The world of film and television begins in the ideal city

Chapter 46 Transformation 2

On the eighth day of the first lunar month, Yinghai Group officially resumed work.

The morning sunlight filters through the camphor tree branches in the Jing'an No. 1 Park, casting dappled shadows on the smooth stone walkway. The air is filled with the fresh scent of grass and trees; taking a breath brings a sense of calm and relaxation.

Wu Hongmei walked slowly along the clean and wide sidewalk in the JA area towards the headquarters of Yinghai Group. The journey, which took less than ten minutes, was completed quickly.

She was still wearing those familiar black-rimmed glasses, and her hair was still styled in her usual simple low ponytail. She was wearing the work suit that she had treasured for a long time, one that she particularly liked but had always been reluctant to wear. The fabric was neat and clean, and the style was simple and elegant, still reflecting her usual preference for a low-key and understated style.

Yet the aura emanating from his eyes was entirely different. His eyes, which used to be slightly lowered, now gazed straight ahead with a calm and clear look. His back was straight, and his steps were unhurried. Even though he was still wearing the same familiar clothes and the same old glasses, he had shed his former timidity and humility, and gained a newfound confidence and composure from the bottom of his heart.

Stepping into the headquarters building of Winsea Group, she proactively greeted the receptionist. Seeing the receptionist's slightly surprised expression, she walked into the Human Resources department office area, exchanged pleasantries with a few colleagues who had arrived early, and then sat back down at her workstation. Looking at the familiar surroundings, she felt a unique mix of emotions.

As a large group company, Yinghai made sure to carry out a grand ceremony on the first day of work. Everyone arrived on time, floor meetings were held one after another, department heads sat in the main seats and solemnly emphasized the importance of focusing on discipline and starting strong. Everyone looked serious and ready to get to work immediately.

Although people are seated at their desks, their minds are still lingering in the relaxed atmosphere of the holiday. Colleagues visit each other to exchange New Year's greetings, chatting about their hometown experiences and trivial matters with relatives and friends, their laughter and chatter intermittent. Work documents are open on computer screens, but most people are just slowly clearing up emails that have piled up during the holiday and archiving long-forgotten documents, barely getting any serious work done. The entire building is in a state of tension on the outside but relaxation on the inside; it appears orderly and rigorous, but inside it is relaxed and lazy. It won't be until three or four days later, when the festive atmosphere fades and various meetings, processes, and business coordinations are fully underway, that the tight work rhythm of the whole year will truly begin.

The Human Resources Department is always the first department in the group to be piled up with trivial matters after the Spring Festival. Post-holiday attendance verification, leave application and cancellation, and annual leave surplus registration all come in one after another; a batch of new employees joining after the holiday have their files and contracts waiting to be sorted and filed; the final materials for the year-end performance evaluation and the summary and public announcement of outstanding employees need to go through the process; and the human resources ledgers, personnel change reports, and social security and salary adjustment data from various subsidiaries are constantly being sent to the office.

Stacks of documents were neatly piled up in the corner of the desk, and the system's backend kept popping up with to-do reminders, one item after another, with trivial and complicated tasks one after another.

Maria walked past the workstations during her rounds, stopping to casually assign a few new statistical tasks, her tone carrying her usual critical and urging tone. Wu Hongmei stood up, nodded slightly, and listened attentively, taking out her notebook to write down each item. After Maria finished speaking, she responded concisely.

The work in the office was still complicated and tedious. After a busy morning, it was finally lunchtime.

At noon, the staff canteen of Yinghai Group gradually filled with noise and delicious aromas.

After returning to work following the holiday, the canteen was exceptionally lively. Employees from various departments sat down in twos and threes with their trays, chatting about the fun things that happened during the Spring Festival and their work after the holiday. The atmosphere was relaxed and cheerful.

Wu Hongmei finished serving lunch, then glanced around with her tray, immediately spotting Li Wei sitting alone by the window. A smile lit up her eyes, and she walked briskly over to sit opposite Li Wei, saying warmly:

"Weiwei, Happy New Year! Is this place empty? I'll sit next to you."

Li Wei, who was quietly eating with her head down, immediately looked up when she heard the sound. When she saw Wu Hongmei, her originally delicate features softened instantly, and a genuine smile appeared on her lips.

"Happy Chinese New Year, Sister Hongmei."

Wu Hongmei smiled, put down her plate, sat down, and slowly picked up her chopsticks to eat.

"Weiwei, how was your holiday? Did you enjoy staying at home?"

Li Wei's eyes lit up. Lin Chen had come over in the morning, finished the meeting, and left, leaving her alone in the office. Having nothing to do all morning, she couldn't wait any longer and immediately put down her chopsticks to chat with him.

"Don't even mention it, it was so lively at home! My mom cooked me different dishes every day, and every meal was one of my favorites. When I left, she even stuffed a whole suitcase full of local snacks into my bag." Her eyes crinkled with joy, and she couldn't help but gesture as she spoke. "The kids from my relatives' houses were always hanging around me, making a lot of noise. It was a bit annoying, but I was really going to miss them."

She became more and more enthusiastic as she spoke, her tone carrying a hint of lingering regret, clearly still immersed in the relaxed atmosphere of being at home during the Lunar New Year.

"Honestly, it's still more comfortable staying at home, sleeping until I naturally wake up. Now that I'm back at work, I feel like I haven't quite come back to my senses yet," Li Wei added softly, a slight pout at the corner of her mouth, a cute and straightforward childish complaint.

"Is General Manager Lin not here?"

"He went to Jinshi Capital after his meeting this morning. Sister Hongmei came to see me when she had time; I was so bored being alone in the office!"

"Oh, I might not have time. Our Director Maria isn't like General Manager Lin; she won't let me off the hook. I've been working hard all morning, and I'm almost dizzy."

Wu Hongmei whispered to Li Wei about Maria.

"Yes, Mr. Lin is really great." Li Wei said with admiration in her eyes when she mentioned Lin Chen.

When it comes to Lin Chen, Li Wei has endless things to say. She tells Wu Hongmei about some little things concerning Lin Chen.

Wu Hongmei listened attentively, quietly taking notes, and responded softly to her words, subtly steer the conversation towards Lin Chen's daily habits, personality, and preferences. Li Wei was completely unguarded and answered every question.

As the two were chatting, Su Xiao walked over from a distance carrying a tray. She immediately spotted Wu Hongmei sitting by the window, paused for a moment, and then walked over with a smile:

"Hongmei, Liwei, Happy New Year!"

"Happy New Year, Xiaoxiao," Wu Hongmei replied, looking up.

Li Wei immediately smiled and greeted her warmly.

Happy Chinese New Year!

"Su Xiao, please sit down. The sweet and sour pork ribs in the cafeteria were pretty good today. Did you get some?"

Su Xiao smiled and sat down, her gaze immediately falling on Wu Hongmei. Ever since receiving Zhang Xiaobei's call the day before yesterday, she had been worried about Wu Hongmei. She had tried calling her but hadn't gotten any answers; Wu Hongmei had been giving her evasive answers.

Li Wei was sitting right next to her, so she couldn't ask these questions directly.

I could only suppress my deep concern for the time being and chat with the two of them about work after the holiday, the food in the canteen, and the little things that happened during the holiday.

Li Wei, being simple-minded, didn't notice the subtle atmosphere between the two. She continued to chat enthusiastically, talking about small things at work, and occasionally making a few sarcastic remarks with a smile. She was sincere and enthusiastic, completely unlike her usual aloofness towards outsiders.

Lunch was slowly finished in this subtle and peaceful atmosphere.

Li Wei put down her chopsticks first, picked up a tissue to wipe her mouth, and stood up with a smile: "I'm finished eating, Su Xiao, Sister Hong Mei. If you're free, you can come to my office to chat."

"Okay, I'll definitely go when I have time," Wu Hongmei replied with a smile.

Su Xiao also raised her hand in acknowledgment.

Li Wei waved, picked up her plate and placed it on the washing and recycling station, then left the cafeteria with light steps, her figure disappearing into the crowd.

Finally, only the two of them remained at the dining table. The surroundings were noisy, but the neighboring tables were far enough away that they didn't have to worry about being overheard.

Su Xiao immediately suppressed her smile, leaned forward slightly, lowered her voice, and her face was full of undisguised concern and worry as she blurted out a series of questions:

"Hongmei, tell me the truth. What happened between you and Zhang Xiaobei? Where have you been these past two days?"

Wu Hongmei didn't want to tell Su Xiao where she had been staying with Lin Chen for the past two days, and she certainly didn't want to expose her deepest secret to her best friend. But seeing Su Xiao's sincere and anxious expression, she could only adopt a nonchalant attitude and give a vague and perfunctory answer.

"Nothing serious, I just wanted some peace and quiet during the Lunar New Year, so I stayed in a hotel for two days."

"Xiaoxiao, I'm really okay. Really, I'm fine now, don't worry."

"Hongmei, it's not good to keep staying in hotels. It's hard to find a place to live these days. Why don't you move in with me for a while? I live alone, so we can keep each other company."

"No need, Xiaoxiao. I've already found a place to live." After a pause, she said earnestly to Su Xiao, "I'll handle things between Zhang Xiaobei and me, so don't worry, Xiaoxiao."

Su Xiao understood the implication in her words. She sighed softly, her voice tinged with helplessness: "Hongmei, I know you have your own ideas. But we've known each other for so many years, and you've always helped me. I just hope you won't wrong yourself. Whatever decision you make, don't make things difficult for yourself."

"I know, Xiaoxiao, thank you." Wu Hongmei looked at Su Xiao and felt touched by her concern. She felt a little guilty thinking about how she had deliberately quarreled with her a while ago.