Chapter 238: Skipping Work to Go Out
 
Huong Tra looked at Kieu Ly with a mischievous glint in her eyes and coaxed:
“Your husband’s still in that meeting—won’t be done anytime soon. Let’s sneak out and hit the spa. You look exhausted. You really need a break.”
Kieu Ly was a little startled. It was true—she was still tired, but she hadn’t expected others to notice so easily. She hesitated and asked:
“Will a spa really help with fatigue?”
“Of course! You’ll get a facial to make you even more beautiful, and a full-body massage to ease all the aches and pains.”
At this point, Kieu Ly felt like all she could do tonight was collapse in bed—there was no way she had the energy left for any sweet moments with her husband. So a relaxing massage sounded perfect. Besides, after that online argument earlier, her mood wasn’t great either.
“Alright. Let me ask my husband first.”
Huong Tra nodded, closed her laptop, and picked up her phone to make a spa appointment. Meanwhile, Kieu Ly messaged Toan Phuong:
“Hubby, Huong Tra and I are going to the spa, okay?”
Toan Phuong, upon seeing the message, was secretly delighted. He’d always hoped Kieu Ly would treat herself more, but she was way too frugal. He replied instantly:
“Use that card I gave you the other day. Swipe it generously.”
“Got it. Bye, hubby!”
Sitting in the meeting room, Toan Phuong found himself too distracted to concentrate. He told his assistant to take notes of the key points while he quietly pulled out his phone and reread the comments from earlier when Kieu Ly was defending him online.
He read every line with a grin that stretched to his ears. Covering his mouth with one hand, he pretended to be deep in thought, but really, he was just silently basking in the joy. Never did he imagine there’d be a day his wife would go online to defend him. Sure, arguing with trolls was childish—but he couldn’t help feeling quietly elated.
Meanwhile, Kieu Ly and Huong Tra left the office building and took a taxi to a popular spa that Huong Tra frequented.
As soon as they stepped into the lobby, Kieu Ly looked around in quiet surprise. She hadn’t experienced the services yet, but the facilities and the location of the building were already top-notch.
When the two of them entered, the reception staff looked quite shocked at first. But they quickly composed themselves and greeted them with professional courtesy.
After Huong Tra confirmed their appointment, one staff member left her post to invite the two guests to sit at a waiting table. She poured two glasses of water for them, then returned to her reception desk to continue greeting incoming clients. It was only then that the staff at the counter began whispering about the two new guests.
Kieu Ly and Huong Tra took a seat on a luxurious cream-colored sofa, waiting for the spa staff to escort them in. Huong Tra reached for a piece of candy from the glass tray on the table, handed one to Kieu Ly, unwrapped another for herself, and popped it into her mouth, chewing with cheerful satisfaction. Kieu Ly accepted the candy, popped it into her mouth as well, and remarked admiringly:
“You really know how to enjoy life. Are you a regular here?”
“Yeah. You wouldn’t believe how exploited I’ve been. I need to come here once a week just to recharge.”
“That bad, huh?”
“Well, at least I’m selling myself to capitalism at a decent price—I’m not getting ripped off. So no matter how exhausting it gets, I push through.”
“As an employee, is there anything you’d want to change?”
Huong Tra was about to launch into a long list, but paused to consider that her friend was the CEO’s wife. Maybe this wasn’t just a friendly chat—maybe it was an undercover probe. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously and asked:
“Are you asking as my friend, or as the CEO’s wife?”
Kieu Ly calmly replied:
“Both. I want to help improve your work environment—so people go to work with good spirits, not just because they need the paycheck. In London, where I worked, people had a much more relaxed pace, thanks to decades of capitalist accumulation. Our country started from below zero and is still transitioning, so we can’t work like Londoners do. But building a corporate culture that increases employee happiness? That’s absolutely doable.”