Chapter 318: Chapter 0318: Social Engagements Chapter 318: Chapter 0318: Social Engagements Huo Tingxiao returned to the company, where the development case for the new land had been placed on his desk, and Jian An began to report the affairs of nearly the past month.

“Mr. Huo, there is a social engagement tonight.”

“A social engagement? Dinner?”

“There’s more.”

Jian An reported the truth, what ‘more’ implied was quite obvious.

Glancing down at the schedule, Huo Tingxiao’s lips curved into a slight smile.

“Okay.”

Jian An was slightly surprised, Huo Tingxiao never attended such events; what was different this time…

“Alright, Mr. Huo, I’ll make the arrangements.”

Mu Lan couldn’t help but smile when she received the message from Huo Tingxiao about attending the social event.

Seeing her boss smile so happily, Tang Xin couldn’t help but pry.

“Boss, is it a message from your brother-in-law?”

Mu Lan lifted her head to look at Tang Xin.

“Your cousin has been in Sea City recently, have you seen him?”

As soon as Yunzhan was mentioned, Tang Xin couldn’t help but frown.

“I really don’t want to see him; my cousin hardly has enough time for flirting, let alone paying attention to me.

Besides, he won’t say anything nice when he sees me, and our verbal sparring is not a pretty sight.”

Mu Lan didn’t expect their relationship to be like this and her smile deepened.

“Yunzhan is quite articulate, you argue with him? Can you win?”

Tang Xin sighed.

“That’s exactly why I don’t want to meet him, because I can never win, and that’s why I don’t want to argue with him.

You’d think as a man he’d give me a break, I am his cousin after all.

But he’s so patient with those women, of course, patience is futile; after being patient, it’s still over when it’s over.

Such a man is truly a woman’s nightmare, heartless.”

Mu Lan actually thought this summary was quite accurate.

She looked down and sent a message back to Huo Tingxiao–no drinking.

Soon the phone buzzed with a reply–Yes, my wife.

The smile in Mu Lan’s eyes grew stronger, and Tang Xin couldn’t help feeling envious. How wonderful it would be if she could have such a relationship.

“I really envy you and your brother-in-law. I’m afraid my cousin will never find such a good relationship. Ah, I hope to heaven it’s not a collective punishment, because of my cousin afflicting me.”

Tang Xin’s line of thought made Mu Lan feel a mixture of amusement and helplessness.

“You and your cousin aren’t really tied together, right?”

Tang Xin shook her head.

“That’s because you don’t know. I’ve had a good relationship with him since we were little, and he would always pester me. So, it’s easy for this sort of thing to… His romantic fortunes are booming, and I’m disliked by everyone.

I haven’t had a relationship to this day, and you might laugh at me, but whoever I’ve had a crush on, within a month, they would start a relationship.”

Mu Lan looked up at her again, that’s so mysterious?

“This… it’s a coincidence, right?”

Tang Xin’s smile was tinged with awkwardness.

“One or two times might be coincidence, but over ten times is no coincidence.”

Mu Lan caught the main point.

“You’ve had over a dozen crushes?”

Tang Xin touched her nose somewhat embarrassedly.

“Well, the other party always has a girlfriend; I can’t just cling on hopelessly, right? So, I switch targets. But somehow, I just have such lousy luck.

I’ve seriously cried about this! Boss, with my cousin attracting so many romances, isn’t this like collective punishment, the retribution falling on me?”

Mu Lan rubbed her forehead, feeling at a loss about how to comfort the girl.

“Don’t overthink it, and don’t be too superstitious. Love isn’t that mystical; it’s all about… hmm, timing, location, and harmony, you know?”

Tang Xin sighed.

“I hope so.

By the way, boss, the lawsuit with the distributors is coming to an end, and the verdict should be out soon. We’ve got it in the bag.

Not only do they have to pay us, but they also have to issue a public apology.”

Mu Lan wasn’t surprised by this outcome; after all, she had been prepared and thus was ready for a well-planned battle.

“Hmm, just keep following up on that matter.”

Tang Xin felt valued, her eyes welling up with touched tears.

“Thank you for your trust, boss. I’ll keep working hard.”

“You’ve been working hard recently. I’ll give you a holiday after this is all over.”

As soon as Mu Lan finished speaking, Tang Xin thought about it.

“I am still buried in work, a single dog with no use for holidays.”

That truly hit home.

“Then take it as a chance to unwind. Constantly working at such a high intensity isn’t good, so be sure to take care of your health.”

Tang Xin was moved to tears again. Such a great Chinese boss.

“I will take good care of myself, but I really don’t need a holiday.

If you really feel like you owe me something, boss, why don’t we go out tonight?”

Seeing her hopeful expression, Mu Lan was also tempted. Huo Tingxiao had engagements for the day, and she would be alone at home anyway, so going out with Tang Xin didn’t seem like a bad idea.

“Just the two of us? Or should we invite everyone?”

Tang Xin loved lively scenes and naturally suggested inviting everyone, but then hesitated, worrying about troubling Mu Lan. Mu Lan could see her indecision.

“All right, let’s include everyone. Say I’m treating tonight as an early celebration.”

“Long live the boss! I’ll go tell them right now.”

“Dinner and karaoke are on me, go spread the word.”

No sooner had Mu Lan spoken than Tang Xin joyfully went to notify everyone. Soon, cheers could be heard all around.

…

After work, the girls went for Chaozhou beef hotpot first, and aside from Yun Xi, everyone had a little drink.

Mu Lan was also happy, having drunk a bit, her slightly tipsy face flushed with a tinge of red.

“Thanks, everyone, for your dedication to the studio these past days. Singles’ Day is our chance to shine, and next year we’ll have a physical store. Our brand will continue to grow bigger.

I hope that in the days to come, we can all stick together. I will always remember those of you who have been by my side through the rough times of starting this business.”

These words were not meant to incite, but coming from Mu Lan’s mouth, they were oddly reassuring.

LAN Studio hadn’t been around for long, but the compensation was very good. As a brand in its cradle, everyone was full of passion, eager to make their mark.

“Don’t worry, Boss Mu, we’ll spare no effort until the end.”

“Everyone, keep it up!”

After a lively moment, they all headed for the KTV. Since Mu Lan was treating, naturally it was a fancy club.

The environment was great, the private rooms spacious, and the expenses, of course, were hefty.

Mu Lan wasn’t used to such places, so she was slightly uncomfortable, but seeing the girls all energetic and happy, she felt joy herself.

“Boss Mu, sing a song for us.”

Tang Xin, bold as always, started to tease, and with her leading the charge, the group was eager to hear her sing.

Yun Xi sitting by the door, looked at Mu Lan with his usual expressionless face but also waited to see if Mu Lan would sing.

“Alright, since everyone is happy today, I’ll sing one for you all. But if it’s not good, don’t laugh at me.”

Mu Lan smiled, picked up the microphone, and when she began to sing, she astonished everyone.

This… was this really Mu Lan’s voice?

For a moment, her singing filled the room…