Chapter 27

After the haunted house, Wei Xiaolu seemed to linger in the aftershock of that heartbeat, as if she’d been caught up in the bridge effect itself. Later, she kept thinking back to that long, intent gaze; it felt as if something had quietly taken root in the simple act of looking at each other.

But she also kept wondering: would a supervisor look at a subordinate like that?

If not, then maybe it had only been the civility of conversation, or a moment of admiration between women?

After all, that day she had shown the rare and excellent quality of “bravery.”

It had already been two days since she returned to work at the company. Occasionally, when Shen Siyan assigned her something, she couldn’t help looking into CEO Shen’s eyes, just to confirm that this was only normal interpersonal communication.

Shen Siyan always looked back at her, calm and serious.

“Xiaolu,” a stack of documents was placed on her desk, and then those eyes curved slightly as they met hers. “I need to trouble you to make a trip for me. Deliver these papers to Mao Qize.”

“Sure thing, CEO Shen.” Wei Xiaolu picked up the documents, but she was still looking at Shen Siyan.

Which meant that... she didn’t even remember to glance at what the documents were until after she’d left the minister’s office.

A joint restructuring plan for the Product Internet Department and the Network Operations Department.

“Huh?” She froze.

They were moving this fast?

Tao Wei had only just been fired for framing a coworker and falsifying data. Zeng Cui, too, had only just been transferred out of his core post for abusing his authority and undermining departmental cooperation. Could it be that the network department was full of retirees with no one left to take over for the minister, and that this had sped up the merger instead?

Whatever the reason, the final result was clear. Wei Xiaolu flipped through the document; the new department, the Network Product Operations Department, had “Shen Siyan” written right there in the person-in-charge column.

Oh my God.

Suddenly, her eyes burned, and she even felt a little thrilled.

With her exceptional ability, her methods, and a luck that couldn’t be ignored, Shen Siyan was about to see her status rise sharply among the new generation of leaders.

Thinking of that, Wei Xiaolu couldn’t help bouncing twice in place.

She kept reading. The rest of the file detailed the formation of special working groups and the rollout schedule for the departmental integration activities.

In the list of group members, Wei Xiaolu was startled to find her own name.

Though it was at the very end, for her that was already enormous recognition and encouragement. She just didn’t know whether it came from Shen Siyan’s promotion of her or from a separate decision by HR.

After quickly skimming the whole document, she went straight to Vice President Mao’s office and handed it over for review and signature.

Mao Qize was still serving as vice president. Confirming that his position hadn’t changed, he didn’t even look at the rest; he signed in one swift stroke and told Wei Xiaolu to send it to headquarters.

Headquarters moved extremely quickly. That very afternoon after Wei Xiaolu delivered the document, the notice of the departmental merger was issued. There were both happy and unhappy faces in the department, but overall the mood was still cheerful. After all, the scope of their own boss’s domain had expanded; at the very least, there was reason to celebrate.

“Congratulations, CEO Shen!” Ai Jin laughed as she led the applause.

“Now our department is really going to get famous.”

“CEO Shen, hand out the red envelopes!”

“Can we go sit on that sofa in the network department whenever we want now?”

Voices of congratulations circled from all sides, surrounding Shen Siyan at the center. Yet Shen Siyan, at the eye of the storm, didn’t look smug at all. She only smiled and said she would have to shoulder greater responsibility from now on, then handed out red envelopes and ordered milk tea for everyone.

Standing outside the crowd, Wei Xiaolu looked at the generous, relaxed Shen Siyan, surrounded by everyone; her heart felt warm, even happier than when she’d gotten full-time status herself.

She smiled too, sincerely. At that moment, she and Shen Siyan shared the honor.

However, just as her gaze casually swept to one side, she noticed something unusual.

A few coworkers, the moment they met her eyes, quickly looked away; there was a deliberate avoidance in their expressions.

And most irritating of all, those looks were mixed with scrutiny, curiosity, and a little hostility.

Wei Xiaolu even caught a hint of contempt in those eyes. But she had done nothing wrong to heaven above or earth below; why should anyone look down on her like this?

So she started wondering again whether she was being too sensitive.

But it wasn’t really strange that she was sensitive. She was only the very bottom of the company food chain, an intern, yet she had been personally mentored by Shen Siyan, taken on business trips by CEO Shen, and added to the special working group. However you looked at it, it was hard not to attract attention and jealousy.

Wei Xiaolu felt as if a few needles had punctured the balloon of her happiness; little by little, the air was leaking out.

Still, she tried to comfort herself: it was normal, normal. The taller the tree, the stronger the wind.

Besides, everyone was very civilized. At any rate, they wouldn’t be like that group of weirdos in the dormitory. If they found out how smoothly her internship was going, they’d probably be furious enough to drop dead.

Once the wave of congratulations passed, Wei Xiaolu returned to her office to work.

At one point she got thirsty. When she came out, she found there was no water on the Product Internet side, so she planned to go back to her old base in the network department to use their water dispenser. But just as she reached the door, she heard several coworkers inside laughing derisively. One voice said with some mockery, “...I saw it ages ago. She’s just a climber. Look at the way she flatters CEO Shen; it makes me sick.”

“But it does work,” another coworker said. “Otherwise, look at her. She’s only been here how long, and already she’s made it into the core working group?”

“Shh—stop talking, she’s here.”

The break room went silent at once.

Those coworkers, who had also come to get water because there wasn’t any, all put on easy smiles when they saw Wei Xiaolu. They chatted enthusiastically with her about future plans for moving the water barrels, as if the insinuations from just now hadn’t been aimed at her at all.

Carrying her water back to the office, Wei Xiaolu’s mood was very low. She even went online to look up how to adjust her mindset after being criticized by coworkers, but the effect was slight; until the end of the workday, she still hadn’t managed to pull herself together.

In the end, she couldn’t take it anymore and dragged Liu Jie, a coworker she usually got along fairly well with, into the stairwell.

After that dinner gathering, she had bought the potted plant Liu Jie recommended, and even asked her for advice several times about how to take care of it.

But Wei Xiaolu had misjudged things again. She had only unilaterally decided they were close. The moment Liu Jie saw how upset she was, she didn’t even want to talk. She tossed out a single “I’m in a hurry to pick up my kid” and shook her off before leaving.

Just then, Ai Jin happened to pass by.

“Xiaolu?” She walked closer. “What are you doing here?”

“Manager Ai.” Wei Xiaolu looked up; there was a trace of grievance and urgency barely held back in her voice. “Have you heard... anyone saying things about me behind my back?”

Ai Jin looked at her. Perhaps because she had been through something similar, her face showed a little sympathy and sadness.

But she still hesitated. It wasn’t until Wei Xiaolu’s eyes had begun to sting from the long silence that Ai Jin finally sighed. “Xiaolu, don’t take it to heart. It’s just... some of the technical team, Wang Chen and the others, have been spreading nonsense. They said you... they said you...”

Wang Chen?

Wei Xiaolu’s tears suddenly stopped.

“They said I what?” she asked.

“They said you... were a climber, that your standards are high and you look down on technical people, and that you only like... people who can help you climb higher.”

Wei Xiaolu: “...”

In an instant, all her hurt vanished.

If she were really angry, she would probably already be shaking all over.

But now she couldn’t even manage anger. She only thought it was disgusting. Wang Chen, someone like that, someone who twisted right and wrong so shamelessly, was despicable and vile; he wasn’t worth wasting even a shred of emotion on, including anger. Not worth it.

She only regretted not having chosen her words better back then. She should have added a few more qualifiers; she liked people “like CEO Shen”: professional, strong, resolute, and compassionate.

But whether she had or not probably wouldn’t have made any difference. Wang Chen would have heard it and still ignored her admiration for those beautiful qualities, reducing her to some wretched, vulgar sycophant chasing power.

“I understand,” Wei Xiaolu nodded. “Manager Ai, thank you for telling me.”

“Really, Xiaolu, don’t take it too much to heart. These kinds of rumors are unavoidable at work...” Ai Jin still tried to comfort her.

But Wei Xiaolu felt she no longer needed comforting. She thanked Ai Jin again, then turned and went back to the office.

Shen Siyan still had a little work left to finish, so Wei Xiaolu sat at her desk and waited for her.

Today was the first day of the departmental merger, and the handover work still hadn’t been completed. There was also the signing for the new outsourced smart finance and taxation project. Most of the people in the office still hadn’t left yet. In the noisy air, the crisp tapping of Shen Siyan’s keyboard and Wei Xiaolu’s somewhat scattered heartbeat were both swallowed up, one after another.

Finally, Shen Siyan shut down her computer, stood up, picked up her handbag, and then hooked the thin coat draped over the back of her chair onto her arm. She tipped her head toward Wei Xiaolu. “Let’s go.”

“Yes, CEO Shen.” Wei Xiaolu picked up her own bag, grabbed her sunscreen in one motion, and hurried after Shen Siyan.

Wei Xiaolu wanted to finish applying sunscreen before stepping out into the sun, so while walking she fumbled to put on her clothes. Shen Siyan noticed how awkward that was and naturally reached out to take the canvas bag from her hand.

So in return, when Shen Siyan put on her coat, she handed over the handbag she was holding.

This coat was a little different from Shen Siyan’s usual style. It didn’t have much structure, and once she’d put it on, she had to trouble Wei Xiaolu to smooth out the back for her.

The moment Wei Xiaolu raised her hand, someone happened to pass by beside them. The rumor about being a climber struck her nerves like a bolt of lightning.

Almost reflexively, Wei Xiaolu jerked her hand back and, with it, flung the handbag back to Shen Siyan. In a panicked, timid voice she said, “CEO Shen, maybe you should fix it yourself. We’re at the company... this isn’t appropriate.”

Shen Siyan’s movements froze.

She slowly turned around, her gaze lingering on Wei Xiaolu’s uneasy face for a moment.

After this brief stillness, she seemed to understand something. A faint smile brushed across her face.

“Not appropriate?” Shen Siyan softened her voice, with a hint of coaxing in it. “Then it would be appropriate if we weren’t at the company?”

“No.” Wei Xiaolu stiffened. “I-I just worry other people will misunderstand.”

“Misunderstand what?” Shen Siyan looked at her unhurriedly. Her eyes were clear and upright, as if she were truly discussing only a communication issue. “Misunderstand us...”

“Ah, th-that.” Wei Xiaolu could feel her face heating up.

She desperately wanted to cut off whatever Shen Siyan was about to say, but she didn’t dare bring up the rumor about herself. In the end, after circling through a brief silence between them, she returned to the starting point.

“Th-that, yes,” Wei Xiaolu said softly. “I’m just afraid people will misunderstand that I have ulterior motives toward you.”

After hearing that, Shen Siyan smiled. “I thought you were afraid they’d misunderstand that something was going on between us.”

Wei Xiaolu’s heart skipped a beat, and she almost bit her own tongue.

God. Was this what a straight woman was like?

Why did she talk with so little restraint? Other people repressed their desires and then released them; how was it that Shen Siyan seemed like she was repressing her sense of boundaries and had decided to release it on her instead?

Honestly, it was making her whole mindset go haywire.

So she simply shot back with an ordinary-sounding line: “Wow, if I could be misunderstood like that, it would basically be the high point of my career.”

Shen Siyan narrowed her eyes slightly.

Wei Xiaolu hurriedly added, “If I weren’t worried about affecting your work, I wouldn’t even want to clarify it.”