Chapter 263: Chapter 261: Ye Xinyue’s Encounter

A flash of red light appeared before Ye Xinyue without any warning. She instantly jerked her head back.

A few minutes later, the head, wrapped in a thin blanket, peeked out again.

But the red light was still there, and it seemed to have changed color. Yellow?

Ye Xinyue stared at the yellow object, silent for a moment.

’Did I just see that yellow, paper-like thing nod at me?’

’Have papers started coming to life these days???’

Ye Xinyue felt like she’d been running into too many strange things lately. ’Is this just not my year?’

’Or am I just cursed with bad luck?’

Seeing that Ye Xinyue wasn’t moving, the yellow paper deliberately floated a little lower, moving closer to her.

"Holy shit! It really is alive?" Ye Xinyue couldn’t help but blurt out.

"What the hell are you?"

"Looking at it now..."

Ye Xinyue suddenly remembered that she had won a Good Luck Talisman. ’No way, right?’

’How long has it even been?’

’Has it even been half an hour?’

’The Good Luck Talisman is already here?’

’Not even same-day delivery is this fast, right?’

’As expected, Doctor Wen’s power is infinite.’

Ye Xinyue cautiously reached out, grabbed the yellow paper, and pulled it closer.

She looked at it carefully. It was indeed a yellow piece of talisman paper.

But it wasn’t covered in the profound, incomprehensible symbols and patterns you see in novels and TV shows. Instead, there was a drawing of a fish?

A colorful fish?

’Could it be a koi fish?’

’Did Doctor Wen draw this specially for me?’

A warm feeling of gratitude filled Ye Xinyue’s heart.

’For a major figure like Doctor Wen to be so considerate toward a small-time fan like me...’

For the first time, Ye Xinyue felt she had truly stanned the right person. She had always been too busy with work to join the main Firefly fan group, but now, sniffling, she picked up her phone and tapped the "apply" button.

She folded the Good Luck Talisman into the shape of a heart, threaded a red string through it, and wore it around her neck.

That night, she slept soundly.

In her dream, it was a time before the nepotism hire arrived. Her boss was feeding her all sorts of empty promises, and Ye Xinyue was still working hard.

But later, after the nepotism hire showed up, a new leader was also parachuted in.

The new leader added a rule to the Outstanding Employee selection: candidates must have been with the company for at least one year.

With that simple rule, the nepotism hire was immediately disqualified.

Woken by her alarm in the morning, Ye Xinyue quickly got up, washed her face, and made a simple breakfast. It was only while eating that she picked up her phone and saw her application had been approved.

Just as she joined the group, someone started sending out red packets.

Ye Xinyue was very happy, but time was short, so she could only grab her phone and head to work.

The life of a corporate drone was about to begin again. The wonderful things in her dream were, after all, just a dream.

As soon as Ye Xinyue got to the office, a colleague pulled her aside. "Xinyue, have you heard? Our department is getting a new manager. I heard he’s starting today!"

Ye Xinyue was completely dumbfounded when she heard this.

’Our department already has a manager, so how could there be a new one?’

"Our previous manager was demoted to deputy. I wonder if the new boss is going to come in and shake things up!"

Scenes from her dream last night flashed through Ye Xinyue’s mind.

’Could it be?’

’Is it really coming true?’

’This is too ridiculous, isn’t it?’

Even though she had already encountered something even more ridiculous, Ye Xinyue still found this outrageous.

The nepotism hire arrived at work too. She looked at Ye Xinyue. The woman who usually seemed so pleasant and gentle now had a flash of... contempt in her eyes?

Ye Xinyue’s first thought was, ’Is she dropping the act?’

Sitting at her desk, Ye Xinyue, who was usually used to getting into a work mindset immediately, was now completely distracted.

Her work efficiency dropped a little, but compared to most people, it was still excellent.

Time ticked by. Suddenly, Ye Xinyue heard the nepotism hire call her name.

"Xinyue, the manager wants to see you."

The nepotism hire looked at Ye Xinyue with a broad smile. An image of a venomous snake, lying in wait to strike, flashed through Ye Xinyue’s mind.

She stood up. Her surrounding colleagues looked at her with sympathy, but no one said a word.

Walking into the manager’s office, the manager wore a fawning smile. "Ah, Xinyue, in your three years at this company, I’ve treated you well, haven’t I?"

Ye Xinyue nodded.

"Sit down, don’t be nervous. Look at Xiao Jia, she’s so natural. Even though she’s only been with our company for a short time, she’s already blended in perfectly with the company atmosphere and culture, getting along with everyone. Her work efficiency is good, too, and she has great potential for improvement. Her future is limitless."

Ye Xinyue didn’t know what the manager was trying to achieve by rambling on like this.

But she still played along and nodded.

The manager’s expression brightened. Xiao Jia, the nepotism hire sitting to the side, was also very satisfied. "I knew Xinyue was a sensible person."

Ye Xinyue: "???"

"I’ve always known Xinyue is a sensible person. Our company needs more talented people like her," the manager said with a smile.

Ye Xinyue didn’t speak, just waiting to see what they were really up to.

Seeing Ye Xinyue remain silent, the manager coughed. "Ah, Xinyue, about what I told you last time... three hundred really is too little. As long as you withdraw from the Outstanding Employee competition, I’ll add five hundred to your base salary!"

"Manager, isn’t five hundred a bit too little?" Xiao Jia chimed in from the side, as if she were sticking up for Ye Xinyue.

"Right, right, five hundred is a bit low. Let’s make it eight hundred! Eight hundred is a lot. That’s enough for you to rent a studio apartment, isn’t it?"

Ye Xinyue’s mouth twitched. ’A studio apartment?’

’Is this manager trying to take advantage of me, thinking I’m too frugal to know the price of rent?’

’Right now, a single room costs eight or nine hundred, and that’s without a private bathroom or shower, let alone a kitchen.’

’And this nepotism hire, is she really speaking up for me?’

’Ye Xinyue didn’t believe for a second they were being that kind!’

"Ah, Xinyue, for this selection, go back right now and submit your withdrawal application. Make sure it’s successfully processed before ten o’clock." 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"Manager, I don’t believe I agreed to that, did I?" Ye Xinyue looked at him, somewhat speechless.

"Xinyue! Do you have any idea who Xiao Jia is? Xiao Jia has connections at headquarters! This nomination has to go to her. If you give it up, Xiao Jia will compensate you in other ways. Don’t you understand how the world works? The workplace isn’t just about work!"

The manager showed his true colors.

"Manager, don’t say that. I still hope to get along with everyone as an ordinary person. Xinyue isn’t like that either. But if she really does withdraw, I should indeed compensate her. After all, she’s been with the company for so long. Xinyue, would you like a handbag? I just bought a few Chanel bags a few days ago. I can give you one."

"Sorry, I come from a humble background, so I’m not used to designer bags. I’m fine with the kind that cost a hundred or two."

"Ye Xinyue! What is wrong with you? Xiao Jia is making a kind gesture, and you have to be like this? You’re giving up this nomination whether you like it or not!"