Chapter 16
Shen Yan felt he was probably overthinking it; after all, he hardly ever came to the company, and there were very few people who knew him, so it made no sense for there to be any gossip.
So he didn’t think much of it and went straight up to the top floor to find Lu Xiaoqing.
Lu Xiaoqing was as polite and friendly as ever. After handing him his salary card, she took him to an office outside and pointed to a desk by the window. “This is your workspace. I know you don’t need to work in the office, but I’ve set everything up for you. If you need anything else, just let me know.”
Shen Yan was a bit surprised as he looked at the brand-new desk and computer.
Although he held the title of Special Assistant to Su Yunzhe, Su Yunzhe hadn’t assigned him any specific tasks and didn’t require him to clock in and out. Lu Xiaoqing was well aware of this, yet she still prepared a desk for him.
From the layout of the CEO’s office, it was clear his desk was in the best position, indicating it had been specifically vacated for him.
Wasn’t this treatment a bit too generous?
Feeling a bit embarrassed, Shen Yan wanted to say it was unnecessary, especially since he wouldn’t be coming in much.
Then he suddenly thought that Yun Kong Entertainment was far from Su Yunzhe’s home; he would have to transfer several times on the subway to get there. It would be better to wait for Su Yunzhe to finish work and catch a ride with him. So, he changed his mind and smiled at Lu Xiaoqing, saying, “Thank you, Sister Lu.”
He then sat down and politely asked Lu Xiaoqing, “Sister Lu, is there any work you need me to do?”
Lu Xiaoqing prepared the desk mainly because Shen Yan’s position warranted it. Whether or not he would actually use it was secondary; what mattered was his relationship with Su Yunzhe, and she didn’t want to neglect him. So, she provided him with everything he was supposed to have but never expected Shen Yan would actually come in to work.
This caught her off guard, and she hurried to explain, “Miss Shen, I didn’t mean to…”
“I know,” Shen Yan interrupted her with a smile. “I just happen to be waiting for General Manager Su to get off work today. Since I’m idle anyway, I might as well do something. However, I really don’t have much experience.”
Seeing that he didn’t seem to be lying, Lu Xiaoqing didn’t press the issue further, but naturally, she didn’t assign him any tasks.
Partly because she didn’t dare to, and partly because she didn’t trust him, she only handed him some regulations and guidelines for him to look through at his leisure.
Shen Yan casually flipped through them, not really reading more than a few lines before tossing them aside and opening his computer to start typing.
Behind his desk were some green plants and a wall, so no one could see what he was doing, allowing him to type freely.
Before he started writing, he checked his author backend to look at the data for his new work.
Without the boost of any recommended lists, the data wasn’t particularly impressive, but there were a few collections and some readers who had spontaneously supported him, and he also received a message from an editor asking him to sign a contract.
He chatted with the editor for a bit, confirmed the contract details, and the editor sent it over.
After checking it for issues, he printed it out, which was one of the conveniences of working here.
Once the contract was sorted, it was almost lunchtime.
At this point, the office, which had been quiet, gradually filled with a bit of life. After a morning of focused work, the colleagues stood up one after another, actively greeting Shen Yan and inviting him to join them for lunch, their attitudes extremely friendly and warm.
Just as Shen Yan was about to agree, Su Yunzhe walked out of his office and saw him. A hint of surprise flickered in his deep gaze, but he didn’t ask further, merely giving Shen Yan a look that suggested he should follow him.
Shen Yan didn’t know what he was up to, but he obediently greeted his colleagues and jogged to catch up, completely unaware of the curious and disdainful glances from his friendly colleagues behind him.
“Where are we going?” Shen Yan finally asked once they were in the elevator.
“To eat,” Su Yunzhe replied matter-of-factly.
“Ah?”
Shen Yan was taken aback; he hadn’t expected Su Yunzhe was just asking him to lunch.
As it turned out, Su Yunzhe really did just want him to join for a meal.
Instead of going to the company cafeteria, they headed to a nearby Western restaurant. The food was decent, but it was a huge waste of time, and by the time they returned to the office, it was already past two o’clock.
The colleagues in the CEO’s office were back to work, as if there was an endless amount to do, but they still greeted Shen Yan warmly, and some even offered to make him coffee.
Every time he finished a cup, another person would come over to refill it. Even when he got tired of sitting and stood up to water the plants, a nearby girl came over, eager to help, her enthusiasm even higher than in the morning.
Shen Yan was utterly confused. Even if he hadn’t worked before, he knew that the bonds between colleagues were typically as thin as paper. A person like him, who held a position but didn’t actually do any work, should be the most disliked person in the company. How could they be so nice to him?
His confusion was finally cleared before he left for the day.
While he was drinking coffee, almost feeling sick from it, he declined a well-meaning colleague’s offer for help and went to the break room to pour himself a cup of water. As he stood at the door, he overheard some gossip inside.
“It seems to be true.”
“I said it was true long ago. Didn’t you see how Lu Xiaoqing treated her? And last time at the anniversary celebration, how many people saw the CEO holding her hand the entire time? Those photos on the company forum can’t be fake. She’s definitely the CEO’s mistress!”
“The CEO has such poor taste. There are so many female celebrities in our company, and none are even a hundred times less attractive than her! Not to mention our leading lady Lin Qiao, who has even made it to the list of the world’s hundred most beautiful faces. She’s pursued the CEO for so many years, yet he never looked her way. And now he’s with her? I can’t help but feel sorry for Lin Qiao.”
“Isn’t that right? And if he’s going to keep her, then she should stay home and be his canary. Why come to the company to show off? Did you see? She was just playing games and reading novels the whole time, and she even had the nerve to ask us to make her coffee. Talk about giving herself too much credit.”
“I just can’t stand her flaunting. How can someone who’s being kept feel a sense of accomplishment from it? Where does that even come from…”
“Miss Shen, why are you just standing there? Aren’t you coming in?”
As Shen Yan was getting into the gossip, Lu Xiaoqing suddenly approached him, and the lively discussion in the tea room came to an abrupt halt. When a few people saw Shen Yan standing at the door, their faces turned various shades of red, and they looked so embarrassed they could almost find a hole to hide in.
Shen Yan remained calm and collected, pretending he didn’t hear anything, and smiled as he spoke to Lu Xiaoqing.
The gossiping colleagues, thinking he hadn’t noticed, let out a sigh of relief and hurriedly tried to flatter him. One of them noticed he was about to get water and immediately ran over to help.
Shen Yan didn’t refuse but also didn’t say much, simply looking at them with a knowing smile.
The gossipy group felt a bit guilty; seeing his reaction made them uneasy again, and they suddenly fell silent, unsure of what to say.
But Shen Yan didn’t dwell on it and simply took his cup and walked away.
He didn’t take it to heart because there was no need to. Besides, being mistaken for Su Yunzhe’s lover only benefited him, with no downsides.
Even those who had been bad-mouthing him could only complain behind his back; they still had to help him make coffee, right?
So, what did it matter?
However, he truly hadn’t anticipated that others would misinterpret his relationship with Su Yunzhe.
Even though he had attended the anniversary celebration as Su Yunzhe’s companion, such roles at events often had more to do with social needs than actual relationships.
But now it seemed the entire Yun Kong Entertainment had already accepted him as Su Yunzhe’s lover.
He suspected that even Duan Yang believed he was indeed a woman and had set aside his suspicions because of it.
Thinking of this, Shen Yan realized that this misunderstanding brought him more benefits than harm.
He just wondered how Su Yunzhe would feel about it if he found out.
Shen Yan was unsure of his own feelings; he hadn’t intended to bring it up with Su Yunzhe, yet he couldn’t help but ask during their ride back, “Does President Su know that everyone in the company thinks you’re supporting me?”
As soon as he asked, he regretted it.
What if Su Yunzhe didn’t want to be misunderstood and decided to clarify it right then?
Duan Yang might just pick up his suspicions again.
With that thought, he almost wanted to bite his own tongue off.
But he heard Su Yunzhe respond nonchalantly, “It’s already spread all over the company’s intranet.”
Shen Yan was taken aback for a moment before reacting, his lips curling up involuntarily. “You know? You don’t mind, huh?”
Su Yunzhe turned to look at him, a teasing smile on his face. “Mind what? I originally planned to support you. Wasn’t it you who didn’t agree? So, what do you think? Now do you want to reconsider? Think about your family, then think about mine—are you feeling a little tempted?”
