Lin Jianqing arrived at the company the next day already prepared for a normal day at work.
A normal day meant clocking in, sitting at his desk, turning on his computer, processing the documents Zhang Jie had sent, grabbing a quick bite for lunch, then heading back to school for afternoon classes.
If Shen Huaixue didn’t come looking for him, the day could be considered smooth sailing.
Of course, given his understanding of Shen Huaixue over this period, the phrase “smooth sailing” was somewhat unrealistic when applied to her.
Moreover, the fact that she hadn’t sought him out in the past two days probably meant she was busy with her own affairs.
The fact that she had suddenly called him over for dinner last night could only mean she had finished her work, and now it was his turn to be unlucky.
‘I don’t hate Shen Huaixue—after all, I’ve received benefits from her. But… her mouth is just too sharp. How did I not notice it before?’
When Lin Jianqing swiped his card and walked into the office, he was already mentally prepared to be suddenly summoned by Shen Huaixue.
But oddly enough, Shen Huaixue didn’t appear. Zhang Jie appeared first.
“Jianqing, good morning.”
Zhang Jie walked out of the break room with a cup of coffee, smiling.
“Morning, Zhang Jie.”
Lin Jianqing nodded and was about to head to his desk when he noticed a paper bag on his desk. The bag was very ordinary, with no exaggerated brand logos, just cleanly packaged.
There was also a cup of hot soy milk beside it. Lin Jianqing stopped.
He looked at the bag, then at Zhang Jie.
“This is…”
“Breakfast,” Zhang Jie said naturally.
“President Shen had it prepared. She said you probably didn’t eat a proper breakfast this morning.”
Lin Jianqing: …
He looked down at the breakfast on the desk, temporarily at a loss for words.
‘Shen Huaixue prepared it? No, no… why would she prepare breakfast for me? And how does she know I didn’t eat a good breakfast?’
Lin Jianqing had indeed just grabbed a cheap unbranded bread from Pinduoduo from his dorm that morning and eaten a couple of bites on the way. Because he was a bit pressed for time, half of it was still in his backpack.
‘But Shen Huaixue shouldn’t know about this—unless she had installed a surveillance camera on me.’
At that thought, Lin Jianqing’s back went cold.
“Zhang Jie.”
“Hmm?”
“Does President Shen… normally have the habit of monitoring employees’ breakfast consumption?”
Zhang Jie was stunned for a moment, then laughed.
“What are you thinking? President Shen probably just guessed. You’re a student your age, having classes and an internship at the same time. It’s normal not to eat a good breakfast, isn’t it?”
Lin Jianqing fell silent.
‘That makes sense. But only if the person in question isn’t Shen Huaixue.’
He sat down at his desk and opened the paper bag to take a look. Inside was a portion of hot congee, two light side dishes, and a boiled egg.
It looked ordinary, but the rising white steam stirred his slightly numb stomach to life. Moreover, it was obviously not the kind of instant breakfast you could buy at a convenience store. Lin Jianqing stared at the breakfast for a few seconds, his mood somewhat complicated.
‘If someone else had given it, I would have thought they were thoughtful. But it’s from Shen Huaixue, so the feeling is very subtle.’
‘It’s like a cat that had been chasing and biting me a few days ago suddenly bringing a fish to place in front of me as a peace offering. But the problem is, I can’t help but suspect that the cat is waiting for me to lower my head and eat the fish before suddenly striking with its claws.’
Lin Jianqing hesitated for a long while, then finally picked up the spoon.
‘Forget it. Since Shen Huaixue gave it, there’s no reason not to eat it. I’ve already accepted so many benefits from her—this little bit doesn’t make a difference. Even if she really wants to harm me, she wouldn’t go to all this trouble.’
The congee was warm, and it went down smoothly. Lin Jianqing had originally planned to eat just to avoid waste, but after a few bites, his movements unconsciously slowed down.
The taste was indeed good—light but not bland. The emptiness in his stomach caused by rushing in the morning was gradually filled by the hot congee.
Lin Jianqing lowered his head and ate his breakfast quietly. Meanwhile, at the other end of the office, the door to the President’s office was half-closed. Shen Huaixue stood behind the door, watching Lin Jianqing through the gap.
He was dressed very ordinarily today. A white jacket, light-colored inner layer, hair a bit messy from rushing in the morning. Sitting in front of his desk with his head down drinking congee, he looked less guarded than usual, almost obedient.
Shen Huaixue watched for a while before slowly withdrawing her gaze.
She certainly wasn’t a good person—Shen Huaixue never denied that. Nor was she going to suddenly turn into some kind, gentle savior just because of a little guilt.
But after she had discovered those things, seeing Lin Jianqing still made her feel uncomfortable inside. That discomfort was annoying, so annoying that she had barely bothered him these past two days.
But not bothering Lin Jianqing made her even more annoyed. So Shen Huaixue finally concluded that she needed to compensate him, at least to ease her own conscience.
As for the matter regarding Lin Jianqing’s parents, Shen Huaixue didn’t plan to tell him. And Lin Jianqing didn’t need to know either.
‘If Lin Jianqing found out, wouldn’t that be explosive?’
Thinking this, Shen Huaixue suddenly felt a bit ridiculous. When had she started caring about whether a man had eaten breakfast or not? Shen Huaixue leaned against her desk, silent for a moment, then finally said softly,
“So annoying.”
She was no longer sure whether she meant Lin Jianqing or herself, or if it was a form of self-mockery.
Around ten in the morning, after Lin Jianqing had sent the sorted documents to Zhang Jie, he was about to take a break when his phone vibrated.
He looked down. Sure enough, it was here.
Shen Huaixue: “Come to my office.”
Lin Jianqing stared at these five words and felt a strange sense of relief in his heart.
‘Here it is. Finally back to normal. If Shen Huaixue stopped bothering me, I’d feel something was off. Not that I’ve awakened some terrible attribute.’
As soon as this thought crossed his mind, Lin Jianqing realized he might have been seriously affected by her. He rubbed his forehead and got up to head to the President’s office. The door wasn’t fully closed, so he knocked.
“Come in.”
Shen Huaixue’s voice came from inside. Lin Jianqing pushed the door open. She was sitting behind her desk, casually looking over some documents. Of course, her attention wasn’t on the documents at all.
But Lin Jianqing didn’t know that. To him, when Shen Huaixue wasn’t talking, she actually looked somewhat serious about work.
Of course, Lin Jianqing knew this was just an appearance.
“What do you need me for this time?”
Lin Jianqing stood by the door, not stepping further in. Shen Huaixue looked up at him, her gaze lingering on his face for a moment.
“Did you eat breakfast?”
“Yeah.”
“How was it?”
Lin Jianqing hesitated for a moment.
“Not bad.”
“Just not bad? That’s your review? Student Lin, the breakfast I had prepared is only worth a ‘not bad’?”
Lin Jianqing looked at her.
“What do you want to hear?”
Shen Huaixue leaned back in her chair, a half-smile on her face.
“Like, ‘Thank you, President Shen. You are beautiful and kind, the most considerate boss I’ve ever met.’ At least be a little flattering, right?”
Lin Jianqing: …
‘I knew it. You can’t accept a woman’s kindness for free.’