Tenant’s Secret Love

Chapter 43: Like attracts

CEO of Jumei Shopping Center: Renee (foreign name Betsy) was born on September 10, 1988, native place: Suzhou, graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with an MBA.

I was shocked beyond words as I read the resume. It turned out that the woman I had driven out of the dilapidated house last night was the new CEO of Jumei Shopping Center. Although I don't work at Jumei, as our biggest competitor, it still indirectly connects Renee and me in some way. At least we are both in the department store industry, although our statuses are worlds apart.

Is there really such a thing as “like attracts”? After our lives intersected, we were indirectly connected at work.

Mark noticed my unusual behavior and asked, not quite understanding, “What's wrong? Is there something wrong with this personnel file from Zhuo Mei?”

“No, no... I just think that the new CEO of Zhuo Mei is really pretty, only 26 years old, and I wonder if she has a boyfriend.”

Mark looked at me helplessly, speechless for a long time.

“Then you go ahead, Manager, I'll get back to work.” Without waiting for a response, I left the manager's office with Zhuo Mei's personnel file.

...

Back in my office, I went through the personnel file again. After reading it all over, I flipped back to Renee's page. I still found it a bit unbelievable, and subconsciously compared myself to her again. I instantly felt that the gap between people could be so great. You have to know that in recent years, Zhuo Mei has been steadily outperforming us in Suzhou. As the CEO of Zhuo Mei, Renee is better than our CEO Franklin in the industry. During the two years I have worked at Baoli, because of the hierarchy, I have never even seen Franklin's face. In my heart, Franklin is a man who stands high and needs me to look up at him. But not long ago, Renee, who is a stronger presence in the industry than Yang Huaqing, was actually treated rudely by me. I still remember the scene that day when I threw her sheets and quilts out of the window into the rain. At that time, Renee really cried out of distress in front of me, and in the time we spent together afterwards, I was even more notorious...

I didn't want to think about it anymore. At this time, I was really glad that I worked at Baoli, not Jumei!

Jack, who was standing next to me, looked at my constantly changing expression and asked suspiciously, “Lucas, why is your expression so distorted?”

“My face hurts!”

“Oh...what kind of information is that in your hand? You've been looking at it for a long time.”

“The latest personnel file from Jumei. You can familiarize yourself with it.” I said, throwing the information to Jack.

Jack then looked through it, and just as he saw the first page, he said to me in surprise, “The CEO at Zhuomei has changed!”

“Mm,” I responded.

Jack continued to read, and then exclaimed, “Only 26 years old, and still so pretty, she can't be a vase, can she?”

“You think so too, don't you?“ I said to Jack, as if we were soulmates, but I was really upset. Why is it that Renee, who is in the post-80s generation like me, lives like a fairy, while I live like a cockroach?

“But she has an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania, so she can't be too vain. Who doesn't know that the business school at the University of Pennsylvania is the best in the world?” Jack looked at Renee's photo and dismissed what he had just said.

I stared at Jack and said, “Jack, do you have a position? What's wrong with an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania? In modern business competition, it's wisdom and experience that counts, not academic qualifications.”

“Why are you so excited! I was just saying that, anyway, whether she's a flower vase or not has nothing to do with the rest of us little people.”

“Sissy, don't talk to me.”

“Who's a sissy? I'm a cool guy who loves outdoor sports,” Jack said to me, his face red with anger.

“Outdoor ballet, maybe.”

“Lucas, you bastard, you're mean, and you talk even meaner!”

I replied nonchalantly, “Go ahead and keep cursing, and do it with your****”

Jack: ”...”

...

That evening, I stayed at the office with my colleagues and worked two extra hours. I had been in this kind of work situation for several days in a row, and I had gradually become accustomed to the busyness and high pressure. This was a significant change for me, and my long-depressed life needed this kind of change.

As I was about to leave the office, I received a call from Harlan. He told me that he and Natalie had returned from Sanya and invited me to dinner. I asked him warily if Brittany was there, and he told me that Brittany had gone to Nanjing with Robert. I let my guard down, but my heart was full of an indescribable sense of loss. I knew exactly what it meant for Brittany and Robert to go back to Nanjing this time.

The heaviness of the night kept suppressing my sharp senses, and so I became more and more depressed and lost...

I arrived at the restaurant where I had a date with Harlan, smoked a cigarette at the entrance, grinned and looked at myself in the window, and felt that my smile was flawless before I stubbed out the cigarette and walked towards the restaurant.

Natalie waved at me from afar, and I struggled to maintain the smile I had just had as I walked towards the couple.

After I sat down, Natalie immediately handed me the bag next to her and said, “I know you like beer, so I bought you a lot of seafood that you can open and eat right away...Lucas, don't I treat you well?”

I took the bag from Natalie and said with a pout, ‘You're a married young woman, so don't pretend to be young in front of us and call yourself my sister. I really can't do it.”

Natalie patted me and said, ’You're so mean. What's wrong with me being a young woman? A young woman is also your sister.”

I laughed heartlessly, “haha,” but my mood was still immersed in an undeserved sense of loss that I could not extricate myself from.

Amidst my bantering with Natalie, Harlan asked me, “I heard from Mark that there will be a large-scale promotional event for our Polaroid at Zhuo Mei in the near future.”

I nodded and said, “Well, this is to be expected, otherwise Mark wouldn't have been so anxious to bring you back, but unfortunately you're on your honeymoon.” Then I turned to Natalie and asked, “Young wife, aren't you annoyed to be called back before you've had enough fun?”

Natalie took hold of Harlan's arm and said, ‘I always support my husband's work, so I don't care if I don't get to play for a few days.”

“Good wife, helpful wife!’ I exclaimed from the bottom of my heart.

Harlan put his arm around Natalie and smiled at me, “You can also do something to train your girlfriend to be a good wife!”

I was speechless, looking around and waiting for the waiter to hurry up and bring the food.

During dinner, Harlan and I talked about work again. I gave him an overview of my recent work situation, and then he suddenly asked, ”By the way, I heard that the CEO at Jumei has changed. You should have their latest personnel files, right?”

“Yes, Mark gave me one this morning.”

“Do you have it with you? Let me see it.”

I suddenly realized that the new CEO of Jumei was none other than Renee. If Harlan suddenly saw that personnel file, he would be blown away, and I would have a hard time explaining it to him, because it was too unbelievable. I never dreamed that the woman I had dragged along to pretend to be my “girlfriend” would be the new CEO of Jumei.

I said immediately, “I don't see why I should carry that around with me.”

“You've already seen the personnel file, haven't you? Tell me a little about the new CEO of Jumei and the situation in their planning department.”

I said impatiently, ‘It's after work. Can we not talk about work?”

Harlan said to me very seriously, ’I'm never ambiguous about work. For me, there's no difference between work and non-work. As members of the company's planning department, it's essential that we keep up with our competitors' movements.”

I was silent, knowing that I could not hide this from him. Harlan would have to look at Zhuo Mei's personnel file sooner or later. With a resolute heart, I took the file out of my bag and threw it in front of Harlan, saying, “This is it.”

Harlan picked up the file and asked in surprise, ”Didn't you say you didn't bring it with you?”

“Don't ask, just read it.