Zhou Zhuofei turned around and saw Xiao Wang rushing out after her, hastily putting on his shirt.
Perhaps due to his hurry, he hadn’t had time to fasten all the buttons—his collar was slightly open, revealing his collarbone and a glimpse of his chest, his Adam’s apple faintly visible beneath the fabric.
Zhou Zhuofei could only rely on her acting skills again, pretending not to notice anything as she fixed her gaze on his face. "Is there something else?"
"Earlier, it wasn’t convenient to talk. Were you looking for me?" Xiao Wang asked, then noticed Zhou Zhuofei’s awkward posture and immediately glanced down at himself. Calmly, he began buttoning his shirt.
His movements were quick and precise. Once done, he adjusted his collar, not a trace of fluster left.
"I came to get the reimbursement forms," Zhou Zhuofei said smoothly, holding up the documents in her hand. "It wasn’t specifically to see you, but I thought if you had time, I’d discuss the intern situation with you."
Xiao Wang checked his watch and offered an apologetic smile. "I’m afraid I don’t have time today. I’ll be attending an event with General Manager Ling shortly."
Zhou Zhuofei quickly waved it off. "No problem, we can talk later. You go ahead with your work."
After a few years in the company, she had learned the "art of conversation." No matter how polite Xiao Wang seemed, she knew better than to take his words at face value.
"About what happened earlier…" Xiao Wang paused, searching for the right words. Though he and Zhou Zhuofei had a decent relationship, being caught off-guard like this still made him uncomfortable—especially since she was his junior.
Zhou Zhuofei immediately understood his unspoken concern—he was worried she might spread rumors. She mimed zipping her lips shut. "I didn’t see anything."
Given Xiao Wang’s high-profile position, many in the company had their eyes on him. His caution was understandable.
She had no intention of causing trouble—for herself or for him.
"Thanks, then."
Zhou Zhuofei feigned confusion, tilting her head. "Hmm? Thank me? For what?"
Xiao Wang’s lips curved into a smile, warmth filling his eyes.
He had known Zhou Zhuofei for three years, watching her grow from a fresh-faced newcomer into someone who handled work with effortless ease. It stirred a mix of nostalgia and pride in him—genuine happiness for her progress.
"I won’t keep you from your work." Seeing they’d reached an understanding, Zhou Zhuofei took the initiative to leave.
Xiao Wang watched her go, his gaze lingering until her figure disappeared behind the wooden door. Then he turned back toward the meeting room where he’d been changing earlier.
An hour ago, he’d been abruptly informed that he’d accompany Ling Yu to a banquet that evening.
Used to such last-minute arrangements, he always kept a spare shirt in the office. When the time came, he’d ducked into an empty room to change—only for the faulty lock to betray him, letting Zhou Zhuofei walk in on him.
Still, in his career as a secretary, such minor incidents were hardly unusual.
After adjusting his tie and slipping on his jacket, Xiao Wang tested the door handle again. Though it seemed fine now, he decided to report it to the admin department for inspection—better safe than sorry.
Back in her office, Zhou Zhuofei spotted Zhan Zilang at his computer, seemingly engrossed. But the way he kept scrolling aimlessly gave away his boredom.
She remembered feeling the same way when she first joined the company—especially when everyone else was busy, leaving her with nothing to do. That sense of dissonance, of being out of place, had been overwhelming.
Just as she was about to approach and ask how he was doing, she circled behind him—and froze at the sight of his screen.
He was playing Minesweeper. On expert mode. And from the looks of it, he’d been at it for a while.
Seriously? This was pushing it.
Too absorbed to notice her standing there, Zhan Zilang only reacted when Zhou Zhuofei cleared her throat. With a quick keystroke, the game vanished from the screen.
"You…" Zhou Zhuofei started, then hesitated. Did she really need to say anything?
What if she offended him and he went straight to tattling?
But staying silent didn’t sit right with her either. Why should she be the one agonizing when he was the one slacking off?
Zhan Zilang waited nervously for her to continue. Was he about to get scolded?
"Zhou-jie?" he ventured softly.
He had no idea that in those few seconds, Zhou Zhuofei’s thoughts had ricocheted between professionalism and self-preservation a dozen times.
Finally, she took a deep breath. "How far have you gotten in the employee handbook?"
Zhan Zilang’s expression turned sheepish. "Uh… about a dozen pages in?"
"Skip the beginning. Go straight to Chapter Nine." With that, she turned on her heel and headed for Ye Ru’s office.
If she passed the decision to someone else, she wouldn’t have to agonize over it!
Meanwhile, Zhan Zilang hurriedly flipped to the handbook’s table of contents. Chapter Nine’s title glared back at him: "Employee Conduct and Discipline."
In Ye Ru’s office, Zhou Zhuofei cut straight to the chase, laying out the situation before sighing dramatically. "Ye-jie, how am I supposed to handle this? Can I even reprimand him?"
Ye Ru chuckled. "Already stumped?"
Zhou Zhuofei nodded honestly. "Yeah. I’m scared if I say the wrong thing, he’ll complain, and I’ll be the one getting lectured tomorrow."
"Don’t worry so much. In the admin department, everyone follows the rules. Just handle it normally."
"Alright, got it." Ye Ru’s reassurance steadied her.
"So what did you do when you saw him playing games?"
"I told him to read Chapter Nine of the handbook."
Ye Ru paused, then remembered the chapter’s title and laughed. "That’s quite the subtle reprimand. I thought you didn’t dare say anything."
"I didn’t, really. But not saying anything felt wrong too."
"You did fine," Ye Ru encouraged. "Be bolder. As long as you follow protocol, you’re in the right. There’s nothing to fear."
Small companies thrived on personal connections, but in big corporations, that didn’t hold as much weight.
It wasn’t that relationships didn’t matter—but with so many factions and overlapping power structures, everyone had their own networks. Rules were the fairest way to navigate it all.
"If you’re still unsure, go vent to Secretary Xiao. He’ll definitely mention it to General Manager Ling if he knows."
"Secretary Xiao…" At the mention of his name, Zhou Zhuofei’s mind flashed back to earlier, her response lagging for a beat.
"Hmm? What about Secretary Xiao?"
"Nothing." Zhou Zhuofei quickly coughed a few times to cover her embarrassment. "I’ve already been to the top floor earlier. We can talk about it another time."
Ye Ru didn’t seem to notice and instead shifted the conversation to work matters.
When Zhou Zhuofei returned to the office area, she deliberately walked past Zhan Zilang’s desk and noticed the employee handbook page displayed on his computer screen.
She nodded subtly to herself. Whether or not he was actually paying attention, at least his attitude was acceptable.
Plus, after hearing Ye Ru’s words earlier, her mood had improved considerably compared to before.
As the workday neared its end, Zhou Zhuofei accompanied Zhan Zilang to clock out, and he asked to exchange contact information with her.
She agreed, but made sure to remind him, "Don’t message me about work outside office hours."
"I have this habit—once I’m off work, I don’t like checking my phone. So if there’s anything work-related, make sure to settle it with me in the office. After hours, you won’t be able to reach me."
"Okay, got it," Zhan Zilang replied cheerfully before adding with certainty, "Zhou-jie, you must really like gaming, right?"
"Hmm? How did you know?"
"I noticed your mug—it’s merchandise from The Elder Scrolls. I’m a fan of that game too."
The mug had been a gift from Du Yu last year. It only bore one iconic symbol from the game, something only true fans would recognize.
"Just casual gaming, really," Zhou Zhuofei said dismissively, not keen on prolonging the topic.
After clocking out on the fingerprint scanner, she immediately waved goodbye to Zhan Zilang. "I’m off now. Bye~"
Trying to bond over shared interests? Not gonna work on her!
