66: Sour grapes

"Knock, knock."

Lin Chao said, "Come in."

The door was pushed open, and the person who walked in gave Lin Chao a start.

It was Yan Qiaoqiao.

She was holding a well-packaged massager box in her arms, a professional smile on her face.

"Supervisor Lin, here is the massager you requested."

The call earlier had been to Xiao Zhang in the warehouse. Yan Qiaoqiao happened to be there checking materials, and when she heard he wanted it, she took the initiative to handle the task.

She did it for no other reason than to get a legitimate look.

To see exactly who that girl was.

Lin Chao quickly snapped out of it, stood up, and took the box from her hands.

Their fingertips inadvertently brushed against each other. Yan Qiaoqiao immediately pulled back as if she had been burned.

"Thanks for the trouble, Qiaoqiao."

Lin Chao's tone was gentle and natural.

"It's my job."

Yan Qiaoqiao's voice, however, was somewhat stiff.

Her gaze swept quickly over Lan Qingyu, filled with scrutiny, curiosity, and a hint of... hostility that she hadn't even noticed herself.

She had countless questions she wanted to ask.

Who is this girl? What is her relationship to you? Why would you bring her to the company?

But in the end, she just pursed her lips tightly and didn't say a single word.

"Then... Supervisor Lin, I'll head out now."

She gave a slight nod and turned around, her pace even faster than when she had arrived.

The office door was gently closed, isolating everything outside.

Lan Qingyu's eyes, however, suddenly lit up.

She watched the direction Yan Qiaoqiao had left, then turned to look at Lin Chao, her face full of gossip and amazement.

"Wow!"

"Uncle Lin!"

She lowered her voice, her tone filled with irrepressible excitement.

"Your company... actually has such a beautiful employee!"

Lin Chao couldn't help but smile at Lan Qingyu's exaggerated, wide-eyed expression.

He handed the massager in his hand toward her, his tone carrying a bit of teasing.

"In our line of work, one's features have to be decent, don't they?"

"Think about it, if someone looked like a total mess, clients would run away the moment they saw you. How would you sell any products then?"

He delivered this twisted logic with complete confidence.

Lan Qingyu blinked, seemingly genuinely convinced by him.

Lin Chao stuffed the massager into her arms.

"Here, take it back and try it. It works wonders for relieving muscle fatigue."

"Remember, I'm giving this to you because you're helping me promote it on your social feed; it's not a payment."

He made a point to emphasize that.

Lan Qingyu held the box and weighed it in her hands, that eager curiosity appearing on her face again.

"What's the fun in waiting until I get home to try it?"

She muttered to herself.

In the next second, under Lin Chao's bewildered gaze, she tore open the packaging in a few swift motions.

"I'm going to try it right now!"

"..."

Lin Chao massaged his forehead, momentarily speechless.

"You girl, you really just do whatever pops into your head."

Lan Qingyu had already taken out the exquisitely designed neck massager and draped it over her fair neck like a pair of headphones.

She felt around for the switch and, without even looking, dialed the intensity straight to the maximum.

"Bzzz—"

A strong electrical hum sounded.

Lan Qingyu froze instantly, as if her pressure points had been struck.

Her body snapped straight, her eyes went wide and round, and her mouth opened slightly, but she couldn't make a sound.

The features on her pretty little face scrunched together, looking exactly like a cat that had its tail stepped on.

"Pfft—"

Lin Chao really couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing.

He stepped forward quickly and accurately pressed a button on the back of her neck.

The buzzing of the massager came to an abrupt halt.

Like a pile of soft mud, Lan Qingyu instantly slumped down, gasping for breath.

"Hey, are you stupid?"

Lin Chao was laughing so hard he nearly teared up.

"Who starts off with the highest setting? You're supposed to try the gentlest soothing mode first!"

Lan Qingyu's face turned beet red, half from the shock and half from embarrassment.

This was so humiliating!

Whining and grumbling, she yanked the massager off her neck and stuffed it haphazardly back into the box.

"I'll try it again when I get home!"

Her tone was thick with the scent of someone lashing out in embarrassment.

Seeing her ruffled state, Lin Chao's smile deepened.

"Fine, try it at home."

He nodded and picked up his car keys from the desk.

"Let's go, I'll take you home."

Meanwhile, in the cubicles.

Yan Qiaoqiao had just sat back down at her workstation, her seat not even warm yet.

Several colleagues immediately swarmed around her like cats smelling fish, their faces burning with irrepressible gossip.

"Qiaoqiao, Qiaoqiao!"

A female colleague named Xiao Li lowered her voice and asked mysteriously.

"Who was that little beauty who just went in?"

"Looking at her age, she's probably still a student, right?"

"What's going on with Supervisor Lin? It's only his first day after the promotion, and he's already bringing a young girl into his office?"

Another colleague leaned in as well, pushing up their glasses.

"He even had a massager sent in. That's no ordinary relationship!"

The overlapping chatter felt like countless small needles pricking at Yan Qiaoqiao's heart.

She struggled to maintain a calm expression, but her mind was already a mess.

"I... I don't know either."

Her voice was a bit dry.

"Probably... a client?"

Even she couldn't convince herself with that answer.

In the corner, Lin Guodong, who hadn't spoken, suddenly let out a cold sneer.

"Tch, a client?"

His tone was sour and full of disdain.

"Have any of you ever seen a client who wears a T-shirt and jeans and looks less than twenty years old?"

"Or a 'big client' that our newly promoted Supervisor Lin has to receive personally?"

Lin Guodong's words were like a stone thrown into a pond, stirring up even greater waves.

As soon as he finished speaking, Sister Wang from the adjacent cubicle immediately shot back.

She crossed her arms and looked at Lin Guodong with a face full of mockery.

"I say, Old Lin, you're just saying the grapes are sour because you can't eat them."

"Supervisor Lin has real talent! It's because he can find all sorts of potential clients that he reached the supervisor position at such a young age."

"Unlike some people, who only know how to guard their own tiny patch of dirt while making snide remarks behind others' backs."

Sister Wang's voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear and carried weight.

Lin Guodong's face turned from green to white after being rebuked. He opened his mouth, but for a long time, not a word came out.

The air in the entire cubicle area instantly became tense and hostile.

Sister Wang's words were like a poisoned dagger, accurately striking Lin Guodong's sore spot.

His already pale and sickly face instantly flushed the color of pig liver.

"You!" He pointed at Sister Wang, his finger trembling.

"Just because Lin Chao is the supervisor now, all of you are rushing to kiss his ass, aren't you!"

In his humiliated rage, he practically roared it out.

Upon hearing this, Sister Wang didn't get angry. Instead, she gave an exaggeratedly large eye-roll, the contempt in her eyes nearly overflowing.

"Oh, listen to you."