Ah, Everything Is Developing in a Positive Direction (Definitely)
"That's one way to understand it, although calling him an advisor might be a more accurate description."
Jade still had a smile on her face.
"It has absolutely nothing to do with selling yourself, does it?"
"Hmm..."
Topaz was in a terrible predicament.
"It's alright..."
"But then again, if Topaz wants to take the promotion machine, I'll support him."
"Eh... wait a minute! I really don't have those kinds of thoughts! Reproduction... I firmly, resolutely reject office romances!"
"I meant promotion, and position." Jade's smile began to brighten.
"Huh? This promotion... that's just cheating!"
Topaz looked embarrassed, but Topaz he suddenly thought of something and his expression changed instantly.
"No! These two are actually the same thing, senior!"
"Hey... we've been found out. Elena, you're getting smarter and smarter."
"... I really don't want to be praised like that."
Topaz's face was very red, whether from anger or embarrassment.
"Sorry, it was just a joke."
Jade stopped smiling and apologized sincerely.
"But speaking of which, I'm a little Topaz about how you define an office romance, Toppa."
"Of course, it refers to inappropriate relationships between members of the opposite sex in the office... no, any gender."
"For example, a superior's relationship with a subordinate?"
"Of course not!" Topaz's answer was firm and resolute.
"What if the boss pursues the subordinate through normal channels?"
"This..."
Topaz's mind cooled down a little.
"I don't think so? If it's true love, I think it's okay, um, this is a healthy relationship."
"What if a subordinate pursues their superior?"
"... Don't support me?" Topaz had already realized that Jade was leading him into a trap, so he hesitated for a moment before answering.
"What if it's true love?"
"Even if it's true love, it won't have a good impact..." Topaz felt she couldn't keep being led by the nose like this. "Essentially, the office shouldn't be a place for romance, right?"
"That's right, I'm very supportive. So if a subordinate and the person she met outside the office last time become a couple, should I still object?"
"...unnecessary."
Aside from fabricated accusations like "it will affect the efficiency of others," it seems difficult to pin a direct charge on someone.
If true love is the premise, then the relationship between superiors and subordinates, which is not very close, cannot be morally condemned at all.
"But since you've done this, you must be prepared to face gossip and rumors."
"So if you were your boss's boss, and you were sure everything was in order, would you choose to let the rumors circulate? Or would you fire someone outright?"
"... Of course not."
(Wait a minute! What exactly is Senior Jade trying to say?!)
Jade's face now only showed a faint, business-like smile, and she didn't have any special aura, but she completely overwhelmed Topaz and gained the initiative.
"Hmm, looking at it this way, Topaz, your definition of 'bad' is quite narrow."
"It's not cramped at all, is it?"
Topaz complained that while Jade cited many examples, they were all low-probability events.
"The premise of true love is just too shameless."
"What if we replace this with something we genuinely like?"
"There's no difference... In any case, only the person involved knows the truth about these things."
"So, as long as you have a clear conscience and it doesn't have a substantial negative impact on the outside world, you can do it?"
"..."
Topaz remained silent this time.
Her intuition told her that she had been led to the brink of disaster, and that her own Jade mentor was preparing to kick her down from a certain angle.
Jade couldn't help but chuckle at Topaz's wary expression.
"Alright, alright, I'm not teasing you anymore."
"Real?"
"Really." Jade smiled. "By the way, I've noticed you've been exercising a lot lately, Little Elena. You didn't used to do this, did you?"
"Ah... this..."
Topaz scratched his head.
We can't say that she was a bit emo because of the chubby legs that Hu Tao had previously criticized, can we?
Hu Tao is the first person to make such a direct comment, even though there was no malice involved... but it was too abrupt.
Moreover, he said it in front of his own boss, which put Topaz in an awkward position. It was Liu Bai who offered him a way out.
You could say Topaz was quite upset, and then she set out a leg-slimming plan.
But so far... it doesn't seem to be having any effect.
I even feel like I might have gotten a little fatter?
Topaz pinched his thigh.
There's flesh there! Aren't those plump thighs with almost no excess fat? Although, if you compare them side-by-side...
"It's just a very ordinary weight loss plan."
"... Topaz, do you still need to lose weight?"
Jade looked Topaz up and down, making Topaz feel a little embarrassed.
Even so, Topaz has no intention of changing his plans.
Now that a problem has been identified, it should be corrected!
Otherwise, if I go out in the future... it won't matter if I get criticized, but it will be my boss who loses face!
You can't always let the boss give you an out, can you?
... Although it's not always possible to encounter Hu Tao, whose words, though seemingly harmless, are always sharp and cutting, setting them apart from the crowd.
Topaz understood very well that if he indulged his bad habits with wishful thinking, he would definitely suffer the consequences in the future!
Forget about getting a promotion; I'd be lucky if I didn't end up being sidelined.
Therefore, Topaz is now very envious of Jade.
Although I can't envy those long legs, being that thin... shouldn't be an unreasonable request, right?
At least... Topaz felt that his hip circumference was probably not much different from Jade's.
Yes, so this request is not excessive at all.
"Let's put our weight loss plan on hold for now."
Jade looked at Topaz with a half-smile.
"Anyway, Topaz, you have no objections to what I just said about registering for maid positions, right?"
"... Um, actually there are others, like our current jobs..."
"We can take turns—so there are no objections?"
"There is none left..."
How strange, Topaz felt as if he had been kicked into a pit by Jade again.
Chapter 336 Ah, everything is moving in a positive direction (I'm sure of it)
"Ah... I suddenly miss Kafka a little."
"So what do you want to say, Dad?" Rita, who was massaging Liu Bai's shoulders, seemed to have anticipated something and immediately asked in return.
"I... ah, never mind, Rita, you wouldn't agree anyway."
"This self-awareness is a good thing—so are you really thinking about people?"
Rita pinched Liu Bai hard.
Are you sure you're not just lusting after her body?
"... Yes, I guess so." Bai's tone was no longer so confident.
"So that means it's not? Then what about Miss Acheron?"
"Hmm..."
"Are you already starting to get tired of the old and crave the new?"
"Don't label people, Rita."
"That's just a reasonable guess, so what do you really mean?"
"I... um... assuming I sleep ten hours a day, it's normal to spend two hours with Acheron, right?"
"That's normal."
"What about the remaining eight hours?"
"Eight hours of sleep is a very healthy amount of sleep."
"... That's what they say, but..."
"But is it really true that he's fickle and easily bored?"
"... Strictly speaking, it's about unsatisfied desires."
"Stop! It's amazing that you two can have such a normal conversation!"
Shi Bao, who was learning massage techniques nearby, couldn't stand it anymore.
You two are really something – one dares to say it and the other dares to respond!
"Ah... something is a bit off."
Rita seemed a little slow to realize it.
However, Rita didn't really care about this.
"But this isn't considered explicit, is it?"
"It's clearly very explicit!" Shi Bao, a Chinese internet slang term for sarcastic or critical comments) skills have greatly improved now. "If you don't think this is explicit, you two should just get married!"
"... There's just no way to deal with kids like that."
"Ah, I second that."
"Stop showing off your love like this!"
No, looking at the step in front of him, Shi Bao felt a taste rising in his mouth again.
"You guys talk about normal topics! Absolutely no more talking about this stuff!"
"Okay, let's get down to business..." Rita gently massaged Liu Bai's scalp, "Don't you have any work today? You seem to be quite free today."
Rita didn't want to talk about such a normal topic at all—it was too boring.
It wasn't nearly as fun as the rhythmic banter with Liu Bai.