"I know you, Xiao Wang, don’t like troubling others, but that’s exactly what worries me. Look at how I’ve been relying on you all this time, haven’t I?"
Zhou Zhuofei spoke with utter sincerity. "Maybe you think I’ve done too much, but in reality, I feel like I haven’t done enough. I can’t accept your kindness with a clear conscience, so please don’t feel burdened. Let me help you instead. The more you hold back, the worse I’ll feel."
After laying her feelings bare, she immediately felt lighter. Clearly, being overly polite wasn’t her style—honesty suited her far better.
With things laid out so plainly, Xiao Wang couldn’t bring himself to refuse Zhou Zhuofei. Truthfully, this wasn’t her problem—it was his own wavering resolve. If he kept this up, he’d only end up hurting her.
"I understand. But don’t feel too pressured either. I don’t think I’ve gone out of my way to help you—we’ve been supporting each other."
What he wanted was to ease the weight in her heart—not to overstate his own role, nor to downplay her strength.
The reason he kept interacting with Zhou Zhuofei wasn’t out of pity or obligation. It was because there was something about her that drew him in.
"I’ve learned a lot from you. I just never had the chance to thank you."
"Really?" Zhou Zhuofei didn’t seem surprised, only pleased. A bright smile spread across her face. "That’s great! So I’m actually somewhat useful after all."
"Not just useful. You’re someone worth knowing as a friend."
Xiao Wang spoke from the heart. He cherished the time he spent with Zhou Zhuofei. In all the world, he doubted he’d find another person who made him feel so at ease in conversation.
With that in mind, he told her, "Don’t force yourself. I’ll clarify things with her as soon as possible."
Zhou Zhuofei gave him an OK sign, thinking to herself how rare it was to see Xiao Wang so decisive. It seemed that when faced with an unappealing romantic situation, both men and women just wanted to break free as quickly as possible.
Though, men had it harder in these scenarios—they had to tread carefully to avoid being labeled as ungentlemanly or inconsiderate.
She quietly cheered him on: "You’ve got this, Xiao Wang. Be brave and just say no."
Her words left him torn between laughter and exasperation. "So this is how you’ve always handled these situations?"
With so many single employees in the company, and Zhou Zhuofei being both attractive and personable, she likely had no shortage of suitors. But from the looks of it, she seemed perfectly content staying single.
Zhou Zhuofei pretended to ponder deeply. "Do you want the truth?"
"If you’re willing to share."
"I usually nip the problem in the bud before it even reaches the rejection stage. But our situations are different. You, Xiao Wang, aren’t that type. Just follow your own pace—the process doesn’t really matter, right?"
He nodded in agreement. "Fair point."
"Exactly—" She cut herself off mid-sentence as a colleague passed by. Immediately, she raised her voice and said brightly, "Don’t worry, Xiao Wang, I’ll make sure to deliver the documents to you this afternoon."
Xiao Wang, taken aback by her sudden professionalism, was about to ask what was going on when he noticed the passing coworker from the corner of his eye. Understanding dawned, and he responded with a smile, "I’ll leave it to you, then."
"Of course."
"Was there anything else, Xiao Wang?"
"No, I won’t keep you from your work."
"It’s no trouble—gives me an excuse to slack off a little." Zhou Zhuofei gestured toward the office, her expression perfectly serious. "See? As long as I keep this face while talking to you, even if we’re just chatting nonsense, everyone will assume we’re discussing work."
Xiao Wang nearly laughed. He had no idea how Zhou Zhuofei’s mind worked—why did she always come up with such odd ideas?
"But I should probably head back." She remembered she’d just claimed to be busy. Having set the persona, she had to maintain it.
"Alright, get to it then."
Back at her desk, Zhou Zhuofei held her mouse but couldn’t focus. Her mind kept replaying every word exchanged with Xiao Wang.
It had all happened so fast—she hadn’t had time to carefully weigh her words, simply speaking her mind. She could only hope her meaning had gotten across.
Still… she couldn’t shake a lingering frustration.
No matter whether it was dealing with Zhan Zilang or Xie Ya, she’d always handled things smoothly. Why was it that in front of Xiao Wang, she never managed to shine even once?
But upon reflection, she realized those moments where she’d demonstrated her competence had all been outside of work. Her interactions with Xiao Wang had been strictly professional—no real opportunity to impress.
She acknowledged that while she was competent at her job, she was nowhere near as outstanding as someone like Chu Qing. It made sense that Xiao Wang didn’t see her full potential.
With that, she let it go. There was no need to force recognition of her professional skills.
Later, she posted online as usual, and Chu Qing, as usual, liked her post. Come Friday, Chu Qing suddenly messaged her, inviting her to a gathering on Saturday. Though it sounded interesting, Zhou Zhuofei declined without hesitation.
[Sorry, I don’t feel like going out this weekend.]
[Oh? So you’re just staying home both days?]
[Yep.]
[That sounds so dull. Wouldn’t it be nice to meet new people?]
[I really dislike crowded places, so no need to invite me to these things~]
[Alright, what a shame. I thought you might be interested.]
[Yeah, real shame.]
And with that, the conversation ended. Zhou Zhuofei was a master at closing discussions—if she gave no opening for a new topic, even the liveliest chat would die in her hands.
But this wasn’t the end. Later, she sent the entire chat log to Xiao Wang without adding a single word.
Silence spoke louder than words.
A little while later, he replied with a thumbs-up emoji featuring a cartoon dog.
Zhou Zhuofei felt like she’d scored a point. Compared to Xiao Wang’s gentle approach, her no-nonsense method clearly got faster results!
Two mornings later, while busy with work, Zhou Zhuofei received a call from Ye Ru, asking her to bring Zhan Zilang to the office.
On the way, Zhan Zilang asked if she knew what it was about.
"How should I know?" But then it hit her—there was one plausible reason. "Could it be about your probation period?"
At Huanyu, the standard probation was three months, but outstanding performers could be regularized early—like her, who’d signed her permanent contract at the end of her second month.
"That soon?" Zhan Zilang rubbed his nose, puzzled. He hadn’t even discussed it with his family yet—he still had doubts.
Because if he were to be officially hired, the workload would be much heavier than it is now. He felt the current workload was just right, so he wanted to slack off a bit longer.
"You should say, 'Someone as outstanding as me?'" Zhou Zhuofei knew exactly what kind of person Zhan Zilang was. "If you really get hired full-time, you won’t have much time to play Minesweeper anymore."
Zhan Zilang sighed. "Ah... Being too outstanding really is a burden."
However, when the two arrived at the office, their supervisor didn’t mention the hiring or the contract. Instead, she assigned them a task: "Go set up the first conference room on the top floor. There’s a business meeting later."
Zhou Zhuofei was taken aback. "Ye Ru, this isn’t right. Setting up isn’t our job."
The administrative department had clear divisions of labor—everyone stuck to their own responsibilities, like each hole having its own peg. Business receptions were handled by designated staff. Zhou Zhuofei had helped out during her internship, but this wasn’t supposed to be her responsibility anymore.
"I know, but this is Xiao Wang’s instruction." Though Ye Ru was speaking to Zhou Zhuofei, her gaze was fixed on Zhan Zilang beside her.
Zhou Zhuofei seemed to understand something and also turned to look at Zhan Zilang.
Now it was Zhan Zilang’s turn to be confused. "Why are you both looking at me? I don’t know anything about this."
Zhou Zhuofei guessed that someone attending the meeting must have some connection to Zhan Zilang, so Xiao Wang wanted him to make an appearance and show his competence. She was just brought along because she had experience from before.
If that was the case, asking Ye Ru wouldn’t help—Xiao Wang definitely wouldn’t explain it to her.
Resigned, Zhou Zhuofei patted Zhan Zilang’s shoulder. "Let’s go. Time to work. You’ve never done reception before, right?"
"Nope."
"Today, you’ll get to experience it."
Only meetings attended by Ling Yu were held on the top floor, which meant this meeting was either very important or involved high-profile attendees.
Honestly, Zhou Zhuofei disliked handling such important meetings the most because she had to be extra careful, terrified of making mistakes.
Doing well brought no rewards, but messing up would definitely bring trouble!
Zhou Zhuofei took Zhan Zilang to the top floor to set up. After working for a while, Xiao Wang came in, glanced around, and immediately left without even exchanging a word.
His attitude made Zhan Zilang realize the importance of the meeting, and he couldn’t help but tense up.
"Zhou-jie, can we leave after this is done?"
Zhou Zhuofei shook her head. "Leave? We have to stay. What if someone needs water or errands run? You think Xiao Wang is going to do it?"
Though Xiao Wang’s title was secretary, his job was to assist Ling Yu with work, not handle menial tasks.
"Who are these people, acting so high and mighty?" Zhan Zilang muttered under his breath. He didn’t mind doing work, but serving people was another matter...
Hearing this, Zhou Zhuofei quickly warned him, "Don’t say anything reckless later."
He hadn’t even met the clients yet and was already badmouthing them. She couldn’t imagine what kind of disaster Zhan Zilang would cause if he spoke his mind in front of them.
Once everything was set up, the two left the conference room. Zhou Zhuofei didn’t see Xiao Wang, so she didn’t dare leave without permission. She had to wait, but she remained alert, afraid the attendees would arrive unnoticed.
Just then, Xiao Wang suddenly sent her a message.
[Arriving in ten minutes.]
Seeing the exact time, Zhou Zhuofei immediately felt more at ease.
She timed it perfectly and stood by the door with Zhan Zilang.
Right on schedule, faint footsteps echoed in the hallway—the sound of dress shoes stepping on the carpet.
"They’re here," she whispered to Zhan Zilang, then straightened her posture and put on a professional smile, waiting for the guests. Zhan Zilang followed her lead.
As the door opened, a group of people appeared before them.
When Zhan Zilang saw the face of the person leading the group, he couldn’t help but exclaim under his breath, "Holy—"
Why was it him?!
Zhou Zhuofei also sucked in a sharp breath.
Just as she feared, the worst-case scenario had come true.
Xie Huai was dressed in an impeccably tailored, expensive suit, every detail meticulously arranged, right down to his spotless leather shoes. He stood at the forefront of the group, his expression cool yet commanding, drawing attention even without saying a word.
"President Xie, this way." Xiao Wang, who had been following behind him, stepped forward to guide Xie Huai.
Xie Huai remained silent, following without a word as the rest of the staff trailed behind. No one noticed Zhou Zhuofei and Zhan Zilang standing in the corner.
Zhou Zhuofei had lowered her head the moment she saw Xie Huai. Only after everyone entered the conference room did she slowly raise her gaze, meeting Zhan Zilang’s eyes.
Surprised, he said, "I didn’t know Huanyu and Shirui had business together."
Zhou Zhuofei had no idea either—she never paid attention to company affairs. Right now, all she wanted was to run away.
"Zhan Zilang," she said, her tone suddenly serious. "If I leave now, can you handle this alone?"
"Huh?" Zhan Zilang froze. "Zhou-jie, do you need to use the bathroom?"
"I—" Zhou Zhuofei’s lips parted, but in the end, she couldn’t bring herself to dump everything on Zhan Zilang.
She couldn’t make an intern take the fall for her!
"Never mind, I can hold on a little longer." Zhou Zhuofei reassured herself—they were here for business. Why would they pay attention to a small employee like her?
She took a deep breath and said to Zhan Zilang, "Let’s go serve tea."
There was a proper order to serving tea, starting with the highest-ranking attendee. Zhou Zhuofei and Zhan Zilang entered the conference room carrying two cups of hot tea.
The seats at the head of the table were occupied by Xie Huai and Ling Yu. Zhou Zhuofei glanced over and was about to head toward Ling Yu when Zhan Zilang beat her to it.
Left with no choice, she turned toward Xie Huai. The entire time, she kept her eyes down, refusing to let her gaze wander. She placed the teacup in front of him and immediately prepared to leave.
But because she was in such a hurry, she set the cup down too forcefully, causing the hot water inside to slosh. A few drops spilled onto the table, stark against the black surface.
Zhou Zhuofei’s heart sank. Without hesitation, she discreetly wiped the spill with her sleeve, cleaning it up before anyone noticed.
Just as she was about to leave, Xie Huai spoke.
"Excuse me, I’d like a cup of hot water."
"Right away." Zhou Zhuofei responded immediately. His cold tone actually put her at ease.
See? A CEO like him knew how to keep things professional.
So when she approached him the second time, she was much more relaxed.
But the moment she got close, Xie Huai took the cup from her and said, "Miss Zhou, your sleeve is wet."
These were the first words Xie Huai had spoken since entering the conference room—and the only sound in the room at that moment.
Xie Huai and Ling Yu were the highest-ranking figures present. If they weren’t speaking, who else would dare make a sound?
In an instant, all eyes in the room turned toward them. Under the weight of such intense scrutiny, Zhou Zhuofei calmly replied, "Thank you for the reminder."
Though it was just a simple remark, Zhou Zhuofei couldn’t shake the feeling that Xie Huai had just handed her a major headache.
The reason was obvious—she wasn’t wearing her employee badge. So how did Xie Huai know her surname was Zhou?
This was practically announcing to everyone that the two of them were acquainted!
Distracted, Zhou Zhuofei retreated to the breakroom to fetch water. Thanks to Xie Huai’s earlier display, the other Huanyu staff members grew increasingly polite as she served them, their reactions growing more exaggerated with each cup.
It made her deeply uncomfortable, but she couldn’t let it show. Instead, she pretended not to notice, speeding through her task—the sooner she finished, the sooner she could escape.
After delivering the last cup, she immediately ducked back into the breakroom.
It was hard to say whether Xie Huai had done it on purpose, but since he could’ve easily ignored her, Zhou Zhuofei concluded—he was absolutely doing it deliberately!
Lost in thought, she heard the breakroom door open. Assuming it was Zhan Zilang returning, she hurried forward.
"Did you—"
She barely got two words out before realizing her mistake. The person who walked in wasn’t Zhan Zilang—it was Xiao Wang.
Quickly correcting herself, she asked, "Secretary Xiao, is there something you need?"
