She was fired after she refused to be the CEO's dog licker.

It wasn't until Zhou Pinzhi reminded me that I realized, "I'm listening, Manager Zhou, what did you just say?"

"I said, yesterday Manager Meng said a lot of good things about me in front of Ayin, and I am grateful to Manager Meng, so I asked my errand boy in the city to send a thank-you gift. I wonder if Manager Meng received it?" Zhou Pinzhi's voice has always been soft, and when it comes out of the microphone, you can hear a smile.

"Thank you gift?" I was stunned and confused. I didn't remember what thank you gift I received.

It wasn't until my eyes fell on the small gift box placed next to the desk that I reacted.

Could this be the thank-you gift from Zhou Pinzhi?

This small gift box was brought by Xiaoya not long ago. She seemed to have mentioned that she had run an errand to deliver it, but my mind was full of work at the time and I didn’t have enough energy to take care of other things, so I didn’t pay attention to it. After I got busy, I forgot about it.

"Manager Zhou is a man of noble character and outstanding abilities. He is an excellent man picked from thousands of people. He fell in love with Jiang Yin at first sight and is deeply in love with her. Jiang Yin and I have been friends for many years. I am worried that Jiang Yin has missed this good marriage, so I encouraged Manager Zhou to have more contact with her." I explained with a smile as I reached out to take the small gift box.

But then he changed the subject and said tactfully, "Manager Zhou, I helped Jiang Yin, not you. Why did you send me a thank-you gift? If Jiang Yin saw this, she would think that you and I were colluding to scheme against her, and she would be angry. So I can't accept this thank-you gift. I'll have my errand boy send it back to you later."

"Then Manager Meng, please don't think of that as my thank-you gift to you. Just think of it as a gift from me to Manager Meng. We are friends now, so it's okay for me to give a gift to a friend, right?" Zhou Pinzhi immediately changed his words, "Please accept it, Manager Meng."

He is quite persistent.

"Manager Zhou, you are too polite." I still declined, "Although we are friends, it is not a festival, so I have no reason to accept it..."

"Manager Meng, what's wrong with you today? Are you trying to distance yourself from me so you don't accept the gift I gave you?" Before I could finish my words, Zhou Pinzhi on the other end of the phone interrupted me softly. He was a very polite man, and even when he asked questions, he was very gentle.

I paused.

In fact, it’s not alienation, it’s vigilance.

If Zhou Pinzhi had given me a thank-you gift before last night, I would have gladly accepted it, and even taken the initiative to act as a matchmaker between him and Jiang Yin, bringing them closer together while also bringing Zhou Pinzhi and I closer together, and bringing me closer to the Zhou family's old house.

But, Zhou Hanzhi reminded me last night that Zhou Pinzhi is far more complicated and dangerous than I thought.

He wanted me to give up the opportunity to enter the Zhou family’s old house through Zhou Pinzhi.

I have a good impression of Zhou Pinzhi, but I trust Zhou Hanzhi's judgment more. He has a closer relationship with Zhou Pinzhi. What's more, Zhou Pinzhi is his cousin and also his competitor. The object of competition is the heir of the Zhou family and the person in charge of Rongyu Group.

Faced with such a huge competition for interests, Zhou Pinzhi was eyeing it covetously. It was absolutely impossible for him to be the gentle and polite gentleman he appeared to be.

Zhou Hanzhi was cautious and must have privately investigated and analyzed Zhou Pinzhi. Knowing yourself and your enemy will ensure victory in every battle. He must know Zhou Pinzhi very well, at least better than I do.

He said that Zhou Pinzhi was vicious and dangerous, so that must be Zhou Pinzhi's true character. I thought about it carefully last night, and the feeling Zhou Pinzhi gave me was indeed unfathomable, so I began to be wary of Zhou Pinzhi, and even began to consider taking a different path.

I didn’t expect Zhou Pinzhi to be so perceptive that he actually noticed my estrangement. His words were soft but direct, and I didn’t know how to respond.

My fingertips just happened to open the lid of the gift box. The moment the lid opened, my eyes suddenly widened, shocked by the dazzling existence in front of me.

This is a very beautiful gem necklace, exquisitely designed and with extremely fine inlay workmanship. At this moment, the sunlight is slanting in from my window, shining on a corner of my desk. That little bit of light is reflected on the aquamarine sapphire of the necklace pendant, emitting a dazzling and dreamy glow. Such a beautiful gem is obviously a superb thing at first glance.

Good stuff, but also expensive.

I didn't expect Zhou Pinzhi to be so generous and give me such an expensive jewel necklace.

This is enough to show that he really likes Jiang Yin, otherwise he would not spend so much money to bribe me and want me to be a matchmaker to bring him and Jiang Yin together.

Jiang Yin is so lucky to be loved by such a man.

I sighed silently in my heart and envied Jiang Yin silently, but this also gave me the best reason to reject Zhou Pinzhi's thank-you gift.

"Manager Zhou, I definitely don't mean to distance myself from you. It's because this necklace is too valuable. I haven't done anything for you, so I can't accept such an expensive gift from you. Otherwise, I will feel uneasy." I immediately said, "So, please forgive me, Manager Zhou."

"No greed, no anger. No wonder my cousin liked Manager Meng so much back then. No wonder someone as cold and proud as Ah Yin would admire you so much and be friends with you. Manager Meng is indeed a man of character." Zhou Pinzhi sighed softly, with some regret in his tone. "It's a pity that I don't meet the requirements and am not qualified to be friends with Manager Meng."

"When did Manager Zhou learn the green tea tactics? If anyone is dissatisfied between us, it should be Manager Zhou who dislikes me because I am not qualified..." Although I refused, I couldn't let our relationship become awkward, so I made a joke.

Zhou Pinzhi caught my words and said, "So, Manager Zhou, are you still willing to treat me as a friend?"

"Of course." I answered affirmatively.

"As a friend, can I invite Manager Meng to my house for a meal? Manager Meng, you think the thank-you gift is too expensive and refuse to accept it, but a meal is always okay, right?" Zhou Pinzhi's tone was a little anxious.

He wanted me to have dinner at his house? I was stunned.

The children of the Zhou family can live independently outside after they become adults, and they can only return to the old house during important festivals or when there is something necessary. Therefore, Zhou Hanzhi lives in a villa halfway up the mountain, and Zhou Pinzhi also has his own private residence.

But even though Zhou Pinzhi and I were friends, it was inappropriate for me to go to a single man's house for dinner.

I hesitated for a moment and declined again: "Since we are friends, it's no big deal to help out a little. Manager Zhou, don't be so polite. Besides, I'm busy recently and really don't have time."

"Okay..." One could hear the disappointment in Zhou Pinzhi's tone.

But I still said a few polite words and hung up the phone, then immediately called Xiaoya, gave her an address, and asked her to ask someone to return Zhou Pinzhi's thank-you gift.

Near noon, Jiang Yin suddenly appeared in our company: "Xu Xu, let's have lunch together at noon. I have something to ask of you..."