By the time they reached the Planning Department’s floor, Jiang Zao rocketed out of the elevator like a missile launch, startling everyone else.
The elevator doors slid slowly shut. The man who had been on the phone promptly lowered it and tossed the device casually into his pocket, his features easing into a look of pure delight.
Li Chang, the assistant who had been standing dutifully behind him, wiped the sweat from his brow. “…”
After working together for so long, he’d only just discovered that his boss harbored this kind of playful, mischievous side.
Miss Jiang had looked on the verge of tears.
Judging by her reaction, Li Chang could scarcely imagine how far things had progressed between the two of them.
He shot a glance at his boss’s beaming face, brimming with vigor, and couldn’t help thinking: Who knew that teasing Miss Jiang was more energizing than chugging black coffee.
It looked like he wouldn’t need to coax the bitter-phobic boss into an iced Americano with his usual bag of tricks this morning.
~~~
Jiang Zao sprinted to her workstation as if she were charging through an 800-meter fitness test. Sure enough, there in the dead center of her desk sat a lunchbox, and her vision went dark.
He’d even sent breakfast?? Did he think they were lovestruck college kids or something?! He really ought to consider his position.
Thank goodness none of her Planning Department colleagues had been in the elevator. Otherwise, spotting breakfast right there on her desk would have blown her cover for sure.
Xie Lisheng had claimed in the elevator that he’d bought alkaline buns, but the moment she popped open the lunchbox, a wave of savory rice aroma hit her full force.
It was clearly the renowned nutritional breakfast set from that famous restaurant—perfectly balanced with meat, eggs, vegetables, and carbs.
Jiang Zao flopped into her chair with a heavy exhale, already drained before the workday had even begun.
She stared at the meal in silence for a few seconds, then leaped upright like a carp flipping over and unpacked the utensils.
Turning down a perfectly good meal would make her an idiot.
When it came down to wasting food or losing face, her pride was the clear loser.
She just couldn’t bear to let the food go to waste.
As she dug into the steaming breakfast, her morning—which had started with a torrent of curses—brightened just a touch. Munching on the sweet corn, Jiang Zao noticed a new message pop up on her phone.
【Crab Boss: Tasty breakfast?】
She nearly choked on a mouthful of corn.
Coughing lightly into her hand, Jiang Zao snatched up her phone. Her antagonist was still firing off WeChat messages, relentless in his provocation.
【Crab Boss: Not kidding—free tonight?】
【Crab Boss: I’ll be at Yunsheng all day. Let’s head out together after work.】
She could practically hear his tone from the text alone. Her fist clenched, and she slammed the phone facedown, refusing to look.
The man was deranged—certifiably off his rocker! Was he trying to scare a little shrimp like her to death?
He really needed to take a hard look in the mirror and figure out why no one could stand him.
“What’re you eating? It smells amazing,” Li Li said breathlessly as she rushed in, a McDonald’s breakfast bag swinging from her hand. She’d clearly overslept. “I woke up when you called, but I dozed off again for a bit and nearly clocked in late.”
“Last night, syncing those tables for the co-branded offline event had my eyes crossing. The agency we picked this time is a total disaster in terms of competence… I’ve gotta flag this to the boss later.”
Jiang Zao watched her settle in. “I was in a fog this morning too. Should’ve waited for you back at the apartment so we could’ve come together.”
Li Li waved her off. “Don’t wait next time—you’ll end up late too. No biggie for me.”
“House hunting going okay? Want me to tag along and check some out with you?”
“Nothing’s really grabbed me yet.” Jiang Zao gave her an apologetic smile. “Guess I’ll have to impose on you a few more days.”
“No sweat—crash as long as you need. You’re always springing for late-night snacks and groceries; that’s money out of your pocket too.” Li Li, the quintessential extrovert who wilted without company, grinned. “Having you around means I’m never lonely.”
Jiang Zao knew she was genuinely kind but didn’t want to overstay her welcome. She smiled her thanks, gathered her hair into a ponytail, and got to work.
The work area’s frenzy dragged on until nearly eleven, just before lunch. Then the pace finally slackened.
Li Li checked the work notifications and groaned in despair. “Another team meeting? God, they drag on for three or four hours. My bladder’s not cut out for that…”
“Jiang Zao, seriously—what’s the point of a four-hour meeting for the stuff we crank out? Even the CEO’s powwows don’t run that long.”
“It’s just the same old drivel circling the drain… Those two overseas-returnee bosses lording it up with their smug Chinglish that no one—traitor or not—can even parse… They jaw on forever and spit out jack squat… Now I see why the CEO poached our whole department. The originals were dead weight—sloppy efficiency, zero brains, creativity so lame even a toddler would turn up their nose.”
She muttered on and on, so full of resentment she might as well have been belching black smoke. Tang Peng, seated to her left, shot a side-eye across Li Li and locked gazes with Jiang Zao on the right.
Tang Peng frowned. “What’s her problem?”
Jiang Zao offered a wry smile. As her longtime colleague, she explained to Tang Peng, “It’s nothing. She was the same back at Feida. Whenever the pressure piled up or she got too hungry, she’d start nagging indiscriminately, blasting everyone in sight.”
“She doesn’t really look down on the folks at Yunsheng Planning.”
After hearing this, Tang Peng turned back to her keyboard and resumed typing. “It’s fine. She’s got a point.”
“Before you all showed up, Yunsheng Planning was nothing but a steaming pile of shit.”
Jiang Zao: “…” You’re feeling the pressure too, aren’t you?
“So… what about now?”
Tang Peng hit enter, paused, and delivered an objective assessment. “Shit that’s been watered down.”
Jiang Zao: “…” Lunch is almost here. Don’t talk like that.
Just as the three of them were locked in their internal tug-of-war—cursing their jobs under their breath—a ripple of surprised and admiring whispers erupted from the far side of the Planning Department.
Li Li had already faceplanted onto her desk in utter defeat. Tang Peng and Jiang Zao turned to follow the sound.
Xie Lisheng and the Planning Department leaders had appeared at one end of the Workstation Area corridor, gradually entering everyone’s line of sight.
Jiang Zao froze.
He had shed his suit jacket, leaving only a crisp white shirt. The top two buttons of his collar hung open in casual disarray, his sleeves rolled up to his forearms, exposing slender yet powerful wrists.
It was formal attire, but on him, it carried an effortless nonchalance—never rigid or stuffy.
Anyone could sense he wasn’t fond of suits, yet he wore them with such natural perfection.
The female colleagues nearby began whispering among themselves, their faces glowing with a flush.
The exhaustion from a morning of work evaporated in an instant. Who cared about anything else? A guy this easy on the eyes suddenly showing up in the office made even the tail end of the shift before lunch break feel bearable.
Tang Peng let out a sudden cold snort beside her. Jiang Zao snapped back to reality. “What’s so funny?”
Everyone else was gawking at the CEO, but Tang Peng had been the first to turn away and dive back into her work, utterly indifferent to the male gaze. “I just think they’re pathetic. Earlier, when President Xie was grinding them into the dirt with work, they bitched about him the loudest behind his back. Now that he’s here in the flesh, they’re all swooning like idiots.”
Jiang Zao mumbled, “You don’t think he’s handsome?”
Tang Peng nodded. “He is—if he weren’t a capitalist who spends his life treating us like dirt and never saying a civil word.”
Jiang Zao: “…” I’m suddenly with you on that.
Afraid that even a single glance might give her away, she followed Tang Peng’s lead and pretended not to notice, flipping through her own materials.
Inevitably, though, her thoughts wandered. After all, he was less than twenty meters away.
Jiang Zao had assumed he and the leaders would breeze past the workstation area without stopping. Instead, Xie Lisheng veered into the nearby Pantry and came to a halt at the Water Bar.
Jiang Zao’s peripheral vision locked up. ?
What was he up to?
The Planning Department’s Pantry was semi-open, its glass door partially translucent and usually left ajar for easy access.
The department’s two leaders chatted idly with him as he pulled out a paper cup and poured himself a latte from the coffee machine. Then he leaned back against the counter, his left leg casually bent and propped against his right, his posture lazy yet utterly at ease.
He faced the entire Workstation Area head-on, taking it all in.
Everyone snapped back to their seats in a flash. They didn’t dare stare outright anymore, but they stole glances while pretending to work.
Arms crossed, coffee cup in hand, his gaze swept across the area before settling on a particular spot.
As if he were looking right at someone.
Jiang Zao squirmed under the heat of that direct stare boring into their side. The more she tried to ignore it, the stiffer her body grew.
In that instant, she knew Xie Lisheng’s visit to inspect Planning wasn’t a coincidence. Nor was his sudden craving for their subpar coffee.
He had come to scare the life out of her.
No sooner had she pieced it together than the leaders who’d been accompanying him exchanged farewells as a group and departed.
Everyone exchanged bewildered glances. ?? What the hell was that?
Why was the CEO suddenly sipping coffee in their corner? Just here to play hall monitor?
Jiang Zao’s embarrassment mounted. The moment she dared to glance up, her eyes collided directly with his.
She recoiled as if scalded, burying her head on the desk like an ostrich in the sand.
Her phone buzzed insistently. A WeChat notification popped up.
【Crab Boss: Your department’s coffee is pretty good. What brand is it?】
She clenched her teeth and ignored it.
Like hell she knew—ask procurement!
Time raced by amid the unexpected drama. Lunch break arrived in the blink of an eye. But with the big boss watching, everyone glanced around uncertainly, no one sure whether to make a move.
Jiang Zao overheard her colleagues’ hushed whispers. Someone’s WeChat messages showed no sign of stopping, despite her deliberate attempts to ignore them.
【Crab Boss: It’s pretty good. I’d love another cup, but the coffee machine seems broken. Jiang Zao, come in and take a look?】
Just as she looked up again, Xie Lisheng glanced her way before shutting the pantry door.
Relieved that the big boss was no longer staring them down, everyone rose from their seats for the lunch break—some heading to the cafeteria, others heading downstairs.
Jiang Zao huffed in frustration and stood up, making a beeline for the pantry.
A few colleagues who had been plotting to slip into the pantry and cozy up to the CEO with some flattery couldn’t beat her to the punch. They watched her storm inside, then stopped short, rubbing their noses in awkward embarrassment.
This new girl was really going for it?? She sure knew how to play the game.
As she stepped into the pantry, a faint, fresh scent from the man’s clothes teased her nostrils.
Xie Lisheng had been in there long enough to infuse the air with his fragrance.
And there he was, just as his WeChat message had claimed, puttering around the coffee machine with feigned seriousness.