Due to He Yuan’s impromptu meeting, the two arrived at the company by eight o’clock.
He Yuan tapped on Lin Yue’s desk. “Prepare the materials for the meeting in half an hour. Since it was decided last-minute, it’s a bit rushed, but try to avoid errors in the data and documents I asked you to organize earlier.”
“Understood, President He.”
Besides Wei Jia, He Yuan had three vice presidents under him, all promoted by his own decision. Their support was crucial for the company’s transformation.
By around nine, all meeting attendees had gathered at the conference room entrance.
As Lin Yue followed He Yuan to the door, they coincidentally encountered Vice President Zheng Yu and his assistant, Qing Jing.
Qing Jing’s gaze first landed on He Yuan, then shifted to Lin Yue, her eyes carrying a hint of mockery and provocation.
Lin Yue ignored her and simply pushed the conference room door open for He Yuan.
“What’s going on?” Zheng Yu remarked. “Assistant Zhou isn’t here yet? President He, you’re really spoiling him.”
Lin Yue pulled out a chair for He Yuan, who sat down smoothly. Leaning back slightly, he tapped his fingers twice on the conference table before silently turning to Zheng Yu. “I haven’t even settled the mess you left the company with after that last incident with your girlfriend.”
Zheng Yu rubbed his nose. “Alright, alright, not this again.”
He Yuan gave a faint smile—he only brought it up because it was effective.
Without a word, He Yuan tilted his head slightly, and Lin Yue immediately began distributing the materials.
While handing them out, she realized the work USB drive was missing. She had clipped it inside the documents, and with the tight schedule, she hadn’t had time to make a backup. Could it have fallen near the entrance?
As she circled the table back to He Yuan’s side, she deliberately glanced toward the door but found nothing.
Lin Yue clenched her hands, feeling anxious. No matter how capable she was, she couldn’t possibly memorize all the data from the USB drive, especially in such a short time.
He Yuan glanced at her and suddenly said, “Secretary Lin, I forgot a document on my desk. Go fetch it, and while you’re at it, hurry Assistant Zhou along.”
“Right away.”
Lin Yue stood and left. Sure enough, there was a file on He Yuan’s desk. Just as she picked it up and was about to call Zhou Yun Ce, she spotted him emerging from his office, looking drowsy.
“Assistant Zhou? Did you not go home last night?”
Zhou Yun Ce grunted in affirmation. “Been busy with the Southern District development project lately. Pulled an all-nighter and only managed two hours of sleep before being dragged back here.”
Lin Yue fell silent.
Every household has its own troubles, and everyone carries their own burdens.
Zhou Yun Ce said, “Let’s go, time for the meeting.”
Lin Yue opened the conference room door for him. In the next moment, Zhou Yun Ce shed his exhausted demeanor and said seriously, “My apologies for the delay.”
Zheng Yu snorted. He’d never seen an assistant arrive later than the boss.
Zhou Yun Ce couldn’t be bothered with him. He Yuan had dashed off after work, leaving him alone to handle the project all night.
“Now that everyone’s here, let’s begin.” He Yuan pointed to a nearby chair, signaling for Lin Yue to sit.
Seeing He Yuan’s confident expression, Lin Yue had no choice but to take a seat, thinking to herself: Cross the bridge when you come to it.
Though she couldn’t recall every single data point, she remembered most of it.
However, her USB drive wasn’t used throughout the entire meeting. He Yuan controlled the entire session, and Lin Yue finally understood that He Yuan might never have intended to use the data she had organized from the very beginning.
She was somewhat puzzled—if he wasn’t going to use it, why did he have her prepare it?
Even after the meeting ended, Lin Yue still couldn’t figure it out.
Not dwelling on it, she went directly to He Yuan’s desk and broached the topic by apologizing.
“President He, I’m sorry about this morning’s meeting. I made a mistake—I lost the USB drive.”
He Yuan paused from signing documents and slightly lifted his gaze. “I know.”
“You know?”
He Yuan hummed in acknowledgment. “Secretary Lin, don’t let it happen again.”
“May I ask a question?”
“Go ahead.”
“Did you never intend to use the data I organized from the start?”
He Yuan nodded honestly. “That’s right, Secretary Lin. This was just a form of training. Those executives already had all the data memorized. In the workplace, you always need to be cautious. In situations like today, given my position, I can’t afford to be in a situation where I can’t hold a meeting just because an assistant or secretary is unavailable. Understand?”
“Understood,” Lin Yue said. “You were doing this for my benefit, having me do these tasks to train me, but I ended up making a mistake.”
He Yuan chuckled lightly. “No one is immune to mistakes, especially those new to the workforce. Compared to Assistant Zhou when he first started working, you’re much more capable. If you don’t believe me, you can ask him.”
Lin Yue: “I promise I won’t make such a basic mistake again in the future.”
He Yuan nodded. “Get back to work.”
Lin Yue let out a long sigh of relief, but in her heart, she wondered what kind of incredible luck she had to encounter such a great superior.
He was wholeheartedly teaching her, never scolding her for mistakes, and instead offering encouraging words and room for growth.
After work in the evening, Lin Yue met Qin Yan at a hot pot restaurant. Lin Yue was practically drooling—how long had it been since she’d had hot pot to maintain her figure? Tonight, she’d treat herself just a little.
“It’s been a while since we’ve eaten out together.”
Lin Yue hummed in agreement. “You’re always busy during summer break, and I’m even worse—basically on call 24/7. But President He has been leaving work early these past couple of days, which is why we could have this hot pot meal.”
Qin Yan: “Your boss’s surname is He?”
Lin Yue: “Yes, why?”
“There’s a student in my class with the surname He too, named He Lin. He’s quite mischievous, but his grades are excellent—he just doesn’t like doing homework. The kid has a good personality too. Remember that time you forgot your keys? He got into a fight and his parents were called in.”
Lin Yue choked on a chili pepper. She coughed several times, took the cold water Qin Yan handed her, and drank it all in one go.
If she remembered correctly, He Yuan’s profile mentioned a younger brother named He Lin.
Lin Yue quickly asked, “His parents were called in? Who came?”
“His older brother. Seems like he runs a company, and the family is quite wealthy. The key point is, he’s really handsome! He even added me on WeChat, but I know my place.” Qin Yan suddenly looked at Lin Yue. “Hey, how about I introduce him to you?”
Lin Yue coughed violently again, taking a while to stop. She wiped tears from the corners of her eyes caused by the chili and said, “I suspect that student’s older brother is my boss.”
Qin Yan gasped. It couldn’t be that much of a coincidence, could it?
She unlocked her phone and showed it to Lin Yue. When Lin Yue saw that familiar WeChat profile, her vision went dark.
After she became a regular employee, she added He Yuan on WeChat. His profile picture was a golden retriever lying on the grass.
“Yanzi, do you think it’s possible he saw the WeChat message you sent last night?”
Qin Yan looked at Lin Yue’s utterly defeated expression and nodded honestly, “Well… I can only say it’s possible.”
Lin Yue: “…”
Awkward!