Chapter 66: False Rumours
Lunch-time ended, and everyone returned to their desks to begin working. Xiao Yan asked Jie Lu, "Where's Feng Jiu? Her laptop is gone too." Jie Lu then replied, "Oh. I'm not sure too."
Si Ming then walked over and Xiao Yan asked him the same question, but Si Ming also didn't know where Feng Jiu went. Right at this moment, Lian Song came into the office.
"Why are you here?" Si Ming asked Lian Song. Lian Song then shook his head and replied, "Yeah, Iceblock chased me out of my office and told me to work here today. I saw Chong Lin leaving the office to run errands too, and I heard he wouldn't be back to the office anymore for today."
"Oh? Poor you. You can come to work with me in my office or the meeting room. Your pick." Si Ming smiled and shook his head.
Lian Song then raised his eyebrows and replied, "But, I have a piece of interesting news for you. I heard that Feng Jiu went up to his office to work for today."
"What?! Feng Jiu is working with Ice Face today?!" Xiao Yan exclaimed upon hearing that. The gossip duo then shushed him so that others wouldn't hear them.
Lian Song then told Si Ming, "I'll get some tea in your office. It's lonely to work alone in the big meeting room anyway." Then the gossip duo left and walked into Si Ming's office.
Unfortunately, Ji Heng's assistant, Min Su overheard what Xiao Yan just said. She immediately took out her phone and posted a reply on the forum.
MiniSu14: I heard from a friend that she saw Top Beauty FJ heading up to Ice Monk's office, along with Chong Lin.
NosyAunty174: I was queuing up at the cafeteria during lunch, and I heard Chong Lin ordering two lunch sets today. Are they having lunch together?!
Ji Heng flared up when she saw that, and she immediately posted a reply.
(Ji Heng) BarbieGirl126: It can't be. Maybe the two lunch sets are for Chong Lin and Ice Monk. Wait, perhaps it's for Ji Heng and Ice Monk?
MiniSu14: No way. Everyone knows that Chao Ji Hen (Ji Heng) eats alone during lunch. Haha! She doesn't even know that everyone is avoiding her. I only knew about this because my friend told me about it.
DaZuiBa99: This is getting interesting. So, now we are back to rooting for Top Beauty FJ and Ice Monk? What about Xiao Yan?
*Da Zui Ba = Big-mouthed.
A person who has a 'big mouth' and says things they are not supposed to tell others.
(Ji Heng) BarbieGirl126: Yeah, we shouldn't forget about Xiao Yan. I still think they are dating. Once I found proof of them dating, I'll share them with everyone on the forum.
PaparazziPizza29: Yeah, I won't believe it until we see proof of them dating!
Ji Heng then smirked to herself, "After their 'date' tonight, I would be able to prove to them that they were hanging out. Everyone would believe that Feng Jiu is dating Xiao Yan then."
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The gossip duo started to 'drink their tea' in Si Ming's office.
Lian Song then leaned over Si Ming's table and raised his eyebrows at him. "So... What do you think they are doing now?"
Si Ming smirked and replied, "They are definitely doing something. If not, why would he chase you out of the office? I mean, your office is not even close to his personal office." Then he winked.
Lian Song then started acting as Dong Hua again, and he sat on Si Ming's table. "Oh, my Jiu-er. How can I focus on my work while looking at your beautiful face?"
Si Ming then got into his role as Feng Jiu, "Oh, my Dong Hua. How can I focus on my work while looking at your handsome face too?"
Lian Song then held on to Si Ming's hand and kissed it. "Here's a kiss to reward you for being so hardworking at work."
Si Ming then wiped his hand on his pants and replied, "That was gross. It feels like a frog kissing my hand. I need some hand sanitizer now."
Lian Song laughed out loud and replied, "Didn't you heard of the story, The Frog Prince?"
"I heard of it but what's the link with Feng Jiu and Dong Hua?" Si Ming replied confusedly.
"In the tale, a princess reluctantly befriends the Frog Prince, whom she met after dropping a gold ball into a pond, and he retrieves it for her in exchange for her friendship. The Frog Prince turned into a handsome prince after she kissed him. So, the princess is Feng Jiu, and the Frog Prince is Dong Hua. Initially, Feng Jiu was reluctant to befriend Dong Hua, and she wanted to avoid him, right? Then he managed to dodge her 'ball' at the resort, and they became friends after that. After she 'kissed' him at the cafe, didn't you realize that he became such a warm prince recently? He turned from a cold-blooded frog into a warm-hearted prince." Lian Song said.
"Oh? That does make sense too. You're talking sense for once, Lian Song." Si Ming smiled.
Then they went back to doing their work as the project was almost due in a few days.
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Finally, everyone ended work, and they begin to pack up to leave the office. Xiao Yan excitedly leaned over to Jie Lu's table and said, "Should we go on our date now? I can't wait!"
Jie Lu quickly packed up her stuff, and they left the office together. "I'm ready! Let's go!"
Ji Heng walked out of the office to check if Xiao Yan and Feng Jiu left the office. Then she noticed Xiao Yan walking out of the office, and she also noticed that Feng Jiu's table was empty. Ji Heng assumed that they left together, so she quickly headed back into her office and waited for 15 minutes before leaving. She didn't want to make it obvious that she was following them to the restaurant.
She also checked the forum while waiting for time to pass. Then she decided to create some false rumours, and she posted a reply.
(Ji Heng) BarbieGirl126: While I was leaving the office, I saw Xiao Yan and Feng Jiu leaving together, and I even saw them boarding the bus together.
GuardsSeizeThem123: Actually, I think I saw Xiao Yan leaving the office with a girl too. But I couldn't see who the girl was, but I noticed that she has the same hairstyle as our Top Beauty FJ.
(Ji Heng) BarbieGirl126: Yeah, I saw with my own eyes that they were together. They even held hands and boarded the bus.
GuardsSeizeThem123: This time, I think BarbieGirl126 might be right. If I didn't see wrongly, I saw them holding hands too. But don't take my words seriously since I couldn't see the girl's face. Maybe it's someone else and not Top Beauty FJ.
Ji Heng then smirked, and she proudly thought to herself, "At least someone agrees with me. But after I take a picture of the both of them 'dating' tonight, everyone else would agree with me." Then she stood up, took her bags and left the office. She headed straight to the Italian restaurant, Bella Mozzarella.
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Upon reaching the Italian Restaurant, she sneakily hid behind a wall and tried to look at where Xiao Yan was seated. Then she told the waitress to give her a booth seat facing them, and she hid her face behind the menu.
Then she proceeded to try to take a secret shot of them eating together. In the picture, Xiao Yan's face could be seen clearly, but it only showed the back view of the girl sitting opposite him. Ji Heng thought to herself, "Is that Feng Jiu? Doesn't look like her from here, although the hairstyle looks similar."
Ji Heng ordered a salad and a cup of black coffee. Then she continued to observe Xiao Yan, and she waited for the girl to turn her head so she could snap a good picture of it.
After a while, the girl turned over as she raised her hand to call for the waiter. Ji Heng immediately recognized that it was Jie Lu and not Feng Jiu. She furiously thought to herself, "What? Why is she here instead of Feng Jiu?" Then she continued to observe.
Right at this moment, Xiao Yan held on to Jie Lu's hand and stared lovingly into her eyes. He also used the napkin to wipe the sauce off Jie Lu's face, and they smiled at each other. Ji Heng felt even more frustrated, "What?! They are already dating? I thought he had a crush on me? Wow." Then she decided just to post the picture of Xiao Yan and Jie Lu's back view since Jie Lu and Feng Jiu had similar hairstyles.
Ji Heng logged onto the forum and posted the picture.
(Ji Heng) BarbieGirl126: *Posts image* My friend sent this picture to me, and it seems like Xiao Yan and Feng Jiu are dating.
Everyone then started to flood the thread with replies.
GuardsSeizeThem123: That was the girl that I saw! They are wearing the same clothes. Is that Top Beauty FJ? We can't see her face here. Too bad I didn't see Top Beauty FJ coming into work today, so I won't be able to confirm that it's her by looking at the clothes.
NewFanOfFJ666: Oh no. I'm so disappointed! If that is Top Beauty FJ, Ice Monk's heart would be broken. I was rooting for Ice Monk.
NosyAunty174: It doesn't look like Top Beauty FJ. Maybe it's not her?
(Ji Heng) BarbieGirl126: My friend also works in Tai Chen Group, and she said that it was Feng Jiu. She didn't manage to take a clear picture of her face because she didn't want to get caught.
PaparazziPizza29: Yeah. We need to see her face before we would believe it.
Ji Heng then thought of another evil plan. She quickly took out her work laptop and started photoshopping Feng Jiu's face onto Jie Lu's face. As she was skilled in photoshop, it looked convincing.
(Ji Heng) BarbieGirl126: *Posts another image* My friend just sent this picture to me, and it clearly shows Feng Jiu's face. Now, you guys believe me? They are even holding hands in the picture!
KeyboardWarrior748: What? They are really dating?! No... I was rooting for Ice Monk.
DaZuiBa99: The picture clearly shows that it was Xiao Yan and Feng Jiu. I guess they are really dating. Everyone, we should just wish them happiness.
SofaKing444: I'm usually a lurker on this forum, but I just have to come up to say that I'm utterly disappointed in her choice. #IceMonkForever
(Ji Heng) BarbieGirl126: Guys, you can still root for Ji Heng and Ice Monk.
KingTroll69: Why should we root for Ji Heng? She's so fake.
(Ji Heng) BarbieGirl126: Why are you insulting Ji Heng? Do you even know her?
KingTroll69: Why are you so mad then? They see me trollin'; they hatin'~
(Ji Heng) BarbieGirl126: Because you're insulting someone when you don't even know her. She seems to be so sweet and kind.
MemeLord520: Eww, no way! I worked with Chao Ji Hen (Ji Heng) once, and she was so rude. I greeted her good morning, and she rolled eyes at me. Who does she think she is?
AntiJH184: Yeah! Tai Chen Group will be destroyed in her hands if she marries Ice Monk. I would rather Ice Monk stays a monk forever. #AntiCJH
MiniSu14: Guess I'm late to the show, and I just have to say this. I hate Chao Ji Hen! We should start a petition to Kick CJH out of Tai Chen Group!
Then the people on the forum started posting hate on Ji Heng, and she couldn't handle it anymore. She aggressively slammed shut the laptop screen and called for the waiter. Then she threw the money on the table and left the restaurant, fuming with anger.
At this point, the gossip duo was still busy rushing their work at home, so they didn't check the forum at all.
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On the other side, Dong Hua and Feng Jiu were working together on the same table. Throughout the whole time that Feng Jiu was there, Dong Hua was feeling a little distracted, and he kept stealing glances at her.
Feng Jiu finished her work at 6 PM, and she was about to pack up and leave for the day. Then she noticed Dong Hua was still busy working and she asked him, "You're still not done? Don't stay so late in the office again."
"I can't, Xiao Bai. I have too much work to do. Wish I could head home on time too." Dong Hua briefly looked up at her and then back down on his computer.
Feng Jiu knew that Dong Hua is probably going to skip his dinner, so she replied, "Are you hungry, Dong Hua? Should I buy you some food from the cafeteria before I leave the building?"
"It's okay, Xiao Bai. Don't worry about me. You can head home first if you want to." Dong Hua replied casually. But Feng Jiu didn't like seeing him skip meals and she noticed that Dong Hua looked stressed out. Then she thought to herself, "Chong Lin said that Dong Hua is stressed out and he also said that Dong Hua would cheer up whenever I'm around him. Should I accompany him then?"
Then she thought of an excuse to stay behind with Dong Hua. Feng Jiu took out her laptop again and placed it on Dong Hua's desk. He looked up at her and asked, "I thought you're going home? Why are you unpacking now?"
Feng Jiu then replied casually, "I forgot that I needed to make some final edits to my drafts and I don't want to do them at home because I will fall asleep. Am I disturbing you if I stayed here to finish up my work?"
Dong Hua immediately smiled and replied, "Not at all! It would be nice to have some company too. Are you hungry, Xiao Bai? I can order food delivery if you are." Then he thought to himself, "It's so nice to spend more time with her. At least I feel less stressed out."
Feng Jiu then thought to herself, "If we ordered food delivery, I'll order more and make an excuse that I can't finish it. Then I'll make Dong Hua eat dinner too." Then she nodded her head and replied, "Yes. I'm starving now! I'll order the food now, okay?"
"Okay. Order as much as you want, Xiao Bai. I'll pay for it, and you can just consider it as an 'overtime' pay." Dong Hua then passed his credit card to Feng Jiu.
Feng Jiu pushed it away and replied, "No! I'm paying for this meal." Dong Hua then stood up and used the credit card and knocked her head lightly. "No. I insist. If you reject it, it means that you don't think I'm a good boss."
Feng Jiu pouted and replied, "Hmph! You always win me in talking. Fine, I'll buy so much food until you're bankrupt!" Dong Hua then smiled and replied, "I'll gladly be bankrupt if it makes you happy." Then he went back to typing on his computer.
Feng Jiu's heart started pounding, and she thought to herself, "Is Chong Lin right about Dong Hua having special feelings for me?" Then she convinced herself not to overthink and to enjoy the good moments with Dong Hua instead.
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After 30 minutes, the food arrived. Feng Jiu ordered so much food that it would feed four people. Then she excitedly sat on the sofa and laid the food containers out on the coffee table.
Feng Jiu then looked over to Dong Hua and noticed that he was still focused on typing. "Hmm..? Can't he smell the food? It smells so good, though." Then she said to Dong Hua, "You want to eat some? I ordered a lot so we can definitely share them."
Dong Hua then replied without looking at her, "It's fine, Xiao Bai. You can eat first, and I'm not too hungry now. Eat more."
Feng Jiu frowned and kept quiet while looking at her food. She thought to herself, "It's nicer if we could eat it together. Dong Hua really have a bad habit of skipping meals. But he looked so busy, and I don't want to force him to eat."
Dong Hua then noticed Feng Jiu was quiet and he turned over to look at her. He saw her frowning and thought to himself, "She looks upset. Is it because I didn't want to eat with her? I mean, I'm also getting a little hungry, and that food does look good. I guess taking a short 30 minutes break isn't that bad after all. It's not like I was behind work anyway."
Dong Hua is a workaholic, and he disliked stopping his work halfway since he wants to get things done immediately. This is also why he started skipping his meals because he didn't want any distraction.
Dong Hua then stood up, walked over to Feng Jiu and sat down beside her. Feng Jiu widened her eyes in surprise, and she said, "You're hungry now?" Then she smiled brightly. Dong Hua then took the chopsticks up from the table and replied, "Yes. The smell of your food makes me hungry. Let's eat together?" Then he passed the chopsticks to Feng Jiu.
"Okay! See, I even got you Lotus Root Soup with Pork Ribs! I know you like soup!" She replied excitedly. Feng Jiu passed the spoon to Dong Hua and told him to drink it. Then she added on, "Don't worry, I'm not afraid of your saliva so we can share the food from the same container!"
Dong Hua then thought to himself, "Did she bought food for me on purpose? I know she's not a big fan of soups." Then he replied without thinking, "Oh? You're not afraid of saliva? You must have kissed someone else before." Dong Hua then quickly looked away and stuffed his mouth with rice as he realized that he spoke without thinking again.
Feng Jiu blushed and replied without thinking too, "No..No. My first kiss is actually with you. Wait, don't misunderstand! I mean, that time when we were at the Cafe. But you can't ask me to repay you since you also accidentally kissed me!" Then she quickly stuffs her mouth with more food as she realized that she also spoke without thinking.
Both of them continued stuffing their face with food while their faces were flushed. Then they briefly looked at each other, and Dong Hua immediately said, "Oh, the food is spicy." Feng Jiu also quickly replied shyly, "Yeah, yeah. This is really spicy! Sssss. Why is it so spicy?" Then they both bowed their head and continued eating.
Dong Hua then tried to ease the awkwardness by pointing out to the night view. "You like the view, Xiao Bai?"
Feng Jiu then turned back and took a look at the view. "Wow! It's beautiful! You're so lucky that you get to work here. But when I think about it again, you totally deserved to be working up here. Dong Hua, you used to work so hard, and now you're reaping what you sow. I'm so proud of you." Then she smiled warmly at Dong Hua.
Dong Hua then smiled and replied, "You can come up here to work whenever you want to. We can share my office, and you can look at this beautiful view."
Feng Jiu's eyes lit up, and she replied, "Really?! But... Never mind. It's weird, and people would misunderstand too. I mean, I appreciate your offer, but I don't think it's convenient." Then she frowned and continued looking at the view.
"It's okay, Xiao Bai. I don't want you to feel uncomfortable about it. But if you change your mind, just let me know, and I'll give you a work pass to access to my office. You can even use my office when I'm out of the office too." Dong Hua smiled.
Feng Jiu smiled back, "Wow! Friendship perks, huh? But it's okay, and I appreciate the offer. It's the thoughts that count!"
Dong Hua then stood up to clear the trash, and Feng Jiu stopped him. "No, let me do it. You go back to work now. If not, you'll have to stay here overnight, and I don't want that to happen." Then she grabbed the bag from Dong Hua and ran out of the office to throw it out. Dong Hua smiled to himself and went back to work.
Feng Jiu then sat down in front of Dong Hua and continued working. She then decided to do some work for real, so she could 'slack' a little tomorrow. After 1.5 hours, she started feeling a little sleepy, and she yawned. Dong Hua then noticed her yawning and said to her, "Xiao Bai, are you feeling tired now? If you could wait a little more, I can send you back home later. I'm almost done here too."
"Oh! Are you almost done? Okay! I'll wait for you, and we can head back together then." Feng Jiu replied excitedly, and she started packing her stuff.
Then he pointed to the sofa and said, "Go rest there first while waiting for me." Then he smiled and quickly finished up his work so that he could send Feng Jiu home.
Feng Jiu then started slouching on the sofa, and she eventually fell asleep while waiting. Dong Hua then finished up his work and looked over to see her sleeping. "My silly Xiao Bai. Falling asleep on the sofa. She must be exhausted."
He walked over to her and took off his jacket. Then he gently covered her with it as he didn't want her to feel cold. Right at this moment, Feng Jiu woke up from her nap and she stared directly into Dong Hua's eyes. She rubbed her eyes gently and said lovingly, "Dong Hua." Then she smiled sweetly at him. His heart instantly melted upon hearing her call out his name so lovingly. Then he replied lovingly, "You're awake. I was afraid to wake you up." Dong Hua then helped Feng Jiu fix her hair as it was a little messy.
Feng Jiu smiled and hugged onto Dong Hua's jacket. Then she said, "You smell good." Dong Hua then sat down beside her and laughed, "Oh? Glad that you think that way. At least I don't have body odour."
"I love the sandalwood smell in your car too." Feng Jiu smiled at Dong Hua. "Oh? That's from the scented cloth bag. If you like it, I'll give one to you." Dong Hua smiled and replied.
Feng Jiu nodded her head enthusiastically and replied, "Yes! I want one, please! Oh, you're done with work already?"
"Yes. Shall we go home now? You look so tired, Xiao Bai." Dong Hua then walked over to his desk and picked up his laptop bag. Feng Jiu immediately got up and grabbed her purse too. "Let's go now!"
While they were in the elevator, Feng Jiu said to Dong Hua, "Now I know why you stayed back late in the office. I mean, it's so quiet here, and you really can do your work peacefully. I get so distracted sometimes, and I can't finish my work. But when I was in your office just now, I managed to get so much done."
"Oh? Maybe you can come to work in my office after working hours if you need to. Also, everyone would have left the office, and they won't know that you're here. In that case, you won't feel uncomfortable about it, right?"
"Hmm... Sounds like a good plan. Okay, maybe I'll come up to your office sometimes after work then!" Feng Jiu smiled brightly at Dong Hua. Then she snatched Dong Hua's laptop bag from him and hugged it tightly.
"Stealing company trade secrets, huh?" Dong Hua replied sarcastically.
"No! I just remembered that your shoulder is still injured, so I don't want you to carry such heavy stuff. I said that I would take good care of you, so don't snatch it back from me!"
Dong Hua then patted her head gently, "Fine. You can help me carry it then. Xiao Bai is the best, and she helps me out a lot." Feng Jiu then smiled and replied proudly, "Of course! But it was my fault too..." Then she pouted.
Dong Hua noticed her pouty face and replied, "No pouty faces. You're already helping me out, and that's considered as making it up to me. Make me a good home-cooked meal, and it would suffice."
"Okay! One of these days, I'll also make lunch and bring it to work for you." Feng Jiu smiled sweetly. Dong Hua smiled back, and they left the elevator to head over to Dong Hua's car.
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While leaving, Feng Jiu bid the security guard on duty goodbye. It appeared to be the same guard who accidentally locked her in the office the other day. The security guard bowed politely to both of them and went back to work.
The guard immediately took his phone out and posted a reply on the forum.
GuardsSeizeThem123: Guys! You won't believe what I just saw! I saw Ice Monk and Top Beauty FJ, leaving the office together at 9 PM! I didn't get a chance to take a picture, but I swear I'm not lying. She even bid me goodbye, and I saw with my two eyes that they headed towards the car park together. They are definitely dating if they are leaving the office at such a late timing together!
PaparazziPizza29: Oh my gosh! So how do we explain the picture of Xiao Yan and Top Beauty FJ?
MiniSu14: I used to take Design classes back in school, so I'm not surprised if that was photoshopped.
(Ji Heng) BarbieGirl126: My friend sent that to me, and she swore that she wasn't lying.
AntiJH184: I don't believe the pictures. I believe GuardsSeizeThem123.
MemeLord520: Root for Ice Monk and Top Beauty FJ! We have hope now! #IceMonkForever
(Ji Heng) BarbieGirl126: You guys are so gullible! How can you believe someone's words over the picture? It's so obvious that Xiao Yan and Feng Jiu are dating. I mean, Ji Heng also spent late nights with Ice Monk a few months ago too.
GuardsSeizeThem123: Yeah, but I never once saw them leave together. Ji Heng and Ice Monk always went their separate ways. It looked like Ice Monk was sending Top Beauty FJ home!
PaparazziPizza29: Someone needs to take a picture of them together! It's so sweet that I have now become diabetic! I'm rooting for Ice Monk and Top Beauty FJ too.
DaZuiBa99: #IceMonkForever
AntiJH184: #IceMonkForever
Hater74: #IceMonkForever
Everyone then started rooting for Dong Hua and Feng Jiu again.
Ji Heng kicked her table when she realizes that her plan foiled again. "I will approach Dong Hua tomorrow morning in front of everyone. I'll find a chance to get close so others could snap a picture of us together and post it on the forum."
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On the other hand, Feng Jiu and Dong Hua were spending some sweet moments together. She sat onto his car again, and Dong Hua put the seatbelt on for her as usual.
Dong Hua then reached over to her side and opened the glove compartment. Then he took out an extra sandalwood scented cloth bag and handed it to Feng Jiu. "Here you go, you said you wanted it. Tell me if you want more."
Feng Jiu smiled and replied excitedly, "I love it! Thank you!" Then she tied it onto her laptop bag. "Now, I'll smell like your car." Feng Jiu said.
Dong Hua shook his head and replied, "Now, you'll think of me whenever you smell it." Feng Jiu then smiled back warmly and spoke without thinking, "Yeah! But I love it, so I don't mind it. I always think of you, anyway."
Dong Hua then thought to himself, "She always think of me?" Then he nervously cleared his throat, not knowing what to reply. Feng Jiu blushed and said, "I don't mean it that way. I mean, I'm always worried about you skipping meals. I mean...."
"I know. You're afraid of me dying, and you'll lose your job, right? I won't die, Xiao Bai. So you don't have to worry about that." Dong Hua interrupted her as he noticed that she was feeling embarrassed.
"Good! I don't want you to die, Dong Hua. I enjoyed being around you too much, and it would break my heart if you die." Feng Jiu replied. Dong Hua then smiled, "I promise you that I'll take good care of myself and not break your heart."
"Okay! You can't break your promise." Then she made Dong Hua do a quick pinky promise since he was driving.
After driving for 20 minutes, they arrived at her building. Dong Hua then nudged her to head upstairs to rest early. He waited for her to walk into the building's lobby before driving off as usual. Both of them were feeling tired since they had a long but fulfilling day.
"I'm so glad that I stayed back with Dong Hua in the office today. I also got to know him better through Chong Lin and spending time with him."
- Feng Jiu
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
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