Chapter 36

According to the contract she’d signed when she joined the company, Wei Xiaolu only had five days left before her internship ended.

After getting in touch with the other intern in the finance office at headquarters, Wei Xiaolu’s confidence only grew. That girl came from some extremely mediocre foreign university and didn’t even plan to keep putting on a performance; the moment her internship was up, she was going to run.

But until the very last moment, there was always that lingering uncertainty. Before submitting her internship evaluation form, Wei Xiaolu still had to sweat blood and pay with her youth. She hadn’t rested at all this weekend and had stayed with Qian Longyue to work on part of the development for the Xingdun system.

After all that effort, the final moment had finally arrived!

Wei Xiaolu took the evaluation form from the printer, with her basic information already filled in, and excitedly went over to Shen Siyan.

She placed the materials on Shen Siyan’s desk and piled on every bit of obsequious flattery she could muster.

“Beautiful lady, our intern evaluation also needs a department review filled out.”

“I’ll write it for you in a bit.”

Shen Siyan tapped the desk, signaling for her to leave it there.

After setting the form down, Wei Xiaolu suddenly felt a little uneasy, but the working group was about to gather for a discussion, so she had no choice but to go back and get busy first.

This time they were mainly discussing which parts of each product should be integrated, and that went much more smoothly than the initial system selection. After all, which functions worked well was plain for everyone to see, and even Chen Yuran, who usually took the opposite side, raised no objections this time and helped finalize the integration plan.

When the discussion ended, Wei Xiaolu returned to the department head’s office. A glance at Shen Siyan’s desk told her the internship evaluation form was already gone, and her heart suddenly clenched.

Shen Siyan was talking with the technical team, so Wei Xiaolu quietly returned to her seat and also saw the form laid out on her desk.

Swallowing, she held her breath and started reading.

By the second line, she was already unable to hold back a smile.

This really hadn’t been for nothing; the good relationship she’d built with Shen Siyan had paid off. The evaluation far exceeded her expectations. The wording was sincere, with praise overflowing between the lines.

And Shen Siyan wasn’t praising her in some empty, generic way. Every point could be matched with a specific incident.

What had been described as sharp insight was her noticing the bottleneck in the log system; what had been called strong responsibility was her taking on the data work for Morning Light Logs; even the miscellaneous support tasks she’d done around the department had been turned into evidence of team spirit. In short, under this evaluation, Wei Xiaolu had already been promoted into the ranks of an outstanding employee.

This was Shen Siyan’s recognition of her abilities.

It was also the most rewarding moment of her entire internship.

Wei Xiaolu read it several more times. Only after the technical team left did she finally get a chance to speak to Shen Siyan.

“CEO Shen, thank you for your evaluation.”

“I’m just telling the truth,” Shen Siyan said with a smile. “Get the signatures and stamp from headquarters while it’s still before quitting time.”

“Got it.” Wei Xiaolu stood up, hugging the evaluation form. “Then, CEO Shen, after I get it stamped…”

“No need to come back,” Shen Siyan said with a smile. “Just go straight back to the apartment.”

What an absolute dream of a boss.

Wei Xiaolu let out a ferocious burst of manic laughter in her head. She suddenly wanted to compose a poem about these two months of internship experience. Just as she pushed open the department door and was about to say something, she noticed Chen Yuran hurriedly forcing out a quick, “I’ll hang up first.”

The phone in her right hand dropped from beside her ear, and just like Chen Yuran herself at that moment, her whole presence visibly sank.

“Sister Chen.” Wei Xiaolu greeted her.

“Ah,” Chen Yuran said with a tired smile. “Xiaolu, heading out?”

“Mm.” Wei Xiaolu shook the materials in her hand. “Going to headquarters to get a stamp.”

“How are you getting there?” Chen Yuran asked.

“I’m taking the bus,” Wei Xiaolu said, and since she could tell the other woman wasn’t in a good mood, she added, “Is there anything Sister Chen needs help with?”

At first Chen Yuran said no, but then she seemed to remember something and gave an apologetic smile. “I’ve got some materials that need to be handed in to headquarters. Could you take them along with you?”

“Of course.” Wei Xiaolu took it on immediately.

She hadn’t expected the materials Chen Yuran wanted to turn in to be a report about project integration. Once she was on the bus, Wei Xiaolu opened it and took a look. It fit the current situation perfectly; even the various visualized presentations were supplemental additions beyond the scope of the job.

She’d assumed that since Chen Yuran was Chen Dongqi’s trusted aide, she might do something detrimental to the department in all this.

But if something was entrusted to another person’s hands with confidence, it probably wouldn’t be easy to pull any tricks out in the open either.

In truth, Shen Siyan had really been quite tolerant toward Chen Yuran. The company did not allow employees to build their own little fiefdoms outside it.

And Chen Yuran had her own technical service company on the side. In a case like that, if they wanted to clear her out, they could do it in one motion. But Chen Yuran’s professionalism was unimpeachable, and that was one reason Shen Siyan had hesitated and not taken action.

However, Wei Xiaolu didn’t quite understand that.

She could understand Shen Siyan’s starting point of valuing an employee’s competence, but she couldn’t make sense of leaving a hidden danger in place without dealing with it.

Especially when that hidden danger was Chen Yuran, the kind of two-faced person who was skilled at putting on a mask.

But after this period of time spent together, Wei Xiaolu had already formed a firm doctrine that Shen Siyan was always right. She believed Shen Siyan must have her reasons for doing things this way.

When she arrived at headquarters, she first met up with the other intern in the finance office. The girl had far too much of a student air about her; she looked silly and innocent, with none of the wear and tear that came from society.

They’d joined at the same time and stood at the same starting line, but after the internship, the gap between them was obvious at a glance. Wei Xiaolu could feel her own progress and couldn’t help but develop a subtle sense of pride.

But people really shouldn’t get carried away. The moment she got smug, by the time she reached Director Duan’s office, her brain glitched and she called him Director Gu.

Director Duan took her evaluation form and gave her a few lines of official-sounding politeness. “My surname is Duan.”

“I’m sorry, Director Duan.” Wei Xiaolu’s mood crashed straight to the bottom. “I was so excited to turn in my internship evaluation that my brain got so happy it stopped listening to me. I even mixed up your surname.”

“It’s fine.” Director Duan waved a hand.

After the signature and stamp process was finished, Wei Xiaolu, now holding her internship certificate, was practically ready to bounce off the ground.

On the way back, she bought a lot of snacks. Once home, she ate a few bags first. After satisfying her cravings, she suddenly thought of something.

—Even though the final result on whether she’d be retained still hadn’t come out and she had to wait for notice, now that she already had the internship certificate in hand, should she invite Shen Siyan to a meal as thanks?

There was no denying that Shen Siyan had truly helped her a great deal all the way through, both at work and in life. This older sister, more than five years older than her, had guided her through so much.

Professionally, she should ask. Personally, she wanted to ask too.

So Wei Xiaolu immediately pulled out her phone and sent a message.

[Wei Xiaolu: Beautiful lady, I’ve finished all the internship procedures. I’d like to treat you to dinner tonight, if you have time. I’ll wait for you to come back~]

[Shen Siyan: Congratulations, little sister. I’m happy for you]

[Shen Siyan: I’ll keep your invitation in mind. Let’s talk about it after you get your first paycheck. For tonight, eat at home. I’ll cook]

“Ah? Can you even do that?” Wei Xiaolu lay on the sofa, swinging her legs as she secretly laughed a few times.

[Wei Xiaolu: Then I’ll go buy groceries! CEO Shen, what ingredients do you need?]

Not long after, Shen Siyan sent her a list of ingredients.

“Xiaolu is the action type; said and done,” Wei Xiaolu muttered. She tore off a strip of paper, wiped the snack crumbs from her fingers, grabbed a big bag to carry the groceries in, and set off for the supermarket.

After buying everything, she tidied the fridge a bit to make room for fruit and vegetables. She was almost done when Shen Siyan came home.

“CEO Shen, you’re back.” Wei Xiaolu slammed the fridge shut with a bang and went to greet her at the door.

“I’m back.” Shen Siyan hung her bag at the entryway, then turned and produced a pot of round, coin-shaped water plants from behind her back. “For you.”

Wei Xiaolu’s smile froze.

If it were a cup of milk tea or a slice of cake, she might still be able to twist it into a reward from a superior to a subordinate; but a plant, something living, was that really the kind of gift their relationship should have?

“The one on your desk is hard to keep alive, and it looked a bit withered to me,” Shen Siyan said calmly. “Try raising this one instead.”

Wei Xiaolu took it. It fit perfectly in both hands, just the right size.

A potted plant on her desk that had been noticed; care that had been stepped into; expectations that had gone beyond what she’d imagined. So many emotions surged up at once, and the plant in her hands seemed like the perfect vessel for all of them. Looking at the tiny round leaves, Wei Xiaolu silently vowed that she would definitely take care of this pot well, until it grew lush and full.

“Thank you, Sister,” Wei Xiaolu said, looking up. “It’s so cute. I really like it.”

“That’s the point; I want you to like it.” Shen Siyan took off her coat, rolled up her sleeves, and tossed her a smile. “This isn’t a farewell gift, though. Even if today is your nominal last day of internship.”

Wei Xiaolu hugged her little coin plants and followed after Shen Siyan into the kitchen.

“So if it’s not a farewell gift,” she rolled her eyes, “then is it a gift for staying?”

Shen Siyan laughed openly. “That’s right.”

Suddenly a little embarrassed, Wei Xiaolu curled her toes inside her slippers and said, “Then, then it still has to wait until I really get kept on before it counts as staying.”

“Then it’s more than just a gift.” Shen Siyan leaned against the sink and looked at her. “We’ll have to hold a formal onboarding ceremony for you too, to welcome Wei Xiaolu as a full-fledged member of the company.”

Just imagining it made Wei Xiaolu grin so hard her face practically bloomed. “Will I still stay in our department then?”

“Later on there’ll be rotation through each department. We’ll see where you fit best, or where you’re needed most, and arrange things from there.” Shen Siyan said.

“Oh…” Wei Xiaolu stopped smiling again. “I thought I’d be able to keep following you.”

Just then Shen Siyan turned on the tap, and the rushing water covered up what Wei Xiaolu had said.

The tomatoes being rinsed were the only thing with a sound, and it wasn’t until the faucet was turned off and the gathered stream became a drip, drip, drip falling from the red skin into the sink that she finally heard Shen Siyan’s reply.

“By then,” Shen Siyan said, pausing for a few seconds before finishing gently, “we shouldn’t be coworkers anymore.”

A chill ran through Wei Xiaolu.

Some fallen hopes landed on the pot of coin plants in her arms, and her heavy breathing made them sway faintly.

“You don’t want me to stay in the network product operations department?” Wei Xiaolu heard her own voice come out stiff, word by word.

Shen Siyan put down the tomato and turned around. Her hand, still wet with droplets, lifted slightly, then fell back again.

Her gaze was steady, yet still warm as it settled on Wei Xiaolu.

Wei Xiaolu was a little hurt, but she still looked back at her bravely.

“Yes,” Shen Siyan said with a smile.

Wei Xiaolu didn’t understand. She tightened her arms around the plant, her lips pressing into a wronged little pout. “Then why…”

Shen Siyan watched her without blinking. “Precisely because I want it too much, I can’t keep being your coworker.”

TL Note:

extremely mediocre foreign university (很水) = slang for a low-quality, academically weak school

two-faced person (两面三刀派) = someone who acts one way to your face and another behind your back