Iris didn’t care what the others thought about her bringing Little Liwei, the big teddy bear that her darling gave her to replace the pillow she had been using to clothe with Jin Liwei’s used overnight shirt in order to bring his scent everywhere when he wasn’t available in person. Her current oversensitivity to smells was a big inconvenience, but she couldn’t allow it to hinder her daily activities, including her work which had already been reduced a great deal by an overprotective Jin Liwei.
“Little Sister—I mean, President Long, how are you feeling?” Long Jinjing asked. “We were all so worried when we heard that you fainted backstage during the TV awards. When I called you the morning after it happened, you said that you were okay but I still want to make sure that you’re really fine now.”
“Don’t worry,” Iris replied. “I feel well now. And the truth is that I didn’t completely lose my consciousness that time, so technically, I didn’t really faint. I just felt extreme dizziness and sudden weakness.”
“That still sounds worrying. Please take care of your health.”
“Thanks, CFO Long.”
Chen Fei interjected, “Maybe it’s your body telling you to slow down a little. All of us here work hard but you work harder. What’s more, you have other work outside Orchidia Beauty. Being a workaholic is admirable but you also need ample time to rest or your body will break down at this rate.”
All the others nodded in agreement with Chen Fei, except for Alric Bauer who was still very much absorbed in his own world. He was also not that proficient in Mandarin yet. [This novel is a contracted work with W e b n o v e l . c o m (remove spaces). If you’re not reading this chapter on W e b n o v e l, it has been stolen. It’s very discouraging to see thieves profitting from my hard work. Please read this novel on W e b n o v e l. Thank you! Also follow me on Instagram @arriacross]
“You don’t have to come to Orchidia Beauty in person on a regular basis to complete your work, you know,” Chen Fei continued saying. “You’re the big boss so you make the rules. If it’s more convenient for you, then you can schedule our meetings at your house. We can always go there. No problem.”
The eyes of the other people present in the meeting began shining in excitement after hearing their COO Chen’s suggestion. They wanted to go to their big boss’ house. Most of them were Black Stars and applied to work at Orchidia Beauty mainly because of their Boss Iris. They were all well-educated, young professionals. Some even already had experience working at other big-name companies but resigned after successfully passing their interview with Orchidia Beauty. They were willing to leave secure jobs at the other established companies for a new company like Orchidia Beauty because they wished to work with their Boss Iris and believed that as long as they followed her, she would lead them to great success.
Chen Fei added, “But if you’re going to have our meetings at your place, our transportation costs and meals better be covered as well.”
“Absolutely not,” Long Jinjing cut in, shaking her head. “We better avoid that kind of unnecessary extra costs for now. Also, we’re already in the process of building a canteen right here at the company. It should be ready by next year. President Long insists on having a custom-designed canteen that will offer high-quality and healthy food choices. The cost of that kind of canteen alone is not cheap. We also have other renovations happening at the same time because we’re hiring more people and need better facilities. In short, I already finished allocating all our budget for the remainder of this year to what we as a company need the most right now. And we certainly don’t need to pay for that kind of extra meal and transportation costs.”
The enthusiasm in the room deflated after their CFO Long denied their COO Chen’s exciting suggestion for the sake of saving the company’s money. As expected of the Gentle Money-Hoarding Dragon Goddess! She would always become tight-fisted and not so gentle to anyone wanting to spend Orchidia Beauty’s funds.
Chen Fei curled her lip at her best friend’s miserly behaviour. She opened her mouth, no doubt about to exercise her fierce, corrosive tongue, but the big boss, Iris, spoke first.
“CFO Long, I don’t think COO Chen intended to use the company funds on her suggestion,” Iris said with a lovely laughter that tinkled like crystal bells and lightened the deflated atmosphere. “I think COO Chen wanted me to personally cover the food, transportation, and other miscellaneous costs from my own pocket, not use the company funds, if I really plan on having meetings at my home.”
“Yes, that’s right!” Chen Fei nodded. “That’s exactly what I meant.”
Long Jinjing looked relieved that nobody was going to mess with the company funds. Then she turned to Iris and said, “You don’t have to do it, President Long. It’s just a suggestion.”
“It’s a good suggestion,” Iris said.
Chen Fei’s expression became smug. The others felt excited again.
Iris hugged her Little Liwei closer and inhaled deeply at the teddy bear’s shirt. Despite her weird, childish action in a business setting, she still managed to project a dignified aura of a leader.
“I’ll think about it first,” she said. “But for now, I enjoy coming here at the company in person.”
Everyone nodded.
Iris glanced at the clock. “It’s time for the meeting.”
Spines straightened at her words.
“Alric, come,” she called in German.
Their Chief Product Officer snapped out of his own little world and moved to sit beside Long Jinjing.
Right at that moment, there was a knock on the door before it opened and in walked Jin Chonglin followed by Lin Dong.
“Sorry, I’m late,” he said, flashing everyone his killer smile.
The females in the room except for the trinity of goddesses became dazed by his handsomeness and almost blinding charisma.
“You’re right on time, Brother Chonglin,” Iris said. “Please take a seat and we’ll start the meeting right away.”
Jin Chonglin sat on the opposite end of the table with his manager. His eyes zeroed in on the big teddy bear beside Iris, or more specifically, on the pyjama shirt the stuffed toy was wearing. He raised an eyebrow but didn’t comment about it.
The important meeting finally started.
