twenty two

On the way back, Zhang Xinjie carefully reviewed the contract. The clauses were logically sound, and the core provisions regarding the amount, rights, and obligations were clear and accurate.

Even when sick, they can still be meticulous.

Without making any changes, Zhang Xinjie clicked "Approved".

The journey wasn't long, and we arrived at the hotel quickly.

Just as Zhang Xinjie was passing by the front desk and about to take the elevator, he glanced casually at the open-air rest area in the back and saw Chen Ning wrapped in a coat, wearing headphones, resting with her eyes closed against the back of her chair in the damp summer rain. On the round table in front of her were her work computer and tablet.

Zhang Xinjie walked over slowly and saw a computer screen filled with reports of numbers, and a tablet next to it with her own notes.

Without calling her, Zhang Xinjie gently pulled out a chair opposite her and sat down, quietly watching her.

Zhang Xinjie then thought of the contract he had just approved on the way.

To save the significant time and effort involved in rejections, revisions, and resubmissions during the process, it's generally advisable to finalize the draft before proceeding with the process.

When did she start getting into the habit of submitting documents directly to the system for approval, instead of confirming the content in advance?

Zhang Xinjie closed her eyes and pondered, seemingly from the time she began to steadily pass through the manuscript once.

Many full-time administrative copywriters cannot even get a draft approved in one go.

After more than a month of study, Shen Ning understood Tyranny's writing style, as well as the habits and content preferences of Captain Han and herself as the chief reviewer.

Without putting in the effort and dedication to research, even if she were truly gifted, she could never have done this well.

These skills are the result of her tireless efforts behind the scenes, unseen by others.

Just like now.

The person in front of me is beautiful, hardworking, intelligent, quick-witted, brave, decisive, empathetic, and worldly-wise without being cynical.

Every beautiful word can be used to describe her.

She is a perfect person without any flaws.

Zhang Xinjie finally understood why Shen Ning resisted any interference that tried to stop her.

Suddenly, Shen Ning opened her eyes.

Their eyes met, and for a moment both of them were caught off guard.

Shen Ning quickly took off her headphones, slightly apologetic: "Sorry, I was listening to music and didn't notice you were here."

"It's nothing, I just arrived. Is it soft music?"

Shen Ning gently shook her head: "It's rock, Adam Lambert's 'Runnin'." She looked behind her, not seeing anyone else: "Didn't you go to the dinner party?"

"The captain and the others went, I came back first. Has the fever gone down?"

“Yes, it’s gone.” Shen Ning was afraid that Zhang Xinjie wouldn’t believe her and would think that she had a fever and still went out to get some fresh air, so she immediately added, “It really is gone. I took another test before I came out, and I just wanted some fresh air. I’ve been lying in the room for two days and it was too stuffy.”

Her elaborate explanation made Zhang Xinjie sense some kind of fear she had of him, and he felt a little bitter. He simply replied, "It's fine if you cancel."

After saying that, he pushed the room key and drinks over.

"Keep your room key safe. This is a blend of apple and pear juice that I brought for you."

"Juice?" Shen Ning was a little surprised. She remembered that she had asked Zhang Xinjie to bring milk tea.

Zhang Xinjie hesitated briefly, but ultimately did not change his usual way of speaking: "Milk tea contains high sugar and caffeine, so it is not suitable to drink while you have a fever. The juice was also diluted with water by the staff."

He could imagine and was prepared to accept the pent-up discontent, whether it was silent or as intense as yesterday.

But Chen Ning smiled, picked up the straw, poked open the lid, and drank naturally.

"It's not that sweet."

She commented, saying it wasn't sweet, but still had a very sweet smile on her face.

Zhang Xinjie didn't understand and bluntly said, "You didn't react this way yesterday."

Chen Ning raised her eyes and said, "You still say you don't hold grudges?"

"It has nothing to do with holding a grudge."

"Just pretend I was delirious from a fever yesterday."

"Yes, girls experience significant mood swings when they are sick."

"..."

What a petty, vengeful person!

Chen Ning's tone turned sarcastic: "You seem to know a lot about girls, huh?"

"That's what the captain said."

"The captain and his wife are a couple, how can that be the same?"

As soon as the words were spoken, Zhang Xinjie fell silent, and Shen Ning also fell silent. The two looked at each other, as if trying to read something from each other's eyes.

Neither of them avoided the other's gaze, and suddenly they spoke at the same time as if by telepathy.

"you……"

"I……"

The two were slightly taken aback again, and Zhang Xinjie spoke first: "You go first."

He nodded thoughtfully, twirling the juice glass in his hand, and said with his head down, "I smiled because I felt that you shouldn't be disappointed in me."

Why would you think that?

“You treat someone very well, but that person is resistant and annoyed. Most people would feel disappointed and give up, right? But you didn’t.”

"You're not someone who cares about what others think."

"Yes, but... it's still different."

Zhang Xinjie didn't press for details about what this "difference" was. Shen Ning seemed to sense that he was avoiding the question, and helplessly smiled as he changed the subject.

"What were you trying to say?"

Zhang Xinjie pulled his thoughts back: "Have you been under a lot of pressure lately?"

"Pressure? No, not at all."

“But you’re always in a rush, I mean at work, like someone’s chasing you. We talked about it in the car the day before yesterday, and about the contract today too. The team leader also said, ‘What’s the rush?’”

Shen Ning quickly explained, "I only got it done after my fever subsided, really."

"I believe you, but that doesn't affect my judgment of you just now, do you understand?"

In Zhang Xinjie's view, Shen Ning's pursuit of her career far exceeds what many people imagine.

But he could also sense that this wasn't the ambition of a power-hungry woman; she didn't seem to enjoy the pleasures of power.

Otherwise, he wouldn't be a junior assistant in the team, handling all the miscellaneous tasks.

Shen Ning stared blankly at Zhang Xinjie, then suddenly smiled and said, "No one has ever talked to me about this before."

This smile surprised Zhang Xinjie a little, but he quickly composed himself and stopped smiling.

“You think I’m too fast, but I think I’m too slow.”

“I used to think that everyone around me has said I’m excellent since I was a child, but am I really excellent? Isn’t it because my parents gave me a better upbringing and more educational resources than others?”

"Without all of this, if I had just relied on myself like any other kid, would I have the life I have now? Would I have been able to get into Stanford? Would I have been able to get into Goldman Sachs? Would I have been able to get into Tycoon?"

"You can," Zhang Xinjie answered confidently.

"Let me finish," Shen Ning continued. "I'm not an insecure or self-doubting person, but the people around me are all too outstanding."

"My dad goes without saying. He started as a very ordinary salesman and worked his way up to start his own business and build such a large group of companies."

"Many people might say that times have changed, that it was a golden age for starting businesses and making money. But I met Zhao Yixing when I was in college."

Zhang Xinjie was quite surprised: "President Zhao?"

"Yes, the youngest vice president of Guanghao Group, rumored to be my father's successor, and also the direct leader in charge of Tyranny Club."

Whenever Zhao Yixing is mentioned, Shen Ning feels a deep sense of resentment, which has permeated almost her entire life since she turned 18.

"He started as an ordinary planner and, with his superhuman talent, rose to the position of vice president at the age of 35. My dad even asked him to mentor me more often."

“I was not convinced and would always argue with him about our work ideas, but I never won.”

"He was like a giant who suddenly appeared in front of me. I could only look up at him and felt that the previous 18 years, which were smooth sailing and full of glory, were not only wasted, but also a joke."

"So you later passed the exam and went abroad?" Zhang Xinjie asked.

"Yes, I want to stay away from them. I want to earn the same glory as them on my own."

“From the time I started studying in the United States, all the money I spent was earned through part-time jobs and investments. After returning to China, I used my salary and the money I had saved to rent a house and live, just to see how far I could go.”

Shen Ning looked at Zhang Xinjie and said self-deprecatingly, "How about it? Don't you think the young lady is bored and trying to experience the life of an ordinary person, and even pretending to be poor and playing the victim?"

Zhang Xinjie shook his head: "You're very capable."

"Then I met you all."

"us?"

"Yes, you, Captain, and everyone else. You know, it's like I'm seeing a new world, a world completely different from what I knew before."

"I suddenly realized that there are people who fight because of their passion, not for money, power, or a better life, and not to prove anything to anyone. Even now, I can't imagine how much regret the captain must have felt if he gave up the World Cup Invitational."

"There's also work outside of the competition. Seeing the captain and you reminds me of when I first met Zhao Yixing, that insurmountable gap."

Zhang Xinjie never expected that he was also one of the culprits who made her work so hard: "Did we put pressure on you?"

"No, I've never felt any pressure, don't misunderstand. In fact, since meeting you all, I feel like I've broken free from the narrow logic of desperately trying to prove myself."

"The captain told me to broaden my horizons. A simple plan or a routine business negotiation involves countless interests behind it, which I couldn't see before."

"And you, you told me to use resources as I should, and that there's nothing shameful about it."

At this point, Shen Ning smiled knowingly again: "Thinking back now, on the day I came for the interview, I was so arrogant, picking and choosing you all. I looked like a clown."

Zhang Xinjie also relaxed his expression for once: "Yeah, an arrogant nepotism hire."

"Haha, that's a dark history."

"So what now?"

“I’ve gradually let go of that now, but not in terms of speed. As I said in the car, I still want to make money, get promoted, and gain power. I’m enjoying the process now and will make use of all the resources I can access.”

Zhang Xinjie concluded: "Stop being so hard on yourself?"

"Yeah, I'm not going to take myself too seriously anymore."

Shen Ning stretched her arms, more relaxed than ever before: "You don't know, lately I've found a lot of things particularly interesting, like numbers, age, salary, performance reviews, reports, scores, even hospital test results... Before, they were just a bunch of numbers, but now, looking at them again, they're actually the all-encompassing tapestry of our lives."

His deep, resonant voice was very pleasant to hear, and his face radiated a captivating glow.

My heart is beating faster.

"I know what I'm after."

These are the lyrics to the song that Shen Ning listened to.

Zhang Xinjie thought of that unreal dream again.

In the darkness, a dazzling girl slowly walked towards her, becoming clearer and clearer.

Until he saw clearly, it was Shen Ning.

Zhang Xinjie felt that his affection for her was so strong that it would be a sin not to like her.

"You just asked if you could have achieved what you have now if you were an ordinary person."

"Hmm?" Shen Ning asked, puzzled.

"My answer remains the same: you can, because you are Chen Ning."

Shen Ning was surprised, then smiled even more brightly: "I'm not used to you praising me like this all of a sudden."

"I understand what you said yesterday now."

"...I already said he was delirious from the fever. It's not like his mind can completely change overnight; it takes time..."

"Yes, that's what I think too."

"..." You're the one who's lost your mind!

Zhang Xinjie chuckled: "I'm not kidding you."

"...You're so annoying."

"I won't impose excessive restrictions on your work anymore, and I'll also talk to the team leader. I'll do my best to help you with anything you need, as long as it's within my power."

At this point, Zhang Xinjie changed the subject again: "But there's one thing, just like the captain said yesterday, work can't affect your health, that's the bottom line, you should understand."

"Understood, I'll be more careful in the future." Shen Ning said while drinking her juice, "It's really impressive that you and the captain can balance work and health so well."

"Everything has its own rules, and rules can be controlled. The most important thing to achieve good results is to not lose control."

Have you ever encountered one that has no pattern?

Zhang Xinjie looked at her, paused for a few seconds, and then answered, "Yes."

What is it?

"Humans, or more precisely, emotions."

For a moment, her calm mind went awry. She saw herself reflected in Zhang Xinjie's pupils, and she had never been so certain that the feelings Zhang Xinjie spoke of were for her.

"So how did you handle it?"

"We'll find the pattern."

"What if we can't find it? Maybe it's something that can't be explained rationally. The other person might also be just moved by something that doesn't make sense."

Zhang Xinjie clenched his fist under the table, and his breathing became slightly disordered.

He quickly composed himself and calmly said, "Perhaps that's how she sees it, and there's nothing wrong with her thinking. There's no single standard for judging things, but that's not a reason for me to let myself lose control. For me, acting impulsively could lead to unpredictable consequences, which is very irresponsible."

He suddenly felt relieved.

As expected of Zhang Xinjie, with extreme self-control and self-motivation, and an extreme sense of rules and obsession.

In some ways, they are the same kind of people.

"I understand."

Chen Ning finished her juice and shook the empty glass: "It's really not sweet. Don't forget you still owe me a milk tea."

A complex expression appeared on Zhang Xinjie's face.

His composed smile held a hint of anticipation: "Whenever you want something sweet for me, just buy me a cup of milk tea."