The pushover offended a top-tier boss

During her trip to Beijing, without Secretary Lin, Ye Zhenzhen felt as if her backbone had been ripped away.

Fortunately, Chen Zheng was driving the whole way, so she could comfortably relax in the passenger seat.

The car finally stopped in front of the conference hotel.

Zhou Huaijin suddenly said to Chen Chao, "Now that you're home, I'll give you two days off."

"Go home and spend time with your family, and stop causing trouble."

"Okay!"

Chen Zheng was overjoyed when he heard this and immediately took off running.

I forgot that Chen Zheng's family is from Beijing.

Let's fight those Celestial Dragons.

Ye Zhenzhen suddenly felt like the whole world had abandoned her.

She was really afraid of making another mistake.

He and Zhou Huaijin first went to the government guesthouse to check in.

Two adjacent rooms, one 1206 and the other 1208.

The room was much better than she had imagined. The decor was Chinese style, with dark solid wood furniture, ink paintings on the walls, and a faint scent of sandalwood in the air.

She wandered around like a stray dog, taking pictures everywhere. A national-level guesthouse—in her lifetime, she actually got to stay there!

The bedding was pure white, and felt as smooth as silk. The curtains were double-layered, handmade jacquard, heavy and with a beautiful drape. On the windowsill sat a small orchid, with a few pale purple flowers blooming, emitting a subtle fragrance.

She stood by the window, looking at the scenery outside.

The most central and bustling part of the entire city of Beijing is laid out before you.

I couldn't resist taking a few more photos. I'll show them to my parents when I go home for the New Year. Their daughter is staying at a state guesthouse, which will be enough for them to brag about to all their relatives for days.

After taking pictures of the scenery, she wanted to take a few selfies.

My phone vibrated.

Zhou Huaijin: [Gather in the lobby in ten minutes to prepare for the meeting.]

Ye Zhenzhen quickly changed her clothes, tidied her hair three times in front of the mirror to make sure she looked presentable, and then hurriedly went downstairs.

The conference center is next to the hotel.

Ye Zhenzhen followed Zhou Huaijin through the security gate and into a large conference room.

She had never seen such a large conference table before.

The dark brown solid wood tabletop resembled a lake, reflecting the crystal chandelier overhead. On the tabletop were name tags, documents, teacups, and bottled water.

The attendees gradually entered the room.

Zhou Huaijin was dressed very formally today. He wore a dark navy blue suit, a snow-white shirt, and a tie that was tied meticulously, with a Party emblem pinned to his left breast.

Standing there, tall with long legs, deep-set eyes, and a serious expression, he exuded the composure and confidence of someone in a position of power.

He stood out particularly among a group of overweight, balding middle-aged officials.

Ye Zhenzhen sat in the back row of the audience seats, with a notebook open in front of her and a pen in her hand, ready to take notes.

A string of technical jargon came through the microphone and echoed in the conference room.

She only had a vague understanding.

She recognized many of the words, but when they were put together, she didn't understand their meaning. What was this "cross-departmental collaboration mechanism," this "closed-loop work system," this "leverage point," this "empowerment," this "decentralization"?

Ah, it's true what they say, every profession has its own secrets.

I still need to continue to improve my political awareness.

She diligently wrote down page after page.

Whether you understand or not, just write it down first.

It was Zhou Huaijin's turn to speak.

He stood up, walked to the podium, and adjusted the height of the microphone.

The voice, deep, clear, and unhurried, resonated throughout the conference room through the microphone. Every word was enunciated distinctly. There was no prepared script; instead, the speaker earnestly presented, analyzed, and offered viewpoints and suggestions.

Ye Zhenzhen sat in the back, listening in a daze.

She recalled the day in the office when he dictated a report for her to type. At that time, she thought he was impressive, but now she truly realized that this man's ability to reach this position at the age of thirty-three was not solely due to his family background.

After he finished speaking, applause broke out.

"Comrade Zhou Huaijin is a young and promising man. Since he arrived in the new district, economic development, urban construction, and people's livelihood have all improved significantly."

A leader with gray hair praised it.

The meeting ended at four o'clock in the afternoon.

Ye Zhenzhen finished packing and was about to follow her superior out when she suddenly heard someone call out behind her, "Huaijin!"

She turned her head and saw several leaders attending the meeting walking over.

They were all dressed in dark suits, with outstanding demeanor, clearly not ordinary people.

One of them, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, had a gentle smile. He walked up to Zhou Huaijin and patted him on the shoulder.

"Huaijin, it's been a long time. What's up? You've changed secretaries?" His gaze fell on Ye Zhenzhen, with a hint of curiosity and scrutiny.

Zhou Huaijin slightly turned his body to block that view: "Secretary Lin is on leave and was temporarily seconded."

"Oh—" the man drawled meaningfully, but didn't ask any more questions.

"Let's go, let's sit down together."

The group moved to a nearby teahouse that offered a high degree of privacy.

The tea master, dressed in a cheongsam, performed a series of smooth and skillful actions, instantly filling the room with the aroma of tea.

After the waiter left, the group gradually started chatting:

"Speaking of which, there's a very deep network running beneath Bin City."

"With his elder sister's and the Chen family's connections, Secretary Zhou doesn't take those old foxes seriously."

"However, the wind direction up above does seem to indicate that."

"Huaijin, has General Zhou revealed any plans?"

Zhou Huaijin held the teacup, his fingers tapping the table gently and slowly.

His gaze suddenly turned to her:

"I'm giving you half a day off; you don't need to come with me here anymore."

Ye Zhenzhen shook her head for a moment, then said, "Okay."

It took her a few seconds to realize that the topic inside was not something she should be listening to.

However, she couldn't understand it.

These officials have always liked to speak in riddles.

She looked at her seat; it was conveniently located not far from Lin Zhi's company.

She dialed Lin Zhi's number.

Lin Zhifeng's energetic voice came from the other end of the phone: "Zhenzhen! You're in Beijing?"

"I'm free! I definitely have time! Don't move, I'm coming right now!"

"Aren't you at work?!"

"It doesn't matter! You wait!"

The phone hangs up.

Ten minutes later, Lin Zhi appeared in front of her.

She wore a long black coat over a gray business suit, paired with black stiletto heels, her hair was loose, and her makeup was exquisite. She looked both cool and beautiful.

Lin Zhi was the school beauty when she was in school. After graduation, she signed with a big company based on her own abilities. She is beautiful and rich.

She thought that roses like Lin Zhi should bloom in big cities like this.

"Let's go eat!" She grabbed Ye Zhenzhen's arm. "I know a really good buffet nearby, 398 yuan per person, it's on me!"

Ye Zhenzhen was pulled forward, clicking her tongue as she walked: "398 per person? My god, that's way too expensive!"

"What's so expensive about it? You rarely come here, so I have to treat you to something nice."

The buffet restaurant is located in a shopping mall near the China World Trade Center. It's on the top floor with floor-to-ceiling windows and a great view.

The menu is extensive, featuring seafood, sashimi, steak, roast duck, and desserts.

Ye Zhenzhen held the plate, like a mouse that had entered a rice jar, wanting to eat everything.

Lin Zhi also took quite a lot, and the two sat facing each other, eating without any regard for appearances.

"Big cities are so much better," Ye Zhenzhen exclaimed as she peeled shrimp. "Higher wages and a better environment."

"Unlike me, I earn a little over 7,000 yuan a month, and I still get scolded and blamed all the time."

Lin Zhi took a bite of salmon: "Hey, we're all cattle and horses, what's the difference between us, high and low, noble and base?"

"At least your jobs are stable, and you don't have to be laid off all the time."

"You guys haven't seen the good fortune of working for a major internet company. Our boss is practically a reincarnation of a ruthless exploiter. Last Friday at 3 AM, he told me to work overtime. Am I supposed to work overtime for the King of Hell?!"

Ye Zhenzhen was so amused by her that she almost spat out the shrimp.

"But the heir of Julitech is super handsome," Ye Zhenzhen wiped her mouth. "I've seen so many photos and videos of him online, and the comments section is full of fangirls. You're at the company every day, have you ever seen him in person? Isn't he even more handsome than in the photos?"

Lin Zhi paused with her chopsticks and rolled her eyes dramatically.

"No matter how handsome you are, you can't withstand the corruption of a capitalist's nature. You haven't seen him making you submit a proposal at 3 a.m. And then there's the month-long business trip I took with him, which tanned me to a crisp. He even caused my period to become irregular. Last month I went to see a traditional Chinese medicine doctor, who said, 'Take less time to stay up late and get angry less.' I immediately said, 'Doctor, please prescribe some medicine for me. Changing jobs is out of the question.'"

Ye Zhenzhen was stunned: "Is it really that bad?"

"What do you think? It's not easy to earn money from rich people."

Ye Zhenzhen thought about her meager monthly salary and suddenly realized that things weren't so bad after all.

"Zhizhi, have you found a boyfriend yet?" Ye Zhenzhen changed the subject.

"No," Lin Zhi answered crisply, "Men will only slow down my earning speed."

Ye Zhenzhen looked at her and suddenly felt a little envious.

Although Lin Zhi was busy and tired, she lived with clarity and direction. Unlike herself, who was mild-mannered and always being pushed forward by others, she didn't even know what she wanted.

"Stop talking about me," Lin Zhi put down his cup and looked at her. "You and Meng Chen are getting married soon, aren't you? I heard you say last time that you were going to meet my parents to discuss marriage?"

Ye Zhenzhen nodded, a slight smile unconsciously curving her lips: "Yes, he said he'll go back home this Chinese New Year to meet his parents and discuss the wedding. We'll get married after he graduates."

"That's great," Lin Zhi smiled. "Meng Chen, although he can be a bit of a chauvinist at times, still cares about you quite a bit. You two have been together for so many years, it's not easy to finally get married."

Ye Zhenzhen didn't say anything, but looked down and poked at the cake on the plate.

"I'll go see him in a bit," she said. "He said he was in the lab this afternoon and should be out tonight."

Lin Zhi said, "Go ahead and have fun. When will we be able to live a life where we don't have to worry about what our superiors think? That would be true happiness."

Ye Zhenzhen suddenly remembered the small villa in Yuyuan.

Sigh, I'm afraid no matter how hard I try in my life, I'll never be able to live in a house like that.