That evening, Mr. Chen returned to the company after a business dinner.
Passing by the secretarial office, he saw Secretary Liang still working overtime.
With long strides, he paused, looked at his watch, and saw that it was already eight o'clock at night.
Xu Zhou, who was behind him, timely offered an explanation, "She might be deliberating over the TV interview catalog. The person in charge of this session's 'Observer' column is somewhat difficult to deal with. It's Secretary Liang's first time in such a setting, so it's unavoidable that she needs to be on her toes with utmost attention."
In fact, he was implicitly making a case for Weining's consideration by the big boss.
After all, there was no better way than having Chen Jingyuan, the interviewee himself, personally review the material for surety.
To retain or eliminate was just a matter of a word from the man.
In the midst of the silence, Chen Jingyuan's phone rang.
Suddenly pulled from her thoughts by the ringtone, Weining sitting in front of the computer instinctively raised her head.
Separated by a glass wall, the man's faint gaze swept across her face, then he picked up the call and, with his Special Assistant, turned to enter his office.
It seemed she was not the only one working late that night.
Weining temporarily stopped her work, stood up, and went to the pantry to prepare a cup of white tea for her boss.
Baihao Yinzhen is relatively mild and has the effect of calming and refreshing the mind, suitable for night work; it can ease mental stress without affecting sleep.
She remembered when she first joined the executive office, handing over duties with the previous secretary, who repeatedly admonished her not to bring Mr. Chen strong tea and coffee or any other sugary stimulant drinks after eight o'clock at night.
Weining nodded earnestly.
So the next evening, she confidently brought a cup of plain boiled water into the office.
At the time, Xu Zhou looked at her with a face full of surprise, as if considering her a fool.
And Chen Jingyuan, seated at his desk, just glanced silently at the cup of water and continued to immerse himself in work until he left the office, the entire cup untouched.
From beginning to end, the man did not show the slightest displeasure.
Chen Jingyuan was such a person.
He would not easily hold his subordinates accountable for a minor issue.
But often, it is the silence, the calm yet indifferent demeanor of those in high places, that instills more trepidation and unrest at the core.
Reflecting upon this, Weining couldn't help but chuckle softly, she had been truly naïve and silly back then.
At home, pampered as the apple of her parents' eyes, when had she ever done such servant's work as serving tea and water?
The innocence and pride deep in her bones led her to take many detours in the beginning.
Later, she came to understand that being a secretary to Chen Jingyuan was harder than she had imagined.
After knocking on the door and entering, she found Xu Zhou had already left. In the large and quiet office, only the noble and upright figure of the man sat in front of the large black wooden desk.
She placed the tea by the table and asked softly, "Mr. Chen, would you like some late-night snacks?"
Chen Jingyuan answered softly, "No need."
The night was deep; his voice was faint. Despite the busy and intense schedule of the day, his demeanor betrayed no fatigue.
Mr. Chen is a model of dedication at Zhonggang, often said so by the upper echelons.
Sometimes if work went too late, Chen Jingyuan would spend the night at the company's hotel in Central. As dawn just broke the following day, while many employees might still be asleep, their boss would have already boarded the company jet, crossing the ocean.
For ten years, like any other day, as the family heir, the burden and responsibility that Chen Jingyuan carried on his shoulders were not something ordinary people could endure and stand up to.
Gathering her thoughts, Weining was about to turn and leave when the man called out to her.
"How late are you planning to stay tonight?" asked Chen Jingyuan.
In his normal tone, there was a trace of the lengthy winter night's meditative softness and gentleness, making her feel a subtle stirring with his simple question.
After composing herself for a couple of seconds,
Weining thought for a moment and replied, "About another half an hour or so. Does Mr. Chen have other arrangements?"
"What are you busy with?"
Chen Jingyuan put aside his work, stretched out his body to lean back in the leather chair, his gaze lingering on her face as he asked in a low voice, "Does a single interview catalog require you to work overtime so late?"
She held her breath.
A bit puzzled.
For such a salted fish as herself, it was rare to take the initiative to work overtime, and even that was wrong?
Of course, Liang Weining did not dare to show the slightest emotion and calmly explained, "Because it involves two issues related to Mr. Chen's personal life, I need to be doubly cautious in making judgments."
"For example?"
"For instance, Mr. Chen's criteria for choosing a spouse."
As her voice fell, the air quieted down.
Seeing that the man remained silent, Liang Weining decided to forge ahead and quickly share her opinion, "Actually, questions like these were already brought up in an interview six months ago. As a senior media outlet, don't they find it boring to bring up the same topics on the screen again?"
And that was only six months ago.
The time was too short, which unavoidably led to suspicion about their intentions.
Chen Jingyuan listened without a word and gestured for her to continue.
Liang Weining went on, "The financial column is known for its sharpness and rigor and is revered and almost deified by many stock investors in the Greater Bay Area. They have, on several occasions, stirred the direction of local industry winds by extracting specific 'keywords' during the personal Q&A segments, resulting in lasting fluctuations in the stock market of the interviewed subject's company. So I worry, after the interview airs, whether Zhonggang will become the next target of citywide attention."
The development project on Lianwu Island was about to begin, and putting the company in the limelight at such a critical juncture was both good and bad.
But on the whole, the risk was still greater than the benefit.
Of course, all of the above was just Liang Weining speculating from her single perspective as a secretary. After all, a figure like Chen Jingyuan had seen all sorts of trials and tribulations in the business world over the years.
The reason she considered everything so thoroughly was simply to fulfill her duties to the best of her ability without overstepping the bounds.
Most importantly, Liang Weining had her own selfish motives.
Investing most of her savings heavily into stock number 9771, a collective loss was not a joke.
Having finished expressing her views, she stood quietly to the side, waiting for the man's reaction.
Chen Jingyuan was even more serene than she had imagined; one could even say his calmness was conclusive.
The prolonged silence compelled Liang Weining to furtively glance toward the front of the desk.
Unexpectedly, the man also just happened to look up slowly.
And with that, their eyes met directly.
"..."
She gave a shallow smile to cover the awkwardness and tension that the moment brought.
"Liang Weining."
Chen Jingyuan spoke softly.
Her heart skipped a beat.
It was the first time the big boss had called her by her full name.
Liang Weining looked helplessly at the man and asked quietly, "Are you going to transfer me to the public relations department again?"
She was very self-aware.
Her speech just now had undoubtedly once again damaged the persona she had carefully crafted.
Quiet, compliant.
Following the rules.
Speaking little...
But every time, her façade was easily seen through by the boss.
So, she didn't bother pretending anymore.
The night was dense, and Zhonggang Building's top floor was as tranquil as ever.
Inside the office, the silvery white light overhead sprinkled down finely, inch by inch, filling the unfathomable depths of Chen Jingyuan's eyes.
At that moment, he felt the girl's long-lost vivacity and resilience beneath her exterior, her gaze as still as deep waters, her thoughts slowly being drawn out, as if returning to their initial encounter four years ago, at Tanzhe Temple in the Western Suburb of Beijing.