Chapter 4: Lady and Gentleman

The next day.

Su Yunzhou saw the reply, and the corners of his lips curled up slightly. She really liked to play on Little Blue Book in the dead of night!

After pondering for a moment, he replied to the message:

[Good morning! A new day full of vitality. Wishing you peace and joy today.]

After he washed up, another message arrived.

[A day full of vitality starts with a good breakfast.]

It was accompanied by a picture. On the table sat an exquisite sandwich, a glass of milk, a fried egg, and some cherry tomatoes.

Looking at the nutritious spread, Su Yunzhou suddenly felt a bit hungry.

[I'm so jealous! I can only get fried dough sticks and soy milk from the breakfast shop.]

On the way to work.

The two chatted casually. Once he arrived at his cubicle, he turned on his computer and continued to slack off.

In the afternoon.

His resignation process showed that the approval was complete. Now, he just needed to go to the HR department to sign the papers.

KNOCK KNOCK!

"Come in!" a melodious voice called out.

Su Yunzhou pushed the door open and stepped inside. As his gaze swept across the room, his eyes lit up. Today, Liu Yiyi was wearing a light-colored blouse paired with a dark denim mini-skirt. Her long hair was pinned up high, and she wore light makeup on her cheeks. Her large eyes were clear and bright. It was obvious that she was in a good mood.

Qing walked over. Looking at Su Yunzhou, who was dressed in casual clothes, she teased, "Looks like your family got a massive payout for your farmland! I only just sent you the notice, and you're already in such a rush to come down."

Su Yunzhou chuckled and went along with the procedures. The final step required Liu Yiyi's signature. He stood in front of her desk, his gaze resting on her.

Sitting in her office chair with one hand propping up her forehead, Liu Yiyi smiled at him. "Although Qing already asked, as a matter of routine, I still have to ask again: do you have any good suggestions or feedback for the company?"

Su Yunzhou's lips curled into a smile. With a tone that was equal parts sincere and teasing, he said, "I hope the company will allow office romance!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, he drew the attention of the entire HR office.

Standing nearby, Qing pressed her lips together and giggled. "You really dare to say anything!"

"Speaking of which, Handsome Su, who exactly is that person? You've resigned anyway, so just tell us!" a female colleague asked gossipingly.

Su Yunzhou smiled and shook his head. "I can't say! It's a secret!"

The girls wanted to continue pressing him, but Liu Yiyi cleared her throat.

"Ahem!"

"Thank you for your answer. We'll record it truthfully," she said. Picking up a fountain pen, Liu Yiyi signed her name on the resignation consent form.

A second later.

[Affinity +10]

Looking at the newly recovered Affinity, Su Yunzhou knew he had made the right decision. He smiled and bid his farewells.

A peculiar light flickered in Liu Yiyi's beautiful eyes. "Wishing you a bright future!"

Su Yunzhou gave an unrelated reply, "The world is so big, I want to go out and see it."

This joke triggered another round of teasing from the crowd. However, no one noticed the faint blush that inexplicably crept up Liu Yiyi's cheeks. She naturally understood the hidden meaning behind his words. The lake of her heart, which she had finally managed to calm, rippled once again.

[Affinity +3]

Su Yunzhou returned to Design Group 3 feeling completely refreshed. In just a short while, the Affinity had risen to 33 points. He chuckled inwardly, "Hehe! The revolution has not yet succeeded; comrades still need to work hard!"

Once he was back at his cubicle, his colleagues all started talking at once.

"Su, are the procedures all done?"

"I'm so jealous of you!"

"Brother Su, where are you planning to go enjoy life now?"

Su Yunzhou smiled and said he hadn't decided yet. Seeing the expectant looks in his colleagues' eyes, he generously offered, "Since it's Friday, if you guys are free tonight, I'll treat everyone to a little get-together."

Hearing this, the group burst into excitement.

"Awesome!"

"If Brother Su is treating, we definitely have time!"

"Rich big bro, what are we eating tonight?"

Su Yunzhou's lips curled up. "Six o'clock tonight. Shangjing Japanese Cuisine on the third floor of Qinda Plaza."

Before he even finished speaking, another cheer erupted.

"Brother Su is so generous!"

"Seafood and Japanese cuisine!"

"We'll definitely be there!"

The group leader waved his hand to stop the noisy crowd. "Alright, alright, we're still at work!" Then, he turned to Su Yunzhou. "Su, normally it would be my turn to treat everyone to this meal, but since you're rich now, I'll shamelessly tag along."

"You're too polite, Team Leader. I still have to thank you for taking care of me all this time."

"I wouldn't call it taking care of you; we're all colleagues." Saying this, a wry smile appeared on the group leader's face. "However, you've really raised the bar for our future group dinners with this one."

Su Yunzhou laughed heartily. Sitting at his desk, he began sorting his personal belongings and exiting various work group chats.

In his three years on the job, he had accumulated seventeen or eighteen work groups of all sizes. These were all proof of his past hard work. Now that he was quitting them one by one, he felt a bit reluctant to let them go. He quickly snapped out of it, thinking, "No! How can I have such thoughts? I've really been a corporate slave for so long that it's become a habit."

PHEW! Su Yunzhou took a deep breath and told himself that from now on, he was just going to be an ordinary man enjoying the worldly pleasures of life.

Over in Design Group 3, a colleague who didn't get along well with Su Yunzhou was whispering complaints to another coworker.

"Fuck! Shangjing costs 498 a person for dinner. Did his family's house really get demolished?"

"Who cares! Free food is free food! I haven't ever eaten at such an expensive buffet!"

"True!"

"Bro, you should be happy. You two used to clash over design concepts all the time. Now that he's gone, you're the top dog in our group."

"Sigh! What's the point? My monthly salary will only go up by a thousand bucks or so!"

"Meanwhile, for this one meal, he's paying for the seven of us. Three or four thousand yuan, gone just like that. Comparing yourself to others really pisses you off!"

Hearing these sour remarks, the other colleague didn't know how to respond, because deep down, he was just as envious and jealous!

Half a month ago, his girlfriend had wanted to eat at this very same Japanese buffet, but he couldn't bear to spend the money. The two of them had a very unpleasant argument over it. It wasn't that he didn't love his girlfriend, but spending a thousand yuan on a single meal was genuinely painful for an ordinary office worker!

Now, looking at the calm and composed Su Yunzhou not far away, there was a saying that perfectly described their mood: "Worried a bro might starve, but even more worried a bro might drive a Land Rover." Having been colleagues for three years, everyone knew each other inside out. For someone to suddenly strike it rich... this feeling was really freaking awful.

Meanwhile, the female colleague who had a secret crush on Su Yunzhou immediately messaged her best friends, telling them she had a company dinner tonight and wouldn't be going shopping with them. At the same time, she felt a bit annoyed. She wondered, "I didn't dress up carefully today; my outfit can only be rated a seven out of ten. Should I go to the convenience store later and buy a secret weapon to boost my score? But I don't know if Brother Yunzhou likes the 'pantyhose under trousers' look. This is so frustrating!"

Su Yunzhou was completely oblivious to everyone's hidden thoughts.

He was currently having a passionate chat with 'Yang Liu Yiyi' on Little Blue Book. After confirming his resignation, he could clearly feel that the atmosphere of their chat had improved significantly.

Even though both of them knew the other's true identity, they tacitly avoided the topic. They were like a gentleman and a lady who had just met. Although their words were slightly audacious, they never lost their elegance. Instead, there was a peculiar sincerity and calculation to it all.

In this fast-paced society, a so-called lady was merely a fox with a plan, and a so-called gentleman was nothing but a patient wolf. All their supposed reserve and poise was nothing more than calculated observation to weigh the pros and cons.