After Becoming an Alpha, I Became a Charmer (GL) - Chapter 16

Xia Zhiyu led the way and entered the private room next to the banquet hall with Ruan Wu.

Xia Zhiyu had a good grasp of Ruan Wu’s taste through her analysis and feeding over the past few days. Knowing that Ruan Wu disliked being distracted by non-work matters, she took the liberty of ordering a table full of dishes. As soon as the two sat down, the servers filed in and quickly served the pre-prepared meal.

Ruan Wu didn’t prioritize food and drink. She looked at Xia Zhiyu, who was sitting at the farthest seat from her, and frowned again.

Didn’t she say she wanted to feed me? How is she going to feed me from so far away?

Although Ruan Wu hadn’t planned to accept Xia Zhiyu’s offer, she felt Xia Zhiyu gave up too quickly.

Xia Zhiyu hadn’t had time to eat breakfast and was starving. Her eyes were fixed on the food, and she naturally ignored Ruan Wu.

However, her instinct prompted her to stand up and use the serving chopsticks to first give Ruan Wu a piece of refreshing cold wild vegetable salad. “Ms. Ruan, this dish has the highest praise from tourists. Please try it.”

Ruan Wu’s expression softened slightly. She picked it up and put it in her mouth. Facing Xia Zhiyu’s expectant gaze, she nodded. “It’s good.”

Xia Zhiyu immediately smiled. “If Ms. Ruan says it’s good, then it must be truly excellent.” This was the dish she was most looking forward to. After getting used to city takeout, she wanted to taste the mountain’s wild flavors.

Xia Zhiyu sat back down and began eating. Although she didn’t deliberately focus on Ruan Wu’s mood, every time Ruan Wu felt ignored, Xia Zhiyu would enthusiastically stand up and serve her, keeping Ruan Wu’s mood stable so she could enjoy the meal.

However, halfway through, the quiet and cozy lunch was interrupted by a sudden knock on the door.

Xia Zhiyu had specifically told the servers not to come in after the food was served, as Ruan Wu disliked seeing strangers. The restaurant staff likely wouldn’t forget her instruction, so the person knocking was probably an employee from the company, and not an Omega or Beta from the head office.

Xia Zhiyu told Ruan Wu, “Ms. Ruan, you just need to focus on eating. Leave everything else to me.”

Ruan Wu was slightly startled. She had guessed who was knocking, but she had mentally prepared herself for the possibility of meeting them when she decided to attend the spring outing. She was ready to endure their disgusting attention and socialize, as it was unavoidable in the business world. But she hadn’t expected Xia Zhiyu to say such a thing.

Xia Zhiyu got up to open the door. Sure enough, outside were the Alpha managers from the branch companies.

The two men and one woman holding red wine bottles immediately dropped their smiles when they saw Xia Zhiyu open the door. “Secretary Xia, we’re here to toast Ms. Ruan.”

Xia Zhiyu only opened the door a crack, completely blocking the view inside the private room. She enthusiastically shook hands and greeted the three. “President Zhao, President Yu, President Ke, long time no see. I remember we last met at the company’s spring outing.”

Zhao Sheng and the other two were impatient to see Ruan Wu and had no interest in small talk with Xia Zhiyu. They offered perfunctory smiles. “Yes, yes.” As they spoke, they tried to step inside.

“Wait—” Xia Zhiyu stopped the three. “Ms. Ruan is tired from the journey and just wants to enjoy a quiet lunch. Why don’t the three of you save your toast for the evening banquet?” Seeing that Zhao Sheng and the others were about to get angry, Xia Zhiyu continued, “Also, Ms. Ruan will be participating in the afternoon activities with the employees. If she drinks now and feels unwell, she won’t be able to attend. The entire company, over 600 people, is looking forward to this. Surely Presidents Zhao, Yu, and Ke don’t want to disappoint hundreds of employees over a single glass of wine?”

Zhao Sheng’s movements paused. He finally focused his attention on Xia Zhiyu and looked her over carefully. “I never realized Secretary Xia was so articulate.”

“When you work closely with Ms. Ruan, you’re bound to learn a thing or two over time.”

“Was what Secretary Xia just said Ms. Ruan’s instruction?” Yu Chou asked.

The three men’s eyes were fixed on Xia Zhiyu.

Xia Zhiyu looked composed. “No, it was my initiative. I simply felt Ms. Ruan was too tired. I’m sure the three of you know that Ms. Ruan is completely devoted to work and didn’t rest for the entire five hours of the journey.”

The three men exchanged glances, having gone through an internal struggle. They were surprisingly persuaded by Xia Zhiyu. Ke Miao said, “Secretary Xia is right. Drinking in the middle of the day isn’t appropriate. Not just for Ms. Ruan, but we should also put down our glasses and join the employees’ spring outing activities. Please tell Ms. Ruan that we are all very concerned about her health and that she should rest well during lunch.”

“Of course.”

After the three left, Xia Zhiyu closed the door and returned to the private room. She gave Ruan Wu an “OK” gesture. “Ms. Ruan, problem solved~”

Ruan Wu had faintly overheard their conversation. She put down her chopsticks and asked, “When did I say I was going to attend the afternoon activities?”

Xia Zhiyu looked at Ruan Wu in surprise. She had just taken a bite of food and couldn’t swallow it immediately. After finally swallowing, she met Ruan Wu’s cold gaze and tried to persuade her. “Ms. Ruan, since you’re already here, you should enjoy yourself. It would be a huge waste not to play.”

Ruan Wu remained unmoved.

Xia Zhiyu had no choice but to put down her chopsticks. She looked longingly at the food on the table. “I just bragged to them that you would definitely go. If you don’t attend, Ms. Ruan, Presidents Zhao and the others will definitely be mad at me.”

Xia Zhiyu deliberately used a pitiful tone to try and elicit sympathy from Ruan Wu, but she seemed to fail.

Ruan Wu’s expression remained cold. “There is no way I’m participating in the activities.”

Xia Zhiyu was about to sigh when she heard Ruan Wu add, “You will attend the activities on my behalf. I can watch.”

Xia Zhiyu was overjoyed. “Really, Ms. Ruan? You’ll really watch?”

Ruan Wu lowered her gaze, her long lashes concealing her eyes, shielding her from Xia Zhiyu’s radiant gaze. “Have I ever gone back on my word?”

Xia Zhiyu nodded in agreement. “Absolutely not. Ms. Ruan is the most trustworthy person I’ve ever met.”

After saying this, Xia Zhiyu’s mood soared, and she immediately launched into a flurry of compliments. “Ms. Ruan, you are just too good! I thought you would never agree to attend this kind of activity, but I was wrong. No, no, I wasn’t wrong. I knew all along, which is why I spoke to Presidents Zhao and the others like that. Ms. Ruan, you are just inherently wonderful.”

Ruan Wu’s ears felt warm from the praise. “Stop. I know all that you’ve said. There’s no need to repeat it. Hurry up and eat. I’ll take you shopping after we finish.”

Xia Zhiyu wanted to keep praising Ruan Wu even more after hearing her words, but when Ruan Wu expressed her refusal, Xia Zhiyu knew she had to stop immediately, or she would annoy Ruan Wu and turn a good thing into a bad one.

After lunch, it was exactly 12:30 p.m. The activities were scheduled to start at 2:30 p.m., leaving them less than two hours to shop and rest.

Xia Zhiyu and Ruan Wu left through the back door without disturbing the employees who were still eating and chatting, and went to the resort’s internal shop.

Xia Zhiyu picked out some necessities. When it was time to pay, Ruan Wu very imperiously took out her card and paid for her. Xia Zhiyu looked at Ruan Wu with stars in her eyes.

The cashier was an old resort employee who recognized Ruan Wu but was unfamiliar with Xia Zhiyu. Seeing their interaction, she couldn’t help but wonder who Xia Zhiyu was.

I didn’t hear that Ms. Ruan brought her girlfriend to the spring outing. Could she be a secret lover?

The two returned to the courtyard for a little over an hour’s rest, then headed to the back hill for the 2:00 p.m. gathering.

There was a large open field at the foot of the back hill. Half of it was a strawberry patch, and the other half was planted with cherries, with a few other scattered fruit plants.

The activity for the afternoon was fruit picking. Employees could pick whatever they liked and take as much as they wanted to eat. The department that picked the most fruit, judged by weight, would receive an extra two days of vacation and a “Picking Master” trophy personally presented by Ruan Wu.

The trophy ceremony was a last-minute addition by Xia Zhiyu after she confirmed Ruan Wu’s attendance. The trophy had already been prepared, but the original presenter was the resort manager. Since Ruan Wu was here, it was naturally best for Ruan Wu to present the award.

The employees didn’t care about the extra vacation time. If they could receive an award from Ruan Wu up close, who cared about a few days off? They would gladly work overtime for a week straight.

With over 600 people, having everyone pick at once would be too chaotic, so each department sent one representative to pick a specific type of fruit, while everyone else was free to pick and eat any other fruit.

As Xia Zhiyu and Ruan Wu approached the back hill, people who saw them from a distance started cheering excitedly. As Ruan Wu got closer, she naturally showed a gentle smile and waved to the crowd.

Xia Zhiyu led Ruan Wu to a sitting area a short distance from the crowd. A sun umbrella, mineral water, fruit, and two muscular Beta bodyguards were immediately put in place.

“Ms. Ruan, I’ll go make the arrangements. Please relax here. These two bodyguards will ensure no one gets close to you.”

“Mhm, go ahead.” Ruan Wu was very satisfied with Xia Zhiyu’s arrangements.

Xia Zhiyu went to get a microphone from the resort staff, but was intercepted halfway by a suspiciously lurking Minister Li.

“Secretary Xia, Secretary Xia.” Minister Li called out to Xia Zhiyu in a low voice, bending at the waist.

Xia Zhiyu was surprised by his behavior. “Minister Li, are you hiding from someone?”

“Not hiding from someone. I’m afraid Ms. Ruan will see me. Secretary Xia, everyone asked me to ask you one thing. Please, you must answer.”

“Tell me what it is first.” If it’s company confidential, I obviously can’t answer.

“Well, it’s about,” Minister Li hesitated, “we accidentally heard the resort staff say that Ms. Ruan brought her girlfriend this time. I wanted to ask on everyone’s behalf if that’s true.”

Xia Zhiyu: “…” Ruan Wu brought her girlfriend? If she had a girlfriend, she wouldn’t need my pheromones, nor would she pay for my purchases and allow me to stay in her courtyard.

“Nonsense,” Xia Zhiyu confirmed. “I’ve been with Ms. Ruan almost constantly. I haven’t seen any girlfriend at all.”