Ju Li wrote for a full 15 minutes without stopping or resting. Everything around her seemed irrelevant as she became completely immersed in the world of words and ink.
It wasn’t until her pen ran out of ink that she snapped back to reality, lifting her head in a daze.
The abrupt return from that deeply focused state left her feeling disoriented, as if she had travelled back from another dimension.
She stared blankly for over ten seconds before fully coming to her senses. Just now, she had been pulled into an absolute state of concentration, something she had never experienced before. It felt as though all the useful knowledge and information in her brain had been precisely extracted and seamlessly transformed into words on paper.
She put away the now-empty pen and looked down at her speech draft.
Only the conclusion remained unfinished. She frowned, feeling troubled.
Having exited that intense focus, she found it nearly impossible to replicate the quality of writing she had just produced.
What should she do now?
Just as she was stressing over it, her phone vibrated and a message notification popped up from Zhu Jingyi.
She opened it to see a formal inquiry:
[How is the writing going?]
Ju Li bit her lip, thought for a moment and carefully replied:
[Thank you for your concern, Second Senior Brother. I’ve written most of it, just need to finish the ending.]
Zhu Jingyi, sitting in his office, saw her message and immediately flushed red.
Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to remain calm.
But inside, his thoughts were racing:
Why is she thanking me?
I was just formally checking on a subordinate’s progress. Could she be misinterpreting this as me being deeply concerned for her?
Would she think I like her?
His mind drifted back to the effort Ju Li had put into befriending him when she first joined the company.
Sure, she might have just seen him as a stepping stone, but… could it be that she actually liked him? That joining the company was just a bonus?
After all, if she married someone like him, Zhu Jingyi, she would have already won half of life’s battles. Many young women today were eager to take shortcuts to success.
He absolutely couldn’t let Ju Li develop such improper thoughts. He had to maintain his dignity as a senior leader.
After playing out an entire imaginary drama in his head, Zhu Jingyi looked back at their chat and suddenly regretted messaging her at all.
Ugh, if I had known, I wouldn’t have asked about her progress.
With a sigh, he decided to remain impartial and responded cautiously:
[You can ask Qiao Baitong from the PR department to review it. He’s an expert in this area.]
[Got it. Thanks for the advice, Second Senior Brother. I’ll go now.] Ju Li quickly replied.
Seeing her response, which didn’t seem particularly affectionate, Zhu Jingyi started typing another message but hesitated.
Fumbling, he hurriedly erased what he had typed and put his phone down.
Why does Ju Li have this strange ability to make people want to help her?
He had to resist.
And so, Zhu Jingyi finally managed to maintain his high-and-mighty executive image by simply leaving her on read and not replying.
Hmm, now she should understand the vast difference in our status and think twice before casually speaking to me.
Meanwhile, Ju Li remained completely unaware of his mental turmoil.
She was far more preoccupied with finishing her speech. Picking up her nearly completed draft, she prepared to head straight to Qiao Baitong’s office.
Just then, a temporary discussion group popped up on her WeChat.
Ju Li paused and clicked on it.
It was created by Fang Fei, the administration department supervisor.
Fang Fei had sent a file and followed it up with a message:
[There are two tasks: one is organising this file into a spreadsheet, and the other is writing the team-building proposal. You two divide them and send them to me before the end of the day.]
Ju Li frowned.
Second Senior Brother had already told her and Zhang Beibei that they would only handle tasks related to the chairman’s daily work. They were supposed to receive instructions only from him.
So why was Fang Fei assigning them tasks?
It didn’t take long for Ju Li to figure it out.
Fang Fei was probably trying to slack off and was dumping her work onto the two new hires.
If Ju Li had been free, she might have helped. But right now, she still had her draft to finish.
Her first instinct was to worry about offending Fang Fei by refusing. But then she realised that if she let it slide this time, Fang Fei would definitely try it again.
Her workload would only increase over time. If Fang Fei started expecting her to help regularly, rejecting her later would be even more difficult.
With that in mind, Ju Li directly declined in the group chat:
[Fang jie, I’m currently working on the speech that Second Senior Brother assigned me, so I can’t take on other tasks at the moment. I’m really sorry. Can I do it after I finish writing?]
Fang Fei responded harshly: [No. You won’t be able to write that speech anyway, so don’t waste time on it. These two tasks need to be completed before the end of the day.]
In truth, Fang Fei had never taken Ju Li and Zhang Beibei’s new secretary roles seriously.
Like HR, she believed the two of them would be sent back to the administration department within a week.
That’s why she assigned them work despite knowing they were busy with the speech.
To her, she was doing them a favour, giving them experience with administrative tasks so that when they inevitably got kicked out of their secretary positions, they’d be able to fit back in.
For Ju Li to refuse was nothing short of disrespectful.
“…” Ju Li pursed her lips tightly.
It was clear that no one believed she and Zhang Beibei could actually write the speech.
The blatant condescension made Ju Li’s naturally stubborn nature flare up.
A bitter frustration welled up inside her chest, so intense that even deep breaths couldn’t calm her.
Zhang Beibei, sitting nearby, glanced at Ju Li and felt her own anxiety rise.
She had barely written anything in the last ten minutes. The helplessness made her mind feel completely blank.
The words ‘incompetent’ echoed in her head, crushing her dream of becoming the chairman’s assistant into dust.
After thinking for a moment, Zhang Beibei finally replied in the group chat:
[I’ll do both tasks, Fang jie.]
After a long pause, Fang Fei responded: [Alright, send them to me before the end of the day.]
[Got it, Fang jie.] Zhang Beibei acknowledged and downloaded the files.
Turning to Ju Li, she gave a helpless smile. “I really can’t write the speech.”
Ju Li’s dark eyes studied Zhang Beibei’s weak smile. She didn’t say anything at first.
Gripping her nearly completed draft, she stood up, then hesitated and turned back. “Being a secretary doesn’t mean you have to be good at writing speeches. Don’t give up so easily.”
Zhang Beibei stared at her for a moment before nodding.
Ju Li strode away without hesitation, heading directly for the PR department.
Zhang Beibei sat in her seat, feeling uneasy.
When her senior colleague came over to check her progress, she replied that she was working on the task assigned by Fang Fei.
Zhu Jingyi immediately instructed her to prioritise writing the manuscript and to help with Fang Fei’s task only if she had time.
Zhang Beibei bit her lip. She understood the logic, but…
[Senior, I really don’t know how to write it.]
After sending the message, she received no response.
Feeling both aggrieved and frustrated, she suddenly saw a private message from Fang Fei: [The position of the chairman’s secretary is just a temporary role. HR never intended to keep you and Ju Li in this position permanently. They’re actively recruiting experienced professionals to take over.]
Reading this, Zhang Beibei felt a wave of anxiety. How could this be?
[Then what about Ju Li and me, Fang jie?]
[Ha, Ju Li? Does she really think she’s the chairman’s secretary? The chairman probably doesn’t even remember her name.]
[I’m still your direct supervisor. Do the tasks I assign you, and when the chairman eventually kicks you out, I’ll still value you. Just wait and see. Even if the chairman fires Ju Li, I won’t take her back.]
[I gave her work out of kindness, gave her a chance, yet she acts so high and mighty.]
[Just focus on your work and make sure to complete the tasks I assigned before the end of the day. Also, don’t tell anyone about this conversation, especially not Ju Li.]
Fang Fei’s words were filled with mocking sarcasm, clearly fueled by anger toward Ju Li’s refusal.
[Okay, Fang jie, I’ll get to work now.] Zhang Beibei reread Fang Fei’s messages twice, her fingertips turning cold.
[Mm.] Fang Fei replied with just one word, sounding arrogant.
After this exchange, Zhang Beibei’s mood completely plummeted.
She failed to realise that Fang Fei’s words were nothing more than intimidation tactics meant to manipulate her into obediently doing her work.
Instead, she only grasped two key points:
First, the chairman’s secretary position was a temporary rotation. Clearly, it was given to whoever was deemed the least important. Once HR found the right candidate, both she and Ju Li would be dismissed, possibly without even being reassigned to the administrative department.
Second, it seemed like everyone in the company knew about their awkward situation, except for them. They were the only ones naively working hard, thinking they had a real chance.
She had even felt proud of being close to the big boss before.
Now, realising this, she felt both ashamed and furious.
But in the end, she had no choice but to obediently complete Fang Fei’s tasks. There was nothing else she could do.
Meanwhile, Ju Li had no idea that Zhang Beibei had been completely subdued by Fang Fei’s words. Now, she was nothing more than her obedient errand girl.
Clutching her unfinished manuscript, Ju Li headed straight to the PR department downstairs.
It wasn’t until she stood outside Qiao Baitong’s office that she finally began to feel nervous.
Qiao Baitong was the head of the administrative department, at the level of deputy general manager. He reported directly to Chairman Zhong Liyan.
Meanwhile, Ju Li was just a small fry who had just joined the company, still on her probation period.
What if Qiao Baitong dismissed her outright and sent her away?
What if he brushed her off with indifference or even looked down on her?
Standing outside the door, her nerves grew as she noticed people at nearby desks sneaking glances at her. They were probably all wondering what she was doing there.
Her face turned slightly red, but she took a deep breath and summoned the courage to knock.
“Knock, knock, knock!” She knocked cautiously three times.
Her heart pounded like a rabbit caught in a trap, worried he might not even let her in. That would be too embarrassing.
The few seconds of waiting for his response, under the watchful eyes of her colleagues, felt like an eternity.
Finally, a deep voice from inside said, “Come in.”
Ju Li felt a wave of relief and relaxed instantly.
She pushed the door open, stepped in and respectfully greeted, “Qiao zong1,” before looking around.
What she saw inside, however, was completely different from what she had imagined.
The spacious office had a large desk covered with sheets of xuan paper2.
Old Sir Qiao was standing at his desk, holding a calligraphy brush, writing on the paper with bold strokes.
Only after hearing her voice did Qiao Baitong shift his gaze from the paper to her, his eyes filled with curiosity.
Ju Li quickly said, “Qiao zong, my name is Ju Li. I was just assigned as the chairman’s secretary today. I wrote a speech draft and was hoping you could take a look at it if you have time.”
Fearing he might refuse, she rushed through her words in one breath.
Qiao Baitong straightened up and studied her expressionlessly.
Seizing the moment, Ju Li stepped forward and, before he could refuse, respectfully extended the manuscript toward him.
She then stared at him with round, expectant eyes.
Qiao Baitong let out a slight snort, making Ju Li nervously bite her lip.
But in the next second, he took the manuscript from her hands and began reading it.
“Ah, thank you, Qiao zong!” Ju Li exclaimed excitedly, bowing and expressing her gratitude.
Qiao Baitong remained focused on the manuscript, not responding to her.
Ju Li didn’t mind at all and waited patiently.
In the meantime, she glanced at the xuan paper on his desk.
Huh?
Every single sheet had the same word written on it:
忍 (Endure).
???
Did he… just come from the chairman’s office, get completely pissed off by Boss Zhong and come back here to vent by repeatedly writing ‘Endure’ over and over again?
This… this old man was too…
Uh…
Kind of adorable.
Notes:
- In contemporary Chinese business and professional settings, zǒng (总) is an honorific title appended to a surname—e.g., Qiáo Zǒng (乔总), Zhōng Zǒng (钟总)—to address or refer respectfully to a company’s general manager, director, or senior executive. The term derives from zǒngjīnglǐ (总经理, “general manager”). ↩︎
- Xuan paper (宣纸), also called “rice paper,” is a traditional Chinese handmade paper originating in Xuancheng, Anhui province. Renowned for its smooth texture, strength, and absorbency, it has been used for centuries in calligraphy and ink painting. ↩︎
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