The pushover offended a top-tier boss

Chen Zheng found a corner spot to put down his tray, then turned around to get two cans of iced cola. When he returned, he saw Ye Zhenzhen still standing there and greeted her:

"Sit down, Teacher Ye."

Ye Zhenzhen sat down, looked at the "mountain of food" opposite her, and couldn't help but ask, "You eat so much?"

Chen Zheng chuckled: "This is considered small. Back in the army, I could eat five bowls of noodles in one meal."

After saying that, he picked up his chopsticks and began to eat heartily.

Slurping up a mouthful of noodles and shoveling a mouthful of rice, his cheeks bulge out, making him look incredibly appetizing.

Seeing that he was eating with relish, Ye Zhenzhen also lowered her head and started eating.

I have to say, this food was really delicious. The braised pork was tender and flavorful, the eggplant had soaked up all the sauce, and even the rice was perfectly cooked, each grain distinct and cooked to the right consistency. She took a bite of the braised pork and suddenly felt that things weren't so bad after all.

She hadn't even eaten a third of her rice when Chen Zheng finished his braised noodles. He then opened a bottle of cola, tilted his head back, gulped down half of it, and let out a satisfied burp.

"Teacher Ye, why are you working at the New District Government instead of at school?" he asked while eating.

Ye Zhenzhen felt a pang in her heart, her chopsticks stabbing at the rice in her bowl: "Because I didn't do a good job on the report, I was criticized by my supervisor and was asked to study here..."

Chen Zheng nodded, with an expression of someone who had been through it all: "It's alright, I didn't do well in the army either, that's why I'm driving here."

Ye Zhenzhen was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but laugh.

"Actually, you're doing pretty well now. Your job is easy, and you're with the big boss every day. I don't know how many people envy you."

"The driver of the new district party secretary, although he is called a driver, is actually 'someone close to the leader'."

Speaking of this, she became a little curious:

"By the way, are your civil servant salaries much higher than ours in public institutions?"

Chen Zheng waved his hand dismissively and said, "What? I'm just a temporary worker."

"I thought you were also a tenured employee."

Ye Zhenzhen instantly felt much closer to them, as if she had found a "kindred spirit".

Although her colleagues in the secretariat office were polite to her, there was always a sense of distance, as if they were looking down on her because of her temporary assignment. Of course, it was normal for them to look down on someone like her who was on secondment.

Chen Zheng is young and has the sunny, boyish charm type.

The two of them felt much closer after just one meal together.

"How old are you this year?" she asked.

"Twenty-three."

"Wow, you're so young." Ye Zhenzhen looked at him in surprise. Compared to him, she felt like an old auntie.

"Little brother, you're still young. Take your time to find a good job."

"Sister, do you have any good jobs you can recommend to your brother?" Chen Zheng replied with a grin, casually stuffing the last piece of pork rib into his mouth.

The two chatted enthusiastically, and Ye Zhenzhen had long since lost her aggrieved mood from the morning, her eyes crinkling with laughter.

"I know what suits you," she suddenly said. "Mukbang (eating broadcast)."

"Seriously, you look so good eating. You'd definitely become a hit if you opened an account."

"My mom said the same thing."

The two of them were laughing together.

A little while later, the conversation turned to King of Glory.

"I am the number one jungler in Bin City." Chen Zheng showed her his battle record.

Ye Zhenzhen looked at him with admiration: "Brother, you're so awesome! Please teach me!"

"No problem, no problem. I'll add you next time we do a group buy."

Zhou Huaijin appeared at the entrance of the cafeteria at some unknown time.

He stood there with his posture upright, his dark gray suit jacket unbuttoned, revealing a meticulously tailored shirt underneath.

Lin Rui followed behind him.

His gaze swept across the crowd and landed precisely on the two people in the corner.

The woman was beaming, and opposite her sat the nonchalant young driver. The two chatted animatedly, laughing and talking. Chen Zheng even took out his phone, and the two leaned close together, seemingly adding each other on WeChat.

So happy that I forgot what the world was like.

Ye Zhenzhen's smile suddenly froze when she glanced at her side out of the corner of her eye.

Oh no, too much joy has turned to sorrow.

Seeing her face fall instantly, Zhou Huaijin's expression darkened even more.

"Hey, what brings you guys down for dinner?" Chen Zheng looked up and saw them, speaking in a casual tone.

Lin Rui usually arranges Zhou Huaijin's meals, which are usually eaten in the small canteen or office, and he rarely comes to the large canteen to squeeze in with the employees.

Lin Rui glanced at Chen Zheng, then at Zhou Huaijin's expression.

"The manager said he hasn't been here in a long time and wants to check on the current food situation in the staff canteen."

Zhou Huaijin's gaze swept across Ye Zhenzhen's face, devoid of any warmth.

"Boss, the usual?" Lin Rui asked.

Zhou Huaijin nodded and sat down in the empty seat next to Ye Zhenzhen.

Ye Zhenzhen instinctively lowered her head, poking at the remaining half of the braised pork on the plate with her chopsticks, pretending to be a quiet plant.

Lin Rui went to the window to get his food and sat there, waiting for someone to serve him.

Even though he was just sitting on a plastic chair in the cafeteria, it looked like he was presiding over a standing committee meeting.

Ye Zhenzhen and Chen Zheng fell silent instantly, and even the air seemed to become strange.

Ye Zhenzhen also ate without tasting it, stuffing a few mouthfuls of food into her mouth. The braised pork that she had thought was delicious just now suddenly tasted bland.

Ye Zhenzhen picked up her plate and quickly stood up.

"I...I'm full, goodbye boss."

Chen Zheng lowered his head and ate a couple of mouthfuls of rice, noticeably speeding up his pace.

"I'm full too, bye."

He stood up, casually grabbed the unfinished can of cola from the table, and acted nonchalant.

Zhou Huaijin's face darkened further.

"Ye Zhenzhen".

The deep voice came from behind.

Ye Zhenzhen froze.

"……exist."

"Submit the revised report before you leave work today."

"OK……"

Ye Zhenzhen held the tray, feeling cold sweat pouring down her back.

Chen Zheng waited for her at the door, gave her a sympathetic look, and asked in a low voice, "Hey, did you offend Zhou Huaijin?"

Ye Zhenzhen smiled bitterly.

This kid is really bold, a temporary worker dares to call the Party Secretary by his full name. But then again, he has nothing to lose, and he's not a permanent employee, so what's he afraid of?

She sighed, put her plate in the recycling bin, and silently walked towards the elevator.

Back in the office, it was empty; there wasn't a single person there.

Ye Zhenzhen sat down and opened her notebook.

She first bought a paid PPT template online—it cost her five yuan, which hurt her feelings.

Then I opened the data report that had been criticized to the point of being incomplete, checked it word by word, and revised it line by line.

Decimal points, units, title format, data sources... she checked everything she could think of, even the punctuation marks.

People started returning to the office around 2 p.m.

Sitting next to her were two girls, each holding a Starbucks cup, walking with a brisk pace, and carrying a faint scent of perfume.

"Good afternoon," Ye Zhenzhen greeted him, trying to keep her voice natural.

The two nodded slightly in response. Then they glanced at each other, their lips curving into a subtle, knowing smile—neither too warm nor too cold, neither too close nor too distant, polite yet carrying a thin layer of distance.

Ye Zhenzhen understands.

At school, Guo Jiawen and Chen Xueying gave her, an outsider from the suburbs, the same look. Why should the New District Secretariat give you any special consideration?

She looked away and continued typing furiously on the computer.