I Secretly Read My Boss' Diary (GL) - Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Reunion

March 12th, First Day Meeting the Little Fool

I never thought I could fall in love with anyone, man or woman. But when that clumsy little fool came running up to me, drenched in sweat and clutching an umbrella, calling me “Senior” and asking for directions to the dorms, I had to admit I felt a fondness for this baby-faced girl.

After guiding her to her destination, I glanced back at the energetic young woman. My earlier frustration seemed to have dissipated. Even the school’s tedious welcome duty didn’t feel as unbearable as I’d imagined. It’s just a pity I don’t know her name.

*******

Yan Zhao sat at the table, her head bowed as she quietly flipped through the pages. For the past two nights, she had been dreaming of suddenly appearing in a small, empty room. The room contained nothing but a table, a tiny parasol, and a thick notebook.

As if possessed, she reached out and grabbed the notebook. When she opened it, she discovered it was a diary.

The diary’s owner wrote in neat, printed-like script. If it weren’t for the faint smudges left by careless fingers, Yan Zhao might have mistaken it for a novel. Though she had no interest in snooping, the moment she touched the diary, her hand began turning the pages against her will.

Humans are inherently flawed, always curious about others’ secrets. But this was just a dream, and the diary’s authenticity was uncertain. Still, Yan Zhao felt a pang of guilt as her hand flipped the pages uncontrollably. She silently reassured herself: It’s just a dream.

The diary’s owner seemed to have been secretly in love with someone for a long time, having filled nearly half the notebook with rambling entries. After reading a dozen pages, Yan Zhao tried to skip ahead to the most recent entries. But no matter how she tried, the diary refused to let her jump pages, forcing her to mechanically flip through each one.

From that day on, Yan Zhao found herself transported to that strange little room in her dreams every night, “forced” to read the diary of her secret admirer. The entries chronicled their first meeting and gradual friendship.

Friendship was perhaps the only word for it. From an outsider’s perspective, the girl in the diary seemed completely unaware of the writer’s feelings.

Yet, judging by the diary’s contents, the secret admirer’s special treatment of her was so obvious that any girl with even a shred of awareness would have noticed.

Tsk, tsk, tsk, Yan Zhao thought. Enjoying her special treatment while pretending not to know his feelings? That’s the textbook definition of slu*!

Despite this, she couldn’t help but envy the girl in the diary. She must have saved the galaxy in her past life to deserve someone loving her so deeply in this one, Yan Zhao mused. It’s such a pity that his devotion is wasted on a slu*.

Silently closing the diary, Yan Zhao sighed. Her fingers traced the cover of the notebook, her heart filled with a mix of emotions she couldn’t quite name. She could only hope that the diary would end with a happy resolution.

The alarm clock suddenly blared in Yan Zhao’s ear, startling her awake from a deep dream. She groggily opened her eyes and realized it was already nearly 7:15 AM.

Yesterday, before leaving work, her supervisor had called a meeting to announce that a new leader would be parachuting in today, emphasizing the importance of punctuality. Yan Zhao, notorious for her daily tardiness, had been singled out for repeated warnings after the meeting. Anxious to make a good impression on the new boss, she had rummaged through her belongings last night and deployed her “ultimate weapon”—three alarm clocks.

However, after being forced to read a heart-wrenching “novel” all night, Yan Zhao felt as if she hadn’t slept at all. She rolled out of bed and drifted into the bathroom like a ghost.

Perhaps influenced by the diary entries in her dream, Yan Zhao remained deeply dispirited even after getting off the subway. Noticing she still had time, she bought breakfast nearby and strolled leisurely toward the office.

When the supervisor entered the office precisely on time, he nodded approvingly at Yan Zhao, who was already seated at her desk. He clapped his hands to draw everyone’s attention, cleared his throat, and announced, “The new General Manager will arrive shortly. Please ensure your desks are tidy and your appearance is presentable. Let’s make a good first impression.”

With that, the supervisor pointed a finger at Yan Zhao, who was yawning, and continued, “Let’s give a special shout-out to Yan Zhao for not being late today.”

As soon as the supervisor finished speaking, the entire office erupted in laughter. Yan Zhao, caught off guard by the sudden attention, choked on her own saliva and nearly passed out. Before she could react, the supervisor’s phone suddenly rang.

The supervisor glanced at the number on the screen, answered the call, and strode out of the office.

Moments later, the supervisor’s obsequious tone, mixed with the distinct sound of heels clicking on the floor, drifted back into the office. Yan Zhao rubbed her face, trying to shake off her drowsiness.

Standing at the back of the crowd, Yan Zhao couldn’t get a clear look at the new leader. All she could make out was that the person had waist-length hair and seemed quite tall.

The newly appointed General Manager didn’t say much. After a brief self-introduction and a few polite remarks, she dismissed everyone. As Yan Zhao turned to leave, she felt the new leader’s sharp gaze sweep over her. When she looked up again, the General Manager had already turned and followed the supervisor into the new office.

“Gong Muyu… I didn’t expect our new General Manager to have such a nice name.”

Yan Zhao, who had been daydreaming and standing at the edge of the group, didn’t quite catch the leader’s name. Exhausted, she pouted at Dong Wan, who had been speaking. “My name sounds nice too. Why don’t you compliment me? Little flatterer!”

“Compliment you for what? Can your compliments make me lose ten pounds? Tch~”

Hearing this, Yan Zhao pinched her forehead and sighed. “If I had that kind of power, why would I still be stuck here? Ugh, I haven’t been sleeping well lately. I won’t join you for lunch today. I need to catch a nap in the office.”

Dong Wan noticed Yan Zhao’s pale complexion and stopped pressing her. “Alright then. We’ll bring you some plain congee when we get back, okay?”

Yan Zhao slumped onto her desk, her eyes glazed over. She gave a thumbs-up with her right hand before closing her eyes.

Seeing how utterly exhausted Yan Zhao was, Dong Wan stopped bothering her. Munching on a potato chip, she wheeled her chair back to her own desk.

After lying down for a while, Yan Zhao felt her eyelids growing heavy. Soon, her head lolled to the side, and she drifted off to sleep.

In the room diagonally across from hers, the previously lowered blinds suddenly parted, revealing a two-finger-wide gap. Behind the window, Gong Muyu quietly observed Yan Zhao slumped over her desk, slowly tightening her grip.

After all these years, she hasn’t changed a bit…

“General Manager Gong, is there anything missing in the office? I’ll have someone bring it right away.”

Hearing the voice behind her, Gong Muyu snapped out of her reverie, turned around, nodded at Manager Zhang, and thanked him.

“Not for now. I’ll call you if I need anything.” With that, Gong Muyu turned back to Manager Zhang and asked, “Has the company been particularly busy lately? I saw someone sleeping during work hours just now.”

Manager Zhang froze at the doorway, glanced outside, and saw Yan Zhao sound asleep, face down on her desk, completely motionless.

Yan Zhao had been working under him since she graduated. She was diligent, responsible, and had a very likable personality. Apart from her tendency to be late, Zhang Sheng quite liked this young woman.

Now that the new General Manager had singled out Yan Zhao, he assumed she was going to make an example of her. He quickly interjected, “Oh, the company has been a bit hectic lately. Rest assured, General Manager, I’ll wake her up right away and make sure she pays more attention in the future.”

Seeing Zhang Sheng’s nervous expression, Gong Muyu realized he had misunderstood her intentions.

While casual conversation and relaxation during downtime were acceptable, openly sleeping during work hours was something Gong Muyu genuinely disliked. However, Yan Zhao had a valid reason for her exhaustion, and criticizing her on her first day would inevitably lead to gossip about Gong Muyu disliking her and secretly making things difficult for her.

Gong Muyu’s brow furrowed involuntarily when she looked up and saw Zhang Sheng standing at the doorway with a smile.

“The company’s employees worked overtime all night yesterday. Why are you scheduling them to come in again today? How can they possibly work in this state? Are our company policies unreasonable?” Before Zhang Sheng could defend himself, Gong Muyu continued, “Our company has always prioritized its people. While business is important, the physical and mental well-being of our employees is even more critical. As a department supervisor, shouldn’t you know this? Or is your department so rigidly structured that it can’t function without every single person?!”

“No, I… I’ll send her home to rest immediately,” Zhang Sheng stammered, dazed by Gong Muyu’s verbal barrage. He turned to leave, but Gong Muyu called him back before he reached the door.

“Forget it. We’ll talk about it after she wakes up.”

Zhang Sheng quickly agreed and left, relieved that Gong Muyu had no further instructions. Only after returning to his office did the realization hit him:

He had taken the blame for Yan Zhao?!

Standing at the doorway, Gong Muyu glanced in Yan Zhao’s direction and couldn’t help but sigh.

I thought I had moved on after all these years, but the moment I stepped through the door and saw that little fool behind the crowd, all the emotions I had suppressed deep within my heart erupted, so violently that I nearly lost my composure in public.

Gong Muyu stood at the far end of the office, gazing at Yan Zhao’s peaceful sleeping face. She couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh.

“Heh, this world is still too small…”

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