3 – First Day of Work
On Monday morning, the weather finally cleared up.
The alarm clock on the bedside table rang incessantly. Su Qinghe crawled out from under the covers and reached over to turn it off.
Soft sunlight filtered through the gaps in the curtains, casting dappled shadows across the room. Despite being only a dozen or so square meters, the small room looked incredibly cozy.
Su Qinghe sat up straight, the blanket sliding off her body to reveal her cream-colored cotton pajamas. She got out of bed, slipped on her slippers, and headed into the bathroom to wash up.
While brushing her teeth, Su Qinghe looked at herself in the mirror. She had applied a sheet mask before going to bed last night, and her skin was still in good condition—smooth and hydrated.
After finishing her morning routine, Su Qinghe walked to the wardrobe and took out the clothes she had ironed the night before.
Since today was her first day at work, Su Qinghe chose a stylishly designed white shirt, paired with tailored trousers that had a nice drape, and topped it off with an apricot-colored trench coat. She also put on some light makeup.
Once she was ready, Su Qinghe pulled open her door and stepped out. Her room was directly across from He Nanzhi’s.
Due to the unique nature of her profession, He Nanzhi sometimes stayed up late into the night writing when inspiration struck. She would then sleep all day at home to catch up on rest, keeping an irregular schedule.
Su Qinghe steamed two pork buns in the kitchen for breakfast.
After finishing her simple breakfast, Su Qinghe grabbed her bag and hurried out the door, heading toward the subway station.
The company Su Qinghe had just joined—Shengshi Group—was located in the central area of the imperial capital, about ten kilometers from where she lived. It was eight subway stops away.
During rush hour, the subway was packed with office workers. Most people, in order to make a living, rose early and worked late, toiling diligently like ants.
Work started at nine, but Su Qinghe arrived at 8:45, fifteen minutes early.
Standing in front of Shengshi International Tower, Su Qinghe looked up at the office building with its gleaming golden exterior.
The building was said to have cost over two billion yuan to construct, standing more than three hundred meters tall, with five floors underground and fifty above ground. It was currently the third-tallest building in the imperial capital.
Su Qinghe followed the flow of people entering the building and walked into the spacious, ornate lobby.
She had already completed her onboarding procedures a few days earlier, so after checking in today, she could go straight to her position.
The receptionist at the front desk issued Su Qinghe her office supplies and then escorted her upstairs in the elevator.
When they reached the 12th floor, where the fashion design department was located, the receptionist told Su Qinghe to have a seat at her workstation for now. Someone from the design department would come by later to familiarize her with the department’s work.
Su Qinghe nodded and said with a smile, “Okay, thank you for your help.”
“You’re welcome.” The receptionist gave a polite smile and turned to leave.
Su Qinghe placed her office supplies on the desk, took out a wet wipe from her bag, and cleaned the surface.
There wasn’t much dust—the cleaning staff had probably already wiped it down.
After sitting down in the swivel office chair, Su Qinghe quickly scanned her surroundings. It was a very large open-plan office, roughly over a thousand square meters.
Rows of desks and chairs were neatly arranged, with no partitions between workstations, making it easy to see at a glance whether someone was working or slacking off.
What comforted Su Qinghe was that her workstation happened to be by the window. On her left was a large floor-to-ceiling window, and on her right were her colleagues’ workstations.
When work became overwhelming, she could simply turn her head and look outside. At least the view was open and spacious, which would help lift her spirits.
A few minutes later, a girl in a pink knit cardigan walked over and sat down at the workstation next to Su Qinghe.
Su Qinghe glanced at her watch—it was 8:59.
She had practically clocked in right on the dot.
“Hi, are you the new colleague who started today?” The girl next to her turned around and greeted Su Qinghe proactively after sitting down.
“Yes, I’m Su Qinghe. Today is my first day—please take care of me.” Su Qinghe extended her hand toward the girl with a serious expression.
“Take care of you? I wouldn’t go that far—I’ve only been here a few months myself.” Li Jiajia shook Su Qinghe’s hand. “My name is Li Jiajia. Like you, I’m a designer on Team 4.”
Li Jiajia was a girl who smiled easily and seemed easy to get along with. That put Su Qinghe, who was new to the place, somewhat at ease.
Just then, the phone on Su Qinghe’s desk suddenly rang.
Picking it up, Su Qinghe answered briefly: “Hello, Design Department.”
“Qinghe, come to my office for a moment.”
Although the caller didn’t identify themselves, Su Qinghe recognized the voice as Chen Ran’s, the design director.
During the interview last week, Su Qinghe had chatted with Chen Ran for a while. Now, hearing the voice, she remembered immediately.
“Alright, I’ll head over now.” Su Qinghe replied softly.
After hanging up, Su Qinghe turned to Li Jiajia and asked, “Jiajia, where is the director’s office?”
“Just walk down that hallway, and it’s the last office.” Li Jiajia stood up and pointed in a general direction.
“Got it, thanks.” Su Qinghe picked up her notebook and pen, and headed toward the director’s office.
Walking in high heels on the gray carpet, Su Qinghe made no noisy footsteps. She stopped outside the office at the end of the hallway.
A gold nameplate was affixed to the glass door: Chen Ran, Design Director.
Su Qinghe raised her hand and knocked. A steady voice came from inside almost immediately: “Come in.”
She pushed the door open and stepped in. Chen Ran was sitting behind the desk. Seeing Su Qinghe walk in, he smiled at her and gave a slight nod of his chin, gesturing for her to sit down and talk.
Su Qinghe took a seat in the chair across from Chen Ran, leaning slightly forward with her notebook in one hand and a pen in the other, placed neatly on the desk.
“Qinghe, it’s your first day today—is there anything you’re finding hard to adjust to?”
Su Qinghe knew perfectly well that Chen Ran was just making routine small talk. Her eyes curved into a smile as she said, “Everything’s going well.”
“That’s good.” Chen Ran nodded, then continued: “The manager of your Design Team 4 resigned not long ago. So for now, your work will report directly to me. If there’s anything you don’t understand, you can come straight to me as well.”
“Got it, understood.” Su Qinghe nodded in acknowledgment.
Chen Ran picked up a stack of documents from beside him and placed them in front of Su Qinghe. “For the next couple of days, take a look through these files to familiarize yourself with how the department operates. You’ll officially start your design work in a few days—no problem with that?”
“No problem.” Su Qinghe smiled and said, “I’ve been abroad for the past few years, so I really do need some time to get up to speed first.”
When you join a new company, eighty percent of the time they’ll have you spend the first few days getting familiar with things—reviewing files and materials, and learning the workflow.
It’s a perfectly standard procedure.
When Su Qinghe mentioned being abroad, Chen Ran suddenly remembered something. “I recall you interned at Boham Design Studio?”
“Yes. The founder of Boham Design Studio has a son who studied under the same professor as me. With an acquaintance’s recommendation, I went there for a one-year internship.”
“Impressive. That studio is among the top in Italy. Countless people would kill to get in.” Chen Ran shifted the topic and asked, “So why did you give up that job and come back to China?”
Su Qinghe smiled gently. “My family is all in China, and I’m the only younger generation at home. Working and developing my career domestically will make it easier to take care of my family in the future.”
Chen Ran praised with a smile, “You’re a filial child, indeed.”
“It’s only right.” Su Qinghe had gone to Italy purely for education and had never once considered staying there.
With the small talk concluded, Chen Ran didn’t say more. He stood up and led Su Qinghe out of the office.
“Everyone, please pause what you’re working on for a moment.” Chen Ran clapped his hands, and everyone looked over.
Chen Ran turned to Su Qinghe and introduced, “This is our new colleague in Design Department Group 4, Su Qinghe.”
“Hello, everyone!” Su Qinghe lifted the corners of his mouth slightly, revealing a warm smile. “My name is Su Qinghe. It’s an honor to be your colleague. In the work ahead, please offer me your guidance.”
His colleagues said to Su Qinghe one after another, “Welcome aboard.”
Su Qinghe followed behind Chen Ran, taking a tour around the design department, then carried his documents back to his own workstation.