Chapter 1461: Good networking

Days had passed without much incident, with Penny being a little too preoccupied as the competition approached. Although she was confident that Yugi was doing his best to ensure the event would run smoothly, she still had to help out here and there. After all, the event was also meant to showcase Prime Group and catapult it to new heights.

"Ahh... my shoulder hurts," Penny mumbled to herself, massaging it. Catching the time, her face soured. "I didn’t notice the time."

On a normal day, Penny would’ve gone home two hours ago. However, with the event happening tomorrow, she had been working overtime.

Stretching her arms and legs, a smile formed on her face.

"Guess it’s time to call it a day!" she announced, tilting her body from side to side with her arms raised. Once she got the blood circulating, Penny stood and began packing up her things.

But on her way out, she stopped the moment she passed the CEO’s department. Walking backward, she turned her head toward the entrance.

"One... two... three... four..." she counted, blinking as she looked at the people still working inside. "What are you guys still doing here?"

At the sound of her voice, everyone in the office looked up. The first thing they saw was her furrowed brows and confused expression.

"That’s because you haven’t left!" Patricia, who looked like she was on the verge of breaking down, exclaimed. "So none of them wanted to leave before you!"

And Patricia couldn’t leave either—not when everyone else was still there. She didn’t want to be called the lazy one, especially when she was clearly falling behind the others. Even Shawn was surprisingly good at office work!

"Huh?" Penny scrunched her face, glancing at the rest of them. "You’re not leaving because I’m still working? What kind of nonsense is that?"

"We just find it rude to clock out if our boss is still working," Hayley replied with a smile, in stark contrast to Patricia’s wailing. "Since we’ve also been putting in extra hours at home to finish these reports, we figured we might as well do it here."

Teddy and Shawn nodded, while Patricia’s expression soured. Still, Hayley had a point. Patricia had been staying up nights trying to understand these documents. It had helped, in a way.

Penny’s face twisted even more. "Since when have you guys been doing this?"

"Since the beginning," Teddy answered politely.

Penny tilted her head. She hadn’t noticed they’d been staying late. How could she have missed it yesterday? Well, probably because they’d taken a break for snacks and coffee just as she left. Today, though, they got their coffee early.

"You guys..." she scoffed, rendered speechless. She never thought she’d have to deal with this when she hired them. "Have you had dinner?"

"We’ll have some after this, Miss Penny," Shawn offered her a meek smile. He was starting to gain a bit more confidence after working here for several days now.

"No." Penny shook her head and crooked her finger at them. "Drop that and get your things."

"I’ll just finish—"

"No, Hayley," she interjected firmly. "That’s enough. Get your things and let’s go."

With that, Penny turned and walked away. The four looked at each other, but didn’t hesitate for long. They quickly dropped what they were doing, grabbed their things, and followed her.

---

Hayley and Shawn had worked at different companies before. Though unlike Shawn, who tended to stay longer in his past jobs, Hayley often resigned after a year—or a bit more. Her reason was simple: she wanted growth. If her current job didn’t offer it, she’d find one that did.

Teddy, on the other hand, had been suppressed right from his first company and never got a chance to shine. Since then, he’d taken on odd jobs just to make ends meet. As for Patricia—she had never had a proper job before.

But one thing they could all agree on, without a shadow of a doubt, was that their current boss was rather... odd.

When Penny told them to follow her, they didn’t expect to end up at a tent-restaurant by the river, ten minutes from the company. It wasn’t unfamiliar—Shawn and Teddy were regulars there thanks to the cheap but delicious food. Hayley had been to similar places a few times. Patricia, however, was experiencing it for the first time.

Still, that wasn’t what baffled them. What surprised them was seeing Penny—someone of her status—eating in a place like this. Someone in her position should be seen at fancy restaurants, dining with private chefs. Yet here she was... eating chicken feet. And she ate them like a pro.

"What are you looking at?" Penny chewed as she looked around the tiny round table that barely fit all five of them. "Aren’t you hungry? It’s late. Or don’t tell me you don’t eat this kind of food?"

"Oh. Ha... ha... that’s not it," Hayley laughed awkwardly and picked up her cutlery. "Thank you for the treat."

"Eat well." Penny wiggled her brows playfully, giving everyone a look. They all started picking up their utensils, so she focused back on her meal to fill her stomach.

Even though Patricia had been stuffing her all day, mealtime was sacred.

As Penny continued eating, the others couldn’t help but sneak glances at her.

’She seems to enjoy it,’ Teddy thought, still surprised. ’I thought I was slowly getting used to her, but I guess there’s still a lot more to learn.’

Shawn pursed his lips. ’So humble...’

’I don’t know if she’s odd or not,’ Hayley mused, eating in silence. ’This is the second time we’re eating with her, and it doesn’t feel awkward. She doesn’t seem like someone from a rich family at all.’

The Bennet family, after all, had already been well-established. It may not have been as big as it is now, but it was enough for their only daughter to have been raised like a princess.

’I don’t know if I’m disappointed in her for eating food like this... or in myself for still being surprised,’ Patricia thought, eyeing the food. ’Is this even good?’

Yes, it was.

As silence fell over the table, an older woman—the restaurant’s auntie—approached them with a tray. She placed a glass of juice and a few canned drinks on their table with a cheerful smile.

"Huh?" Everyone blinked, confused, looking up at her.

"I didn’t order any drinks," Teddy said, only to be waved off.

"That’s alright," the auntie replied before beaming at Penny. "It’s been a while since you’ve visited us, Penny. Have you been well, girl?"

Penny chuckled. "Yes. Just been really busy. By the way, these are my colleagues."

"I could tell," the auntie chuckled, turning to the rest of them. "You should be nice to her."

The four of them smiled awkwardly, watching the familiar interaction between Penny and the old woman.

"Tell Yugi to drop by sometime," the auntie added.

"Haha. Okay." Penny nodded and watched her walk away before turning back to the group. "Take notes. This is what good networking is all about."

She raised her glass of juice. "You get free stuff—and there’s nothing in the world as good as free."