Secretary Song was not entirely satisfied with his performance last night, and she even wanted to part ways on good terms!
Tapping his long, knuckle-defined fingers against the desk, Jiang Yanzhou didn’t fly into a rage; instead, he let out a low chuckle and said,
“Secretary Song, please sit.”
As polite as President Jiang was acting, it sent a chill straight down Song Xi’s spine.
Right now, sitting down felt far more hazardous than standing.
However, having served as Jiang Yanzhou’s secretary for three years, she knew all too well how adept this man was at hiding a knife behind a smile!
Slowly settling into the chair beside her, Song Xi had given deep, careful thought to that outrageous resignation excuse she had just thrown out.
Any other legitimate reason would likely have gotten her resignation application rejected by President Jiang.
An excuse rooted in subjective perception—especially one challenging President Jiang’s “capabilities in a certain area”—should be enough to make him want her out of his sight immediately!
Her hands clenched tightly beneath the desk, Song Xi paused for a moment before looking up to meet Jiang Yanzhou’s chilling, blue-tinted eyes.
Her heartbeat accelerated rapidly, and her voice trembled severely. “President, can you sign it now? Otherwise, this is getting rather awkward.”
The only reason Jiang Yanzhou had asked Song Xi to sit was because the skirt she was wearing today was much shorter than usual.
Gazing at Song Xi’s fair, straight legs, it was hard for him not to let his imagination run wild.
After all, those very legs had been wrapped around his waist just last night…
Leaning back in his chair, Jiang Yanzhou said in a lazy tone, “Secretary Song, I can sign it, but you need to explain yourself first.”
Song Xi swallowed lightly, firing back, “President, wasn’t I clear enough?”
Jiang Yanzhou shook his head slightly, pronouncing each word with deliberate slowness. “Which aspects of my performance last night left Secretary Song dissatisfied?”
Not expecting President Jiang to press the matter to the bitter end, Song Xi thought for a good while before replying,
“I felt that last night, President… you were a bit too exhausting. I didn’t like it, though I’m sure many others would.”
President Jiang wore a look of instant comprehension. “Secretary Song doesn’t like things too exhausting. Could it be that you prefer something short and fast?”
Faced with the president’s biting sarcasm, the old Song Xi would have chosen to endure it, but the present Song Xi immediately retorted,
“I prefer just the right amount.”
Unfazed, President Jiang remarked, “For Secretary Song to have such strong opinions and be so frank—I admire that.”
Even as he spoke of admiration, President Jiang’s slender, powerful hand picked up a pen and signed his name on Song Xi’s resignation letter.
“Thank you, President. I’ll head down to the HR department right now to process my resignation.”
Seeing Song Xi smile—a genuine, from-the-heart smile—Jiang Yanzhou nodded with an unreadable, enigmatic expression in his eyes.
Urgent as she was, Song Xi glanced at the clock and saw it was only eight minutes away from noon. She instantly decided to head to the HR department in the afternoon instead.
We’re all just overworked corporate slaves here; there’s no need for mutual destruction!
The moment she reached the entrance of the secretary’s office, Song Xi was swarmed.
Chen Mengyun exclaimed, “How could you possibly be Secretary Song? You look like a celestial being!”
“Is your last name Song too?” asked Chen Yao.
Secretary Sun’s voice rang out as loud as ever. “Impossible, absolutely impossible! The only thing you and Earth-Secretary have in common is that you’re both women.”
Zhang Yingying delivered a lethal follow-up. “Judging purely by Earth-Secretary’s appearance, I could never tell she was a woman.”
Pushing past Zhang Yingying, Song Xi walked briskly into the secretary’s office. After placing her resignation letter safely aside, she set her ID card, phone, and makeup pouch down on the desk.
She spoke unhurriedly, “It seems my makeup skills are quite good—they fooled all of you.”
Some people checked her phone, some checked her ID, and others inspected her makeup pouch… It was like an impromptu mystery drama unfolding right before their eyes!
Clutching the ID card, Chen Qing walked up to Song Xi and held it up for constant comparison.
“It really does look a bit like you… But why would you do something like this, Secretary Song?”
“Yeah, Secretary Song! You’re clearly so gorgeous, why would you make yourself look so plain? No, I still don’t believe you’re actually Secretary Song.”
Secretary Sun had clearly plunged into an existential crisis, while Chen Mengyun looked profoundly relieved.
“Good thing, good thing! I’m so glad I didn’t say anything like, ‘If you’re Secretary Song, I’ll chop my own head off and use it as a soccer ball.'”
Song Xi’s mouth twitched slightly. She had zero interest in playing football with Chen Mengyun’s head.
She only clarified her identity to her colleagues now because, having filed her resignation, she still had to work one final month.
After all, sitting in the same office day in and day out, Song Xi didn’t want to be constantly gawked at.
Under the fixed gazes of everyone in the room, Song Xi casually gathered her belongings and said with breezy nonchalance,
“I did it so people would focus on my talent.”
“If I walked around with a face like this, people would inevitably say I only made it to chief secretary because I was sleeping my way to the top.”
Without needing to confer, everyone exchanged knowing nods and agreed in unison.
With the previously plain-looking Secretary Song, absolutely no one would ever suspect she had risen to chief secretary through illicit favors.
Mainly, of course, because Song Xi’s competence was plain for all to see.
Not giving anyone a chance to continue gossiping, Song Xi strode out toward the cafeteria.
She needed to eat well and properly so she could live as long as possible—longer and longer.
It is no exaggeration to say that on her walk to the cafeteria, Song Xi turned 100 percent of the heads.
Her beauty was so vibrant and striking; it was simply too eye-catching.
The moment she stepped into the cafeteria, Song Xi instantly became the center of attention, with quite a few people sneaking photos of her.
Ignoring the clandestine photos and paying no mind to the murmurs around her, Song Xi got her food and walked straight over to sit down opposite Lin Anya.
As a fellow gossip enthusiast, Lin Anya looked utterly flabbergasted. “Beauty, which department are you from?”
Lin Anya’s heart skipped half a beat. Don’t get her wrong—she was attracted to men; it was simply because the person sitting across from her right now was overwhelmingly gorgeous!
So much so that even as a woman, she couldn’t help feeling her heart flutter.
After sipping her chicken soup a few times, Song Xi put on a feigned look of sorrow and said,
“Lin Anya, you didn’t even recognize me either.”
She and Lin Anya weren’t just longtime friends; they had both worked at the Jiang Corporation for three years, frequently having lunch and dinner together in the company cafeteria.
After all, their company cafeteria was genuinely top-tier—as long as you spent just a tiny bit extra, you could drink chicken soup at every single meal!
Lin Anya’s eyes widened to maximum capacity. Pointing a trembling finger at Song Xi, she cried out,
“You… you’re little Xi-xi?!”
“No, I’m Pinduoduo.” (A popular Chinese e-commerce app known for budget deals)
Hearing that, Lin Anya was finally convinced. The super-beauty sitting before her really was Song Xi.
Exited, she slapped the table. “I always told you your facial features were stunning, and that you look even better when you smile!”
It was precisely because of Lin Anya’s constant reminders that Song Xi had learned to keep a straight, unsmiling face around outsiders.
Puzzled, Lin Anya asked, “Little Xi-xi, why did you deliberately make yourself look plain before, and why show up with your true face so suddenly now?”
Prepared with an answer, Song Xi replied, “I got tired. I want to live more authentically.”
“Now I feel like this is completely unreal. You are just so gorgeous…”
Lin Anya’s phone suddenly rang, cutting her off.
Seeing that it was Jiang Yanzhou, Song Xi reflexively hit the answer button.
“Secretary Song, come to my office when you’re done eating.”
“Understood, President.”
Hanging up the phone, Song Xi refused to shortchange her appetite; she finished her meal completely before going to see Jiang Yanzhou.
The old Secretary Song, by contrast, would have certainly put President Jiang above everything else.
Only after receiving President Jiang’s permission did Song Xi push open the door and walk in.
Sitting on the sofa, Jiang Yanzhou looked at her and said in a slow, measured tone,
“Secretary Song, I don’t have much of an appetite. Feed me…”