Chapter Thirty-Six: The Gentle Little Rabbit

When her parents asked, Yuan Zhong said everything was fine, but while playing games, she couldn’t help expressing disappointment and worry.

Not Stingy said, “I don’t have similar work experience, and my interactions with people are pretty straightforward. I can’t give much advice, but I think on your first day, there’s no need to be anxious. Give it some time and see how things go. Since your supervisor assigned her as your mentor, she can’t possibly teach you nothing at all—she’ll say something at least. You can observe, learn by stealth, or build good relationships with other colleagues, slowly gather wisdom. If there are people you don’t like, especially those prone to petty behavior, just keep your distance, like that receptionist.”

“That makes sense, thank you. The receptionist isn’t so bad; at least she greeted me the most on my first day.”

“First time meeting, and she pushed the reason for being late onto you. That’s not necessarily a good person; don’t let her fool you.”

“Mm, it’s good to be cautious. I know.”

“But I didn’t expect you to be so tolerant. She said that, and you didn’t confront her on the spot? Judging by your tit-for-tat habit in games, I’d expect you to fire back.” Not Stingy commented.

“Hey, it’s my first day, right? If I can’t endure small things, it’s hard to achieve big goals.” Yuan Zhong ruthlessly claimed a kill in the game.

“It’s good that you’ve thought it through.”

“Actually, as long as I’m not uncomfortable, it doesn’t matter. They can’t do anything to me.”

“That’s like that saying: ‘As long as I’m not embarrassed, it’s others who are embarrassed.’”

Yuan Zhong laughed, “Exactly. But it looks like things will be boring for a while.”

“What’s the problem with boredom? Will it affect your salary?”

“Haha! You’re right, it won’t.”

“Besides, just don’t let yourself be bored.”

Yuan Zhong felt that Not Stingy, while always claiming to lack social experience, was actually clear-eyed—a true realist.

Teammate: Mage, you died again!

Not Stingy: Sorry, I wasn’t paying attention.

Well, in the game, she was really timid.

The next day at work, Yuan Zhong arrived early at the office, filled her beautiful cup with coffee, added milk, and sprinkled it with her own cinnamon powder.

“So fragrant!”

Yuan Zhong turned around, “Morning, Chief Editor.”

“You’re here so early today?” The Chief Editor smiled.

“Yeah, I left a bit earlier, the subway wasn’t crowded, and I had time to make myself a cup of homemade coffee. I brought cinnamon powder—would you like me to make one for you too?” Yuan Zhong chose not to explain yesterday’s tardiness. With time, she believed the Chief Editor would understand her. If nothing else, being disciplined and meticulous was her strong suit.

“Thank you, that’s very thoughtful. I’m used to drinking tea. If you ever want tea, just ask me—I have several varieties in my office. I’m sure there’ll be one you like.”

“Thank you, Chief Editor.” Yuan Zhong took her coffee back to her desk, breathing a sigh of relief that the Chief Editor hadn’t asked how her first day went.

Today, Wang Shanshan wasn’t late. Like most people, she arrived right on time.

“Good morning, Mentor.” Yuan Zhong greeted proactively.

Wang Shanshan looked better than yesterday, nodding in response.

Maybe she had something going on yesterday and wasn’t in a good mood—not necessarily targeting me, Yuan Zhong thought to herself.

Seeing Wang Shanshan preparing coffee, Yuan Zhong smiled, “I brought some coffee additives. Would you like any? I have cinnamon, cardamom, cocoa powder.” She took out her lunch bag.

“Oh?” Wang Shanshan showed interest, “Add a bit of cocoa powder, then.”

“Sure.” Yuan Zhong took out a small bottle and sprinkled a little into Wang Shanshan’s coffee; the aroma blossomed instantly.

“Thank you,” Wang Shanshan said.

“You’re welcome.” Yuan Zhong returned to her computer.

A moment later, an email popped up—it was from Wang Shanshan. Yuan Zhong hurriedly opened it. It was a huge compressed file, probably lots of materials. She saved it locally and decompressed it.

Her laptop worked diligently, finishing the task in an instant. Yuan Zhong opened the folder: thirty or forty documents, including Word, PPT, Excel, and PDF files.

“Study them carefully. Start with the important ones,” Wang Shanshan said.

“Alright.” Looks like her mentor was willing to teach after all.

Yuan Zhong eyed the long list, wishing she had her laptop’s efficiency. She was about to ask which documents were key, but Wang Shanshan picked up the phone, so she didn’t want to interrupt.

Fine, she’d go through them one by one—she had nothing else to do anyway.

After a while, Wang Shanshan said, “Xiao Yuan, I’ll give you a list. Go buy some things; I’ll be meeting a few clients soon.” She clicked her mouse a few times, “You can pick it up by the printer.”

“Okay.” Yuan Zhong habitually locked her computer screen with a shortcut before heading to collect the document.

The list wasn’t long, but there were many stops; some items could be bought at supermarkets, some required specialty counters, plus a cake and fresh flowers.

“Bring them to me before lunch. I’m meeting clients for lunch at eleven-thirty,” Wang Shanshan said.

Yuan Zhong checked her watch—only two hours, pretty tight. She asked, “Mentor, where do we usually buy these things?”

“Don’t know how to shop? There’s a shopping mall nearby,” Wang Shanshan replied impatiently.

Alright, it seemed the mentor had little patience—she’d have to figure it all out herself.

Taking her bag, Yuan Zhong headed out.

Receptionist Chen Yue poked her head in and bumped right into Yuan Zhong.

“Shh!” Chen Yue gestured for silence. Yuan Zhong thought: The company isn’t big; you can’t turn invisible. Even if I keep quiet, it won’t cover up your lateness.

Ignoring her, Yuan Zhong nodded and prepared to leave.

“Hey, where are you off to so early?” Chen Yue threw her bag onto the reception desk and followed Yuan Zhong out.

“Going shopping.” Yuan Zhong waved the list.

“Shan-jie asked you?” Chen Yue asked.

Yuan Zhong nodded.

“Let me help you,” Chen Yue said.

“I have to hurry, afraid I won’t make it.”

“Don’t worry, it won’t delay you. I know shopping better than you.” Chen Yue winked.

Yuan Zhong’s eyes brightened. Yes, she could ask her!

Chen Yue looked at the list, “Hmm, Shan-jie is generous, but her clients are something else. Looks like someone’s birthday.”

“I glanced at it, but I don’t know where to buy everything together.” Yuan Zhong was concerned since time was tight.

“Don’t shop nearby. Take Line 2—go farther out. The Sam’s Club will have almost everything, except for that specialty mug.”

“Great, the subway shouldn’t be crowded now, I should make it.” Yuan Zhong breathed a sigh of relief.

Chen Yue’s eyes twinkled, “If you’re unfamiliar, want me to go with you?”

“Can you?” Yuan Zhong wasn’t sure.

“Of course! The Chief Editor always says we should help each other, especially since you’re new. Helping you is no problem.”

Yuan Zhong wasn’t certain—first, she didn’t know the company’s policy; second, after being blamed for lateness yesterday, she didn’t trust Chen Yue.

“That’s a lot to carry alone.”

True. “Shouldn’t you tell someone if you’re going out?”

“No need, we’ll be back soon.” Chen Yue grabbed her bag, eager to go.

“Not saying anything when leaving? That’s not right. Shouldn’t you tell a colleague, just in case someone looks for you?” Yuan Zhong felt uneasy.

“Relax, it’s fine.”

“You’re sure? If the Chief Editor gets upset… Won’t he blame me?” Yuan Zhong asked directly.

Chen Yue glanced at Yuan Zhong, then peeked inside, “I see the Chief Editor’s office door is closed. I’ll message him on WeChat.”

“Good, let’s see what he replies.” Yuan Zhong insisted.

Chen Yue typed out a message, then smiled, “See? He agreed! Let’s go.” She quickly slung her little bag over her shoulder.

Yuan Zhong was glad, too. The two of them jogged to the elevator, heading downstairs.

“Wonderful, I love shopping during work hours, especially when spending the company’s money.”

That mention of money reminded Yuan Zhong she’d forgotten to ask Wang Shanshan about payment, so she asked Chen Yue, “Should I pay first and get reimbursed later?”

“Shan-jie didn’t give you a company credit card?”

Yuan Zhong shook her head.

“In that case, you’ll have to pay first. You have a credit card, right? Just submit your expenses early and get reimbursed before the due date. Next time, remember to ask Shan-jie for the card,” Chen Yue said.

“Thanks, I remember seeing the finance documents yesterday. I saved the company name and tax ID on my phone,” Yuan Zhong replied.

They boarded the subway; the morning rush was over, and it was spacious.

After finding seats, Chen Yue said, “Shan-jie is the Chief Editor’s favorite. The company’s current hottest author is managed by her.”

“Is it Seven Nights?”

“Yes, yes, you know him?”

“I’ve read his books.”

“I heard he’s handsome, too. Let me tell you some gossip. Originally, Shan-jie didn’t want Seven Nights as her client—he wasn’t popular back then. But during a signing, Seven Nights happened to be nearby and dropped by the company. After that, Shan-jie changed her attitude.”

“He’s been to the company? You didn’t see him?”

“Don’t mention it, I was late that day. After that, I was never late for a whole month, but he never showed up again.” Chen Yue looked regretful.

Yuan Zhong smiled; clearly this girl had trouble getting up early.

“After that, Shan-jie was very focused on him. Hey, how’s it going with you and Shan-jie?” Chen Yue asked.

“What do you mean?” Yuan Zhong played dumb, “I’m learning from her.”

Chen Yue laughed, “Shan-jie’s a veteran; the Chief Editor indulges her, but everyone knows she has quite a temper.”

Yuan Zhong: “I’m new, learning slowly. Shan-jie won’t make things hard for me, will she?”

“She probably thinks she’s not, but she’s a bit moody. I guess you need to be mentally prepared. After your first day, you must have realized, right?” Chen Yue stretched her legs, swinging her feet.

Yuan Zhong didn’t say much, keeping her head down.

“Hey, you’re a bit of a closed book,” Chen Yue nudged Yuan Zhong with her shoulder, “But you must be something special, or you wouldn’t have gotten into our company.”

“Huh?” Yuan Zhong feigned ignorance, “I just applied normally.”

“I heard the company had layoffs five years ago, and since then, there’s been no new hires.”

“Heard? So you joined later too.” Yuan Zhong caught the key point.

“I joined because the old receptionist left. You’re different—you’re a new addition. So, tell me, what’s your background?”

“Background? Do I look like it?” Yuan Zhong countered.

Chen Yue sized her up, “You look like a gentle little bunny, easy to bully.”

So that’s why you made me take the blame on my first day, Yuan Zhong thought again. Sigh, looks like Not Stingy was right; maybe her gaming persona is her true self.

“But people can’t be judged by appearances,” Chen Yue added.

Yuan Zhong smiled, “Anyway, I don’t know myself. Our stop’s coming up, let’s get ready to get off.”