Xie Lianqing finally caught up with the sulking Miss Xu. "Aren't you hungry?"
It was already Miss Xu's usual mealtime. Since she was throwing a tantrum and refusing to eat, she'd probably feel miserable once she snapped out of it.
Xu Qingqing turned her head away, ignoring him. At some point, she had taken out that pile of documents stuffed in the drawer and was staring at them as if they were ancient scripture.
Mainly, she realized that besides making coffee, she didn't seem to have any other work. But there was no way she was making coffee for Xie Lianqing now—pouring coffee on him was far more likely.
Seeing her puffed up with anger, Xie Lianqing found it amusing and couldn't resist poking her cheek.
Xu Qingqing's eyes widened. Before she could unleash her temper, Xie Lianqing said, "Although I don't know what I did to upset Miss Xu, you should have confidence in yourself."
After realizing his girlfriend was jealous, Xie Lianqing felt both surprised and somewhat amused. Xu Qingqing could actually get jealous, even suspecting him of cheating...
Xu Qingqing turned her head, looking at him with confusion, not understanding what he meant.
Xie Lianqing let out a soft sigh and said gently, "With Miss Xu by my side, how could I possibly fall for anyone else?"
Having crossed the vast sea, ordinary waters hold no allure. He was absolutely certain that what he held in his hand was the future he desired most.
Xu Qingqing temporarily believed Xie Lianqing. She thought he was right; she should have confidence in herself. Even if he did cheat, she could just beat him up and break up with him.
No matter what, her life couldn't possibly end up worse than the outcome in the original book.
But Xu Qingqing still decided to test the waters once the new secretary arrived. She didn't plan to do anything drastic, she just wanted to clarify the situation between Xie Lianqing and those admirers.
Xu Qingqing made all the necessary preparations. After waiting two more days, the new secretary finally came to work.
In fact, Ye Zhao had already been employed for a while. It was just that her task was to regularly monitor and organize Bai Youlan's movements and itinerary, then report to Xie Lianqing. So, she had a high degree of freedom and rarely came to the office.
Because of the special nature of Ye Zhao's work, as soon as Xu Qingqing learned she had come to work, she immediately sneaked into the secretarial office to try and get closer to her and gather information. However, the moment she slipped out of her own office, she found out Secretary Ye had already clocked out!
It had been less than half an hour since the start of the workday, and she was already leaving! Xu Qingqing frowned, feeling there was something odd about this person.
To prevent a repeat of yesterday's surprise, Xu Qingqing prepared herself the next day and staked out the secretarial office in advance.
She waited for a long time, but Secretary Ye simply didn't show up for work!
After staking out for several more days, Xu Qingqing discovered that this Secretary Ye was often late, left early, and occasionally skipped work entirely.
When the HR department explained that this was because she had taken leave, and that she was a special talent personally approved by CEO Xie, Xu Qingqing found it even more suspicious.
After all, she was Xie Lianqing's girlfriend and came to work at the company rain or shine every day. Why did this Ye Zhao seem even more audacious than her?
Xu Qingqing was furious, and when she got angry, she felt like skipping work herself.
No sooner said than done. She happened to want to go home and play games, so she made a quick escape.
When Xie Lianqing finished his meeting, he discovered his Secretary Xu had gone home.
He: "...Fine. Expected, I suppose."
A few days later, the persistent Xu Qingqing finally succeeded in cornering Secretary Ye.
The newly appointed Secretary Ye had a straightforward personality, with short hair that gave her a dashing and heroic air.
Due to her preconceived bias, Xu Qingqing should have disliked her. Yet, the moment she saw her, she felt like a mouse seeing a cat.
She couldn't shake the feeling that the other woman somewhat resembled her aunt, possessing a unique aura.
Xu Qingqing stood in front of her, lifted her chin, and said, "Secretary Ye!"
She didn't even say hello, which was very rude behavior. Xu Qingqing felt a bit guilty, thinking she was acting like the villainess in a novel right now.
But towards a colleague who had skipped work and left early for several days in a row, causing her stakeouts to fail, she didn't need to be polite!
Xu Qingqing silently cheered herself on.
Then she realized the other woman was really tall.
Secretary Ye Zhao was nearly 180 cm, and with high heels, she approached 185. Xu Qingqing, standing at 160 cm, looked like a child in front of her.
Xu Qingqing clenched her fist, secretly resolving to wear her 20-centimeter high heels tonight!
You can lose the battle, but not the war. You can lose your boyfriend, but not your pride!
Feeling she had lost face, Xu Qingqing's cheeks were even flushed. Her voice just now seemed a bit too soft; Secretary Ye Zhao was too tall and probably didn't hear her.
Xu Qingqing looked up at her, about to say something more, when the other woman happened to turn her head. Seeing her, she raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"
Secretary Ye Zhao spoke briefly, her tone cool and casual, her demeanor very cool.
She didn't treat Xu Qingqing any differently because of her special status. Of course, it was highly possible she simply didn't know who Xu Qingqing was. Since she had never worked regular hours at the company, she might not even know the people in the secretarial office.
Xu Qingqing: ...She chickened out.
She thought the other woman was so scary, wuwuwu.
Being a cowardly drama queen who bullied the weak but feared the strong, Xu Qingqing hesitated for a long time before weakly saying, "I, I just wanted to ask you..."
She had originally wanted to ask her what right she had to skip work and not show up for days. Xu Qingqing felt she was completely justified! Xie Lianqing even said he wanted to get engaged to her, so rounding up, she was practically the boss. Asking was perfectly normal.
But under the other woman's sharp, eagle-like gaze, she shrank her neck and stammered, "I wanted to ask you... if you wanted breakfast...?"
The secretary raised an eyebrow, looked at the fried dough sticks and soy milk in Xu Qingqing's hand, flashed a row of bright teeth, and said, "Thanks."
She lazily reached out to take the fried dough stick from Xu Qingqing's hand, but the other girl was gripping it tightly...
After a bit of a tug-of-war, Secretary Ye Zhao raised an eyebrow. "You're not letting go?"
Xu Qingqing acted as if she'd been burned and immediately released it. "Oh, oh, okay."
Secretary Ye Zhao frowned and asked, "Did you not want to give it to me?"
Looking at the other woman's palm, which looked like it could probably swat her like a basketball, Xu Qingqing immediately grew nervous. "No, no! It's just... that soy milk is a bit hot. I was afraid you'd burn yourself, so I wanted to test the temperature for you..."
Secretary Ye Zhao nodded, thoughtful. "Alright."
Then she walked off leisurely. Less than ten minutes into her workday, Secretary Ye was heading home again.
Xu Qingqing watched her retreating back, wanting to speak but hesitating.
She thought of her mission for coming to see the other woman today. She really wanted to say something, like telling her it wasn't time to leave work yet, or that she hadn't had breakfast either...
That soy milk was really good; she had specifically queued up for it this morning...
Xu Qingqing scratched her head, feeling very troubled.
In the café, Le Jiaojiao shrieked, "Xu Qingqing, are you out of your mind?! You actually gave breakfast to your love rival!"
Xu Qingqing covered her ears and retorted, "She's not exactly a love rival, just a suspected one."
Le Jiaojiao sneered, "You're so hopeless, you might as well just die! You only know how to act up around us. The moment you encounter a real problem, you turn into a coward, bullying the weak but fearing the strong!"
Although Xu Qingqing truly bullied the weak and feared the strong, she didn't like having the truth exposed. Her face flushed red, and she argued in a small, unconvinced voice, "You have no idea, she's really intimidating. She's so, so tall, half your height again, I have to look up just to see her. How was I supposed to speak up!"
Moreover, Secretary Ye Zhao reminded her of her aunt, carrying an air of authority. Facing her, Xu Qingqing couldn't muster any temper or bring herself to act spoiled.
Her aunt usually doted on her, but could be quite frightening when angry. What's more, Xu Qingqing's intuition told her the aura around Secretary Ye Zhao seemed even more dangerous... she thought it might be the legendary killing intent.
She wondered, "Do you think she might have killed someone?"
Le Jiaojiao rolled her eyes. "You idiot! This is a society governed by law. How could anyone have killed someone!"
She was both disdainful and smug. "I think you're just a coward, useless. Looks like your granny here has to handle it~"
The next day.
Xu Qingqing stood nervously outside the office door, wondering how Le Jiaojiao was doing.
It should be fine, right? After all, Le Jiaojiao was a violent maniac, a powerhouse.
She could smash a table with one slap!
A few minutes later, an anxious Xu Qingqing saw Secretary Ye Zhao emerge first...
Secretary Ye Zhao had a straw in her mouth, leisurely drinking milk. Spotting Xu Qingqing at the office door, she raised an eyebrow. "Xu Qingqing?"
She held up a hand-held pancake in her other hand and said to Xu Qingqing, "Thanks for your friend's breakfast. It was quite tasty."
Ye Zhao didn't come to the company much, but now she thought her new colleague was pretty good. She specially brought her a new breakfast every day, and even different flavors.
Xu Qingqing clenched her hands. "...I'm glad you liked it."
Was Le Jiaojiao still alive? Why did she give away her own breakfast too?!
A few minutes later, Le Jiaojiao came out, crestfallen.
She looked up at Xu Qingqing, her eyes welling with tears, and said, "I think she has killed someone."
Xu Qingqing was shocked. "Come on, it's the 21st century, a society governed by law..."
Le Jiaojiao composed her expression, her face grave. "Have you ever met soldiers or mercenaries? The aura she gives off is exactly the same as those I've seen."
Xu Qingqing looked panicked, crossing her arms over her chest. "...Don't scare me."
Le Jiaojiao's father's family had some connections and had hired mercenaries for operations in the Middle East, something Xu Qingqing knew very well.
Seeing her frightened, Le Jiaojiao waved a hand and said, "Maybe I was mistaken."
Dejected, the two decided to go out for breakfast.
Ugh. What a headache.
After a while, Le Jiaojiao probably felt embarrassed about having boasted in front of Xu Qingqing earlier, only to suffer a non-confrontational defeat in the office.
While riding the elevator down, she said gloomily, "You didn't tell me she's one hundred and eighty-five centimeters tall."
Xu Qingqing was also dismayed, repeating, "I did! I said she was very, very tall!" Only a little shorter than Xie Lianqing.
Le Jiaojiao and Xu Qingqing had a natural fear of tall women.
In junior high, Le Jiaojiao had dated a scumbag who failed to mention he had an older girlfriend, making Le Jiaojiao an unknowing mistress.
Although Xu Qingqing and Zhou Chenyu later helped by beating up that guy every day, forcing him to break up before Le Jiaojiao found out, the older girlfriend still learned about it.
The incident was spread far and wide by that girl and her friends, with a version vastly different from the truth. In the circulating rumors, Le Jiaojiao became a shameless bitch.
Eventually, the whole school knew, and many whispered behind Le Jiaojiao's back about her being shameless. The boy involved was forced by Zhou Chenyu and Xu Qingqing to come forward and clarify, but it did little to stop the gossip.
Later, Le Jiaojiao and Xu Qingqing were even cornered and lectured by that senior girl in the school bathroom. The girl was one hundred and eighty centimeters tall and brought a whole group of her volleyball team friends, trapping Xu Qingqing and Le Jiaojiao in the bathroom for over half an hour.
Because Le Jiaojiao had been the 'mistress' first, she felt guilty and ashamed, and even with her great strength, she didn't dare resist the group fiercely.
It wasn't until after class that Zhou Chenyu, upon hearing the news, stormed in and rescued them both. Although that girl and her accomplices were later given demerits and expelled, Le Jiaojiao was transferred to a school in the US by her parents half a month later.
Though Le Jiaojiao and Xu Qingqing had bold personalities, they suffered greatly from this incident, even developing a psychological shadow.
So when facing Secretary Ye Zhao, they both unconsciously recalled that half-hour in the junior high bathroom and felt a bit cowardly.
As Xu Qingqing and Le Jiaojiao walked dejectedly downstairs, they found Secretary Ye Zhao still in the lobby, hadn't left yet, talking to the receptionist. She seemed to notice them, turned around, and strode towards them.
Xu Qingqing chickened out. "I want to run."
Le Jiaojiao gripped her arm tightly, whining, "Don't you dare run! Her legs are so long, you can't outrun her!"
The key was her own legs were even shorter than Xu Qingqing's! She couldn't even outrun Xu Qingqing, so if they ran, the other would surely catch her first!
Xu Qingqing tried to pry open the hand gripping her, protesting, "I've practiced sprinting, I can do it! Let me run."
In her nervousness, Le Jiaojiao was incredulous, turning to stare at her. "Why did you practice sprinting?"
Xu Qingqing shut her mouth. She definitely couldn't admit in front of her rival that she was afraid of her!
While Le Jiaojiao and Xu Qingqing were arguing, Secretary Ye Zhao quickly reached them.
At one hundred and eighty-five centimeters, she made the one-sixty Xu Qingqing and one-fifty-five Le Jiaojiao look like two elementary school students standing before her.
She looked amused and asked, "Did you follow me because you needed something?"
It was only after asking the receptionist that Ye Zhao learned the person who brought her breakfast this morning wasn't a company employee. It occurred to her that Xu Qingqing had looked like she had something to say yesterday when standing behind her, and since Le Jiaojiao wasn't from the company, coming to find her specially was probably to help her friend.
Le Jiaojiao and Xu Qingqing looked at each other, each pushing the other, not daring for a long time to ask about the other's relationship with Xie Lianqing.
Finally, the violent maniac Le Jiaojiao won. She shoved Xu Qingqing forward, exclaiming, "She has something to ask you!"
Xu Qingqing: ...You're ruthless.
Pushed by Le Jiaojiao to stand in front, she thought for a moment and finally blurted out, "Le Jiaojiao wants to ask what milk you usually drink. She wants to grow taller."
Le Jiaojiao: ...Damn!
Eventually, Secretary Ye Zhao left, and the two sat dejectedly in their spots from yesterday's cafe.
Le Jiaojiao said angrily, "This is too much. You tell Xie Lianqing to fire her!"
Xu Qingqing lay her head on the table, looking up strangely. "But we haven't confirmed if she really has something to do with Xie Lianqing yet."
She had already agreed to let her join the company; going back on her word now would be too much. Besides, if Secretary Ye Zhao and Xie Lianqing had no relationship, then the other was at most just slacking off and not working, and hadn't actually provoked her.
We're all just corporate drones trying to get by, so why make things harder for each other? After a few days at this job, Xu Qingqing was already starting to find the whole affair rather pointless.
Le Jiaojiao rolled her eyes and came up with another terrible idea. "How about I call my uncle and have him assign us a few people? Let's just go all the way and..."
Xu Qingqing backed away in horror. "What are you trying to do, you criminal?! Stay away from me! Do you even know that kidnapping in our country carries a sentence of five to ten years? In severe cases causing serious injury or death, it's life imprisonment or even the death penalty..."
She was a law-abiding citizen! Even when Bai Yaxiu, her daughter, and Xu Changshan had acted so terribly, she never once considered doing anything illegal!
Looking back on the highlights of her life, Xu Qingqing could even dredge up joining the Young Pioneers in second grade to pad her list of accomplishments.
Le Jiaojiao stared at her speechlessly and finished her sentence with a deadpan expression: "...I meant, get a couple of bodyguards for ourselves."
Xu Qingqing immediately relaxed. "Oh, you should've said so sooner."
After a moment's thought, Xu Qingqing added, "Le Jiaojiao, could you please watch your phrasing next time? Don't sound like some scheming supporting character."
She muttered under her breath, "You barely even had a role in the original novel, stop trying to steal the spotlight." Even she was just a cannon-fodder plot device in the book; there was no way Le Jiaojiao was going to outshine her.
Le Jiaojiao frowned. "What did you say?" She had seen Xu Qingqing's lips move but hadn't caught a word.
Xu Qingqing said loudly, "I said I'll buy you a whole case of XX Milk later!"
