six colleagues in front of her.
He Xiyan stopped and looked at her colleagues apprehensively but she ultimately nodded her head and said, “Sure, I’ll treat all of you to dinner.”
He Xiyan felt that since it was her first day at work, she should make use of this dinner to get to know more about her colleagues and get a better understanding of the work culture. Those young women seemed to be around her age, so there wasn’t a huge generation gap. However, they were all single and she was already a mother of two.
Those young women headed into a Sichuan hotpot restaurant that was located 600 meters from the office. This restaurant wasn’t a Michelin-starred restaurant but it was extremely popular and all three floors of the restaurant and over a hundred tables were almost completely occupied.
Fortunately, Yumin had made reservations in advance, so they managed to get a table that was by the window.
After the young women took their seats, they started chatting and gossiping amongst themselves.
A golden-haired and blue-eyed girl who was clearly a foreigner licked her lips and said, “I really like this restaurant and the food here is really delicious. This is the most delicious food I’ve eaten since coming to China and I’ve also heard that the professor comes here often to eat hotpot here.”
The young woman seemed absolutely captivated by the soup in the hotpot and the professor she mentioned was none other than Su Ye. Most people within the company privately addressed him as ‘professor’.
“I saw the professor here recently and he was with a beautiful woman. I guess he must have found a girlfriend,” the biracial woman, Lily You said.
They seemed to enjoy gossiping about their boss after work and this had already become a habit for them.
“Really?” Yumin said with a cold laugh and she didn’t seem too surprised by the news.
She knew that Mr. Su was known for being a playboy and had dated many women. She had even accompanied Mr. Su to a musical once and just when she thought that things were going to get serious, her bubble had burst. After that one time, Mr. Su had never asked her out again as though this had only been a figment of her imagination. He had even addressed her by the wrong name once when he ran into her along the corridor.
“It is true,” Lily You said and sounded extremely sure of herself as she continued, “I saw the professor and he was even holding that woman’s hand. They seemed very close, so I’m pretty sure he’s dating someone this time.”
The young women chatted amongst themselves and more than half of the women present had interacted with Su Ye privately. They did not notice that the man that they were gossiping about was already at the doorway of the restaurant and a tall and beautiful woman was by his side.
The young woman held the man’s arm and her make-up was perfect. She wore a cream-colored dress and a black coat over her dress. Her hair was long, brown, and curled perfectly. She had her hair done in a half-updo and there was a hair clip to hold her hairstyle in place. Her dress and make-up made her seem pure and beautiful.