**Amended Translation:**
**Chapter 17: Spending Time with Him in a Dream…**
The next morning, Lin Siyi, playing the ostrich, deliberately got up even earlier than Cheng Yixiu’s usual time to leave for work.
Last night, she was so disturbed by Song Yunxiao over the phone that she couldn’t sleep. When she finally did, she had a night full of nightmares. Strangely, in her dream, Cheng Yixiu was holding a Chinese cleaver, threatening her to quickly pay the broadband fee, or else he would fire her immediately.
Lin Siyi really wanted to loudly tell her boss that managing such a big company, does he even understand labor laws? Yet, Cheng Yixiu righteously told her that since she was still in her probation period, firing her wouldn’t require any extra compensation.
The reason for her dismissal was said to be because she illegally occupied her boss’s personal property—the wireless network, which directly and indirectly harmed the interests of investors and all the company’s shareholders.
What a grand and noble reason!
Lin Siyi really wanted to inappropriately ask this big boss, why on earth did he have such a big cleaver at home? Was it to guard against thieves?
Although, strictly speaking, she did indeed steal his network, so being treated as a thief was only fair.
But in the dream, Lin Siyi found that no matter how much she shouted, she couldn’t make a sound, and so she was completely scared awake by her boss in the dream.
Now, she just wanted to clean up quickly, lest the boss next door caught her doing something wrong.
Sneakily swiping her card to take the elevator to the underground parking lot of the community, she found her ride that hadn’t been pampered for days, and Lin Siyi sped off like the wind to the broadband service hall.
Though she feared being too busy at noon to come out, more than that, she didn’t want to face her boss so soon.
After all, she had just spent a night “with him” in a dream. Being together day and night, anyone would surrender early, right?
No choice, she was just feeling too guilty.
Lin Siyi specifically found a relatively clean-looking breakfast shop near the service hall, sat down, and ordered a few things to fill her stomach, while occasionally keeping an eye on the service hall’s activity.
On a weekday morning, the breakfast shop was particularly busy.
Lin Siyi couldn’t just sit there after eating, so she got up to give her seat to someone else, paid the bill, and took two napkins to wipe her greasy mouth.
It wasn’t until seven o’clock that she realized the problem: the service hall didn’t open this early in the morning.
She had never really been there before, and when she occasionally passed by, it was during the day, so she never considered what time they actually opened.
Lin Siyi jogged to the entrance of the service hall and saw the business hours posted on the stone pillar by the door. After a few seconds, she had a constipated expression, thinking she was too hasty, which led to this mistake. It seemed she’d have to find another time to come back.
Just then, her phone suddenly rang.
Lin Siyi’s ringtone was set to gradually increase in volume, and when she dug out her phone from her bag and saw it was her boss calling, she really felt like it was a haunting, relentless ghost.
“Hello, Mr. Cheng, I’m really sorry, I left too early this morning and forgot to inform you in advance.”
Cheng Yixiu: “No worries, I was just about to tell you, I wasn’t home last night, and I can’t make it to pick you up for work, so you’ll have to get there on your own this morning.”
Lin Siyi internally complained: “…Such a good thing, why didn’t you tell me earlier, so I was busy for nothing this morning?”
Staring at the phone screen after the call ended, Lin Siyi couldn’t help but wipe the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand.
Seriously, what a dog day.
No choice, as a worker, she had to have the awareness of a worker. Lin Siyi could only resign herself to riding her electric bike swiftly to the company.
At this time, the elevator was crowded, and Lin Siyi waited quite a while before successfully squeezing in.
When she arrived at the company entrance, it wasn’t even eight o’clock yet.
Maybe because she was in such a rush, Lin Siyi’s fingerprint didn’t register successfully several times when clocking in. It wasn’t until the fourth try, after she wiped her finger hard, that the machine recognized it correctly.
Several people were already gathered in the large office area, discussing something unknown. Lin Siyi approached them without being noticed.
Yao Dong was startled by her sudden appearance from behind, “Siyi, you scared me.” Yao Dong said while patting his chest, though the action seemed oddly out of place with his tall and strong build.
Lin Siyi looked curious, “What are you all discussing so enthusiastically?”
“We were just talking about a financial influencer who, to leave a good impression on viewers during live-streaming sales, actually spent money to hire a personal trainer for fitness classes. It’s said that such private lessons cost over twenty thousand a month, and this influencer is selling public funds.”
Colleague A: “I say, if our private funds weren’t only open to specific qualified investors, our boss would definitely be a top influencer on live-streaming platforms.”
Colleague B: “It’s true what they say, clearly able to live off looks, yet insists on earning through skills.”
Colleague C: “That’s not entirely true. Currently, domestic public funds are still mostly retail investors, known for following trends. Funds needing sales aren’t the most powerful. Star fund managers, when launching new funds, have already chosen cooperation channels, and it’s likely there will be allocations.”
“Given the current hot secondary market, old funds starting to limit purchases is a sign of strength. For example, recently, some funds have reduced daily purchase limits from a hundred thousand to a thousand, and later it might even drop to five hundred, fifty, or even ten, or simply suspend purchases. After all, if a fund’s scale is too large, it tests the fund manager’s investment skills.”
“Moreover, the allocation ratio of public funds is strictly limited by the fund’s type.”
Lin Siyi: “Sorry to interrupt, but who are ‘clearly’ and ‘insists’ that you mentioned earlier?”
“…”
Everyone looked at her with a ‘did your PE teacher teach you Chinese?’ expression, speechless.
Lin Siyi originally wanted to kindly remind them that while they were gossiping about their boss living off looks, their boss was silently standing not far away watching…
She couldn’t help but facepalm. Since she couldn’t save them, she might as well save herself first.
Then, as Cheng Yixiu approached, one or two people in the crowd noticed something was off, followed by a third, fourth, and fifth. Suddenly, the lively gossip atmosphere disappeared like a balloon pricked by a needle, and everyone quickly scattered like birds and beasts.
Watching her boss walk with a commanding presence, Lin Siyi tried hard to minimize her presence at her workstation, striving to be a useful yet inconspicuous private fund screw.
Unfortunately, things didn’t go as she wished. As Cheng Yixiu passed her desk, he knocked on it, “Come in with me for a moment.”
Lin Siyi immediately sat up straight, “Yes, Mr. Cheng.”
After Cheng Yixiu sat down in his big chair, he said, “The China Securities Investment Fund Association just released new private equity investment fund filing guidelines. When you have time today, check the association’s website to see what specific updates there are. If you need any materials from me, I’ll send them to you. Remember to complete the platform’s information disclosure requirements as soon as possible, and keep an eye on changes in industry regulations. The asset management industry is becoming more standardized, so regulations need constant attention.”
Lin Siyi took notes in her little notebook.
“Also, today, people from a partner company will come for business coordination. You’ll need to receive them.”
Lin Siyi: “Mr. Cheng, can I ask what their specific work content is?”
“Our company’s target company’s legal due diligence is outsourced to a partner law firm, while the financial and business due diligence is done by us, so you’ll need to coordinate with them to complete this work.”
“And prepare yourself, in a few days, you’ll go on a short business trip with me. A quarterly strategy meeting organized by a partner brokerage’s headquarters has invited me to attend, and I plan to take you along. Remember, listen more, watch more, learn more, and think more. You’ll also have the opportunity to interact with peers on-site, which isn’t a bad thing for you.”
“I’ll drive there directly, so you don’t need to book a ticket. Pack some slightly formal clothes. If you don’t have any, it’s best to prepare in the next couple of days.”
“In the future, there will be many such opportunities, and many industry seminars you’ll need to attend alone. Over time, you’ll get used to it. In our line of work, you’re either on a business trip or on the way to one.”
Lin Siyi quickly flattered her boss, “Thank you, Mr. Cheng, for your guidance.”
Cheng Yixiu: “Don’t speak too soon. If I find you’re not capable of handling this job, I’ll ask you to leave anytime, without considering our neighborly relationship.”
Lin Siyi: “…”
Would it kill you to say something nice, boss?
“That’s all I wanted to say. If there are no issues, go ahead and get to work. Prepare for the morning meeting later.”
Lin Siyi remembered she had a small issue, “Boss, in that case, I won’t catch a ride with you after work this afternoon. I need to go to the mall to buy suitable clothes.”
And she could detour to the service hall to handle the broadband, almost forgetting she rode her bike today.
Thinking back, selling the car her mom left her and getting a two-wheeled electric bike was definitely a wise choice. For someone like her, who can barely make ends meet, how could she afford to maintain a car?
“Just as well, I have to stay late to work overtime tonight, so you do your thing.”
Lin Siyi: “???”
So was she just being self-indulgent earlier?