Chapter 4: First Day at Lu Corporation – From Misconceptions to Overtime

Shen Yan agreed with Sister Meng’s opinion she also felt that Zhou Xing didn’t seem like someone easy to find a partner.

But as a newcomer, she could only silently agree in her heart.

“Hello, Sister Meng.”

Shen Yan greeted politely.

Meng Jie nodded at her.

“Your name is Shen Yan, right? I’ll just call you Xiao Shen.”

“Mm.”

“Xiao Shen, you’re also from A University, just like our president and Special Assistant Zhou,” Jian Hong chimed in as she walked over from the copier.

“Hello, Sister Jian.”

Shen Yan wasn’t sure how to respond, so she simply smiled.

“Both Mr. Wang and Mr. Lu are busy outside.

This is Mr. Cheng Rong,” Zhou Xing introduced.

Seeing Cheng Rong peeking out from his cubicle, Shen Yan maintained her polite smile and greeted him.

“Xiao Shen, your desk is at the far end, near the window.”

Zhou Xing led her to her workstation before pointing to the glass-walled office opposite.

“That’s President Lu’s office.

Let me take you to greet him.”

Shen Yan hesitated.

“Can I… not?”

“Huh?” Zhou Xing hadn’t expected that response.

Indeed, she was different from those who joined just to get close to Lu Yu.

Humans were funny creatures when people used to hang around Lu Yu’s office hoping to bump into him, Zhou Xing found it annoying and wished Lu Yu would just lock himself inside all day.

But now that Shen Yan didn’t want to see him, he felt like she should meet him.

After all, Lu Yu was the president of Lu Corporation, and if a new employee joined the President’s Office, he ought to at least be aware.

“You should still go and say hello.

I’ll go with you,” Zhou Xing reassured her, noticing her nervousness.

“Don’t worry, President Lu is about my age.

He’s not a bad person.”

Shen Yan: “…I didn’t mean it that way.”

“Then let’s go.

The sooner it’s over, the better,” Zhou Xing comforted.

Shen Yan: “Oh.”

Zhou Xing knocked on the door.

A cool, crisp “Come in” came from inside, and only then did he push the door open.

“President Lu, this is Shen Yan, a new recruit from this year’s spring intake, assigned by HR to the President’s Office.

She graduated from A University’s Chinese Department,” Zhou Xing introduced.

Shen Yan smiled politely.

“Hello, President Lu.”

Lu Yu glanced at her, then nodded slightly.

Zhou Xing looked at Lu Yu.

Lu Yu looked at Zhou Xing.

Silence.

Shen Yan sensed the awkward atmosphere.

She had been looking down but now felt compelled to look up and observe.

She exchanged glances with Zhou Xing.

Zhou Xing: “That’s it?”

Lu Yu finally spoke his second sentence since they entered.

“What do you mean, ‘That’s it’?”

Zhou Xing: “You have nothing to say?”

Lu Yu: “Should I?”

Shen Yan: …

Zhou Xing turned to Shen Yan.

“Let’s go.”

Shen Yan tugged at the corner of her lips.

“Oh.”

“Special Assistant Zhou, you sure are looking after Xiao Shen,” Jian Hong teased.

Zhou Xing had been busy helping Shen Yan all morning registering her in the system, applying for her employee number, fetching office supplies.

Now, for the umpteenth time, he was at her desk asking if she wanted to apply for a company laptop.

Jian Hong couldn’t help but comment.

Zhou Xing thought about it.

He really hadn’t put in this much effort for previous newcomers, but

“Xiao Shen is a Chinese major from A University.

She’ll be a key writer for our office.

She’s different from the others.”

Jian Hong gave him a skeptical look.

“That’s all?”

Hearing their conversation, Shen Yan sensed trouble and quickly interjected, “Isn’t my job just making tea and running errands?”

Zhou Xing was stunned.

“Who told you that?”

Shen Yan: “I heard people in the meeting room downstairs say it.”

Actually, it wasn’t just what she overheard Shen Yan had assumed that’s what working in the President’s Office entailed.

After all, an office mostly handled logistics, and since they had Special Assistant Zhou above them, she had always thought of herself as an assistant’s assistant.

So when she heard in the elevator that Zhou Xing had read her articles in the university journal, she was genuinely surprised.

“Xiao Shen, do you have some misunderstanding about our office?” Jian Hong laughed, then turned to Zhou Xing.

“Special Assistant Zhou, after all your running around, you still haven’t explained our work to her?”

Zhou Xing rubbed his nose.

Had he really forgotten to mention their core responsibilities?

“Our main job, aside from assisting the president, is handling all company documentation.

From government reports to speeches for executive meetings our department writes them all.”

Shen Yan: …

So it actually matched her major?

“Okay, but… I don’t know anything about our company’s operations.

How am I supposed to write?” Shen Yan asked.

“Copy.”

Jian Hong gave her the best advice.

“Copy from everywhere.”

Shen Yan’s eyes widened.

Jian Hong explained, “The business and administrative departments provide us with information translated into plain language for us.”

Shen Yan immediately blurted out, “Align the granularity? Streamline the underlying logic? Private domain traffic?”

Jian Hong gave her a thumbs-up.

“Xiao Shen, did your homework!”

Shen Yan shrank back.

“Is that how it is?”

Jian Hong chuckled.

“Well, our company is in a transition period.

These buzzwords aren’t super useful yet, but who knows? Maybe one day they will be.”

Shen Yan: “I’ll give it a try, then.”

Jian Hong reassured her, “Take your time.

Even I struggle sometimes.

You know, Sister Meng once wrote a full article during her subway ride to work?”

Shen Yan shook her head.

“I didn’t know.”

“Sister Meng used to work in the government.

Her writing is top-notch.

When our company went public, the IPO prospectus looked completely different after she polished it.

I swear, 95% of our success in getting listed was thanks to her.”

“Nonsense, don’t put me on a pedestal,” Meng Gulan interjected, walking over from her seat where she had been making tea.

“Lu Corporation would have gone public with or without me.”

“Alright, let’s stay on topic,” Zhou Xing cut in before the conversation veered off course.

“Xiao Shen, do you want to apply for a company laptop?”

Shen Yan shook her head.

“No need.

I have my own.”

Zhou Xing looked at her like she was an idiot.

“If the company gives you a new one, why use your old one?”

Shen Yan: “…”

Jian Hong agreed.

“Why spend your own money for work?”

Shen Yan hesitated.

“Are the company-issued laptops brand new?”

Zhou Xing nodded.

“Yes, they’re the latest MacBook Pro models.

The only downside is the limited storage.”

Shen Yan was impressed.

“What if I leave before my probation ends?”

Jian Hong: “Then you return it when you leave.”

Shen Yan asked again, “What if I leave after ten years?”

Zhou Xing grinned.

“I know this one.

Electronics depreciate over five years.

After that, it’s yours.”

Shen Yan didn’t fully grasp the depreciation part, but she got the main point.

“So after five years, the laptop is mine?”

Zhou Xing: “Yes.”

Suddenly, Shen Yan felt like maybe failing the civil service exam had been fate leading her to Lu Corporation instead.

This job sounded better than being a government employee.

But before she could get too comfortable, reality struck.

Just as she marveled at how this job seemed better than being a civil servant, she got hit with her first urgent task.

Sitting at her desk, she heard Zhou Xing say, “Wait here.

There’s an urgent task coming in soon.”

She was confused.

She had literally just started today.

What kind of urgent task could possibly involve her?

She had spent all afternoon setting up her new laptop, and just when she finally got everything working bam, here comes work.

“The district government needs materials on the Link Project by Shenyu Technology.

We’ll need to work late tonight,” Zhou Xing announced.

Shen Yan blinked.

Shenyu Technology? Isn’t that the popular short-video app?

And what’s the Link Project?

But before she could ask, Zhou Xing had already sent her a pile of documents.

“Start reading.

Jian Jie is building the framework.

Once she’s done, you’ll pull the relevant content from these materials and slot them in.”

Shen Yan: “Huh?”

She felt like a deer caught in headlights.

“It’s simple.

You can do it,” Zhou Xing encouraged.

By the time she looked up, it was already 6 PM.

At dinner, she asked, “Special Assistant Zhou, are we… working 996?”