Shen Yihan didn’t allow himself to dwell on it further.
He also needed to work harder to support his sister.
Fortunately, someone as capable as Jiang Tang was on his side rather than being an adversary.
Time passed quickly when he focused on work.
By the time Shen Yihan checked the clock again, it was nearly 8 PM.
The office had long since emptied, with everyone gone for the day.
Only Zhang Nan, his special assistant, remained.
Truthfully, he felt the workload for a special assistant was too demanding—always on call, often staying late with him.
That’s why, after Jiang Tang left, he initially promoted a male secretary to the role.
It wasn’t that he doubted the competence of female secretaries, but he found the job too grueling.
Jiang Tang had spent four years with him without a single moment of personal time.
At twenty-six, she already seemed far more mature than her peers.
It must have been exhaustion.
Shen Yihan pressed the intercom. “Zhang Nan, you can head home now.”
From her desk outside his office, Zhang Nan replied, “President Shen, I still have some work to wrap up. I’ll leave once I’m done.”
From what she’d observed, Jiang Tang had never left before President Shen.
Having finally secured the role of special assistant, she was determined to keep it!
Shen Yihan set the phone down without another word.
Glancing at his computer screen, the time ticked to 7:59.
He pulled out his phone and keyed in Jiang Tang’s number.
His heartbeat quickened involuntarily, and he twisted the Buddhist beads around his right wrist with his left hand.
It was just a work discussion—why was he so nervous?
The moment the clock struck eight, he pressed the call button.
Ring… ring… ring—
The line rang several times before it was finally answered.
“Hello, President Shen.”
Jiang Tang’s cool, composed voice came through.
Shen Yihan’s heart skipped a beat. Unconsciously, he slid the beads off his wrist and began rolling them between his fingers.
“Mm.”
Upon arriving in Jingnan, Jiang Tang had bought an apartment close to the company.
She had substantial savings.
In Jingbei, she’d lived with her parents in their old family home.
An only child, she’d been raised by very traditional parents who employed a strict, critical approach to parenting.
They rarely praised her, always insisting she could do better.
Yet it wasn’t as if they didn’t love her.
When she was transferred to Jingnan, her parents had insisted on coming along, but she refused.
For the first twenty-six years of her life, she’d been both independent and not.
Now, she wanted to try living on her own.
Two months in, she found it wasn’t so bad.
Managing the branch company kept her busier than ever.
Before, most of her work had followed Shen Yihan’s directives. Now, nearly every decision was hers to make.
And she loved it.
“President Shen, what issues are there with the proposal? Go ahead, I’ll note them down on my computer.”
As she spoke, Jiang Tang powered up the PC in her home office.
Shen Yihan’s brow furrowed slightly, his tone neutral. “Aren’t you going to ask how I’ve been these past few weeks?”
Jiang Tang paused, then obliged. “How have you been, President Shen?”
His gaze drifted to the mousepad on his desk—it hadn’t been replaced in ages.
When Jiang Tang was around, she’d swap it out every month.
Hearing her question, he adjusted his tie with one hand. “Just… alright.”
Jiang Tang: “Got it. Now, about the proposal—what feedback do you have?”
Shen Yihan: “…”
She was really humoring him like a child.
He reached for the proposal with his beaded hand.
It wasn’t that he was deliberately nitpicking; there were genuine points he wanted to discuss with her.
Jiang Tang’s sudden appointment as branch president, straight from being his special assistant, had ruffled feathers.
If he wanted her to establish herself quickly, he had no choice but to keep a close eye on her progress.
“Here’s the thing…”
Shen Yihan laid out his thoughts.
Jiang Tang listened, then casually tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “Understood, President Shen. I’ll revise it and send you a new version in two hours. Goodbye.”
Click—
The call ended abruptly.
Shen Yihan’s expression darkened.
The project hadn’t even started yet.
Why was she in such a hurry?
He tapped the screen and called her again.
“President Shen, anything else to add?” Jiang Tang asked.
The rapid clatter of keyboard strokes echoed in the background—she was already editing the proposal mid-call.
As branch president, she could’ve delegated the revisions, but Jiang Tang preferred handling things herself.
Shen Yihan took a deep breath, sliding the black beads back onto his wrist. “Jiang Tang… could you just talk with me for a while?”
