Chapter 14

In the afternoon, while working, Ruan Xinyi found herself unexpectedly assigned a pile of tasks.

These tasks weren’t particularly difficult, but they weren’t easy either. They were simply very fragmented—one moment she was organizing something, the next she was printing something else, or running errands to help others. All these small, scattered tasks added up, making it quite time-consuming.

When Ruan Xinyi finally returned from delivering documents and sat down to catch her breath, she hadn’t even had time to take a sip of water before Zhou Xuan, sitting nearby, apologetically placed a USB drive on her desk.

“Xinyi, General Manager Wen said you need to print all the documents on this USB.”

Ruan Xinyi paused mid-drink, holding the water in her mouth for a moment, stunned. She stared at the clock—it was only about forty minutes before the end of her shift. She couldn’t help but suspect this was intentional. It felt like she was squeezing her like toothpaste, piling work on her without giving her any time to relax.

Zhou Xuan still had tasks of her own to finish. Although the task assigned by Wen Xihan wasn’t particularly difficult, the sheer volume of it made it exhausting. Zhou Xuan wanted to help but could only offer moral support, as she was already stretched thin with her own workload.

Thinking back to how she had defended Ruan Xinyi the day before, Zhou Xuan couldn’t help but feel something was off. While these tasks were part of an assistant’s job, they still felt strange to her.

In the end, she decided to attribute it to the fact that Wen Xihan was a new general manager, and it was understandable for her to be busier than usual.

“Do all of them need to be printed?” Ruan Xinyi set the cup down and picked up the USB drive, swallowing before asking, “Did General Manager Wen mention when she needs them?”

Zhou Xuan shook her head. “No, she didn’t say.”

“Ah…” Ruan Xinyi twirled the small USB drive between her fingers. She plugged it into the computer and opened the only folder on the drive.

The folder contained about a dozen documents. Ruan Xinyi opened each file and skimmed through them. The file sizes weren’t large, and if she worked quickly, she could probably print everything in under ten minutes.

She removed the USB and, before starting the printing, leisurely went to the break room to make herself a cup of coffee.

Listening to the printer’s “swish swish,” Ruan Xinyi leaned back in her chair, blowing on her coffee to cool it, sipping it leisurely with a relaxed expression.

Soon, the first document was ready.

Ruan Xinyi checked the footer carefully to ensure no pages were missing. She patiently aligned the corners of each page before stapling them together.

Then she moved on to the second and third documents…

She continued until all the documents were printed. By then, her coffee was almost gone.

There were only twenty minutes left until the end of the workday.

She stacked the printed documents neatly and, instead of rushing back to her desk, casually took out her phone to scroll through her social media feed.

Ruan Xinyi kept an eye on the time, and when only three minutes remained in her shift, she grabbed the files and returned to the office.

Zhou Xuan was doing a final check on the data. When she saw Ruan Xinyi return, she said, “Xinyi, General Manager Wen just said that once the time is up, we’re free to leave.”

Ruan Xinyi rested her chin on her hand, raising an eyebrow. “Did she say anything else?”

“No,” Zhou Xuan answered.

Upon hearing this, Ruan Xinyi’s suspicions were confirmed. She had stayed inside for so long, deliberately waiting until just before the end of the workday to see if Wen Xihan would try to give her more work. But it was clear now—Wen Xihan simply didn’t want her to have any free time and had deliberately given her a whole afternoon of trivial tasks.

Ruan Xinyi wasn’t upset. In fact, she found it quite amusing and suspected that it was probably something she had said earlier that had annoyed Wen Xihan.

But who could resist General Manager Wen, who secretly drank yogurt and destroyed the evidence?

Well, Ruan Xinyi couldn’t resist.

So, after work, she went to the convenience store downstairs and bought several cans of the same yogurt that Wen Xihan liked.

---

Uncle Cheng was still waiting for Ruan Xinyi at the same intersection.

As soon as she got into the car, Ruan Xinyi eagerly opened a can of yogurt, took a big sip, and a ring of white appeared on her upper lip.

She licked her lips, feeling satisfied, and said to Uncle Cheng, "Uncle Cheng, I’ll go back to the apartment tonight."

She had assumed Uncle Cheng was there to pick her up for dinner at home, but his next words surprised her. "Young Miss, Miss Su is on a business trip today."

"She won’t be back until five days later."

"Ah—" Ruan Xinyi forced the smile off her lips, covering her mouth as she said, "How sudden! Mom didn’t tell me about this."

Uncle Cheng smiled and said, "Miss Su just boarded the plane, so she probably hasn't had the chance to tell you yet."

He then asked, "Will you be going back to the old house first or straight to the apartment?"

Ruan Xinyi took another sip of yogurt, her voice gentle, "I’ll go to the apartment."

"Okay, Young Miss." Uncle Cheng’s tone was warm. "Do you want anything to eat tonight? I can arrange it."

"Hmm~" Ruan Xinyi thought for a moment and replied, "I’m not very hungry yet. If I get hungry later, I’ll just order takeout."

Seeing Ruan Xinyi’s firm decision, Uncle Cheng wasn’t entirely reassured. So, he handed her a few business cards for highly-rated private kitchens along with their menus. He even foresaw her need and said, "Young Miss, I’ve already checked with them; they offer delivery throughout the city."

Ruan Xinyi took them with a helpless smile, "Thank you, Uncle Cheng."

The apartment was close to Li Hai Group, and it didn’t take long to arrive.

Uncle Cheng escorted Ruan Xinyi to the elevator, reminding her several times to eat something before leaving for the car.

Letting out a small sigh, Ruan Xinyi sent a caring message to her mom, telling her she would be staying at the apartment for a while.

Ruan Su hadn’t replied yet, probably because she was on a flight.

Shaking the nearly empty yogurt can in her hand, Ruan Xinyi unlocked the door with her fingerprint and placed the unopened yogurt in the fridge while quickly scanning the ingredients inside.

There was a good variety of meats and vegetables, and the condiments were fully stocked. When she spotted a small electric pot tucked deep in the cupboard, an idea popped into her head.

She opened the dormitory group chat and sent a message: "Hotpot? @everyone"

Jiang Yun responded almost immediately with a question mark.

"Xinyi, you mean now?"

Opening the bedroom door, Ruan Xinyi unbuttoned her shirt with one hand and replied, "Yeah, I’m at my place. Want to come?"

"Jiang Yun: Yes, yes, yes. Xinyi, do you need us to bring anything?"

"Ruan Xinyi: @Cheng Yue"

"Jiang Yun: Cheng Yue is right next to me; she’ll be coming too."

Ruan Xinyi quickly grabbed some homewear from the wardrobe and typed out, "Just bring some drinks. Call me when you arrive, and I’ll come down to get you."

Ruan Xinyi: [Location]

Jiang Yun replied with an OK emoji.

After changing into her home clothes, Ruan Xinyi took out the pot and ingredients for the hotpot, checked everything, and then went to the kitchen to prepare the food.

Most of the meat in the fridge had already been prepped by the housekeeper and was ready to use. The vegetables, however, needed to be handled by Ruan Xinyi herself.

After washing and peeling a potato, Ruan Xinyi picked up the knife and carefully sliced it.

Her knife skills were excellent. With each swift movement, the potato was cut into thin, evenly sized slices.

Following her roommates' preferences, Ruan Xinyi prepared a little of each vegetable—small portions but a variety of types.

The benefit of hotpot was its convenience, and soon Ruan Xinyi had everything ready.

She arranged the plates on the dining table just as her phone rang at the perfect moment.

Wiping her hands with a towel, Ruan Xinyi answered the call from Jiang Yun.

"Hey, Xinyi, we’re here."

"Okay, wait for me a few minutes, I’ll be right down." Saying this, Ruan Xinyi quickly turned off the boiling pot, stepped out of the room, and went downstairs.

To enter the apartment, one had to swipe a key card. Jiang Yun and Cheng Yue were stopped at the entrance, and when they saw Ruan Xinyi approaching, Jiang Yun waved her hand, "Xinyi, over here."

After letting them in, Ruan Xinyi looked at the large bag of food and drinks Cheng Yue was holding and said in surprise, "You two bought so much?"

"Not much, not much. Some of it is snacks for you." Jiang Yun half-leaned on Cheng Yue, saying with a sigh, "Xinyi, your place is really nice."

Ruan Xinyi led the way, "It’s okay. It’s just a bit closer to the company."

Jiang Yun lowered her voice, pretending to be mysterious, "Also, I feel like the people in this neighborhood are really good-looking. I saw a few beautiful girls in just a few minutes of standing there."

Ruan Xinyi chuckled, "Xiao Yun, you haven’t seen my boss. She’s the real beauty—perfectly embodying the phrase 'a fleeting glance that makes you fall for her forever.'"

"Is she as pretty as you, Xinyi?" Jiang Yun thought Ruan Xinyi was exaggerating.

Ruan Xinyi answered seriously, "She’s prettier than me."

Cheng Yue softly asked, "But didn’t you interview for the logistics department, Xinyi?"

"Ahem." Ruan Xinyi explained seriously, "I did interview for logistics, but then the HR asked me if I was interested in being an assistant manager. I was about to refuse, but when I saw my boss’s face…"

Jiang Yun’s lips twitched slightly, "Xinyi, now I believe you."

Cheng Yue: "..."

Back in the apartment, Ruan Xinyi reheated the pot and opened the balcony window to let the air circulate.

Soon, the scent of hotpot filled the air.

Jiang Yun took a deep breath, "It smells so good."

Ruan Xinyi smiled as she handed the bowls and chopsticks to Cheng Yue, teasing, "You’d better eat a lot."

"Of course, I will," Jiang Yun said as she pulled out a few bottles of drinks from the bag and raised an eyebrow, "What do you want to drink? Soft drink or milk beer?"

Ruan Xinyi pulled out a chair and sat down. “Anything is fine.”

Jiang Yun exchanged a glance with Cheng Yue, promptly opened a bottle of milk beer, and placed it in front of Ruan Xinyi. “Here, Xinyi, try this. It’s really good.”

Ruan Xinyi didn’t refuse but said helplessly, “Just one. I have work tomorrow.”

“Understood.” Jiang Yun then opened three more bottles of milk beer in quick succession and pushed them all toward Cheng Yue. “Cheng Yue, you’re free tomorrow, so have a few more.”

Cheng Yue: “???”

---

After putting in an extra hour to finish her tasks, Wen Xihan finally tidied up her things at a leisurely pace and prepared to head home.

By this time, the sky was dim, the rush hour had passed, and traffic on the road had significantly thinned out.

Wen Xihan parked her car in a designated spot, then stopped by the convenience store on the ground floor of her apartment building to pick up some food, intending to make do with it for dinner.

Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned. Just as she settled on the couch to eat her makeshift dinner, the enticing aroma of hot pot wafted into her living room, carried by the evening breeze from the balcony.

She paused while unwrapping her sandwich, swallowed hard, and even her stomach let out a few grumbles.

Another breeze swept through, and the rich hot pot aroma grew even more irresistible.

Lowering her gaze to the cold, dry sandwich in her hands, Wen Xihan stood up abruptly, marched to the balcony, and slammed the window shut—the source of the aroma.

Although the window was closed, the lingering scent of hot pot remained in the air, swirling faintly and growing more tempting with each passing moment.

Wen Xihan took a bite of her sandwich, then, feeling frustrated, grabbed her phone and sent a message to Qi Jingning: [I think my neighbor is eating hot pot.]

Qi Jingning: [Maybe her sponsor came over.]

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