After taking her medicine, Ye Zhenshu felt drowsy.
And with He Zhinian’s face constantly drifting through her mind these past two days, she couldn’t focus on work. She sat staring at her computer for a long time.
Near the end of the workday, Huang Yun came over with someone in tow. The sound of high heels rang clearly through the spacious office.
Everyone’s gaze followed them.
“Zhenshu.” Huang Yun smiled as she brought the newcomer over. “Could you show her the ropes?”
Ye Zhenshu had a question-mark-shaped neck pillow around her neck. At the sound of Huang Yun’s voice, she stood up.
“Director Huang.” She greeted Huang Yun, then turned her attention to the woman beside her.
It was Qi Wenling.
Ye Zhenshu knew who she was, but Qi Wenling probably didn’t know Ye Zhenshu.
“Hello! Ye Zhenshu, I’m Qi Wenling. You can call me Wenling.” Qi Wenling smiled.
Like her older sister, Qi Wenling had a face that was pleasant to look at.
“Director Huang, why don’t you ask Zhang Yiyang? I’m not very good at training newcomers.” Ye Zhenshu declined.
Qi Wenling glanced awkwardly at Huang Yun, feeling just a little as if she’d been rejected.
Huang Yun smiled. “Zhang Yiyang has a new game assignment. You’re leaving soon, so I haven’t given you any other tasks. Show her the ropes—consider it your assignment.”
Qi Wenling forced a smile.
Ye Zhenshu had no choice but to agree.
It wasn’t a difficult task.
She just didn’t understand why a company as big as Linghang would still take on interns. Usually, people hired for this kind of position were ready to hit the ground running.
Ye Zhenshu yawned as she walked into the break room. Her colleague, Old Li[1]“Old” before a surname is often a familiar or respectful Chinese form of address among acquaintances or colleagues, rather than an indication of advanced age. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3733028_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3733028_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });, leaned over to her. “Little Ye[2]“Little” before a surname reflects the Chinese familiar prefix xiao, often used for someone younger or junior. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3733028_1_2').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3733028_1_2', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });, you’d better be careful. I heard the new girl beside you was placed here by someone upstairs.”
Ye Zhenshu paused. So she had connections.
She’d have to keep an eye out.
Liang Hao had once said that those two from the Qi family were good at hiding what they were thinking.
“Thanks, Old Li,” she said with a smile.
As soon as she left the break room, she saw everyone gathering in the game-testing area.
The colleagues testing the game had already started playing. It was the new Shenlai game, which had launched just yesterday, and apparently quite a few players had already joined.
It was also the last game Ye Zhenshu had designed for Linghang Games.
She walked over too.
“Zhenshu, the hero artwork you did looks incredible in-game!”
“With effects like these, if you leave, we’re going to suffer for it.”
…
The colleagues discussed the game as they checked it over, and the office buzzed with activity.
Then someone called out, “President He, you’re here.”
Everyone turned to look.
“Good morning, President He!”
Someone called out, and the others quickly greeted him too.
They’d heard a few days ago that the big boss upstairs had handed the company over to his grandson to manage. He hadn’t come down to inspect things yet, so no one had expected him to show up today.
Ye Zhenshu turned to look as well.
It was He Zhinian!
He wore a black custom-tailored suit—the same one he’d had on that morning, when she’d noticed his wrist.
The impeccably fitted suit gave his shoulders a sharp, clean line, while the watch peeking from his cuff caught the light with a cool glint.
With one hand in his trouser pocket, his features were cool and distant. He was the kind of man no one could look away from.
“The new boss is so handsome…”
A female colleague beside Ye Zhenshu covered her mouth and whispered, “With a boss like that, I’d be willing to work overtime.”
“…” Ye Zhenshu smiled faintly.
Then Qi Wenling suddenly called out softly, “Brother Nian[3]“Brother” can translate ge, a familiar, sometimes affectionate form of address for an older male acquaintance; it does not necessarily imply blood kinship. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3733028_1_3').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3733028_1_3', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });!”
As soon as she spoke, everyone’s gaze shifted from He Zhinian to Qi Wenling.
The whole room fell silent.
He Zhinian was looking at Ye Zhenshu.
The female colleague beside her nudged her and whispered, “I had no idea her connection was the new boss…”
From where they stood, it looked as though He Zhinian was looking at Qi Wenling.
But Qi Wenling knew Zhinian wasn’t looking at her. Following his gaze, she glanced at Ye Zhenshu, then looked away.
Was He Zhinian looking at Ye Zhenshu?
She quickly changed how she addressed him. “President He.”
Ye Zhenshu’s gaze met He Zhinian’s. Then she lowered her eyes slightly.
But she’d seen the edge of an employee badge sticking out of the hand he had in his pocket.
Her badge had a Peppa Pig sticker on it. She recognized it. It was hers.
He Zhinian glanced at Qi Wenling, his expression cool, then turned and headed for the nearby conference room.
Several department heads followed him inside.
By the time lunch break came, they still hadn’t come out.
Ye Zhenshu clocked out, glanced at the conference room’s privacy glass, then looked at her phone.
It was hard to tell what she was looking for.
Inside the conference room, He Zhinian watched Ye Zhenshu’s every move and couldn’t help picking up his phone too.
Their WeChat[4]A widely used Chinese app for messaging, calling, group chats, and social sharing. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3733028_1_4').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3733028_1_4', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); conversation still showed the day they’d registered their marriage—the day they’d added each other as friends. They hadn’t exchanged a single message since.
Zhang Yiyang glanced outside too, momentarily distracted.
Why did Ye Zhenshu’s profile look so much like the Boss’s Wife, Yiyi?
Ye Zhenshu picked up her coat, left the department, and headed upstairs to the cafeteria for lunch.
After the meeting, Zhang Yiyang was talking with the department manager about something. He Zhinian walked over to Ye Zhenshu’s workstation.
He sat down in Zhenshu’s swivel chair and looked at the row of little Peppa Pig family figurines arranged across her desk.
A pretty little basket nearby held a few loose biscuits and candies.
Several goldfish swam in the clear, empty milk-tea cup, which she’d turned into a fish tank using the traditional method.
He didn’t know what had come over him. He idly fiddled with the things on her desk, and only after quite some time did he get up and leave her seat.
Zhang Yiyang had seen every change in his expression.
As they stepped into the elevator, Zhang Yiyang watched He Zhinian eating a piece of candy and ventured, “I heard them say that Qi Wenling was placed here by someone.”
He Zhinian glanced sideways at him. “You’re making progress too slowly.”
“…Yes.” Zhang Yiyang nodded meekly.
He Zhinian had asked him to gather evidence from that night, and he still hadn’t finished.
Zhang Yiyang wanted to ask what relationship Ye Zhenshu, whose face looked so much like Yiyi, the Boss’s Wife, had with him, but he felt awkward prying into his boss’s private life.
Still, he’d just seen He Zhinian sitting at Ye Zhenshu’s desk, and he worried that one day he might offend someone important if he didn’t find out.
He worked up his courage and asked anyway, “President He, is Ye Zhenshu and Madam…?”
He Zhinian was terse. “Your eyesight isn’t very good either.”
“Huh?”
…
At noon, Ye Zhenshu pulled a folding bed out beside her workstation, took a quilt from her drawer, and lay down right there.
Before she’d even settled in, she noticed her employee badge on the desk.
She picked it up and looked at it. Her heart skipped a beat.
She’d been thinking about it throughout lunch. Was the “small business” Grandpa He had mentioned the Linghang Group?
He called that a small business?
The Linghang Group covered so many industries that there were some she’d never even heard of.
Linghang Games was only a tiny subsidiary.
He Zhinian was quite the catch!
Then she noticed two candies were missing from the desk.
Surely He Zhinian wouldn’t be so childish as to sneak her candy?
It must have been one of her colleagues sneaking a treat again!
She didn’t give it another thought. Pressing her lips together, she lay down, pulled the quilt over herself, and secretly opened WeChat to message him.
【Thank you.】
He Zhinian heard the notification while resting with his eyes closed in the car. He picked up his phone and opened the message.
【The driver will pick you up tonight.】
【No need. I’m meeting a friend for dinner tonight, so I might be back a little late.】
She didn’t dare ride in He Zhinian’s car. It cost more than a million, and would draw far too much attention.
After sending that, Ye Zhenshu felt as though she were reporting her plans to him.
In the car, He Zhinian looked at her message and replied, 【Call me if you need anything.】
Ye Zhenshu suddenly realized that they were beginning to act like an ordinary married couple.
The feeling made her heart flutter.
It was strange.
But it brought her a quiet happiness.
References[+]