The Sea of People and You
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"Who am I?" Wu Jianwei blinked rapidly. "I'm asking who you are. What tongue twister are you telling me?"
Meng Yanxiu recalled the employee list she had just checked on the computer. Since she could open this office, she was the general manager's secretary and one of the few people who had seen Meng Yuetong.
"I'm Meng Yanxiu, and I'll be your boss from now on." Meng Yanxiu rubbed his eyebrows, his long eyelashes drooping slightly with a dangerous laziness, his gaze fell on the cardboard box in her hand.
Kirimimi froze in place: "What?"
"Wu Jianwei, please clean up these things." Meng Yanxiu pointed at the wine, then walked past her and sat down on the sofa.
He remembered her name in the employee directory, but he didn't expect that she was the woman who threw him into the trash can.
Wu Jianwei's gaze followed Meng Yanxiu. He was wearing a nearly black crimson suit with straight shoulders, a light blue pinstripe shirt underneath, buttons meticulously fastened to just below his Adam's apple, and a silver mechanical watch on his wrist. Blue veins were faintly visible under the cuffs, with no other unnecessary decorations.
You can go, he doesn't dress like this, even his height doesn't match, even if he has plastic surgery, he can't turn into a real person...
"Are you listening to me?" Meng Yanxiu sat upright on the sofa and looked up at her who was in a daze.
Wu Jianwei came to his senses, put down the cardboard box, and calmly walked to the sofa: "You are Meng Yanxiu, then who was the Meng Yanxiu before?"
"His name is Meng Yuetong, he's my younger brother. If you don't believe me, you can call him to confirm." Meng Yanxiu immediately called Meng Yuetong and put him on speakerphone. "Ask him yourself."
Just two seconds after the phone rang, Meng Yuetong's guilty voice came: "Brother?"
"No need." Kirimi said softly, then turned around and picked up the cardboard box to pack the wine.
Meng Yanxiu ignored Meng Yuetong and hung up the phone. Seeing Wu Jianwei accept it so quickly, he was a little surprised: "Why didn't you ask? Aren't you afraid that I'm lying to you?"
Wu Jianwei put the wine neatly into the cardboard box, turned around and replied, "As long as the salary is paid on time, it doesn't matter who the boss is."
"Really?" Meng Yanxiu didn't believe it.
"Hmm..." Kirimi thought for a moment and blurted out, "I don't know about other aspects, but you look more pleasing to the eye than him. This is very important. Between him and you, I choose you."
After he finished speaking, Wu Jianwei regretted it again. It seemed impolite to talk about his brother like that, and it seemed like he was flattering the new boss.
Meng Yanxiu laughed inexplicably after hearing this: "This sounds like the truth."
Wu Jianwei noticed that when he smiled, the corners of his eyes turned up and his eyes became softer. She also smiled and nodded: "It's true." Then she continued to organize.
Meng Yanxiu paused for a moment, then looked away. The smile on his face had not yet completely disappeared. He took off his suit jacket and put it aside, rolled up his shirt cuffs, revealing his strong forearms. A Bodhi leaf tattoo was clearly visible on his cold skin.
The two of them were doing their own things. Meng Yanxiu picked up the financial report, spread it on his legs, and read it page by page.
A gust of wind blew, and Wu Jianwei's eyes began to itch. His hands loosened, and the cardboard box half placed on the table suddenly fell to the ground. The wine bottles rolled around on the floor, clinking against each other.
"I'm sorry for disturbing you." She quickly walked to the sofa and wiped her tears with a few tissues from the tea table. "Mr. Meng, I'll clean up right away."
"Don't be anxious, why are you crying?" Meng Yanxiu frowned. He didn't do anything to her, she just cried.
But the strange thing was that in the few seconds when Wu Jian shed tears, the Bodhi leaf tattoo on Meng Yanxiu's forearm lit up for a moment, as if it was nourished, and the color turned green.
"I'm just happy to work with you. I have a low tear point." Wu Jianwei didn't notice the change in Meng Yanxiu's expression. She squatted down to pick up the wine on the ground.
Meng Yanxiu glanced at her skirt, then stood up, picked up the wine that had rolled to his feet, walked to her side, half-knelt on one knee and put the wine into the cardboard box in her hand, and picked up the wine scattered around.
Just as the bottle touched the bottom of the box, their hands brushed against each other inadvertently, his palm covering the back of her hand.
Meng Yanxiu's fingertips were cold, with distinct joints. Her skin was delicate, and her warm body temperature emanated from within.
In that fleeting collision, they subconsciously looked up at each other, as if they saw a quick throbbing in each other's eyes, so fast that it seemed like an illusion.
"I'll do it." Meng Yanxiu did not stop, the warmth of her skin still lingering between his fingers.
Kirimi retracted her hand slightly, and the cardboard box made a slight rustling sound. "Thank you, I'll sort it out myself."
At this moment, she realized that this Meng Yanxiu was more humane than the former Meng Yuetong.
Meng Yanxiu said nothing more. After he finished picking up the items, he stood up and said, "Please inform everyone that a meeting will be held in the conference room at 9 o'clock. The heads of each department will report on the current project progress and the next work plan."
"Oh, okay." It was the first time that Wu Jianwei issued a meeting notice. When Meng Yuetong was around, he gave everyone a completely free hand. Now, it seemed that Meng Yanxiu was going to make drastic reforms, and the days of slacking off were over.
"Wait." Meng Yanxiu bent down again, his body sinking slightly, and picked up the cardboard box with both hands, standing straight in front of her. "It's so heavy, how are you going to carry it?"
Wu Jianwei then stood up and looked up at him: "I'm going to drag him away."
Meng Yanxiu's gaze stayed on her face for two seconds. How far could such a frail person go?
"Put it here first." Meng Yanxiu moved the box under the cabinet against the wall, "You go and do your work first."
"Okay, then please let me know if it needs to be cleaned up." Wu Jianwei left the office, feeling a little regretful. She had originally planned to drag the bottles to the secretary's office next door and take a bottle home to drink every day. They were all brand new and unopened, so it would be a pity to throw them away.
Alas, she shook her head, started sending meeting notices, and called everyone one by one to notify them.
By nine o'clock, in the empty conference room, a long circular solid wood table looked particularly different. Only Meng Yanxiu was sitting in the main seat. His face was cold and calm, and his slender white fingers tapped the table again and again.
The door of the conference room was open, and Wu Jianwei brought a glass of flat white. She was wearing seven-centimeter stilettos and a knee-length flat-neck wrap dress. Her steps were steady, and not a drop of coffee was spilled. The latte art was perfect.
Back then, Kirimi Wei was only able to get the job with a slight advantage because of her latte art skills and good looks. Many people accused her of dressing up all the time for ulterior motives. But the more they criticized her, the more she loved dressing up. She just liked pretty things, and it was a way to please herself. However, this also meant that her savings had been minimal since she started working.
Meng Yanxiu glanced at him and said, "I don't drink Australian white."
Oh, now it's Meng Yanxiu, not Meng Yuetong. Wu Jianwei asked softly, "Mr. Meng, how about American coffee? Tea? Soda water? Juice?"
She had only known Meng Yanxiu for two hours, so her understanding of him was practically zero. However, Meng Yuetong's tastes were always childish. Since they were brothers, perhaps they had similar tastes. So she asked, "Pearl milk tea?"
A hint of surprise flashed across Meng Yanxiu's deep eyes. "Pearl milk tea? Why didn't you ask me if I wanted Wangzai milk, AD calcium milk, or Wahaha?"
"Mr. Meng, you're quite humorous." Wu Jianwei could hear the sarcasm, but she still smiled. "How about an iced Americano?"
"Yeah." Meng Yanxiu closed his eyes and summed up the business results of Meng Yuetong's dismemberment of the company in his mind.
——The product is full of bugs, the performance is a mess, and the secretary... is just a beautiful vase.
Another quarter of an hour later, Meng Yanxiu had already finished half of his coffee.
At this time, three kilometers away from the company, people were rushing towards the building in a hurdling posture. Zhou Lian'an was holding two greasy tofu and beef steamed buns in his hands, which were fragrant and spicy, and chewing a tea egg in his mouth. If the accountant who was running beside him had not handed him some soy milk, he would have choked to death.
The conference room was silent. Wu Jianwei came to Meng Yanxiu, gently put down the second cup of coffee, and took away the empty coffee cup. She did not hold the handle of the cup, but lifted the bottom of the cup flatly.
Meng Yanxiu glanced at her hand and said nothing. He thought maybe he was being too sensitive.
Kirimi stood aside and stared at the clock on the wall. She was guessing who would be the first to arrive. When she was in the perspective of waiting for others to be late, she had to say that it felt quite satisfying.
At 9:22, someone finally ran the first leg.
"Mr. Meng." Yuan Qing trotted into the conference room, holding onto her glasses. She looked respectable, though a little breathless. Meng Yuetong had informed her last night, so she didn't show any surprise when she saw the real Meng Yanxiu.
Meng Yanxiu's face showed no emotion, he just said calmly, "Sit down."
One after another, like a magnet, the entire conference table was filled up. The old hands almost never arrived at work before nine o'clock. Everyone was curious about why the boss who never held meetings suddenly wanted to listen to reports. Now everyone's heart was in their throat.
Some people couldn't help but whisper, "So this is Meng Yanxiu. There were rumors before that he was a nightclub player and drank all day, so he was not seen. It seems that he is not the real one..."
"Maybe he has some other quirk... The boss always has some quirks."
Wu Jianwei finally sat down: "Mr. Meng, everyone is here."
"Start with you." Meng Yanxiu pointed at Zhou Liangan, who had oil stains on the corners of his mouth.
Zhou Lian'an, 32, has a square face, a crew cut, and an unshaven beard. The buttons on his red and white plaid shirt are misplaced. He shakily stands up and says, "Mr. Meng, our newly developed Jiwang Weather app has been online for a month and has been widely praised. It's all thanks to your foresight. Our company is the first to independently develop a mobile weather forecast product."
Meng Yanxiu said coldly, "We originally planned to launch this product the same month the company was founded, and you tell me it took a year to develop? No wonder none of the other ten or so projects have moved on."
"Hey... Mr. Meng, you know this." Zhou Lian'an was confused for a moment. A leader is a leader. Now that he thinks of holding someone accountable, it seems like he wants to find someone to take the blame.
Meng Yanxiu understood clearly that it was all Meng Yuetong's fault. He asked him to guard the company, and he really did it. He worked as a security guard and took good care of the office.
"User volume, DAU, MAU, API call cost?" Meng Yanxiu asked questions repeatedly. He was extremely dissatisfied with Zhou Lian'an's report, as none of his sentences hit the point.
"Mr. Meng, it's like this." Zhou Lian'an had no preparation at all and could only give a rough estimate, "5,000 users, 300 daily active users, 1,000 monthly active users..."
Meng Yanxiu said calmly, "300 daily active users."
"Mr. Meng." Wu Jianwei suddenly leaned towards him and said in a low voice, "The company has 250 employees."
Meng Yanxiu didn't say anything, and then asked, "User acquisition plan, product optimization plan."
Zhou Lian'an was confident about this question. He used his usual rhetoric to convince his boss: "First, we must adhere to a product-centric approach and deepen data empowerment. Second, we must continuously improve user experience..."
Meng Yanxiu didn't interrupt him. After he finished his rhetoric, he glanced at everyone and said, "If you have any ideas, please share them one by one."
There were more than 20 people present, but no one spoke. Meng Yanxiu pointed at the person next to him and said, "You speak first."
Wu Jianwei smiled slightly, feeling like she was the first to speak out. "Mr. Meng, I'm not a technician, nor a product manager. I'll just offer a few humble opinions from a user's perspective."
It was just a polite remark. Meng Yanxiu lowered his brows. He didn't expect Wu Jianwei to be able to explain it clearly. He just nodded slightly, motioning her to continue.
"I personally believe that the core pain point of the product lies in data accuracy. I suggest connecting to multiple data ports and reducing errors through algorithm cross-validation. At the same time, we should strengthen local fine-tuning and add data from meteorological observation stations in special terrain areas such as mountainous and coastal areas. Furthermore, user correction is also important. Users should be allowed to report actual weather conditions so that we can dynamically calibrate the model."
Meng Yanxiu raised his eyes and looked at her: "Go on."
"Mr. Meng, there are a few more details. In addition to weather forecasts, we suggest adding data such as UV rays and PM2.5. Regarding commercialization, we can develop health-related features, such as pollen concentration warnings and medication reminders for people with allergies. We can also collaborate with e-commerce and the pharmaceutical industry. We can also cooperate with automakers to develop an in-car weather system."
"Ah, and..." Wu Jianwei thought of the pair of lambskin shoes that were almost soaked by the rain, "Precisely delivering dressing tips is also very important."
Meng Yanxiu chuckled softly, "It seems you're a seed user, your negative review is very accurate."
"Hmm..." Kirimi was slightly embarrassed for a moment.
Meng Yanxiu looked at Zhou Lian'an again: "Did you remember that?"
"We'll change it right away." Zhou Lian'an realized in shock that Wu Jianwei might have prepared for this in advance and did this just to embarrass him.
Wu Jianwei could see what Zhou Lian'an was thinking from his face, but she simply had a lot of opinions about this product.
At noon, Wu Jianwei ordered a work meal, and Meng Yanxiu gave everyone 90 minutes to eat, but no one left the meeting room and just buried their heads in eating.
Meng Yanxiu didn't eat anything and drank three cups of coffee in the morning. He seemed to be very dehydrated, Wu Jianwei thought as he poured the coffee beans.
Seeing that everyone looked like they were in prison, Meng Yanxiu went back to his office first. As soon as he left, the people at the table burst into words, and it was not until the afternoon meeting started that they suddenly became quiet.
After all departments finished reporting, Meng Yanxiu didn't make any further arrangements, nor did he hold anyone accountable for their collective lateness. He simply said, "We'll continue the meeting tomorrow at the same time, with the same agenda."
Everyone has said everything they can today, and they have to continue tomorrow. It's been loose for so long, and now it's suddenly tense again. Who can stand it?
Wu Jianwei couldn't stand it anymore. Everyone had left work, but Meng Yanxiu insisted on keeping her. However, she was a secretary, and it was not her right to leave work if she was still working overtime without the boss.
"Wu Jianwei, come here." Meng Yanxiu put down the documents in his hand.
Wu Jianwei brought another cup of coffee, the fifth cup of the day. She hoped that Meng Yanxiu would suffer from insomnia every day and have no energy to attend meetings.
"Mr. Meng, please give your instructions."
"What's the grudge between you and Zhou Lian'an?" Anyone with a discerning eye could see that these two people didn't get along, let alone Meng Yanxiu.
Wu Jianwei was stunned. He didn't know? The rumors about her and Meng Yanxiu first spread on the company's internal forum. She had specifically asked Zhou Lian'an to delete the post. Zhou Lian'an not only used the excuse of respecting freedom of speech as a shield, but also mocked her in both open and covert ways.
But facing his doubts, Wu Jianwei was embarrassed to speak out. After all, Meng Yuetong had said before that it was just a joke and not to take it seriously. She was obviously the victim, but it seemed like she cared too much.
Now Meng Yanxiu asked again, is it because of the scandal between us?
Wu Jianwei thought for a moment and changed the reason: "Boss Meng, because Zhou Lian'an didn't wash his hands after going to the restroom, I'm worried that his personal behavior will affect the company's image."
She was not making this up. The washbasin in the bathroom was located outside the men's and women's restrooms. Several times, she had seen Zhou Liangan passing by the washbasin, but she had just walked away pretending not to see him.
Wu Jianwei never touched anything that Zhou Lian'an had touched. Sometimes when she asked him to sign, she would carefully see which areas of the document he had touched and resolutely avoid them.
"..." Meng Yanxiu was even more confused. "How do you even know that someone doesn't wash their hands? Whose secretary are you?"
After the meeting that day, Meng Yanxiu got to know Wu Jianwei again. She was not just a pretty face. She had a lot of substance and understood the company's operations better than many department heads. She also had strong observation skills.
Just as he was thinking about Kirimimi's advantages...
"You sometimes don't wash..." Wu Jianwei suddenly responded, then immediately lowered his voice, straightened his lips, and explained, "You used to..."
"I don't wash my hands?" Meng Yanxiu stood up suddenly, his sculpted face seemed to have big eyes, and even the documents beside his legs were accidentally brushed to the ground.
Meng Yanxiu sighed in his heart, no wonder, when Wu Jianwei took away the coffee cup, he was unwilling to touch the handle of the cup that he had held.
"Mr. Meng, it's a slip of the tongue."
Wu Jianwei really wanted to take back what she said, but her mouth was faster than her brain and she bent down to pick up the documents on the ground. However, her skirt was too tight today, and this bending down only brought out her curves.
Meng Yanxiu paused for a moment, looking away from her. He picked up the document before her and didn't continue discussing the topic of "not washing hands". Instead, he asked her, "Are you busy tonight? I'm going to visit a professor to discuss weather data calibration. Can you come with me?"
"Me?" Wu Jianwei suddenly stopped in place, her lips slightly open.
After a moment of distraction, she gently tucked her scattered hair behind her ear, using this action to sort out her chaotic thoughts: "Zhou Lian'an is in charge of technology, wouldn't it be better for him to accompany you?"
"No." Meng Yanxiu said firmly.
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