Chapter 37: A Joke
1664 Words
The atmosphere was tense for a moment, with no one daring to speak out or voice any objections in the uncertain situation. Lola gave a faint smile.
“I hope all the directors and managers will support my work.”
Jasmine furrowed her brow. “Lola—”
Before she could say what she intended, Seymour Gao interrupted her.
“Just to announce, starting next Monday, Lola will be transferred from the translation department to the president’s office as the chairman’s special assistant. HR will handle the paperwork.”
The HR representative from today’s meeting was also a deputy manager, Lily, who looked startled and quickly agreed in a submissive tone. The atmosphere in the room grew even more awkward, and Qiqi’s expression changed from disdain to disgust.
“Everyone in the company knows that Lola and Maggie are quite close. Having her handle this matter, it’s hard to win everyone’s trust, isn’t it?”
In such a setting, addressing someone by their first name was quite rude. Seymour Gao shot a glance at his younger daughter.
“And who do you think would be a better fit for this role?”
Seeing her father’s displeasure, Qiqi wisely fell silent. No one else dared to speak up either. Jasmine glanced at Maggie and then at Lola, deep in thought.
The meeting continued until well past the end of office hours. Maggie returned to an empty office with a grim expression and slammed her folder onto her desk.
Even though she had been in the industry long enough to experience having her work stolen, the audacity of taking an entire series of designs and making her, the victim, seem like an internal saboteur was hard to swallow.
A while later, Zachary hurried back. Maggie updated him on the situation from the meeting. After discussing for a while, they couldn’t come to any conclusions. The issue seemed more complex than a simple theft of designs; it involved many aspects of both the company’s internal and external operations. Analyzing this was not their forte. Zachary frowned, drank his third cup of coffee, and still couldn’t find a solution.
“Well, I think we should stop trying to figure this out,” Maggie said, feeling exhausted. “It’s beyond us, so let’s just wait and see.”
“Will Lola contact you?”
“Probably.” Maggie thought of Lola from the meeting and felt a twinge of uncertainty.
“Then we’ll deal with it when the time comes. Go home for now, and have a good weekend.”
Zachary stood up and made his fourth cup of coffee, sitting back at his desk.
“Still working overtime?”
“Yeah, I’ll stay a bit longer.”
Maggie glanced at her boss, shook her head helplessly, bade him farewell, and went home.
On Saturday, Maggie stayed at home all day, painting. Her cousin called to invite her out, but she declined. Maggie preferred solitude when she was in a bad mood and was not keen on talking.
In the evening, her phone rang again. Maggie lazily picked it up and saw it was from Dr. Luo. She quickly answered.
“Hello?”
“Are you going tomorrow?”
Emily Luo now spoke to Maggie with a straightforwardness that left no room for pleasantries.
“Yes, and you?”
“Mm-hmm. I’ll pick you up around 8:30. I’ll call you when I’m at your door.”
Maggie was momentarily stunned, not sure how to respond.
“Oh…”
“Since the Golden Retriever will grow quite large, we should get a big crate to ensure it’s comfortable. Neither of our cars can fit it, so I’ll use a bigger vehicle.”
Emily Luo seemed to have just finished work, speaking quickly while walking. Maggie smiled at her thoughtfulness.
“You’re thinking so far ahead…”
Dr. Luo paused. “Maggie, are you feeling unwell?”
“Huh? No, why do you ask?”
“Nothing, just that you sound a bit down. It’s fine if you’re okay. I need to drive, so I’ll talk to you later. Don’t be late. See you tomorrow.”
“Okay, bye.”
Emily Luo quickly ended the call. Maggie looked at her phone for a while, pondering if her voice was that easy to read.
The next day was sunny. Dr. Luo’s call came precisely at 8:30, and Maggie was just finishing up. She grabbed her bag and went downstairs, where she saw Emily Luo standing by an SUV, talking on the phone.
“I have something to do today!”
It was unclear who she was speaking to, but Dr. Luo seemed to be turning down someone’s request. Seeing Maggie, she waved. Maggie noticed that Emily Luo’s plaid shirt under her sweater looked similar to hers, which lifted her spirits.
Dr. Luo ended her call and smiled at Maggie.
“Have you had breakfast?”
“Yes, and you?”
“Mm-hmm.” She nodded. “Shall we go?”
“Sure.”
The increasingly natural conversation made their time together feel very relaxed. Dr. Luo seemed to be in a good mood, which brightened Maggie’s mood significantly.
Because it was a weekend, traffic was heavier than usual. Dr. Luo wasn’t in a hurry, driving slowly and chatting with Maggie.
“Have you thought of a name for the dog?”
“Hmm?” Maggie turned to look at her. “No, not yet.”
“You can’t just call it ‘dog’ forever. It needs a name.”
“Do you have any ideas?”
Maggie stretched her legs comfortably and smiled.
“How about calling it ‘Discount’ since your name is Maggie?” Dr. Luo said with a mock-serious tone.
Maggie froze, wondering if Dr. Luo was really the one making such a joke.
“Discount?”
“Discount isn’t great. Later, people might say, ‘Discount your dog’s leg!’ It’s better to call it ‘Coupon’.”
Dr. Luo laughed at her own joke, and Maggie rolled her eyes.
“Why does it need to have my surname?”
Emily Luo glanced at Maggie while waiting for a red light. Maggie grinned, making her laugh even more. Maggie squinted her eyes.
“Let’s leave the naming to its future owner. What if we pick a name that they don’t like?”
Hearing this, Emily Luo’s smile faded. Her long eyelashes fluttered as she looked surprised.
“Future… owner?”
“Mm-hmm,” Maggie raised an eyebrow.
“It’s recovering well now. Maybe you can ask your friends or colleagues if anyone wants a dog. Many people like Golden Retrievers these days.”
Dr. Luo paused. “Aren’t you keeping it?”
“I don’t have the time!” Maggie’s tone was exaggerated. “Dogs can’t just be kept casually; you need to be responsible for them. I work all day and can’t spend time with it. It would be cruel to leave the dog alone at home all day.”
Emily Luo fell silent, acknowledging the truth in Maggie’s words.
“My place is too small. A grown Golden Retriever is quite large and won’t have enough space to move around. Plus, dog hair will get everywhere, and it might chew on my furniture.”
Maggie added, and Emily Luo looked ahead, biting her lip in silence. Maggie found her expression amusing but tried to suppress her laughter.
“Do you have any friends who like dogs?”
“I’m not giving it to anyone!”
Emily Luo’s pout showed she was clearly upset, almost as if she had an oil bottle on her lips.
“Do you have the time?”
Maggie continued teasing. Dr. Luo was at a loss for words. Clearly, she was even busier than Maggie. However, after taking care of the dog for a few days, she had grown very fond of it. The idea of giving it away made her feel upset.
Seeing Emily Luo’s silence, Maggie stopped talking as well. After a while, when Maggie looked at her again, Dr. Luo’s expression was one of deep sadness.
Fearing that she might make Emily cry, Maggie decided to relent.
“Alright, alright, I’ll keep it.”
Emily Luo, though still not entirely pleased, looked relieved.
“But you said you don’t have time?”
“When I’m at work, I’ll leave it with Ryan Ding. There’s plenty of space and people there, so it won’t be lonely. I’ll bring it back when I get home.”
Emily Luo was happy about this, though she didn’t show it too openly.
“What about if it chews on your furniture?”
“If it chews, it chews. I’ll just replace the damaged items.”
Maggie chuckled, finding Emily Luo’s expressions in the last few minutes particularly amusing. Emily Luo’s demeanor was endearing and did not match her age, making her even more charming.
“Then I’ll help walk it and clean up the dog hair when I have time.”
“Hahaha!” Maggie finally burst into laughter.
“Dr. Luo, do you know how cute you are? Hahaha!”
Emily Luo seemed to realize that Maggie was teasing her. During a red light, she suddenly leaned in close, staring at Maggie’s face.
“Let’s name it ‘Coupon’!”
The sudden closeness startled Maggie. They were so close that she could see her reflection in Emily Luo’s eyes. Realizing this, both of them froze. It wasn’t until a horn blared loudly behind them that Emily Luo snapped back to reality, hurriedly sitting back and starting the car.
The atmosphere in the car became awkward. Maggie cleared her throat, sneaking a glance at Emily Luo, whose face was now flushed pink.
“Looks like the name is already set.”
Emily Luo was silent for a while, then finally spoke.
“What’s it called?”
“‘Stop’.”
“What?”
“‘Stop’.”
…
“‘Coupon’ is still better!!”
- Writer
