Chapter 7

What’s the saying again?

"I searched for her a thousand times in my dreams, and when I suddenly turned around, she was there, by the dimming lights."

Easy to get? My foot!

Ruan Xinyi pinched her palm forcefully, restraining her gaze. She unabashedly scanned the woman reflected in the elevator mirror.

The woman wore a black shirt and pants, her figure slender and graceful. She carried a briefcase in one hand, and her slightly curled long hair was pinned up at the back of her head. A pair of silver-framed, rimless glasses rested on her high nose bridge. The extra layer of lenses slightly dulled the radiance in her peach-blossom eyes, making the coldness in her expression even more pronounced. Her profile was aloof, exuding an air of distance.

Ruan Xinyi’s gaze moved downward, and without realizing it, her eyes lingered on the woman’s lips for a few seconds.

The lipstick she wore wasn’t too bright, leaning more towards a natural shade. Ruan Xinyi couldn’t tell if it was just her imagination, but she felt that the woman’s lips looked a little swollen.

Below that was a long, pale neck with a perfect curve. Unfortunately, the shirt’s button was done up at the top, hiding the rest of the view.

From her appearance, Ruan Xinyi guessed the woman was likely working here and probably held a position of authority, given that she had so casually offered six hundred thousand earlier.

“Ding—” The elevator arrived.

Ruan Xinyi stayed still, while the woman raised her eyes and briefly looked at her with an inquisitive glance.

Their gazes met in the mirror.

But in the next moment, the woman nonchalantly averted her eyes and walked into the elevator as if nothing had happened.

Ruan Xinyi froze for a second. She instinctively felt that the woman had recognized her, but judging by her reaction, it seemed like she was pretending nothing had occurred.

Well, nothing happened, indeed.

A light, ambiguous laugh escaped from her nose, and Ruan Xinyi stepped into the elevator as well.

There was no one else inside. Glancing at the floor the elevator was heading to, Ruan Xinyi pressed the close-door button. As the doors slowly shut and the elevator began to rise, she crossed her arms and leaned against the cool wall of the cabin, a victorious smile curling on her lips. “Sister, what a coincidence. Could we be friends now?”

Wen Xihan gave Ruan Xinyi a faint glance. Upon noticing her plain light-blue shirt and dark fitted pants, her brows tightened imperceptibly.

A subtly professional outfit, which made it clear that she was also here to work.

Unconvinced, Wen Xihan asked coldly, “How come you’re here?”

“Me?” The smile on Ruan Xinyi’s face deepened. She leaned slightly forward and cheerfully replied, “Naturally, I’m here to work~”

“…” Wen Xihan pursed her lips and remained silent. As Ruan Xinyi seemed to move closer, she subtly took a step back.

So, the interview this person mentioned was for this company...

Although overly frivolous, reckless, and a bit shameless, she must have some skills to work here.

In just a few seconds, Wen Xihan formed a new opinion of Ruan Xinyi in her mind.

“Sister?” Ruan Xinyi silently closed the distance between them, softening her tone. “You still haven’t answered my question. Could you add me as a friend?”

Clearly, Wen Xihan didn’t want to respond to that question. She took out her vibrating phone from her bag, her tone cold and distant. “Sorry, I have to take this call.”

“Hello, Chairman Li, I’m in the elevator right now…”

“Ding—” The elevator reached the desired floor.

“Yes, should I go to your office first? Alright, I’m on my way.” Wen Xihan spoke on the phone, not even sparing Ruan Xinyi a glance as she exited the elevator without looking back.

Ruan Xinyi, ‘forgotten’ in the elevator: “???”

Ruan Xinyi strongly suspected that the woman had done it on purpose, although she had no evidence.

However, since this woman also worked here, it would be much easier to deal with her later.

With this thought, Ruan Xinyi’s mood visibly improved. Even after stepping out of the elevator, she kept her eyes fixed on the woman’s back.

“Ruan Xinyi, what do you think? Isn’t the new general manager stunningly beautiful?” A female colleague, who had added Ruan Xinyi to the newcomer group chat on the day of the interview, nudged her arm and asked in a low voice.

“She is indeed very beautiful,” Ruan Xinyi replied. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been so captivated after just one glance.

“Wait, what did you just say?” Ruan Xinyi quickly followed up. “She’s the new general manager?”

“Yep, that’s the gorgeous overseas returnee everyone’s been talking about in the group,” the woman replied enviously. “I just wonder if the position of assistant manager is real. If I could work as her assistant, I’d happily put in overtime every day.”

Ruan Xinyi chuckled noncommittally. An assistant manager? It looked like her plan to relax in the logistics department was about to fall apart.

After parting ways with the female colleague, Ruan Xinyi went to the HR office to explain her purpose. The HR representative promptly pulled out a pre-prepared contract.

“Miss Ruan, here’s the contract. Please review it, and if everything looks good, sign here. I’ll provide you with General Manager Wen’s profile in a moment.”

Glancing over the contract, Ruan Xinyi noticed it was much more formal than her previous internship agreement. It stipulated a two-month probationary period with a basic salary, while performance bonuses and benefits would only be available after formal employment.

Spinning the pen deftly between her fingers, Ruan Xinyi asked softly, “I applied for an internship lasting two months. Are you sure this contract wasn’t prepared by mistake?”

Hearing this, the HR representative double-checked the contract and apologized, “I’m sorry, Miss Ruan. It seems they mistakenly prepared a formal employment contract. I’ll print the correct one for you right away.”

After the correct contract was printed and confirmed, Ruan Xinyi signed her name.

The HR representative filed the signed contract and retrieved Ruan Xinyi’s resume from a folder. “Miss Ruan, General Manager Wen is currently in Chairman Li’s office. Would you mind waiting here for a moment? I’ll take you there shortly.”

“Sure,” Ruan Xinyi replied. She was now eagerly anticipating the woman’s reaction upon seeing her later.

The HR representative handed Wen Xihan’s profile to Ruan Xinyi and left with her resume.

Looking at the A4 sheets before her, Ruan Xinyi hesitated for a moment before slowly flipping to the first page.

Rather than a profile, it resembled a personal resume: name, age, alma mater, work experience, and awards received.

“Wen Xihan—” Ruan Xinyi murmured softly, running her fingers over the three characters on the paper as she quickly memorized the phone number in the contact information section.

---

Meanwhile, in Chairman Li’s office, the HR representative placed Ruan Xinyi’s resume on the desk. “Chairman Li, this is the resume for the new assistant.”

Chairman Li skimmed through it, frowning slightly. Her tone remained calm. “Why did you hire an intern?”

The HR representative explained, “Chairman Li, this intern is the most capable among the current batch of applicants. She even got into graduate school at A University. She’s here for the experience, as her initial application was for the logistics department…”

“And you poached her?” Chairman Li set down the resume and rubbed her temples. “The little girl from the Ruan family.”

The HR representative froze for a moment. “Chairman Li, are you saying she’s from the Ruan family…?”

Chairman Li gave a lukewarm “mm” and casually slid the resume toward Wen Xihan, almost as if it were a hot potato. “Wen Xihan, here’s the new assistant I found for you.”

Wen Xihan hesitated as she picked up the resume. “Ruan Xinyi?”

But as her eyes fell on the photo attached to the resume, she froze completely.

How…could it be her?

---

Ruan Xinyi waited in the office for over twenty minutes before the HR representative returned.

She escorted Ruan Xinyi to Wen Xihan’s office. Knowing her real identity now, the HR representative spoke with noticeably more respect. “Miss Ruan, General Manager Wen’s office is the second door on the right.”

“This is the break room, and further down is the conference room.”

Ruan Xinyi nodded and memorized the directions. Her heart started to race uncontrollably again as the HR representative knocked on the door.

“Come in,” a cold, clear voice answered.

The HR representative gently opened the office door and stepped aside, revealing Ruan Xinyi. “General Manager Wen.”

“Mm.” Wen Xihan rested her hand on her temple. Her frameless glasses had slipped slightly down her nose, but she didn’t look at Ruan Xinyi. Instead, she told the HR representative, “You can go back to your work.”

“Certainly, General Manager Wen.” The HR representative thoughtfully closed the door behind her as she left.

Ruan Xinyi stared unblinkingly at Wen Xihan, who was seated at the desk. Her gaze was intense and unreserved, and her tone carried an inexplicable depth. “General Manager Wen?”

“You…” Wen Xihan hesitated, opening her lips but failing to finish her sentence.

“Hmm? What about me?” Ruan Xinyi stepped toward Wen Xihan, swinging her phone playfully as she grinned mischievously. “Sister, can you finally add me as a friend now?”

Wen Xihan froze for a moment before exhaling heavily, her voice tinged with a chill. “Ruan Xinyi!”

“Here,” Ruan Xinyi replied, her tone unchanged, as she fearlessly teased further. “Sister, please add me as a friend. It’ll make communication easier.”

“…” Wen Xihan gave her a complicated look before coldly handing her a stack of documents from the side. “Make copies of these, and sort and verify them on the computer.”

“???” Still processing what had just happened, Ruan Xinyi remained standing, clutching the documents.

Wen Xihan frowned, speaking in a businesslike tone. “Is there a problem?”

“No problem for now,” Ruan Xinyi replied quickly, not daring to argue with such a tone.

Wen Xihan gave a curt nod. “Finish it all before noon.”

“All this by noon?” Ruan Xinyi blurted out in shock.

Wen Xihan nodded again, her expression unchanging. “If you don’t want to do it, you can hand it over to Assistant Zhou.”

Zhou Xuan is another assistant assigned by Li Mo to Wen Xihan. She has five years of work experience, and her professional abilities are beyond reproach.

Provoked by Wen Xihan, Ruan Xinyi took full responsibility. "Alright, I'll handle it."

Wen Xihan reminded her, "Try to finish it as soon as possible. We need it for the meeting this afternoon."

Ruan Xinyi gritted her teeth, her teeth slightly clenched. "Got it, General Manager Wen."

After Ruan Xinyi left with the documents, Wen Xihan took off her glasses and pressed her temples in frustration.

It had been more than ten years since she had returned, and even she hadn’t expected Ruan Xinyi’s transformation to be so drastic. She had become… so reckless, so shameless.

But what troubled Wen Xihan the most was still what had happened that night...

"Buzz—" The vibration of her phone broke her thoughts.

It was a message from Qi Jingning: "How does your first day at work feel?"

Wen Xihan replied: "It’s fine. Aning, you won’t believe who my assistant is."

Note: "Aning" is Wen Xihan's nickname for her close friend Qi Jingning.

Qi Jingning: Who? [Curious.jpg]

Wen Xihan: My little niece.

Qi Jingning: [Laughs] That’s perfect. Now that you’ve seen her, you can think about what graduation gift to get her.

Wen Xihan: But she doesn’t remember me. [Smiles]

Qi Jingning: Hmm... Big niece is truly something else.

Author’s Note:

Wen Xihan: [Smiles] Not only did she forget me, but now she even wants to...

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