Chapter 43 Going on a date?
Shen Mengqing wasn't afraid that Yu Xin would hear her talking badly about him behind his back. Besides, saying that he was sexually frigid wasn't really a bad thing, and it was better than other rumors.
She was doing a good deed, thinking of their clean reputations.
Feeling the intense gaze of the HR person beside her, Shen Mengqing responded calmly, "Okay, Mr. Yu."
She put down her coffee, stood ramrod straight, and walked past Yu Xin without looking to the side, heading towards Li Fan's office.
In the break room, the HR person noticed that the two didn't seem to have any chemistry, so it seemed everyone was overthinking it.
She was about to go out when she saw Yu Xin still standing outside. Her heart skipped a beat, wondering how much he had overheard.
The HR person forced a smile: "Mr. Yu... would you like something to drink?"
"No need." Yu Xin glanced at his watch; he still had enough time to say a few words.
"When did these rumors about me and Secretary Shen start circulating?" he asked coldly.
The HR person was quite distressed. Being overheard talking badly about the boss behind their back is a nightmare for any working person. She could barely maintain her smile and hurriedly replied:
"Around this morning, most people in the company knew about Secretary Shen's new job. Some people in the sales department said that you approached her, so there were some...unpleasant things said. But I didn't spread it! I just happened to be chatting with Secretary Shen, so I asked her, hoping to get her denial so I could clarify things."
Yu Xin understood and said, "If anyone talks about this kind of topic again, let them come to the board office and ask me in person. Don't let it affect Secretary Shen's work."
"Furthermore, Shen Mengqing went through the same resume screening, job evaluation and background check as all other candidates, only a little later in time. You can directly verify the compliance of the admission with Li Fan."
The HR person kept nodding, saying, "I understand, I understand."
However, after only a few autumns, she was already sweating profusely.
Yu Xin didn't say much, explained the situation clearly, and then left. After he was out of sight, the HR breathed a sigh of relief, only then realizing that she hadn't been scolded by the new director.
It seems Secretary Shen was right; President Yu is just a bit cold-hearted, but he doesn't mistreat his subordinates.
Shen Mengqing entered Li Fan's office and got straight to the point, explaining her request to change offices.
Li Fan naturally had no objections. In any case, Shen Mengqing had finished her work in the sales department, so it was a good thing for her to start working as a secretary in the board office as soon as possible.
After she agreed, she changed the subject and asked Shen Mengqing in a casual tone, "You've been quite the celebrity in the company lately, haven't you?"
Shen Mengqing smiled and said, "People can say whatever they want."
"Such a good attitude?" Li Fan raised an eyebrow, not expecting it.
After all, some people are really rude. They say things like Shen Mengqing's work ability is not good enough to be the company secretary and she will be fired soon. Even worse, some people say that she wants to climb up to Yu Xin and marry into a wealthy family.
This was after someone else embellished the language they used; the original words might have been much more disgusting.
"There's nothing we can do. Some people just love to spread rumors that distort the facts. It's not good to argue with such psychologically twisted people and fall into a vicious cycle of self-justification."
Anyway, she's upright and honest, and whether she's fit to be a secretary isn't for them to decide.
Li Fan smiled and said, "That's good, then I'm relieved. When President Yu came to talk to me earlier, he also mentioned these recent rumors. He was worried they might affect your work, so he asked me to keep an eye on them. But judging from your condition, I probably don't need to do any employee psychological counseling."
Shen Mengqing tilted his head and asked, "President Yu knows about this too?"
“Of course,” Li Fan said. “His mindset is similar to yours.”
After leaving the HR department, Shen Mengqing returned to the sales department office and began tidying up her workstation.
She had moved most of her belongings home recently because she was planning to leave her job, so packing was easy; a single cardboard box could hold the rest of her things.
Many of her colleagues in the office noticed her movements and secretly peered at her from behind their computer screens.
Shen Mengqing didn't bother to say goodbye to Liang Jun and carried the boxes directly to the top floor.
Yu Xin and Chen Mo were not in the office, so the receptionist helped her tidy up her workstation and cleaned the offices of her assistant and secretary.
Shen Mengqing placed a cactus on her desk, its dark green, thorny tip adorned with a tender yellow flower. In high spirits, she put her hands on her hips and surveyed the office; everything was neat, clean, and brand new.
-
A few days later, the Double Eleven shopping festival arrived, and the entire company was exceptionally busy, especially the media department. In order to catch up with this wave of e-commerce platform traffic, they stayed up late every day monitoring and analyzing data.
Shen Mengqing gradually got used to the work of a secretary. She even found that it was quite easy to get along with Yu Xin in this capacity. The boundaries between them were clear at work, and she was able to control the degree of boundaries well. She could also firmly refuse anything that went beyond the scope of her work.
On the morning of Singles' Day, Shen Mengqing was organizing data reports sent by the media department in her office when she suddenly received a call from the front desk saying that she had a takeout order at the front desk and needed to come and pick it up herself.
Shen Mengqing hung up the phone and walked to the front desk, puzzled.
There was a transparent box on the front desk, inside which was a teddy bear made of blue roses, holding a bunch of pink roses in its hands.
When the receptionist saw her arrive, she immediately leaned over with a gossipy air and whispered, "Secretary Shen, was this a gift from your boyfriend?"
While waiting for Shen Mengqing to arrive, she checked the brand on her phone and found that the rose bear actually cost five figures.
Shen Mengqing said, "I'm single."
She picked up the box and looked it over from all angles, but couldn't find any information left by the person who gave her the gift. She racked her brains through her list of friends, but couldn't think of anyone who would give her a gift in such a high-profile way.
Just then, her phone rang abruptly. Shen Mengqing looked at it and saw that it was Li Qinghe calling. She immediately understood.
After the call connected, she spoke first, "Did you send it to me?"
Li Qinghe sensed a hint of accusation in her tone, and chuckled on the other end of the line, saying, "Giving gifts is clearly a good thing, but why do I feel like I'm being tortured?"
"Thank you for the gift, but you're overdoing it a bit," Shen Mengqing said in a low voice.
Li Qinghe said helplessly, "There's nothing I can do. My dad is keeping an eye on me at the company. He grabbed me right after the meeting and asked if I had any gifts for the holiday. I said no, and he gave me a good scolding for almost half an hour. I should have recorded it for you to hear. No matter how I explained, he wouldn't listen. He insisted on seeing me order a gift for you."
"Oh, right, he also asked me to ask if you're free tonight so he can treat you to dinner," Li Qinghe said immediately.
After the conversation ended, Shen Mengqing slipped her phone into her pocket and walked inside, holding the rose box in both hands.
As luck would have it, she had only taken a few steps when she bumped into Yu Xin, who was coming out of the office.
Yu Xin immediately noticed what Shen Mengqing was holding—it was too conspicuous: a box of old-fashioned roses, far inferior to the fresh wildflowers of summer. He wondered if it was because the indoor heating was too strong, but Shen Mengqing's face seemed suspiciously flushed, and her eyes sparkled with excitement.
She was so happy just because she received a rose?
The two drew closer, their shoulders brushing, when Yu Xin paused, and said calmly, "You bought it yourself?"
Shen Mengqing smiled and said, "It's a gift from a friend."
Yu Xin scoffed inwardly. There was no need to guess; it must have been Li Qinghe who gave it to her.
He glanced at it a few more times and commented, "Your friend has questionable taste."
“Since you’re my friend, then there’s no need for you to go to such trouble, Mr. Yu.” Shen Mengqing held up the box and shoved it right in front of Yu Xin’s face. “I quite like it. Anyway, I’m the one receiving the gift, so as long as I’m satisfied, that’s enough.”
Yu Xin didn't say anything more. He took a long stride towards the door, his clothes billowing in the wind as he walked. The back of his head looked like a hedgehog, as if he was sulking.
Shen Mengqing felt much better. Humming a tune whose title she didn't know, she returned to her workstation, put the rose bear on the table, and continued working.
...
At six o'clock in the afternoon, she gently knocked on Yu Xin's office door.
On Yu Xin's desk was a stack of agreements, which he was signing one by one.
"What is it?" he asked, flipping through the documents in his hand.
Shen Mengqing said, "President Yu, I have something to do tonight and will leave work before seven o'clock. I have compiled the data sheets sent by other departments and sent them to your email."
Yu Xin put down his pen and looked up at her: "Is something the matter?"
Shen Mengqing answered earnestly, "Yes."
Yu Xin fell silent. Judging from his expression, he clearly wanted Shen Mengqing to explain in detail what was going on, but Shen Mengqing pretended not to understand. It was after get off work hours, and she didn't need to tell him her private matters.
Yu Xin then changed the subject: "Have the media department's data analysis reports been written?"
Shen Mengqing: "Of course, Assistant Chen has also seen it."
"Where is the sales department's performance report?"
"All the tables have been summarized and are in your email."
Yu Xin picked up the pen with his index and middle fingers, cap down, and tapped it on the table. He kept his head down, and Shen Mengqing couldn't see the emotions in his eyes, only the sharp, prickly ends of his hair.
She stared intently at Yu Xin until he said he understood, then she smiled and said, "Then you go ahead with your work."
After reporting to Yu Xin, Shen Mengqing worked for another half hour, then closed her laptop, picked up her bag, and left the office.
As she was leaving, the receptionist was also about to go home. She noticed that Shen Mengqing had touched up her makeup and was wearing a fitted long dress under her trench coat, which made her look beautiful and radiant.
The receptionist linked her arm with his and said with a smile, "Secretary Shen, do you have a date tonight?"
"I guess so," Shen Mengqing didn't deny it, and instead asked her, "What about you? Did you go out to dinner with your boyfriend?"
"Yes, my boyfriend and I have been together since college. We just have a meal together on holidays like this. We haven't given each other gifts for a long time. At most, he'll send me a money transfer."
“A bank transfer is fine too, you can buy whatever you like,” Shen Mengqing said.
As soon as the elevator doors opened, the two stepped inside. Only when they turned around did they realize that someone was leisurely following behind them.
Shen Mengqing glanced at Yu Xin's cold face and her eyelids twitched. How come he was so silent, like a ghost? She wondered how much of their conversation he had overheard.
Just as she was about to press the close button, Yu Xin turned back to the receptionist and said, "Fang Li, Assistant Chen just called you."
"Really?" Fang Li wasn't really keen on moving; she was about to leave work.
Yu Xin looked straight at her: "Hmm, it sounds urgent."
Fang Li glanced at the time, gritted her teeth, and got out of the elevator.
Once the elevator doors closed, only she and Yu Xin remained in the cramped space.
Yu Xinna had his back to her. He was a clothes hanger; the long coat he wore clung tightly to his muscular physique.
He was so tall that there was an inexplicable sense of oppression when you got close to him, and Shen Mengqing unconsciously took a few steps back.
"Going on a date?" Yu Xin's sharp voice rang out in the elevator.
Shen Mengqing was too lazy to say more: "Mm."
He asked casually, "With Li Qinghe?"
"President Yu," Shen Mengqing said in an even more indifferent tone, "this is my private matter."
"Just asking," he said dismissively.
Yu Xin was going to the first floor, while Shen Mengqing's destination was the underground parking lot.
When the elevator doors opened on the first floor, Yu Xin paused for two seconds, glancing at Shen Mengqing with a hesitant look before continuing forward.
Before the elevator doors closed, Shen Mengqing caught a glimpse of his fingers, which were unconsciously rubbing together at his side.
Shen Mengqing's lips curved into a smile.
He seems to be in a very depressed mood.
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Author's Note: Xinzi is in agony, what should she do when her wife wants to go on a date with another man?!
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