Shen Yan sprinted all the way home, moving faster than she ever had.
She glanced at the time it was even quicker than her usual morning runs.
For the first time, Shen Yan understood the power of adrenaline.
However, even after arriving home, her nightmare wasn’t over.
She unlocked her phone, intending to entertain herself for a while, but her message list showed a new message from Yu Xinnian, the contact she had just added.
Shen Yan flipped her phone face-down on the sofa, grabbed the blanket beside her, closed her eyes, and pretended to be asleep.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to reply she hadn’t even read the message.
Perhaps the exhaustion from work and forced social interactions had completely drained her.
What started as an act to avoid replying to WeChat messages quickly turned into real sleep.
By the time she woke up again, it was already 5 AM the next day.
Shen Yan groggily checked her phone.
!!!
She hadn’t washed up!
How did she just fall asleep like that?
And on the sofa no less?!
She must have been really exhausted.
Still doubtful, she checked her phone again.
Not only did she see the time, but Yu Xinnian’s unread message was still there.
Shen Yan bolted upright from the sofa.
She sat there for a moment, trying to wake up properly.
But responding to a message at 5 AM seemed weird, so she reasonably decided to ignore it and went to freshen up instead.
By the time she had showered, washed her face, brushed her teeth, finished her skincare routine, and tossed her clothes into the washing machine, it was still not even 6 AM.
She yawned, climbed back into bed, and went back to sleep.
The next time she woke up, it was to the sound of her alarm.
Her eyes shot open it was 8:30 AM.
Shen Yan felt like banging her head against the wall.
She must have been brain-dead from overtime last night.
How did she forget she still had to commute in the morning?!
With no choice, she hurriedly got ready again, skipping breakfast and preparing to run to work.
But today, since she was now familiar with the route, she had time to observe her surroundings.
She noticed that about 100 meters from the Lu Corporation building, a few breakfast food trucks were parked.
They were selling sandwiches, coffee, hot dogs, and crepes all Western-style breakfasts.
Shen Yan had studied in S City for four years, but A University was in the outskirts, and she hadn’t interned early like her classmates.
This was her first time experiencing what it felt like to work in a big city.
Seeing these food trucks stationed between office buildings, she suddenly felt like a corporate elite from a TV drama.
Even her plain white T-shirt and wide-leg pants somehow seemed more stylish.
She checked the time 8:50 AM.
Still plenty of time.
She walked up to one of the food trucks, ready to pick something to eat.
But before she could even read the menu, she saw someone she had ignored all night.
Shen Yan: …
Was she fated to never eat breakfast?
Fine.
No breakfast, then.
She could starve if she had to.
Shen Yan hesitated but decided to turn around and flee.
But before she could escape, Yu Xinnian turned around at that exact moment and saw her.
“Shen Yan! What a coincidence! You’re here for breakfast too?”
He held a sandwich in his hand and greeted her with surprise and delight.
Shen Yan had no choice but to brace herself and reply.
“Uh, yeah, what a coincidence.
I’ll just… see what’s available.”
Yu Xinnian recommended, “The Giraffe Sandwich here is really good.
The black pepper beef one, with their special sauce, is amazing.
Highly recommend it.”
Shen Yan usually disliked overly friendly people like Yu Xinnian, but hearing the words “super delicious” made her gulp involuntarily.
She was starving.
Following his recommendation, she placed her order, paid, and just as expected Yu Xinnian immediately questioned her.
“Why didn’t you reply to my WeChat last night?”
Shen Yan’s internal alarm bells rang.
Her acting skills skyrocketed, and she feigned surprise.
“WeChat? What WeChat?”
Hoping she wasn’t overdoing it, she even opened WeChat on the spot, praying that her unread message status would support her alibi.
“Sorry, I was exhausted after work last night.
I fell asleep before checking messages, and this morning I woke up late, so…”
Perhaps out of guilt, she over-explained herself.
Yu Xinnian smiled warmly.
“It’s fine.
You can read it now.”
With no way out, Shen Yan reluctantly opened their chat.
As expected it was about the A University alumni gathering.
Just as she was about to type a response, the Giraffe Sandwich vendor called her order number.
Saved!
She grabbed her sandwich and, seeing that Yu Xinnian was still waiting for her, had no choice but to speak.
“Thanks for the invite, but I won’t be going.
I don’t really know anyone there.”
Yu Xinnian, noticing her reluctance, decided to tease her.
“But we’re colleagues now.
And we all joined at the same time.
Getting to know people isn’t a bad thing.”
Shen Yan felt like his next sentence would be, “We’re giving you face by inviting you.
Don’t be ungrateful.”
As she was racking her brain for an excuse, Yu Xinnian laughed.
“Alright, if you don’t want to go, no worries.”
Shen Yan finally breathed a sigh of relief.
By this time, they had reached the elevator.
Since they were running late, the elevator wasn’t as crowded.
“I’m on the 9th floor.
You’re on the 19th, right?”
Yu Xinnian politely pressed her floor button.
Shen Yan nodded.
“Thanks.”
Inside the elevator, Yu Xinnian didn’t say much.
Once he got off at the 9th floor, Shen Yan finally relaxed.
The elevator quickly reached the 19th floor, and when she stepped into the office, she checked the time exactly 9:00 AM.
Perfect.
She silently gave herself a thumbs-up.
This was exactly the kind of hardworking employee attitude she aimed for.
But when she looked around, the office was empty except for her and Teacher Cheng.
She gave a polite smile in greeting and headed to her desk.
Finally, she had time to check her messages.
And then…
Forgot to mention our company has flexible work hours.
Since you stayed late yesterday, you could’ve come in later today.
I usually arrive at 11 AM.
The message was from Zhou Xing, sent last night at 10:30 PM.
Shen Yan: …
WHY did she rush to work so early?
Taking a step back was it really possible that she didn’t have a single moment between last night and this morning to check WeChat?!
Was it too late to go home and sleep?
She was going to explode.
But she couldn’t blame Zhou Xing.
He had told her last night.
She could only blame WeChat for not giving her proper notifications.
No she should blame WeChat’s algorithm.
It pushes random things but doesn’t push the messages she actually needs.
Or maybe…
Maybe she should blame Yu Xinnian?
But he had only invited her to a friendly gathering.
That wasn’t really his fault either…
Shen Yan accepted her fate she was fated to give two extra hours to the company today.
“Ugh “
She let out a long sigh at her desk.
Well, at least she had slept early last night.
And at least, since the office was still empty, she could enjoy her breakfast in peace.
And honestly…
The Giraffe Sandwich really was delicious.