Chapter 42 (Bonus Chapter) He was sexually frigid. ...

Because he had been drinking, Shen Mengqing washed up and went to bed early after returning home, and fell asleep soon after.

The next day, when she stepped into the office, she noticed that everyone's gaze towards her had changed. From the door to her workstation, she became the center of attention.

A male colleague who didn't know her well slowly moved over, leaned against the edge of her desk, and said with a smile, "Good morning. I heard you've taken over as General Manager Yu's secretary?"

Shen Mengqing replied, "Mm."

"Didn't you resign?" the male colleague asked, puzzled.

Shen Mengqing took out her laptop without looking up and said, "There's no company rule against returning to the workforce, right?"

Her male colleague seemed unable to understand her evasive answer and pressed further, "I heard from them that it was General Manager Yu who specifically requested your signature?"

Shen Mengqing really didn't want to deal with it anymore. She turned her chair around, stared at her colleague, and said, "So what if it is? Since you like to spread rumors, does it even matter what I say?"

The male colleague pursed his lips and muttered under his breath as he walked back, "If you don't want to say it, then don't say it. What's so great about it?"

Shen Mengqing's attitude deterred many people who wanted to ask about gossip, and they all turned to discussing it in private.

Around nine o'clock, Liang Jun and Zhang Tu walked in together. Shen Mengqing looked up from behind the computer screen and saw that both of them looked terrible.

She smiled broadly, but before she could even enjoy it for a second, her smile vanished instantly upon seeing the message that popped up on the screen.

The boss, a sycophant: "Come to my office and organize the documents."

Evil capitalists.

Shen Mengqing slammed the laptop shut, tucked it under her arm, and left the office.

Standing in the elevator, watching the numbers on the display screen climb rapidly, she thought to herself that since the sales department's business was all finished, she might as well tell Li Fan to move to the board office as soon as possible.

Although she wasn't used to working with Yu Xin yet and felt a little uncomfortable, it was still better than staying in the sales department where everyone was hypocritical.

The door to the chairman's office was open. Shen Mengqing knocked gently, and only went in after receiving a response from inside.

Yu Xin was processing emails on his computer, his eyes focused on the screen. He said, "The documents on the table are all customer information from the cabinet. I looked at them today, and they're very disorganized. Could you reorganize them?"

Shen Mengqing looked at the thick stack of papers in the middle of the sofa and squeezed out two words through gritted teeth: "Okay."

She picked up the documents and said, "Where am I going to organize this?"

Yu Xin stopped typing, looked at her and said, "Right here."

"These papers weigh several kilograms. If you want to get some exercise by carrying them up and down, I don't mind," he said casually.

Shen Mengqing ignored his sarcastic remarks, sat down on the sofa, and buried herself in organizing the documents.

After she gradually got the hang of it, she understood why Yu Xin had entrusted this task to her. The sales department was naturally the most familiar with the clients, so it was indeed the most suitable person for her to do this.

Shen Mengqing always strives for perfection in her work. After efficiently organizing the materials at hand, she neatly arranged them in the cabinet and labeled them.

Once everything was completely finished, she patted the scraps of paper off her hands and put on a standard professional smile: "Mr. Yu, it's all tidied up."

Upon hearing this, Yu Xin raised her wrist and glanced at her watch: "Hmm, it's about time."

Shen Mengqing looked at him, puzzled.

Yu Xin stood up from the chair, then pushed it under the table and said, "Let's go have lunch."

"?"

Shen Mengqing blinked; it seemed she hadn't agreed to have dinner with him.

Yu Xin walked to the door and saw that Shen Mengqing had not followed yet. He leaned his tall figure against the door frame and said, "What? It's only the second day, and Secretary Shen is already going on strike? I was originally planning to make up for half a month's salary for you. If Secretary Shen doesn't want to work anymore, she can give me the notice as soon as possible."

"Of course not." Shen Mengqing smiled and walked over, pushing Yu Xin out the door and closing it behind him. "I was just waiting for Chairman Yu to leave first, so I closed the door for you."

He speaks with barbs and veiled barbs, and she even speaks like a dog to a dog.

The cafeteria was on the tenth floor. It was lunchtime, and as soon as the two of them got off the elevator a few floors, several groups of people kept coming in.

Originally, Shen Mengqing and Yu Xin were standing in two corners, each guarding their own side. Unexpectedly, Yu Xin put on a considerate act in front of the employees, making room for them. Somehow, they gradually squeezed in front of her.

Shen Mengqing could no longer lean loosely against the wall, so she had to stand up straighter, her back against the corner of the wall. In front of her was Yu Xin's broad back. The air in the elevator became thin and hot. She unconsciously took a deep breath and swallowed, trying to moisten her parched throat.

When they reached the tenth floor, the other employees spontaneously stepped aside to make way for Yu Xin so he could go first.

Yu Xin walked out a few steps, then suddenly turned to look at Shen Mengqing and said in a deep voice, "Why aren't you coming over?"

Shen Mengqing once again felt the pressure of gazes from all directions, mixed with some ambiguous probing.

She put on a polite smile, walked a few steps to Yu Xin, raised her right hand, and said in a tone similar to that of a customer service representative, "Mr. Yu, please."

He presented himself as an impeccable subordinate, considerate yet cold.

When Shen Mengqing walked to stand next to him, Yu Xin said in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Is this the kind of persona you have at the company?"

Despite the large number of people around, Shen Mengqing maintained a smile, saying, "This is what I should do as a secretary."

“Besides, it’s clearly you who’s been too high-profile,” she said.

"Can't the higher-ups eat in the cafeteria?" Yu Xin asked without looking away.

That's not what I meant.

Yu Xin snorted and exhaled through her nose: "The boss and secretary can't eat together? I've never seen a secretary so guilty."

Shen Mengqing straightened her chest and raised her head: "President Yu is joking. I have nothing to hide. I just don't want to affect you or cause unnecessary misunderstandings among my colleagues."

Yu Xin didn't say anything more. They followed the crowd and lined up to get their food. In the crowd, Shen Mengqing walked ahead of Yu Xin. She simply picked out two meat dishes and one vegetable dish. When she paid, a hand reached out from behind her and swiped her card for her.

Shen Mengqing turned around and looked at Yu Xin, who raised an eyebrow and said, "First time in the cafeteria, just trying out the card-swiping experience."

There were many people waiting behind him, so Shen Mengqing didn't argue with him and found a seat nearby with her tray.

She had just sat down when, out of the corner of her eye, Jiang Yu sat down next to her, holding a bowl of noodles and cooking: "Why didn't you ask me to eat with you in the cafeteria?"

"I……"

Shen Mengqing had just put a mouthful of rice in her mouth when she almost choked. Before she could catch her breath, Yu Xin sat down opposite her.

He nodded to Jiang Yu as a greeting. Jiang Yu hadn't even picked up her chopsticks yet, feeling that the atmosphere at the table was making her lose her appetite. She picked up her plate, intending to move to another spot, when Shen Mengqing grabbed her clothes tightly from under the table.

Shen Mengqing's gaze seemed to carry a smile, but Jiang Yu could tell that she was implying that she would be dead if she dared to leave.

Jiang Yu picked up her chopsticks and began to eat without tasting anything.

Yu Xin had only taken a few bites when he asked Jiang Yu, "I heard that the media department's data operations have been going quite well lately?"

Jiang Yu swallowed the food she hadn't chewed properly: "Yes, it's almost doubled compared to last month."

After that, Yu Xin would often ask Jiang Yu about the recent work of the media department. Jiang Yu would answer while eating, and she strongly suspected that Yu Xin was retaliating against her for disturbing their "private time".

Shen Mengqing, on the other hand, ate with great relish, finally no longer having to face Yu Xin alone.

...

In the afternoon, after sending out the last handover document, Shen Mengqing got up from her workstation to talk to Li Fan about moving offices.

She found the HR office, but Li Fan was still busy. The other HR staff led her to an empty meeting room to wait and prepared to pour her a glass of water. Shen Mengqing didn't want to just sit there, so she followed the HR staff into the break room.

The personnel office's tea room was much more abundant than those in other offices. The shelves were filled with all kinds of fruit and herbal tea bags, dried goods and snacks, and a wide variety of coffees. Shen Mengqing took a latte and put it in a cup to brew.

The HR person glanced around to make sure no one was watching, then leaned closer in and whispered, "Secretary Shen, how does it feel to work alongside President Yu?"

No matter what, this person was an HR person, so Shen Mengqing didn't dare to say a bad word about Yu Xin. She smiled faintly and said, "It's fine."

"Really?" The HR was a little skeptical and muttered, "When I first saw him, I was amazed. I thought it wouldn't be so hard to work with such a handsome chairman. But after getting to know him a few times, I always felt that he was too aloof. Anyway, I think he's not easy to get along with."

Shen Mengqing said frankly, "That may be his personality, but at work, he won't criticize people without reason."

The HR nodded: "You're right."

She nudged Shen Mengqing on the shoulder and teased her, "You've only been his secretary for a few days, and you're already speaking up for him. Have you been captivated by his good looks?"

Shen Mengqing took a sip of coffee and chuckled twice; she was swayed by the money.

The HR person standing next to her thought more and more: these two, the boss and his secretary, are a handsome man and a beautiful woman, and they spend every day together. Could they really have fallen for each other?

She suddenly asked, "Secretary Shen, are you single?"

“Yes.” Shen Mengqing looked at her. “What’s wrong? Now it’s not enough for employees to know whether they are married or not, they need to know in detail whether they are single or not?”

The HR was amused by her and waved her hand, saying, "No, I heard that President Yu treated you to lunch at the cafeteria?"

“And Jiang Yu from the Media Department,” Shen Mengqing corrected.

The HR person quietly took a few steps closer to her: "I heard that it was President Yu who personally signed you up to be his secretary?"

Shen Mengqing smiled and asked, "How exactly did this story get out?"

The HR representative said, "It wasn't our manager, Mr. Li, who said it; it was spread from your department."

Shen Mengqing pondered for a moment, guessing that Zhang Tu had said it. Liang Jun and Zhang Tu were the fastest to get this kind of information in the sales department. Even if Liang Jun was outrageous, he wouldn't go so far as a leader to spread such gossip among his colleagues, but Zhang Tu might be different; he would definitely bring her up in casual conversation.

“Whether it is or not, President Yu has his own considerations. The shareholders and Manager Li have seen my resume, and you are all familiar with my work file. If I am not competent, others will naturally object.” Shen Mengqing said seriously.

HR: "No, no, no, I'm not questioning your ability to be a secretary, what I mean is..."

"Do you think there's a possibility that Mr. Yu likes you?" the HR asked excitedly.

In fact, Shen Mengqing had long anticipated such gossip in the company, and she had even overheard a few words, whether they were mocking her or gossiping about her relationship with Yu Xin.

She and Yu Xin were both young and good-looking. Because of their work, they were bound together, which inevitably led to some malicious speculation, not to mention the slightly special relationship between a boss and his secretary.

But Shen Mengqing really disliked this kind of behavior of taking pleasure in gossiping about others and satisfying one's own gossipy nature. Most of the time, the malicious intent in these conversations was directed at women, as if women were not independent individuals at all, but just appendages clinging to men, and their own shining qualities were completely ignored.

She can't silence everyone, but she can stifle one person at a time.

"No." Shen Mengqing stirred her coffee.

Seeing her so certain, the HR person asked, puzzled, "Why?"

Shen Mengqing casually made up a story: "He is sexually frigid."

Just then, a soft laugh came from the doorway.

Shen Mengqing turned around and saw Yu Xin standing by the door, his suit jacket buttons tightly fastened, and the edges of his glasses reflecting a silver light.

"Manager Li is done with your work, you can go in now."

"Secretary Shen."

Shen Mengqing sensed that Yu Xin was particularly gritted-teeth when he shouted out the last three words.

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Author's Note: Bonus chapter today! (Although the dwindling manuscript reserves are resisting...)

Xinzi: Who is spreading rumors?