"Okay, if you have any issues, you must tell me," Chen Nuo hesitated, watching Shen Xian go inside and sit down before closing the door for her.
"Are you very idle? Following her around all day, have you forgotten whose secretary you are?"
Ma Qi, holding a folder, walked over in ten-centimeter high heels paired with a black, proper outfit that made her look very imposing.
"Can't colleagues care for one another? It's not affecting work."
Chen Nuo retorted, showing no weakness. Although both were secretaries, Ma Qi, because of her impressive resume, held a slightly higher position and often had an air of authority.
But Chen Nuo was no less competent, a graduate from a top domestic university, no less. Did studying abroad mean that one had to step all over her?
"You!" Ma Qi, seeing that Chen Nuo was unyielding, pointed at her angrily with the folder.
"Enough, you two, stop bickering. Have you finished your work to make such a fuss?"
The speaker was another secretary, Tang Yin, whose job was more focused on cyber information security. She usually didn't talk much and had short, neat hair that gave off a refreshing, neat vibe.
At that moment, she had just made a cup of coffee from the break room and was advising them, "Go back to your stations. Do you want to get scolded if Gu Chen sees you when he gets back?"
"He already has!"
The deep male voice followed the footsteps. Gu Chen wore a casual khaki suit, with one hand nonchalantly in his trouser pocket, his face as scholarly as ever, voice betraying no hint of annoyance.
"Gu, President Gu." The two standing in front immediately straightened up and greeted him in a low voice.
Gu Chen glanced at the two standing by the door of Shen Xian's office, then peered through the glass door for a moment, didn't reprimand them but instead dismissed indifferently, "Tell Shen Xian to come to see me," before he strode back to his own office.
Chen Nuo and Ma Qi exchanged glances. The latter gave her a disdainful look and walked away in her high heels.
Chen Nuo brazenly sneered at her and turned to push open Shen Xian's door, softly saying, "Shen Xian, President Gu..."
Before she could finish, she saw that Shen Xian had already stood up, "I heard."
As she passed by Chen Nuo, Shen Xian patted her shoulder, curving her lips slightly to show she was okay.
As Shen Xian entered, Gu Chen was searching for something inside his desk. Seeing her, he asked, "Can you drive?"
"Yes."
A key was thrown from behind the desk, landing firmly in Shen Xian's hand which she had just raised.
Gu Chen took out a bag, "In the future, let them handle small things like reimbursements."
Gu Chen pointed outside, looking at Shen Xian's troubled expression, his probing not articulated, but as if he already understood everything clearly.
Shen Xian didn't know what he knew, but this was the first time Gu Chen had gone out without a driver.
Shen Xian was a very skilled driver, having learned from her uncle since she was young; even motorcycles that adults typically didn't let kids touch, she had been riding slickly since middle school.
Gu Chen sat in the backseat and didn't speak, but Shen Xian couldn't suppress her own questions.
"President Gu..."
"Hmm." Gu Chen was holding some papers in his hand, engrossed in something. When he heard Shen Xian call him, he responded without looking up.
Shen Xian glanced at the man in the rearview mirror, hesitating whether to ask or not.
"Speak."
For quite a long time, there was no follow-up until the man in the back seat suddenly raised his head and looked forward, uttering just a single word.
Shen Xian clenched his teeth from the sting of that one word, his look in the rearview mirror now tinged with resentment.
"How did you find out about the reimbursement issue?"
Logically, Gu Chen shouldn't have known about something so trivial, she had not publicized it herself either, so why did Gu Chen know?
Gu Chen put down the document he had in hand, took off his glasses and massaged his temples, his voice lazy, "You can't even handle such a small matter properly and you still have the nerve to ask me?"
Shen Xian pulled the car to a stop by the side of the road and turned to look at him, "This issue is my fault, don't take it out on the Finance Department."
Pivoting his body, Gu Chen propped two slender fingers against his temple, staring at Shen Xian with amusement, "Is it about not making it difficult for the Finance Department, or not making it difficult for someone in the Finance Department?"
Shen Xian felt uncomfortable under his languid gaze, "In any case, the matter doesn't concern anyone else, I just didn't follow the procedures."
"Do you think I wouldn't dare punish you?" Gu Chen's voice had a hint of anger.
"If I am at fault, I am willing to accept punishment."
Seeing that speaking politely was useless, Shen Xian responded to him irritably.
Gu Chen bit his lip, his eyes darkening as he was about to erupt, but then Shen Xian pressed the gas pedal and the car shot out, the initially composed Gu Chen nearly losing his cross-legged posture from the sudden movement. He slapped the back of the front passenger seat hard, frustrated and unable to vent it.
Yet Shen Xian drove on as if he didn't see, weaving through traffic with extra care and diligence.
Gu Chen steadied himself and adjusted his suit before settling back into his seat.
The car ride went on without conversation, and Shen Xian, following the address provided by Gu Chen, sped through the streets until they were nearly out of town when they finally reached their destination.
It was a sanatorium nestled against the mountains and beside the water, boasting an exceptionally serene environment.
Under the shade of green trees, the streets were remarkably clean, with a moat on the outside, its clear waters slowly flowing under the sunlight, creating a shimmering scene.
After entering the compound, Shen Xian found a parking spot and stopped before he reminded Gu Chen, now resting with eyes closed in the back seat, with sincere tone, "General Manager Gu, we have arrived."
The feigning Gu Chen opened his eyes and took in the surroundings before getting out of the car.
Shen Xian carried the things from the passenger seat down, locking the car doors after him.
Gu Chen paused, took the items from Shen Xian's hands, and looking toward a five-story western-style building not far away, he said, "Wait for me down here."
"Okay."
Shen Xian agreed sensibly and handed over the items to Gu Chen, watching him enter the lobby where he briefly spoke with the staff before being led upstairs.
Shen Xian couldn't help feeling that Gu Chen's movements this time were extremely secretive, as if he didn't want outsiders to know, otherwise he wouldn't have come without even a driver.
Shen Xian stood around bored, observing the elders in the yard. Some were playing chess, others practicing Tai Chi, and some under the pavilion were fanning themselves, whether to ward off mosquitoes or just for cooling off was unclear, as the weather wasn't hot—perhaps it was simply an aged form of leisure.
There were also some not so elderly people, with limited mobility or some disability, chatting away in small groups.
Some were even reading books or watching videos on their phones, considerately using headphones.
Everyone appeared to be enjoying a comfortable, relaxed time.
A short distance away in the small garden, several children were playing, perhaps brought along by their parents to visit relatives, with boys at their mischievous age, each one dressed as a warrior, shouting battle cries as they played.