Volume One, Chapter Nine: Far from the Little Demoness

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Zhou Cong’s ears were flushed red from coughing. He hoarsely grumbled in a low voice, “Boss, you’ve ruined my reputation.”
Mo Lingcheng glanced at him; Zhou Cong’s dark skin was now tinged with a rosy glow.
Narrowing his eyes, Mo Lingcheng fixed a sharp gaze on Shen Qingqing.
That woman was indeed frivolous and bold.
With just a single sentence, she had stirred up three men.
Unconsciously, Shen Qingqing hiccupped and hurriedly fled in the opposite direction.
“Qingqing, come here,” Xiao Meimei stopped her at the corridor’s corner.
Shen Qingqing looked up at Xiao Meimei and pressed her lips together, “Meimei, aren’t you afraid of me?”
“Afraid of what? That woman is obviously a high-class manipulator,” Xiao Meimei rolled her eyes and tugged Shen Qingqing toward the room. “I’ve already picked up the room card and luggage for you. We’ll be sharing a room for the time being.”
Shen Qingqing let Xiao Meimei lead her, her eyes swelling as she looked deeply at Xiao Meimei’s retreating figure.
This feeling of being trusted was rare and long overdue.
Back in the room, after a simple unpacking, it was time for dinner.
The hotel offered a buffet dinner.
Shen Qingqing was in charge of finding a seat, while Xiao Meimei chose the food.
Shen Qingqing entered the exclusive dining area of the Mo Group and had just sat down at an empty spot.
Several colleagues around her abruptly stood up and moved their trays to tables farther away.
Shen Qingqing glanced at them a few times, certain she did not know any of them.
What was this blatant disdain about?
She looked around and happened to catch the eyes of some probationary employees.
Xu Minyu was sitting with them, lips curled in a subtle smile, eating slowly and deliberately.
Shen Qingqing smiled wryly to herself. Back in middle school, when Xu Minyu was bullied, Shen Qingqing had scolded those bullies until they were utterly ashamed.
Now, she was experiencing workplace bullying herself, with the instigator being none other than Xu Minyu, whom she had once protected.
Xiao Meimei came over with a plate, “Hey? Do Mo Group employees like to cluster when they eat?”
Empty tables surrounded Shen Qingqing, while Xu Minyu’s table seemed to squeeze in twice as many people.
Taking the plate from Xiao Meimei, Shen Qingqing smiled, “Mainly because I… come with a two-meter protective shield.”
“That’s too much!” Xiao Meimei slammed her chopsticks on the table and sat down.
“Meimei, why don’t you sit over there?” Shen Qingqing suggested.
“Shen Qingqing, what do you mean?” Xiao Meimei’s big round eyes stared at her. “Do you look down on me?”
“No,” Shen Qingqing quickly reassured her, “I just don’t want you to get dragged into this. Workplace exclusion is…”
“Is just taking sides, right?” Xiao Meimei interrupted, “Then I’ll stand with you! I refuse to believe the Mo Group has no justice.”
Xiao Meimei’s final words were shouted loudly and clearly.
Mo Lingcheng and Zhou Cong, carrying their trays, heard every word as they approached.
Mo Lingcheng glanced over the dining area, understanding the situation.
He lifted his long legs and walked toward the table behind Shen Qingqing, sitting down calmly.

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Two male probationary employees began to feel uneasy, whispering among themselves:
“Shen Qingqing and Assistant Zhou—could they have known each other before?”
“He helped Shen Qingqing yesterday, and now again today... can it be a coincidence?”
“To be safe, we should remain neutral for now.”
They then moved their trays away.
Other regular employees also began to spread out and change seats gradually.
Soon, the dining area returned to a normal seating arrangement.
Xu Minyu looked at the tall girl beside her, Wang Ying: “Why aren’t you leaving?”
Wang Ying calmly offered Xu Minyu a piece of meat and replied, “Life is like gambling; I’d rather bet on you winning.”
Xu Minyu smiled faintly, saying no more.
Power and wealth have always been a gamble.
Wang Ying was a wise woman.
Halfway through the meal, all employees in the dining area received a text message:
“Welcome to the Jiudui Village project team! Congratulations on winning the project’s opening bonus of XX yuan. The bonus amount is randomly assigned by the computer. Please do not disclose or compare your winnings.”
Although it reminded everyone not to compare, the unexpected windfall still excited many.
The restaurant quickly filled with cheerful sharing, with most bonuses in the tens and a few in the hundreds.
Xiao Meimei covered her mouth, peeked around, and secretly told Shen Qingqing, “Qingqing, I won six hundred sixty-six. I don’t think anyone got more than this.”
“Good luck!” Shen Qingqing sincerely wished. “May fortune be with you.”
“How much did you get?” Xiao Meimei asked with a grin.
Only then did Shen Qingqing take out her phone and open the message.
After a glance, her expression became anxious, and she quickly closed the message.
“Single digits?” Xiao Meimei guessed from Shen Qingqing’s face.
Shen Qingqing pressed her lips together and said nothing.
“It’s okay, it’s okay!” Xiao Meimei sympathetically handed her a piece of cake. “Eat something sweet to calm your nerves.”
Xiao Meimei sighed softly.
This girl was just unlucky—she could choke even on cold water.
Her fiancé was taken away, and at work, she was bullied by a mistress...
Now even the lottery brought no luck.
Shen Qingqing accepted the cake and took a small bite, but her heart continued to race uncontrollably.
She was extremely sensitive to numbers; with just a glance, she saw the amount clearly.
It was five million!
She dared not tell anyone. Already excluded by others, if discovered, she might be ostracized even more.
Besides, the amount was likely a mistake from the finance department.
She needed to find an opportunity to quietly inquire with finance alone.

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Shen Qingqing’s stiff posture and surprised expression all fell into Mo Lingcheng’s sight.
He stood up and left the dining hall.
Zhou Cong followed closely behind:
“Boss, Shen Qingqing accepted it.”
“I’m not blind,” Mo Lingcheng replied irritably.
Zhou Cong pressed on, “Then can you put your mind at ease and stay away from that little enchantress?”
To Zhou Cong, Shen Qingqing was like the temptress who seduced the Tang Monk in Journey to the West.
He had admired his boss’s chastity for twenty-nine years, yet with her, he had broken his vow in one night.
Now, he was meddling on her behalf twice over.
This was a very dangerous sign.
If she were not Xu Mingxuan’s fiancée, it might be fine—but she was, indeed, his fiancée.
If his boss lost his heart, his good reputation would be lost as well.
Old Master Mo always said family honor was more important than life itself.
“What did you call her?” Mo Lingcheng suddenly turned around and demanded coldly.
Zhou Cong immediately covered his mouth, trembling his head.
Mo Lingcheng gave no chance for explanation and ordered directly: “Run fifty laps around the hotel.”
Early the next morning, six probationary employees rose early and followed the HR manager to the Jiudui Village Cultural Museum.
The first assessment arranged by HR was to select a cultural relic and create a hand-drawn replica.
Shen Qingqing and Xiao Meimei circled the museum once but still hadn’t decided which item to choose.
Xiao Meimei took a phone call midway and hurriedly bid farewell to Shen Qingqing:
“Qingqing, I have an urgent matter and need to return to the hotel first. I’ll send you the picture I chose later, and you can help me take a few more shots from different angles.”
“Okay, be careful on your way back,” Shen Qingqing gently reminded her.
After seeing Xiao Meimei off, Shen Qingqing wandered around the museum many more times.
She had to ace this assessment.
Only by overpowering Xu Minyu with her skills could she gain an advantage in securing a permanent position despite the exclusion.
Finally, she chose a jade zhang.
The jade zhang was simply shaped, but the mountain ritual engraving on it was very intricate.
Without solid skills, it was impossible to replicate it closely.
She finished taking detailed photos of the jade zhang just as she received the images Xiao Meimei sent.
Xiao Meimei chose a tripod cooking vessel, located in the same small exhibition hall as the jade zhang.
After taking the photos, packing her sketchbook, and preparing to leave, Shen Qingqing found the small exhibition hall’s door locked from the outside.