Su Nian didn't want any extra trouble, so she finished her breakfast in the safety of the stairwell before going downstairs.
Shen Hanxiu still got her the steamed dumplings she liked, from the same old place, stirring up past memories. He used to never eat dumplings, always saying they weren't clean, but later, he would accommodate her every time. He'd even joined her at street stalls.
Thinking back, he really did spoil her. Maybe it was his acting, but she had to admit it was convincingly real, to the point where she believed he truly loved her.
Su Nian shook her head to dismiss those memories and stuffed the last dumpling into her mouth, immediately returning to her work station.
Su Nian's desk was at the very edge of the office, right next to the interns. Lin Weilan curiously leaned over and asked, "Sister Niannian, what did Mr. Shen summon you for?"
Su Nian had her answer ready. Pointing to the transparent document bag, she said, "He asked me to get my work permit."
"Wow! We all have to go to human resources ourselves! Mr. Shen is so nice to you."
"No, it's nothing like that. He was lecturing me, then told me to go get it myself." What Su Nian least wanted was to be entangled with Shen Hanxiu again.
Lin Weilan appeared to be a straightforward and guileless girl who would speak her mind. She said with a teasing smile, "But Sister Niannian, you're so beautiful. It makes sense if he's taken a fancy to you. Mr. Shen isn't young anymore, probably wants to get married too. You should take this chance to show off - I think you have a shot!"
Su Nian responded with a smile: "I have a three-year-old child."
Lin Weilan's mouth gaped in surprise: "Wow! Sister Niannian, you're truly winning at life!"
"Lin Weilan! Are you here to learn or to chat?" Xue Qi walked over and knocked on Weilan's desk. Weilan gave her a disdainful glance and, after she walked away, continued, "Sister Niannian, you know Xue Qi?"
"Yeah, a high school classmate."
"Wow, she can't hold a candle to you. She looks like she's thirty and still an intern! I came to intern with her, she manages us interns. She's a bully around the weak but cowers before the strong and makes a show of sucking up to the department head, almost to the extent of throwing herself at him!"
Su Nian advised Weilan, "Lanlan, don't get angry with this type of person. Just keep yourself happy; leave the anger for others."
"Right, right, don't get angry, it'll make you old! I'm going to study hard, be stronger than her in my skills!"
"Su Nian, right? Do this report for me." Just then, a thin and tall middle-aged man came over and told Su Nian, to whom she took an immediate dislike, finding him picky and sarcastic.
"Okay."
"Don't make any mistakes! You can't afford the responsibility!" The man pushed his gold-rimmed glasses up his nose and walked away.
Weilan commented, "That's the department head, very harsh. He falls for Xue Qi's flattery, just loves being praised!" Weilan paused and looked at Su Nian sympathetically, "They're bullying the new people! Dumping so much work on you alone. I'll help you after I finish my work, or you won't get a chance to eat lunch."
"It's okay. Accounting is a job you can't rush. The more you rush, the likelier you'll make mistakes. Just take it slow."
"Sister Niannian, you have such a good attitude; no wonder you still look so young with a three-year-old child!"
As Su Nian began her task, she replied with a smile, "I'm not old to begin with; if I hadn't taken a wrong turn in the past, I'd just be graduating now."
Weilan was even more amazed by the way her fingers moved on the keyboard, "Wow! Sister Niannian, you type so fast? How do you do it? Don't you need to look at the accounts?"
"Just remember a few numbers," said Su Nian, who actually wasn't good at academics but was sensitive to symbols. She had a photographic memory, but only for numbers and musical notes. English letters, however, gave her a headache, which is why she took up accounting.
"I admire you more and more!"