"Let's forget about Hua Feng Group. Although Yi Anguo contributed, he was paid a salary at the time. Moreover, Hua Feng Group didn't distribute dividends to shareholders this year. Their investments were substantial, so strictly speaking, they're still operating at a loss."

"Distributing a dividend solely to Yi Anguo isn't appropriate, since he's not a shareholder of Hua Feng Group. If we took out a sum of money specifically for him, the other shareholders would complain!" Chen Ting said after a moment of thought.

"Chen's Enterprise Company invests primarily in the domestic stock market and international crude oil futures, and our profits have been enormous. Let's give him a twenty percent dividend! I doubt Yi Anguo will have any objections to that."

"That much? A twenty percent dividend? That's no small sum!" Chen Jianjun exclaimed in surprise.

"Well, how much do you think we should give him?" Chen Ting retorted. "Without his guidance on when to buy and sell, how much do you think we would have earned? Do you really think giving him twenty percent is a lot?"

"What you're saying makes sense, but your relationship with him is different. Plus, Fei Long is his son. He wouldn't have helped us so much otherwise," Chen Jianjun pointed out. "Why don't you discreetly ask his opinion and see what he thinks?"

"Fine! I'll find an opportunity to ask him," Chen Ting relented with a nod.

Zhou Mengdie was now officially on vacation, getting ready for the New Year. It was time for a big shopping trip to buy traditional holiday goods.

But should I go to a physical supermarket, or shop at an online one?

For online shopping, the natural choice was An Jing Online Supermarket. For a physical store, it would be An Jing Supermarket, of course. An Jing's online and physical supermarkets maintained unified retail prices, so customers could freely choose how they wanted to shop.

Furthermore, even when purchasing online, customers could opt to pick up their items at a physical store. After placing an order online, the goods would be ready for pickup at a physical supermarket location within an hour. An Jing Convenience Stores, however, were not part of the online supermarket's offline network and were excluded from this service.

The number of An Jing physical supermarkets was not particularly high. Often, a physical supermarket also served as the local warehouse and logistics center for the An Jing Online Supermarket. Their locations weren't in bustling city centers but in slightly more remote areas. However, it usually didn't take long for the area surrounding an An Jing physical store to develop into a prosperous commercial hub.

In fact, Zhou Mengdie's family was quite well-off. Both her parents worked for state-owned enterprises. Her father was a veteran who had played a part in the early development of Shenzhen, and he was originally from the northeast. Her mother was a Shenzhen local.

The family owned between ten and twenty apartments. Some had been allocated by her father's work unit, while others were compensation from her mother's family relocation. These properties were all in the city center where housing prices had climbed to twenty or thirty thousand yuan per square meter. The monthly rental income alone amounted to sixty or seventy thousand yuan.

Even if they did nothing, the family would never be short on money. As was common for families like theirs, they had no other children; Zhou Mengdie was their only daughter.

The weather outside was bad and it was still raining. Zhou Mengdie decided it was better to stay home. If she was going to buy New Year's goods, she would do it at an online supermarket.

Zhou Mengdie was browsing the online supermarket on her computer when her phone suddenly PINGED, its screen lighting up. Glancing at it, she saw a notification from her bank: 380,000 yuan had been deposited into her account.

Soon after, another text arrived: "You've worked hard all year. Enjoy the New Year and take some time to relax. Happy New Year in advance!"

Zhou Mengdie smiled and replied, "Thank you, Boss. The year-end bonus has arrived! I don't know how I could ever repay you!"

"And? Isn't there a follow-up? Something like, 'All I can do is offer myself in return'?"

"Boss! I might dare to offer, but would you dare to accept?" Zhou Mengdie thought for a moment before texting back.

A long time passed without a reply.

Zhou Mengdie smiled, a mix of emotions swirling within her. She took her phone and walked into the living room where her parents were watching TV on the sofa. "Dad! Mom!" she said with a grin. "My boss gave me my year-end bonus. Guess how much he gave me!"

"A year-end bonus! How much could it be? Twenty thousand? Thirty thousand? Fifty thousand at most, right?" her mother said.

"How much can a private boss give? Twenty thousand would be the max. It's probably only ten thousand," her father remarked. "I think you should quit after the New Year and come work at our company. At least we're a large state-owned enterprise. The benefits are definitely better than at your private company."

"Dad, if your company can give me a 380,000 yuan year-end bonus, then I'll follow your arrangement and resign to work there after the holiday," Zhou Mengdie said, still smiling.

"A 380,000 yuan year-end bonus? Are you joking? Did your boss really give you 380,000 yuan?" her father asked.

"He sure did. I've already received the deposit notification from my bank," Zhou Mengdie announced happily.

"That much? Impossible. Isn't your monthly salary only twenty thousand?" her mother asked, shocked.

"My boss is very wealthy; this amount is nothing to him. Besides, I've been working very hard. He even sent me a text telling me I'd worked hard and should get some rest and relax!" Zhou Mengdie explained.

"This isn't about whether your boss has money," her father remarked. "It's about why he'd give you a 380,000 yuan bonus. Even if you worked hard, a bonus of two or three months' salary would have been more than enough. Many private companies just give one extra month's pay. Getting two is considered great, and three is practically unheard of. Even if your boss is wealthy, there's no reason to give you this much! How old is he? He doesn't have ulterior motives, does he?"

"Dad! How can you say that? If my boss gave me a small bonus, you'd call him stingy. He gives me a big one, and you suspect he has improper intentions," Zhou Mengdie protested. "Besides, you two can relax. My boss has a partner and several kids. His eldest daughter is already seven or eight years old. Even if your daughter wanted to chase him, he wouldn't give me a second look!"

"What nonsense are you talking about? So your boss has some money, so what? Our family's circumstances aren't bad! We don't need to suck up to anyone," her father said. "Once you have a lot of money, it's just a number. As long as you have enough, that's what matters. We might not be super-rich, but we have enough."

"I know. I'm not some vain, materialistic girl. My boss's wealth is his business; I don't have any designs on it," Zhou Mengdie said. "But doesn't a large bonus mean he's very satisfied with my work and recognizes my efforts? I just wanted you to be happy with me, but instead, your minds run wild. What's next? Are you going to tell me to return the 380,000 yuan to my boss?"

"Returning 300,000 would be fine. Keeping 80,000 is about right," her mother said. "There's no love without reason, and no hate without cause. Why would he give you so much money for no reason? He must have a motive. Men turn bad as soon as they get money. Look at those bosses from Harbor Island; how many of them don't keep young girls as mistresses? Don't tell me your boss has his eye on you and wants to keep you, so he's giving you this much money to test you. If you accept it, he might reveal his true intentions."

"Hmm! Your mother has a point!" her father nodded in agreement. "You can't just accept this money. You should return it. And quit that job after the New Year. An assistant to a private boss... an assistant! Isn't that basically the same as a secretary? This job isn't suitable for you. It's easy for people to get the wrong idea. Even if there's nothing going on, you can't stop people from gossiping."

"Dad! Mom! How can you say that about my boss? You're really disappointing me."

Furious, Zhou Mengdie stormed back to her room and slammed the door. Her good mood had completely soured.

Yi Anguo had no idea his act of goodwill had nearly caused a disaster. He genuinely felt that Zhou Mengdie did an excellent job and had helped him immensely. More importantly, he trusted her and considered her one of his own people, so giving her a larger year-end bonus seemed perfectly normal. A few hundred thousand yuan was truly nothing to him.

Although Zhou Mengdie was indeed beautiful and had a great figure, he had never entertained any inappropriate thoughts. He already had enough women in his life and had no desire to get entangled with anyone else.

"Boss, why did you give me such a huge year-end bonus? You're going to be the death of me!"

Yi Anguo was baffled when he suddenly received the message from his assistant, Zhou Mengdie.

Are there really employees who think their boss gives them too much for a bonus? And how could a large bonus possibly be the 'death of her'?

"What's going on?" he texted back, sending two messages in quick succession. "I gave you 380,000 because I'm very satisfied with your work. Now you're complaining that it's too much? How is it 'killing you'?"

"My parents said you gave me such a huge bonus because you have ulterior motives! That you're trying to play me!" Zhou Mengdie quickly replied.

"Do your parents have a persecution complex?" Yi Anguo wrote back.

"?" she responded.

"With 380,000, I could keep several beautiful eighteen-year-olds," Yi Anguo replied. "Besides, even rabbits don't eat the grass near their own burrows. Stop overthinking it. If you don't want the money, give it back. I don't mind having more."

"My parents want me to resign after the New Year and go work at a state-owned enterprise!"

After a short wait, another message from Zhou Mengdie arrived.

Yi Anguo thought for a moment and replied with two words: "Not approved."

On the other end, Zhou Mengdie had instantly regretted sending the message about resigning. But once a text was sent, it couldn't be taken back. She waited nervously for her boss's reply.

When she saw the two-word response, she couldn't help but let a smile spread across her face. Her mood instantly brightened.

She had been genuinely terrified that he would simply reply: "Okay."

If that had happened, she really wouldn't have known what to do.

Working alongside Yi Anguo, Zhou Mengdie felt she had learned a great deal and was progressing quickly. Moreover, her boss wasn't just young and handsome; he was also incredibly good-tempered. Even when she made mistakes or failed to handle things properly, he never lost his temper or scolded her. When she felt wronged, sad, or upset, he would even comfort her.

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