On Sunday, the company held a team-building event.
It was the first team-building event Lin Yu had attended since taking the job. When the HR department asked for his opinion on whether to organize team-building games to enhance collaboration and team spirit, he shook his head and told them not to go overboard, to just follow the usual routine.
As a result, like in previous years, they went hiking in the suburbs.
The local area boasted beautiful scenery and, due to historical reasons, had many cultural and historical sites, making it half a tourist city.
The mountain they were to climb wasn’t particularly high, but there was a famous ancient temple at the top. A few hundred years ago, a poet had retired there, and during peak season, tourists came in droves.
Now, in the off-season, there were few tourists, and locals wouldn’t usually head up the mountain for leisure, making it a popular choice for corporate outings.
On the day of the event, in addition to regular employees, the entire leadership team showed up.
Usually, leaders wouldn’t participate in team-building activities, but since Lin Yu made it clear he would attend, other department heads eagerly signed up as well.
The young woman from HR, who was in charge of organizing, was thrilled by the high participation rate. On the day of the event, she led the charge with a little red flag in hand, encouraging everyone to move forward.
Zhou Youyu climbed breathlessly, his large belly swaying. He was about to curse but swallowed his words when he saw Lin Yu nearby.
Lin Yu wasn’t doing much better.
He was not very strong and rarely exercised. After a few minutes of climbing, he was already breathing heavily.
Liang Zhi, who happened to be behind him, quickly supported him, “Director Lin, are you alright?”
Zhou Youyu immediately pushed over, his large body like a bulldozer, squeezing Liang Zhi aside. “Director Lin, if you’re not feeling well, I can take you to the hospital. This HR Xiao Cai really—what kind of team-building is this? She doesn’t consider everyone’s situation. I’ll make sure to talk to her later…”
Liang Zhi was nearly knocked over but was fortunately caught by Lu Ziqing.
Lin Yu glanced at his arm, which was being supported by Zhou Youyu, withdrew his hand, and said indifferently, “This activity is quite good. Everyone sits all day at the office—getting some exercise on the weekend is beneficial for our health.”
Zhou Youyu’s words got stuck halfway, but he quickly changed his tone. “Yes, yes, Director Lin, you have great foresight. It’s my own lack of vision, haha.”
The mountain path was rugged, with some steps covered in moss, making them slippery, steep, and dangerous.
Lin Yu had a slight fear of heights.
“Liang Zhi,” Lin Yu suddenly called out, “you’re tall. I’ll hold onto you a bit if you don’t mind?”
Liang Zhi had originally intended to fade to the back, but upon hearing this, he quickly replied, “Of course, of course, I don’t mind.”
Zhou Youyu’s expression stiffened slightly.
Liang Zhi swiftly moved forward to support Lin Yu, even taking Lin Yu’s backpack onto his own shoulders.
With Mi Lan joking around beside them, the three walked up together, chatting and laughing.
Zhou Youyu quickly adjusted his expression.
Glancing at Lu Ziqing, who was walking not far behind him, Zhou Youyu immediately plastered on a smile and stepped forward to pat his backpack. “Xiao Lu, what do you have in here? It’s so heavy.”
Lu Ziqing shot him a glance. “Bottled water.”
Before climbing the mountain, Xiao Cai had handed each person a bottle of water.
Zhou Youyu frowned. “One bottle of water shouldn’t be that heavy. Did someone ask you to carry extra for them? Tell me who—I’ll have a word with them!”
Lu Ziqing replied coolly, “It’s the leftover bottled water. I volunteered to carry it. Otherwise, it would just go to waste.”
Zhou Youyu: “That’s way too heavy. Give me a few bottles—I’ll help you carry them.”
As he spoke, he reached out to unzip Lu Ziqing’s backpack.
Lu Ziqing dodged nimbly.
“No need,” he said, looking straight ahead. “I’m young. Doing more is expected.”
Zhou Youyu looked a bit embarrassed but still tried to make conversation. “How’s work lately? Any difficulties? Tell me about it.”
Lu Ziqing: “It’s fine. Thanks for your concern, Mr. Zhou.”
Zhou Youyu: “Next month is my niece’s 20th birthday. Come join us for dinner?”
Lu Ziqing smirked. “What, are you trying to set me up with your niece again?”
Zhou Youyu had hinted at this multiple times before.
According to his bragging, his niece was a sophomore majoring in law at a prestigious university. She was beautiful, gentle, and an excellent cook. Many people wanted to meet her, but Zhou Youyu dismissed them all, believing only Lu Ziqing was a worthy match.
Every time, Lu Ziqing had the same response: “No thanks, I’m not looking to date right now.”
But Zhou Youyu was persistent, like a fixed NPC in a game.
Lu Ziqing was starting to get annoyed. This time, he simply said, “No need. Your niece is so outstanding—I don’t deserve her.”
Normally, that would be enough for Zhou Youyu to drop the topic.
But today, he pressed further. “I see… So, you’re not interested in my niece. But you’re young—you must be dating someone, right? Are you just keeping it private?”
Lu Ziqing turned his head and stared at him.
Zhou Youyu was observing his expression.
Seeing no reaction, Zhou Youyu cautiously probed, “If you are dating, don’t be shy. Bring them around sometime. Anyone good enough to catch your eye must be quite impressive.”
Lu Ziqing gave a perfunctory smile.
Zhou Youyu then leaned in slightly. “So, are you dating? A girlfriend? Or… a boyfriend?”
Lu Ziqing’s steps faltered for a brief moment.
…A boyfriend?
Not exactly.
But a “husband,” well, he did have one.
Lu Ziqing suddenly chuckled. “Sure, I’ll bring them around sometime. You’ve got a keen eye—you can help me judge if they match me well.”
