Chapter 8

“…Wen Jiu, Lan Mingyan, you’ll both report to the president’s office this afternoon.”
Wen Jiu: ?
She did not understand the male lead’s operation at all. Putting the Young Lady’s lackey right next to him??
She rubbed her chin. As a loyal lackey, maybe she should start reporting when the male lead went to the bathroom too…
“Congratulations,” the supervisor said, smiling stiffly.
They might “only” be secretaries, and the average president’s-office staff might not technically be middle management, Assistant Li was more of a special case, but in practice, every mid-level manager still had to show respect to even a regular secretary from the president’s office.
“A promotion definitely calls for a celebration dinner,” someone chimed in.
With Brother Lin gone, his little follower inherited his position as “office nuisance.” He immediately started eyeing their wallets.
Just like the supervisor, he was obviously jealous of Wen Jiu and Lan Mingyan, but since he couldn’t change the situation, he settled for trying to squeeze a free meal out of it.
Anything he could get was a win.
Wen Jiu grinned and ran with it. “Congratulations to us all.
Getting promoted really is good news. You two should treat me and Mingyan to celebrate.”
The guy who’d tried to claim their wallets looked smug at first, thinking Wen Jiu had agreed. But a second listen showed it wasn’t the same thing at all.
“Wen Jiu, you’ve got it backwards.”
Dragged into it, the supervisor also glanced over. He’d been in the workplace long enough to sense that Wen Jiu wasn’t simple. His smile shifted; the snide tone vanished. He shot the guy a warning look, then stepped firmly to Wen Jiu’s side.
“Wen Jiu’s right. We should be the ones treating them.”
The male colleague still looked confused. “That’s not what I meant. I meant Wen Jiu is the one treating us.”
Before their boss could smooth things over, Wen Jiu spoke up first. “Oh, so that’s what you meant, Brother. I thought you were going to treat us to a meal, so we could say nice things about everyone in front of President Chu, and maybe it would help us later in the CEO’s office.
But Brother does have a point. Mingyan and I should be the ones treating. Who would have thought we’d get promoted on the second day of work?”
Hehe, all thanks to having a backing.
And this backing came knocking on her own door.
The male colleague realized something, and his smile became even more forced and awkward than the boss’s had been.
After the meeting ended, Wen Jiu grabbed Lan Mingyan and left, her joy so tangible it almost made her feel like she could float.
“Wen Jiu, you’re amazing! Not giving them face in front of all those people, did you see their expressions just now?” Lan Mingyan admired her utterly.
“Speaking of which, during the department reshuffle, everyone else got moved down. How come we got sent to the top floor…? Could it be the Young Lady helping us?” Lan Mingyan suddenly understood.
“Maybe,” Wen Jiu said. She remembered that in the original story, Lan Mingyan was transferred to the CEO’s office by Chu Yan. This time, without fate guiding her, she still ended up there, maybe thanks to the young lady.
After all, Chu Yan knew very well that she belonged to the young lady.
“The Young Lady is way too good,” Lan Mingyan said. She didn’t know Qin Yao well, but in her memory, the young lady had been beautified tenfold.
“I heard the CEO’s office is super busy, but the workload is great for practice!” She was at the age full of energy, fearless and always moving forward.
Sunlight filtered through the blinds, scattering across her face, dancing over her vibrant expression.
Wen Jiu lay back peacefully.
She had zero motivation.
She only wanted to complete the tasks given by the young lady, she didn’t care about actual work.
At a job, only slacking counts as earning. Anything gained from actual labor is just equivalent exchange.
“Ding ding”
A message arrived.
Workers hated checking messages, who knew if it meant overtime?
She glanced down with a peripheral view.
It was the Young Lady.
That changed everything.
Wen Jiu sat upright, straight and proper, performing a two-faced transformation.
Qin Yao: Wen Jiu, I specifically had Chu Yan transfer you to the CEO’s office, so you can better keep an eye on him for me.
Qin Yao: I also transferred your new friend, so you’ll have some company.
Qin Yao: Your task is to monitor Chu Yan’s schedule. Don’t worry about anything else. If Chu Yan gives you too much work and you can’t handle it, just resign and come back. You’ll be my personal assistant, I’ll cover you, don’t worry about life or work.
Qin Yao: At worst, I can adjust my plan.
Qin Yao: Anyway, after yesterday, Chu Yan’s way better than before, he even smiled! I think you were right; I can try a different approach to pursue him.
Wen Jiu paused. She didn’t remember ever suggesting a “different approach” to chase someone.
Could it be… she meant the words in the parking lot yesterday: “Give him some face outside, act a little spoiled”?
The young lady extrapolated brilliantly, opening a whole new, magical path.
There were too many messages, so Wen Jiu scrolled back.
Seeing the earlier ones, she suddenly felt full of energy.
Her heart wasn’t tired, her shoulders not sore, her back straightened.
Having someone covering for you was really this joyful. Work wasn’t about survival, it was just a seasoning for life.
Wen Jiu: Young Lady is amazing, I adore the Young Lady.
Qin Yao: Why do you sound all clingy?
Qin Yao: Transferring 1,000 yuan.
Qin Yao: But I like hearing it.
1,000 yuan?!
Wen Jiu suddenly remembered.
Yesterday, she’d casually complimented the young lady. The young lady gave her 1,000 yuan as a tip.
Could it be, this was also a tip for compliments?!
With her round, sparkling apricot eyes, Wen Jiu decided she would memorize the entire “Rainbow Praise Encyclopedia.”
She was overjoyed, but didn’t forget to type.
Wen Jiu: Wow, I want to be the Young Lady’s personal assistant for life.
Qin Yao: Saying that again.
Qin Yao: Transferring 1,000 yuan.
Qin Yao: Fine, I allow you to follow me.
Thirty seconds of typing earned her 2,000 yuan. Wen Jiu experienced the joy of sudden wealth.
Lan Mingyan had boundaries, so she didn’t peek at Wen Jiu’s phone.
From her seat on the side, she saw Wen Jiu go from half-dead holding her phone to smiling like a flower in a minute. She was puzzled.
“Mingyan, I’ll treat you to lunch,” Wen Jiu shook her phone and whispered. “The Young Lady gave me 2,000.”
“Ah? Why?”
“I said she’s great, and I like her.”
Lan Mingyan: “......”
The sound of a beating heart and heartbreak rang simultaneously in her ears.
She pouted, and half her excitement for her new job disappeared instantly.
Then, she grabbed Wen Jiu’s arm. “Wen Jiu, when Miss needs another assistant, you have to call me.”
After a noisy lunch break, the two dashed straight to the CEO’s office on the top floor in the afternoon.
The environment was a world apart from their previous office. From desks to colleagues, everything looked high-end.
The girls wore light luxury Chanel-style outfits, carried designer bags, walked in seven-centimeter heels, exuding confidence.
The men no longer had greasy or gossipy looks; all had elite faces and professional, distant manners.
The CEO’s office had seven secretaries, three women, four men. With Wen Jiu and Lan Mingyan, that made nine.
Whether it was because the young lady had spoken to Chu Yan, or the male lead’s office culture was genuinely high, there was no harassment, no exclusion. Work was assigned immediately.
Wen Jiu caught up quickly and understood why once she started learning.
Busy, too busy.
So busy she barely touched the floor. Of course, there was no time for scheming.
Going out for business negotiations, the other CEO’s preferences had to be precise down to the degrees of the tea!
Documents were bilingual, Chinese and English, and could include French, German, or Korean.
Tracking the male lead? Forget it. Wen Jiu was buried in translations, seeking AI help, only for the AI to produce hilariously wrong results. When she looked up again, only she and Lan Mingyan remained in the office.
Once everyone finished work, they didn’t interfere with each other’s after-hours and left with their bags.
In the quiet, Wen Jiu looked up, met Lan Mingyan’s eyes, and the two gave each other innocent, rookie smiles.
Suddenly, she realized that returning to office scheming wasn’t impossible. After all, she confronted directly and never took offense.
Entering the CEO’s office felt like attending ten classes at once. If you couldn’t keep up, the pressure from work was mountain-high.
Unlike Wen Jiu, who ran off eight seconds out of ten, Lan Mingyan was fully motivated.
She decided to enroll in online courses at home, even on weekends, and shine in her position.
“You’re still here?” The elevator opened. Assistant Li entered, noticing their slight surprise.
“Hello, Assistant Li.” Lan Mingyan greeted. Her things were mostly packed. “We’re about to leave.”
Wen Jiu’s eyes darted around. She realized the male lead might not be off work yet. “Assistant Li, are you here to pick up President Chu?”
The girl had been busy all afternoon, yet her face wasn’t greasy, just fresh. Her apricot eyes fluttered harmlessly, exuding the soft, safe vibe of a “girl next door,” unlike the polished urban ladies of the CEO’s office.
Assistant Li still wore a polite smile, unimpressed by Wen Jiu. “I’m here to get documents for President Chu.”
“In a hurry? I’ll go with you, Assistant Li.”
Wen Jiu held the door open for him, peered inside, and their eyes met Chu Yan’s.
She quickly stepped aside. “Assistant Li, please go in.”
The male lead’s gaze was so cold it almost froze her.
Wen Jiu thoughtfully closed the door behind him, shielding the icy gaze, then returned to her phone and typed furiously.
Wen Jiu: Young lady, President Chu is still in the office. He hasn’t left yet. Assistant Li just came back from outside, maybe to pick him up.
Inside, Assistant Li walked forward and, after reporting preliminary plans from company reforms, realized the president hadn’t even looked at him.
Curious, he glanced up and saw the president watching surveillance.
Watching the underground parking lot surveillance.
The young lady instantly replied to Wen Jiu’s WeChat: I’m downstairs in your building. I’ll be up now.
Assistant Li glanced again, and the monitor showed Qin Yao.
Assistant Li: “......”
President Chu, are you in love?