Please Marry Me (GL) - Chapter 12

Everyone around them looked over.

If Jiang Yi hadn’t known that Shen Siyun once snatched a major project from her current boss—leaving him so furious he couldn’t eat for two days—she might have actually thought Shen Siyun was praising her boss for being “broad-minded.”

But she knew the history. Shen Siyun saying such things was nothing but a sharp, subtext-heavy jab.

Jiang Yi replied with a smile, “President Shen has such a good memory. I’ll thank President Shen for the compliment on behalf of my boss.”

Shen Siyun’s mood suddenly lifted. “No need for thanks. Your boss is a man of great ambition, one who knows how to bend and stretch.” Before leaving, she added one last remark: “I should find an opportunity to treat him to dinner sometime, to thank him for ‘conceding’ that hardware project to Jiayu last time.”

Jiang Yi watched her walk away, speechless for a long time. That woman’s tongue was truly poisonous to a certain degree!

The guide continued leading the group through the office building. When they reached the 5th floor, Jiang Yi used a restroom break as an excuse to slip away from the group.

The 5th floor was also massive, with a comfortable office environment and floor-to-ceiling windows that let in plenty of light. Jiang Yi paced over.

“Why is the printer acting up now? This is so frustrating!”

A voice came from her right. Before Jiang Yi could react, someone bumped into her. She instinctively reached out to grab something nearby.

Crash! A sudden, sharp pain flared in her foot. Jiang Yi’s face went white. A potted plant had been knocked over, shattering on the floor.

“Ah, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry!” The careless employee realized what happened and hurriedly crouched down to ask if Jiang Yi was okay. “Are you alright?!”

“What happened? Zheng Changle, why are you being so reckless?” A female voice cut in, laced with a hint of a scolding tone.

The employee named Zheng Changle held a document and explained frantically, “Manager Yin, the manager told me to copy this for her. The printer broke, and I was in such a rush I didn’t look where I was going. I accidentally bumped into her. I know I’m wrong, but the manager is really in a hurry. If I don’t get this to him now, he’ll scold me again.”

Hearing the title “Manager Yin,” Jiang Yi’s expression shifted slightly. Ignoring the pain, she looked up at the owner of the voice.

It really was Yin Lei. She wore an elegant, understated green-faced quartz watch and had her hair tied in a short ponytail. Her face was clean and simple, giving off the vibe of a steady, hard worker. Having just been promoted to manager, she already had a decisive, vigorous aura.

“Go copy the document first. I’ll take her to the infirmary.”

“Thank you, Manager Yin! Sorry for the trouble!” Zheng Changle hurried off with the papers.

“Are you okay?” Yin Lei knelt to check her injuries.

Jiang Yi’s thoughts raced. Realizing this was the perfect chance to get close to Yin Lei, she masked her intent. “Let me see if I can stand up.”

The plant was a Crown of Thorns (Euphorbia milii). Its branches were covered in sharp spines. Falling from a waist-high stand, it hadn’t just bruised the top of her foot; the thorns had also scraped her calf and hands. It was stinging fiercely.

“I’ll help you to the infirmary.” Seeing the blood on the scrapes on her calf, Yin Lei knew she needed treatment.

“My hand.” As Yin Lei put an arm around her, Jiang Yi accidentally brushed the thorns on the side of her palm, letting out a sharp hiss of pain.

“Sorry.” Yin Lei lifted her hand and saw a thorn still stuck in it. “Should I pull it out for you?”

“I’ll do it myself.” Jiang Yi pulled the thorn out. “Where’s a trash can?”

Yin Lei studied her for a moment. “Give it to me, I’ll toss it later.”

Jiang Yi placed the thorn in her palm, and Yin Lei helped her down to the infirmary on the second floor. Before leaving, Yin Lei called out to a passing staff member, “Xiao Yuan, call the cleaning lady to clear up the shards on the floor.”

The Infirmary

The infirmary was on the second floor. Supported by Yin Lei, Jiang Yi sat before the doctor.

“How did this happen? So many wounds,” the doctor noted.

Before Jiang Yi could speak, Yin Lei summarized concisely, “She was scraped by a Crown of Thorns, her left foot was hit by the pot, and her palms are injured.”

The doctor did a quick check and turned to get disinfectant.

“I’ll do it.” Yin Lei took the tweezers, cotton, and alcohol from the doctor, kneeling to apply them carefully.

“Actually, I can do it myself…” Jiang Yi tried to decline, feeling embarrassed about troubling her.

“No need. Just don’t move.”

Hearing that tone—which left no room for argument—Jiang Yi fell silent. This person was so straightforward that it felt like if you pushed back any further, she would simply stop caring and walk away.

But since this was such a great opportunity, she had to talk to her. Even if she couldn’t get specific information, building a rapport would make future interactions easier.

Jiang Yi: “I heard that person call you Manager Yin. You wouldn’t happen to be Yin Lei, the one at the top of the performance leaderboard, would you?”

Yin Lei: “Mhm.”

“You’re really impressive.” Jiang Yi smiled, showing a hint of admiration without making it feel forced.

Yin Lei: “You aren’t from our company, are you?”

The sudden, direct question caught Jiang Yi off guard, but she quickly found an excuse.

“No, I’m a new employee from Qiguang sent here for the exchange. I was following the guide but lost the group after a restroom break, and then I got bumped into.” Jiang Yi put on a look of helpless bad luck. She added, “I actually really wanted to join Jiayu. I heard the salary and benefits are great and the atmosphere is good. But I didn’t pass the interview, so I went to Qiguang. I heard Jiayu is extremely competitive, though—lots of overtime, and you get scolded if you don’t do well.”

Jiang Yi watched Yin Lei’s expression closely. If she showed even a hint of resentment toward Jiayu, that would be the breakthrough they needed.

“You get paid as much as you’re worth. If you want more, you have to give more. Every company is the same.”

Yin Lei suddenly looked up, staring straight at her. Jiang Yi’s heart tightened, but she kept her expression steady and forced a smile. “What is it? Is there something on my face?”

Yin Lei stared for two seconds. In those two seconds, Jiang Yi couldn’t tell what she was thinking or if she was suspicious.

“The foot is done. Now the hand.” Yin Lei tossed the bloody cotton into the bin and took a fresh piece.

Jiang Yi breathed a secret sigh of relief and held out her hand.

“Well, well, Yin Lei! You’re actually handling private ‘affairs’ during work hours!”

A voice suddenly came from the door. It sounded familiar. Jiang Yi turned and saw the lady who had been with Shen Siyun earlier—the same one who had tried to hit on her at BEATING HEART yesterday.

Jiang Yi felt the sting of the alcohol on her hand and reflexively curled her fingers, then turned her focus back to Yin Lei.

“Sorry, I didn’t mention it, but bear with me. It’ll be done soon.” Yin Lei spoke as if she hadn’t heard the lady’s outburst, remaining as steady as a rock as she continued disinfecting.

Jiang Yi looked back at the lady by the door, who looked ready to explode, gave a slight nod of acknowledgment, and then just said, “Oh.”

After finishing, Yin Lei stood up and finally looked at the woman at the door.

“Xie Fulan, stop making trouble.” Yin Lei, the woman who had jumped from intern to manager, furrowed her brow slightly, appearing as calm as an outsider.

The moment Xie Fulan saw Jiang Yi, she remembered the embarrassment of yesterday, but Yin Lei’s current actions made her even angrier.

Didn’t you say you didn’t like people with chests bigger than yours, who were older than you, or who had many exes?

Just in terms of the chest, this woman is clearly bigger than you, Yin Lei!

“You like her?” Xie Fulan’s personality was direct; she always said what was on her mind. She crossed her arms and tilted her chin, trying to hide her jealousy.

Yin Lei: “I’ve known her for less than half a day.”

Xie Fulan scoffed. “That doesn’t stop you from liking her.”

Perhaps unable to stand her irrational logic, Yin Lei didn’t argue. She just gave her a look as if she were a lunatic, then turned to pick up a bottle of bruise liniment and a pair of clean slippers.

“Take off your shoes and put these on. You probably can’t wear heels on the way back. Are there colleagues with you? If so, have them take you home.”

“I came with colleagues.”

Jiang Yi followed her advice and took off her heels. Her foot was already beginning to show dark bruises.

“Yin Lei, you’re something else. We only broke up yesterday, and today you’re already cozying up to someone else,” Xie Fulan said sourly, watching her apply the liniment to Jiang Yi. She hadn’t even received such treatment herself.

“Xie Fulan, you’re too noisy. If there’s nothing else, don’t loiter in front of me. I won’t go out of my way to appear before you, either.”

“She’s married,” Xie Fulan said airily, dropping what she thought was a bombshell.

“Xie Fulan, are you suffering from some kind of delusion?” Yin Lei turned to scan her. “Don’t make up rumors about others.”

Being snapped at made Xie Fulan’s mood even worse. She rolled her eyes. “What rumor? I hit on her yesterday myself. If she hadn’t said she was married, you might be singing a different tune today.”

Yin Lei was speechless. After finishing the application, she stood up and looked at Jiang Yi. “Do you want to call your colleagues to take you back?”

Jiang Yi had been so absorbed in the drama—quietly noting down the information about their connection—that she was startled by the suggestion that she should leave. That wouldn’t do.

“I can manage on my own. I don’t want to trouble them.” Jiang Yi lowered her head with a look of hesitation. “They might have already headed back.”

Hearing this, Yin Lei interpreted the situation: a new employee being sidelined by her colleagues.

She thought for a moment. “I have to give a ten-minute summary speech at the exchange fair this afternoon. If you don’t mind, I can drive you home after I finish work.”

Jiang Yi felt her plan was going almost too smoothly. She had easily secured a ride in Yin Lei’s car. She nodded demurely. “Then I’ll trouble you.”

“Add me on WeChat. I’ll come pick you up later.”

“Okay.”

Xie Fulan watched them exchange contact info, her chest heaving with indignation. She turned, pulled out her phone, and dialed a number.

The call was rejected immediately. Xie Fulan’s anger went up another notch. She dialed again, stubborn.

This time, the call connected. The person on the other end sounded faintly annoyed: “I’m in a meeting. If it’s not urgent, wait until I’m done.”

Xie Fulan felt she hadn’t been this angry in twenty years. She held the phone to her mouth and roared:

“Shen Siyun! Your subordinate and your ‘little lover’ are flirting in the infirmary! If you can stand it, then keep having your damn meeting!”

Yin Lei: “?”

Jiang Yi: “!”