Climbing the Career Ladder - -

Liu Yun and Li Mengze hadn’t made love for several days, so Liu Yun was actually very eager. Thanks to the excellent soundproofing of the room, they were able to indulge passionately without fear of being heard, climaxing several times; Li Mengze also persevered, repeatedly bringing her to blissful heights until they were both utterly exhausted and finally fell asleep in each other’s arms.

Half an hour later, Li Mengze went to take a bath, then they cuddled up and slept together. Despite Liu Yun’s usual energetic demeanor and her tendency to butt heads with Li Mengze, she was actually the most attached to him.

If Li Mengze decided what Liu Yun should do, she might protest a bit if there was the slightest opportunity, but then she would go ahead and earnestly do it.

“Jing Wen, Qianyun, don’t be upset. Look, these are the gifts I bought for you. Put them on quickly. Here, let me help you. These are the engagement rings and necklaces, a symbol of my everlasting love for you!”

Early in the morning, Li Mengze was placating two of his women. He didn’t really want to do this so early, although he had long wanted to make love to them, he hadn ‘t expected it to happen so quickly; at the same time, he thought that not causing a fuss last night only to do so now seemed too late, but he still presented the jewelry he had purchased the day before.

Li Mengze fell asleep in Liu Yun’s room, and she quickly dozed off. Li Mengze felt something was amiss and after pondering for a while, he remembered that he hadn’t spent any time with Jing Wen.

Around 1 AM, after resting a bit, Li Mengze left Liu Yun’s embrace and headed to Jing Wen’s room, only to find Su Qianyun there as well. Although he was nervous, since the previous morning he had only cuddled with the other two women without going further. Now seizing the opportunity, he cast aside all warnings and eagerly initiated a focused advance.

Knowing Jing Wen was shy, Li Mengze approached her first. At that moment, Jing Wen felt a mix of hatred and love for him, and due to her shyness, she let him have his way; she dared not resist or make any loud movements, afraid of waking Su Qianyun. However, eventually, she couldn’t help but moan louder and louder. Naturally, this woke Su Qianyun.

Su Qianyun had desired intimacy the previous night but knew Li Mengze was tired; now seeing the situation unfold, she could hardly contain herself. Seeing the usually dignified Jing Wen in such a state, she wished she were in her place. Jing Wen, feeling repressed, was quickly overwhelmed and climaxed several times, soon begging for mercy.

Li Mengze then took the opportunity to hold Su Qianyun in his arms, comforting her longing heart. After a fierce encounter in which Li Mengze slightly prevailed, he once again attended to Jing Wen, who had not been fully satisfied earlier, and finally, the three of them exhaustedly fell asleep in each other’s arms.

This led to the scene they faced this morning. The two could hardly afford to be truly angry, as this secret had to be kept just between them and not let the others know, thus allowing Li Mengze to hastily resolve the situation and return to Tianjin.

Upon his return to Tianjin, Li Mengze found numerous phone messages, shaking his head with a wry smile…

However, one message caught his attention, and then an idea began to form in his mind.

“Hey Jing Wen, could you prepare a case file for Liu Yun? I need her to come over, and she should bring her new clothes and jewelry. She might need to help out, it’s nothing serious. I guess I just miss her. You could come too if you want! Don’t let her eat snacks,” Li Mengze hoped Liu Yun would come over, both to have a companion and…

The reason Li Mengze wanted Liu Yun to come to Tianjin was because the director of his company was about to hold a wedding reception.

Li Mengze worked for a Japanese-funded company where almost all the top management were Japanese. The company was quite large, and that evening, the company’s director was hosting his wedding reception, inviting colleagues and friends and family to celebrate his fourth marriage. Hence, the event was grand, lively yet formal. The attendees were mostly company colleagues who knew each other well, followed by their family members, and then friends of both parties involved in the wedding, especially the groom’s friends.

Li Mengze noticed that not many company colleagues had shown up at the reception. Since the party had already started 20 minutes ago and guests were still absent, it seemed they wouldn’t be coming at all.

“What’s the use in worrying? Let them sort it out themselves,” he thought, shaking his head as he recalled some rumors he had heard about the company.

“Mengze, I thought you wouldn’t come!” a surprised voice suddenly said. Turning towards the voice, it was his colleague, his superior, and more importantly, his good friend Li Yudong, who was hurrying over with a drink in hand.

“Yudong! You’re early. Why didn’t you bring a girlfriend along?” Li Mengze was thrilled; he didn’t have many friends in the company, but Yudong was definitely one of them.

“Who is this young lady?” Li Yudong was also surprised when he saw Liu Yun dressed up.

Liu Yun looked stunning, naturally beautiful, and even more so in her expensive clothing. Her necklace sparkled around her neck, making her appear even more enchanting and adorable in the dimming evening light. The allure in her eyes, from after making love, was still evident, compelling even Li Mengze, who was used to seeing her, to take another look, let alone others!

“Liu Yun, this is Li Yudong, my section chief and boss,” Li Mengze made a brief introduction.

“You’re Li Yudong? Mengze often speaks highly of you, saying how much you’ve helped him. He admires you the most,” Liu Yun said sweetly, though that wasn’t exactly what Li Mengze had said.

“Li Mengze admires me? Did he ever say he hated me?” Li Yudong, who had been drinking, spoke bluntly and wanted to tease Liu Yun a bit.

“Why would he hate you? You’ve been such a great help to him; he’s more grateful than anything,” Liu Yun responded, surprised.

“Liu Yun, let it be, you don’t know the full story,” Li Mengze said, pulling them over to a table on the side, where he began to explain how he and Li Yudong became acquainted.

Li Mengze and Li Yudong were originally romantic rivals; to be precise, Li Yudong was something of a third party.

When Li Mengze joined Uchida Company, he was among a group of more than a dozen new hires, one of whom was an exceptionally beautiful girl who, by chance, was assigned to the same department as him.

At that time, Li Mengze was single and hadn’t yet met Liu Yun and her friends. He pursued the beautiful girl persistently and, fortunately, she did not reject him outright, showing signs that the relationship could develop further. However, just at that moment, the influential section chief intervened.

Li Yudong, of course, had also noticed the beauty in his department. However, it was inappropriate for him to date a subordinate, especially one who was not yet a permanent employee, so he restrained himself.

When Li Yudong saw how close Li Mengze was getting to the beautiful girl, he became anxious. As the saying goes, “For a graceful lady, a gentleman will strive,” and seeing that he might lose the girl, he threw caution to the wind, disregarding Li Mengze’s presence and began competing with him.

Eventually, all the new hires including Li Mengze were made permanent employees, and the rivalry between the two men intensified as they both tried to impress the girl. In the end, Li Mengze was slightly outdone. Of course, looking at them now, in terms of handsomeness, Li Yudong was no less attractive than Li Mengze; they were of similar height and build… In terms of experience, while Li Mengze had just become a permanent employee with a monthly salary of 2000 yuan and was still not fully adept at his job, occasionally facing criticism from the section chief.

Li Yudong, already a section chief with twice the salary of Li Mengze and a promising future, interjected at that point, “At that time, Wang Lihua was gradually leaning towards me,” his voice filled with nostalgia.

“Wang Lihua? Isn’t she the bride today?” Liu Yun immediately picked up on the subtle dynamics between them. She was particularly sensitive about the bride, knowing well that they would never have the chance to be brides themselves.

Li Mengze and Li Yudong exchanged bitter smiles. It turned out that Li Yudong had not yet fully won over Wang Lihua, and now a more formidable competitor had emerged, one with far greater influence. In fact, the combined influence of both men stacked together wouldn’t even reach the heels of this new rival.

At that time, the company’s director, a Japanese man in his forties, nearing fifty but well-maintained and looking as if he were still in his thirties, debonair and dashing, began scouting for beauty within the company. With a mere flick of his finger, he could easily overshadow these two love rivals.

The director decisively transferred Wang Lihua from their department, depriving them of their positional advantage. With some well-placed maneuvers, he quickly brought the two men down. In just a few months, he had successfully paired off, a situation that couldn’t help but leave them seething with resentment.

Li Yudong would visit Li Mengze’s home twice a week to drink until they were beyond drunk; not sleeping until they were inebriated. Once drunk, he would vehemently curse the director and then weep alone until dawn. Meanwhile, Li Mengze would simply fall asleep and then they would both head to work together the next day. Their relationship grew particularly close, looking out for one another and becoming somewhat of an unusual pair of friends within the company. Their plight was no secret to the well-informed within the company. Li Yudong had initially not wanted to come today, but having not seen Li Mengze for several days, he hoped he might encounter him at the evening event. However, not finding him there initially, he began to drink sullenly alone, until he saw Li Mengze with a beautiful girl, which cheered him up and he called out to him.

“There’s Li Yudong. Haven’t you found someone else yet?” Liu Yun felt sorry for him, but was also pleased about Li Mengze’s misfortune.

“Ah, I’ve given up on women, had a bad start! Unlike you, Mengze, who has such great charm with women.” Li Yudong remarked with a sigh.

“Hey, Mengze, Li Yudong is also here, hello, who is this young lady?” It seemed to confirm Li Yudong’s words, as a woman walked over.

“Hello Zhang Xiaoqing! It was great seeing you at the party. I just got home this afternoon. Oh, this is Liu Yun,” Li Mengze introduced, pushing back his return to Tianjin by a few hours. He was somewhat afraid of meeting Zhang Xiaoqing, yet he couldn’t avoid her since she was both a guest and a part-time emcee at the event.

“Zhang Xiaoqing, let’s switch seats!” Li Yudong said uncomfortably, with Liu Yun sitting right across from him.

As soon as Li Yudong looked up, he saw Liu Yun, and with Zhang Xiaoqing right beside him, he was all too aware of the complicated relationships among them. They seemed to ignore his presence, inadvertently dragging him into their troubles. He felt like they should just fight it out among themselves, at least keeping him out of it; in fact, he really wanted to escape this situation, but he stayed for the sake of his friends, reluctantly playing the third wheel.

Liu Yun had fully grasped Li Mengze’s intentions! She felt both angry and proud: angry that men in Tianjin were still so fickle, using her as a shield today; proud that he recognized and valued her.

Li Mengze pretended to be clueless, focusing solely on his food.

Zhang Xiaoqing felt a bit melancholic. It turned out that Li Mengze had always been lukewarm about her courtship, distant yet close. She had thought he couldn’t get over Wang Lihua, foolishly devoting herself to him and comforting him all this time. Now, it turned out he already had a beautiful girl by his side, with a seemingly complicated and favored relationship. Of the four, only Liu Yun was truly enjoying her meal.

Liu Yun couldn’t resist the temptation of food; she hadn’t had any snacks all afternoon. As long as there was something to eat, she wouldn’t be troubled, especially when the food was personally selected by Li Mengze, who knew her tastes and temperament well. She completely disregarded her ladylike image, leaving the other two speechless. Li Yudong’s eyes nearly popped out, hardly believing what he was seeing; was this still the beautiful woman he knew?

Li Mengze smiled, watching Liu Yun eat with great appetite. This was the effect he wanted, this was the woman he liked-unrefined in her eating, perhaps, but as long as she was happy, that was what mattered.

The guests had no time to linger further, as the stars of the evening had made their appearance. The scattered crowd began to converge around the bride and groom, offering their congratulations in a chorus that only added to the festivity of the scene.

Today’s bride was undeniably stunning. Her exquisite attire and perfect grooming enhanced the natural beauty of Wang Lihua, drawing the gaze of nearly every man present.

The party was nearly perfect, marred only by the sparse attendance of guests on the bride’s side, which somewhat embarrassed her and highlighted the groom’s more impressive entourage. The groom appeared to be in his thirties, though those who knew him well were aware that he was nearly fifty and had already been divorced twice in China; all his guests were Japanese.

Nowadays, it is often hard to tell Japanese and Chinese people apart by their clothing, but today it was quite clear. The Japanese women wore traditional kimonos and spoke loudly in Japanese among themselves…

The wedding ceremony had already taken place, and today was merely an additional reception. Nonetheless, blessings were continuously offered by both sides of the family and the guests, with Li Mengze watching and listening with keen interest.

Li Mengze felt envious, knowing he would never experience such an event in his life. Deep down, there was a longing for it.

Following that was the climax of the evening party, where the bride and groom danced the first dance for everyone. The beautiful melody, light steps, and charming combination elicited rounds of applause from the audience.

Li Mengze was holding onto Li Yudong tightly, as the latter had drunk quite a bit and was deeply devoted. Li Mengze was concerned that he might lose control. When the crowd dispersed, Li Mengze immediately noticed many eyes turning their way, and even Li Yudong started to feel nervous. Liu Yun looked stunning tonight; her beauty and elegance attracted all sorts of attention, and many people were already whispering among themselves. In fact, Li Mengze was quite pleased with this effect. He would have been even happier if his woman had completely overshadowed the bride. He even regretted not inviting Su Qianyun or Jing Wen! Unfortunately, he couldn’t dance; if he could, he would definitely outshine the bride and groom, and this was exactly what Li Yudong was planning too.

Li Mengze couldn’t dance, but he didn’t mind Liu Yun dancing. The first person she invited was Li Yudong. Their entrance immediately captured everyone’s attention. Liu Yun’s beauty was dazzling, and with Li Yudong’s status as a rival in love, they made an indescribably perfect pair of dancers. People not only commented on them but also gossiped about another person, understanding all the twists and turns of the situation, even if they hadn’t known about them before.

“You wouldn’t refuse a dance, would you?” Zhang Xiaoqing wouldn’t let him off, especially when he had just taken a sip of his drink, her words tinged with a hint of resentment.

“Sure, of course. But I can’t dance!” Li Mengze said helplessly. He hadn’t danced before, hadn’t learned since, and still couldn’t dance-nor did he want to learn.

“Really? How can you not dance? I’ll teach you,” said Zhang Xiaoqing, somewhat incredulous.

“It’s nothing to boast about, that’s for sure. It’s true. Join me for some juice instead; you must be tired tonight,” Li Mengze said nonchalantly, handing her a glass of juice. Actually, Liu Yun also wanted to teach him to dance. Although he found the idea tempting and it irked him somewhat, he still declined.

“Really, I don’t get you. All you seem to care about is eating.” Zhang Xiaoqing took a sip of her juice, emphasizing the last word heavily as she voiced her complaint. She was becoming increasingly perplexed by this man.

Li Mengze was not particularly outstanding, but Zhang Xiaoqing liked him. She had fallen for him when he was still heartbroken over Wang Lihua, to be exact, when he first joined the company and wasn’t yet a permanent employee. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t seem to capture his heart. Now that Wang Lihua had left and Liu Yun had arrived, he should have been aware of her feelings, especially since many of their colleagues were already in the know. Yet, he never gave her a clear answer, always keeping her at arm’s length. It wasn’t that he didn’t like her; he never rejected her help and even assisted her a great deal. Fortunately, with his investment of over ten thousand, they had made a profit of more than a million from stock trading, a feat that many of their colleagues had yet to accomplish. But why couldn’t he understand her feelings?

“Zhang Xiaoqing, come over to my place tonight. There are some things I’d like to talk to you about,” Li Mengze said. He didn’t know what Zhang Xiaoqing was thinking, but he knew this issue had to be addressed. He had to face her, this beautiful girl. He couldn’t keep hurting her!

Liu Yun danced several dances in a row, her eyes never straying far from Li Mengze. She had a feeling that Li Mengze was preoccupied with something, and as a result, she declined any further invitations to dance.

Determined, Liu Yun decided not to leave Li Mengze’s side. Who knew if he would be petty? Besides, dancing was not as comforting as staying close to a man. This directly thwarted those who were interested in her, missing their chance to connect.