The young woman scrutinized Tian Youyou from head to toe. "Is this your secretary, Moyan?"
"No," replied Zhou Moyan, his tone neutral.
"Could you bring us two cups of coffee, and no sugar for them, please? Our CEO doesn't like it sweet," the girl sweetly instructed Tian Youyou, her demeanor seemingly harmless.
Tian Youyou felt a pang of bitterness. Despite the girl's polite façade, her tone was commanding; she had no right to order her around like a waitress.
"Xinyan, I'll host a dinner for you tonight. I've got another meeting now, so I'll have the driver take you back," Zhou Moyan said, obviously preoccupied.
"It's fine, I'll wait here. I've got plenty of time!" The girl settled herself on the sofa in Zhou Moyan's office and started browsing her phone, showing no intention of leaving.
"Suit yourself, then." Zhou Moyan left for his meeting.
When Tian Youyou brought over the coffee, the girl gestured for her to set it down on the side table.
Without further ado, Tian Youyou returned to her desk to prepare for the next meeting.
With Zhou Moyan gone, the girl put away her phone and stood up, beginning to inspect his office thoroughly.
She started from Zhou Moyan's inner sanctum and work desk, then circled around to the outer office and rest area used by Tian Youyou. Her behavior was akin to a woman searching for evidence of her husband's infidelity.
"Wasn't this outer rest area a tea room before? Who uses it for resting now?" she asked Tian Youyou, her tone slightly hostile.
"I use it," Tian Youyou responded truthfully.
"Oh? Is that so? Tian Youyou, right?" The girl's smile didn't mask the chill in her eyes. "I recognized you the moment I saw you. Don't try to act all dignified and composed here."
Tian Youyou didn't know who she was, "I believe this is the first time we've met."
"Humph, I've known about you. Three years ago, you were the talk of Jiangcheng. But remember, Moyan isn't the Zhou Moyan he used to be. Don't think he's still attached to old flames; he doesn't hold onto trash!"
The years had honed Tian Youyou's ability to judge character. Was this girl asserting her dominance over her?
"Are you that insecure that you need to assert your dominance so eagerly?" Tian Youyou shot back unapologetically.
"Tian Youyou, remember this—I, Xie Xinyan, always get what I want. You're not fit to compete with me!" Xie Xinyan leaned in, her stance confrontational.
Tian Youyou continued sorting her documents, ignoring her completely.
From her experience, those who bark don't bite, and the overtly domineering types like Xie Xinyan usually prove to be empty vessels.
Xie Xinyan's irritation grew with Tian Youyou's disregard.
"I'm talking to you! Are you deaf or mute?" Xie Xinyan's voice rose, her façade of the sweet girl crumbling to reveal her impetuous nature.
Tian Youyou shook her head, sighed, and picked up a stack of documents, heading for the meeting room.
Xie Xinyan rushed forward, tipping over a cup of water onto Tian Youyou's laptop in a fit of pique.
"What are you doing?" Tian Youyou snapped, grabbing Xie Xinyan's arm, "Apologize!"
"That's enough!" Zhou Moyan entered just in time to see Tian Youyou angrily holding Xie Xinyan's arm.
"Moyan, perfect timing! I accidentally spilled water on her laptop, and no matter how I apologized, she wouldn't accept and even got physical with me. Look how she hurt my arm!" Xie Xinyan played the victim, her tears welling up in a pitiable display.
"Let go!" Zhou Moyan's face darkened as he addressed Tian Youyou. "What happened?"
"Didn't you hear her? She 'accidentally' knocked over a water cup from ten meters away, and it just happened to spill all over the data I've been compiling for a week's worth of overtime!"
"You, you are insolent! You're just a janitor here, who allowed you to speak to Moyan like that?" Xie Xinyan's finger pointed accusingly at Tian Youyou.
"Ha! I may be a janitor, but I earn my keep. We are in an office, not your personal playground. Here, he is the CEO who rewards and disciplines, not your 'Moyan' to command!" Tian Youyou's retort unexpectedly made Zhou Moyan feel a trace of delight.
"Xinyan, weren't you playing a game when I left? Why go provoke her?" Zhou Moyan's patience with Xie Xinyan was evident, without a hint of rebuke.
"Moyan, are you scolding me? I've just convinced my parents to let me come back to you, and you scold me over an outsider as soon as we meet?" Xie Xinyan's voice cracked as she clung to Zhou Moyan, her sobs breaking through.
Tian Youyou rolled her eyes. Clearly, this was a case of playing the victim by exploiting a situation.
Zhou Moyan, lacking in anger, patted Xie Xinyan's back and cooed, "There, there, I told you to go home first. It's nothing; stop crying."
"No, you have to make her leave! She shouldn't be hanging around you like this!" Xie Xinyan was relentless.
"Humph! Miss Xie, are you blind? Do you think everyone is as clingy as you?" Tian Youyou's sarcasm was biting.
"Enough! Stop it!" Zhou Moyan's shout, while aimed at Tian Youyou, carried an undertone of frustration.
Tian Youyou sighed. It seemed all men were the same, always falling for these antics.
Why was she annoyed seeing Xie Xinyan clinging to Zhou Moyan? Yet, what did it matter to her?
Today, if it wasn't Xie Xinyan clinging to Zhou Moyan, it would be someone else. A man as desirable as him was never short of female company.
"Go have your computer fixed and recover the data," Zhou Moyan instructed Tian Youyou blandly.
Gathering her computer and documents, Tian Youyou headed to the conference room. She needed to retrieve the data quickly or else face another long night of catch-up.
Zhou Moyan's demands on her had been increasing, and many were in fields she had never worked in before—audit, finance, legal. She was expected to manage materials from various departments and report directly to Zhou Moyan.
Her background in jewelry design offered little help with the business terms she encountered daily, and overtime had become her new normal.
Assistant Zhang, what do you mean by being always on call? Even you get to clock out, don't you?
The previous message had implied he was coming right over, yet when she called back, his phone was turned off.
According to Linda, Zhang's salary was a mystery, likely uncapped, while Tian Youyou received only a standard secretary's wage. Zhang, do you really have the gall to dump all this on me?
Tian Youyou looked at the figure on the bed; Zhou Moyan had passed out again, probably due to the alcohol. Common sense told her that sleeping in such a position was dangerous for a drunk person.
Thinking this, Tian Youyou knelt on the bed, trying to turn him over.
Zhou Moyan suddenly wrapped his arms around her neck, pulling her down and trapping her legs with his, his body half-pin