26 Goddess of Strength and Speed (I)

"Are you sure we can win this year or even come out in the top three?" Jingyi asked, stretching his arms while glancing at Na.

Na positioned one hand on her hips and fisted her other in the air, competitiveness oozing out her body.

"I'm sure of it," she instantly answered, "This time, we have..."

Na paused and stared at Lai, who was warming up.

"Our saviour, Lai," she pointed at Lai.

"Hmm, sounds a tad bit far-fetched," Jingyi shrugged.

It was the company's athletic meet- an athletic competition for all the different departments in the company.

Lai somehow ended up in the Sales Department team to help them win a weekend stay at Cerulean Luxury Resort and Spa, a five-star hotel.

How did she end up with this department, you ask?

Well...

~Flashback brought to you by Kitty Xiuling's cute meow~

"Oh," Bai said, grabbing his suit jacket, "I'm not sure if you've heard this already, but there will be an athletic meet next week."

Lai was packing her stuff while listening to him.

"An athletic meet?" she asked, looking up from her desk.

"Yeah," he said, putting his suit jacket on, "It's a competition where employees participate in different races and activities. An employee is placed in a team according to the department they work in."

Lai grabbed her handbag and opened the door for him. It's been two weeks since she began working for him. She was getting used to the rush and bustle of being his PA.

However, Bai had become a totally different person. Let's just say, he revealed his true intentions to her. He kept teasing her, getting too close, and making her heart flutter.

It was hard to resist him, but Lai managed to put her foot down and tell him that she was not interested in a relationship.

Can you blame her?

The poor girl was carrying so much baggage that a relationship seems somewhat impossible for her to even imagine being in. Not that this has stopped Bai as he still finds her interesting and fancies her.

"Ladies first," he stated, grabbing the door for her instead, ushering her to step out.

He smiled at her, and she nodded, stepping out. They were heading to meet a potential investor.

"Sounds fun, but I don't belong to a department, so..." she paused as they walked past the Sales Department, which was also located on the same floor as the CEO's office.

"Yeah, well-"

"Hi, there!" a female voice exclaimed, cutting Bai off, startling him and Lai.

"What the hell, Na?" Bai muttered, placing his hand over his heart as he tried to calm down.

The employee had popped out of nowhere, startling them both.

"Sorry, sorry," Na panicked, an apologetic smile on her face, "It wasn't my intention to startle you both."

She stood in front of them with her hands clasped behind her back.

"Oh," Lai said with widened eyes, "It's you again."

The employee tilted her head as she tried to recall who Lai was.

"Oh! Wow, I didn't expect to see you again," she gasped as she recognized her, "I haven't had a chance to meet the boss's PA since I've been hella busy. Glad I finally got to meet you."

It was the same woman who had come to the café a few weeks back—the woman who had ordered dark coffee for her boss.

'So her boss was Mr. Ying?' she thought, clutching the strap of her handbag.

"Where are my manners?" the employee piped, "I'm Qiu Na. Well, I was kinda wondering if you'd like to join my team, the Sales Department, for next week's athletic meet?"

Lai's eyes widened, and she smiled.

"Um, if you're okay with it, then yes," Lai shook her head.

She was more than happy to join their team since no other department had approached her. It was better than not being part of a team.

Na clasped her hands in front of her and sighed in relief.

"Thank you!" she smiled, "Well, I won't keep you guys waiting. Bye!"

With that, Na strolled away. Lai stared at her disappearing figure. It was hard to believe that the same woman had such a boss babe aura.

"Well," she heard Bai say, "I guess that settles that. Let's go."

She nodded, and they headed for the meeting.

~End of flashback~

That was how Lai ended up as a team member in the Sales Department.

Now you might wondering why they are calling her their 'saviour.' Lai happens to be very athletic; she was part of her high school's athletic club and was the club's vice president.

Her team consisted of three females and two males. The female members were Qiu Na, Fan Zhenya, and herself. The male members were Jin Jingyi and Lu Lingxin.

Remember the employee who had witnessed her catch that molester on the train? Well, she found out he was part of the Sales Department, he was Lingxin.

"But how sure are you that she will save us?" Jingyi pressed his lips together.

He stared at Lai with narrowed amber eyes, feeling a little skeptical.

"Yeah," Zhenya, another female team member, inquired, "We are a bit hopeless."

"We've always been hopeless," Lingxin shrugged and then smiled as he observed Lai.

Instead, she was not paying them attention but was skimming the large basketball court that Bai had booked.

"But don't worry," he assured them, his eyes still glued to Lai, "I have a feeling we will do better this year."

After what Lingxin had witnessed her do on the train, he believed she would lead their team to victory.

Or at least put them in the top 3 this year. They have a chance not to be mocked like always.

"Okay, everyone," Na piped, ushering her members to huddle, "Let's pull ourselves together and do our best this time. I'm so fucking -excuse my language- tired of these other departments ridiculing us. Most of all..."

She paused and kept steady eye contact with each of them.

"Let's beat the Finance Department!"

Zhenya nodded energetically and fisted her hand.

"Yeah. I fucking hate how they look down on us here and at work," she grunted, tying her hair with a blue hair tie.

"Agreed," Lingxin and Jingyi jeered in unison.

Lai was silent the whole time, unsure of what to say. It was not like she hated that department too.

She never really interacted with any of them, and it was not her place to get involved.

"Let's do this," Na roared, ushering them to put their hands on top of each other for a cheer.

They did as they were told, and a great cheer erupted.

"FIGHTING!" they roared, throwing their hands in the air.

The other departments stared at them, amused by their fiery passion.

"What's up with them?" Fan Qing, a member of the Finance Department, asked as his teammates stared at Lai's team.

"Don't know and don't care," Mo Bi replied, her arms crossed and eyes narrowed at them, "We'll crush them again this year."

She scoffed and ran her fingers through her ebony black hair.

"Like we always do."

Lai was amazed at how there were so many employees who looked competitive and determined to win, not that she blamed them.

The chosen hotel was famous for its excellent service-many wealthy families praised its spa.

'It would be nice to spend a weekend there,' she thought with a smile.

"What are you thinking?" Lingxin asked as he stood next to her.

She tapped her feet and looked at him.

"I'm thinking how great visiting the hotel's spa would be," she beamed.

He nodded and placed his hands on his hips.

"For the past five consecutive years," he began as they stared at the other employees warming up and chattering, "the Finance Department has been prevailing. They have many strong employees, so other departments feel intimidated."

"That so?" Lai tilted her head up and spotted her boss sitting in one of the upper chairs in the bleachers.

She noticed he was seated next to another man she hadn't met yet. The man was wearing a suit and conversing happily.

Bai was nodding, occasionally saying something.

'A friend perhaps?' she wondered, shrugging, 'Argh, whatever! It's not my business. I need to focus.'