Chapter Thirty-Five: The First Day
Returning to her dormitory, Yuan Zhong began to plan: get up early tomorrow to prepare breakfast for Zhang Shun, just in case he arrives before eating; send a message home to let them know not to pick her up—she’ll just call a car; after her luggage is delivered home, take a short rest, then find a nearby restaurant with good food to treat Zhang Shun as a thank you.
Feeling a bit excited, Yuan Zhong tossed and turned for a while before finally falling asleep after midnight.
At six in the morning, before her alarm had sounded, Yuan Zhong woke up on her own. After washing up, she carefully applied a light layer of makeup, smiling with satisfaction at her reflection in the mirror.
She ate breakfast in the cafeteria, then thoughtfully chose soy milk and beef buns to take away. Back in her dorm, she began to wait.
Time passed slowly. Yuan Zhong glanced at her watch—five minutes to eight.
She checked her dorm once more to be sure nothing was left behind, then sat down to listen to music to pass the time.
As nine o’clock approached, Yuan Zhong stood on the balcony and looked down.
In the past, classmates in love would often shout to boys below from the balcony, and she had found it annoying. Now, as it was her turn, she couldn’t help but feel a bit sweet about it.
Yuan Zhong saw two girls dragging their luggage as they left the dormitory one after another. The campus was already quiet and slightly desolate.
Nine o’clock arrived, but Zhang Shun was nowhere to be seen. Could something have delayed him on the way?
Yuan Zhong patiently waited a little longer. By nine-ten, there was still no sign of him, nor any message.
What was going on? Should she send a message to ask? But if she asked and he was busy, it would seem like she was urging him. She wasn’t in a hurry anyway. With this thought, Yuan Zhong continued to wait.
By ten o’clock, Yuan Zhong felt something was off. With such a long delay, Zhang Shun should have at least sent a message.
Could something unexpected have happened? Worried, she opened WeChat: “Where are you? I’m not urging, just asking. If there’s any inconvenience, just let me know, it’s okay.”
There was no reply.
Yuan Zhong edited another message: “Are you alright? Is something wrong?”
Still no reply.
Frowning, Yuan Zhong anxiously waited a little longer, then opened WeChat again, hesitated briefly, and clicked to make a voice call.
It rang for a while, and then was declined. Could his phone have been stolen?
After a while, a message arrived: “Sorry, something urgent came up. I’ve already left the campus. An unexpected situation, I apologize.”
Unexpected? What kind of accident? Worried, Yuan Zhong asked, “What happened? Do you need any help?”
Zhang Shun replied, “No, thank you. Sorry again that I couldn’t see you off.”
Yuan Zhong responded, “It’s alright, you take care. We’ll be in touch when you’re free.”
Besides worry, there was also disappointment. Yuan Zhong quietly ate the beef buns and drank the soy milk, then cleaned up the trash.
As a half-day student, she didn’t have much luggage. Yuan Zhong pulled her small suitcase out of the dormitory, locked the door, and returned the key to the dorm manager.
Downstairs, Yuan Zhong looked up and bid farewell; leaving through the campus gate, she turned back and took a photo, marking the end of her university life.
Sitting in the car, Yuan Zhong sighed, a little regretful that her plans with Zhang Shun that morning couldn’t be carried out, but still wished him well.
All day, Yuan Zhong received no further message from Zhang Shun.
The disappointment didn’t linger long, because tomorrow she would start work.
The refrigerator was stocked with plenty of semi-prepared food, sent by her parents to support her independent life, though they were worried and had prepared lots of supplies.
Alright, are they afraid I’ll starve myself? Yuan Zhong looked around and felt the burden was heavy.
She ate a simple dinner, washed up early, prepared the clothes for tomorrow, checked her things once more to make sure nothing was missing.
Then Yuan Zhong lay on her bed, opened a game, ready to relax a bit before an early night.
When playing games with the stingy one she didn’t like, she chose Pigsy. Early on, she developed well, and later the opponent clearly couldn’t handle it, so she watched as Pigsy rolled and bounced through the team fights like a ball, impossible to kill.
“Hou Yi, don’t run.” She blocked Hou Yi’s path with a rake.
On the other side, Sun Ce tried to trade blows with Pigsy, but Pigsy hit him, retreated a few steps, spun around, and went forward to hit again. Finally, a finishing move sent Sun Ce back to the fountain.
They pushed the base, attacked the main crystal, and instead of hitting the tower, Pigsy cast her ultimate at the enemy fountain’s entrance, trapping everyone inside.
The stingy one exclaimed, “You’re so cheeky, how is Pigsy so tanky?”
“Because I have money. Look at my economy.”
“I’ve noticed you like playing tank heroes lately.”
“Yes, I find these heroes are good at fooling people, especially Cheng Yaojin, Pigsy, and Xiahou Dun. You think you can kill them, but end up being killed by them.”
After two rounds, Yuan Zhong prepared to rest.
The stingy one said, “Good luck tomorrow.”
“Thank you! I’ll work hard—time to start a new life.”
The next day, Yuan Zhong got up early, finished breakfast, applied lipstick for the final touch, encouraged herself in the mirror, then went out.
She chose public transport, and since it was early, the subway wasn’t crowded.
When Yuan Zhong arrived at the office building, she checked her watch: a quarter past eight, still early for the nine o’clock shift. She carefully noted the time taken en route.
Entering the building, since she didn’t have access yet, she waited in the lobby. She saw a small coffee bar open nearby and sat there.
“Morning,” the server greeted.
“Morning.” Yuan Zhong ordered a caramel macchiato and waited as she drank.
Gradually, people arrived for work, and when it was nearly time, Yuan Zhong called her contact, Chen Yue.
A young woman’s voice answered, seemingly rushing, speaking breathlessly: “You’re in the lobby? Wait for me, I’ll be right there.”
At five past nine, a young woman hurried in. Yuan Zhong instinctively guessed she was the one she had just spoken to, so she stood up. “Hello, are you Chen Yue?”
“Oh, I’m exhausted! Yes, and you must be Yuan Zhong?” asked Chen Yue.
Yuan Zhong nodded.
“Come on, follow me.” Chen Yue led the way.
In the elevator, Chen Yue seemed to relax, pressed the button for the 33rd floor, then began to tidy herself.
When the elevator doors opened, Yuan Zhong saw the company’s name. Chen Yue took out her access card, swiped open the glass door, gestured for Yuan Zhong to enter first, then followed and closed the door behind her.
Chen Yue walked behind the reception desk, set down her bag, and said to Yuan Zhong, “Come with me.”
At that moment, a middle-aged man emerged: “Chen, you’re late again.”
“Ah, Chief Editor, good morning. I’m not late today—I was waiting for the new colleague. She took the wrong route and was worried, called me, so I waited and came up together. Got to be friendly to newcomers!”
Hearing this, Yuan Zhong was taken aback—what was happening? On her first day, she had to take the blame for a colleague!
“Oh, so that’s it. It’s understandable for a newcomer’s first day. Well, Chen, take her to find Wang Shanshan. I’ve already spoken to Shanshan.”
“Thank you, Chief Editor.”
The Chief Editor smiled at Yuan Zhong. “Miss Yuan, learn well from your mentor. Go on.”
Yuan Zhong nodded. “Thank you.” She offered no explanation.
After the Chief Editor left, Chen Yue smiled and said, “He’s very nice, don’t worry.”
Yuan Zhong thought, if it’s nothing, why did you make me take the blame?
“I’ve been late too many times this month, so I’m really sorry. You’re different—he definitely won’t blame you, don’t worry. Come, I’ll take you to find Sister Shanshan.”
Yuan Zhong followed Chen Yue, passing a pantry, an office area, a printing room, and listened to her brief introductions.
“Sister Shanshan’s desk is here. Oh, she’s not here yet. You can sit at the empty spot next to hers. The Chief Editor’s office is inside, and there’s a meeting room next door. Our company isn’t big—just enough for a quick walk around.”
Yuan Zhong nodded. A quick glance revealed just over ten employees. Small but refined, which was nice.
Chen Yue looked around, saying, “Since Sister Shanshan isn’t here yet, I’ll get you some office supplies. Access cards will be ready by noon. For your laptop, ask our handsome guy—I’ll take you to him.”
“Thank you.”
“No problem. Did you bring a mug? There are communal cups in the pantry. Want some water?”
“I have a cup. I’m not thirsty right now,” Yuan Zhong replied.
“Alright, leave your bag here, I’ll take you to find Cong Wenbin. If you have computer issues, go to him.”
Cong Wenbin was a blond-haired guy, who at first glance looked like a high school student, not much of a talker. After Chen Yue spoke, he looked at Yuan Zhong, then took a laptop from the cabinet behind him.
While Cong Wenbin set up the computer, Chen Yue took Yuan Zhong to the small storeroom, letting her pick some folders, notebooks, pens, sticky notes, and a box of tissues.
When Yuan Zhong returned to her desk, Cong Wenbin brought over the laptop.
“Email, here. The user manual is on your desktop. If you don’t understand, ask me. Rules and regulations are in this folder,” Cong Wenbin said.
“Can I ask you if I don’t understand something else?”
Cong Wenbin looked at her oddly. “I only handle IT.”
“Oh, alright, thanks.” Yuan Zhong thought it best to wait for her mentor Wang Shanshan to arrive and ask her when needed.
She organized her desk and began to learn. The company email was simple to use; the regulations, however, were a pile—expense reimbursement, business trips, HR leave, codes of conduct.
Around eleven, Yuan Zhong finally saw her mentor, Wang Shanshan.
Wang Shanshan’s makeup was immaculate, her steps fragrant with perfume. When she sat down, she didn’t even glance at Yuan Zhong.
“Hello.” Yuan Zhong greeted her after Wang Shanshan settled in.
“Mm,” Wang Shanshan grunted.
Yuan Zhong was at a loss, but as a mentee, she felt she should take the initiative and braced herself: “I’m Yuan Zhong, reporting for duty this year.”
“I know. Start by reading the materials,” Wang Shanshan replied.
“Okay, Cong Wenbin gave me some materials, I’m reading them now. Is there anything else I should look at?”
“Finish those first. There’s a lot to read; take it step by step,” Wang Shanshan said impatiently.
Yuan Zhong had no choice but to close her mouth and return to her computer.
This mentor seemed not easy to get along with, Yuan Zhong thought to herself.
On her first day of work, Yuan Zhong sat quietly and read documents. Wang Shanshan hadn’t spoken a word to her, treating her as if invisible. At noon, it was Chen Yue who called Yuan Zhong, handed her the access card, and went with her to lunch downstairs.