As Zhou Zhuofei was lost in thought, Xiao Wang's voice snapped her out of it.
"Xiao Zhou, I heard your department is getting an intern?"
Zhou Zhuofei paused, surprised that even Xiao Wang knew about this. Did that mean Ling Yu was also aware?
She glanced over and noticed Ling Yu seemed indifferent, as if this was just casual chatter between Xiao Wang and her. Quickly composing herself, she replied, "Yes, the manager just gave me the resume today. I’ll be showing him around tomorrow."
Xiao Wang teased with a hint of nostalgia, "Time flies. In the blink of an eye, you’re about to become someone’s senior."
"Yeah, I was just thinking the same thing. It’s been three years since I joined the company."
His words eased Zhou Zhuofei’s mood a little.
She and Xiao Wang were fairly familiar. During her first six months in the admin department, most of her work involved running errands.
Back then, she practically lived on the top floor where the CEO’s office was, delivering documents and interacting with Xiao Wang frequently.
Xiao Wang had an impeccable reputation at Huanyu—competent, emotionally intelligent, and flawlessly handling both work and people.
Even when Zhou Zhuofei was still inexperienced, he patiently guided her, occasionally offering helpful advice.
If she were to rank the people she was most grateful to at Huanyu, Xiao Wang would easily make the top five.
"Let me meet the intern when you get the chance."
So that was the real point of this conversation. Zhou Zhuofei caught on immediately and smiled. "No problem. I’ll probably send him to deliver documents to you in a couple of days."
Just as she finished speaking, the elevator arrived at the finance department’s floor. Zhou Zhuofei bid farewell and stepped out.
A few steps later, she instinctively glanced back. Through the still-open elevator doors, she saw Xiao Wang speaking with Ling Yu.
Though she couldn’t hear their conversation, her gut told her they were still discussing the intern.
This "Zhan" must be someone special.
Back at her desk, Zhou Zhuofei recounted the elevator encounter to Ye Ru, who pondered for a moment before reassuring her, "Don’t worry. Treat him like any other intern. If he doesn’t cooperate, come to me—I’ll talk to the department head."
"Got it. Thanks, Sister Ye."
Ye Ru grinned. "No need for thanks. Even if something goes wrong, it’s not on you. The department head will handle it."
Zhou Zhuofei chuckled, remembering how Ye Ru had said the same thing when she first joined the company.
Back then, Ye Ru had encouraged her to ask questions and learn from mistakes, emphasizing that the newbie phase was the time to make them—before expectations rose.
"Well, I just don’t want to cause trouble for everyone."
"But if you handle this well, it could count as a merit." Ye Ru added, "Take the intern around more, especially since Xiao Wang mentioned it. Be proactive."
She believed Xiao Wang was conveying Ling Yu’s stance, so Zhou Zhuofei had to go above and beyond.
"Understood."
Returning to work, Zhou Zhuofei stayed busy until the end of the day. Packing up, she clocked out—one of her favorite things about Huanyu. The company strictly adhered to labor laws, never encouraging overtime. With fixed hours and weekends off, her friends often envied her schedule.
"Time to go home~"
Humming a tune, she joined her colleagues in the elevator. Unlike the quiet atmosphere during work hours, the space was now lively with chatter about post-work plans—picking up kids, grocery shopping, or meeting friends.
Zhou Zhuofei joined in, discussing the latest hit drama with a coworker. The cheerful mood lasted until the elevator reached the lobby. Stepping out of Huanyu’s grand office building, she took a deep breath, feeling instantly rejuvenated.
Another sixteen hours of freedom!
After a commute involving buses and transfers, she finally arrived home.
Huanyu provided housing subsidies for non-local employees, which could have covered a studio near the office. But after some thought, Zhou Zhuofei had opted for a slightly older, more spacious one-bedroom apartment farther away.
Though the rent was similar, the extra space was worth it. Having endured cramped dorm life in college, she craved room to breathe.
Her friend Du Yu had initially advised her to live closer for shorter commutes, but Zhou Zhuofei prioritized living conditions. This wasn’t just a place to sleep—it was her life outside work. With Huanyu’s reasonable hours, she decided to take the chance.
And it paid off.
Returning after a long day, the sight of her spacious living room and coffee table stacked with comics and game discs soothed her. This wasn’t just a temporary stop—it felt like a sanctuary.
There was another reason, too: she wanted to test whether, no matter where she lived, the story’s heroine would end up as her neighbor.
In a studio building, one floor might have a dozen neighbors. But in this older complex, there were only two units per floor. When renting, she’d noted her neighbor was an elderly woman living alone.
After moving in, she often crossed paths with her, though their schedules rarely aligned. She’d spot the woman returning with groceries or lounging in the communal area.
Just as she’d nearly forgotten about the "heroine" trope, her neighbor changed.
The elderly woman had moved to a nursing home, replaced by a woman around Zhou Zhuofei’s age.
As she reached her building that evening, she ran into her new neighbor in the stairwell.
"You’re back from work?"
Cen Huan greeted her warmly. Even in simple clothes under the dim hallway light, her beauty was striking.
She held up a plastic bag. "I was actually going to look for you. I brought some more salmon—thought you might like it."
"Thanks, but I still haven’t finished the last batch you gave me."
"Don’t worry about it. The hotel kitchen always has extra, and none of my coworkers want it anymore."
The two chatted as they climbed the stairs. When they reached the fifth floor, Zhou Zhuofei took out her keys to unlock the door. Before it was even halfway open, a nimble black figure appeared at the entrance, letting out an adorable meow: "Meow~"
The moment Cen Huan saw the little shadow, her voice instinctively softened. "Director, long time no see~"
Director was a stray cat Zhou Zhuofei had adopted. In fact, their first conversation had happened because of him.
Ever since her new neighbor moved in, Zhou Zhuofei had been feeling conflicted, unsure how to face her. However, Cen Huan's work schedule was irregular, so in the early days, they rarely crossed paths. Zhou Zhuofei only knew of her comings and goings through the thin walls and the sound of the door.
Then, one rainy day, as Zhou Zhuofei returned home from work, she spotted a tiny black kitten, no bigger than the palm of her hand, hiding in the stairwell. The poor thing was drenched, shivering and whimpering softly.
Her heart ached at the sight, so she hurried back to her apartment to fetch a towel, intending to take the kitten in temporarily. Just as she was bundling the little cat up, she ran into Cen Huan, who had the same idea. That was how they had their first real conversation.
Zhou Zhuofei asked Cen Huan if she wanted to adopt the kitten, but Cen Huan admitted her work kept her too busy to care for it properly. So, Zhou Zhuofei took the kitten home instead.
At first, she only planned to foster it briefly before finding it a permanent home. But as days passed, she grew too attached to let go. She even gave the kitten a name—Director. Back when she lived with her family, pets weren’t allowed. But now that she was independent, with time and money to spare, why not do something she’d always wanted?
As for why she named him Director—it was a spur-of-the-moment decision.
In her dreams, she and the heroine never spoke. Yet because of this cat, they had formed an unexpected connection. That’s how the name came to be.
Though Cen Huan couldn’t adopt Director, she remained deeply invested in his well-being. Working at a hotel, she often brought home fish scraps from the kitchen for him, and Zhou Zhuofei always welcomed her to play with Director.
Most of their conversations revolved around the cat. Cen Huan rarely spoke about herself, and Zhou Zhuofei respected that unspoken boundary, never prying. And so, they maintained a simple relationship—neighbors and fellow cat lovers.
Cen Huan crouched by the door, playing with Director for a while before heading home. Meanwhile, Zhou Zhuofei stored the salmon in the fridge, threw together a quick meal, and as soon as she finished eating, eagerly dove into the game she was currently trying to beat.
Truthfully, she was a long-time ACG enthusiast. She and her friend Du Yu had met in a university club.
After graduation, they took entirely different career paths.
Du Yu joined a cultural events company that organized anime conventions, which meant constant travel and nonstop work during holidays. Zhou Zhuofei, on the other hand, became a regular nine-to-five office worker.
They had originally planned to travel together after graduation, but conflicting schedules delayed the trip for two years—and counting.
At first, Zhou Zhuofei envied Du Yu, believing her friend had chased her dreams and got to do what she loved every day, while she herself lacked the courage and had succumbed to the allure of Huanyu.
But as time passed, she realized they were both trapped in their own versions of envy.
She admired Du Yu’s freedom; Du Yu envied her stability. Yet whenever they met, they’d still end up grumbling about clients, coworkers, bosses, and work.
