I Secretly Read My Boss' Diary (GL) - Chapter 11

October 1st: I saw Silly throw her first tantrum.

In my mind, Silly had always been cheerful, a natural optimist who seemed immune to worries. I thought she’d always be like that, but I never imagined I’d witness her lose her temper one day.

Standing in the empty dormitory, I watched Silly sob her heart out, wrapped in her blanket. I had no idea how to comfort her, so I just helped clean up the mess on the floor and placed her favorite cookies on her desk.

I hope that once she calms down, seeing her favorite treat will lift her spirits a little.

*******

Yan Zhao knew it was wrong to daydream during meetings, and she felt she deserved the Terror’s scolding. But what was with being forcibly moved to the General Manager’s Office?!

The thought of working under the Terror’s watchful eye from now on made Yan Zhao feel utterly dreadful.

However, the Terror’s orders had been issued, and refusing was out of the question. After Liu Yiyang and Da Lin helped move her desk into the General Manager’s Office, Yan Zhao, her face a mask of misery, clutched her pile of plushies and laptop, her steps as heavy as those of a hostage being dragged into a bandit’s lair. She glanced back three times with each step.

Gong Muyu wasn’t in the office at the time. Liu Yiyang and Da Lin set up the desk and even helped Yan Zhao install her computer.

As they were leaving, Liu Yiyang noticed Yan Zhao’s tearful expression. He patted her shoulder, then struck a comical, clasped-fist pose, wiping away fake tears as he exited the General Manager’s Office. His ridiculous performance nearly made Yan Zhao spit out a dramatic spray of blood.

Yan Zhao silently returned to her desk, gnawing on her thumb as she pulled out her phone to scroll through short videos. But when her peripheral vision caught sight of the potted plant in the corner, Gong Muyu’s icy face flashed in her mind. With a sigh, she shoved her phone back into her pocket.

I don’t think I did anything too outrageous, she thought. Why am I being singled out to sit with that Terror…

As she silently grumbled, a knock suddenly echoed through the room. Yan Zhao, who had been slumped over in a daze, immediately straightened up. When she saw Dong Wan standing at the door, looking like she was up to no good, Yan Zhao rolled her eyes but also breathed a sigh of relief.

Dong Wan gestured for Yan Zhao to come out. Understanding, Yan Zhao rose and stepped out of the General Manager’s Office. The moment she crossed the threshold, Dong Wan grabbed her arm and dragged her toward the restroom.

“I wasn’t here earlier,” Dong Wan said. “Why would General Manager Mu suddenly decide to make you sit with her?”

Yan Zhao spat at Dong Wan’s words. “What kind of talk is that?” she snapped. “What do you mean ‘decide’? I’m the one who’s unlucky here.”

When Dong Wan stuck her tongue out at her, Yan Zhao returned the gesture with an eye roll.

After their mutual disdain had run its course, they finally got down to business.

“Hey, do you think I might have offended her somehow? General Manager Mu seems to be targeting me at every turn.”

Yan Zhao leaned against the wall, picking at her fingers. Her pent-up frustration was written all over her face as she replayed the day’s events in her mind.

“You heard about what happened today, right? I admit I was wrong about the meeting, so let’s drop that. But when Manager Sun came around offering candy, everyone was taking some. Yet she singled me out specifically. I didn’t even say anything to her!”

As Sun Yiming’s number one fangirl, Dong Wan perked up instantly at the mention of his name. She grabbed Yan Zhao and made her repeat the story, a strange fire burning fiercely in her eyes.

Startled by Dong Wan’s intense expression, Yan Zhao instinctively took a step back. Just then, the stall door behind her swung open from the inside, and she stumbled backward, colliding with the person exiting the restroom.

Yan Zhao’s mouth moved faster than her body. Feeling the impact, she blurted out an apology while turning around. But when she saw who she had bumped into, her face turned as green as the plants in Gong Muyu’s office—practically glowing with embarrassment.

“General Manager Mu…”

Gong Muyu overheard the two women’s conversation in the restroom. She had intended to eavesdrop on what Yan Zhao would say about her, but just then, a client messaged her, requesting a price quote.

This client was a key target the company was actively courting. The request for a quote at this moment clearly indicated they were considering a potential partnership. Though Gong Muyu cared about Yan Zhao’s opinion of her, she couldn’t afford to neglect this business opportunity. Reluctantly, she emerged from the restroom, only to find Yan Zhao practically throwing herself into her arms.

Seeing the two women’s pale faces, Gong Muyu pretended not to have heard anything. She nodded politely at them, walked to the sink to wash her hands, and dried them while asking Yan Zhao, “Have you settled in properly? If you have any questions about CHI in the future, feel free to ask me directly. It’ll be much more efficient.”

Yan Zhao nodded mechanically, her expression blank. After watching Gong Muyu leave the restroom, she lunged at Dong Wan’s neck with lightning speed. Terrified, Dong Wan turned and fled the restroom.

Yan Zhao dragged her feet back to the office, greeted Gong Muyu, who looked up at her, and settled into her seat next to Gong Muyu’s desk.

She refreshed her email, but no new messages had arrived, plunging her back into the depths of boredom. She wanted to slack off but was afraid of being scolded by Gong Muyu, who was working intently beside her. Instead, she silently sat at her desk, repeatedly organizing the files in her folders, pretending to be busy.

After what felt like an eternity, a small fox icon suddenly popped up in the lower right corner of her screen. Recognizing the avatar as Dong Wan’s, Yan Zhao glanced at Gong Muyu, who was still engrossed in her work, and clicked open the chat window.

Wanran Smile: I’ve been thinking… Could General Manager Mu be targeting you because she’s misunderstood something?

Yan Zhao stared at Dong Wan’s message and sent back a question mark.

Wanran Smile: Could it be because General Manager Mu is also smitten with our Manager Sun? And since Manager Sun speaks up for you and even gives you candy, is she jealous?

At this, Yan Zhao couldn’t help but think, Heh.

Gong Muyu smitten with Sun Yiming? More like Sun Yiming is smitten with Gong Muyu!

As the mental retort faded, Yan Zhao suddenly froze.

Sun Yiming was undeniably handsome, but Yan Zhao couldn’t shake the feeling that he still fell short of Gong Muyu’s presence. For some reason, the two of them always seemed slightly mismatched when standing together.

Yan Zhao curled her lip and retorted with a snarky remark to Dong Wan, the brainless fan girl. Anxious that Gong Muyu might suddenly appear beside her again, Yan Zhao quickly hid the chat window and glanced sideways.

At that moment, Gong Muyu seemed to have just finished replying to an email. She took a deep breath and leaned back in her chair. The golden sunset streaming through the window cast a halo around her delicate features, making her look like a goddess from mythology.

Sun Yiming thinks he has a chance with her?! He’s dreaming!

“What are you looking at?” Gong Muyu asked, tilting her head as she noticed Yan Zhao staring at her in a daze.

“The sunset is so beautiful today, haha,” Yan Zhao forced a dry laugh, quickly reaching for her cup to take a sip and hide her flustered expression.

Gong Muyu didn’t give it a second thought and turned back to her work.

Just then, the chat window on Yan Zhao’s computer lit up again. When she saw Dong Wan’s message, she couldn’t contain herself and spat a mouthful of water onto the screen.

Wanran’s Smile: What’s this? General Manager Mu isn’t secretly in love with our Manager Sun… could she possibly be in love with you?!

Yan Zhao scrambled to her feet, grabbing several tissues to wipe up the spilled water on the desk. When she saw Gong Muyu approaching to help, she hastily reached for the mouse, trying to close the chat window. But the more she rushed, the more flustered she became. As she leaned sideways to grab the mouse, her hand accidentally landed on Gong Muyu’s outstretched hand instead.

In that instant of skin-to-skin contact, only two words flashed through Yan Zhao’s mind: So smooth…

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