Shen Yan felt as if the words in front of her were no longer words.
She forced herself to calm down, recognize each character, and not misread the lines.
She could even feel her own voice trembling.
She remembered what her interview class instructor had taught her if she couldn’t control her trembling voice, she should speak louder.
So, she read louder and louder, and with growing conviction.
After finishing everything and putting down the manuscript, she realized that Fan Mingxu was staring at her.
Shen Yan: ……
Fan Mingxu asked, “Are you done reading?”
Shen Yan: “Yes.”
Fan Mingxu reached out his hand.
“Let me see the manuscript.”
Shen Yan: “Oh.”
Fan Mingxu took the manuscript from her hand.
“Alright, you can go back now.
I’ll take a look.”
“Okay, Fan Zong.”
Shen Yan finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Just as she was about to leave, she suddenly remembered something.
“Fan Zong, have you decided? Should the winter outerwear be down jackets or softshell jackets?”
Fan Mingxu glanced at her report and nodded.
“Okay.”
Shen Yan: “Huh?”
Seeing her looking at him in confusion, Fan Mingxu emphasized again, “I said I got it.
You can go back now.”
Shen Yan didn’t understand, but she could follow instructions.
“Oh, okay.”
She couldn’t make sense of it at all.
She walked back to her desk, still puzzled about what Fan Mingxu’s “okay” meant.
She asked Jian Hong at the desk in front of her, “Jian Jie, I asked Fan Zong whether it should be down jackets or softshell jackets, and he just replied ‘okay.’
What does that mean?”
Jian Hong laughed out loud.
“Just assume that Fan Zong needs some time to think about it.”
Shen Yan still didn’t get it.
“Then should I ask him again next time? Because according to the survey, everyone’s choices are evenly split.
If he doesn’t decide, I can’t write the conclusion.”
Jian Hong: “Next time he asks you for the report, you can ask him again.”
Shen Yan didn’t fully understand but at least had a plan for handling it.
Meng Gulan added, “This contract will likely go to Fan Zong’s in-laws.
He probably needs to check which one has a higher profit margin.”
Shen Yan suddenly realized.
She had naively thought that when she asked “Option A or B?” she would get a straightforward “A” or “B” answer.
Turns out, every word from a leader carried deeper meaning.
Jian Hong asked, “By the way, Fan Zong also asked you to work on another task, right? A company networking event?”
Shen Yan nodded.
“Yes.”
Zhou Xing also leaned in and said, “He still remembers the work uniforms, but has he mentioned the networking event again?”
Shen Yan replied, “Because there’s a profit to be made from the uniforms?”
Jian Hong smirked.
“I didn’t say that.”
Zhou Xing shrugged.
“Neither did I.”
Shen Yan quickly made a motion of zipping her mouth shut.
“I just lost my voice for a second.”
Meng Gulan said in a teasing tone, “Our company’s procurement bidding is, of course, open and fair.”
Jian Hong saw Zhou Xing joining in and joked, “Zhou Teshu, are you looking forward to networking with Huaxin?”
Suddenly being called out, Zhou Xing: ……
His ears instantly turned red.
“No, no.”
Looking at the eager gazes around him, even Cheng Rong, who had been working quietly, leaned in with interest.
Zhou Xing had no way out, so he blurted, “Huaxin is a tech company, mostly programmers.
What would I be looking forward to?”
Meng Gulan raised her eyebrows.
“Got it.
The magazine that interviewed Lu Zong a few weeks ago would be a better match.
I still have the editor-in-chief’s contact info.
Shen Yan, let me know when you start drafting the networking proposal.”
Zhou Xing was speechless.
He suddenly understood why Lu Yu spread rumors about having a girlfriend.
But Lu Yu was the president.
If he claimed to have a girlfriend, no one would press him for details.
But Zhou Xing wasn’t so lucky.
Seeing the curiosity in their eyes, he was sure that if he admitted to having someone, they would immediately ask for every possible detail.
And where was he supposed to conjure up a fake girlfriend?
He quickly grabbed his laptop and notebook and stood up.
“I just remembered I have a meeting.
You all carry on.”
And then, he ran away.
Seeing Zhou Xing flee, the rest turned their gossiping attention to Shen Yan.
“Xiao Shen, do you have a boyfriend?” Jian Hong asked.
Shen Yan, suddenly dragged into this: “…No.”
The office immediately buzzed with excitement.
Jian Hong: “Our company hired a lot of young men this year, some even from your university.
Do you know them?”
Shen Yan replied, “We had dinner once.”
Jian Hong pried, “So? Any good candidates?”
Cheng Rong, who interacted with the new hires due to work, suggested, “That Yu Xinnian guy seems nice. He always greets me cheerfully.”
Shen Yan: “…I’m not really familiar with him.”
“Well, you can get to know each other!” Cheng Rong encouraged.
Shen Yan thought that was way too crude.
Cheng Rong continued, “If not him, then what about one of the programmers? They work 996 schedules, so you don’t have to worry about them going out and messing around.”
Shen Yan: …Is that really a selling point?
Jian Hong suddenly thought of another name.
“What about Xiao Li? He was your university’s student council president and looks decent too.”
Shen Yan: “…I’m even less familiar with him.”
She suddenly envied Zhou Xing for having an excuse to escape.
Why didn’t she have a conveniently timed meeting?
Then, Meng Gulan casually said, “Is Xiao Li better looking than Zhou Teshu?”
Jian Hong lit up. “
Good point.
Compared to him, Zhou Teshu is definitely better. Plus, he’s only three years older than Xiao Shen.
We should check if he started school early maybe they’re even closer in age.”
Cheng Rong, now with a new perspective, agreed.
“Yu Xinnian is enthusiastic, but Zhou Teshu has a great personality too.”
Shen Yan trembled.
“But he’s my boss. I wouldn’t dare.”
Hearing this, Jian Hong suddenly thought of something and asked, “Shen Yan, do you get nervous around Fan Zong?”
Shen Yan, grateful for the topic change, nodded.
“A little.
Fan Zong has an imposing presence.
When he sits there, looking serious, it makes me nervous.”
Jian Hong then asked, “What about Zhou Teshu? Do you feel nervous around him?”
Shen Yan: “Not really… but I’ve never formally reported to him.”
Jian Hong clapped her hands.
“There you go!”
Shen Yan: “Huh?”
Jian Hong grinned.
“Zhou Teshu is really great.
You don’t fear him.
Give it a shot.
No harm in trying.”
Shen Yan’s head ached.
Was there no one to save her?
Just then, as if answering her prayers, her office phone rang, saving her from the awkward situation.