Chapter 34
Sheng Mumu and Su Tingran chatted for a while longer, then Su Tingran asked, "Are we playing mahjong today? Mrs. Sun said you were in great form yesterday, shall we have a match?"
Sheng Mumu smiled, "I won't play today, I have a meeting scheduled."
Su Tingran: "Okay, let's reschedule when you're free."
"Ok."
After hanging up the phone, Sheng Mumu started putting on makeup and changing her clothes.
With the increase in membership at Yueji Flower Shop recently, the original four employees were struggling to keep up.
The exquisite business cards prepared before the opening played a key role in promoting the flower shop.
Sheng Mumu put different cards in each flower bouquet order.
Some had horoscopes, flower meanings, some said "Be Happy Today" or silly jokes.
With a 1% chance, customers could get a special card for free flowers for life.
This clever idea brought customers the excitement of opening a blind box when receiving flowers, along with the beautiful packaging. Many posted photos online.
Several posts were shared by influencers, instantly attracting lots of attention.
The inevitable result of increased traffic was increased workload.
With rich experience working in foreign companies, Sheng Mumu knew that hiring ten more people would not compare to one professional manager.
So she turned to Dong Assistant for help.
Dong Assistant recommended a reputable headhunting firm in the industry.
This afternoon, she had arranged to meet with them.
At 2pm, a white Porsche parked in the underground garage of an upscale office building downtown.
The car door opened, and a slender, jade-like leg emerged first.
A beautiful woman with exquisite features stepped out in black stilettos, casually brushing back a lock of hair obstructing her view and tucking it behind her ear.
Her light blue blouse was tucked into a pencil skirt, accentuating her perfect curves.
With a great figure and graceful demeanor, she walked steadily toward the elevator hall.
Not far away, four men in their early twenties stared wide-eyed as she passed.
They kept watching until that charming figure disappeared behind the closing elevator doors, before breaking into lively discussion.
"What a gorgeous girl!"
"A goddess on earth!"
"Her car costs over 3 million, she's no girl, she's a rich madame."
One chimed in, "I wonder if the rich madame is taken, I'd love to meet her."
The one with a Korean-style bangs flipped his hair and said, "If you want to meet her, go ahead, coward."
"Did you see her bag? The four of us working a year probably couldn't afford it. On what basis could we approach her?" The Korean-bangs guy sneered,
"So what if she's rich? Rich women don't like handsome guys?"
Laughing, someone encouraged, "Go try your luck, rich lady loves Korean flower boys like you."
The Korean-bangs guy flashed a roguish smile, somehow producing a sticky note.
"Anyone got a pen? Let me demonstrate how to seduce a lonely, beautiful, rich lady."
...
Top floor of the building.
Dong Assistant knocked on the CEO's office door.
Hearing a low magnetic "Come in", he gently pushed open the door.
"Mr. Qi, the HR department has come up with this year's employee benefits plan for Qi Group."
The handsome, deep-eyed man at the desk remained expressionless, still reading documents, using silence to signal him to continue.
Dong Assistant: "Bonuses are 5% higher than last year's plan. Also, Qi Group directors and above and their families are entitled to a free week vacation at Shen City Resort."
Qi Mo, tone flat: "Mm."
As Dong Assistant was about to leave the office, he suddenly recalled something and asked,
"Mr. Qi, your wife is coming over this afternoon, shall I arrange a car to take her back to Xi Yu Yue Ting?"
As usual, he asked, not knowing if she would drive over.
Hearing this, the stoic man finally looked up, slowly raising his eyelids.
He finally uttered more than two words:
"My wife is coming over?"
Dong Assistant was taken aback, thinking Qi was aware.
Now, realizing he seemed unaware, Dong Assistant recounted how Sheng Mumu had consulted him about a headhunter and his recommendation in full detail.
After finishing, Dong Assistant was puzzled.
He distinctly remembered Sheng Mumu asking warmly about Qi several times at the end of their call.
Their relationship should be good, how could Qi not know about her coming over today?
Could the couple be fighting?
"Mr. Qi, your wife told me to keep antacids on hand and pay attention to your diet and rest."
Holding to the philosophy of "speaking well of others can't hurt", Dong Assistant relayed Sheng Mumu's words to Qi Mo's ears.
Before he could pat himself on the back for his tact, he saw the man at the desk narrow his eyes slightly.
...
th Floor of the Neighboring Building
"Ms. Sheng, please be assured we will find the most suitable candidate according to your needs."
Sister Chen, the headhunter manager, smiled professionally at her guest. Sheng Mumu smiled, "Thanks for your trouble."
Sister Chen: "It's our job. Ms. Sheng, apart from education and work experience requirements, do you have any preferences regarding the applicant's appearance or age?"
Often, applicants met all criteria but were rejected over gender, age, or clashing zodiac signs.
In Ms. Sheng's floral industry, appearance standards should be more demanding, so it was prudent to ask.
Just as the seasoned headhunter expected a typical response, she heard:
"For women, professional competence is enough, but men..."
Sheng Mumu pursed her lips, tapping her chin as she mused:
"Should be over 180cm tall, under 150kg in weight."
"Above average looks, at least four abdominal muscles, emotionally stable and not prone to anger."
"No history of harassing female colleagues, smoking, alcoholism or other bad habits..."
One minute later.
Sheng Mumu smiled charmingly, "That's all I can think of for now. I'll let you know if I have other criteria later."
The job market often had harsh standards for female applicants yet was full of tolerance for males.
She had never thought this fair.
Now with a chance to set hiring criteria herself, she did not hold back, raising the bar high.
Sister Chen was astonished but kept her composure. She surreptitiously swallowed.
"Okay, Ms. Sheng, I've noted down all you said. We will strictly adhere to your requirements in our candidate selection and give you a response within a week."
Sheng Mumu stood up, shook hands professionally to say thanks and goodbye. "You've worked hard."
The other party returned the handshake. "You're too kind."
Exiting the headhunter's office and entering the elevator, her phone rang in the enclosed space.
The screen displayed "Hubby".
She was stunned for a second before accepting the call.
Over the phone, Qi Mo's magnetic, seductive voice came through:
"I heard from Dong Assistant you went to the headhunter next door?"
Sheng Mumu: "Yeah, I just left the headhunter's."
Qi Mo: "Did it go well?"
Sheng Mumu sounded very happy: "Quite well, Sister Chen is very professional. She said she could resolve my hiring needs within a week."
A soft "Mm" came over the phone.
After a pause, they spoke simultaneously.
Sheng Mumu: "What's up? Any particular reason for calling me?"
Qi Mo: "I finished work today. Shall we go home together?"
In the elevator's reflective surface, Sheng Mumu blinked innocently.
She spoke casually: "Sure."
Over the phone: "Meet in the parking lot."