Here's the English translation of the provided text:
Three months later.
At the K-city Salmart branch office conference room.
The Development Department's monthly meeting was underway.
Department Manager George smiled and said, "This month's performance champion is a newcomer. I'm sure everyone has guessed who it is. That's right! Zara, let's give her a round of applause!"
Warm applause filled the office. Bella clapped symbolically a few times, then stopped.
George waved his hand, signaling for everyone to quiet down. "Everyone knows that the newly signed MES project is the company's key project this year. If this project can be delivered on schedule, it will bring a considerable income to the company. So, this project can only succeed, not fail. Therefore, I announce that Zara will be the technical lead for this project. All development tasks related to this project will also be assigned by her, and everyone must cooperate fully!"
Zara was stunned. She was both excited and worried about this unexpected, hard-won opportunity. Excited because it proved her abilities were recognized by the company and that the company was strongly supporting her career. Worried because she had no management experience, and if it failed, not only would the company's interests be damaged, but she wouldn't be able to stay at the company either.
She couldn't help but fall into deep thought. When she snapped back to reality, the meeting attendees were leaving one after another.
Bella was the last to walk out of the conference room. When she reached Zara's side, she stopped and said with a forced smile, "Congratulations, Zara. In the future, if you have any tasks, feel free to assign them to me. I'm your loyal backup."
"Thank you, Bella! It's great to have you!" Zara said with a fawning smile.
When Bella reached her desk, a male colleague nearby leaned in and whispered, "Bella, are you just going to swallow your pride like this? That technical lead position should have been yours by rotation. How could a newcomer like her snatch it away?" Bella ignored him. The male colleague continued, "Everyone can see that George is deliberately favoring her..."
Bella's mouth twitched, and she said dismissively, "I advise you to focus on your work. If an employee badmouths their boss behind their back, and the boss finds out, can they still stay?"
The male colleague stuck out his tongue, shrank back, and sat down in his original seat.
Six months later, as the MES project was nearing its end, Zara grew increasingly uneasy. Hundreds of eyes in the company were watching, and she had to work overtime to ensure the project concluded smoothly.
One day, Zara was walking home from work. It was already 1 AM. She looked at the dim yellow streetlights, and Evander's handsome face kept appearing in her mind. She couldn't help but pull out her phone, wanting to call him. Seeing the time, she shook her head, "It's this late, he must be asleep!"
She didn't know that less than 50 meters behind her, a car was quietly following her. The person in the car was driving and taking out their phone.
She heard her phone ring, pulled it out, and was overjoyed.
"Hello!"
"Hello, are you asleep?"
"Yes!" She unconsciously showed her best side to this person.
"Where are you sleeping?"
"At home!" She felt puzzled. "What do you mean by that?"
"Haha... I'll treat you to a late-night snack!"
"Huh?" She held her phone, instinctively looking around. She saw a red Ford sedan behind her, with an Anya pattern sticker on it. She recognized the car.
She was ecstatic and ran towards the car.
The person in the car clearly saw her running towards them and quickly got out, running towards her even faster.
Closer! Closer!
But they both slowed their pace in unison.
Just as their bodies were about to touch, they stopped.
They looked at each other, then both spontaneously opened their arms and embraced.
She clung tightly to his body, choking out, "Evander, why are you here? You didn't even give me a heads-up?"
Evander hugged her even tighter, teasingly saying, "When you ask that, do you still have your boss in your eyes?"
She chuckled, pushing him away, "Yes! Boss, let's keep some distance then, that way I'm safe!"
Evander didn't reply, just smiled at her. She felt her face flush. He pulled her along, "Come on, I'll treat you to a late-night snack."
The two arrived at a high-end hotel. They ordered two roasted chickens, two steaks, two fruit cheese breads, and two bottles of red wine.
Evander raised his glass, looked at Zara, and smiled, "Cheers, to your excellent performance at work!"
Zara raised her glass, clinked it, took a sip of wine, and gave a radiant smile.
"Zara, you've grown so quickly in your professional ability in such a short time, you must have put in a lot of effort, right?" he asked with concern, stars shining in his eyes.
She smiled faintly, not answering. She didn't want to ramble on to him about her recent work pressure. Or subconsciously, to attract his attention, she deliberately showed her best side. She felt strange about this feeling, a feeling that once made her think she was a very vain woman, or that she had fallen in love with him.
He said, "Don't feel pressured. You just need to trust that George is one of us, he will support you. If you have any difficulties, you can talk to him!"
She suddenly realized, "The care George has shown me since I joined the company, including my becoming the technical lead, was all because of you?"
"The most important thing is that your ability and character can handle it."
"No! I don't need that, it makes me feel like pity. No wonder there have been rumors recently, saying that George deliberately favored me, and that Bella should have been the MES project technical lead. And I was still naive enough to think I got it by my own merit." Zara suddenly stood up, looking at him with hurt eyes.
"Zara, don't overthink! Sit down, let me explain it to you properly." He said good-naturedly.
She suddenly realized she had overreacted, and said awkwardly, "Sorry, I lost control just now!" She sat back down.
"I hope you can help me. I suspect someone is manipulating things behind the scenes, with the aim of bringing the company down!"
She widened her eyes and opened her mouth, saying, "You have evidence?"
"Not yet! That's why I need your help!"
"So you had George secretly cultivate me, so that in due time, I could be yours?"
"This will be no loss to you. You can gain the fame and fortune you never dared to dream of today, and I can ensure the company's steady development and keep my employees' livelihoods!"
"You trust me that much?"
"I trust you!"
"Okay, for that trust, I will be 100% loyal to you!"
He cut a piece of steak, held it to her mouth, and looked at her with a smile, "Eat quickly, it won't taste good when it's cold!"
She opened her mouth and took it, eating and smiling at him.
"By the way, how long are you planning to stay this time?" she asked.
"I plan to stay a bit longer, maybe three months, maybe more!"
"Where are you staying?"
He didn't answer, looking at her teasingly.
She thought for a moment, her eyes lighting up, "Are you going to stay at my place?"
He shrugged, noncommittal.
"No, no way, I disagree, absolutely disagree!" she pouted.
He looked at her, teasingly looking at her.