Shimen City, at the Shimen Inn Restaurant.
As the company staff followed Wu Jun through the doors, many of them felt like country bumpkins gawking at the Grand View Garden, completely floored by the restaurant’s lavish decor.
Many of them had been working for years and had attended plenty of company dinners, but this was the first time they had ever been to a restaurant this high-class.
Watching their CEO, Wu Jun, lead the way with such a confident and impressive bearing, they all felt they had hitched their wagon to the right star. Their spirits soared, and they resolved to follow him for the rest of their careers.
They would have been perfectly happy with a good meal at any ordinary restaurant. They never expected their boss would treat them to a place this fancy.
"Welcome, Mr. Wu! Your presence truly brightens up the place." After getting Wu Jun’s call to book the tables, Dong Shanshan had skipped the gym to personally greet him at the restaurant.
"Please, Shanshan, don’t tease me," Wu Jun said sincerely after they exchanged greetings. "Thank you so much for your help today. That rice was a lifesaver."
"It was nothing, don’t keep mentioning it," Dong Shanshan said with a playful smile. "Just make sure you bring your business here next time you’re treating everyone to dinner."
"Absolutely," Wu Jun agreed with a smile.
Dong Shanshan was as bold and charismatic as the innkeeper of a classic tavern. Wu Jun felt that she was someone worth befriending.
After a brief chat, Dong Shanshan had the restaurant manager lead Wu Jun’s staff to a private dining area where four tables had been arranged for them.
Wu Jun stayed behind at the reception desk to place the order. Although there was a hierarchy at the company, Wu Jun treated everyone the same. He ordered identical dishes and drinks for all four tables. He was in high spirits for the gathering tonight, and the cost was not an issue.
It would be a waste of money to treat everyone to dinner only to offend people by giving them different treatment.
"Well now, look at you. Really splashing out on your employees, aren’t we?" Dong Shanshan teased from the side when she saw that with the dishes and drinks Wu Jun ordered, each table would cost over 10,000 yuan.
Wu Jun continued placing the order as he spoke. "The company wouldn’t exist without this team. It’s not often we all get to have a meal together, so of course I have to treat them well."
"That’s the attitude of someone destined for big things," Dong Shanshan said with a smile. "I’ve been in the restaurant business a long time and I’ve seen every kind of boss. There are plenty who make their employees eat basic fare in the main hall while the leadership team dines on delicacies and drinks Maotai in a private room. A boss like you, who treats everyone so equally, is a rare sight."
Dong Shanshan giggled. "You’re the worst kind of person, you know that?"
Wu Jun looked puzzled. "What do you mean, Shanshan? Is there something wrong with what I’m doing?"
Dong Shanshan playfully poked him in the chest. "You’re the type of person who makes people willing to work themselves to death for you."
A group of managers standing nearby saw their boss, Ms. Dong, acting so familiar with a handsome young man and stared in surprise. They had never seen Dong Shanshan get this close to any man before.
"Heh... you’re joking, Shanshan." Flustered by her public teasing, Wu Jun quickly finished ordering. He didn’t dare linger. "I’ll leave it to you, then," he said, turning and heading for the private room where his staff was waiting.
Watching Wu Jun’s hasty retreat, Dong Shanshan’s smile widened. She handed the order to a nearby manager and told her to have the kitchen rush it. Wu Jun’s tables were top priority.
Wu Jun had barely sat down back in the private room when the dishes he had just ordered began to arrive one after another. The speed was astonishing.
Seeing the feast Wu Jun had ordered, everyone exclaimed that they could never finish it all. Wu Jun told them to take home whatever they couldn’t eat, so nothing would go to waste.
Wu Jun, a few of his relatives, Xu Fei, and Chen Lin all sat at one table, which was effectively the company’s core leadership. When the other employees saw that the food at the head table was identical to theirs, it was just as Dong Shanshan had predicted: Wu Jun won over their hearts.
"Mr. Wu, my name is Meng Fanda. I’m a delivery driver for Junheng. I’m really happy to be part of the company! Here’s to Junheng’s continued success and growing profits! I’ll empty my glass, you can drink as you wish." The driver finished his introduction, downed his drink in one go, and turned his glass upside down.
"I’ll remember that, Meng Fanda. Keep up the good work." Wu Jun also drained his glass readily.
"Way to go, Mr. Wu!" cheered the customer service supervisor, Li Xiaoxiao, along with her team.
"Mr. Wu, my name is..."
"Mr. Wu, I’m..."
With the ice broken, employees started coming up one after another to introduce themselves, and Wu Jun didn’t turn anyone away. Luckily, Dong Shanshan had provided small glasses for the table, each holding less than two ounces. Otherwise, he never would have been able to handle this gauntlet of toasts.
Wu Jun could hold his liquor, but even he couldn’t keep up with dozens of employees toasting him. It would have been improper to drink with some but not others, so by the time he went to pay the bill, his head was already spinning.
The food was excellent and the drinks were top-shelf. The dinner officially began at 7:00 PM and didn’t wrap up until well after 9:00 PM.
As the dinner ended, the weather outside had turned foul. A low rumble of thunder echoed in the distance.
Dong Shanshan kindly helped call for taxis. Employees heading in the same direction shared a cab, while others took their own. Soon, everyone had left by taxi.
"Jun, we’re going to head back now. You get some rest, too," said Dong Lizhu. She and Ma Chaoyun were the last to leave. After seeing off all the other employees, they got into the final taxi and said their goodbyes to Wu Jun.
DRIP. DROP. Just as Dong Lizhu and Ma Chaoyun left, the rain that had been threatening all evening finally began to fall.
Xu Fei, who hadn’t been drinking, had already gone to get the car from the parking lot. Wu Jun was standing a few dozen meters from the hotel entrance, and he couldn’t be bothered to go back to take shelter. He simply stood in the rain, waiting for her to pull up.
Seeing Wu Jun standing alone in the rain from the lobby, Dong Shanshan came out holding an umbrella. She stepped forward, shielding him from the downpour, and said with a knowing smile, "Why don’t you stay the night? There’s a spare room upstairs."
Wu Jun turned, his gaze involuntarily falling upon Dong Shanshan’s face, with her elegant, light makeup. Perhaps it was the alcohol, or perhaps it was how close they were standing, but hearing her suggestive words made his blood run hot.
Dong Shanshan was beautiful. Thanks to her regular workouts, she had a great figure, and on top of that, she was rich. She had everything a man could dream of.
’To say he felt nothing for her would be lying to himself. Wu Jun knew he was no Liu Xiahui; he was far from being a sage who was immune to the charms of a beautiful woman, especially not after a few drinks.’
The rain began to pour. Dong Shanshan shifted the umbrella further over Wu Jun, and in an instant, the rain soaked one of her shoulders. When Wu Jun noticed, his heart skipped a beat.
HONK! HONK! The sound of a car horn pulled Wu Jun’s gaze away from Dong Shanshan. A black Mercedes GLS had pulled up beside them, and Xu Fei pushed the door open to get out.
"Jun! I’m so sorry, I took too long! You must be soaked. Quick, get in the car," Xu Fei said anxiously, rushing out into the rain to pull the car door open for him.
’Tell Shanshan I’m leaving, or tell Xu Fei I’m staying.’ The two options flashed through Wu Jun’s mind. ’I have the potential to be a real scumbag,’ he thought suddenly.
"Thanks for your hospitality tonight, Shanshan." In the end, Wu Jun chose to thank her, ducking into the car. Xu Fei shut the door with a SLAM.
"Thank you, Ms. Dong. I’ll be taking him home now," Xu Fei said to Dong Shanshan before jogging around to the other side, pulling open her door, and getting in.
As the car drove off into the distance, Dong Shanshan finally turned and walked back toward the restaurant entrance.