In the morning, when I walked into the office, several colleagues cast concerned glances my way.
I sat at my station, thankful that they didn’t come over to strike up a conversation or show their concern.
‘I only took half a day off; there’s no need to stare at me like that.’
I didn’t have the heart to worry about them anymore.
I turned on my computer and prepared to handle the work from yesterday afternoon and this morning.
However, I discovered that Party A, who had sent a revised draft yesterday, hadn’t responded at all overnight.
‘Did the other party take a leave of absence too?’
Amid my confusion, I could only sit there in a daze.
When a colleague came over to ask for help, I did what I could as a small favor.
“Thanks. If you’re tired, have one to relax.”
The colleague handed me a cigarette as he left.
‘Do they think this place is a temple?’
“Thanks, but I don’t smoke,” I said.
Even I was surprised that I had refused so bluntly.
“Oh? Is that so? No wonder I’ve never seen you go out for a break,” the colleague smiled.
“Ah Xiao, why do you keep handing out cigarettes? Supervisor Mo loves smoking so much, yet she’s forbidden us from offering her any. She’s just afraid of you guys—she can’t bear to assign you more work if she takes your smokes,” another colleague joked.
“Hahaha!”
Laughter immediately erupted in the office.
Right, Mo You wasn’t sitting next to me today, which was why they were being so reckless.
“Brother Li, I didn’t see you for just one afternoon, but you already have that kind of feeling.”
“Hmm? What kind of feeling?”
Since I was free anyway, I turned around to ask them.
“The feeling of a real worker! You have a bit of a mature, professional atmosphere now.”
“Did I not look like a worker before?”
They looked at each other, and one of them couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
“Hahaha! We felt like you used to be… like a Great Buddha.”
“You… you guys better send the truly difficult copy to me from now on. Just think of the simple ones yourselves! I’m really not a Great Buddha.”
I pretended to be angry.
As I spoke, the bitterness hidden in my heart dissipated slightly, and my tensed nerves finally got a chance to breathe.
“Of course we’ll try not to trouble you!”
“I understand a lot of problems after asking you. It’s all thanks to you.”
“Next time, I’ll bring tea bags or coffee.”
The colleagues seemed to understand what I meant, responding in a joking tone.
‘Huh? It feels different from what I imagined. Even if I say something a bit harsh, they don’t get angry.’
Even though these guys had also just graduated, were they different from those even younger folks?
“Thanks?”
I thanked them for some reason.
“…Thanks for what?”
The colleagues looked puzzled. In an instant, they pulled back their relaxed expressions and stared straight at their computers, typing away randomly at their keyboards.
Just as I was wondering why, a hand patted my shoulder.
“Li Mingshan, you need to keep an eye on your messages during work hours. I can’t walk over to find you every time there’s an emergency.”
“Yes… Yes!? Mo You, I’m sorry!”
I looked to the side in a fright.
Her deep brown eyes held a hint of reproach.
Only then did I notice the message notification flashing on the screen.
[Come to the supervisor’s office,] it read.
“I’m coming…”
I responded, only to find that Mo You had already walked back to her office on her long legs clad in black stockings and small leather shoes.
I followed her into the vintage-style supervisor’s office.
Once the door closed, a serious atmosphere swallowed me whole.
“坐.”
Mo You had added a chair next to her seat.
“Okay.”
Sitting beside her, a massive computer screen was right before my eyes.
The dialogue boxes and text areas were divided into several sections based on the different clients.
It was a bit dizzying at first glance.
“Is the matter resolved?”
she asked.
“Yes… Thankfully, I had your help and found that money. But…”
“It’s good that you found it. The other party put a lot of effort into preparing those. Honestly, making me do such sneaky things—that Jiang Lulan is still such a troublemaker.”
While complaining, she carefully fished a small paper bag out of her pocket.
After opening it, inside was the key to the small drawer in the shoe cabinet.
‘It was originally in An Zhi’s hands…’
I took it and gripped it tightly in my palm.
“I’m sorry for the trouble.”
“No need to apologize. This side has already received the appropriate compensation. Next is the final part, and I plan to put you in charge of it.”
“Huh?”
‘Is it something about An Zhi?’
She pointed to a section of the screen.
The header read “Wingstar World Culture Media Co., Ltd.”
Seeing this name, I couldn’t help but lean in closer.
I remembered that this was the subsidiary of a Large Corporation that An Zhi had signed with.
Even so, compared to the clients our company usually dealt with, this was an insurmountable peak.
“…”
“They’re much stricter than other clients, haha.”
My dumbfounded expression made Mo You let out a light chuckle.
“This overly heavy burden is now yours to carry. Don’t worry, there’s still some time before the first activity planning starts. Get used to it first.”
“Uh… Ah?! But I… let me think.”
In my state of confusion, I cleared my head after a few seconds of thought.
As compensation for Mo You helping with that private matter, An Zhi’s side had handed the important copy and promotional work to our small company.
Normally, this kind of work wouldn’t fall to us…
Therefore, for our department, completing this job successfully was especially important.
No wonder even Mo You felt it was a “heavy burden.”
“I understand.”
“As a man, settle this emotional debt cleanly. The handover will begin this afternoon. I look forward to your performance.”
“Yes!”
Mo You raised the corners of her mouth slightly, revealing a genuine smile that seemed to carry a hint of schadenfreude.
‘What’s wrong? Is there some kind of malice hidden in this job?’
“By the way, the contact person for the client… it isn’t An Zhi, is it?”
“Of course not. Most of them are employees from the other party’s PR department. As for the rest… you can check for yourself when the time comes.”
“?”
She immediately wore a complicated expression when mentioning “the rest” and stopped paying attention to my confusion, waving her hand to shoo me out.
In the afternoon, after a long handover, the orange-red sunset shone into the office.
I organized several half-finished planning drafts and placed the client’s dialogue window in the most prominent position.
Everything was ready…
I just had to wait for the other party to speak.
This work was related to An Zhi.
She must have painstakingly negotiated with her company to get it into our hands.
Her personal matters aside… but at least I could do this job well.
I would definitely not let her kindness go to waste and would complete it with all my might.
That way, I would feel a bit better…
Suddenly, the dialogue box started flashing.
I immediately pulled myself together and focused.
[Hello?]
‘A foreigner? As expected of a Large Corporation… Luckily, I passed English Level 6.’
[Hello, can I help you?]
[Li Mingshan?]
‘I’ve been played…’
‘Why did they suddenly call my name? Is the other party really an employee of the PR department? Could it be…’
[It’s me. Regarding the current first draft of the copy, I’ll finish it as soon as possible!]
[It’s me, Mingshan…]
‘Eh? What does “It’s me” mean? Could it really… be her?’
[Who are you?]
[You heartbreaker! Don’t you remember me?]
‘Ah!?’
‘No, it’s definitely not her. She wouldn’t use words like that, she definitely wouldn’t… But what if…’
Even so, there was still a spark of hope in my heart.
[I’m sorry…]
[We were together, we had such beautiful memories of our student days. It was so hard to finally hold hands, hug, and kiss. So many memories of first times, but now—why has it turned out like this? What do you have to say, Student Li?]
‘Dammit, this is a public account used for business between companies! It’s not a private chat!’
‘Sending these things to me through this account is a deliberate attempt to mock me!’
‘Whoever it is, it’s definitely not An Zhi.’
‘Furthermore, the other party gives me the feeling that they’re laughing uncontrollably in front of the screen.’
‘And there’s also… a bit of a dislike for me?’
‘The one saying these melodramatic words to provoke me must be someone who knows about me and An Zhi…’
‘What is their identity? Are they male or female? Who is it?’
I didn’t have many acquaintances to begin with.
First, I ruled out Xiao Ji.
His sister, Xiao Qingling, was a bit mischievous but also a serious person.
Senior Schoolmate Xu Yinyin… was also unlikely.
‘A female voice.’
The voice that had come from the door of the Practice Room when I burst into the studio flashed through my mind.
But that female voice was clearly very forceful.
Who knows?
Humans are complex creatures…
[Are you the colleague who was with her in the Practice Room back then?]
After a moment of hesitation, a message came from the other side.
[Oh? You’re quite smart, aren’t you, you perverted Student Li who broke in next door to eavesdrop?]
‘So she knew I was hiding next door at the time… but she didn’t expose me when the security guard came looking…’
[Thanks for what happened then.]
[Fine, I’m surprised you’re such a serious person. How boring.]
‘Who would act as crazy as you on a public account!?’
‘She’s even poking at other people’s sore spots. What poor character…’
[I’m An Zhi’s manager, Jiang Lulan. I’m responsible for informing you of An Zhi’s status and determining the time for each activity. I’ll only appear a small portion of the time, understand?]
‘Jiang Lulan? So she’s the one even Mo You finds troublesome. I’m not good at dealing with her…’
Better be serious.
[Yes, I am Li Mingshan. I will be solely responsible for this job from now on. I look forward to working with you.]
This was the first time I had introduced myself with my real name during work like this.
That said, as a manager, can she contact An Zhi frequently?
Could I go through her…
But this was a professional setting; I shouldn’t mix in private matters.
[Alrighty, that’s it for today then. Bye~]
While I was hesitating, the other party sent this message, and the avatar turned gray.
‘What the hell? The chat history hasn’t been deleted yet! Is there another woman in this world who acts so recklessly?’
I hurriedly deleted the records on my end, only hoping that the other party also knew to delete them…