Twenty minutes later, they were tucked into a velvet booth, two martinis between them. Mei didn't start with work. She talked about the city, the heat, and the best places to find vintage silk. She waited until Lin was halfway through her third drink and finally relaxed.
The bar was loud. Dim lights, low music, the kind of place people went to unwind just enough to let their professional guard slip.
Mei sat across from Lin, the junior HR associate, smiling and relaxed with a third martini in hand. She had spent the last hour being the perfect listener, the charming ex-idol who just wanted to understand the corporate world.
"To a smooth onboarding," Mei said lightly, clinking her glass against Lin's.
Lin laughed, her cheeks flushed from the gin. "You were one of the easiest, honestly. Usually, the top-tier recruits are… well, a nightmare."
"What can I say I am one of a kind," Mei said. She let the silence sit for a beat, watching the condensation drip down her glass. Then, as if it were a passing thought: "I was surprised about my placement, though."
Lin shrugged, leaning back into the velvet booth. "These things happen."
"Do they?" Mei tilted her head slightly. "Reassigning the top candidate after the final email had already gone out?"
A small pause. Lin's smile wavered. "Sometimes."
"Has it happened before?" Mei pushed, her voice soft but focused.
Another pause. Longer this time. Lin looked around the bar before leaning in. "…Not often. I mean, this one was unusual. It was a 'Priority Reassignment' signed off by the Executive Suite."
Mei's fingers stilled on the stem of her glass. "Yan Jing's office?"
"Directly," Lin confirmed, her voice a low whisper. "Everyone in HR was shocked. He never interferes, he usually just takes whoever we assign. But for you, he requested the move specifically. He even suggested Madame Shen's team."
Mei's gaze sharpened. "He did?"
"Yes. We didn't even think she'd accept, she only takes one person every two years. We were preparing to place you in the Annex, but what is even stranger is ...." She burped, her yes drowsy from having one too many drink.
"What was I saying?"
Mei pretending to be drunk too, " uhhh, madame shen?"
"Oh yes, She didn't even argue," Lin said, shaking her head. "She just sent back a one-word email: Accepted. No explanation. No questions. My boss thinks you two must be so good that even the Iron Lady wanted the top 2 recruits, but honestly? No one knows."
Mei smiled, but the warmth didn't reach her eyes. Distracting. She finished her drink in one smooth motion, the cold liquid matching the ice settling in her chest.
"How is Yan like?" Mei asked, her tone casual again.
"He practically lives in that office," Lin said, waving a hand dismissively. "If the lights are on in the city, Yan Jing is probably at his drafting board. He's a machine."
She stayed for another hour, talking baout other things, long enough to ensure Lin was safely into a Taxi. Once the car pulled away, Mei stood on the sidewalk, the night air hitting her face. She pulled out her phone. She didn't tap in her home address.
She typed in: Huan Construction Tower.