Its been said that the seven days of a week culminate in the ultimate happiness on Friday nights, but for the secretarial team at Fu Corporation, Friday is the most painful night because of the surge in workload. Staying up until ten oclock is nothing unusual.
Ji Yi is the new arrival. As soon as it hits seven, she promptly takes her notepad to the other senior staffs desks to ask what theyd like to eat, jotting down the orders for five people. She doesnt dare delay, grabbing her wallet and rushing downstairs to buy dinner. Carrying four takeout bags, Ji Yi leans against the elevator, exhaling deeply and daydreaming for a moment. Once she reaches the twenty-fourth floor, she quickly snaps back to reality, delivers the takeout to her colleagues, and returns to her desk. She whispers to Gu Nuan beside her, "Guess who I just saw?"
Before Ji Yi arrived, Gu Nuan was the newest member of the secretarial team. Within a month, the two quickly formed a supportive bond, now verging on a close friendship鈥攁t least, they share gossip.
Seeing Ji Yis mysterious expression, Gu Nuan immediately perks up, her previous fatigue dissipating as she presses for details, "What, what is it?"
Ji Yi first glances around to ensure the seniors are preoccupied with their meals and not paying attention. Only then does she lower her voice, "When I went to buy dinner, I saw Assistant Zhong. I saw him get into a car... um, it looked like the Bosss vehicle."
"Ah?!" Gu Nuan exclaims, then quickly covers her mouth upon receiving disapproving looks from her seniors. Once shes calmed down, she expresses her disbelief, "Did Boss come to the company? Then why didnt he come to the office?"
"I have no idea," Ji Yi says as she opens her takeout container. No matter how abundant and tempting the dishes look, eating them for a month straight has grown tiresome.
Gu Nuan clearly wants to continue gossiping but refrains, considering the seniors are still in the office. She thinks for a moment and says, "Are you going home today? I can give you a ride since were going the same way."
Ji Yis eyes light up, and she eagerly nods, "Yes, yes, yes."
After finding her job, Ji Yi stopped living at home, given the long commute to the office. Coupled with the morning bus and subway congestion, she spends nearly three hours each day traveling. Ji Yi grits her teeth and rents a place near the company鈥攁 single room of less than 300 square feet, with rent consuming a third of her monthly salary.
Every Friday, she looks forward to returning home to enjoy her mothers cooking. The neighborhood where Ji Yi lives is close to Gu Nuans, who also rents a place. Like Ji Yi, Gu Nuan goes home on Fridays, but she owns a car鈥攁 second-hand one, which Ji Yi sometimes envies. Shes determined to save up for a used car in the coming years.
Todays workload is lighter than usual, so the secretarial team leaves at nine. Gu Nuan and Ji Yi agree to grab a late-night snack. Sitting in a barbecue restaurant, they munch on grilled corn while exchanging the latest gossip. Since theyre not in the office, their conversation eventually turns to the bosss private life.
"Truthfully, when I first submitted my resume to Fu Corporation, I had some naive fantasies," Gu Nuan pulls out a tissue to wipe her mouth, her cheeks slightly flushed from embarrassment or the heat, "I wanted to see what Fu Shizhou was really like. Dont laugh at me; I was out of it, having read too many stories about domineering CEOs and their secretaries... Anyway, I had quite a few fantasies. Didnt you?"
Ji Yi cant help but chuckle. Shes naturally pretty, and her smile is endearing, "I dont like reading novels, so I dont have those fantasies. But speaking of resumes, I just randomly applied to many places. I didnt expect to end up at Fu Corporation by accident."
Gu Nuan nods in agreement, "I was also just applying randomly. When I got the interview notice, I thought Id been scammed. Hey, hey, hey! How did the topic get derailed? Keep going, keep going. I only met Mr. Fu after about half a month of working. He was stunningly handsome. My girlish heart was pounding, but after a month, my girlish heart turned to glass, completely shattered!"
Ji Yi has only been here for a month and has only seen Fu Shizhou twice, without even speaking to him. Shes heard some rumors about him but hasnt paid much attention.
Hearing Gu Nuans account, Ji Yi cant help but ask, "What happened? Ive noticed our seniors seem quite intimidated by Mr. Fu."
"Yep," Gu Nuan clasps her hands together, her expression grave, "That period was when Mr. Fu was in his worst mood of the year. I made a mistake, and he didnt scold me or even speak to me. He just gave me one look, and I thought, this man is so intimidating that I shouldnt even dare to covet him."
"Right, Mr. Fu doesnt seem to have many expressions," Ji Yi nods, putting it mildly. Their Mr. Fu is like a walking cold front; even a brief eye contact makes ones heart race, and one tries to minimize their presence, hoping he doesnt notice them.
Well, when put that way, Mr. Fu seems like a teacher who randomly calls on students during class.
"Mr. Fu always leaves for two months every year. At first, I thought he was traveling the world, but later I heard from Nancy in the finance department that he goes to his ex-girlfriends hometown," Gu Nuan sighs, "Its supposed to be a small town in Jiangnan. Every time he comes back, hes in a terrible mood, and the whole Fu Corporation is shrouded in a cold atmosphere. You see how assertive the finance manager usually is? During that time, he has to tread carefully."
Ji Yi pauses and says, "Ive heard some things before. Its said that Mr. Fus ex-girlfriend passed away five years ago, right?"
"I was just chatting with Nancy on WeChat yesterday. Shes been at Fu Corporation for almost three years and knows pretty much everything. She told me that the rumors about Mr. Fu being gay are completely baseless. Back then, Mr. Fu had a falling out with his family and left for a while, supposedly in W City. He was just in his early twenties, penniless, when he met his ex-girlfriend. Nancy says Mr. Fu truly loved her," Gu Nuan props her chin with one hand, talking while eating grilled eggplant.
Ji Yi doesnt feel much upon hearing this, as if shes listening to a story from a book.
"Later, Mr. Fu came back, bringing his girlfriend with him. It seems some things happened in between, but Nancy isnt very clear about them. Not long after, his girlfriend was in a car accident and died instantly, without a chance to be saved. Its said that Mr. Fu decided not to marry because of this. Look at Mr. Fus conditions; he could have any woman he wanted. But for five years, hes been alone... Actually, thinking about it, Mr. Fu is quite devoted."
After Gu Nuan finishes speaking and sees Ji Yis lack of reaction, she pushes her, "Arent you moved at all?"
Ji Yi tucks her hair behind her ear, shakes her head, and softly laughs, "Were not the protagonists; theres nothing to be moved about."
Gu Nuan thinks about it and agrees, then cups her face and says, "Actually, many people are speculating about what really happened. Its said that Mr. Fus family tried to arrange blind dates for him. You know, his girlfriend was an orphan with no family background. A family like the Fus wouldnt agree, right? But some also say that Mr. Fu was young and impulsive back then, and he did some bad things. The two seemed to have conflicts."
"Doesnt this count as only realizing the value after losing it?" Ji Yi chuckles, "If thats the case, I dont think theres anything to be moved about."
"You cant say that. According to the old-timers at Fu Corporation, Mr. Fu has changed a lot over the years. Even his own mother dares not interfere with him. He says he wont marry, and he wont. For five years, hes been guarding someone whos already dead. Thinking about it, he must be quite (painful) too." Hearing Gu Nuan say this, Ji Yi feels like laughing