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Not working overtime and having friends around always made the days happier.
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Before she knew it, the weekend was approaching.
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On Friday, just before the end of the workday, Shen Yan sent the interview draft to Zhou Xing right on time.
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Zhou Xing read through it and encouraged her.
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“It’s written well.
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There are just a few points I’ll refine them a bit to enhance the theme.”
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Hearing Zhou Xing say that he would “refine the theme,” Shen Yan suddenly felt that this job was still worth doing.
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Her boss really wasn’t bad.
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She nodded and started packing up to leave for the day.
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At that moment, neither of them noticed that their conversation had been overheard by Fan Mingxu, who was standing behind them.
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Fan Mingxu interrupted.
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“What draft?
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Print me a copy too.”
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Shen Yan: ?
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She didn’t react immediately.
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“Of course, Mr. Fan,” Zhou Xing, who often dealt with Fan Mingxu, responded quickly.
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He took Shen Yan’s computer.
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“Which printer should I use?”
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Shen Yan pointed to the one on the desk next to Jian Hong’s.
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Zhou Xing: “The version on your desktop is the final one, right?”
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Shen Yan: “Yes.”
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Zhou Xing selected double-sided printing and printed out a copy of Lu Yu’s interview draft for Fan Mingxu.
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As he handed it over, he explained that it was for next week.
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Fan Mingxu took the draft with a self-important air, flipping through it as if he were carefully reviewing it.
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“When is the latest this draft needs to be sent to the magazine?” he asked.
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Zhou Xing replied, “By the end of the workday today.”
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Shen Yan was momentarily stunned by Zhou Xing’s answer.
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She hadn’t expected him to leave no buffer time for himself.
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Was he planning to stay late to refine it?
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She felt a bit guilty.
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In reality, she had finished the draft around 2 PM, but because of her deadline-pushing habit, she had delayed submitting it.
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She hadn’t realized that this small delay would force Zhou Xing into overtime.
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But while she was busy reflecting on herself, Fan Mingxu didn’t care about her thoughts at all.
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He pondered for a moment.
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“Today is Friday.
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The magazine staff won’t be working over the weekend.
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What difference does it make whether you send it now or on Monday morning?
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Take it back and revise it.”
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Zhou Xing maintained a polite smile.
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“Mr. Fan, do you have any specific instructions?”
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Fan Mingxu: “The theme of the interview isn’t strong enough.
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It needs to be elevated.”
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Zhou Xing pressed on.
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“Mr. Fan, in your opinion, what should the theme be?”
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Caught off guard by the question, Fan Mingxu looked slightly embarrassed.
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He had only made the comment after overhearing Zhou Xing mention refining the draft.
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He had no idea what the theme should actually be.
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So he made something up.
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“The theme should have a broader scope.
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Think about things like ‘technology strengthening the nation’ or ‘corporate social responsibility.’
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Add in some grand statements.”
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Zhou Xing suddenly wore an enlightened expression.
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“I see.
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Thanks to Mr. Fan’s guidance!”
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Hearing this, Fan Mingxu was quite pleased with himself.
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He thought to himself two graduates from A University had just been fooled by a high school graduate like him.
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It proved that his generation of high schoolers had more substance.
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If he had studied in today’s era, he’d at least be a master’s student.
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“Xiao Shen, you continue revising it.
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Send it to your assistant manager before Saturday.”
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Fan Mingxu completely bypassed Zhou Xing and sent the draft directly back to Shen Yan.
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Shen Yan: ???
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She did her best to keep her facial expression neutral, making sure her confusion and frustration weren’t too obvious.
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Fan Mingxu then pulled Zhou Xing aside and lowered his voice.
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“Xiao Zhou, when you assign tasks, you can’t be too straightforward.”
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Zhou Xing put on an expression of deep concentration, as if he were eager to learn.
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Fan Mingxu continued.
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“Take today’s task as an example.
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The magazine said they wanted it by Friday before the end of the workday.
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So you should have negotiated to submit it by Monday morning instead.
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Then, when assigning it to your subordinates, you should have asked them to give it to you by Saturday.
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That way, they would ‘voluntarily’ work over the weekend.
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Even if Xiao Shen handed in the interview draft on Friday, you should have sent it back for further revisions.”
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Zhou Xing put on an expression of deep understanding, which made Fan Mingxu very pleased with himself.
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He adjusted his belt and concluded.
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“Xiao Zhou, you’re still young.
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Your professional skills may be better than us older folks, but when it comes to managing people, you have a lot to learn.”
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Zhou Xing nodded.
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“Yes, yes.
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Thank you for your guidance, Mr. Fan.”
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After Fan Mingxu left, Shen Yan hesitantly asked Zhou Xing.
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“Should I continue revising?”
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Zhou Xing waved a hand.
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“No need.
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I’ll stay a little late and take care of it.”
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Shen Yan let out a sigh of relief.
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“That’s good.
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I thought I’d have to work overtime on my first weekend.”
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Zhou Xing chuckled.
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“Relax.
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I’m not him.”
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Shen Yan hesitated.
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“But won’t it be hard to explain to Mr. Fan?”
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Zhou Xing shrugged.
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“It’s fine.
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He probably won’t even remember.
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And if he does, I’ll just resend today’s version.
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He won’t notice the difference.”
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Shen Yan thought was this really something he should be telling her?
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Wasn’t he afraid she’d use the same trick on him one day?
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Zhou Xing seemed to read her mind and laughed.
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“I’m an honest person.
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If I ever really need you to revise something, I’ll tell you directly.
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But honestly, your writing skills are far superior to mine.
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I just happen to know a bit more about the company, so I can give you some pointers.”
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Shen Yan was taken aback.
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She hadn’t expected such high praise from Zhou Xing.
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She didn’t know how to respond and simply said, “Thank you.
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Thank you.”
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“Go home on time.
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It’s fine.”
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With Zhou Xing’s final reassurance, Shen Yan once again felt that he was quite reliable.
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He seemed completely different from the person who casually greeted her on Monday morning.
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“But why did he come up here in the first place?
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Was it really just to teach me ‘management skills’?” Zhou Xing mused as he noticed that Fan Mingxu had left the office and hadn’t returned.
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Shen Yan had no idea how to answer that.
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Luckily, Zhou Xing didn’t expect a response and simply walked back to his desk.
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The office phone on Shen Yan’s desk was shared with Zhou Xing.
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Whenever he was around, she usually didn’t pick it up, since most calls were meant for him.
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This arrangement was great for her social anxiety she hoped Zhou Xing would always be at his desk.
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But sometimes, there were exceptions.
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“Xiao Shen, a call for you,” Zhou Xing called out across Jian Hong’s desk.
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In the few seconds before answering, Shen Yan quickly recalled whether she had interacted with any other department colleagues over the past week.
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Her conclusion probably not.
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On the company’s internal communication software, her contacts still only included her office teammates and Shu Yan.
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Who would be calling her?
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“Hello?”
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On her first day, she had learned the office etiquette for answering calls.
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The person on the other end chuckled upon hearing her serious tone.
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Shen Yan: ?
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“It’s me, Yu Xinnian.”
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Yu Xinnian’s voice carried a hint of amusement.
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Shen Yan: “Uh…
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Is something wrong?”
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Yu Xinnian: “Just reminding you not to forget about Sunday.”
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Shen Yan was confused.
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Couldn’t this have been said over WeChat?
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“Okay.
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Thanks.”
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She didn’t know what else to say.
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After all, he was just being considerate.
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