The two people inside the room were in an ambiguous position, apparently doing something indescribable.
"I'm sorry, I..."
The scene was so shocking that Qiao En instinctively closed the door.
Her complexion turned pale in an instant, and a storm surged in her heart.
"Come in."
Zhou Jin'an's chilly voice crept out from the crack of the door.
Qiao En hesitated for a moment.
In a professional sense, she was Zhou Jin'an's secretary, and it was working hours; she had to obey his command.
On a personal level, she had been his companion, and upon witnessing him in an ambiguous situation with another woman, she couldn't pretend she hadn't seen anything.
Qiao En's fingers, gripping the doorknob, trembled slightly.
But she did not linger outside the door for long. If Zhou Jin'an wanted her to enter, even if it were through fire and blades, she had to go in.
"Director Zhou."
When Qiao En appeared again, her face had already regained its calm composure.
"Are there any spare clothes in the lounge?"
Zhou Jin'an asked.
He was wiping the water stains on the fly of his trousers with a tissue, his face filled with displeasure.
Only then did Qiao En notice that the teacup on his desk had tipped over, and the hem of his shirt was also soaked.
"I was trying to do a good deed but botched it. I made your favorite dark plum tea, but I knocked the cup over and wet your clothes."
An Kexin looked apologetic as she rose from her seat next to the desk.
Her complexion was flushed, her forehead hair slightly disheveled, her eyes brimming with luster; her square neckline revealed an enticing hint of spring.
She had a tissue in hand and tried to wipe Zhou Jin'an, but he, somewhat impatiently, pushed her hand away.
"There is a full set in the lounge."
Qiao En replied composedly.
Zhou Jin'an strode towards the lounge, and the door closed with a "bang."
Finally, Qiao En's turbulent heart settled down.
She fetched a cloth and cleaned the desktop of Zhou Jin'an's office, then squatted down to wipe the water stains off the floor.
"Secretary Qiao, I'm sorry for the trouble."
An Kexin was quite polite.
However, her eyes, deep and meaningful, suddenly reflected an extra hint of hostility.
"It's my responsibility, Miss An. You're too kind."
Qiao En responded with a subdued voice.
An Kexin did not say much more and took a seat in Zhou Jin'an's office chair again.
"Secretary Qiao, come here."
As she spoke, An Kexin pulled open a drawer and took out a dark blue rectangular box.
Qiao En recognized that box.
It contained a CDM black diamond bracelet.
There were only two in the world, and they were said to be priceless.
Three months ago, Qiao En accompanied Zhou Jin'an to an auction and happened to come across it; he spent a nine-figure sum to win it.
Qiao En really liked it, but Zhou Jin'an did not give it to her.
She had always thought he would pick a special day to give it to her.
Never had she expected that he would give this bracelet to An Kexin.
"Help me put it on."
An Kexin grabbed the bracelet and handed it to Qiao En, extending her pale arm.
"Yes."
Qiao En did as told, squatting in front of An Kexin to help her put on the bracelet.
An Kexin's skin was fair, her wrists slender, the black diamond unique, and glittering — it really suited her.
"It suits Miss An very well."
Qiao En offered a compliment, and An Kexin's smile bloomed like a flower.
"Previously, Brother An promised to give me a bracelet when we got engaged, and I was a little annoyed with him. After all, using something that belonged to someone else is off-putting. I didn't expect it to be this rare treasure. Secretary Qiao, look, good things really are different, they aren't just for anyone. Right?"
There was an insinuation in her words, and Qiao En could hear it.
It was a warning shot.
Whether An Kexin knew about the relationship between Qiao En and Zhou Jin'an, Qiao En was not sure.
Since the other party was not showing her cards, she chose to play dumb.
"Miss An is right; Director Zhou is indeed very thoughtful towards you. I wish you and Director Zhou a lifetime of happiness and to grow old together."
As the two were talking, the HR Director Zhang Dewang suddenly arrived.
Seeing Qiao En was there too, his expression looked somewhat troubled as his gaze avoided hers.
But Qiao En noticed that he was clutching an envelope that had been opened.
That was Qiao En's letter of resignation.
As Zhou Jin'an's secretary, the Human Resources Department needed his consent before approving her departure.
"Secretary Qiao, where is Director Zhou?" asked Zhang Dewang.
Before Qiao En had the chance to reply, Zhou Jin'an had already come out of the inner room wearing fresh clothes.
A white shirt, black trousers, simple, sharp, his standard attire.
"Brother An, shall I go buy you a coffee? An iced Americano still?"
Zhou Jin'an's expression was somber; he numbly nodded.
An Kexin gracefully headed towards the door, then turned to look at Qiao En, "Secretary Qiao, what about you? What flavor of coffee do you like?"
Qiao En was caught off guard by An Kexin's sudden question.
"Thank you, Miss An, but I have trouble sleeping so I don't drink coffee."
An Kexin didn't ask further, gave Zhou Jin'an a sweet smile, and disappeared.
"What's the matter?"
Zhou Jin'an took his seat.
Zhang Dewang immediately handed over Qiao En's letter of resignation to him.
"Secretary Qiao, you should tell Director Zhou yourself about the resignation."
In black and white, the letter lay open before Zhou Jin'an.
He seemed not at all surprised.
But his complexion turned terribly sour.
"Want to leave?" he asked, his tone very light.
"Yes."
Qiao En stood with her hands clasped in front of her, her demeanor calm.
She wore a smile on her face that most people couldn't interpret as anything other than pleasant.
In this regard, she was very much like Zhou Jin'an.
Zhang Dewang sensed his presence was somewhat superfluous, tactfully found an excuse, and left.
When he left, he thoughtfully closed the door behind him.
With the scent uniquely belonging to Zhou Jin'an enveloping the room, Qiao En felt the hairs on her arms stand on end.
To mask her inner unease, she busied herself with tidying the scattered reports on his desk.
She handled her work meticulously, with earnest attention and swift pace.
He leaned back in his chair, watching her industrious hands with his cool gaze.
Her fingers were slender, her palms soft and tender.
During work, meticulous to fault, possessing a remarkable ability to turn the mundane into the extraordinary.
In private moments, those hands also had the power to tease, as if they carried flames, ready to ignite him at any moment.
"Why do you want to leave?"
After a long silence, Zhou Jin'an finally spoke.
"I want a change of environment," he said.
Qiao En still wore a light smile.
"Is the environment here not good?" Zhou Jin'an asked back.
Qiao En organized the reports and returned to the spot where she had been standing before.
She always maintained a respectful posture in front of him, rarely showing a relaxed side.
"It's very good."
As a secretary, he had provided her with her own office, small in size but decorated according to the standards for a director. The furnishings in the room had been specially arranged by the administrative department, all in accordance with Qiao En's preferences.
"It's so good and yet you're leaving?"
He was relentless in his pursuit.
Qiao En understood that he wasn't asking about those things.
She didn't plan to answer.
Zhou Jin'an didn't ask any further.
He leaned back in his chair, as if frozen in time.
The veins on his fingers stood out as he tapped on the desk with a rhythmic inconsistency.
The room was very quiet, making the sound conspicuous.
It struck Qiao En's heart, beat after beat.
He was very patient, Qiao En had seen it before.
Those who are meant for great things must be able to remain calm.
"Mr. Zhou, if there's nothing else, I'll leave now," she said.
Qiao En found an excuse and turned to leave.
But Zhou Jin'an called her back.
"Compile the briefings of the past five years for me, I want to review them," he ordered.
His tone had shifted, a sign that he was about to assert his authority.
"Okay."
Qiao En agreed immediately, then asked, "When do you need them by?"
"Friday."
He gave her a deadline, short but with significant workload.
He was certain she couldn't complete it.
But Qiao En still responded affirmatively.
"Okay."
No sooner had Qiao En returned to her office than Little Xu came in.
With teary eyes, she hugged Qiao En tightly.
"En Jie, it's all my fault, I dragged you down. I will go and explain everything to Director Zhou, to show that this has nothing to do with you and beg him not to let you go," she sobbed.
The news of Qiao En's intention to resign had quickly spread in a small circle.
Little Xu thought she was to blame and felt extremely guilty.
"It has nothing to do with you, I resigned on my own initiative."
Qiao En explained, but Little Xu's tears didn't stop.
"En Jie, why do you want to leave? While others are trying everything to get into Nanchen, you gracefully climb to the position of Chief Secretary and then just give it up?"
The Nanchen Group was unparalleled in Rong City, in terms of strength and prospects, unmatched by any other company.
Thanks to Zhou Jin'an's high regard for her, she had the opportunity to reach the peak just three years after university graduation.
Leaving Nanchen, she would never find a platform like this again, nor would she likely encounter a supervisor like Zhou Jin'an.
But she had reasons she had to leave, which weren't necessary to disclose to others.
"You just focus on doing well. I'll help you complete the internship appraisal report before I go," she said.
In Little Xu, she saw a younger version of herself. As a senior colleague, she was happy to lend a hand.
Little Xu was endlessly grateful and then left Qiao En's office.
As soon as Little Xu left, Qiao En immediately dove back into work.
The reports were difficult to compile, but her expertise was an advantage. Data aggregation was tedious and required great patience.
Others would not dare to take on such a task.
But to quell Zhou Jin'an's anger, she had to do it.
As she was busy, a soft knock on the door sounded.
"Come in," she said.
Qiao En's fingers flew over the keyboard, eyes fixed on the computer screen, not glancing away.
The person at the door came in but didn't speak.
Qiao En continued working while the person stood by the desk without disturbing her.
Only after she finished a report and looked up did she realize that the person standing before her was An Kexin.
"Miss An?" Qiao En was somewhat surprised.
An Kexin smiled, her dimples blooming at the corners of her lips.
"I saw you were busy and didn't want to bother you. You said you don't drink coffee, so I brought you a cup of hot milk," said An Kexin, offering the hot milk she held to Qiao En.
Qiao En hastily stood up, slightly flustered.
"Thank you, Miss An. I'll transfer the money to you," she said.
"No need, it's just a cup of milk," An Kexin declined.
Nevertheless, Qiao En insisted, grabbing her phone to make the transaction.
An Kexin hesitated for a moment but then smiled, "Secretary Qiao is really scrupulous about not accepting even the smallest gifts."
She took out her phone and opened the interface to add a WeChat friend.
"You add me first," she suggested.
Qiao En initially intended just to transfer the money and hadn't planned to add her as a friend.
But it was hard to refuse, so she did as she was instructed.
An Kexin quickly accepted the friend request.
"Then continue with your work, Secretary Qiao. I have something to discuss with Brother An," said An Kexin, resembling a fully bloomed white lotus, her grace filled with fragrance.
Qiao En sat down, holding the cup of milk in her hand, feeling discomfort.
An Kexin was by no means an ordinary person; from the moment she appeared, she exuded probing and intimidation, her presence aggressive.
As the status quo remained, Qiao En could cope.
If the nature of her relationship with Zhou Jin'an were ever exposed, Qiao En couldn't imagine how An Kexin would react.
Lost in thought, Qiao En's heart was in disarray.
Qiao En transferred the money for the milk, and An Kexin took a long time to accept it.
An Kexin's WeChat Moments were not set to private, so Qiao En could browse freely.
Every post was exquisitely crafted, showcasing her excellent taste and cultivation.
Qiao En scrolled to the most recent Moment.
The accompanying picture was of the lights at River Beach.
There was no caption.
Qiao En opened the image, zooming in and out.
Amidst the zooming, her gaze fixated on the overlapping shadows cast on the ground by the streetlights.
Like Sherlock Holmes possessed, she compared the shapes in the shadows bit by bit and unexpectedly discovered that one of the figures was Zhou Jin'an.
That day was May 21st.
It marked their three-year anniversary together.
He said he had a business engagement and stood her up.