“Plenty of time,” he said. “Why don’t we go around and have everyone introduce themselves?”
The male assistant standing behind Xie Lisheng betrayed a flicker of surprise on his face. Clearly, this was something outside the planned meeting agenda.
The meeting room suddenly felt like the scene of a group interview. Self-introductions were the last thing anyone had prepared for. No one had expected the CEO to spring this on them out of nowhere. Was he testing their ability to express themselves, to improvise a speech on the spot and pitch their professional strengths?
A man who could lead Yunsheng to such meteoric success was no ordinary person, that much was clear.
Some people hurriedly pulled out their phones and began drafting talking points, wracking their brains to make a strong impression on the boss.
Xie Lisheng leaned back into his leather chair. At once, the male assistant behind him prompted the first new hire on the left to begin.
Jiang Zao huddled in the corner, eyes squeezed shut in mortification. She felt like digging a hole in the floor and burying herself right there.
The blind date she’d coldly mocked and rejected just two weeks ago had become her direct boss. Was this some kind of joke…?
One by one, her colleagues rose to share their resumes and key accomplishments. Xie Lisheng sat squarely in the middle, posture relaxed, expression utterly impassive. It was impossible to read his mood.
Had he even noticed her? Jiang Zao’s heart hammered painfully in her chest, her face flushing hot as a freshly steamed bun.
She had good reason to suspect Xie Lisheng was doing this on purpose.
Jiang Zao stole glances at his sanctimonious face. He seemed to be biding his time, just waiting to see how she’d handle facing him.
It would be her turn after the next person, and as her colleagues stood one after another, she could feel the man’s gaze creeping ever closer to her.
She had always dreaded meeting Xie Lisheng’s eyes. That piercing scrutiny of his could see right through her feeble attempts at pretense in a matter of seconds, only for him to flash that infuriatingly amused look.
In certain ways, the man seemed custom-built to keep her off-balance.
The tension built with every passing second. Jiang Zao clutched her twisting stomach and whispered to Li Li beside her, “My stomach hurts. I need to hit the bathroom.”
Li Li blinked in surprise and murmured back, “But you’re up next. Want to switch spots and go later?”
“No need…” Jiang Zao shot a quick glance a short distance away, then hunched over as she stood. “If anyone asks later, just say they skipped me.”
“Oh.” Li Li blinked again, oblivious to the strange pallor on her face. “It’s a rare chance to shine. Well, okay—go ahead.”
And so Jiang Zao fled once more.
Though every time she dodged like this, two conflicting thoughts warred in her head: one scolding her for being so pathetic, the other insisting this was just who she was.
~~~
It was only stress-induced stomach cramps, so Jiang Zao simply perched on the toilet lid and hunkered down until the meeting wrapped up.
Only when Li Li sent her a WeChat message announcing the end did Jiang Zao finally shuffle out of the bathroom. She washed her hands and slipped into the adjacent pantry.
She grabbed a paper cup and filled it with water, her face drooping like wilted lettuce as she grumbled to herself inwardly.
All that dodging and weaving, only to end up right in Xie Lisheng’s company. Some escape.
The hot water eased the discomfort in her stomach. Jiang Zao was adept at scraping together small comforts in tough spots: at least he was the top CEO, the company was massive, and their paths probably wouldn’t cross often.
Worst case—and stepping back ten thousand steps here—what if he hadn’t even clocked her during the meeting? Yeah…
She hadn’t even finished the thought when the pantry door swung open. Jiang Zao whipped her head around at the sound and locked eyes with the man who had just stepped inside.
!!!
Even with just the two of them in the pantry, the moment Xie Lisheng entered, the spacious room seemed to contract, half its air stolen away.
Jiang Zao shrank backward until she bumped against the pantry wall.
The long, rectangular space left her boxed into a dead end.
He gave no sign of acknowledgment. She ducked her head and huddled in the corner, trying to make herself as inconspicuous as possible.
“…”
Xie Lisheng busied himself at the coffee machine, grabbing a paper cup and slotting it under the spout—as if the person next to him didn’t register at all.
His indifference came as a relief to Jiang Zao.
She moved to slip away as if nothing had happened, tossing her cup toward the trash. But the moment it left her hand, a calm male voice cut in—
“Skipping out on a meeting on your first day?”
Alarm bells blared in her head. She didn’t dare look up, mumbling a meek apology. “Sorry, my stomach wasn’t feeling…”
She didn’t get to finish. A pair of polished men’s loafers suddenly filled her downcast view. Startled, Jiang Zao looked up straight into Xie Lisheng’s eyes as he leaned down to meet her gaze.
He closed the distance swiftly, silently.
His unflinching eyes mirrored her wavering ones.
Xie Lisheng braced one hand on the counter edge, holding a safe distance that somehow carried a lazy intimacy beyond what strangers shared.
“No need to apologize. Lucky timing—you can give your self-introduction now.”
“This time…”
Jiang Zao’s face was full of confusion and shame. Her tongue felt stiff with embarrassment, but in the current situation, if she said nothing, wouldn’t they just keep standing there awkwardly like this?
People could wander into the pantry at any moment. If someone saw them, it would be disastrous.
Jiang Zao gritted her teeth. She leaned back against the wall and addressed the man who had blocked her escape route with his body. “I graduated from Nancheng Polytechnic University with a major in Journalism and Communication. During my time in school, I won a national award along with several professional competitions.”
“For graduate school, I studied Advertising at Nanchuan Media School. I received school scholarships for two consecutive years while balancing social practice and corporate internships. My internships were at Yumei Advertising, Xiaoluo Travel, and Feida Express. I am graduating this July as a fresh face on the job market.”
Xie Lisheng listened without any particular reaction. He kept staring at her face and pressed on. “What are your usual hobbies? And what do you think your strengths are?”
“My hobbies…” Even though she was facing just one person, Jiang Zao felt this was the most nerve-wracking “interview” she had ever endured.
Her throat tightened, and her mouth was parched, but she had these answers memorized backward and forward. “Volunteering, reading, listening to music.”
“I believe my strengths lie in my resilience when facing difficulties. I have strong learning ability and can quickly internalize new knowledge. I’m good at listening, willing to take the initiative on responsibilities, and I can integrate into a team very quickly.”
It was all standard interview spiel—nothing groundbreaking.
Xie Lisheng slowly pushed himself upright and let out a casual “Hm,” offering no further comment.
“Not bad,” he said. Halfway through the words, he suddenly flashed a grin. “But the self-introduction I want you to fill in is the one from the blind date.”
Jiang Zao froze for several seconds. Her face flushed a deep crimson, like a pig’s liver.
“You…”
She had been played!
The realization stripped away any lingering respect she had for her big boss. Furious, Jiang Zao shoved at his shoulder, clearing a path to escape.
Her push barely registered, but Xie Lisheng playfully leaned aside as if yielding.
She stormed toward the pantry door, only to hear the man behind her call out.
“Miss Jiang.”
Jiang Zao turned around. There he was, hands tucked into his pants pockets, leaning against the counter as he watched her.
Xie Lisheng smiled. “Don’t you want the earphones anymore?”
Jiang Zao was so angry she could have floated up to the heavens. She shot him a fierce glare and twisted away, marching off.
What a jinx!
~~~
The little interlude before and after the meeting was quickly buried under a avalanche of work. The Planning Department’s office area occupied the twenty-sixth floor, but with the new employees’ arrival, part of the twenty-seventh floor had been repurposed for them as well.
Since these recruits were poached “helpers” rather than raw “newbies,” the department gave them scant time to adjust. The entire day flew by as everyone raced to familiarize themselves with Yunsheng’s product lineup, then passed new tasks straight to the newcomers.
By seven in the evening, Jiang Zao dragged herself out of the building, utterly spent. She looked up and nearly got blinded by the glaring sunset.
Was this really just her first day? Had she seriously underestimated the grind of a big company?
Her new shared apartment was just five subway stops from the office. Jiang Zao carried takeout for dinner as she returned home. She unlocked the door with her fingerprint and stepped inside, only to spot her roommate emerging from the master bedroom in nothing but her underwear. The woman cradled her phone as she headed to the kitchen.
She and her roommate hadn’t crossed paths much yet—her roommate hadn’t even been around during the move-in.
Shared living situations like this often stayed distant and awkward, nothing like the tight bonds of university dorm life.
Jiang Zao noticed her roommate was on a WeChat video call and decided to skip the greeting. She changed out of her shoes and passed the open kitchen, but a glimpse from the corner of her eye caught the video feed: a man wearing only a pair of underwear.
She jolted in shock, averting her gaze as if pricked by a needle. Holding her breath, she hurried back to her secondary bedroom.
Ten minutes or so later, the sounds of her roommate’s flirtatious laughter finally died down. Jiang Zao emerged with her change of clothes and stood at the edge of the living room. She called out to the roommate, who was glued to the television. “Um, Zhou Ying.”
Zhou Ying didn’t even shift her eyes from the screen. “Hm? What’s up?”
Jiang Zao chose her words carefully, trying to be tactful. “We agreed on some things via WeChat before moving in together, right? You remember?”
Zhou Ying glanced over. “What are you referring to?”
“You know.” Clutching her pajamas, Jiang Zao spelled it out plainly. “No bringing opposite-sex friends back to the apartment. Remember?”
“I didn’t bring anyone,” Zhou Ying replied, utterly baffled. Her tone sharpened. “What exactly are you trying to say?”
The image of their naked video chat was still burned into Jiang Zao’s mind. She felt helpless and a bit annoyed by the attitude, but she had no real comeback. She simply nodded. “As long as you remember.”
With that, she headed into the bathroom.
~~~
At ten o’clock that night, in a certain villa in Nancheng, Zhao Yangcheng was yanked home from a night of partying by a phone call from the house.
Reeking of booze, he flopped onto the sofa. “Aiyo, Mom! Why’d you have to drag me back just to pick out some clothes?!”
Zhao’s mother glanced at him. “Can’t you tell it’s just an excuse? Your dad’s plane lands tomorrow. If he comes home and doesn’t see you behaving yourself, do you still want that card to work normally?”
The moment Zhao Yangcheng heard this, he dropped to one knee and clasped his fist toward his mom. “I shall remember the female hero’s life-saving grace!”
“While we’re at it, let me ask you—how did you like the girl I introduced you to before?” Zhao’s mother walked over. “I saw her ID photo; she’s got such a proper, nice look, and her education is excellent too.”
“If you like her, don’t keep her hanging. Take the initiative.”
“Girls with honest, mild tempers are usually shy.”
Zhao Yangcheng had a terrible memory and couldn’t recall when he’d gone on that blind date. It took him half a day to remember it was the one Xie Lisheng had met.
He watched his mom pace back and forth, his eyes tracking her every move. Recalling Xie Lisheng’s shit-eating grin from last time, a mischievous smile bubbled up on his face. “Hey, Mom, to be honest…”
~~~
It was Wednesday morning at six-thirty when Jiang Zao groggily dragged herself out of bed. While brushing her teeth, she picked up a call from her little aunt.
The instant she heard that the guy from her last blind date wanted to meet again, she nearly choked on a mouthful of toothpaste foam.
“Cough cough cough!” She spat and rinsed, asking in disbelief, “What??”
“The guy’s got a really good impression of you and wants to meet up again to chat,” her little aunt said happily. “And get this—he works right here in Qinnan. What a coincidence!”
“If you’re okay with it, I’ll get his WeChat from them, and you young folks can sort it out yourselves~”
Jiang Zao stared at her reflection in the mirror.
Xie Lisheng? A really good impression of her????
Was she still half-asleep?
But then she remembered how he’d teased her in the pantry the other day.
Maybe he hadn’t gotten enough out of it yet and wanted to use the family connections for round two.
Still…
“The guy said he’s never met a girl whose vibe matches his so perfectly. He’s not great at expressing himself, and he got so excited last time that he didn’t get a lot of points across. He wants another chance for a proper talk.”
“I get it,” her little aunt went on. “It’s like those boys in school who act goofy or ugly to get a girl’s attention—they’re actually pretty thoughtful deep down.”
Jiang Zao: “…”
Haha, how utterly bizarre.
~~~
That phone call from her little aunt struck like a bolt from the blue, leaving Jiang Zao distracted the entire commute to work.
She swiped her card through the turnstile and joined the line for the elevator. Arriving early, she was the only one left waiting after the first group piled in.
One elevator rose from the underground garage. Head down, Jiang Zao shuffled inside and spotted a familiar pair of leather shoes.
She looked up—straight into Xie Lisheng’s eyes, with his male assistant standing right beside him.
?!!
Xie Lisheng gave her a single glance before going back to scrolling on his phone.
Jiang Zao stood awkwardly to one side and punched in her floor.
The elevator crept upward. Her mind kept replaying that morning call over and over.
Didn’t he have anything to say? Like where they’d meet or what they’d talk about? At least exchange WeChat contacts?
This guy was really committing to the aloof act. All that flowery talk through the elders, and now he was playing ice-cold.
If he didn’t speak up soon, they’d reach her floor.
Fine. Taking the initiative was what a mature adult did.
Just as the elevator neared the twenty-sixth floor, Jiang Zao shot him a quick glance, ducked her head, and spoke. “This time, let’s not go out somewhere.”
Xie Lisheng looked up, one eyebrow quirking.
Her face was dead serious, laced with clear distaste as she pressed on. “I’m busy this weekend. Meet me at noon in the West Building Rooftop Garden.”
The doors slid open on twenty-six. Jiang Zao strode out without a backward glance.
Seconds later, the doors whispered shut amid utter silence.
Xie Lisheng froze in his phone-holding pose, a rare flicker of surprise crossing his face. “…”
…?
His male assistant gaped in shock beside him, eyes darting frantically as he scanned his boss’s expression for clues.
…No going out?
…Noon?
…In the company rooftop garden?!?!?!