Chapter 30 Opportunities Reserved For Our Own People
Yan Wan hesitated for a moment before giving him an apt answer, “Of course, as an employee of the company, I care deeply for your health.”
What she had in her hands was definitely not a patch on the sumptuous meal Wei Qi brought in earlier. Those people in the office did not believe she could change his mind.
Clearly, Huo Lichen was not pleased with her answer, but he did seem less moody now.
He closed the file and put it aside before he declared, “All of you can go out now.”
They could hardly believe what they heard.
That was it? The president was going to let them off just like this? Is he really going to eat the lunch Yan Wan packed for him?
They were so confused and had so many questions in their minds, but no one dared to stay a minute longer in this office.
While waiting for them to leave, Yan Wan immediately walked to the dining table and opened the lunchboxes.
She then gently pulled out a chair and said, “Mr. Huo, please have a seat.”
As Huo Lichen strode to the dining table, his gaze was fixated on Yan Wan, attempting to figure out her intention of doing this.
With an ingratiating affability, Yan Wan stood beside him and smiled, “These are my favorite dishes, and they taste really good! Here, try some.”
Huo Lichen looked at all the dishes and went deep in thought. These are her favorite dishes?
He picked up a pair of chopsticks and started sampling the dishes.
The food in the lunchboxes might not look presentable, but the way Huo Lichen savored them was as if they were served in a high-end restaurant.
Wei Qi stood still beside him like a mannequin, but one could tell from his facial expression how shocked he was at this sudden attitude change in his boss.
As a picky eater, Huo Lichen would never touch dishes that were not prepared by his chefs. Since when did he start appreciating subpar lunchboxes like these?
After noticing that Luo Lichen had tried all the dishes, Yan Wan asked in a nervous voice, “How’s the food?”
“Not bad,” Huo Lichen gave a rather positive comment.
Meanwhile, he noticed that Yan Wan started grinning from ear to ear after hearing his thoughts about the dishes.
This was another blow to Wei Qi’s already fragile morale. Never in Huo Lichen’s life had he complimented meals prepared by the world-class chefs who had cooked for him.
Is it really about the food or the person who brought him food?
Wei Qi felt bad for all the fancy dishes on the cart. He walked over and covered them with a white cloth before pushing the cart out of the office in disappointment.
While Huo Lichen was enjoying his lunch, Yan Wan stood beside him like his personal attendant. Once he finished eating, she immediately served him a glass of water.
“Mr. Huo, please have a drink.”
Luo Lichen saw through all her bootlicking gestures but tried to withhold his smile.
With a glass of water in his hand, he asked nonchalantly, “Tell me what you want.”
Yan Wan was overcome with embarrassment upon hearing that. Indeed, nothing escaped Huo Lichen’s eyes. He was shrewd enough to know her motive behind all this.
It was time to get down to business. Yan Wan took out her work portfolio and handed it over to the Huo Lichen.
“I’ve worked on all these for the last couple of years but did not have a chance to showcase them. I truly believe I have an eye for design.”
She paused for a moment and took in a deep breath. “I hope you can allow me to take part in the Ovi Top Designer Competition.”
Huo Lichen was not surprised at all. In fact, he knew this had been her intention all along.
After taking over the portfolio, he flipped through the pages and was truly amazed by the quality of her works.
Though all her works were just casual drafts, it was not difficult to tell the remarkable creativity and design elements in her work. A few of her designs might even have the potential of becoming best-selling products.
She was a genius who just needed a platform to showcase her masterpieces to the world.
Feeling anxious, Yan Wan clenched her fists and kept her eyes on Huo Lichen. She tried to read his facial expression, but his usual deadpan look did not give a hint about anything.
Huo Lichen remained silent for some time, so Yan Wan tried to test the waters. “Mr. Huo, what do you think?”
Huo Lichen closed her portfolio and looked at her with a baffling smile. “So you want me to give you a chance through the backdoor.”
Yan Wan was at a loss for words as she did not expect him to say it straight to her face.
She hesitated for a while but decided to go all out. “Please consider our relationship and give me this opportunity. I’ll make the company proud.”
“Our relationship?” Huo Lichen gave her a puzzled look.
What relationship? Yan Wan thought about it and realized they weren’t actually close enough for her to get help from him.
She pondered a moment and decided to give it a shot, “Since we’ve known each other for quite time, I guess we’re friends.”
Huo Lichen was unhappy with the answer. “I have no interest in becoming your friend.”
Yan Wan was once again speechless. This man is not easy to deal with.
She was left with no choice but to pull a rabbit out of her hat. “What if you considered me as your fiancée? How about that?”
It was the first time she admitted this identity.
Huo Lichen pulled up one corner of his mouth and said, “Okay.”
That answer took her by surprise. Did he say yes to my request without hesitation?
Huo Lichen was pleased to see her reaction.
He said profoundly, “We should reserve opportunities for our own people. Don’t you think so, my fiancée?”
Our own people? Yan Wan’s heart skipped a beat.
She bit her lips and said, “Thank you.”
“That’s it?”
Huo Lichen certainly deserved more than a simple thank you. Yan Wan added, “I’ll buy you a meal.”
Again with the meal. Yan Wan still owed Huo Lichen one from the time he rescued her from the bathroom.
Huo Lichen was unconvinced. “But you still owe me a meal.”
Once again, Yan Wan blushed with embarrassment. She immediately put on a serious face. “This time, I promise I’ll treat you to a meal. When are you free?”
“Tonight.”
Yan Wan did not know how to react to his answer. Does it have to be today?
But a promise made is a promise kept. Yan Wan and Huo Lichen left the office after work and took the president’s private elevator to the car park.
While making their way to the car, they saw Qin Chu, who struck a casual pose by a Lamborghini in a formal suit.
He was surprised to Luo Lichen and Yan Wan together at first but let out a cheeky smile later on.
“So you two are together, huh? Great! Shall we go have some fun?”
Yan Wan looked at Huo Lichen with a confused expression. “You have an appointment?”
“No,” Huo Lichen said with a deadpan face and walked past him to get to his car, “Ignore him.”
Qin Chu panicked and stopped Huo Lichen from opening the car door.
“Lichen, you must help me, please! You must attend the dinner tonight.”
“I’m not free,” Huo Lichen rejected him outright.
His response instantly gave Qin Chu a bad headache. No one could change Huo Lichen’s mind once he made a decision.
But if Huo Lichen chose not to attend tonight’s dinner, Qin Chu would be in hot soup.
Qin Chu thought for a while and turned his attention to Yan Wan.
