Pushing the door open, the office was vast and quiet, with the three-paneled panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows clean and bright. Casting my gaze into the distance, the horizon enveloped in the early morning sunlight, which, passing through the thick glass, gently spread over the man's noble and upright back.
Every time I stepped into this office, I would always first lay my eyes on the azure harbor waking behind the building.
It was an indescribable visual impact.
As if, with each morning that arrived here, one was reborn over and over again.
Placing the coffee on the desk, in my lowered gaze, was the man's hand resting on the armrest of the chair, its bones distinct, each finger long and slender. As that hand picked up the coffee to sip, the wristwatch further highlighted his mature charisma and warmth. In those casually elegant movements, there was the self-control and leisure of a thirty-year-old man accustomed to high positions.
After finishing everything, I prepared to leave the room.
But then I heard Chen Jingyuan call out to me with a faint voice, "Secretary Liang didn't sleep well last night."
As the man uttered these words, his gaze did not lift, resting calmly on the project proposal in front of him.
Upon hearing this, I was a bit stunned, subconsciously touching the area beneath my eye.
In my heart, I wondered if I hadn't applied enough powder to cover the dark circles?
The very next moment, the big boss's supplementary remark made it crystal clear to me.
Chen Jingyuan took a casual glance at the coffee beside him and reminded me unhurriedly, "You added sugar."
Huh?
The air went still, and only then did I come to the tardy realization.
I had actually added sugar!
Some confusion set in.
I wasn't sure if it was my lapse in attention while making the coffee that caused this simple mistake, one that almost never happened to me.
Feeling guilty, I walked over, picked up the coffee, and headed out, "I apologize, Mr. Chen, I'll replace this with a fresh cup."
Chen Jingyuan did not speak, never showing any sign of pleasure or anger, merely pausing the pen on the document as the girl turned to leave without hesitation—but that was just for half a second before everything returned to normal.
The second cup of coffee was brought in eight minutes later.
It was two minutes quicker than the first.
In front of the desk, Chen Jingyuan asked calmly, "How can you be sure that I would keep this one?"
I replied with confidence, "If it still isn't to your liking, you can dismiss me immediately."
He lifted his eyes, his gaze sliding indiscernibly over the girl in her professional suit dress and then locking onto the cup of coffee.
After two seconds of silence, Chen Jingyuan took out a cigarette, stood up, and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window to light it.
The lighter's flint wheel made a soft scraping sound, sending faint ripples through my heart.
Watching his figure from behind, I boldly asked, "Mr. Chen, the sip of coffee you just had, did it really have sugar added?"
No sooner had the words fallen, I felt as if the air had grown slightly heavier.
In front of the floor-to-ceiling window, the man's tall silhouette remained still.
Facing the girl's subsequent questioning, Chen Jingyuan slowly exhaled a puff of smoke, his hand with the cigarette naturally hanging by his side. Speaking, his entire demeanor remained as composed and steady as ever.
He retorted faintly, "Secretary Liang, if you cannot make a judgment on your own affairs, why go to the trouble of seeking answers from someone else?"
Hearing this, I softly contested, "It's not someone else, you are Mr. Chen."
"What difference does that make?"
Chen Jingyuan looked down to flick the ash from his cigarette, his voice low and still emotionless.
After two seconds of silence, I said, "Mr. Chen is my direct superior. I work for your salary, under your protection. If I cannot trust you, then who should I trust?"
Just like yesterday, when the Crown Prince of the Zhou Family had enticed me to switch sides right in front of Chen Jingyuan.
If the man in front of me did not have sufficient trust in me, how could he leave me alone at the poker table?
It was common knowledge in Zhonggang's circle of elites that Mr. Chen abhorred betrayal above all else.
Thus, those who could stay by his side needed, without a doubt, to be one hundred percent loyal.
But loyalty is mutual, isn't it?
As his chief secretary, I was loyal to him, so that night at the club, he also chose to protect his own and sent Chen Shao'an to the police station.
The official claim was to temper the young master's capricious spirit, but in reality, it was to reassure me.
After this, Liang Weining truly felt an indescribable sense of confidence.
This sensation was subtle, something she couldn't have imagined before joining Zhonggang.
It was as if, after becoming accustomed to the cold and ruthless side of capitalists, she experienced a different kind of warmth from Chen Jingyuan.
The girl's candid remark didn't seem to stir any emotional fluctuation in Chen Jingyuan.
In the silent room, he slowly walked to his desk and extinguished the cigarette in his hand in a black ashtray, his tone as usual, "Some words, when they come from Secretary Liang's mouth, are unexpectedly pleasant and logical."
What did he mean by that? It didn't sound like a compliment.
Liang Weining stiffened, and asked dryly, "Does Mr. Chen need me to make an oath?"
Chen Jingyuan looked up, his deep gaze resting on her serious face.
For a moment, she saw him smile faintly.
That smile reminded Liang Weining of the last time at the Pok Fu Lam Villa, when Chen Jingyuan asked if she had a boyfriend, and she blurted out a lie saying she did.
So, did it prove that she had just made the same mistake again, indulging in wishful thinking and performing a monologue?
The rumors outside were indeed true.
When it came to discerning people's hearts, Chen Jingyuan truly was as formidable as they said.
Liang Weining sighed lightly, she was still too green.
Lost in thought, the conversation ended with a few knocks from behind.
Moments later, Special Assistant Xu Zhou pushed the door open and entered.
Upon seeing Liang Weining there, the latter nodded slightly in greeting.
A document regarding personnel changes was delivered to Chen Jingyuan.
Xu Zhou lowered his voice, "The Chairman hasn't signed this, I'm afraid you'll need to handle it personally."
Hearing the outcome, the man didn't react, as if it was all expected.
"How long has it been since I've been back to the old house?" Chen Jingyuan asked.
After a moment of thought, Xu Zhou replied, "Almost two months."
In front of the desk, the man glanced over the untouched document and instructed Liang Weining gently, "Secretary Liang, you will accompany me to tonight's auction."
Liang Weining nodded, "Do I need to prepare anything?"
"Just be there."
That meant there was no need to dress too formally.
For Liang Weining, such an occasion would be a first.
She began to filter information in her mind.
Indeed, the Chairman's birthday was fast approaching.
Back in the secretarial room, the assistants had already taken their places at their desks.
Liang Weining signaled with her eyes, and they quickly set down their work and gathered around her efficiently.
With limited time, Liang Weining emphasized two points: first, regarding the selection of content for Mr. Chen's interview with the TV station, the prepared list would be sent to her email in advance, and as usual practice, one-third of questions involving personal matters would need to be prudently omitted.
The second point was that she would be accompanying the big boss on a business trip to Lianwu Island on Thursday; during her absence, Vivi would take temporary charge of the daily management of the secretarial office, and starting from this afternoon, all external visitor appointments should be postponed by three days.
After Liang Weining finished speaking, a curious assistant asked, "The development project on Lianwu Island, is Mr. Chen planning to fight that battle himself?"
"Not quite sure."
Seeing her indifference, the assistant said in a mysterious whisper, "But there's a rumor that from the Chairman's side—"
"Right now, you look exactly like a gossip anchorwoman at two in the morning," Liang Weining said expressionlessly, cutting her off with a warning look, and calmly returned to her workstation, "Meeting adjourned."
Ah.
The assistant couldn't help but swallow.
Vivi saw this and patted the person's shoulder, whispering a reminder, "Don't pry into what you shouldn't; that's the rule of survival in the Chairman's office."
The latter nodded vigorously, like pounding garlic.
Wouldn't dare to do it again.