The next morning.
Shi Ying got out of bed early and carefully made herself look especially presentable.
Even if she might not run into her mission target today, opportunities were always reserved for those who came prepared.
The onboarding process went smoothly. The person who had contacted her over the phone was named Zhou Fan. After completing the paperwork, Shi Ying hugged her newly issued laptop and followed behind her into the elevator.
The elevator rose all the way to the top floor.
Looking at the steadily increasing numbers on the display panel, Shi Ying asked curiously,
“Sister Zhou Fan, our office is on the top floor?”
Wasn’t the top floor in novels usually where the CEO stayed?
Zhou Fan glanced at her and smiled.
“The design department actually isn’t on this floor. Here’s the situation — someone from the secretary’s office recently went on leave, so we need someone to temporarily fill in.”
“Secretary Jiang reviewed your résumé that day and thought you were very outstanding, so you’ve been temporarily transferred over to help out.”
Shi Ying honestly didn’t care much about what position she worked in. She joined the company solely to complete her romance mission. The faster she completed it, the larger the reward she would receive.
The secretary’s office?
Wouldn’t that mean she could come into contact with Shang Corporation’s president, Shang Chenyan?
Shang Chenyan was Shang Yu’s uncle.
Wasn’t this the perfect shortcut?
First win over the uncle, then deal with the nephew.
Shi Ying practically saw one million yuan waving at her in the distance.
Ding—
The elevator doors opened.
The moment Jiang Wen saw the girl stepping out of the elevator, even though he had mentally prepared himself beforehand, his pupils still trembled violently.
Too similar.
She was practically identical.
He swallowed hard before finally finding his voice again.
“Miss Shi?”
Zhou Fan introduced them.
“This is Secretary Jiang.”
Shi Ying smiled obediently and greeted him politely.
“Hello, Secretary Jiang. I’m Shi Ying.”
“H-Hello…” Jiang Wen scratched his head awkwardly and subconsciously took the things from her hands. “Let me carry those. I’ll take you to your workstation.”
Shi Ying stared at Jiang Wen in stunned confusion as he carried both her laptop and briefcase for her. Even Zhou Fan, who had already stepped back into the elevator, widened her eyes in shock.
Who didn’t know that Jiang Wen was President Shang’s secretary?
Normally, he was basically a cold and emotionless work machine.
Before the elevator doors closed, Zhou Fan shot him another suspicious glance.
Did he suddenly lose his mind?
***
Shi Ying felt somewhat uncomfortable with Jiang Wen’s excessive attentiveness.
The way he treated her made it seem less like she had come to work as a secretary and more like she had come to become the CEO herself.
“Miss Shi, you’ll sit here. If you have any work-related questions, you can ask Director Cheng or me.” Jiang Wen pulled out her chair for her, neatly placed down her laptop and bag, then stood to the side with a smile. “Is there anything else you’d like to ask?”
“N-No, nothing.” Shi Ying instinctively took half a step back and forced out a stiff smile. “Thank you, Secretary Jiang.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Oh, right.” Jiang Wen had only taken two steps before suddenly turning back around. “There’s a document on the computer. Print it out and bring it inside for President Shang to sign. It’ll also give him a chance to recognize you.”
“Okay.”
After Jiang Wen left, Shi Ying printed out the document and stood outside the glass doors, quietly fixing her appearance.
After all, he was the uncle of her mission target.
If everything went smoothly, he might become her future uncle-in-law. She had to leave a good impression.
Shi Ying took a deep breath, gathered her loose hair into a ponytail, and finally carried the documents toward the president’s office.
The office door was slightly ajar, revealing glimpses of the cold black-and-white interior.
Shi Ying knocked lightly.
No response.
She knocked a few more times, and with slightly too much force, the door slowly swung inward on its own.
“President Shang?”
Shi Ying didn’t dare enter directly. She merely poked her head inside and cautiously looked around.
It seemed no one was there.
Maybe she should come back later.
Just as she was about to pull her head back out, the lounge door inside suddenly opened from within.
A pair of long, straight legs appeared before her eyes.
Polished leather shoes stepped across the spotless white tiles as the man walked toward her.
Above the perfectly pressed black trousers was an immaculate black suit. Underneath, the collar of his white dress shirt was left with two buttons undone, faintly revealing the strong lines of his chest.
Her gaze slowly traveled upward—
And the man’s handsome, noble features crashed into her sight with startling familiarity.
Shi Ying froze.
Wasn’t this the pervert she had run into at the lakeside pavilion that day?!
“And you are?” the man asked casually.
His tone was calm and indifferent, yet naturally carried the steady authority of someone long accustomed to holding power.
He didn’t recognize her?
Then…
Why had he stared at her like that the other day?
Like a starving ghost eyeing a freshly baked pancake.
Shi Ying’s thoughts spun rapidly.
Could it all have been a misunderstanding?
After all, this was the famous Shang Chenyan.
It didn’t seem like there was anything about her worth scheming for.
A faint crease appeared between Shang Chenyan’s brows.
He walked behind the desk and sat down, his long fingers lightly tapping a fountain pen against the tabletop, startling Shi Ying back to her senses.
“Hello, President Shang. I’m Shi Ying, the new secretary.”
“Come in.”
Shang Chenyan leaned lazily against his chair and slightly lifted his chin toward her.
Suppressing her lingering suspicion, Shi Ying walked inside and handed him the documents.
“Secretary Jiang asked me to bring these for your signature.”
Shang Chenyan reached out to take them.
His fingers seemed to brush against her fingertips unintentionally.
The cool touch made Shi Ying shiver slightly.
The office was silent except for the soft rustling sound of pen against paper.
Standing before the desk, Shi Ying secretly raised her eyes again to look at Shang Chenyan.
The man was truly handsome.
A tiny mole near the corner of his eye appeared and disappeared beneath the shifting light, adding an indescribable sense of temptation to his elegant features.
Would someone like this really be a pervert?
Shi Ying internally shook her head.
If she said that out loud, people would probably think she was insane.
“Your name is Shi Ying?”
Shang Chenyan’s sudden voice pulled her out of her wandering thoughts.
“Yes. Please take care of me in the future, President Shang,” Shi Ying replied dryly with the standard polite phrase.
The man seemed to let out a faint laugh, his voice exceptionally gentle and refined.
“There’s no need for that. Since Jiang Wen personally transferred you here, you must be very capable.”
His slender wrist shifted slightly, and the signed documents were pushed back toward her.
Even though she knew he was merely being polite, Shi Ying still blushed from the praise.
His voice was way too pleasant to listen to.
It was so good her ears were practically getting pregnant.
Still…
She couldn’t shake the feeling that she had heard his voice somewhere before.
Shang Chenyan quietly looked at the girl standing before him.
She wore an off-white casual blouse tucked neatly into dark blue jeans. Her figure was slender and delicate, youthful and soft.
Her brows and eyes were exactly the same as before.
Every smile, every expression—
Completely unchanged from five years ago.
It was as though time had never left a single mark on her.
Five years ago, she had vanished without warning.
And five years later, she had suddenly appeared again just as abruptly.
Yet when facing him now, there was no joy from a long-awaited reunion in her eyes.
Only confusion and curiosity.
As though, within her memories—
He had never existed at all.
Shi Ying picked up the documents and cautiously asked,
“President Shang, if there’s nothing else, I’ll head out first.”
“Mm. Go ahead.”
Shi Ying turned and left the office, finally letting out a long breath of relief.
Although Shang Chenyan seemed easy to get along with, being alone in the same room as the big boss would make anyone nervous.
She walked away quickly, completely failing to notice the sticky, obsessive gaze fixed firmly on her back from behind.