The pushover offended a top-tier boss

Ye Zhenzhen's lips curled up so wide she could barely suppress it.

Her gaze fell on the cup of milk tea, and Zhou Huaijin took a sip.

Older people really don't understand the joy of young people.

She remembered Chen Xuefei's instructions—to make tea, tidy the table, and keep it clean.

She suddenly felt that she needed to do some of the work a secretary should do.

"Boss, get up." she suddenly said.

Zhou Huaijin was a little confused: "Huh?"

I got up, and she's sitting here? This is outrageous!

"Let me tidy up the table for you." She had already rolled up her sleeves, ready to get to work.

Zhou Huaijin leaned back in his chair and looked at her.

Why are you suddenly so perceptive?

"Today, Director Chen instructed me to remember to keep your desk clean, and also to make tea," Ye Zhenzhen said, pulling out a wet wipe and starting to wipe the table.

Zhou Huaijin silently thought, "Oh." Sure enough, she herself wasn't aware of this.

After wiping the table, Ye Zhenzhen picked up his cup, a clear glass. She walked to the cabinet, opened the drawer, rummaged around for a while, and found a can of tea.

I unscrewed the lid, grabbed a handful of tea leaves, and threw them into the cup.

Then I got up and went to the water dispenser to get hot water. The hot water gurgled into the cup, the tea leaves tumbled in the hot water, and the water instantly changed color.

She filled the cup with water, placed it on Zhou Huaijin's desk, and said in a clear, crisp voice, "Boss, the tea is ready."

Zhou Huaijin glanced down at the cup of tea.

The tea was so dark it was almost as dark as soy sauce. He frowned, his brows furrowing into a deep frown.

"Ye Zhenzhen, that's not how you brew tea."

Ye Zhenzhen: Sorry, I used a bit too much seasoning...

Zhou Huaijin stood up: "Come here."

He pushed open the door to the reception room.

Sitting down at the tea table, Ye Zhenzhen sat obediently opposite, her hands on her knees, like a primary school student.

He first pressed the water boiler switch. Then, he used tea tongs to pick up the teacup, placed it on the tea rinse bowl, lifted the kettle, and poured boiling water evenly over it.

Then, he used tea tongs to pick up a teacup and placed it in front of Ye Zhenzhen.

Then, use a teaspoon to scoop a small spoonful of tea leaves from the tea caddy and put it into the gaiwan.

Lift the kettle, align the spout with the gaiwan, and the water will flow slowly and steadily from a height.

The water jet pounded against the tea leaves, which slowly unfurled in the hot water. He stopped, put the lid on, and gently shook it twice to filter out the first infusion.

He picked up the kettle again and poured water once more. This time, the water flowed more thinly and slowly. When the water reached the rim of the bowl, he stopped, put the lid on, waited for about ten seconds, and then with a flick of his wrist, the tea poured out from the gap in the gaiwan into the fairness cup.

The tea liquor is a pale golden color, clear and bright, looking particularly beautiful in the white porcelain cup. Wisps of steam rise, carrying a refreshing and invigorating aroma.

He divided the tea from the fairness cup into two tasting cups.

"Try it."

The entire process was smooth and unhurried, each movement clean and efficient, exuding composure. His fingers were long and slender, with distinct knuckles, and held the white porcelain cup, which looked exceptionally beautiful under the light.

Ye Zhenzhen picked up the cup of tea and took a sip.

"Mmm, it smells so good, and it tastes so good," she exclaimed sincerely.

After I finished speaking, I realized I was at a loss for words. A master's degree holder in Chinese language and literature, all I could use for adjectives were "smells good" and "tastes good." What's the difference between this level of writing and a primary school student's essay?

Zhou Huaijin picked up the cup of "soy sauce tea" she had just brewed and handed it to her: "Try this one too."

Ye Zhenzhen took the cup; it was the same glass he used.

She used his cup, doesn't he mind?

Forget it, we've already kissed, what's a little water?

She lowered her head and took a sip, her face instantly scrunching up.

"So astringent..."

Sure enough, he ruined a good pot of tea.

Zhou Huaijin gestured with his chin toward her: "Sit over here."

Ye Zhenzhen got up, moved a chair and sat down next to him. They were very close, their shoulders almost touching, and she could smell the woody scent on him, mixed with a faint aroma of tea.

"Did you learn it? Just now." He turned to look at her. "Try it."

"it is good."

She picked up the tea tongs, lifted the gaiwan, and placed it on the tea rinse bowl. Her movements were a little clumsy; the tongs slipped, and she almost lost her grip. She quickly steadied herself with her other hand, glancing at him guiltily.

His expression didn't change much.

"Should I press this button to boil water?" she asked, pointing to the touchscreen on the kettle base.

"right."

She pressed a button, the screen lit up, and the kettle started heating.

She remembered his steps: first, scald the teacup. She picked up the small wooden tongs, carefully lifted the gaiwan, placed it on the tea rinse bowl, and then poured boiling water over it. The water stream was a bit shaky, zigzagging, and a few drops splashed onto the table.

"Don't rush, brew slowly," Zhou Huaijin's voice rang out from the side. "Brewing tea is also a way to cultivate patience; you can't rush it."

She scooped up a spoonful of tea leaves with a teaspoon.

"There's a bit too much tea." He reached out, took her hand, and scooped some out of the gaiwan.

Too much will make it taste astringent, and too little will prevent the flavor from coming out.

She lifted the kettle, his hand still resting on hers, guiding her hand as he slowly poured water from above.

"A little higher," he said softly, guiding her fingers to lift the spout slightly.

He put the lid on the gaiwan, waited a moment, then covered the gaiwan and filtered the water. His fingers guided her hand through each movement.

Ye Zhenzhen wanted to learn from him and do a smooth, flowing style, but when she encountered a gaiwan (a type of covered bowl), she was caught off guard.

"Tsk, it's so hot!" She pulled her finger back.

Zhou Huaijin gently pinched her slightly reddened fingertips.

"Do not touch the sides of the cup. The bottom and sides of the rim are not hot."

"Hold the bottom of the cup with your little finger, press the top of the lid with your index finger, and fix the rest of your fingers on the side." He helped her position her fingers one by one, reminding her of how her father taught her to hold a pen when she was little.

"The gaiwan should be tilted slightly, leaving a small gap so that the water can flow out."

She repeated what she had done before and poured in a second batch of water.

This time it worked.

"Boss, please try some."

She couldn't hide the smile on her face, as if she were asking for credit.

Zhou Huaijin picked up the teacup, brought it close to his nose to smell it, took a sip, and nodded.

"Hmm, not bad."

"We need to control the steeping time a bit more. It steeped a few seconds too long, and the aftertaste wasn't quite right," he added slowly, putting down his cup.

Ye Zhenzhen was so happy that her tail was practically wagging.

He secretly made a "V" sign with his finger under the table.

She suddenly acquired this elegant skill as if she had discovered a new continent.

"Boss, let me practice a bit more. You go ahead with your work, I'll make you tea professionally." She volunteered, rummaging through the tea leaves in the cabinet and arranging them one by one on the coffee table, like setting up a street stall.

Not long after—

"Sir, this is black tea, that's right, Lapsang Souchong. Please try it."

"This is white tea, Silver Needle White Tea, please try it."

"This is Biluochun tea."

"This cup is—"

Ye Zhenzhen was unstoppable.

Zhou Huaijin went from initially responding with "Hmm," "Not bad," and "It's alright," to finally being unable to hold back his words.

"Ye Zhenzhen".

"Hey." She peeked out from behind the tea canister, holding up an unopened packet of oolong tea.

"Drinking too much tea can cause insomnia."

Ye Zhenzhen then realized that she had made more than ten cups of tea in the past half day.

If we keep drinking, the boss will really have to stay up all night until dawn.

"Oh, then I'll make you some more tomorrow." She chuckled awkwardly and began tidying up the tea set on the table.

"If I can't sleep tonight, will you take responsibility?" The man stared straight at her, his gaze deep and unfathomable.

Ye Zhenzhen instantly understood what he meant.

"I'll buy you some sleeping pills..."

Zhou Huaijin was so angry she laughed.

He reached out and pulled her from the chair. She lost her balance and fell into his arms.

"Tomorrow will be the third day."

"Tomorrow?" Ye Zhenzhen's mind went blank for a moment. "I... I meant three days from now."

She was forced to talk for three days straight the day before yesterday.

How could it be so fast! She only rested for one day!

"Yesterday was the first day, today is the second day, and tomorrow is the third day. How could there be a problem?"

That makes sense...

Ye Zhenzhen got caught up in it.

But she felt the frequency was still too high, and she was very tired.

She suddenly felt like she was a secretary during the day and a mistress at night, working 24/7.

My life is miserable.

She has had it so tough.

Old man, why is this never going to end?

She bit her lip, looking frustrated, as if she had been tricked again.