Fan Shengmei returned home, neatly placed her employment application materials on the table, and carefully checked the business attire she would wear tomorrow. The night outside was deep, with only the occasional sound of passing cars. Lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, her mind kept replaying the scenes she might encounter at the Fu Group the next day. A mix of nervousness and anticipation filled her, and it took her a long time to slowly drift off to sleep, preparing for the new challenge to come.

Early morning sunlight streamed softly through the gaps in the curtains, illuminating Fan Shengmei's face. The alarm clock rang precisely on time, and she jerked her eyes open, quickly sitting up in bed. A new day had begun—her first day at the Fu Group. She quickly washed up, put on her carefully chosen business attire, and stood in front of the mirror, scrutinizing herself. The woman in the mirror had a determined gaze and impeccable makeup, but her slightly trembling fingers betrayed her inner nervousness.

Stepping out of her house, the fresh air rushed in. Fan Shengmei took a deep breath, trying to calm her turbulent emotions. The streets were bustling with cars and people hurrying by. She hailed a taxi and gave them the address of the Fu Group. The taxi weaved through the vibrant city, the street scenes rushing past the window. Looking out, Fan Shengmei silently recalled Meng Yanchen's words from yesterday, "Don't be nervous, Shengmei, you can do it."

Soon, the taxi stopped in front of the Fu Group building. Fan Shengmei opened the car door and looked up. The building towered into the clouds, its glass curtain wall reflecting the sunlight so brightly it was almost blinding. At the building entrance, employees in neat business attire hurried in and out, their faces displaying professional and confident expressions. Fan Shengmei took a deep breath, straightened her back, and strode confidently into the building.

Stepping into the spacious and bright lobby, the gleaming marble floor reflected the dazzling crystal chandelier on the ceiling. A faint scent of perfume and coffee filled the air. Fan Shengmei approached the receptionist, who greeted her with a smile and politely inquired about her purpose. After explaining that she was a new employee, Fan Shengmei was warmly guided through the onboarding process. While completing the procedures, Fan Shengmei couldn't help but observe her surroundings. Employees were either hurrying by with documents or huddled together chatting quietly, everyone appearing busy yet organized.

After the formalities were completed, a young female colleague approached with a friendly smile, introducing herself as Lin Xiao, who was there to show Fan Shengmei around the company. Lin Xiao led Fan Shengmei around, introducing the various departments and office areas as they walked. Fan Shengmei listened attentively while secretly observing her surroundings. The office area was spacious and bright, with workstations arranged neatly. Computer screens flickered, and colleagues were either intently staring at their screens or typing rapidly on their keyboards. The sounds of ringing phones, keystrokes, and conversations mingled together, creating a busy workplace symphony.

Arriving at her workstation, Fan Shengmei saw that some office supplies had already been laid out on the desk, and the computer had been installed and set up. Lin Xiao smiled and said, "This will be your workstation from now on. Feel free to ask me anything you don't understand." Fan Shengmei looked at her gratefully, "Thank you, Lin Xiao. Please take care of me in the future." Lin Xiao waved her hand, "Don't mention it. We're all colleagues. By the way, the department manager will be here to assign you some work tasks in a little while."

Not long after Fan Shengmei sat down, a middle-aged man in a smart suit walked over. Lin Xiao whispered to Fan Shengmei, "This is our department manager, Manager Zhang." Fan Shengmei quickly stood up and greeted him politely, "Manager Zhang, hello, I'm Fan Shengmei, a new employee." Manager Zhang looked her up and down, nodded, and said, "Hmm, welcome to our department. You'll be assigned a project task in a little while; get familiar with it as soon as possible." After saying that, he placed a thick stack of documents on Fan Shengmei's desk and turned to leave.

Fan Shengmei looked at the documents on her desk, feeling a little uneasy. She took a deep breath, sat down, and began to peruse them. The documents were complex and professional, involving many areas and knowledge she had never encountered before. The more she read, the more her brows furrowed, and she inwardly groaned. Just then, a male colleague at the next workstation came over, glanced at the documents on her desk, and looked surprised: "Wow, you've got such a difficult project right away. It seems Manager Zhang values ​​you highly." Fan Shengmei's face flushed slightly: "I... I'll try my best." The male colleague smiled, patted her on the shoulder: "Good luck, newbie. You can ask me any questions. My name is Li Qiang." After saying that, he returned to his workstation.

Fan Shengmei continued engrossed in studying the documents, time slipping away unnoticed amidst her hectic work. Before she knew it, it was lunchtime. Her colleagues got up and headed to the cafeteria for lunch. Lin Xiao approached and invited Fan Shengmei to join them. Fan Shengmei hesitated, glanced at the unfinished documents on the table, and shook her head: "You guys go ahead, I want to look at the documents a little longer." Lin Xiao smiled helplessly: "Alright then, don't overwork yourself, remember to eat."

The office gradually quieted down as everyone left. Fan Shengmei rubbed her sore eyes and stretched. Her mind felt a jumbled mess, and she still only vaguely understood much of the document. She felt somewhat frustrated, thinking she might not be up to the task. But when she thought of the efforts she had made to get into the Fu Group and Meng Yanchen's expectations of her, she gritted her teeth and decided to persevere no matter what.

In the afternoon, Fan Shengmei continued to diligently study the documents. When she encountered something she didn't understand, she would ask Li Qiang for help. Li Qiang was always enthusiastic and patiently answered her questions each time. However, as time went on, Fan Shengmei noticed that her colleagues' attitudes towards her seemed somewhat subtle. Some people remained warm and would proactively come over to discuss work with her and share their experiences; but others always looked at her with indifferent eyes, and even deliberately lowered their voices to talk when she passed by, their eyes revealing a disdain.

Fan Shengmei felt a pang of sadness, but she knew she couldn't easily reveal her emotions in this new environment. She could only work even harder, trying to earn everyone's approval through her abilities. However, the project's difficulty far exceeded her expectations, and even with Li Qiang's help, she was still clueless about some key issues. She began to feel overwhelmed, the pressure weighing on her like a mountain.

After get off work, Fan Shengmei dragged her exhausted body home. As soon as she entered, she collapsed onto the sofa, unwilling to move. The day's events at the company replayed in her mind: the complex interpersonal relationships, the challenging project tasks—all left her feeling more lost than ever before. She didn't know if she could adapt smoothly to working at the Fu Group, nor how to deal with the different attitudes of her colleagues. But she knew she couldn't give up; she had to find a way to solve the problems.