CH 38

In the end, Captain Lu, together with another member from the Fortune branch, managed to secure victory in the “Find a Partner” game.

Winners in this game would be in pairs, and now all three “candlelight dinner” gift packages had been awarded.

There was still some time left until dinner, and the next part was the free activity time for the team members.

Members of the Fortune branch, who were good friends with the official blogger Ah Xin, had invited her as their candlelight dinner partner, breaking the boundary between men and women. This left Ah Xin pleasantly surprised since she hadn’t thought she’d have the chance to be a part of the romance.

However, if she went for the candlelight dinner, it would mean missing the opportunity to sneakily photograph the other two tables. For the sake of the guests’ privacy, the hotel arranged the candlelight dinners at intervals along the beach. Going with her teammates would mean she’d miss the chance to photograph the other two tables.

As a result, she passed this honorable task on to her friend Qiuqiu.

“Qiuqiu, I’m entrusting this challenging task to you!” Ah Xin said earnestly, “Whether the official blog can be updated tonight depends on your photography skills!”

Qiuqiu felt a bit embarrassed. She thought the photos of everyone playing games together during the team-building activities were quite good. They showed vitality and “positive” interactions. Why not share those pictures on the official blog?

However, Ah Xin, who was dedicated to building the JW “CP” culture, strongly wished for a photo from the candlelight dinner to appear on the official blog.

“Alright…” Qiuqiu reluctantly accepted the task.

She couldn’t help but feel that it might be impolite to disturb people while they were having dinner.

Qiuqiu’s eyes darted around.

Ah Xin and the team members eating together didn’t seem like a good opportunity for photographs. Photographing the normally low-profile Ah Xin without her consent didn’t feel right.

The other couple was Yu Hao from the WOC branch and Sugar God, who had recently joined the club. He was her male idol! Photographing them would be a great idea. After all, the official blog had just hyped their CP yesterday, so why not continue the momentum?

As for the last couple, Captain Lu from the Fortune branch had yet to make a choice. No one knew which one he would select for the candlelight dinner. He had always been known for his cold demeanor.

“Lu, who would you like to invite for dinner?” the planning team member curiously asked.

“As long as they are a club member, it’s fine, right?” Lu Huai said nonchalantly.

“Huh? Uh, yes, that’s right,” the team member nodded.

“In that case, I choose…” Lu Huai’s gaze scanned the surroundings, eventually resting on Ji Xiuyan, who was casually wearing sunglasses at the side.

“I choose the boss, okay?” Lu Huai uttered a sentence that left everyone in shock.

The planning team member was dumbfounded.

Would a normal team member really want to invite the boss to dinner? To a candlelight dinner at that?

Seeing that the planning team member was silent for a while, Lu Huai asked, “Is it not allowed?”

The planning team member snapped back to reality and said, “Uh, well, it’s not that you can’t… it’s just… you know… maybe you should talk to Mr. Ji yourself.”

She was just a small fry in the operations department. Notifying Mr. Ji about a team member inviting him to a candlelight dinner? What if Mr. Ji got upset over this unexpected request?

Team members having dinner with other team members or friends was understandable. These team members were generally quite close, so having a candlelight dinner together wouldn’t be too awkward.

But Lu Huai and Mr. Ji barely had any interactions in their usual work. Why would he invite Mr. Ji to a candlelight dinner? What if Mr. Ji thought Lu Huai was teasing him? It would be a disaster.

The planning team member couldn’t help but wonder if Lu Huai was just playing a joke. But Lu Huai wasn’t known for his sense of humor.

This joke wasn’t funny at all!

However, much to the planning team member’s shock, Lu Huai walked over to Mr. Ji while she was still astonished.

“Mr. Ji, would you like to have dinner together tonight?” Lu Huai stood in front of Ji Xiuyan and said.

Ji Xiuyan removed his sunglasses, looked at Lu Huai, and thought there might be something wrong with his ears.

Did Lu Huai just invite him to dinner? Did the sun rise from the west today?

“Hahaha, Lu Huai! You have a great sense of humor,” was the first reaction of Ji Xiuyan’s manager, Shen Qi, which was the same as the planning team member’s.

Lu Huai and Ji Xiuyan had never interacted much, at most exchanging greetings when they met. There was no way Lu Huai would invite Mr. Ji to dinner, but Lu Huai appeared entirely sincere.

Shen Qi’s forced laughter froze on his face. Had Lu Huai gone mad?

Why did Lu Huai suddenly want to have dinner with the boss?

Maybe he was dissatisfied with his salary and wanted to discuss it face to face with the boss. Or perhaps he wanted to change clubs but felt awkward to say it, so he privately spoke to the boss?

Countless thoughts flashed through the mind of JW’s manager, Shen Qi.

“Is it okay?” Lu Huai asked Ji Xiuyan, who was still in a daze.

“Huh? Uh, um, yes,” Ji Xiuyan stuttered.

“See you later,” Lu Huai said, leaving Ji Xiuyan behind, who was still holding his sunglasses, completely baffled.

… Did Lu Huai have a mental breakdown?

At this moment, the sun wasn’t as scorching, and the team members were enjoying their free time on the beach. Since they were at the seaside, it was only natural to play in the water.

However, the seawater was a bit cold at this time, so they stuck to the shallows and played with the waves using their feet.

The Golden and Silver Steamed Buns brothers were the first to dive into the sea. Born in an inland area, they rarely saw such a clean and pure ocean, revealing their childlike side.

Hao Qianyi quickly joined them, and the three of them started a playful water fight.

Laughter filled the air as the waves splashed.

Manager Shen Qi and Fan Da Di, the leader of the WOC branch, sat on beach chairs, watching the people playing in the water on the beach.

Among the WOC branch members, Yu Hao was the one who gave them peace of mind. He held himself to high standards, rarely made mistakes, and didn’t cause trouble.

Sugar God was new and they weren’t sure about him yet, but from the current situation, he seemed like an obedient and easy-to-manage child.

The most troublesome were the triplet brothers and Hao Qianyi. They were fine when separated, but when they got together, they often caused chaos.

If they could get along harmoniously like they were while playing in the water today, without fighting or bickering, that would be great.

Thinking about this, Manager Shen Qi and Fan Da Di exchanged glances and sighed at the same time.

Can you make these three be quiet? That’s like wishing for the moon!

———-

In the late afternoon, the people who had won the opportunity for a “candlelight dinner” proceeded to the location arranged by the hotel.

Ah Xin and the Fortune branch members walked away, chattering.

Mr. Ji followed Lu Huai, not saying a word.

Yu Hao put his arm around Jiang Min’s shoulders, humming a tune.

Qiuqiu, sneaky, trailed behind them.

Hao Qianyi noticed Qiuqiu’s presence and stopped her, asking, “Qiuqiu, what are you following them for?”

Qiuqiu made a hushing motion, whispering, “Shh! This is the task Ah Xin assigned to me. I’m supposed to secretly photograph Sugar God and Yu Hao having dinner together for tonight’s official blog.”

Hao Qianyi was puzzled, “Why are you secretly photographing Sugar God and Yu Hao? What about Ji Ge and Lu Dui? Or Ah Xin’s side…”

If you’re collecting materials, you should gather more, right?

“Ah Xin hasn’t been exposed in any photos. For her privacy, I’d rather not,” Qiuqiu waved her hand. “As for Mr. Ji’s side… Do you think I want to die? Photograph the boss secretly?”

Hao Qianyi suddenly understood, nodding, “You have a point.”

“In that case, I’ll go,” Qiuqiu was about to slip away.

“Hold on!” Hao Qianyi stopped her, a sly look on his face.

How could the team captain abandon them and go to dinner with Sugar God? Wasn’t the WOC branch supposed to be a united whole?

So, he summoned the Golden and Silver Steamed Buns brothers and decided to spy together.

Unaware of the situation, Yu Hao and Jiang Min took their seats at the hotel’s designated candlelight dinner location. It was clearly meant for couples.

White canopies fluttered with the breeze on the beach, large candles were lit around the perimeter, and dim yet warm lighting created a romantic ambiance.

Jiang Min: “…”

JW’s arrangements were truly strange!

“Take a seat, Sugar,” Yu Hao was in a good mood, patting Jiang Min on the back.

They sat down facing each other.

The hotel’s staff brought the dishes.

As they ate, they engaged in conversation, with Yu Hao always taking the lead.

“Sugar, how are you planning your holiday?” The team would soon have a break, and he was curious about Jiang Min’s holiday plans.

Jiang Min looked up. “Holiday… I don’t really have any plans.”

“Aren’t you going on a trip?”

“Well… I don’t have any particular place in mind.”

“So, you’ll just stay at home?”

“Yeah… actually, my home is in S City.”

“Huh? I saw your information; I thought you were from C City.”

“Well, it’s true I’m from C City, but I moved to S City a long time ago.”

Yu Hao hadn’t expected Jiang Min’s family to be in S City. He set a small goal for himself to stay at Sugar’s house for a night someday.

“What about the Lunar New Year? Are you going back to your hometown for the New Year?” The New Year was just around the corner, and as a traditional holiday, Yu Hao naturally assumed Jiang Min would be returning to his hometown.

“No, I’ll stay in S City for the New Year,” Jiang Min said.

“Ah?” Not going back home for the New Year, what was going on?

Yu Hao stared at Jiang Min, his face filled with confusion.

Jiang Min noticed his curiosity, but he didn’t want to mention the reason for not going home.

“I haven’t been back for many years,” Jiang Min added.

“…” Yu Hao’s intuition told him that there was something Jiang Min hadn’t told him, something that had happened, and he didn’t want to share it.

It seemed like Sugar wasn’t entirely dependent on him yet. He still needed to put in some effort.

Just as Yu Hao was about to find another topic, there was a strange noise from the bushes behind their location.

“Who’s there?” Yu Hao said, on high alert.

This was their private time together, and he wouldn’t appreciate being interrupted.

From the bushes behind, Qiuqiu from the operations department and their three team members awkwardly touched the back of their heads and stood up, looking embarrassed.

“Why didn’t you say you were coming? Now, you’ve been discovered,” Hao Qianyi tried to push the Golden and Silver Steamed Buns brothers to the front, knowing that trouble was coming.

“Captain…” The Golden and Silver Steamed Buns brothers smiled awkwardly.

Qiuqiu reacted the fastest and quickly blurted out, “I have something to do, so I’ll leave first!” and then ran away.

Surprisingly, the slightly chubby Qiuqiu was incredibly fast on the beach.

Now, only the five members of the WOC branch were left on the beach.

The low-pressure mood created by Yu Hao almost froze the other three people to death, except for Jiang Min.

So, why did they have to go and make trouble?

The three of them were filled with regret.

The author has something to say: Little Fish (Sharpening the Blade): The three of you… do you want to die?

OvO

1TL: YSIAD “You can support me if you like my translations by leaving a comment below, or by sending me a Ko-fi. Thank you ️”