01. Sleeping in the Same Bed and Whispering Secrets
When the alarm rang for the third time, Ling Xi reached out and turned it off. With her eyes closed, she struggled for a few more minutes before finally throwing off the blanket and getting up.
This was the first time Ling Xi had woken up early after staying unemployed at home for three months.
Dragging her slippers into the bathroom to wash up, she tied her long hair back behind her head, revealing her fair, clean face, and carefully put on a full face of makeup in front of the mirror.
After getting dressed, Ling Xi picked up her bag and was about to head out when she ran into her grandmother, who had just returned from morning exercise.
“Oh? Why are you up so early today?” Ever since Ling Xi quit her job, Shen Huiyun had not seen her step out of her bedroom before ten in the morning.
“Grandma, it’s my first day at work. I wouldn’t dare be late.”
Ling Xi took the steaming bag from Shen Huiyun’s hand, pulled out a bun, and took a bite.
Only then did Shen Huiyun remember that Ling Xi had announced last week that she had found a new job.
Ling Xi was just about to change her shoes when Shen Huiyun tugged her back. “This child, eat a couple of bites of breakfast before you go!”
From the kitchen came the fragrance of preserved egg and lean pork congee. Ling Xi swallowed.
She glanced up at the clock. There was still time, so she turned and sat at the dining table to eat breakfast.
Shen Huiyun brought over a bowl of congee and set it beside Ling Xi’s hand. “Didn’t you say you were going to live off the family? What, are the six of us not enough for you to depend on?”
Ling Xi finished the bun in two bites. “Staying at home is too boring. I’ll just find a job to work for now.”
Three months ago, Ling Xi’s company underwent internal restructuring and wanted to transfer her to an out-of-town project.
Ling Xi was reluctant to leave home. Even though her superior painted a rosy picture and promised her a promotion after one year, Ling Xi still refused.
There were temporarily no suitable positions for her in the department. After much consideration, Ling Xi ultimately chose to resign.
No one at home urged Ling Xi to find a job and even told her not to feel pressured. Who would have thought that not long after, she would be going to work again?
Shen Huiyun asked again, “What kind of job is it?”
“Administrative secretary at the President’s Office.”
“Serving top leadership?” Shen Huiyun pulled out a chair and sat across from Ling Xi. “That sounds like a good job.”
Ling Xi lowered her head and drank her congee without offering much explanation.
After finishing breakfast, she quickly kissed Shen Huiyun on the cheek. “Grandma, I’m off. See you tonight!”
*
After taking the subway and arriving downstairs at the company, Ling Xi took out her phone and ordered coffee in advance.
A message from her best friend Su Wanwan popped up on the screen. “Xixi, are you really going to Ruisii?”
One month ago, Su Wanwan confided in Ling Xi that she suspected her husband, Han Zhao, was having an affair with his superior, and that she might have been tricked into marriage.
When Ling Xi heard that Han Zhao’s boss was a twenty-eight-year-old man, she found it almost unbelievable.
Sitting beside her, Su Wanwan’s eyes were brimming with tears. “He hasn’t touched me for three months. Every day when he wakes up, the first thing he does is call his boss. There must be something going on between them!”
Ling Xi suppressed the shock in her heart and tried to analyze it for Su Wanwan. “Your husband is the president’s assistant. That’s pretty normal, right?”
“No, it’s not. He even makes breakfast for his boss at home!”
Regarding Han Zhao’s abnormal behavior, Su Wanwan meticulously listed more than a dozen points. For example, staring at his chat window with his boss and smiling foolishly, changing his phone password, and awkwardly refusing when she initiated intimacy.
With all these behaviors combined, even Ling Xi could not convince herself that this was just a misunderstanding.
The two of them had been married for less than a year and were still jointly paying off their mortgage. Su Wanwan choked up. “I don’t have solid evidence right now. If I confront him directly, he definitely won’t admit it. If it comes to divorce, I’ll be at a huge disadvantage.”
Ling Xi could not stand seeing her good sister suffer grievances. Han Zhao looked like such an honest man. How could he do something like this? She patted her chest. “Give me one month. I guarantee I’ll collect evidence that this scumbag tricked you into marriage!”
After returning home, Ling Xi opened the official website of Ruisii Technology and checked the recruitment postings.
The company currently had more than ten positions open. Comparing the requirements, Ling Xi applied for an administrative position.
After three rounds of interviews, she received the offer letter.
Walking into the café, the latte Ling Xi had ordered was not ready yet. She stood by the counter and lowered her head to reply to Su Wanwan’s message. “I’m starting work today.”
Su Wanwan immediately called her. “Why don’t you just forget it? As far as I know, Ruisii has intense internal competition. Han Zhao often works overtime and is on call twenty-four hours a day.”
For someone like Ling Xi, who had no pursuit of career advancement, entering Ruisii for her sake was practically pushing her best friend into a pit of fire.
Ling Xi played with the silk scarf tied to her bag and comforted Su Wanwan. “Don’t worry. I’m in an administrative secretary position. Isn’t it just printing documents and booking flights? Once it’s time to get off work, I’ll run.”
“It’s not that easy. I see Han Zhao is so stressed that he’s even losing hair.”
“So what?” Ling Xi said lightly. “If I can’t handle the job, I’ll just handle the boss instead.” Ling Xi never overthought work matters. As long as she could get close to that third party and obtain evidence for Su Wanwan, getting by in daily work was enough.
“How do you plan to handle him? I heard from Han Zhao that his boss is not easy to get along with.”
At eight thirty in the morning, there were not many people lingering in the café. Ling Xi glanced to the side and lowered her voice. “I’ll often go to him to ask for work advice, show concern when he’s in a bad mood, then invite him out to eat. Maybe we’ll have a few drinks and talk heart to heart, and then we’ll get so close that we end up sleeping in the same bed and whispering secrets?”
Ling Xi spoke without restraint when chatting with Su Wanwan and did not realize that behind her, a contemptuous gaze had landed on her face.
The man was wearing a dress shirt and suit pants, his posture tall and straight. With one hand in his pocket, he lowered his eyes and swept a glance over the delicately made-up girl, inadvertently hearing the contents of her phone call.
Su Wanwan laughed and cried at the same time. “You even want to become his gay bestie?”
“What’s wrong with that? There’s no one I can’t handle!”
Catching a glimpse of the cheerful expression on Ling Xi’s face as she spoke, Zhou Mingye let out a soft scoff. Luckily, she wasn’t an employee of his company.
Zhou Mingye’s company was located in the neighboring office building. It was an artificial intelligence enterprise.
He had always valued his subordinates’ capabilities. His core team was made up entirely of top-tier talent, and what he despised most were those employees who muddled through their days or harbored crooked intentions.
The café staff called out a number. Ling Xi reached out to take her coffee and walked out in high heels.
“My friend just opened a new bar. When you’re not busy someday, let’s go have a drink.”
She was focused on her phone call. The person behind her happened to raise his hand to take his coffee at the same time, and the two nearly collided.
“Sorry, excuse me.” Ling Xi shifted her body slightly to the side.
The man’s gaze was cold. He did not respond, instead walking around Ling Xi and deliberately putting some distance between them.
So rude.
Ling Xi muttered to herself, hung up the phone, and quickened her pace toward the office building.
*
During the morning rush hour, Ling Xi waited through two rounds before finally squeezing into the elevator.
After entering the company, the front desk led her straight to the President’s Office.
The person in charge was named Jiang Huai. Ling Xi had met him during the interview, and he seemed quite easygoing.
Seeing Ling Xi, Jiang Huai smiled and clapped his hands lightly. “Welcome to the President’s office, our new member.”
Several other employees in the department had just arrived. They put down their bags and greeted Ling Xi. After getting acquainted, Ling Xi was assigned a workstation near the aisle.
The previous administrative secretary had family matters to attend to and left in a hurry. During her resignation, she handed over important matters to Ling Xi via email.
Jiang Huai brought over a stack of documents and placed them on Ling Xi’s desk. “These are the previous work files. Familiarize yourself with the workflow first. We’ll arrange unified training for new employees later this week.”
“No problem.”
Ling Xi opened the folder and flipped through it. The girl seated next to her took the initiative to strike up a conversation. “The President’s office has more trivial matters, but the work itself isn’t difficult. If there’s anything you’re unclear about, just ask me.”
She lifted the work badge on her chest. “My name is Xu Jing.”
Ling Xi turned to look at her. She was a fair-skinned girl with a clean appearance. Ling Xi smiled. “Okay, thank you.”
Xu Jing patted her on the shoulder. “Come on, I’ll take you around for a tour first.”
Ling Xi followed Xu Jing as she toured her new company.
Next to the President’s office was the pantry. Inside was a row of window-side seats with an excellent view. Farther out was a reading and leisure area. Behind a glass door in the corner was a gym surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows.
Everywhere they went was spacious and bright. The decor was minimalist white throughout, looking fashionable yet refined.
When submitting her resume, Ling Xi had already learned that Ruisii Technology had a superior environment and good employee benefits. Seeing it in person, she was still somewhat astonished.
After finishing the tour and heading back, Xu Jing pointed at the floor directory. “The cafeteria is on the 23rd floor. The food is good and cheap. I’ll take you there at noon.”
“Alright.”
Back at her desk, her colleagues were all buried in their work. Ling Xi glanced around but did not see Han Zhao.
There was an empty workstation toward the back of the department. Ling Xi asked Xu Jing in a low voice, “How many people are there in our department altogether?”
“Five.”
Xu Jing turned her head and pointed at the empty chair. “The one who sits here is Han Zhao. He’s the president’s assistant. He doesn’t sit in the office often and frequently goes out with our boss.”
She lifted her chin toward the president’s office. “Later, Director Jiang will take you to meet the boss.”
Ling Xi secretly glanced toward the president’s office. The blackout curtains were drawn, and she couldn’t see what the “third party” looked like.
For some reason, when Xu Jing talked about Zhou Mingye, her expression became noticeably more serious.
Ling Xi took the opportunity to ask another question. “What’s the boss like as a person?”
“Mm… how should I put it? He’s very capable and generous toward employees, but when it comes to getting along with him, you still need to be cautious.”
After saying that, Xu Jing squeezed Ling Xi’s hand. “Your position involves quite a lot of interaction with him.”
Ling Xi felt a bit confused. Before she could ask more, the door to Zhou Mingye’s office opened, and several executives walked out one after another.
Hearing the movement, Jiang Huai stood up and called to Ling Xi, “Xiao Ling, come with me to meet the boss.”
“Okay.” Ling Xi stood up, adjusted her clothes, and followed behind Jiang Huai.
Before entering, Jiang Huai lowered his voice and said to Ling Xi, “The boss looks rather serious, but he’s actually quite nice. Don’t be nervous.”
Ling Xi nodded. What did she have to be nervous about? She had no thoughts of promotion or a raise anyway.
After adjusting her expression, a polite and modest smile appropriate for a new employee appeared on Ling Xi’s face.
Zhou Mingye was lowering his head to sign documents. Hearing the knock, he said flatly, “Come in.”
The two entered. The man in the office chair was slightly lowering his head, flipping through the materials in his hands.
He was wearing a dress shirt with his sleeves rolled up, revealing a section of long, lean forearm. Even sitting down, it was easy to tell that he was quite tall.
All the personal information Ling Xi knew about Zhou Mingye came from Su Wanwan.
After completing his postgraduate studies overseas and returning to the country, Zhou Mingye founded Ruisii Technology. It mainly provided intelligent solutions for the Internet of Things industry. In just five short years, it had risen to the forefront of the national AI industry.
Su Wanwan had only met Zhou Mingye once. She said he demanded extremely high standards from those around him, was arrogant, and did not put anyone in his eyes.
Likely driven by hatred toward a romantic rival, Su Wanwan summed Zhou Mingye up in four words: outwardly decent, inwardly vile.
Ling Xi had never seen Zhou Mingye before. There was no photo of him on the company’s official website either. At the moment Zhou Mingye lifted his head, she froze slightly.
This was far more than just outwardly decent. He clearly had a face without a single flaw.
His brow and eye contours were deep-set, his nose bridge tall, and his skin very fair.
Ling Xi suddenly recalled a saying that circulated online: good-looking men all already have boyfriends.
She couldn’t help feeling a bit regretful. Zhou Mingye looked outstanding. Who would have thought that in private, he would be that kind of person?
With these conditions, he shouldn’t be lacking in partners, yet he still chose to interfere in someone else’s marriage.
Seeing Zhou Mingye raise his head, Jiang Huai introduced her. “President Zhou, this is the new employee in the President’s office, Ling Xi. She’s taking over Liang Ru’s position.”
Ling Xi snapped back to her senses and smiled at Zhou Mingye, delivering in one breath the greeting she had prepared. “Hello, President Zhou. I’m very honored to join Ruisii Technology. I’ll familiarize myself with the work content as quickly as possible. If there are any issues, please feel free to point them out at any time.”
Zhou Mingye’s gaze paused on Ling Xi’s face, but he did not speak.
After Ling Xi finished that long string of words, she looked at Zhou Mingye with a sincere expression, only to realize that he had already withdrawn his gaze. At the corner of his lips, a fleeting curve appeared and vanished in an instant.