Xiao Wang politely declined, "Let's pass. My friend is waiting for me. You all enjoy yourselves—I won’t intrude."
Zhou Zhuofei understood perfectly. Not everyone wanted to run into colleagues during their downtime. She nodded cheerfully, "Alright, I’ll head off too. Won’t bother you any longer. Hope you have a great weekend!"
Seeing her take it so well, Xiao Wang’s smile warmed. "Thanks, you too."
Just as Zhou Zhuofei was about to leave, Xiao Wang suddenly called her back.
"Zhuofei, one more thing..."
She turned around. Xiao Wang’s expression had sobered, his face half-shadowed in the flickering light, making him seem almost unfamiliar. "Are you close with Jiang Shen?"
"Not at all. We’ve only met twice."
"If you trust me, don’t get too involved with him." His tone was gentle but firm.
Zhou Zhuofei hadn’t expected Xiao Wang to bring up Jiang Shen out of nowhere. But between a senior colleague she’d known for three years and a private detective she’d barely met, the choice was obvious.
She didn’t know much about Jiang Shen, but she trusted Xiao Wang wouldn’t steer her wrong.
So she agreed without hesitation. "Got it."
"Glad you don’t think I’m overstepping."
Xiao Wang finally relaxed. He’d sensed something off about Jiang Shen’s attitude toward Zhou Zhuofei last time.
Logically, it wasn’t his place to interfere. But Zhou Zhuofei was a junior he’d watched grow in the company, someone who respected and trusted him. Even if Jiang Shen was Ling Yu’s friend, even if he knew he should stay out of it, he couldn’t just stand by.
Fortunately, Zhou Zhuofei was as sharp as he remembered—quick to pick up on hints and unlikely to stir up drama.
That’s why he wasn’t too worried when she caught him smoking. He knew she wouldn’t gossip.
Only those closest to him knew he smoked. Ling Yu hated the smell, so he usually avoided it, indulging only occasionally during rare moments of leisure.
"Of course not. I know you’ve got my back," Zhou Zhuofei said playfully, mimicking a bro handshake—first a fist bump, then a shoulder tap. She nearly followed it up with a "Hey, bro!"
Xiao Wang finally laughed, relieved. "See you at the office next week."
"See you then~"
When Zhou Zhuofei returned to the group, Luo Jing teased in an exaggerated tone, "We were just debating whether you’d gotten lost on the way back from the restroom or just ditched us."
"Ugh, don’t even ask. The layout here is a maze—I almost didn’t make it back," Zhou Zhuofei sighed dramatically, brushing off the topic.
After a while, as the clock neared nine, she exchanged a glance with Qiao Qi. They were instantly on the same page.
Zhou Zhuofei spoke up first. "Alright, we’re gonna head out."
"So early?"
"Early? It’s already nine."
"Zhou, stay a bit longer?" Zhan Zilang tried to persuade her. He’d hoped to talk to her properly tonight, but they’d been separated at the table, and other coworkers kept pulling him into conversations.
"Nah, if I sit any longer, my herniated disc will act up."
Luo Jing clearly understood Zhou Zhuofei better and said knowingly to Zhan Zilang, "Don’t bother trying to keep her. You won’t succeed. She’s definitely going back to play some game."
In her first year at the company, Zhou Zhuofei’s homebody tendencies had already become glaringly obvious. At first, she felt a little awkward, as if her offline persona had been exposed, but later she realized there were benefits to leaning into the image a bit.
Like now—she didn’t even have to say anything, and her colleagues would come up with excuses for her.
Just then, another male coworker teased her, "Zhou, you’re leaving so soon? Isn’t hanging out and drinking with all of us enough for you?"
"That’s not even a real choice," she replied, half-joking but with a sharp edge. "Obviously, I’d pick gaming. How could you possibly compare yourself to a digital masterpiece worth tens of millions?"
Zhan Zilang was the first to burst out laughing, and soon the others joined in.
Zhou Zhuofei always spoke in this tone, so no one could tell if she was being serious or not. Even if the male coworker sensed something off, there wasn’t much he could do in the moment.
Then she turned to Zhan Zilang, adopting a tone only a fellow gamer would understand. "Zhan, I’m heading back to take on the Golden Lynel tonight. No one else here gets how important this is!"
Hearing this, Zhan Zilang immediately felt compelled to stand with her. Instead of trying to keep her, he urged her on. "Then hurry back! Try to beat it in one night!"
"Good man, you get me!"
Zhou Zhuofei motioned for Qiao Qi to leave with her, but Luo Jing, ever the worrier, called after them, "Be careful on your way back, and message the group when you get home."
"Got it. We’re off then."
Qiao Qi, by now, seemed to regard Zhou Zhuofei as her leader, following closely behind her.
Once outside the bar, away from the noise, Zhou Zhuofei finally exhaled in relief. "Finally, some quiet. It was way too loud in there."
Qiao Qi nodded emphatically. "Seriously. Just sitting there gave me a headache."
"Then hurry home and rest. How are you getting back?"
"I’ll just take a cab."
Since they weren’t going the same way, they had to part. Zhou Zhuofei waited until Qiao Qi got into her ride before hailing her own.
While waiting, she noticed a man standing under a streetlight, smoking. He looked like he’d just come out of the bar too.
The sight reminded her of running into Xiao Wang earlier.
Who knew Xiao Wang smoked? Either he did it rarely, or he was meticulous about hygiene—she’d never once caught a whiff of smoke on him before.
The company had designated smoking areas on every floor, complete with odor-neutralizing supplies, but no matter how thorough the setup, the smell never fully disappeared.
Now that she thought about it, he’d kept his distance the whole time. Typical Xiao Wang—always attentive to every detail, no matter the situation.
No wonder he’d become the CEO’s secretary at such a young age. If it were her, she probably wouldn’t even make it past the probation period.
Ling Yu was notorious in the company for his strictness, so there was none of the usual workplace drama where female colleagues competed for opportunities to get closer to the CEO. On the contrary, everyone tried to pass the task to someone else. It was no wonder that Xiao Wang, who had been Ling Yu's secretary for several years, earned everyone's admiration.
Zhou Zhuofei got out of the car at the entrance of her neighborhood, feeling a wave of relief at the thought of not having to wake up early for work the next day—it was finally the weekend. She was considering whether to buy some fruit on her way home when she spotted Cen Huan walking out of the complex and standing by the roadside, as if waiting for someone.
After picking up some fruit and stepping out of the store, Zhou Zhuofei noticed Cen Huan still standing there. Curious, she approached to greet her.
"Are you heading out?"
Lost in thought, Cen Huan was startled by the sudden question. Recognizing Zhou Zhuofei, she quickly apologized, "Oh, I didn’t notice you there. Sorry about that."
"No worries, I’m the one who surprised you," Zhou Zhuofei said, holding up the bananas she had just bought. "Want one?"
"No, thanks. I have an interview later."
"An interview?" Zhou Zhuofei was momentarily surprised but then realized—of course, according to the story’s progression, Cen Huan was supposed to leave the hotel job and start working at a bar.
So, the plot was truly beginning.
