When Secretary Bernite found Lu Yi, she was hugging a thick stack of documents, preparing to return to her workstation.
Her large-framed glasses sat crookedly on her nose, and her tired, weary eyes carried no sense of aggression at all, making her look like a pitiful little thing anyone could bully.
“Put those down and come with me.”
The moment Bernite spoke, everyone around them immediately looked over.
“What are you staring at? Don’t you have work to do?”
Actually, they didn’t have any work, Lu Yi complained inwardly.
Ever since she became an intern here, this group of people acted like they were on vacation every single day!
Bernite glanced again at the timid Lu Yi. “What are you standing there for? Put them down and move.”
“O-Okay…”
The moment Lu Yi left, the office instantly exploded into gossip.
“Wasn’t that the president’s secretary? Why is he looking for Lu Yi? Is she getting promoted or fired?”
“I think she’s getting fired…”
“Would the secretary personally come for a firing? Could she actually be pretending to be weak while secretly having some private relationship with the president—”
“She’s just a commoner. What kind of relationship could she possibly have with President Yalan? You people are too stupid.”
A somewhat sharp voice came from the corner.
Sitting in the best spot in the Affairs Department office was the department’s most powerful nepotism hire, Miss Tao Zhi.
Almost every intern driven into a corner by her pressure failed to last more than two months, but Lu Yi had broken that record.
While casually painting her nails, Tao Zhi revealed a smug smile.
“Hey, you. Put my files on Lu Yi’s desk.”
A male beastman immediately rushed over like a lapdog to flatter her.
“Sister Tao Zhi is right. She’s just a commoner, what kind of connections could she have? I think these people have had too little work lately—their brains are turning into mush!”
“Tch… show-off.”
Everyone muttered complaints inwardly, yet still tossed their documents onto Lu Yi’s desk one after another. Before long, it was piled up like a small mountain of work.
Following behind Bernite, Lu Yi’s heartbeat became frighteningly fast.
She hadn’t expected Yalan’s interrogation to come this quickly… so quickly that before she could adjust her mentality, she already had to face that sharp black wolf.
She spent the whole walk silently reminding herself not to panic. When the president’s office door finally opened, she unconsciously held her breath.
“President, Lu Yi is here.”
“Mm. You may leave.”
Yalan’s voice carried a cold dampness like mountain mist, the kind that made people shiver when it touched their skin.
Though perhaps it was simply Lu Yi’s psychological fear making everything feel even scarier.
“Lu Yi.”
“Good afternoon, President.”
Lu Yi let her hands hang naturally at her sides and stood very far away from Yalan.
Yalan raised a brow and lightly tapped the desk.
“Come closer.”
Lu Yi paused briefly. Her lowered eyelids lifted slightly as she met those cold gray eyes head-on.
Yalan became somewhat irritated by her timid appearance.
“You’ve already graduated. This is the workplace. I’m your superior, not some fierce teacher.”
It made him look like he was bullying this intern!
“Sorry…”
Lu Yi pursed her lips. Her apologetic voice sounded soft and aggrieved, making Yalan feel even more like some terrible boss.
The girl quickly walked over to the desk. Frowning slightly, Yalan raised a hand, and a chair appeared behind Lu Yi.
“Did you watch the silver-haired female’s video?”
Trembling slightly, Lu Yi sat down and nodded.
“I did.”
“You live in District P9, correct?”
“Yes.”
“What were you doing Tuesday night?”
“…Working overtime.”
“Working overtime?”
Yalan’s brows furrowed even deeper. Since when did the Paranormal Association make interns work overtime?
So he repeated it again.
“An intern working overtime?”
Lu Yi nodded with absolute certainty.
“An intern working overtime.”
Yalan carefully observed those eyes. The moment the topic of overtime came up, it was as though some hidden courage switch inside the girl had been activated. Beneath her black eyes lurked faint traces of anger.
“What time did you finish work?”
“After ten at night…”
But when Yalan asked this, the anger in her eyes disappeared, replaced entirely by disappointment.
Yalan assumed she was disappointed in him as an “inactive” superior.
He continued asking, “Did anything happen on your way home from work?”
Lu Yi shook her head.
“The silver-haired female’s murder case happened near your home. You saw nothing?”
“President, I was very tired from overtime…”
Her eyes became slightly red. The dark circles beneath them clearly told everyone she had not slept well—all because of overtime work at the Paranormal Association.
Her delicate features twisted together slightly. Though half-hidden beneath her black hair, she still looked obedient and gentle.
Like an easily bullied sheep.
That strange irritation rose in Yalan’s chest again. Unconsciously, he avoided those watery black eyes and temporarily ended the questioning.
After leaving the office, Lu Yi immediately slipped into the restroom and splashed cold water on herself to calm her nerves.
Looking at the completely different appearance reflected in the mirror, her frantic heartbeat gradually settled.
Pretending to remain calm, she returned to the Affairs Department. But when she saw the even taller pile of work waiting for her, she nearly failed to catch her breath.
Endure…
Become a regular employee…
Once she officially became regular staff, she could apply for a transfer through her specialty and finally leave this terrible Affairs Department!
“What’s wrong, little commoner?”
A crumpled paper ball hit Lu Yi on the head. Tao Zhi’s eyes were full of disdain and contempt.
“Are you about to get kicked out, or was your complaint letter against me intercepted?”
“…I didn’t report you.”
Lu Yi picked up the paper ball and tossed it into the trash bin, her tone unpleasant.
“Even if you did, it wouldn’t matter.”
Tao Zhi sneered.
“When the time comes, I can help introduce you to underground jobs. Like… accompanying men for drinks or something.”
“I already said it! I didn’t report you!”
Lu Yi finally raised her voice in protest. Though she tried hard to sound imposing, her soft voice still lacked any intimidation.
At this moment, she truly wanted to transform into a vampire and bite all these workplace bullies to death!
…But that was only a thought.
After all, when that silver-haired beauty would appear again was not something Lu Yi could control.
Feeling wronged, she sat back down and continued working until even after work hours, she still wasn’t finished.
Annoyed and angry, Lu Yi actually drafted a complaint letter, though she never sent it.
Then, thinking about Yalan’s indifferent attitude toward interns working overtime, she considered writing a resignation letter instead.
But…
She had no savings.
The clock slowly pointed toward ten at night. After finally finishing everything, Lu Yi stood up and prepared to go home.
The hallway lights had already been turned off. As she pushed open the glass door, she saw someone standing there under the dim moonlight.
The person stood with arms crossed, one long leg elegantly bent, leaning casually against the wall.
“So you really were working overtime.”
From the voice, it was Yalan.
Lu Yi’s body stiffened slightly.
“Lu Yi, do you know that making interns work overtime violates Paranormal Association regulations?”
“Yes…”
Of course Lu Yi knew. But she also knew that this world was just as rotten as her previous one! Status and social standing outweighed everything. Those useless regulations had no real effect at all!
“Then why didn’t you write a complaint letter? Bernite would handle it.”
“…”
Lu Yi bit her lower lip. She did not believe Yalan’s words at all.
Maybe if she submitted a complaint letter today, tomorrow she would already be job hunting.
“Forget it.”
Looking at her timid appearance, Yalan sighed in irritation and helplessness.
“It’s too late. I’ll take you home.”