Gu Siqiao was woken up by Kang Shuai knocking on the door from the executive suite inside the office.
“Stop sleeping, Fourth Brother!” Kang Shuai’s voice carried through the door panel. “Xue Lou called me! He agreed to come for the interview!”
The door opened. Gu Siqiao stood there with messy black hair, his sleepy peach-blossom eyes half-open. “Stop wailing like a lost soul. If he’s coming for an interview, then he’s coming.”
Though called an office, the president’s suite was essentially Gu Siqiao’s second home.
Looking back to when Gu Siqiao first arrived at Window, he had been young and full of spirit. The very first thing he did was merge several surrounding offices, converting them into a bedroom, a reception room, and a small dining area—a move as ambitious as Emperor Qin Shi Huang unifying the six states.
Gu Siqiao yawned. “If you hadn’t brought up the secretary matter, I almost would’ve forgotten about it.”
“I told him to add me on WeChat first and we’ll talk later,” Kang Shuai said. “What do we do next, Fourth Brother? I really didn’t expect him to actually agree.”
“What’s there to be surprised about? Your Fourth Brother handled it personally.” Gu Siqiao leaned lazily against the doorframe, pulling out a cigarette from out of nowhere. “He passed the first two rounds of interviews already, right? Set a time and have him meet me directly.”
Just as Kang Shuai turned to leave, Gu Siqiao flicked open a lighter and lit his cigarette. “Hold on. Hand over your phone.”
He took Kang Shuai’s phone and tapped into Xue Lou’s WeChat Moments.
Xue Lou hadn’t enabled the ‘visible for the last three days’ setting, yet his posts were pitifully few.
Gu Siqiao found a post sharing a snippet of daily life and tapped to enlarge the photo.
It was an ordinary street stall dinner—a pot of claypot meatballs and tofu sitting on a stainless steel folding table.
【First meal after resigning. Thanks to the boss for the free scallion pancake for checking in. It tastes great.】
So he only posted on Moments to get a discount. But was it really necessary to casually mention losing his job just to check in for a promotion?
Gu Siqiao zoomed in on the picture. Half a leg was visible in the bottom right corner, wearing a pair of washed jeans that looked quite old, with loose threads in the fabric that appeared visibly cheap.
Scrolling further down, almost all the content was similar, carrying a heavy sense of robotic automated posts.
“Go get busy,” Gu Siqiao said, handing the phone back to Kang Shuai.
*
The weekend flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was Monday again.
The door to the executive assistant’s office pushed open. Kang Shuai walked in and made a welcoming gesture: “Welcome, welcome, old classmate! Long time no see.”
A tall, upright young man followed Kang Shuai through the door, wearing a brand-new black suit, a white dress shirt, and a black tie.
Kang Shuai led the young man to sit on the sofa and poured him a glass of water. “Wait a short moment, okay? The meeting will wrap up in about ten minutes.”
The young man said thank you, holding the glass of water with both hands rested on his knees.
He sat very upright with his legs together, his eyes sweeping across the office with a sense of awe.
“No need to be nervous, Xue Shen! With your intelligence, there’s absolutely zero issue regarding your capabilities,” Kang Shuai said with a beaming smile.
“Is this your office?” Xue Lou asked.
“Yep.”
“The environment is really nice,” Xue Lou acknowledged sincerely with a nod.
“Ah, it’s alright.” Kang Shuai sat down on the single sofa to the side, looking quite pleased with himself. “Mainly because Fourth Brother favors me, so the specs are a bit luxurious… Your office won’t be bad either—just a door away from his suite office. It’s got everything you could ever need.”
“Nothing is set in stone yet, so I can’t call it mine,” Xue Lou offered a constrained smile.
“If I say it’s set, then it’s definitely set!” Kang Shuai leaned forward, grinning. “I’ve been by Fourth Brother’s side for over a decade. I know better than anyone who he wants and who he doesn’t.”
Xue Lou: “Fourth Brother?”
“Oh, hah.” Kang Shuai scratched his head. “Habit’s hard to break. You shouldn’t call him that though. Even though you were classmates, it might look like you’re trying to pull connections, which isn’t good.”
“Is he the fourth child in his family?”
“Not quite,” Kang Shuai explained. “First, his name contains the character ‘Si’ (Four); second, their family…”
Kang Shuai waved his hand. “We’ll talk about that later.”
Xue Lou nodded, still staring straight at Kang Shuai.
Being stared at by a peer with handsome, well-proportioned features—even if they were of the same gender—made Kang Shuai feel a bit uneasy: “What’s up, Xue Shen?”
Xue Lou’s expression gradually turned serious as he spoke cautiously: “…Master Kang?”
Kang Shuai’s smile froze.
Xue Lou spoke very slowly: “I remember now. I remember you.”
‘Master Kang’ (Kang Shi Fu) was Kang Shuai’s nickname in high school, originating when classmates in Class 2 bought a knockoff instant noodle brand named ‘Kang Shuai Fu’ instead of ‘Master Kang’ (Kang Shi Fu)…
As the saying goes, low-brow nicknames often came from the most unpretentious, overused jokes.
Kang Shuai stood up with a forced smile. “Sit tight for a bit. I’ll go check if Fourth Brother’s meeting is done.”
He turned right out the door, knocked, and entered the president’s office.
The room was completely quiet, and Gu Siqiao was nowhere to be seen.
“Fourth Brother, are you done?” Kang Shuai immediately started venting. “Dear Lord, I really couldn’t keep a conversation going with Xue Shen anymore. Good luck to you.”
Gu Siqiao’s voice came from the bedroom: “What did he do to you?”
“He pierced my fragile little heart!”
Kang Shuai looked utterly crestfallen.
He was originally beyond thrilled to finally have a new workhorse join the team, but he hadn’t expected the guy to strip away his dignity right off the bat. What kind of nonsense was this?
Gu Siqiao strolled out of the bedroom at an unhurried pace: “Well, that’s something new.”
He met Kang Shuai’s dumbfounded face head-on.
“Holy crap, Fourth Brother,” Kang Shuai scrutinized Gu Siqiao from head to toe. “What kind of outfit is this?”
From the day he sat in this position, Gu Siqiao never went without a suit at the company. His clothes were all custom-tailored and refined. Paired with Gu Siqiao’s lean frame—a genuine clothes hanger with a narrow waist and long legs—plenty of young women at headquarters had secretly snapped photos of him. A photo of the president’s back view had even gone viral internally at one point.
Yet today, the sun seemed to rise from the west.
Gu Siqiao tugged at the hem of his gray polo shirt, did a quick turn, and showcased his casual sneakers to Kang Shuai: “Today’s OOTD.”
“Drop the OOTD, my brother,” Kang Shuai thought to himself, Do you even know what four words OOTD stands for before throwing it around? “What are you trying to do?”
“An interview.”
“Dressed like this for an interview?”
“What’s wrong with this? I’m going to play golf with someone in a bit,” Gu Siqiao said. “Don’t forget to pick up Gu Boyu.”
“Even if you’re playing golf, you don’t need to change right now, do you?” Kang Shuai asked, puzzled.
Gu Siqiao asked back: “What is Xue Lou wearing?”
“Formal attire, what else could it be?”
Gu Siqiao was taken aback instead: “He’s wearing a suit?”
“Yeah, looks brand-new too,” Kang Shuai replied. “Dressed like he’s in a Heilan Home commercial.”
Gu Siqiao felt helpless. “Send him in.”
He turned and sat down at the tea table in the lounge area.
Soon, a knock came at the door. He cleared his throat and gave a quiet “Come in.”
Xue Lou stepped inside, closing the door gently behind him.
Gu Siqiao sat on the single sofa behind the tea table with his legs crossed, gesturing: “Please sit, old classmate.”
Xue Lou sat down on the long sofa opposite him, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down.
“Long time no see, Gu Siqiao,” Xue Lou said. As soon as he opened his mouth, his voice sounded slightly raspy.
Gu Siqiao poured a cup of tea for Xue Lou. Raising his eyes, he noticed Xue Lou staring at him intently without blinking.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Gu Siqiao pushed the teacup forward. “Don’t feel awkward. Here.”
Xue Lou picked up the teacup and took a polite sip.
During this brief moment, it was Gu Siqiao’s turn to examine Xue Lou.
Xue Lou was dressed very formally—so formally that it bordered on stiff. Wearing a brand-new off-the-rack suit, he was clearly unaccustomed to it. His physical awkwardness only heightened his psychological nervousness.
“Is the suit new?” Gu Siqiao asked.
Xue Lou set down his teacup. “Yeah. After all, it’s an interview, so I need to maintain respect.”
Gu Siqiao said, “Actually, I don’t really need to interview you. It’s just going through the motions. For a group this large, HR procedures have to be followed.”
Xue Lou said, “Understood.”
Gu Siqiao asked, “Is there anything you want to know or ask about?”
“There’s one thing I’d like to clarify in advance,” Xue Lou said. “I’ve never done secretarial or similar clerical work before. You’re the President of Window, managing countless affairs every day—I really don’t know if I can handle this job.”
“Before you’ve done it, no one knows if they can handle it. Just do it first and see,” Gu Siqiao said. “Besides, you’re not the only secretary by my side. There’s an entire team, so if there’s anything you don’t understand, they can all help.”
Xue Lou asked, “Is there a commuter shuttle after work? The group headquarters is a bit far from where I live, and there’s no subway connection.”
Gu Siqiao leaned back in his chair, rocking side to side with his feet on the ground. “There is one, but you might not necessarily get to use it. The job of an executive secretary requires you to be on call at all times, and working overtime is a regular thing.”
Xue Lou looked lost in thought.
Gu Siqiao added, “Of course, you won’t be shorted on overtime pay.”
Xue Lou said, “I’m not worried about overtime pay.” He paused. “In short, transportation isn’t very convenient for me. Can taxi fares after late-night overtime be reimbursed?”
“I don’t keep track of minor details like that,” Gu Siqiao said. “You can ask HR after onboarding, or ask Kang Shuai.”
Xue Lou nodded, but the expression on his face proved he wasn’t entirely relieved.
“Is it really that tricky?” Gu Siqiao asked. “Where do you live?”
Xue Lou’s eyes flickered: “Just… pretty far away.”
“Where is ‘pretty far’?” Gu Siqiao probed further. “Even if you don’t tell me now, you’ll have to fill it out in the onboarding info for HR anyway.”
“A home address is personal privacy, right?” Xue Lou said slowly.
“You’re being way too rigid. Everyone fills it out,” Gu Siqiao laughed helplessly. This Xue Lou acted as if he had never worked a single day in society, completely lacking any signs of socialization. “What would the group want with your personal privacy anyway? It’s not like it can be sold for much money.”
“If that’s the case,” Xue Lou pondered for a moment, “give me some time. I’ll go back and think about it further.”
Gu Siqiao’s eyes widened slightly: “Wait, no…”
He smacked his lips, waving a hand. “Fine, fine, fine. Don’t say it if you don’t want to. When you get to HR, just tell them I permitted it, and you don’t need to fill it out.”
“Thanks a lot,” Xue Lou said.
Gu Siqiao felt like his brain had never been so dull. Somehow, whenever he encountered this bookworm, he always pulled off this kind of routine, making himself look ridiculously cheap.
“Let’s not waste any more words then,” Gu Siqiao stood up and extended his right hand. “Come to work tomorrow. If there’s anything you don’t understand, ask Kang Shuai and he’ll guide you. Pleasure working with you.”
Xue Lou agreed, and the two shook hands. As he opened the door, Xue Lou heard Gu Siqiao lazily say behind him, “Take care, I won’t see you out.”
Stepping out of the executive suite, he stood at the doorway and let out a deep breath.
After taking just a couple of steps, someone popped out from around the corner.
Xue Lou flinched, looking closely to find Kang Shuai: “How did it go, Xue Shen? Did you work things out?”
Xue Lou nodded, and Kang Shuai beamed with joy: “Awesome! My comrade-in-arms, my old classmate! You’ve saved me from dire straits… I’ve been so busy lately…”
Putting his arm around Xue Lou’s shoulders, he guided him outward. Xue Lou suddenly stopped in his tracks, turning back to look at the executive suite.
Outside Gu Siqiao’s office wasn’t actually a hallway, but a semi-open alcove of considerable size—it even had an office desk, a side cabinet, and a wardrobe, except it was arranged completely empty.
“That’s what I mentioned earlier—your workstation,” Kang Shuai understood immediately. “I’ll fill you in on the details when you come to work tomorrow.”
Xue Lou shook his head and looked at Kang Shuai.
“Does Gu Siqiao usually dress so casually?” he asked.
Kang Shuai let out an awkward uh: “Who knows what was going through his head today.”
Xue Lou didn’t press further, and Kang Shuai immediately changed the topic: “Have you eaten lunch yet? Come on, I’ll take you to the mall next door—my treat. There’s a braised duck spot that’s super fragrant.”
“I still have some things to take care of at home, so I won’t go,” Xue Lou said. “Once I get my paycheck, it should be my turn to buy you a meal. Thank you for looking after me.”
“Look at you being so polite.” Kang Shuai pressed the elevator button for Xue Lou. “Then I won’t keep you! See you tomorrow, Xue Shen!”
The elevator doors closed. Kang Shuai watched the cab descend at a steady pace, stroking his chin while muttering some unknown reflection, then turned around and left.