The Changing Phases - Chapter 31 - Are You Kidding Me?

Before long, Liu Yuxin would become one of the trainers, and her heart was filled with joy.

Over the weekend, Liu Yuxin went shopping with Jin to buy herself some new clothes. At night, she even used a facial mask, planning to take better care of her face.

Appearance is equivalent to a silent introduction; first impressions are very important. Liu Yuxin was determined not to let her superiors critique her appearance, ensuring that the new people she met would have a great first impression of her.

Being in a new department was not as simple as Liu Yuxin had thought. Josan’s harshness kept every trainee on edge every day. Liu Yuxin was no exception; at times, submitting a plan would result in a thunderous reprimand. Even though Yang Hongyi was the supervisor, with his playful demeanor, Josan’s sternness made her seem more like the boss.

Yang Hongyi was often absent from the company, and Josan seemed unbothered by this, doing what needed to be done and scolding those she felt deserved it. Even when Yang Hongyi was at the company, he behaved like a playboy-always with a young model or wearing cologne that didn’t match his brand.

Liu Yuxin couldn’t stand Yang Hongyi. His flirtatiousness, picking up girls everywhere, love for fun, and lack of responsibility-all these delightful qualities were embodied by Yang Hongyi.

If Yang Hongyi wasn’t bringing women back to the company, he would intentionally mess with Liu Yuxin, causing her to make mistakes and get reprimanded by Josan. Despite both being superiors with polar opposite personalities-one a spendthrift, the other a strong woman-their combined mental harassment left Liu Yuxin with no choice but to grit her teeth and endure.

Liu Yuxin would laugh at herself for being clueless. Many new employees quickly understood the company’s key figures, but she had never thought about it. If it hadn’t been for a dinner with Man’er where she mentioned it, Liu Yuxin would have stayed ignorant. Yang Hongyi, it turned out, was the chairman’s son and thus the so-called second-generation rich.

Despite spending so much time with Zhao Junyang, Liu Yuxin had no idea the Zhao Family was the major shareholder of the company, holding 30% of the shares.

After learning about all this, Liu Yuxin’s heart was filled with more apprehension and anxiety because of these disparities. The stark contrast between Zhao Junyang’s noble background and her humble origins was dramatic. With such a huge difference in backgrounds, how long and deep could this relationship last? But since she was at the age where she could easily fall hard for someone, why not love deeply if she already was? She still held hope and trusted him. If they could maintain this relationship, there was no reason not to continue.

Therefore, Liu Yuxin chose to be steadfast with Zhao Junyang, quietly persistent.

Liu Yuxin didn’t want him to pick her up early in the morning; seeing him so tired would break her heart. Despite this, she still looked around downstairs every day, hoping he would appear. Zhao Junyang would occasionally surprise her by waiting downstairs for her one morning, which would delight her as she would get into his car, stopping a few hundred meters from the headquarters, and then pretending nothing had happened as they entered the company.

If it was early enough, Zhao Junyang would conspicuously run into Liu Yuxin at the company and take the elevator together with the other colleagues. In the elevator, they would occasionally throw each other flirtatious glances. During work hours, she pretended Zhao Junyang was just a work acquaintance, only greeting him when they passed by each other. If no one was around, she would blink playfully at him, and a mischievous glint would flash in Zhao Junyang’s sunny smile.

Liu Yuxin longed to be like other girls, openly being with her boyfriend, making others envious and jealous, loving freely and intimately without caring about others’ opinions. However, the recent rumors about her and Yang Hongyi had made her realize that office romances between a superior and a subordinate would be gossiped about. She didn’t want her hard work to be overshadowed by such rumors, nor did she want this relationship to bear undue pressure before it could withstand life’s storms. Such gossip would inevitably affect Zhao Junyang’s work.

In the blink of an eye, summer had arrived. Whitening and sunscreen products were selling like hotcakes, and next up was the launch of new makeup products. As the new products were about to hit the market, the company’s marketing department was busy with preparations. As a member of the training department, Liu Yuxin started preparing information about the makeup products as soon as she received the first-hand materials.

Liu Yuxin was incredibly busy, booking hotels, ordering flowers, and setting up the venue with her assistant Qi. They worked past quitting time, so Josan told them to head straight back to the dormitory. As soon as Liu Yuxin left the hotel, she hurried to call Zhao Junyang.

“Did you miss me?” Zhao Junyang’s magnetic, sunny voice came through the phone, filled with a sweet smile.

“Where are you now?” Liu Yuxin stood near a trash can, giggling as if it were unique.

“I’m still working overtime.”

“Ah, still working?” Liu Yuxin couldn’t hide her slight disappointment in her tone. Why is he always so busy? “Have you eaten yet?”

“I’ll eat later.”

“Can you hold on a little longer?”

Zhao Junyang chuckled softly, “Of course I can.”

“Alright then, you’re not allowed to eat until I say so!” Liu Yuxin hung up the phone, looking up at the sky with a silly smile.

Liu Yuxin put the groceries she bought from the supermarket into the kitchen. She hummed a tune as she prepared dinner. She wasn’t sure what Zhao Junyang liked to eat, but as long as she cooked it herself, he always enjoyed it.

While Liu Yuxin was happily busy, the doorbell rang. She opened the door to find Wenhui, drenched in sweat, carrying a pile of items. Two more people followed him with batches of red roses. Liu Yuxin teased, “Hey, are you planning to open a flower shop?”

Wenhui gulped down a glass of water, slightly frowning. With an impressive flair, he placed his hands on his hips and stomped his foot, exclaiming, “You’re so annoying! This is romantic. Help me out; Jin will be back soon.”

The two of them got busy, with Wenhui multitasking by talking to Jin on the phone to confirm her location.

“Get ready, Jin is about to come in!” Wenhui shrieked.

Liu Yuxin glanced downstairs and saw Jin approaching from a distance, walking leisurely and looking around. “Liu Yuxin, I’m counting on you!” Wenhui exclaimed as he dashed downstairs. Liu Yuxin stayed upstairs, watching their movements and secretly sweating for Wenhui.

Just as Jin was about to come upstairs, she saw Wenhui grinning brightly at her. She said, “Wow, you came to pick me up yourself. That’s quite an honor.”

Wenhui smiled slightly, casting a quick glance upstairs. Liu Yuxin was really taking her time!

Jin noticed Wenhui’s look and asked, “What’s going on with you? Is it going to rain? Let’s hurry upstairs then.”

Wenhui grabbed her hand and yelled urgently, “Liu Yuxin, throw the things down, quick! Music!”

Liu Yuxin’s voice came from upstairs, “Oh no! The power’s out!”

Wenhui was sweating profusely from anxiety, “Jin, let’s wait a little bit before going up, okay? Just a moment!” Jin looked upstairs, puzzled, “Why?”

Why indeed? Wenhui thought hard for a moment and hastily made up a far-fetched excuse, “Uh, uh… Liu Yuxin is upstairs getting cozy with her boyfriend.” Jin chuckled, “Alright, having fun while I’m not around, huh? We won’t disturb them, let’s wait a bit before going up.”

Wenhui felt half his worry lifted, and sat on a bench with Jin. Then, Liu Yuxin shouted from upstairs, “Wenhui, the power’s back on!”

Jin looked up and saw a long banner unfurling from upstairs, the big words “Jin, I love you!” boldly written on it. Romantic music started playing at that moment, “If you don’t know which way to go tomorrow, stay with me and be my wife. My not-so-broad shoulders will still be your warm embrace…”

Colorful petals floated down from above as Jin was moved to tears. Wenhui got down on one knee and presented a box, his voice filled with affection, “Jin, will you marry me?”

Jin took the ring, nodding fervently. Amidst the music and the falling petals, they both were lost in the moment, embracing each other deeply.

At that moment, an elderly man practicing Tai Chi walked over and interrupted them. “What are you guys doing?”

He couldn’t have picked a worse time, and Wenhui felt a sense of frustration at this unexpected intruder.

The elderly man said, “Ah, I thought it was some kind of game.” He immediately called his wife, “Honey, stop what you’re doing and come over here. Someone’s proposing, and it’s quite a scene!”

Jin couldn’t help but giggle at this unintentional “third wheel.” Wenhui yelled up to Liu Yuxin, “Are you ready?”

Liu Yuxin’s head popped out, “I can’t do both! I’m tossing petals and taking photos at the same time. It’s too difficult.”

A clean-cut boy from downstairs shouted up at Liu Yuxin, “Hey, pass the petals to me, I’ll toss them.”

How romantic! Liu Yuxin carefully lowered the petals down with a silk scarf. The boy’s family joined in to help, showering petals everywhere. It was a beautiful, love-filled scene as Wenhui’s feelings were on full display. Liu Yuxin snapped photos continually, while Jin and Wenhui remained in a close embrace.

More and more people gathered downstairs, most of them elderly women, and the elderly men started clapping energetically. Someone nearby commented, “Hey, are those your relatives? They’re really getting into it.”

One of the elderly men replied, “That’s how they do it in the movies. When you see people hugging, you clap!”

He had a point, and the spectators all started clapping. Even the sound of a waist drum could be heard.

Liu Yuxin, still excited, shouted, “Hold still, I’m coming down to take more pictures.” She grabbed her camera and rushed downstairs while petals floated in the air, elderly men clapped, and the elderly women beat the waist drums. The atmosphere was as festive as a New Year’s celebration. Someone even set off firecrackers, and Wenhui continuously thanked everyone.

Liu Yuxin kept snapping photos energetically, marveling at Wenhui’s romantic proposal. Jin posed cooperatively in various positions and suddenly remarked, “Wenhui, it seems like the people around us are even happier than we are. It feels like we’re entertaining the audience.”

“Are you going to clean up this mess?” The neighborhood committee auntie appeared with a broom, grumbling, “You all better clean up this mess on the ground.”