Hehe! The color outside the glass window has taken on a misty yellowish hue, which means it's almost time to get off work! The corners of Zhuang Bao's mouth, eyes, and eyebrows all rise slightly. Hehe! It's really unprofessional. There's still more than an hour left before getting off work, but in her heart, it's already filled with the upcoming date... This really isn't good, not good at all.
Although she's an unmarried woman in her thirties, going on a date is indeed something to celebrate. But today is a rare moment of major company restructuring. Yet, this woman doesn't seem to care at all.
Once the personnel order came down, Zhuang Bao didn't even bother to take a look. All she wanted was to finish today's work quickly. Her mood has been extremely high all day. She thought that anyway, she was just a small document and data processing clerk in the Secretariat. No matter how the restructuring went, it wouldn't affect her. She had been in this position for almost four years without any changes, so it didn't matter today either.
Look at this Secretariat. It's really deserted today. All those gorgeously dressed beauties have gone to introduce the new boss to the staff. If there's anything for her to do, it'll probably be next Monday. Today is a lovely weekend!
She didn't need to meet the new boss because her bosses were those beautiful ladies. Zhuang Bao was a small document clerk who specialized in creating files and storing data for them, and they had developed a tacit understanding over the years. If there was anyone in the whole company who knew the schedules of all the big bosses and managers best, it was Zhuang Bao. Because the beautiful ladies only needed to be responsible for one or two bosses, while she had to deal with all of them. So, over time, she had become the overall database.
A few days ago, she had heard rumors that the board of directors at the headquarters had decided to make personnel adjustments, hoping that in the new year and the new century, the company would have new developments... Oh! Just like what's often seen in the newspapers, some senior executives of the head office and the branch office would be swapped. It was said that some people from the head office had come to the Taiwan branch and had been here for a few days. They had also held some meetings and made some decisions, so they chose today to announce them.
Hehe! There are only forty minutes left before getting off work, and Zhuang Bao cheered in her heart. She successfully completed the schedule for next week and also roughly finished the organizational sketches of each new supervisor for those beautiful ladies to refer to. She was printing them out.
Once she printed out six copies, she could really start preparing to leave work. Anyway, she didn't need to worry about the arrangements. She just needed to gather information from all parties and organize it. If there were any complicated arrangements, the beautiful ladies would adjust them themselves.
Zhuang Bao sipped the oolong tea that had been brewed several times and leisurely walked to the window. She opened the French window and let the cool breeze blow into the office that had been air-conditioned all day. She estimated that she had about ten minutes of free time, so she lit a light cigarette and lazily leaned against the balcony railing of the high-rise building to enjoy the sunset.
"They'll probably have to work overtime today," Zhuang Bao said, looking back at the still deserted Secretariat. Usually, at this time, they would have already come back to hand over work, chat, and wait for the end of the workday.
"It seems that the new supervisor is more dedicated," Zhuang Bao said to herself. "They've been working overtime and having meetings almost all week."
As soon as the time was up, she didn't care anymore. It was time to get off work, time to get off work!
She placed the materials on their desks one by one, carried her small backpack, and went to wait for the elevator.
Hehe! The corners of her mouth turned up again because the people in their Secretariat were allowed to use the special elevator for senior executives. How great! This way, she wouldn't have to fight with a crowd to get on the elevator.
Zhuang Bao drove her second-hand Ford and picked up her beloved son.
"Weixin, what do you want to eat today? We're not going to cook at home. Let's go straight to a restaurant and have a big meal, and then go to the movies!"
She was in a very good mood and even played the pop music that she usually hated listening to the most. It was bought to please Weixin.
"Mummy, don't waste money. It's just my seventh birthday. The McDonald's economy set meal will be fine. You want to save money and pay off the loan as soon as possible, don't you?" Zhuang Weixin frowned and expressed his disapproval of his mother's idea of having fun. "Besides, we have HBO at home. That's enough for watching movies."
"Zhuang Weixin, you have no sense of fun at all. Be careful that you won't be able to get a girlfriend when you grow up," Zhuang Bao said, unable to stand her only beloved son lecturing her as if he were more grown-up than she was.
"Mummy, you don't have to have a sense of fun to get a girlfriend. I don't think I need one now," Zhuang Weixin raised an eyebrow. He also couldn't stand how he had a mother who was more playful than he was. No wonder she still looked like she was in her mid-twenties even though she was thirty-three years old and didn't have the air of a mother at all.
"Zhuang Weixin! Are you criticizing my opinion?" She couldn't understand why she had given birth to such a son. It was okay that he had a high IQ, but he also acted so mature. "I don't care about you! Anyway, I just want to take advantage of your birthday, which is also my day of suffering, to have a big meal. So what? I'll also take you out to see the world."
"I'm saying, Mummy, by the time I grow up and want to have a girlfriend, the fashion will definitely be different from now. Besides, with the development of the Internet nowadays, how could I not have access to any information I want?"
"…Damn it…" Zhuang Bao couldn't help but curse.
"Mummy, you're swearing again. Remember to put the money into the piggy bank," Zhuang Weixin said unceremoniously, looking at his mother.
This was a rule she had set. Each time she swore, she had to put a hundred yuan in. But it was always her who had to pay, which really made her angry. It made her swallow the words she wanted to curse further.
"You must be like your father. There's definitely no such dull factor in my blood," Zhuang Bao said with a pout, feeling wronged.
"Mummy, here you go again! You always use that non-existent term to explain things. I'm tired of hearing it," Zhuang Weixin said.
Zhuang Weixin really liked arguing with his mother. He thought his mother was very interesting. She didn't even know where his father was or what kind of person he was, but she always liked to use that term to explain her only son.
"So what?! I just want to say it. Anyway, he won't show up. Hehe, I'm saying, son, don't tell me that you've watched too many movies and want to learn from others to search for your father thousands of miles away? Oh! My poor child, you've never been held by your father since you were born…" Zhuang Bao said hypocritically.
"Oh! Come on, Mummy, stop playing dumb. Do you even know if he's alive or dead?"
"I don't know. Son, your mother is really sorry for you." In fact, Zhuang Bao really felt sorry for him, her only beloved son, the son she was so proud of. But she always made him accept the fact in a joking manner that she was both his mother and his father.
From the very beginning, Zhuang Bao let him know that his birth was a beautiful accident, a wonderful existence. His life wouldn't be incomplete just because he didn't have a father. Instead, he would have a perspective and a broader life that others didn't have because he only had the pressure from his mother and he only needed to be responsible to his mother.
"Mummy, I've never felt that I need a father. Having you is enough for me. Because, if he were more irresponsible than you, I would really run away from home," Zhuang Weixin replied indifferently. He had seen some parents in other families... Well... He would rather just have his mother.
He hoped that he would be like his mother in the future. Although she was a bit crazy sometimes, most of the time she was very carefree and happy. He could easily laugh when he was with her.
Although he was only seven years old, he clearly knew that he didn't like those neighborhood aunties at all. They tried every means to introduce men to his mother as a husband, so that he could have a father on his household registration. But he didn't find any of them satisfactory or pleasing to the eye. Fortunately, his mother attached great importance to his feelings in this regard, so he still didn't have a father. But now he thought his mother was a bit cunning. It was she who didn't want to give up her single life and always made her young son take the blame... In the end, Zhuang Bao still took her son to have a formal Western meal because she had already reserved a table in advance, and it would be a pity not to go. Because the restaurant had birthday gifts, and it was a specially customized, wonderful commemorative wood carving.
"Here, your birthday gift," Zhuang Bao said, carrying a box and kicking the door of her son's room open. "Although you often go against me and aren't cute enough, your mother still loves you very much. That's why even when I go shopping, all I can think of are the things you like."
"Mummy, thank you! I love you so much!" Zhuang Weixin immediately recognized that it was the notebook he had been wanting for a long time.
He always felt embarrassed to use the family computer for too long because occasionally his mother also needed to use it.
Zhuang Weixin gave her two kisses on the face vigorously and immediately started assembling the notebook carefully.
"Don't play for too long, son. If I see you become a nearsighted person or your schoolwork decline, I'll take it back immediately!"
Zhuang Bao knew that her son was much better than her in terms of computer skills, so she just let him assemble it. She heard that this could make children more logical. She didn't really know if it was true, but within her financial ability, she would try her best to satisfy his curiosity and eagerness to learn.
"Also, you can only play for a maximum of four hours a day, or I'll turn off the main power switch."
"Yes, sir!" Zhuang Weixin knew that his mother would really do that.
"Don't forget that you still need to practice the piano tomorrow and go back to Kaohsiung in the afternoon," Zhuang Bao reminded him of his other interest.
It was really strange. He learned computer because there was this class at school, but why did he learn the piano? Maybe it was because both had keyboards, so he was interested.
"No problem. I've already memorized the piece. It's too easy," Zhuang Weixin said without raising his head, focusing on assembling the computer.
"Besides, you'll be driving the car. For the safety of others, it's better for you to go to bed earlier."
Zhuang Bao left her son's room, went to the kitchen to pour a glass of juice, took a cigarette, and walked to the balcony. She sat on the deck chair.