When going to work, Xu Qingqing didn't wear formal attire like everyone else; instead, she dressed as casually and comfortably as possible. Jeans and canvas shoes—even without makeup, her natural looks were already stunning, rivaling any celebrity, so she felt perfectly fine leaving the house bare-faced.
The main reason was that skipping makeup meant she could snooze for an extra half hour!
To complete the look, Xu Qingqing deliberately carried a backpack. During the morning rush hour, standing at a crowded intersection bustling with people, she stood out among the sea of professionals like a middle schooler on a spring outing, utterly out of place.
At nine in the morning, employees flowed through the lobby of the Xie Corporation. With clock-in time approaching, everyone hurried along, scrambling to catch the elevators.
Xu Qingqing, however, ambled leisurely behind the crowd, wearing her canvas shoes and carrying her backpack, holding a fried dough stick in one hand and a cup of soy milk in the other.
Arriving early was out of the question—only by clocking in right on time could she barely muddle through the day!
On her first day of work, Xu Qingqing grasped the spirit of skipping out early. By the third day, having learned from her grandfather's teachings, she had also mastered the legendary art of clocking in exactly on time.
While waiting for the elevator, she very naturally walked over to the executive-only elevator she was accustomed to. Unsurprisingly, those waiting outside were all suited-up elites. Xu Qingqing squeezed into the line like a grade-schooler.
Under the bewildered gazes around her, she calmly sipped her soy milk, taking a bite of her fried dough stick after each sip.
The previous elevator had just left, making the wait feel especially long. As clock-in time drew nearer, everyone grew somewhat anxious. Xu Qingqing, however, remained relaxed. After finishing her dough stick, she wasn't done yet—under the others' incredulous stares, she fished out a tea egg from who-knows-where.
Everyone else: "...Is she sure she's not in the wrong place?"
People had their doubts about Xu Qingqing; some even wondered if she was a student who had wandered in from outside. But since no one was sure who she was, no one spoke up just yet. It wasn't that no one recognized Xu Qingqing; it was just that her current outfit was too different from her previous appearances at the company.
Only when the elevator arrived and everyone filed in, and they saw Xu Qingqing use her employee card to access the executive elevator, did the suspicion in their eyes fade—though it was quickly replaced by even more curious looks.
Haven't heard of any recent high-level personnel changes...
Xu Qingqing huddled at the back, intently peeling her tea egg, completely ignoring everyone's stares.
When the elevator reached her floor, she walked into Xie Lianging's office while munching on the tea egg, clearly familiar with the route. He wasn't there, probably in a meeting.
So Xu Qingqing conscientiously began her work for the day: making coffee for President Xie!
As the secretary trusted by the CEO, Xu Qingqing was solely entrusted with the important duty of pouring coffee, occasionally also responsible for printing a few documents.
And yet, Xu Qingqing felt quite pleased with herself, believing that, just as her grandfather had said, she had inherited his business acumen and might soon make a big splash in the workplace!
Xu Qingqing boasted to herself, having a grand time playing around in President Xie's company.
"President Xie, your coffee is ready!"
"President Xie, here's your coffee."
"President Xie, would you like some coffee?"
...
Xie Lianging finally set down his documents, looked at the freshly placed coffee on his desk, and hesitated before speaking: "No need, thank you."
Thanks to Miss Xu, he now felt nauseated just by the smell of coffee.
I need to find something else fun for this young lady to do, Xie Lianging thought.
He randomly pulled a long-obsolete file from the bookcase behind him and handed it to Xu Qingqing for her to study, encouraging her by saying, "This is a past financial report from the company. Take a look and analyze it."
Xu Qingqing was extremely enthusiastic about her work and had felt a bit dejected after being turned down by Xie Lianging. Now, receiving this utterly useless document, she immediately cheered up again.
Clutching the folder tightly, Xu Qingqing said to Xie Lianging with a serious expression, "Yes, President Xie, I will study it carefully! I absolutely will not fail your diligent cultivation and expectations of me!"
President Xie smiled. "...Who taught you that line?" It definitely didn't sound like something Xu Qingqing, the little troublemaker, would come up with on her own.
Xu Qingqing replied without hesitation, "My grandfather. He said a good subordinate must not only be capable but also know how to appropriately flatter the boss so they remember you."
Xie Lianging was both annoyed and amused. Who knows what Chairman Xu teaches her at home.
He couldn't help but lean down, looking directly at Xu Qingqing, softening his voice: "You don't need to do any of that in front of me. I'm your boyfriend..."
Before Xie Lianging could finish, Xu Qingqing immediately jumped back a step, avoiding his gaze. Hugging the file nervously, she said, "President Xie, what are you doing? Even though I know I'm very beautiful, you can't sexually harass me!"
Xie Lianging's smile froze. What kind of script was this now?
Xu Qingqing, getting into her role, added more lines since he didn't respond: "We have a proper superior-subordinate relationship. Please respect my abilities, not just my beautiful appearance."
Xie Lianging patted her little head, stood up with a smile, and said, "Go get to work, beautiful Secretary Xu."
...Starting tomorrow, I'll have her pour plain water instead. Not tea—that's too complicated. I'm afraid she'd just toss a handful of leaves in, and I'd be forced to drink it.
Xu Qingqing still didn't know that her position as the coffee girl was about to be revoked after just two days.
She carried the file back to her desk, ready to read it seriously.
Opened the first page—didn't understand it, skipped.
Opened the second page—still didn't understand it, skipped.
...
Looking at the pages full of spreadsheet numbers, Xu Qingqing felt like an illiterate.
Her head started spinning, as if she were back in a foreign language class. Xu Qingqing forced herself to flip through a few more pages before promptly closing the file.
She looked up and called out to Xie Lianging, who was busy working: "President Xie, I accept your sexual harassment. In exchange, can I not read this report anymore?"
Xie Lianging was stunned for a moment, then struggled to hold back his laughter. "Okay."
He said gently, "I'll take you out to eat tonight."
Xu Qingqing swiftly stuffed the file into a drawer, determined never to lay eyes on those papers again.
With no file to read, Xu Qingqing found herself with nothing to do. She rested her chin in her hands, staring blankly at the clouds outside the window.
After a while, seeing that Xie Lianging was too busy with work to keep an eye on her, she quietly slipped out to explore. She had been at the company for two or three days but had only stayed in Xie Lianging's office and the pantry, never really venturing out.
In the hallway, Xu Qingqing stretched, then strolled with her hands behind her back to the nearby secretarial office.
Secretary Zhang had said everyone in the secretarial office had a departmental meeting today, so they all went. Xu Qingqing wasn't invited, mainly because she was supposed to make coffee for President Xie, and also because her presence wouldn't be of much use anyway.
So, at the moment, there was no one inside.
Xu Qingqing wandered over and peeked in to check out the environment. Xie Lianging had said that in a few days, he'd have a workstation set up for her inside, making her an officially on-duty secretary!
Xu Qingqing decided to go in and take a look at her future work environment.
The items on the desks of the secretarial office staff varied, ordinary and common. Xu Qingqing glanced around boredly. On Secretary Zhang's desk, however, there were a few new employee application files; it seemed the secretariat was hiring again.
Bored, Xu Qingqing picked up one. She found the resumes featured both men and women, and surprisingly, they all looked quite attractive. An uninformed person might even suspect Xie Lianqing's company selected staff based on looks.
Xu Qingqing made this irresponsible guess as she leafed through the files idly. However, when she saw the name on one particular resume, her casual gaze suddenly halted.
"Ye Zhao?"
Xu Qingqing picked up that file. She had an impression of this name. In the novel, this person also seemed to be one of Xie Lianqing's many romantic interests.
That was something that happened after her own death. According to outside rumors, Ye Zhao was a capable assistant by Xie Lianqing's side, both a secretary and a bodyguard, and might even become Mrs. Xie in the future...
Recalling the plot described in the book, Xu Qingqing looked at the application form and let out a light, dismissive snort: "Player!!"
She had thought Xie Lianqing only got involved with these people after her death. She never expected he was already connected to these romantic interests now!
Xu Qingqing then thought of Gu Ling, who had come to the company to find Xie Lianqing a few days ago. At the time, she had naively found it amusing and thought nothing of it. But now, after seeing this resume, she suddenly began to wonder exactly when Xie Lianqing had gotten involved with all those female admirers of his.
She wasn't even dead yet, and Xie Lianqing was already being this excessive. If she really died someday, he might even bring his parade of admirers to dance on her grave.
It wasn't like Xie Lianqing hadn't done that sort of thing in his past life, after all.
...Huh, why did she say "past life"? Shouldn't it be "in the original book"?
Xu Qingqing was stunned, feeling momentarily confused. But after thinking it over for a long while, she couldn't figure out why, so she could only attribute it to being so agitated that she misspoke.
Anyway, settling the score with Xie Lianqing came first!
Fuming with rage, Xu Qingqing stormed into Xie Lianqing's office and slammed the resume onto his desk: "Player!!"
Xie Lianqing was working. Hearing this, he frowned. "Qingqing?"
Wasn't she fine just a moment ago? Did she lose a game again? Xie Lianqing privately guessed the reason for his girlfriend's outburst.
Xu Qingqing pushed the resume closer to him and demanded fiercely, "When did you hire this new secretary? And she's a woman?!"
Xie Lianqing raised an eyebrow. "You don't like it?"
To prevent family issues, some wealthy wives specifically guard against their husbands hiring female secretaries, but Xu Qingqing was definitely not one of them. Xie Lianqing's secretarial office had always included women, and she had never raised any objections before. She was even on good terms with one of the female secretaries.
Normally, Xu Qingqing would have openly stated that she suspected Xie Lianqing of having a tendency to cheat. But now she had no evidence; even arguing would make it seem like she was being unreasonable and making a scene.
Xu Qingqing wasn't afraid of being misunderstood by others, but she didn't want to alert the enemy and let Xie Lianqing know she had discovered his little secret ahead of time.
So, Xu Qingqing swallowed her words, thought quickly on her feet, and made up an excuse: "Is the secretary position still open? You already have me as your secretary, why do you need to hire another person? This behavior of yours shows a lack of trust in me!"
Xu Qingqing had initially just been making up an excuse, but gradually she talked herself into a corner. The more she spoke, the angrier she got: "Right! Do you doubt my professional ability?"
How outrageous! What an excellent secretary she was!
Diligently clocking in for work every day, making coffee for her boss—was there any secretary more dutiful than her?
Xie Lianqing actually dared to doubt her ability. He already had her, yet he still wanted to hire another secretary. Didn't that mean he looked down on her?!
Was this the legendary workplace discrimination? Boss PUA?!
Xu Qingqing had been filled with a bunch of workplace knowledge by her grandfather. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became, and she started looking around the desk for a prop.
Where was the coffee she had personally made for Xie Lianqing just over ten minutes ago? She was going to pour it on the head of this despicable capitalist enemy!
Seeing her furious expression, Xie Lianqing's heart immediately skipped a beat. Could he not guess what this young lady Xu Qingqing was thinking?!
She practically had her intention to do something drastic written all over her face!
Before Xu Qingqing could act, Xie Lianqing swiftly snatched the cup of coffee sitting on the desk and smoothly drank the remaining half in one go. The whole process was seamless.
Xu Qingqing: ...
Xie Lianqing: ...
Xu Qingqing quickly adjusted her strategy, lowering her gaze to fix on the cup in Xie Lianqing's hand.
Xie Lianqing silently withdrew his hand, placed the cup in a drawer, and closed it. If there had been a lock, it seemed he would have locked it to prevent his girlfriend from impulsively giving him a whack with it.
Xu Qingqing: ...
Xie Lianqing rubbed his temples. Xu Qingqing had been too well-behaved and sensible the past few days, making him forget that her capacity for mischief was practically on par with a little rascal's.
He took a breath, calmed down, and slowly explained to his angry girlfriend: "I'm hiring her because there are other matters that need her attention. Her duties won't conflict with yours."
Xu Qingqing glared at him. "What matters? Your secretarial office barely has anything to do. What else do you need that requires hiring another secretary to help you complete?"
And why wouldn't he let her handle this matter? It all came back to him looking down on her!
Xu Qingqing hardly had any work in the secretarial office. Every day, it was just making coffee or printing documents—simple stuff. So much so that she was starting to think all secretaries had it this easy.
Secretary Zhang, who had just finished a meeting and happened to come to deliver documents at the door: ...
Looking at the reports in his hand, along with the schedule and a series of other tasks, his hands trembled slightly.
Young Lady, it's not that the secretarial office has nothing to do, it's that you have nothing to do!!
But they didn't dare assign Xu Qingqing any real work either. If she messed it up, they would be the ones cleaning up the mess. So, they simply treated her like a crown princess inspecting the common folk, which was why Xu Qingqing was bored enough to make three cups of coffee a day for President Xie.
Xie Lianqing was well aware of his secretaries' workload. If he, the CEO, was this busy, how could his subordinates possibly be idler than him?
But he certainly couldn't tell Miss Xu that. If her playful side emerged, she might end up in an awkward situation again, just like she did with that report earlier.
Thinking of how Xu Qingqing had been bored to the point of daydreaming not long ago, Xie Lianqing couldn't help but smile slightly.
Facing Xu Qingqing's angry gaze, he said softly, "It's for some other matters, unrelated to the company. This task involves some danger, and I wouldn't feel at ease letting you handle it."
Unrelated to the company? Could it be related to his private life? That made it even more suspicious!
Xu Qingqing's mind raced, convinced she had uncovered the truth. As for the latter part of Xie Lianqing's explanation, she instinctively ignored it. After all, men always had strange excuses and lies.
Before Xu Changshan cheated, he also lied to her mother, saying he was very busy with company matters.
Xie Lianqing was unaware that Xu Qingqing was almost comparing him to Xu Changshan.
He took Xu Qingqing's hand, pulling her closer until she stood before him. Gazing at her tenderly, he softened his voice and asked, "Do you dislike me hiring a female secretary?"
After a moment's thought, he cautiously inquired, "Should I let her go?"
Truthfully, Xie Lianqing was reluctant to do so. After all, he had personally interviewed and selected the candidate, she had already started, and the contract was signed.
Replacing her now would mean going back on his word. For a decision-maker, being untrustworthy is a major taboo and also bad for the company's image.
But if Xu Qingqing insisted, he would probably have to yield.
Xu Qingqing hesitated, then refused: "No!"
If Xie Lianqing fired that person, how could she determine whether the two of them got together after her death or had been involved even while she was alive?
Xu Qingqing cared deeply about this point! She had no intention of being kept in the dark, ignorant of the truth until her death like in the book.
Moreover, if that Ye Zhao and Xie Lianqing truly had nothing going on, her interference now would ruin the other's career and fate... Xu Qingqing remembered that in the original book, Ye Zhao seemed to be highly valued by Xie Lianqing.
Although Xu Qingqing was a spoiled young lady who often stirred up trouble, she wasn't completely oblivious to the hardships of life. She understood what it meant to become the CEO's secretary at the Xie Group. That Ye Zhao must be exceptionally capable and had put in tremendous effort to reach this position...
After thinking it over for a long time, Xu Qingqing finally said unhappily, "Forget it, let her stay."
But if she found out Xie Lianqing really cheated, he'd better prepare to meet his end!!
However, Xu Qingqing recalled her daily interactions with Xie Lianqing. She realized that apart from meetings and work, he spent all his time with her, leaving no opportunity to be with anyone else.
Xie Lianqing left work after 10 PM every day, drove her home, had dinner at the Xu residence, returned to his own home after 11 PM, got up around 6 AM for a morning run, and came to pick her up for work after 7 AM...
Given this packed schedule, if Xie Lianqing could still find time for secret rendezvous, Xu Qingqing would actually be quite impressed.
With Xu Qingqing no longer making a fuss, Xie Lianqing secretly breathed a sigh of relief: "Alright."
He had felt somewhat conflicted when asking Xu Qingqing earlier. After all, he disliked mixing business with personal matters, and Ye Zhao was the best candidate he had found in a short time.
Of course, there was no relationship between Xie Lianqing and Ye Zhao beyond that of superior and subordinate. He hired her as a secretary to investigate Bai Youlan and the Lin family.
Ye Zhao was a retired soldier with strong reconnaissance skills. And because the investigation involved tailing, some locations were less suitable for a male companion, making Ye Zhao's female identity more convenient for getting close to Bai Youlan.
Ever since suspecting that the supernatural entity the Taoist priest mentioned, the one who defied fate, might be Bai Youlan, Xie Lianqing had specifically arranged for an investigation and even compiled a file of information related to her.
According to the updates from Ye Zhao, the Lin family seemed to have done the same thing about two weeks ago, even sending people to secretly monitor and follow Bai Youlan.
The timing of the Lin family's investigation coincided with their decision to side with Bai Youlan and distance themselves from Xu Qingqing.
Putting two and two together, Xie Lianqing could guess that the Lin family probably knew something, and that Bai Youlan was likely connected to the supernatural entity the Taoist priest spoke of, or perhaps was the entity herself.
However, he suspected it was more likely the former, because based on his interactions with Bai Youlan, she didn't seem particularly resourceful or capable. There must be someone else behind her giving instructions.
After all, the Taoist priest's initial revelation didn't specify whether the haunting entity was a single being or a group...
Xie Lianqing had already deduced most of the truth. However, because the Taoist priest on the mountain had told him that this matter must not be revealed to anyone else besides himself, otherwise it would disrupt the natural order and lead to unforeseen consequences.
Shortly after he left the mountain, he learned that the Taoist priest had gone into seclusion. So, for now, Xie Lianqing did not plan to tell Xu Qingqing or the Xu family about these things.
But even without that stipulation, Xie Lianqing had no intention of sharing his plans with Xu Qingqing.
Xu Qingqing had a willful and spoiled personality. If she knew someone was secretly harming her, she would probably confront them directly.
Yet, from her previous illness, it was clear that she was in a vulnerable position when facing this so-called supernatural entity.
Xie Lianqing did not want her to continue facing such danger.
Moreover, previously, when they were unaware of the other party's existence, the enemy was in the shadows while they were in the light. Now, presumably, that person still didn't know they had been discovered. Whether that person was Bai Youlan or not, there was only one chance to strike, and Xie Lianqing didn't want to alert the enemy.
Otherwise, given how the other party had made Xu Qingqing fall ill, Xie Lianqing couldn't help but suspect they might resort to even more drastic and crazy actions if cornered.
And whether Xu Qingqing would be as lucky to escape next time was another matter entirely.
Although much time had passed, Xie Lianqing had never forgotten the vague dream he once had.
He had forgotten many details of the dream, but what remained unforgettable was the agony of losing Xu Qingqing. He had felt grateful countless times that it was only a dream. If it played out in reality, he could hardly imagine how he would face the future afterwards...
In the office.
Xie Lianqing stood before his desk, his expression cold and serious. His eyes were dark as he fed the pages of the file on Bai Youlan, one by one, into the shredder.
Just as he placed the last sheet, the door suddenly swung open.
Xu Qingqing walked in happily: "Xie Lianqing, are you off work yet? I'm so hungry. Can we go out for dinner tonight? Zhou Chenyu says there's a really good restaurant..."
Xu Qingqing was always mercurial, her temper flaring up quickly and fading just as fast. A few hours ago, she was upset with him over the new secretary, but now her mind was completely occupied with what to eat for dinner.
She walked in, heard the sound of the shredder, and frowned in confusion: "What are you doing?"
She hopped over. Xie Lianqing calmly turned around, smiling as he looked at her: "Nothing much."
His demeanor was gentle, his voice as soft as ever: "Have you decided where to eat?"
But Xu Qingqing felt something was off.
She leaned over to peek at the shredder. The last sheet was slowly being swallowed. Xu Qingqing only had time to catch a glimpse of a photo of a woman with long hair on it.
Xu Qingqing immediately pouted and frowned.
She understood now. Xie Lianqing was cheating! He was probably destroying evidence right now!
It must be because she came to see him today, and there was something going on between him and that secretary. Otherwise, why would he be hastily destroying her photo?!
No wonder Xie Lianqing refused to promise not to get together with people she hated after breaking up. Maybe he not only knew Gu Ling and Ye Zhao, but was also connected to Bai Youlan.
Xu Qingqing humphed and grumbled, glanced at Xie Lianqing, then stamped her foot and said, "Eat what? I'm too angry to eat! You scumbag, I'm going to work!"
Xie Lianqing, inexplicably labeled a scumbag again: "...But it should be after work hours now?"
Xu Qingqing snapped at him, "What's it to you? I'm going to work overtime! I love my job!"
Sure enough, men are all unreliable. Only a career is a woman's true future!
After saying that, Xu Qingqing stormed off in a huff. She was going to work overtime, she was going to embrace the 996 grind!
Xu Qingqing was used to being dramatic and throwing tantrums. Although Xie Lianqing didn't understand how he had become the villain again, he had gained plenty of experience from dealing with her antics.
Xie Lianqing sighed, deciding he'd better go and placate this little ancestor. If he let her stay angry, even ten years from now, when they argued, she would still drag this incident out.
As he chased after her, he passed by Xu Qingqing's desk and inadvertently glanced at the row of webpages open on her computer screen.
— "What to do if your boyfriend cheats?"
— "Is assault illegal?"
— "If an ex-boyfriend cheats while you're still technically together, does beating him up count as domestic violence? How many years would you get?"
Xie Lianqing: ...?
