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