When Shen Yumian arrived at Shengjin Group Headquarters again, her heart was still a bit uneasy. She dialed the number that had contacted her before, and soon someone came to escort her into the elevator on the 16th floor.
The woman led Shen Yumian to the door of an office. She knocked lightly and said respectfully, “President Sheng, the candidate for the interview is here.”
“Please come in.” A slightly lazy voice drifted out from inside.
Upon hearing the response, the woman gripped the door handle and pushed it open, gesturing for Shen Yumian to go in alone.
Shen Yumian took a deep breath before stepping into the office.
A quick glance around revealed a spacious office with two additional doors inside, likely leading to a lounge or similar space. Shen Yumian didn’t dare look too closely and instead turned politely toward the woman seated behind the desk. “Hello.”
“Hello. No need to be nervous—have a seat and let’s talk.” Sheng Yang leaned back in her chair, her gaze settling on Shen Yumian across from her.
Though the scrutiny made Shen Yumian tense, she kept her expression composed.
Sheng Yang regarded her for a moment before speaking slowly. “I’m the Chairman and CEO of Shengjin Group. I’m looking to hire a life assistant from this year’s fresh graduates. The other day, when I walked in, you were in the middle of your interview, and I liked what you had to say. Are you interested in the role of my assistant?”
Shen Yumian’s eyes lit up. The positions she and her peers had applied for were all at branch offices—nothing compared to headquarters. And working directly for the president would mean learning so much. She replied eagerly, “Of course I am. I just graduated, but I’m a quick learner and confident I can pick up the relevant work in no time.”
“Good. A life assistant’s job involves a lot of miscellaneous tasks. You’ll need to be familiar with every department in the company, capable of coordinating all sorts of work, and handle whatever I assign you—including some personal matters. It’ll be busy. Can you manage it?” Sheng Yang lifted her eyes to meet Shen Yumian’s, her tone laced with that same lazy drawl.
“I don’t mind being busy. I have plenty of free time usually. Anything you assign me, I’ll make sure to handle it to the best of my ability.” Shen Yumian declared her resolve without hesitation.
“Excellent. I’ll have Qi Qian take you to HR.” Sheng Yang picked up the phone, exchanged a few words with Qi Qian, and moments later came a knock at the door.
Shen Yumian left with Qi Qian to discuss salary at the HR Department.
Even back in her school dorm, Shen Yumian could hardly believe it. She had actually landed the job. True, there was a one-month internship period, but the internship pay was twelve thousand—a fortune to her. Even better, the company had set her up with a small apartment of about four hundred square feet. It wasn’t huge, but perfect for one person.
Shen Yumian changed into comfortable clothes and immediately called her sister with the good news.
“Sis, I got a job! Guess which company picked me?” Her voice bubbled with excitement.
Shen Zhirou, still at the office, stepped out to take the call. The joy in her sister’s tone made her smile too. “Which company? Keeping secrets from your own sister?”
“Sis, you won’t believe it—I got the president’s assistant position at Shengjin Group. I start officially next week.” Shen Yumian rolled back and forth on her narrow dorm bed, still buzzing with delight over her new job.
“Shengjin Group? Way to go, Mianmian. Straight out of graduation into Shengjin Group. Let’s do dinner this weekend to celebrate your first real job.” Shen Zhirou chuckled.
“Sis, bring your girlfriend along. I still haven’t met her.” Shen Yumian said with a grin. She was genuinely curious about her sister’s partner.
Shen Zhirou paused for a second before replying, “Yaoyao’s swamped with work right now. I’ll check if she’s free. If she is, we’ll all go celebrate with you.”
“I knew you were the best, Sis.” Shen Yumian’s eyes sparkled with happiness.
“Alright, get some rest. I’ve still got work to finish.” After a few more words with Shen Yumian, Shen Zhirou hung up.
By the time Shen Zhirou got home from work, Lu Yao still wasn’t back. Figuring she must be caught up in work again, Shen Zhirou opened Lu Yao’s WeChat.
Shen Zhirou: What time will you be home tonight? Dinner at home?
Lu Yao was wrapping up a meeting with the Project Team. Their company had handed her a new project to manage, ramping up her workload.
When Lu Yao saw Shen Zhirou’s message, an inexplicable irritation flared up. Her job already demanded so much of her—she didn’t need the distraction. And dinner was such a trivial thing; she didn’t want to be asked about it every day. Lu Yao powered off her screen, with zero intention of replying.
Just after taking on a new project, Lu Yao had Jiang Chen arrange a team dinner. She joined several project leads for the meal and didn’t return home until around ten o’clock.
Shen Zhirou heard movement outside the door and hurriedly got up to open it, only to find the door already swinging open from the outside.
“You’re back? Why so late today? Have you eaten? I saved some food for you—just heat it up.” Shen Zhirou said with a smile.
Lu Yao, however, wore no smile. She found Shen Zhirou too clingy. To her, the proper boundaries between adults meant giving each other plenty of space—ideally, not interfering in each other’s lives except in bed.
With that in mind, Lu Yao shook her head coolly. “No need. I ate out. I’m tired; I’m going to shower and sleep.”
Shen Zhirou picked up on Lu Yao’s bad mood right away and said nothing more. She simply packed up the leftovers from the kitchen into containers and stowed them in the fridge.
Instead, Shen Zhirou returned to the bedroom to wait for Lu Yao, planning to bring up the idea of having dinner with her sister over the weekend.
Twenty minutes later, Lu Yao trudged back into the bedroom, exhaustion etched on her face. She had no interest in talking with Shen Zhirou and simply pulled the covers over herself, curling up on the soft bed in an attempt to drift off.
Shen Zhirou glanced at Lu Yao, twisting her fingertips together nervously as she edged closer. “Yaoyao, do you have time this weekend? My sister wants to meet you. How about we all grab dinner together?”
Lu Yao frowned and let out a sigh, her eyes still closed. “No can do. I just picked up a new project, and the next few months are going to be slammed. You two go ahead without me.”
Shen Zhirou had felt anxious even asking, steeling herself for rejection. But Lu Yao’s blunt refusal still stung a little.
“Alright, then. Focus on work,” Shen Zhirou replied.
In the days that followed, Shen Zhirou only caught glimpses of Lu Yao in the mornings and evenings—and even then, evenings were hit-or-miss, with Lu Yao often not home until after ten. Their conversations were so sparse she could count them on one hand. Gone were the days when Lu Yao would cling to her and hold her close at night; exhaustion from work had her passing out the moment her head hit the pillow.
Shen Zhirou couldn’t quite read Lu Yao’s aloofness and chalked it up to her grueling workload.
On Friday at noon, Shen Zhirou and Zhao Tongtong stepped out of the company, heading to a Japanese restaurant across the street for lunch.
No sooner had they exited than Shen Zhirou spotted a familiar figure: Lu Yao, leading the Project Team right past them. She was deep in conversation with Jiang Chen, issuing instructions, and completely overlooked Shen Zhirou as she hurried off with the group.
Shen Zhirou watched Lu Yao’s retreating back, her fingertips clenching lightly. She knew Lu Yao was swamped with work, but when she was right there at Shen Zhirou’s company on business, was she really too busy for even a quick WeChat message?
Shen Zhirou sighed at the sight. Zhao Tongtong noticed her staring and whispered, “Who’s that? Here on business? I don’t think I’ve seen her before.”
“It’s nothing. Let’s go eat,” Shen Zhirou said with a soft sigh, walking out the front gates with Zhao Tongtong.
Even at lunch, Shen Zhirou’s mind lingered on the encounter.
“Hey, what are you so lost in thought about? You were totally spacing out,” Zhao Tongtong said after a few bites of her ramen.
“It’s nothing—just a lot on my plate lately. Yaoyao took on a new project, and then there’s Mianmian. She landed a job and starts officially on Monday.” Talking about her sister brought a smile back to Shen Zhirou’s face.
“Which company? Mianmian’s a quick study—just graduated and already working,” Zhao Tongtong said with a grin.
“Shengjin Group. Mianmian wasn’t holding out much hope; she went to interviews all week, but she actually passed their screening.” Shen Zhirou tucked a stray lock of dark hair behind her ear and smiled at Zhao Tongtong.
“Impressive. You planning a weekend celebration for her?”
“We set something up for Sunday dinner. You free? Come join us,” Shen Zhirou said, picking up a piece of sashimi.
“Count me in. I’d make time for Mianmian even if I had to—first job out of school, and at a top company like that. What position did she snag?”
“President’s Assistant,” Shen Zhirou said. Her dark lashes fluttered slightly as her gaze settled on Zhao Tongtong.
Zhao Tongtong nearly spat out her drink in one gulp. She coughed for half a minute before finally holding it back, her eyes wide as she stared at Shen Zhirou. “President’s Assistant? Wow, our Mianmian is too impressive! Her first job starts at such a high level. To be honest, I’ve almost forgotten what our company’s president even looks like, but from now on, Mianmian will be hanging out with the president every single day. That’s seriously awesome.”
“I hope this job goes smoothly for her. A place like Shengjin Group must have fierce competition, and the president’s assistant position definitely won’t be easy. I just want Mianmian to stay safe and sound.” Shen Zhirou’s voice softened unconsciously as she spoke about Shen Yumian.
“Definitely. Mianmian has such a good temper and personality, so Shengjin’s president is sure to like her. Plus, Shengjin Group’s president is a woman, so there’s no need to worry about Mianmian’s safety.” Zhao Tongtong smiled and said. Sheng Yang of Shengjin Group was a well-known figure in Jiangbei City. She had outmaneuvered several uncles in her family and firmly gripped the group her grandfather had left behind. She was a decisive and efficient woman.
“That’s good. A female president is more reassuring.” Shen Zhirou smiled and said.
