159: Chapter 159 Qiao Linlin Invites Me to Dinner

Although Chen Fan was only nineteen in this lifetime, he had inherited the habits of his previous life and quite enjoyed drinking tea.

In his previous life, he had envisioned himself sitting in a spacious office, brewing a pot of tea, reviewing documents, and handling affairs—that sense of ease and composure was something he had always wanted.

In this lifetime, that wish had finally come true.

"Boss, what do you think?" Qiao Linlin asked from the side.

"It's quite good, though it's missing a tea set. We'll purchase one later."

"What about the tea leaves? Do you prefer black tea or green tea?"

Chen Fan thought for a moment. "Prepare both black and green tea, and also buy some Zhangping Narcissus."

Qiao Linlin nodded upon hearing this. She had already figured out that the tea leaves Chen Fan liked most were this Zhangping Narcissus.

"By the way, you handled the office matter well this time. Regarding what I promised you before—"

Qiao Linlin's eyes lit up, and before Chen Fan could finish, she interjected, "Assistant?"

Chen Fan nodded. "Starting next month, you will transfer to be my assistant. As for the salary..." He deliberately left it hanging.

Seeing this, Qiao Linlin grabbed Chen Fan's arm with both hands, gave it a shake, and acted coquettishly. "Boss, how much is it?"

She was a smart girl; while she liked to act coquettishly, she never made anyone feel uncomfortable.

This ability to gauge the right boundaries wasn't something everyone could do. She was the company's first employee; others called Chen Fan "General Manager Chen," while she always called him "Boss."

To be honest, Chen Fan felt that this form of address was quite intimate, so he didn't mind Qiao Linlin's actions.

Chen Fan glanced at her and spoke slowly, "A monthly salary of six thousand, with other benefits unchanged."

Qiao Linlin was stunned. She had expected a raise of a few hundred, but she hadn't expected Chen Fan to increase it by two thousand straight away.

What was the concept of six thousand a month in Xian in 2010? Among her classmates currently interning, the one with the highest salary went to a foreign company and only made a little over three thousand a month.

Most people made over two thousand, and some even made one thousand eight hundred. She had accompanied a classmate to that job fair at the city talent market, and the typical salary was only between one thousand five hundred and two thousand.

And she, an intern who hadn't even graduated yet, had a monthly salary of six thousand.

If she told them, her classmates would be green with envy.

Actually, Chen Fan had originally intended to raise it to eight thousand, after all, she had done a really good job in charge of the new office matter.

And now that she was going to be Chen Fan's assistant, eight thousand was a reasonable salary.

However, Chen Fan thought about it later and felt that doubling it all at once was a bit too much, so he'd raise it by two thousand first and give her another raise after some time.

Qiao Linlin had no idea that Chen Fan had cut two thousand from her salary; right now, she was already filled with gratitude toward Chen Fan.

"Boss, you are the best boss I have ever met in the whole world." Qiao Linlin stood in front of the desk, her eyes sparkling, her tone as exaggerated as if she were acting in a TV drama.

She felt a bit fortunate now that she had applied for Chen Fan's company back then.

Otherwise, she might still be making over two thousand, squeezing onto buses every day, and if she were unlucky, she might even have to endure harassment from an unscrupulous boss.

Now she was making eight thousand, and her boss was a young, handsome, and good boss.

This finally lifted the mood that had been depressed all the way because her parents had tricked her into going back for a blind date.

"Cut it out."

"Boss, I'm telling the truth."

"Alright, I'll take your word for it."

Qiao Linlin chuckled, then as if remembering something, she continued, "Then if I become the assistant, what happens to the administration side?"

"I've already had Zhou Min hire a few people for administration; they'll start next Monday. You can manage them for the time being."

Qiao Linlin was taken aback. "Let me manage them?"

"You are an old employee, and you've been responsible for coordinating this entire office floor. If you don't manage them, who will?"

Qiao Linlin thought about it and nodded. "That's true."

"Once they get the hang of it, you can focus on your assistant duties. You still need to keep an eye on the administration side, but you won't have to do everything yourself like before."

"Alright, Boss."

Qiao Linlin finished speaking and wanted to leave, but hesitated and stopped.

"Anything else?" Chen Fan looked up.

"Boss, are you free tomorrow night? I'd like to treat you to a meal."

Chen Fan was stunned and looked at her in confusion. "Why do you suddenly want to treat me to dinner?"

"Boss, you gave me the opportunity to grow, and you gave me a promotion and a raise..." Qiao Linlin paused, "I just want to thank you. Nothing else."

Chen Fan chuckled. "You should thank yourself. If you didn't have the ability, I wouldn't have given you the opportunity to grow."

"Boss, how much ability can an intern who hasn't even graduated have? Even if I had some ability, no other boss would dare give me this opportunity to grow." Qiao Linlin paused, her eyes sparkling, her tone becoming more and more exaggerated. "So it's still because you, Boss, are wise, mighty, and have a sharp eye for talent..."

"Stop, hold it right there." Chen Fan stretched out his hand, making a gesture to stop her. "What time? Where?"

"Eight o'clock at night, at my place." After Qiao Linlin finished speaking, she felt guilty herself and quickly added, "Oh, Boss, don't misunderstand. I thought treating you to a meal outside wouldn't be sincere enough, so I wanted to cook one myself."

"You can cook?"

"Of course," Qiao Linlin's tone held a hint of pride. "I've been able to cook since high school."

"Don't end up making some 'dark cuisine'."

"Don't worry, you'll definitely be satisfied with my cooking."

"Alright then, I'll be there tomorrow night."

Qiao Linlin smiled until her eyes curved into crescents upon hearing this. "It's a deal, Boss."

"Mm." Chen Fan nodded.

She opened the door and walked out. Her steps were much lighter than when she arrived. The sound of her brisk footsteps echoed in the hallway, growing fainter and fainter until they could no longer be heard.

Chen Fan watched the closed door, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly. He picked up his cup and took a sip; the water had already gone cold. He frowned, put the cup down, and lowered his head to continue reviewing the documents.

...

The next evening.

Eight o'clock.

Chen Fan drove to a residential compound near the Foreign Studies University; this was where Qiao Linlin lived.

The residential compound's security gate was very lax, the barrier arm was always up, so his car drove straight in.

This was an old-style residential compound with low buildings; the highest was only six stories, there were no elevators, and one had to climb the stairs.

Qiao Linlin's apartment was on the third floor. When Chen Fan climbed up, one of the voice-activated lights in the hallway was broken, flickering on and off, and the walls were plastered with small advertisements for drain cleaning.

He found the doorplate for 302 and knocked twice.

The door opened quickly.

Qiao Linlin stood at the doorway, wearing a light pink loungewear hoodie, her hair tied in a bun, with a few stray strands falling by her ears.

Her face was bare of makeup, her skin clean and fresh; she looked less fashionable than she did at the company, but had a bit more of a girlish feel.

She wore fluffy slippers on her feet and an apron with a floral pattern. Seeing that Chen Fan had really come, a flash of pleasant surprise crossed her eyes.

"Boss, you're here, come on in."

She took out a pair of brand-new men's slippers and placed them by Chen Fan's feet.

After changing his shoes and entering, Qiao Linlin led Chen Fan to the living room sofa to sit down and poured him a glass of water.

"Boss, have some water first. There's fruit on the table, and the dishes will be ready soon."