It was another ordinary workday.
In the office, employees bustled about their tasks, the steady clatter of keyboards occasionally punctuated by the ringing of phones.
Zhou Zhuofei's internal line suddenly rang.
Without looking up, she reached out and picked up the receiver with practiced precision.
The next second, the voice of her manager, Ye Ru, sounded in her ear: "Zhuofei, come here for a moment."
"Got it."
Zhou Zhuofei immediately set aside her work, habitually pressing the shortcut key to put her computer into sleep mode before grabbing her notebook and heading down the corridor to the manager's office.
Inside sat a woman in her early thirties, wearing light makeup and dressed in professional attire.
Upon seeing Zhou Zhuofei enter, she naturally gestured for her to come closer.
"Have a seat. There's something I need you to handle."
Ye Ru was the manager of the second administrative division at Huanyu Group and Zhou Zhuofei's direct superior.
Three years ago, Zhou Zhuofei had joined Huanyu Group through campus recruitment, and Ye Ru had been one of her interviewers. Since then, she had worked under her.
Their relationship was good, so their conversations tended to be casual in private.
"What's up, Ye-jie?"
Ye Ru handed her a folder. "A new intern is starting tomorrow. You’ll be mentoring them."
"An intern?" Zhou Zhuofei was surprised. Their department hadn’t opened any internship positions recently, and this wasn’t the peak season for internships like summer or winter break.
In other words, this intern hadn’t been hired through the usual channels.
To put it bluntly, they were here through connections.
Huanyu Group was a powerhouse, with operations spanning the country and a reputation for excellent employee benefits.
The superior work environment, generous perks, and promising career prospects meant that during recruitment season, HR was flooded with countless resumes.
Even internship slots were highly coveted, often leading to employees pulling strings to get their relatives or children in for resume padding.
Zhou Zhuofei flipped open the folder and glanced at the intern’s resume. The attached ID photo showed a strikingly handsome young man flashing a confident, cheerful smile.
Her eyes shifted left to the name field—Zhan Zilang. A quick scan of his major and graduation date only confirmed her suspicions.
He had graduated over a year ago, clearly not here just for an internship certificate.
After reviewing the resume, she asked, "Is this a new hire?"
"Hard to say. He might just be here for a month, or he might get bored and leave after a week."
Zhou Zhuofei joked, "So, I’m babysitting the boss’s kid?"
When Ye Ru didn’t object and only smiled, she pressed further: "But why would someone like that end up in our department?"
For one, his field of study wasn’t relevant. Secondly, the administrative division had little influence within the company—constantly busy, yet often overlooked.
If he really had strong connections, he could’ve landed in a more prestigious department. Administrative work wasn’t exactly a glamorous choice.
Ye Ru replied plainly, "Don’t overthink it. The higher-ups arranged this, so we’ll just follow through. Keep things smooth for a month and send him off without a fuss."
There were clearly more complicated reasons at play.
As a junior employee, Zhou Zhuofei had only ever heard about the company’s internal power struggles but had never been directly involved.
Partly because her position was too low-level, and partly because the administrative division was neutral—providing support and services without engaging in corporate competition.
Since they interacted with every department, they stayed out of conflicts. No one wanted to antagonize them, but they also never got the perks.
Zhou Zhuofei didn’t waste time arguing. "Understood. I’ll make the arrangements."
Her official title was administrative specialist in the second division of Huanyu Group’s administrative department. She had graduated from an ordinary university in City K, where Huanyu was headquartered.
Back then, she had received an offer through campus recruitment and chose to stay in City K, joining the ranks of countless young professionals chasing opportunities far from home.
That recruitment drive had been a multi-school event, and Huanyu was the hottest employer at the time. Nearly everyone Zhou Zhuofei knew had applied.
According to her roommate’s intel, she was the only one in their department—possibly the entire school—to land an interview.
While everyone around her was buzzing about it, Zhou Zhuofei remained oddly calm.
Her roommates admired her composure and stress tolerance, but only she knew the truth—it wasn’t about nerves. She had already known the outcome.
The moment she received the call, she had foreseen her future: she would pass the interview and join Huanyu.
It all traced back to a dream months earlier.
In it, she had witnessed a story unfold from an outsider’s perspective.
Normally, people don’t remember their dreams in detail, but Zhou Zhuofei recalled every part with startling clarity.
According to the dream, this world was based on a romance novel, and the female lead would eventually become her neighbor. Like all romantic heroines, she would experience a series of whimsical, fateful encounters before ending up with the male lead, living happily ever after.
Zhou Zhuofei herself had only a minor role—barely more than an extra.
Her sole mention in the plot was when the female lead, arm in arm with the male lead, appeared at the company, and Zhou Zhuofei recognized her as the neighbor who had moved out half a year earlier. She then delivered a single line.
Incidentally, the male lead was none other than her future boss—Ling Yu, the young, handsome, and wealthy CEO of Huanyu Group.
At first, Zhou Zhuofei didn’t believe the dream. She assumed she’d been reading too many novels and her subconscious had spun a wild tale.
But when she looked up Huanyu Group, something felt off—the current CEO wasn’t Ling Yu.
Digging deeper, she learned Ling Yu was the son of the current CEO. Before this, she would never have cared about such details.
Since dreams can’t fabricate knowledge beyond one’s awareness, Zhou Zhuofei grew skeptical.
But she had no way to verify it—no means to investigate, and the dream had provided so little about her own life.
She only knew she’d work at Huanyu and occasionally cross paths with the female lead. Beyond that, her job, her future—it was all a blank.
So she waited, watching to see if the dream would come true. Would she really become a Huanyu employee?
Over time, she stopped dwelling on it. Senior year was hectic, and she had no energy for fantasies.
Then, two days before the recruitment fair, the university forum exploded with news: Huanyu Group was participating this year—something they’d never done before.
That brought the dream rushing back. Whether it was real or not, she decided to apply.
If it failed, she could just chalk it up to stress—a bizarre, feverish dream. But if it succeeded...
Wouldn’t landing a job at Huanyu Group be fantastic?
As for whether she was just a background character, did that really matter?
For a girl like her, born into an ordinary family, the top priority was finding stable work—something to put food on the table, to break free from her parents’ support and stand on her own two feet. And Huanyu was the best option by far.
Besides, based on her extensive novel-reading experience, being a side character wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Everyone knew that being the protagonist meant a life of constant turmoil, where even the slimmest odds would inevitably come crashing down on you.
Like discovering the online troll you’d been arguing with was actually your boss. Or stumbling out in pajamas to grab breakfast, only to run into your ex-boyfriend looking polished and prosperous.
To readers, such a life might seem thrilling and unpredictable. But for the protagonist? Utterly exhausting.
She had no interest in that kind of existence. Nor did she have the saintly patience to remain kind and optimistic through every disaster.
So Zhou Zhuofei quickly steeled herself and submitted her resume.
Just as in her dream, she aced the interview and became the only graduate from her university that year to join Huanyu.
Everyone congratulated her, envied her. Even her academic advisor called, urging her to share interview tips in the class group chat.
What tips could she possibly have? The so-called "common sense" she’d used came from reposted advice online.
But she couldn’t explain the real reason. So she cobbled together a few clichés, and—thanks to the golden shine of her Huanyu offer—managed to bluff her way through.
Once at Huanyu, she settled into an unremarkable office routine.
The early days weren’t without struggles, but she was lucky to have a supportive manager, Ye Ru. Plus, her best friend had also stayed in City K, so they could meet up to vent and cheer each other on. Gradually, Zhou Zhuofei navigated the rocky transition from student to working adult.
Now, she was fully accustomed to the rhythm of workdays and weekends.
As for the main love story? It hadn’t begun yet. And as a mere bystander, she had no idea when it would.
Zhou Zhuofei returned to her desk and drafted a simple training plan for the intern she’d be mentoring tomorrow.
Huanyu’s turnover rate was notoriously low, and the admin department hadn’t seen a new hire in years. That meant she, despite being the junior employee for three years, was now senior enough to guide a rookie.
It wasn’t a bad change—after three years of being "Little Zhou," she’d finally get to play the mentor.
After wrapping up her tasks, she grabbed a report needing signatures and headed for the elevator.
Just as she reached the lobby, a descending car arrived. She pressed the button.
A few seconds later, the doors slid open with a soft chime.
Inside stood two men in tailored suits.
The one at the front was strikingly handsome but stern, his sharp features radiating authority. Beside him stood a more relaxed figure—gentle-eyed, with a faint, warm smile as he noticed Zhou Zhuofei.
Instinct kicked in. "Good afternoon, President Ling! Hello, Secretary Xiao!"
The imposing man was her boss, Huanyu Group’s CEO—Ling Yu.
It’d be hard to find another executive as young and unfairly good-looking as him.
After her greeting, Zhou Zhuofei moved to sidestep them and wait for the next elevator.
Huanyu didn’t have the "CEO-only" elevators common in novels, but employees still avoided sharing rides with the boss when possible.
Just as she stepped back, the man beside Ling Yu called out, "Come on in, Little Zhou."
She didn’t hesitate—this was Xiao Wang, Ling Yu’s right-hand man and the company’s undisputed most trusted aide.
Inside, she pressed her floor button and tucked herself into a corner.
Early on, the novelty of working under a CEO who fit the "male lead" archetype had thrilled her. She’d even kept an eye out for story-worthy moments.
But time had dulled that fascination.
Now, Ling Yu wasn’t a romantic lead in her mind—just a signature machine. Every report, every request, eventually landed on Xiao Wang’s desk, waiting for Ling Yu’s stamp.
At this point, she cared less about when he’d fall for the heroine and more about when he’d sign yesterday’s expense reimbursement.
