Chapter 9

"Ruan Xinyi, General Manager Wen said you should hand over the organized files to her before the afternoon shift at the latest," Zhou Xuan relayed Wen Xihan's exact words to Ruan Xinyi. She couldn't help but ask with concern, "Can you finish it in time? Do you need me to talk to General Manager Wen and ask for a little more time?"

Ruan Xinyi was a newcomer, and although Zhou Xuan wasn’t sure about her work capabilities, she still worried that she might not be able to complete the task assigned by Wen Xihan. After all, the timeline was quite tight.

Zhou Xuan wanted to help Ruan Xinyi, but she was powerless to do much. Besides, with one word from Wen Xihan, she was already silenced—no way would she dare say anything further.

"No need." Ruan Xinyi, who was casually playing with her phone while reclining in her chair, responded nonchalantly, as though she were talking about something trivial. "Sister Zhou, I’ve already finished."

"You're done already?" Zhou Xuan asked in surprise. "Ruan Xinyi, you're so fast!"

"It’s okay," Ruan Xinyi straightened up slightly, looking a bit troubled. "I just don’t know if it meets General Manager Wen's expectations. I’m worried she might send it back."

Ruan Xinyi had a strong feeling that Wen Xihan would send it back. After all, giving her such a task was probably just a way to keep Ruan Xinyi busy—perhaps a little petty revenge, nothing more.

However, the fact that the deadline was extended from before the afternoon shift, rather than being immediately after lunch, showed that Wen Xihan wasn’t as cold-hearted as Ruan Xinyi had imagined.

Thinking this, Ruan Xinyi instinctively rubbed her fingertips, as if she could still feel that sticky, slippery sensation...

Zhou Xuan, not entirely sure, said, "She probably won’t..."

Looking around, she quietly gestured with her fingers and leaned closer to Ruan Xinyi, lowering her voice. "General Manager Wen isn’t like that. She even transferred money to me earlier and asked me to use it to order afternoon tea for everyone in the office."

"She’s generous," Ruan Xinyi muttered under her breath, almost grudgingly.

She had to admit, Wen Xihan was generous. Otherwise, she wouldn’t casually dish out 600,000 yuan.

"Alright, I won’t talk about it anymore. I need to continue with my task." Zhou Xuan returned to her computer, but after a couple of seconds, she turned to Ruan Xinyi again. "Ruan Xinyi, how about this: I’ll transfer that money to you. Could you order 36 servings of afternoon tea around four?"

Including Wen Xihan, there were 36 people in the office on this floor.

"Sure." Ruan Xinyi agreed with a smile, then half-jokingly asked, "Sister Zhou, if there’s any money left over, should we return it to General Manager Wen?"

"Uh..." Zhou Xuan thought for a moment. "Try to spend it all, I guess."

"Alright."

Ruan Xinyi stroked her smooth chin, spent another half hour playing with her phone, and when she figured that Wen Xihan must have finished her meal, she stood up, grabbed the two stacks of files, and lightly knocked on Wen Xihan's office door with her slender fingers.

"Come in." Wen Xihan's cold voice came from inside.

Since her hands were occupied with the files, Ruan Xinyi used her shoulder to nudge the black door open, and with a swift movement, she slipped inside.

Upon hearing the door close, Wen Xihan looked up. Seeing Ruan Xinyi, she furrowed her brows and asked flatly, "Is there something you need?"

Ruan Xinyi placed the files on Wen Xihan's desk, raised her chin slightly, and smiled. "General Manager Wen, I’ve organized the files you asked for. As for the digital version, I’ve already sent it to you."

Wen Xihan stared at Ruan Xinyi for a few seconds, the light reflecting off her glasses, hiding the complexity in her eyes.

"Mm." Wen Xihan withdrew her gaze and returned to the documents on her screen, never even glancing at the two stacks of papers on her desk. Her voice remained as calm as ever, with no change in tone. "Is there anything else?"

Sensing the subtle dismissal in Wen Xihan’s words, Ruan Xinyi wasn’t offended. She glanced at the coffee cup beside the desk, unsure how much coffee it had in it, leaned her body forward with one hand resting on the table, and asked with a faint smile, "Sister, about the matter I mentioned before?"

Wen Xihan frowned. "What matter?"

Ruan Xinyi cleared her throat, her tone becoming a little more serious, tinged with anticipation. "Just about having a meal together. I want to return something to you."

"Ruan Xinyi." Wen Xihan looked at her with intense eyes, a deep, unreadable gaze. "This is my office."

"Heh~" Ruan Xinyi laughed dismissively, leaning forward a little more. "Sister, it’s after working hours now."

Sighing heavily, Wen Xihan’s gaze grew colder, though she didn’t move. When she spoke, her words created a distance between them. "Assistant Ruan."

"..." Ruan Xinyi froze, gripping her palms tightly. She forced a strained smile and asked nonchalantly, "Is there something you need, General Manager Wen?"

"If you’re so free, you can familiarize yourself more with the company’s roles and the tasks an assistant should be doing," Wen Xihan said coldly, her words carrying an unspoken complexity in her eyes.

"Alright, General Manager Wen," Ruan Xinyi forced a smile, her tone now subtly sarcastic. "Since you don’t need anything else, I’ll leave now."

Wen Xihan parted her lips slightly but stopped herself from speaking. She watched as Ruan Xinyi left without looking back. Only then did she remove her glasses and toss them onto the desk.

She rubbed her temples, exhaling slowly. Perhaps it was best to treat that night as a mistake, as if nothing had happened, as if she didn’t know anything...

Repositioning her glasses, Wen Xihan stared at the words on the screen but couldn’t focus on a single one.

When she first realized her assistant was Ruan Xinyi—yes, the same brash, shamelessly persistent woman from that ridiculous night—Wen Xihan felt an overwhelming urge to reject her outright.

Never mind that Ruan Xinyi was her little niece; they had also been involved in that absurd situation…

What puzzled Wen Xihan the most was how the once well-mannered, soft, and adorable "Ruan Ruan" had turned into this brazen and shameless version of herself!

---

After leaving Wen Xihan’s office, Ruan Xinyi headed straight to the pantry.

She retrieved a disposable cup from the glass cabinet, filled it with warm water at the dispenser, and then walked over to the floor-to-ceiling window. Holding her phone, she sipped the water absentmindedly, her expression both gloomy and distracted.

Ten minutes later, the cup was empty.

Clenching her fingers slightly, Ruan Xinyi crushed the paper cup, her face expressionless as she tossed it into the trash.

It seemed she had made up her mind about something. Ruan Xinyi sent a message to Qi Jingning: "Sister Ning, can you teach me how to pursue someone?"

Qi Jingning responded almost immediately, her shock evident: "You’re interested in someone?! Who? Male or female?"

Ruan Xinyi replied one by one: "Yes. Someone you don’t know. Female."

Qi Jingning sent back a series of exclamation marks: "Xinyi, are you serious?!"

Frowning slightly, Ruan Xinyi firmly replied: "Serious. I fell for her at first sight."

After a few minutes of silence, Qi Jingning finally replied: "Xinyi, are you certain about her?"

For some reason, Ruan Xinyi felt something odd about the question, but she still typed back: "Yes."

"Sister Ning, do you know something I don’t?"

Impressed by Ruan Xinyi’s sharp intuition, Qi Jingning could only deflect: "I just heard from Zhong Ke that you unusually ordered two ‘True Love’ drinks and then took a young lady to a hotel. I thought she was joking, but when I called to confirm, I almost ruined things for you…"

Deep down, Qi Jingning had her own biases when it came to both Wen Xihan and Ruan Xinyi.

She knew Wen Xihan well. Though she appeared approachable, Wen Xihan was, in reality, incredibly stubborn, emotionally distant, and rarely invested in others. Even becoming her friend had taken Qi Jingning a long time.

And now, with Fu Fangbai proposing to Wen Xihan, things were complicated. If Wen Xihan hadn’t been hesitant about Fu Fangbai, merely seeing him as a “suitable” marriage candidate, she probably wouldn’t have gone to the hotel with Ruan Xinyi that night.

As for Ruan Xinyi, Qi Jingning was conflicted. On one hand, she didn’t want her friend to get hurt. But on the other hand, knowing Ruan Xinyi’s character and sincerity, if she could make Wen Xihan happy, Qi Jingning was willing to help. But that all depended on Wen Xihan’s attitude.

For now, Qi Jingning decided to keep her connection to Wen Xihan a secret from Ruan Xinyi.

Ruan Xinyi: "…"

"Sister Ning, please help me out. I want to win her over. 🥺"

On the other end, Qi Jingning massaged her temples, feeling a headache coming on. She replied cryptically: "What do you think her attitude toward you is?"

"…" Ruan Xinyi cracked her knuckles audibly before responding indirectly: "Sister Ning, I added her as a friend today. Even though she’s cold to me, at least she didn’t block or delete me."

Qi Jingning frowned at the message. Ruan Xinyi quickly sent another: "Sister Ning, should I be more proactive? Should I try to win her over with persistence?"

Qi Jingning couldn’t bear to crush Ruan Xinyi’s confidence entirely and replied with ellipses: "Xinyi, you’re starting to act like a simp…"

Ruan Xinyi: "…"

"I don’t care if I’m a simp as long as I can win her over. I just love her~"

Seeing the coquettish tone and playful wave at the end, Qi Jingning felt like she had been hit by a truck. The mental image was unbearable.

Rubbing her face, Qi Jingning opened her chat with Wen Xihan, trying to gauge her feelings discreetly: "Xihan, how are things between you and Fu Fangbai lately?"

Wen Xihan seemed busy. After a while, she replied: "He asked me out for dinner this Saturday night."

"You said yes?" Qi Jingning asked.

"Yes."

Qi Jingning sucked in a sharp breath. A Saturday night dinner? Fu Fangbai’s intentions were as blatant as the sun.

Biting the tip of her tongue to stay grounded, Qi Jingning called Wen Xihan directly, her tone probing: “Xihan, have you really made up your mind?”

“Are you seriously going to say yes to him?”

Qi Jingning wasn’t just asking about Fu Fangbai’s proposal—she was hinting at Saturday night’s implications too.

After a long silence, Wen Xihan finally pressed her temples and said, “Aning... I don’t know.”  

------

<     |      Index     |     >